Alberta Hansard — 23 June 1986, Afternoon sitting (14:30) (Legislature 21, Session 1)

19860623

Alberta — Debates (Hansard)

June 23, 1986 ALBERTA HANSARD 167 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ALBERTA Title: Monday, June 23, 1986 2:30 p.m. [The House met at 2:30 p.m.] PRAYERS [Mr. Speaker in the Chair] head: INTRODUCTION OF VISITORS MR. HORSMAN: Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to introduce to you, and through you to the members of the Assembly, dis tinguished visitors seated in your gallery. We are favoured today by a visit from the High Commissioner from the Com monwealth of Australia, our sister Commonwealth country, His Excellency Robert Laurie, and his wife Dianne.

Would they please rise and accept the warm welcome of the Assembly? head: INTRODUCTION OF SPECIAL GUESTS MR. SHRAKE: Mr. Speaker, I'm very pleased to introduce to you, and through you to the members of the Legislature, 50 students from Father Damien school in good old Calgary Mil lican. These students have travelled all the way from beautiful Calgary to be with us here today. They have with them two of their teachers, Pat Tzotzos and Mr. Angelo Rizzuti. They also have some of their parents, Peggy Furman, Mrs. Durrant, Pat Labrie, and Jan Mazur.

I wonder if they would rise and receive the warm welcome of the Legislature. MR. MUSGROVE: Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to introduce to you, and through you to the rest of the Assembly, members of the Alberta Beekeepers' Association. The family of Dale and Evelyn Phipatt from Brooks has been in the honey business for over 70 years. Also from Brooks is Henk Dyk, the southern director of the Alberta Beekeepers' Association, and Stan Bas tura is the president. The Phipatts and Mr. Dyk come from the Bow Valley constituency, and Mr. Bastura comes from Taber- Warner.

I would ask that they now stand and receive the warm welcome of the Assembly. MR. WEISS: Mr. Speaker, it's my pleasure today to introduce to you, and through you to members of the Assembly, two individuals from the city of Fort McMurray. Seated in the members' gallery are Mrs. Anne Budd, who is a member of the Keyano board of governors and the local economic devel opment board. Along with Mrs. Budd today is Mr. Wayne Taylor, president of our Chamber of Commerce and a member of the local economic development board as well. I would ask that they rise and receive the cordial welcome of the Assembly. MR. JONSON: Mr.

Speaker, this afternoon I wish to introduce to you, and through you to the Members of the Legislative Assembly, 52 grade 6 students from the fine town of Rimbey. They are accompanied by their teachers Miss Janet Henderson and Mr. Jim Moore and parents and community members Mrs. Deuderwader, Mrs. Kendrew, Mrs. Adams, and Miss McConnell. They have visited the Space Sciences Centre this morning and are concluding with a tour of the Legislature. They are seated in the public gallery. I'd like to ask them to now stand and receive the warm welcome of the Assembly. head: ORAL QUESTION PERIOD Crude Oil Sales MR.

MARTIN: Mr. Speaker, I'd like to direct the first question to the Minister of Energy. It's a follow-up on an answer given to my colleague from Calgary Forest Lawn on June 17. It has to do with the increased use of cheaper imported crude in central Canadian markets. My question to the minister is: what is the government's policy on pressing the federal government for some sort of guaranteed access for western oil to Canadian markets? DR. WEBBER: Mr. Speaker, the hon. member mentions the fact that there is a greater use of imported crude, and that's accurate.

However, having gone the route of deregulation, the expectation of refineries is that they get the crude from the cheapest source. Having gone that particular route, we do not at this particular time plan to take any action with regard to pressing the federal government on the matter. MR. MARTIN: A supplementary question to the minister.

In regard to losing that market and having to compete in the American market with very cheap prices there, is the minister then saying that at this particular time he will not even raise the possibility of dividing the market again, say at the Ottawa valley line, to ensure that we have some domestic markets for our oil here in the province? DR. WEBBER: Mr. Speaker, when I do meet with my coun terpart, the Hon. Pat Carney, in the coming week, we intend to discuss a number of issues related to the industry overall.

However, the industry has been pressing, and it shows in the Western Accord and the natural gas agreement that they wanted to proceed down the road to deregulation. The fact that we have a rise in the import of crude at the present time is a result of deregulation. MR. MARTIN: Certainly it's been down the proverbial road in terms of the Alberta industry, since the Western Accord anyhow. The continental oil policy we now have, caused by the deregulation the minister has been alluding to means, frankly, that independent producers are losing price, as we're well aware, but also losing the domestic market.

This is causing a flood into the American market at fire sale prices, I might say. My question to the minister: what is the government's analysis of this situation, given that much of the recent increase in exports has occurred from valuable light crude, which I might say is in limited supply in Canada? DR. WEBBER: Mr. Speaker. I'm not sure of the general drift of all that the hon. leader has said or has asked. However, it is a fact that even though imports are up, so are our exports to the United States.

The overall desire of the industry is to try to access the export market, particularly with regard to natural gas in the future. But in a deregulated system — the hon. member is implying that government should intervene. That's not what the industry wants nor what the government wants. MR. MARTIN: I guess it doesn't matter if some of them go out of business. I agree that we've had an increase in the export

168 ALBERTA HANSARD June 23. 1986 market and a decrease in the eastern Canadian market, but the prices we're paying are fire sale prices. The Alaskan price is $2 less than what we pay here. My simple question to the minister: in the government's analysis is this a healthy situation, given that we have a limited supply of the light, valuable crude? DR. WEBBER: Mr. Speaker, I'm not sure what the hon. mem ber would suggest that we do, whether he's suggesting that we get back in and regulate what the price of crude should be. MR. MARTIN: A floor price. DR.

WEBBER: The world price of crude has gone down, and the prices that are being paid for it are the commodity prices that are on the market. I know the opposition are suggesting that we get into the business of a floor price, but if the,y look at that closely, they'll see that it has implications as well. Not that we have suggested that we would eliminate the possibility of looking at it in the future, but there certainly are many negatives to going in that direction. MR. TAYLOR: Mr. Speaker, a supplementary to the minister.

While I can understand his desire to punish the oil industry for asking him to deregulate the prices, I think he should cease and desist. One of the things I would ask the minister . . . AN HON. MEMBER: Order. MR. TAYLOR: Order? I'm getting to the point, even if it's only on your head right now. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to ask the minister whether he will approach those oil companies that are importing oil in the offshore to at least guarantee the same amount of oil in the export market. The same people that are importing oil are also buying in the export market.

In other words, let us at least guarantee that the amount of oil that's being imported is matched by the amount of oil being exported by Albertans. DR. WEBBER: Mr. Speaker, here we are again with someone who is wanting guarantees to be built in. The industry and the governments wanted to have an agreement, which ended up as the Western Accord, whereby we ended up with the market place determining what the prices would be. Now we have the Liberal leader of this province wanting us to intervene and have guarantees again. Waterton Area Gas Well MR.

MARTIN: I'd like to direct my second question to the Minister of Recreation and Parks, Mr. Speaker. In an income and employment analysis study done for the government by Stewart Weir & Co. as part of the integrated resources plan process on the Castle River, I think the minister is aware it made clear that the best economic prospects for the area rest on recreation and tourism. My question to the minister is: why is the provincial government backing away from plans to create a provincial park in the South Castle area near the Waterton park? MR. WEISS: Mr. Speaker, I'm not fully familiar with the study.

I would like to state that we're reviewing all aspects of it, and I would report if there is anything further to advise at a later date. MR. MARTIN: Maybe I can help the minister out, Mr. Speaker. The federal Conservative Minister of the Environment has stated that Waterton park is one of Canada's most threatened national parks. My question to the minister is: why then is the provincial government not co-operating with the federal government to protect the area near the north boundary of the park for future generations? MR. WEISS: Mr.

Speaker, I'm certainly not aware of any threats, but it's our intention as a provincial government to work with the federal government in all areas. MR. MARTIN: Is the minister not aware of the Shell plant? That's some sort of threat to a park, I would say, Mr. Speaker. But just to follow along, Parks Canada and the U.S. National Park Service have jointly nominated Waterton and Glacier inter national park to UNESCO as a world heritage site.

My question: what is the minister's position regarding a personal appeal by him to the ERCB to request a suspension of their approval for the Shell Jutland well until the world heritage bureau and UNESCO have made a decision on this joint Canada-U.S. application? MR. WEISS: Mr. Speaker, I don't think my personal feelings are what should be brought into this. It's what is best for all Albertans, and that's what will be done. MR. MARTIN: A supplementary question to the minister. I was not asking his personal feelings. I'm sure he's a very warm individual.

My question is: as a minister of the Crown, would he be prepared to make that recommendation to the ERCB until this decision is made? MR. WEISS: As the minister responsible, Mr. Speaker, I'm prepared to review all aspects of it and report back. MR. TAYLOR: Mr. Speaker, I would ask a supplementary to the minister in charge. If he cannot stop the Shell juggernaut from building a road, would he at least ask Shell whether they could drill the well by bringing it in by helicopter rather than putting in practically a three-lane highway to open up the whole wilderness area? MR. WEISS: Mr.

Speaker, the hon. member mentioned flying in by helicopter. He should be well aware that it's feasible, practical. I am sure that concern will be brought to the attention of those involved. Sheerness and Genesee Power Plants MR. TAYLOR: Mr. Speaker, I'd like to ask the main question through you to the Minister of Transportation and Utilities. Recent reports have cited that if Sheerness 2 and the project outside Edmonton are suspended, the savings would come in the nature of around $593 million.

However, if you equate that against the extra costs of building plants in the 1990s. they say the saving is only $6 million. These are accepting the studies made by the utility companies, which admittedly may be on — but has the minister made any studies from the taxpayers' point of view as to what savings, if any, will be made, taking into consideration that they are now paying for people on wel fare rolls and unemployment insurance? Have we put a cost/ benefit analysis on it from the taxpayers' point of view rather than accepting what the utility companies have said was their difference? MR. ADAIR: Mr.

Speaker, two things should be pointed out. The ERCB, in essence, judge the information that is provided

June 23, 1986 ALBERTA HANSARD 169 to them from all parties and make a decision based on that. As a result of that, some time ago there was the approval for Sheerness 1, which was officially opened on Friday last, for 380 megawatts. Then there was a deferment of the Genesee project to October of 1989 and a further deferment of Sheerness 2 and Genesee 1 to October of 1990 and 1991 together. In answer to the hon. member's question, Mr. Speaker, I guess the information is that the ERCB will judge all the information provided to them by all parties and make the best decision. MR.

TAYLOR: A supplementary to the minister. I know what the ERCB has said, and I know what the utility companies have said. I'd like to ask the minister: has he evaluated it from the taxpayers' point of view and the cost/benefit analysis of having to pay for unemployment insurance and the loss of jobs and income tax to the people of Alberta by not having those plants built right now? MR. ADAIR: Mr. Speaker, at this particular point in time, in the short period of time I've been involved with the ministry, I have not ordered any of those particular types of studies.

I am attempting to bring myself up to date on the information that has been provided in the past. Of course, with that plant on stream as of Friday, obviously two things have to be kept in mind. The judgment is made by the ERCB outside of government in the interests of all parties involved: the power companies, the consumers, and the government. MR. TAYLOR: Mr. Speaker, in all due deference, I think that's a cop-out. I would like to ask then: at what stage is the Genesee plant now? How close to completion is it in value of dollars spent? MR. ADAIR: Mr.

Speaker, I can't give you any more infor mation other than the fact that Genesee 2 was deferred from June of 1988 to October of 1989. My understanding is that that plant is probably on stream for the October 1989 date. MR. TAYLOR: Can the minister not tell us, outside of reading press releases put out by the utility companies, just how far along a plant is? How long would it take to complete? MR. ADAIR: Mr. Speaker, inasmuch as that's the decision and the judgment of the city of Edmonton, it's probably better asked of the city of Edmonton. MR. EWASIUK: Mr. Speaker, to the minister of utilities.

Just to clarify in my own mind, did I understand you to say that the development of the Genesee plant is going to proceed on the present schedule, or is there some suggestion that, indeed, you're going to ask the city to again delay the construction of that facility? MR. ADAIR: I'm not sure that that's a hypothetical question, Mr. Speaker. Maybe I should have the question again. MR. EWASIUK: Is it the intent of the government to allow the city to proceed with the building of Genesee as per present time frames or, in fact, is there some suggestion that you're going to ask them to delay it again? MR. ADAIR: Mr.

Speaker, there hasn't been any change from the original suggestion to the city of some time ago, and I guess I haven't made any other adjustment to that particular time frame since my coming into office. Fort Saskatchewan Correctional Centre DR. BUCK: Mr. Speaker, my question to the hon. Solicitor General it has to do with the white elephant known as the new Fort Saskatchewan Correctional institute. In light of the fact that over $27.5 million in tenders have already been let, can the minister indicate why an additional $600,000 tender was let to renovate the old institution? MR. ROSTAD: Mr.

Speaker, I'm not aware of this particular tender having been let. I'm in the process of briefing myself on these particulars. I'll take notice and bring it back to the member. DR. BUCK: Mr. Speaker, to the minister. Can the minister indicate, or can he also find out for us, what consultation took place between the minister's department and the general popu lation of the city of Fort Saskatchewan as to the site selection before the site was chosen? MR. ROSTAD: Mr. Speaker, I'd have to take that on notice as well and get back to the member. DR. BUCK: Mr. Speaker, to the minister.

I did give the min ister some advance notice that I'd be asking these questions. I would certainly appreciate it if he could have all the answers the next time I ask them. MR. ROSTAD: Mr. Speaker, if I may respond. The member opposite did inform me that he was going to ask me some questions relating to disposition of the land after the new facility is completed. It's always been a policy of this government to take into consideration the views of the populace in such sit uations, and the city is presently in negotiations with Public Works on the disposition of the said land.

The previous com ments were not indicated to me prior. Mount Royal College MR. NELSON: Mr. Speaker, I'd like to ask the Minister of Advanced Education a question on behalf of the constituents of Calgary McCall and Calgary Montrose. There has been some ongoing discussion over the last three or four years with regard to developing a satellite to the Mount Royal College in northeast Calgary. Could the minister indicate the present status of devel oping that satellite to Mount Royal College in the northeast of the city of Calgary to further enhance the educational needs of the young people in that area? MR.

RUSSELL: Mr. Speaker, I am told the matter has been put to the Calgary Board of Education — that is, the public school board — to see if they'd be interested in proceeding with a joint development on the site of what is called the new northeast high school, and I understand they are going to be discussing that matter this week. The board of Mount Royal has been working on the idea of a satellite community to serve that very large growth in population that lies along the east side of the city.

They presently have some branch quarters in rented space downtown, but this would be kind of a neat concept for them to move in that way. MR. NELSON: Mr. Speaker, supplementary to the Minister of Education. Has there been any discussion with the minister's department regarding the joint venturing or joint usage of the northeast high school, for which funding was announced by the former Minister of Education prior to the Board of Edu

170 ALBERTA HANSARD June 23, 1986 cation making a decision, and a possible satellite to Mount Royal College? In other words, has the minister's department been involved in the discussion with the public Board of Edu cation in Calgary on an ongoing basis on this development of a satellite to the college? MRS. BETKOWSKI: Mr. Speaker, my understanding is that there have been informal discussions between Mount Royal College and the Calgary public school board with respect to moving jointly on a facility in the northeast part of the city. No recommendation has come to me, but I'll certainly look at it when one does.

I would note, though, that I think it's a very effective use of provincial facilities to attempt to put two facil ities into one. If that can be accomplished, I think it's a very worthy goal. MR. NELSON: Mr. Speaker, a further supplementary. Would the Minister of Education undertake to keep members from Calgary McCall and Calgary Montrose informed of develop ments and make every effort to ensure that there is no slowdown in the early development of the northeast high school by the discussions that may be ongoing with the school board and the Mount Royal College board? MRS. BETKOWSKI: Mr.

Speaker, I will certainly work with the MLAs involved as we work towards the development of that facility. MR. CHUMIR: A supplementary, Mr. Speaker, to the hon. Minister of Advanced Education. Speaking of higher education, is the minister satisfied that the complaints of the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology in Calgary and the University of Calgary that the funding they receive per capita is unfairly low in relation to the funding of Edmonton institutions . . . MR. SPEAKER: Excuse me, hon. member. Your supplemen tary is not a supplementary to the main question; it's a separate question on its own merit.

Thank you very much. Social Services Staffing Levels MS MJOLSNESS: Mr. Speaker, I'd like to address this ques tion to the Minister of Social Services. In answer to my question on Friday about the termination of six income security posi tions, the minister said, "I would not be familiar with a par ticular reduction." Yet on Thursday the minister stated clearly that there were no cuts in areas other than that of institutional care. Is the minister familiar with any particular reductions, or can we take these conflicting answers to mean that the minister doesn't know what's happening in her own department? MRS.

OSTERMAN: Mr. Speaker, please cancel my request for supplementary answers to my questions of Friday last, because I had intended to supplement my answers. Not having seen the memo on which the questions were being based, I felt that I should supplement today. The memo, for the information of the members of the House, was in response to my request to the deputy minister for information relating to the heavy load that was being carried by front-line staff in all regions of the province. For the information of the hon. member, we had already instituted a hiring process in the Calgary region to supplement positions.

For the information of all hon. members, I think it would be useful for me to leave with the House for all hon. members the copy of a request for that information that was then sent to the six regions throughout the province. As a matter of fact, there is no real reduction in social worker positions. They are now being carried under man-year positions. This really gets into detailed discussion that I'm sure we will have while debat ing estimates.

But in order that the Department of Social Serv ices be flexible in their approach with a variance of caseloads as they can occur over the year, and also as a result of our automation of the Mill Woods district office here in the Edmonton region, we felt that the same approach should be taken by utilizing man-year offices so that as we introduce new technology — and I mentioned that in my speech on Wednesday last, when I raised concern about the load being carried by our front-line positions, and, as a matter of fact, said that we would have to introduce new technology to supplement the efforts that are being made there.

So as we assess that new technology, Mr. Speaker, we will utilize man-year positions in order that we can continue to deliver this service to the people. MS MJOLSNESS: A supplementary, Mr. Speaker. The min ister stated that there's a hiring process going on right now in Calgary. My question is this: is there a hiring process being conducted at the moment in the Edmonton region? MRS. OSTERMAN: Mr. Speaker, I haven't formally received the final memo that will come from the Edmonton region in terms of the final assessment. There has been an assessment from the regional office, as the hon. member obviously knows.

There is other information that will come from central depart mental staff. When I have received that, and if it indicates — as I well believe it may. as we have seen in the Calgary region — that more positions are needed, those positions will be filled. MS MJOLSNESS: A supplementary, Mr. Speaker. The min ister had stated at least three times on Friday that she had instructed that additional income security staff be hired. This doesn't seem to match with the memo. I'm wondering when the minister directed that additional staff be hired. MRS. OSTERMAN: Mr.

Speaker, I don't remember the pre cise date, but the direction for the hiring of staff basically came from the information that we were gleaning from our working relationship with the Calgary food bank and the kind of infor mation they were providing to us, and it was obvious that we needed more front-line staff to handle the situation. Whatever information comes out of our other five regions will be dealt with accordingly. MS MJOLSNESS: A supplementary, Mr. Speaker. At the very least then, will the six income security positions lost in Edmonton in April be restored due to the minister's instruc tions? MRS.

OSTERMAN: Mr. Speaker, those positions are not lost. Those positions are now classified under the man-year area, and I'd be pleased to discuss that when discussing the estimates in the House. MRS. HEWES: Mr. Speaker, a supplementary to the minister. Given the introduction of new technology and the jiggery- pokery of man-years, does this mean that the income security workers' caseload will increase, decrease, or stay the same? MRS. OSTERMAN: Mr.

Speaker, it is my hope that the case load that is held directly by the income security social workers — there are a number of workers who are involved in the processing of individual applications. But for those who relate

June 23, 1986 ALBERTA HANSARD 171 directly and need to have discussions with the applicants, I would hope to have the caseload reduced. Palm Dairies MR. BRASSARD: Mr. Speaker, I have a question to our Min ister of Agriculture. Could he indicate to us if is he concerned about the recently announced takeover of Palm Dairies by the consortium of the four western milk producers' co-op? MR. ELZINGA: Mr. Speaker, as hon. members are probably aware, if there was any concern as it related to this takeover, it would fall under federal jurisdiction and under the federal Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs.

I should share with the hon. member that this acquisition will hopefully give a higher priority to the dairy industry within the province of Alberta. MR. BRASSARD: A supplementary, Mr. Speaker. Could the minister indicate just what direct impact he feels this will have on all Albertans? MR. ELZINGA: Mr. Speaker, in response to the hon. Member for Olds-Didsbury, it's much as I indicated earlier. We're hope ful that it will make Alberta the focal point for our dairy indus try, because it is going to have a higher impact upon this province itself. Free Trade MR. HAWKESWORTH: Mr.

Speaker, my question this after noon is to the Premier. Last week the Premier of Saskatchewan announced the establishment of a three-person commission to hear public views on trade with the United States. He says his position, which up until now, as you know, has been as a staunch advocate of bilateral trade with the United States, will be affected by what he hears from people in his province. Does the Premier have any similar plan to seek the input of Albertans on the costs and benefits of bilateral trade with the United States? MR. GETTY: Mr.

Speaker, I noticed that report and discussed it briefly with the Premier of Saskatchewan. It's an interesting move that he's making there. It's something that should perhaps be considered, and I'll certainly be thinking about it. MR. HAWKESWORTH: Mr. Speaker, I'm encouraged by that answer from the Premier. I am wondering if he could give this Assembly an indication of when the period of consideration would be completed and we would know whether or not we would have such a commission here in Alberta. MR. GETTY: As I said, Mr. Speaker, I certainly want to consider it.

I don't know that there aren't other alternatives as well. I'll think of all of those, discuss them with my colleagues, and as soon as there is a decision made, I'd be happy to mention it here in the House. MR. HAWKESWORTH: Mr. Speaker, a supplementary. I know we're all quite concerned about these negotiations, which are taking this country in one of the most crucial directions it has ever been taken. Has this government contracted to have any studies done or commissioned any studies which might analyze the impact on Alberta of a bilateral trade agreement with the United States? MR. GETTY: Mr.

Speaker, there are really a lot of studies on the impact of trade. There have been documents sent to us that have been completed by a variety of organizations, other governments, and the federal government. There's quite an inventory. It might be helpful to compile that inventory for members of the Legislature, and then perhaps any member could receive those that can be distributed. MR. HAWKESWORTH: A final supplementary.

Would the Premier indicate to this House to what extent those studies have been undertaken by this government and to what extent they indicate that bilateral trade agreements with the United States are going to hurt the economy of this province? MR. GETTY: I didn't get the final part of his question, Mr. Speaker. MR. HAWKESWORTH: To what extent have those studies been done by the provincial government itself, and to what extent do those studies done by the provincial government indicate a negative impact on the economy of this province from bilateral trade agreements with the United States? MR. GETTY: Mr.

Speaker, I think it would be better that we see which ones can be made available to the members. In many cases it is your own judgment. Some may seem clearer than others, but in many cases I think it's your own judgment as to whether you think they're beneficial or not. As far as how many have been carried out by the Alberta government, in looking and preparing an inventory of studies, we would note how many were carried out by our government. I'd be interested in that myself. I don't keep that figure in my head. MR. CHUMIR: Mr.

Premier, in light of the government's announced dedication to freedom of information, might the Premier tell the House why all studies would not be made available to this House, particularly in light of the fact that the government refused to accept delivery of some of the federal studies as a result of the deletion of certain portions of those studies? MR. GETTY: Mr. Speaker, there are certain studies carried out which reflect on the competitive nature of industries or companies within industries. In those cases I think it's usually courtesy not to make those matters public. Beef Imports MR. MUSGROVE: Mr.

Speaker, my question to the Minister of Agriculture concerns imports of beef from the European Economic Community. Earlier this year there was a countervail put on beef imported from Europe. Lately they've been having hearings on whether this countervail should continue. I wonder if the minister could tell us what status the countervail on European imported beef is at present. MR. ELZINGA: Mr. Speaker, through you to the hon. Member for Bow Valley. As the hon. member is aware, any initiation such as this has to be started by the individual commodity group itself.

They did appear before the Canadian import tri bunal, and the Canadian import tribunal did indicate that they had a cause for complaint. After it was proven that they did have a cause for complaint, they are presently hearing on whether any actual damage is done. The Canadian import tri bunal will be ruling prior to July 25 as it relates to the import of beef into Canada from the European Economic Community.

172 ALBERTA HANSARD June 23, 1986 MR. MUSGROVE: A supplementary question, Mr. Speaker. At the present time are we importing a significant amount of beef from the European Economic Community? MR. ELZINGA: Mr. Speaker, I don't have those specific fig ures at my fingertips, but I can share with the hon. member that the deputy minister of revenue at the federal level had indicated that the subsidy on this beef that was coming into Canada was in the vicinity of 60 percent.

With those figures in mind it is hopeful that the Canadian import tribunal will rule as such, that there is a sufficient subsidy on this beef that has a detrimental impact on pur Canadian cattle industry. Minimum Wage MRS. HEWES: Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Minister of Labour. Alberta's minimum wage is now the second lowest in Canada. Is the government giving any consideration to increasing the minimum wage from $3.80 an hour? DR. REID: Not at this time, Mr. Speaker. MRS. HEWES: Mr. Speaker, to the minister.

Does the government have any studies or information on the numbers of Albertans working at this wage by age, gender, and family size? DR. REID: Mr. Speaker, in general, many who work at the minimum wage are working in the service and tourism indus tries. Many of those jobs are part-time. They are supplementary income, and they also function as an entry point for young people to get jobs and experience in the work force. MRS. HEWES: Then the answer is no? MR. SPEAKER: Don't ask me the question, please. MRS. HEWES: Mr. Speaker, another question. I take it the answer to my second question is no, Mr. Minister.

The poverty line for a family of four in Canada is at $20,020. The next supplementary is: even if we allowed a 50 percent margin in that, how does the minister think a family of four could live on $7,600 per annum, less than half of the poverty line, in this province of Alberta? MR. SPEAKER: I'm sorry, hon. member, you're asking the minister to express an opinion, and that's not within the frame work of the question period. Perhaps you'd like to rephrase your question. MRS. HEWES: Mr. Speaker, Mr. Minister, do we have any data on how people in Alberta are supporting families at $7,600 per annum? DR. REID: Mr.

Speaker, I already indicated that by and large the people on the minimum wage are not supporting a family, and it's not the sole income of the family in most cases. MRS. HEWES: Mr. Speaker, Mr. Minister, has the government done any analysis of whether or not this level of minimum wage is a disincentive to work? DR. REID: Mr. Speaker, I would be getting into opinion as well if I were to answer that question. MR. SIGURDSON: A supplementary, Mr. Speaker, to the Minister of Manpower.

Can the Minister of Manpower explain why in some of the programs that are sponsored by his depart ment, specifically STEP, those people who work in the private sector are paid $3.80 an hour while in the same program those who work in the public sector are paid $5.50 an hour? MR. ORMAN: I'm not sure exactly the point the member is making, Mr. Speaker, but I would say that in terms of minimum wage the lower the minimum wage in a lot of cases means fuller employment. If we were to raise the minimum wage, it may jeopardize some of those jobs that are at the present min imum wage in this province.

Alberta-based Financial Institutions MR. McEACHERN: Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Min ister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs or to the Treasurer, because both of them have joint responsibility for this area. Many Albertans are concerned about a series of extensions provided to North West Trust and Heritage Trust on the require ment that they file annual financial statements. Has either min ister held any meetings with officials of these companies to ascertain what the government could do to help? MR. JOHNSTON: Mr.

Speaker, first let me deal with the question of the Heritage Savings & Trust Company in the city of Edmonton. You will note that the province has already indicated that it would fully back the deposits in the case of the Heritage savings company. Therefore, any extensions which may have been required to allow them to update their financial statements are a matter of course and, of course, would not have any implications for the depositors. Secondly, Mr.

Speaker, with respect to North West Trust there has been an application made before the securities exchange commission to have the extension of the deadline approved. As of the House time today I have no other knowl edge as to whether or not the securities exchange commission, a group operating in a quasi-judicial manner, has come to any conclusion with respect to that request from the company. MR. McEACHERN: A supplementary, Mr. Speaker. The depositors may be protected, but the next question is geared to the taxpayers.

The province has guaranteed deposits of Heritage trust and has deposited $85 million of Treasury Branch funds in North West Trust. What steps has the minister taken to protect the tax dollars which are at stake here? MR. JOHNSTON: Mr. Speaker, the province of Alberta, of course, takes all steps to protect its investment at all times. MR. McEACHERN: A supplementary, Mr. Speaker. A rather cursory answer for the taxpayers. I'm sure. Will the minister assure the Assembly that the tax dollars involved are quite secure and the filing of extensions is merely bureaucratic in nature? MR. JOHNSTON: Mr.

Speaker, as I tried to indicate to the member, the reason for the extension, of course, is not before the government, it's before the securities exchange commis sion. It's up to them to judge whether or not they will allow the extension. That, of course, is a commission made up and provided for in our legislation, which, as I noted, operates in a quasi-judicial basis without much, if any, direction from government. MR. McEACHERN: A final supplementary. Does the government intend to give Heritage trust a further extension on

June 23, 1986 ALBERTA HANSARD 173 the time they have to raise the $6 million to qualify for the government's $10 million rescue package? MR. JOHNSTON: Mr. Speaker, as I attempted to indicate, in the case of the Heritage trust company we have already indem nified the depositors, and we are looking for a way, along with the owners of that company, for they and the private sector to come to some agreement to inject more capital into that cor poration. That process is now under way. as is well understood by all the citizens of Alberta and has been well reported in this Assembly. MR. MITCHELL: Mr.

Speaker, a supplementary to the Pro vincial Treasurer. It's not just Heritage trust and North West Trust. It's CCB and Northland Bank. It's Dial Mortgage, Tower Mortgage, and Ram Mortgage. It's one-third of the credit unions. It's Financial Trustco, which has left this province . . . MR. SPEAKER: Order please. MR. MITCHELL: You're right. Mr. Speaker; it's an awfully long list, and I can't go on with it. I understand that. MR. SPEAKER: Would you like to sit down, please, hon. member, or ask your question. MR. MITCHELL: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Can the minister please indicate what steps he is taking to develop and nurture a strong regional financial industry for Alberta, which is so vital for a strong, diversified economy in this province? MR. JOHNSTON: Mr. Speaker, first of all, the government's position has been outlined on several occasions with respect to a subpaper under the white paper which did, in fact, deal specifically with that area of enhancing the financial infra structure of this province. That is still a statement of this government, which does, in fact, speak to that initiative and that objective. But I might go on to say, Mr.

Speaker, that there are a variety of programs which, in fact, are attempting to assist the private sector to establish the financial infrastructure in this province. For example, this government has taken the initiative to establish the Alberta venture capital industry by taking the initiative through the heritage fund to establish Vencap Equities and to put in place small business equity corporations to attract and to muster private-sector investment on the private sector side.

We have gone on to adjust the tax system to allow the manufacturing sector in particular to have zero tax breaks and provide the lowest corporate tax in this country. We also use the discretionary power of the government to enhance and expand a variety of programs that take on that very interest. We know that the strength is in this province in the private sector. We intend to maintain and to provide whatever assist ance is necessary to do just that. Fertilizer Assistance Program MR. ZARUSKY: Mr. Speaker, to the Minister of Agriculture.

There have been concerns raised in the farm community with regard to the deadlines for the Alberta farm fertilizer price protection program. Could the minister outline what extensions, if any, have been made to this program? MR. ELZINGA: Mr. Speaker, in response to the hon. Member for Redwater-Andrew maybe I could indicate at the outset that this program, even though there has been some concern expressed to it, has been very well received by our farming population. In fact, some 29,000 farmers have applied for fund ing under this to some $2.2 million. The plan was introduced on April 1, '85.

It runs from August 1, '84 to July 31, '86, and the application deadline has been extended to January 31, 1987. MR. ZARUSKY: Supplementary. Mr. Speaker, to the minister. Could he indicate if this program will be continued in the future? MR. ELZINGA: Mr. Speaker, as is the case with all our pro grams, they are under constant review. We are presently assess ing this program, and at the appropriate time we will indicate as to whether it is going to be continued or not. MR. SPEAKER: I'm sorry; the time for question period has expired.

We have two ministers who would like to supplement questions as taken on notice the other day. Topgas Debt DR. WEBBER: Mr. Speaker, on Wednesday, June 18, the hon. Member for Calgary Forest Lawn raised a question with regard to a recommendation from the National Energy Board in a hearing related to the availability of services on the TransCanada PipeLines system. The question related to why the Alberta Petroleum Marketing Commission had taken a cer tain position in those hearings.

At those hearings there were essentially two distinct points of view: that all gas producers should share equally in the carrying of interest charges on what was referred to as the Topgas agreement, and there were those who said that new customers should not share in those interest charges. The recommendation from the National Energy Board was down the middle for a partial sharing. The reason the Petroleum Marketing Commission look their position, and it was an Alberta government position as well, relates to a number of factors.

One is that the take-or-pay provisions of gas contracts were considered necessary to assure a long-term gas supply and provide financial backstopping for the construction of the pipeline a number of years ago. Sec ondly, the vast majority of Alberta producers participate in the TransCanada PipeLines sales either directly or indirectly, so the position was essentially representing the views of the pro ducers in this province. In general, it was that the take-or-pay problem was a system problem which was impairing the TransCanada PipeLines sys tem financially.

The producers agreed under the Topgas agree ment to bear the interest costs of the loans in return for assurances of a market. Those were contracts that were pred icated upon a regulated system, but in a deregulated system we have a different picture now. the position being that the nonsystem gas should not enjoy the benefits which resulted from these arrangements without sharing in those costs. Eastern Slopes Policy MR. SPARROW: Mr. Speaker, the Member for Calgary Buf falo asked two questions taken by my colleague as notice last Thursday in my absence.

The first stated that the Eastern Slopes policy of the government in 1977 des ignated the very site of this proposed [Shell] well for prime protection, which meant no drilling or other heavy indus trial activities. His question was: What was the public interest which impelled the change in this Eastern Slopes policy in 1984?

174 ALBERTA HANSARD June 23, 1986 I think this needs clarification. The question presumes that the 1984 Eastern Slopes policy rezoned the area in question. It did not. Under both the 1977 and the 1984 Eastern Slopes policy provision was made to undertake zoning changes through the mechanism of subregional integrated resource plans. The subre gional plans supersede the Eastern Slopes policies in respect to land use decision. Such plans are based on full public involvement, and I can go on to say, Mr. Speaker, that this process is viewed as as one of the best in Canada as a planning process.

More specifically, the Castle River subregional integrated resource plan approved in 1985 provides more detailed planning and zoning for the area. Extensive public input was received on the plan through three major public forums in Lethbridge, Crowsnest Pass, and Pincher Creek, as well as approximately 12 meetings with other interested groups. The information received from the public meetings was reviewed and assessed before the integrated resource plan was finalized. With reference to the second question, which related to the same well with regard to asking for a delay, I would say the answer is no.

As I mentioned earlier in my previous answer, massive public input was received in the Castle River subre gional plan prior to the approval of that plan. More recently in regard to Shell's licence application the Energy Resources Conservation Board conducted four days of public hearings, and very stringent conditions were attached to the well licence approval. MR. SPEAKER: Might we revert briefly to the Introduction of Special Guests? HON. MEMBERS: Agreed. head: INTRODUCTION OF SPECIAL GUESTS (reversion) MR. DOWNEY: Mr.

Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to introduce to you today, and through you to the members of this Assembly. 62 grade 9 students from Stettler junior high school along with their teachers V. Lindstrand, Don Anderson. G. Gamble, and Larry Ambury, and drivers F. Lamoureux and W. Hallet. They have come here today all the way from the beautiful downtown Stettler. the heart of Alberta.

I would ask that they rise in the members' gallery and receive the warm welcome of this House. head: ORDERS OF THE DAY [On motion, the Assembly resolved itself into Committee of the Whole] head: GOVERNMENT BILLS AND ORDERS (Committee of the Whole) [Mr. Gogo in the Chair] MR. CHAIRMAN: Will the committee come to order please. Before we get started it may be in order, as this is the first meeting of the Committee of the Whole, to very briefly explain the process. First of all. the same rules apply as the rules of the Assembly.

All questions and comments the members may wish to make must come from their place in the Assembly. Members must be recognized. Thirdly, members may speak more than once; however, the Standing Orders say you limit your comments to 30 minutes. The committee is informal in its nature, and although we'd like members to be attentive, they could move around in the Assembly. It's quite informal. Bill 6 Appropriation (Interim Supply) Act, 1986 MR. CHAIRMAN: I would ask, first of all, if the hon. Pro vincial Treasurer has any comments to make on Bill 6. MR. JOHNSTON: Mr.

Chairman, the comments I make with respect to Bill 6 were essentially those made on second reading of this piece of legislation, giving both the history and intent of the appropriation. I should simply add that members will have noted that they have now received on their desks the updated copies of the estimates. It's my understanding, in brief conversation with the House leader, that we'll be looking at those estimates sometime after the July weekend. Obviously, this appropriation simply asks for part of that full appropriation which will be subsequently debated in committee. MR.

CHAIRMAN: Are there any comments, questions, or amendments to any

section of the Bill? The hon. Member for Calgary — Edmonton Highlands. MS BARRETT: Thank you. I like Edmonton. Mr. Chairman, in rising to speak about this Bill, the interim supply Bill, I'd like to make it clear, first of all. that the Official Opposition hasn't a desire to hold up this Bill because, after all, the continuance of spending is in the best interest of the public. I would, however, like to point out on behalf of the Official Opposition our one concern; it's possibly something we could have raised in second reading but is nonetheless appropriate at this point.

It is merely that this Bill does ask us to approve after the fact $4 billion worth of spending which had been approved by cabinet. Our only point on this matter is that it seems to us more appropriate, given that we have the privilege of the democratic process and that we enjoy such a privilege — it's an alarming tendency to pass that amount of money by order in council, by special warrant, and then come to the Legislature for approval after the fact. Obviously. Mr.

Chair man, we have no choice and won't hold this Bill up on that point, but we do look forward in the future to such regular convening of the Legislative Assembly that we're not looking at passing such huge sums of money previously approved by the special warrant. MR. CHAIRMAN: Any other comments or questions? [Title and

preamble agreed to] MR. JOHNSTON: Mr. Chairman. I move that Bill 6, the Appropriation (Interim Supply) Act, 1986, be reported. [Motion carried] MR. CRAWFORD: Mr. Chairman, I move that the committee rise and report. [Motion carried] [Mr. Speaker in the Chair]

June 23, 1986 ALBERTA HANSARD 175 MR. GOGO: Mr. Speaker, the Committee of the Whole Assem bly has had under consideration Bill 6, the Appropriation (Interim Supply) Act, 1986, reports same, and begs leave to sit again. MR. SPEAKER: Having heard the report by the Chairman, does the Assembly agree with the report? HON. MEMBERS: Agreed. head: CONSIDERATION OF HER HONOUR THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR'S SPEECH Moved by Mrs. Koper: That an humble address be presented to Her Honour the Honourable the Lieutenant Governor as follows: To Her Honour the Honourable W.

Helen Hunley, Lieutenant Governor of the province of Alberta: We, Her Majesty's most dutiful and loyal subjects, the Legislative Assembly, now assembled, beg leave to thank Your Honour for the gracious speech Your Honour has been pleased to address to us at the opening of the present session. [Adjourned debate June 20: Dr. Cassin] DR. CASSIN: On behalf of the constituents of Calgary North West, who I represent in the Legislative Assembly of this great province of Alberta, I am honoured to have the opportunity to respond to the throne speech of Her Honour the Lieutenant Governor of this province.

This is my maiden speech in this House, and like those who have gone before me, I recognize that one is hard-pressed to describe the very special feeling one experiences at this time. Mr. Speaker, it also gives me great pleasure to congratulate you on your election as Speaker of this House. The Member for Calgary Egmont is a gentleman whom I've known and respected for many years and a gentleman respected by all members of this Legislature. I have a deep and abiding respect for the conscious manner in which you, Mr.

Speaker, ensure that the procedures of this Assembly are conducted in a proper and parliamentary decorum, that the debate is direct, in a fair and equitable manner. I look forward to your continuing guid ance. Also, on behalf of the new members, I'd like to thank you for the lapel pins we all received today. Mr. Speaker, I'd also like to acknowledge and congratulate the Member for Lethbridge West on his election as Deputy Speaker. As one of our senior parliamentarians, I appreciate his very frank and open comments on the throne speech.

As a neophyte in this Assembly, I appreciate the questions raised and his comments and the dilemmas we must consider in this Assembly in the future. Mr. Speaker, it also gives me great pleasure to respond to the Speech from the Throne delivered by a lady once repre senting the constituency of Rocky Mountain House and who also served as its mayor, a lady I met many years ago in her first portfolio. She impressed me very much at that time. She's a most worthy representative of the Queen. She carries her responsibility with a keen sensitivity, dignity, worth, and open ness.

She carries the honour of being the first woman to hold this office in this province. She is a shining example of a role model for women of this province who are interested in pur suing a career in public life. Mr. Speaker, the constituency of Calgary North West is a relatively new constituency. It was formed in 1978 and rep resented by my predecessor, Mrs. Sheila Embury, until her retirement prior to the last election. Calgary North West is a residential community of some 12,000-plus households, which less than 20 years ago was rolling hills and coulees and a few farms.

It is bordered on the east by the constituency of Calgary Foothills, represented by my colleague Janet Koper, who had the honour of moving and addressing Her Honour's Speech from the Throne, seconded by the Member for Ponoka-Rimbey. To the south, we're bordered by the Bow River and the con stituency of Calgary Bow; to the west, our constituency once again rolls into rolling hills and the rural community represented by the constituency of Banff-Cochrane.

This is a very active portion of the city of Calgary, with close proximity to the downtown core, sporting, recreation, and cultural facilities as well as to the Canada Olympic Park, which will host the 1988 Winter Olympics.

By the nature of its location and its close proximity to the university and the Foothills hospital, access to Highway 1, the mountains, the downtown area, and the soon to be completed LRT or light rail transit, this community has a high proportion of teachers, university staff, medical and hospital personnel, not to mention a large number of people who work in the oil and gas industry — small businessmen, entrepreneurs, job-makers. These people will create the jobs and the opportunities. They're hardworking, aggressive achievers.

They have taken advantage of the unique opportunities this province has offered to make this an even better Alberta for tomorrow. They are most interested in the direction of the throne speech and the atmosphere that it will create to encourage future development and progress in the areas of small business, tourism, and job diversification. Mr. Speaker, the throne speech referred to the agriculture segment of our province. Perhaps in this modern day we should look at changing the name to the food processing industry, as suggested by the leader of the Liberal Party.

The concept, in fact, may very well point us in the right direction. We talk about jobs. We talk about diversification. The Mem ber for Pincher Creek-Crowsnest gave us a long list of the accomplishments and diversifications of industry that our government has provided to us. Many of us received just last week an outline of 150 or so research projects that have been carried on by the Department of the Environment. Mr. Speaker, we have a government that realized that the oil boom was not going to last forever.

It had the wisdom and the foresight to put away some of that money in the Alberta heritage trust fund for future generations. Where would we be today, with our present crisis in the oil and agricultural sectors, if we had allowed a socialist-type government to spend all our revenues in the late 1970s and 1980s? I was somewhat dis couraged last week when the Member for Edmonton Calder seemed confused that the Minister of Social Services hadn't blown all of her budget. That's not the way this government operates. We operate with good management.

We put money away for a rainy day, and we develop and support the resources that are here. We can perhaps also look to our neighbouring province to the east. Manitoba, that, it has been suggested, is a guiding light for a socialist system, where the federal personal income tax is 54 percent, compared to 43.5 percent in the province of Alberta. The corporate tax in Manitoba is 17 percent, compared to 11 percent in the province of Alberta. The socialist government in Manitoba has just increased the taxes on banks, capital assets and capital by 50 and 58 percent respectively.

It would seem that perhaps we can obtain a certain amount of support from the socialist governments elsewhere in Canada to add to job creation and diversification as industries leave that

176 ALBERTA HANSARD June 23, 1986 province and the other socialist province and make a home in Alberta. Mr. Speaker, if anything will help diversify and create new jobs in this province, it'll be the continuation of the attitude and the freedoms that are available to all people in this province. I'm not convinced that we necessarily have to look at our research labs for all of the jobs that we're looking for in the future for Albertans. I'm not certain that we need to look at some new panacea. Perhaps we should first look in our own backyards.

We should look at the renewable resources that we are presently developing or could develop and ask ourselves, "Are we taking those products to the end-processing point, and is it beneficial for us to do so? If not, why not?" When we think of ranching, most or us think of red beef. We think of roast Alberta prime rib. Are we aggressively look ing at all of the other possible by-products of this industry? Are conditions in this province conducive to full processing and packaging? Are we utilizing our hides appropriately? Are we addressing the opportunity to market the by-products of all our resources?

Have we lost the competitive edge because of high production costs and wages? What's the role of marketing boards and monopolies, management and labour relations? Are they controlled in central Canada? What are their effects on the farmer and producer in Alberta? I think these are important questions that this government has to and, I'm certain, will address. Mr.

Speaker, the stabilization of interest rates will go a long way to protect the farm family from the catastrophic situation that occurred in the early '80s as a result of the energy boom, with marked escalation of property values, operating costs, and wages, followed by interest rates that destroyed the economic viability of not just our farms but so many of our small busi nesses. This province was built by the hard work and dedication of a few in the early part of this century. We have all benefitted from the infrastructure that the farm family and the Alberta government have developed within this province.

We cannot forget them now or in the future. We'll again see the buoyant economy that we experienced in the late '70s and '80s. But when things get tough, we have to retract. We have to regroup ourselves and move back to our roots. The secret of any survival is knowing how and when to nest out a storm. Let us not forget our roots, our families, our principles, and our personal respon sibilities. Mr. Speaker, in the Speech from the Throne Her Honour the Lieutenant Governor referred to a few areas that I am keenly interested in, as are my constituents, and that I believe should be of interest to all Albertans.

These issues are health, senior citizens, and tourism. I have travelled and worked in different parts of the world. Yes, we do have one of the best health care systems in the world, and it's envied by many other nations. There's a reason for this; it didn't just happen. Since the end of the Second World War there's been a major evolutionary change brought about in both social and scientific advancement. During the 1960s, when I started to practise in this province, the majority of our physicians were trained outside of this province. About a third of them were graduates from the United Kingdom.

They were fleeing a socialist system in that part of the world. They were looking for a country with opportunity and freedom to practise their art. Many of them settled and provided services in rural Alberta as well as in the urban centres. They were followed by Canadian-trained physicians from Sas katchewan and Manitoba: some, in the early stages, because of the socialist governments in those provinces and, later, because of the buoyant and expanding population and economy of Alberta.

Alberta benefitted from this melting pot of profes sionals trained in some of the finest institutions of higher learn ing in the world. These were aggressive and hardworking men and women who cherished their freedom and recognized that in this province the government and the governments that pre ceded it had always championed individual rights and freedoms and supported the principle that any professional, whether he be an accountant, a lawyer, a doctor, a dentist, or a small businessman, would have the opportunity to work where and when he wished and to set a fee for his service.

In this province we've been uniquely blessed by having out side funds, funds provided through revenues other than direct taxation, in the form of research grants funded by the Alberta heritage trust fund. This is an infusion of moneys which allows Alberta to be on the leading edge of scientific development and research and to attract some of the most aggressive, productive, and intellectual people in this field to this province. It sets us apart from most of the world, even from our neighbouring province.

The closest similarity would be the United States, where large foundations and organizations provide a similar function. Mr. Speaker, I would be remiss if I did not mention the opportunities that we have to capitalize on this development, and we would be even more remiss as a province if we were to allow anything to destroy it. Mr. Speaker, we should be taking aggressive steps to develop the health care industry in this province not just for Albertans — certainly by Albertans — but for the world. We have indi viduals in this province with international reputations.

This will create jobs in not just the health industry but the transportation industry, the accommodation and hotel industry, and the supply and service industry. Mr. Speaker, the advantage that we have in trading our natural resources, such as oil and gas, to our neighbours south of the border or to the rest of the world — whether it be due to the exchange on the dollar or to efficiency — applies to the other service areas. I think we're all aware of the futures of not just the tourist industry but all of the service industries. Our scientists and researchers do have an international rep utation.

I think we have to look, when we talk about tourism — that Seems to be the buzzword. If you're in Vancouver, tourism is going to save us; if we're in Alberta, tourism is going to save us. In the United States everybody is talking about tourism. It is the wave of the future. We have some natural advantages because of our mountains and our clean air and clean water. We also have to recognize that there are certain peaks and valleys. There are hiatuses that are dictated by weather and by the seasons.

If we look at other service areas that are able to service large numbers of people 12 months a year and were able to eliminate some of the problems and dangers that I see in relying strictly on the tourist industry — our mountains, skiing, Klondike Days, and our Stampede — we have to rec ognize the effect the 1988 Olympics will have in this province. This is not just a two-week high. We will be left with the physical facilities to host international competitions for the next 100 years.

In addition to that, we will be providing ongoing education for the young athletes who come to Calgary to train and to use these facilities. This will be an ongoing boom, certainly to southern Alberta, and will be a showcase to the rest of the world. I'm certain that all of this province will benefit from the 1988 Olympics. Mr.

Speaker, I would also like to recognize the role that this government has played in assistance to municipalities, with $500 million in additional funds to encourage these municipal ities to create and take on public works during the time when the construction industry and other developments were at an all-time low, to assist in providing jobs for those municipalities.

June 23, 1986 ALBERTA HANSARD 177 Mr. Speaker, I would also like to thank the government for the culture and recreational grants. Two Saturdays ago I had great pleasure and pride in assisting with a sod-turning cere mony for the Ranchlands community association's new build ing, which was assisted by a grant of approximately a quarter of a million dollars from this government, matched by another $100,000 that the community was able to raise. Seventy-five percent of the total funding is in place in the bank and drawing interest.

This community intends to raise the additional amount required for this project and will have it in place by the com pletion of the project, so it will move into the new facility debt free. I think this is a tremendous program and certainly wel comed by the people in the constituency of Calgary North West. Mr. Speaker, I would also be remiss if I did not comment on the wealth of the various culture and ethnic groups who comprise the constituency of Calgary North West, containing many scientists from throughout the world.

As an indication of the complexity of this problem, one teacher commented to me during the election process that there were 57 different nations represented in her school. In the last eight months, from August '85 to February '86, 302 individuals living in this con stituency chose to become Canadian citizens. These people bring a wealth of experience and expertise and a cultural back ground that will enrich our constituency, our city, and our province for generations in the future. They will assist us in dealing with the global world in the areas of both communi cation and trade.

We must recognize the advantage and potential of drawing on these resources in the future. Mr. Speaker, I have perhaps rambled during this maiden speech, but I would like to close and perhaps ask a very simple question. We've heard a lot in the last week, and certainly beyond that, about rights. We have the Bill of Rights, the right to do this, and the right of choice. Few of us recognize the difference between right and privilege. In the last three or four days one of my constituents said, "What about a Bill of respon sibilities?" This isn't something new. It's something that we perhaps forgot.

It was something that was delivered many cen turies ago on some mountaintop. I think, once again, we per haps have to get back to our roots. We have to look at our principles and the responsibilities that we have as citizens and as the inhabitants of this province and not depend on government to look after us from the womb to the tomb. I thank you. MRS. BETKOWSKl: Mr. Speaker, I rise with a great sense of pride and honour, balanced by a strong sense of responsi bility, as I begin my maiden speech in this Legislature today.

At the outset I would like to thank the people of Edmonton Glenora for the privilege of representing them in this Legis lature. Although I have many constituencies in terms of the responsibilities with which I have been entrusted, my number one job will always be to represent the people of Edmonton Glenora to the very best of my knowledge and abilities. Edmonton Glenora will always have a very special place in my heart and in my life. Beyond that loyalty to my constituency.

I am elected to serve the people of this great province, and I pledge my allegiance to the service of this Assembly in meeting that vitally important challenge. I begin my address to the Speech from the Throne by noting that we are very blessed to have a Lieutenant Governor in this province of the calibre of Her Honour. I've had the privilege to know Her Honour for close to 10 years and have watched her tackle each new task with the same quiet competence and personal concern that is her trademark. I am proud to serve in her House, and I hope I can bring honour to her Assembly. Mr.

Speaker, I would also like to thank you for agreeing to serve in your very essential role as Speaker of this Assembly. All members on the floor of the Assembly can see the challenge you face each day. Quite frankly, new members can see you starting your important task from scratch, and we gain confi dence that we, too, can transform from politicians into parlia mentarians in your Chamber. As well, Mr. Speaker, I would like to pay tribute to an Albertan who has a very special place in my heart. Lou Hynd man was the former MLA for Edmonton Glenora and served for 19 years in this Assembly.

His legacy is one that I have inherited. He is a man whose loyalty to the Assembly and to his constituency was unequalled, a man with a terrific sense of humour, and a man whose support and friendship I will always treasure. Edmonton Glenora has a very unique sense of its

part in our city's and our province's history. Edmonton Glenora houses some of the oldest residences in our city, and the mixing of old and new. as ongoing generations contribute in their own ways to our community, is what gives it its uniqueness. I, too, have done a lot of door knocking and continue to listen to my constituents. I would like to outline some of the priorities which have come to evidence through the last several months. Economic diversification: it's a big one in Edmonton Gle nora. We can and we must do more in our province.

Upgrading is a very key part of our diversification in this province, for in upgrading our key base economic products — coal, timber, oil, and gas — we can market not only the products but the emerging technologies and services as well. Small business: the lifeblood of our economy and a key employer in our workplace. I was pleased to note the com mitment in the Speech from the Throne to the Alberta small business term assistance plan, which will be of major assistance to small businesses in Edmonton Glenora.

I believe the best thing we as legislators can do is to ensure that we ask in the first instance, and always, if our legislation is encumbering the work force. Less is better when it comes to the regulation of small business, and leaving that marketplace as free as possible is something I believe in with every fibre of my body. Fiscal responsibility is also something we talked about a lot in Edmonton Glenora. In Alberta we have the highest per capita expenditure in Canada, and we have the finest programs.

In the face of uncertain revenues from our oil and gas and other world commodities, we as trustees of the people of Alberta must be diligent that our goal is to spend government dollars wisely and on the people who need services the most. I'm a believer in balanced budgets so that we don't wind up with an accumulated deficit that can choke off our economic hope in the future. I was pleased to note that the Provincial Treasurer noted that in going into this '86-87 fiscal year, our accumulated surplus is $900 million.

We talked a lot about the heritage fund too, and the question we discussed the most was; why don't we use the heritage fund? I was pleased to be able to talk to a lot of people about how much we in fact do use the heritage fund today in Alberta, in an unprecedented way. Income from the heritage fund going into general revenues this year will amount to about $1.5 bil lion. That is the equivalent of a 7 percent sales tax in Alberta, and I applaud the use of the heritage fund.

Despite my name, I can assure you of my strong Scottish Protestant background, and we like the idea of a savings account, that a portion of our yearly expenditure should be our allocation to the heritage fund. The message I received loud and clear throughout my campaign was that we have to think very carefully before capping the

178 ALBERTA HANSARD June 23, 1986 heritage fund and closing down its real economic growth poten tial. We also talked about family issues in Edmonton Glenora. I'm a working mother with an infant child, and that child's care is of the highest importance to my peace of mind. I'm a lucky one; I have a supportive partner in my husband, who cares about our child's care during the day as much as I do. But there are many single parents in my constituency, and most of them women, who are dealing with the problems of parenting all alone.

I don't need help with my day care expenses and I do not believe that universal day care is something we can afford in this country. But many people do need help, and my view is that I would rather help a working parent with child care support and have that parent gainfully employed than have that parent at home in order to stay with their child and living on social assistance. The latter, to my mind, closes off all hope for parent and child in terms of their economic future.

These are just some of the family issues that touch our lives and the lives of those who need our help, and I applaud the focus on these important issues in the throne speech. I do not intend to provide, Mr. Speaker, an exhaustive list of my priorities as the Minister of Education. Those priorities will change and develop as time goes on and as I gain a better understanding of the issues in my portfolio. I can say, though, that my first commitment is to students, who are the reason we have an education system in the first place. They are the hub of our wheel.

I hope and expect that that strong commitment to students will be reflected in the kinds of decisions, policies, and priorities that are implemented during my term as Minister of Education. My personal hope is that those students will be nurtured in an environment of excellence and high standards and that they will emerge as individuals with a sense of their own resources and the resources available to them and a sense of their place in our world. I spoke this past week to the Alberta School Trustees' Asso ciation about the partnership that exists in education.

It is a partnership that goes beyond a partisan political debate and speaks to the commitment we all feel for the unique provincial responsibility we have been given under the Canadian Consti tution. I know hon. members opposite have enjoyed making the point publicly that since the word "education" was not included in the Speech from the Throne of June 12, its importance in our society has been ignored. Mr. Speaker, I stand before you and say in the strongest possible terms that my personal com mitment to education and the commitment of this government is unparalleled in Canada.

As Her Honour indicated in pre senting her speech, the priorities of government would include all those contained in the speech of April 3. which received a strong voice of support from the people of Alberta, I would like to read into the record, in part, just what was said about education: My government's recognition of the financial pressure on our education system will be reflected by a significant increase in funding. This level . . . will exceed inflation and provide financial flexibility to our school boards.

These activities and my government's strong commit ment to quality in education will ensure that our children will continue to receive an excellent education. I note one other comment on the many initiatives which have been undertaken by my predecessors in this important portfolio. In my early days as education minister, it is important that there be a certain consolidation of the many initiatives which have gone on. Not that I'll put the brakes on any new initiatives but, rather, our emphasis should be placed on ensuring that the initiatives are implemented and implemented well. Mr.

Speaker, I have listened intently to the members who rose to speak to Her Honour's speech, and I am dismayed by what I hear from members opposite in their constant call for more government. It seems that whenever we are faced with a difficult decision, whether it's day care for our young people or a falling world oil price, their solution is always to call for government to step in and solve the problem.

I don't share their absolute faith that government is always the solution; rather, I believe that individual initiative is something which must always be sought and encouraged before government steps in, and I know the people of Alberta share my view. There are those who need our help, but my goal as an MLA will be to ensure that government dollars are spent wisely and on the people who need the services the most. I do not believe that we will solve the challenges facing us in Alberta by creating a homogeneous society, as some would suggest.

In this vein, I will close my maiden speech by quoting from Mahatma Gandhi. He said: There are six sins in this world: wealth without work, pleasure without conscience, worship without sacrifice. science without humanity, commerce without morality, politics without principle. There is principle and strong leadership on this side of the House, Mr. Speaker, and I look forward to the debates that will ensue in this Assembly. Thank you. MR. EWASIUK: Mr. Speaker, it's both a pleasure and a pride to be here today and to make a presentation to this Assembly on behalf of the Edmonton Beverly constituency.

Like others before me, I too want to congratulate you on your appointment as Speaker of the House. I come from another level of government where I spent nearly six years and, sir. I appreciate the kind of work environment that you impose in this Assembly. I think your quiet and gentle approach is the one that's going to make us behave and respect the kind of Assembly we have here. sir. I really appreciate that. As a member of a municipal council, sir.

I would like to take this opportunity to make reference to some of the points that I felt needed to be addressed in the Speech from the Throne and perhaps were not, although there was reference to the grants process. In the throne speech conditional grants are being made to the municipalities, and I welcome it. Certainly the muni cipalities over the years have been burdened with the inability to make any long-term plans because there was no assurance as to whether they were going to be given a grant and. if they were, whether it was going to be conditional or how it was going to be spent.

I welcome that proposed change in the legislation and in the policy of this government. The other area I wish to address. Mr. Speaker, is something that is not necessarily within the legislative powers of this government, but I think it's an area that needs to be addressed by this government; that is, landfills. I refer to it because, of course, the city of Edmonton is now experiencing a rather difficult time in the ability to locate a landfill site. What that really tells me is that we have a landfill mentality that needs to be changed.

My colleague from Edmonton Mill Woods last week made reference to this issue as well. He said that the community he represents is also opposed to landfill sites, and I might say that the same applies to those in northeast Edmonton, Edmonton Beverly. It seems to me that we have been the recipient of landfill sites for the entire time the city has been in existence. I believe it's incumbent upon the government at this time to look at alternate methods of garbage disposal. I would invite this government to take the lead in developing some regional landfills or regional alternate methods of garbage disposal. I

June 23, 1986 ALBERTA HANSARD 179 believe it's certainly difficult for a municipality the size of the city of Edmonton or perhaps a smaller community or town. We can't ask these people to continue to look at landfill sites when we have a problem with pollution of the environment and also the pollution of our water tables. Certainly that is particularly true in small communities where they don't have landfill sites but simply have garbage dumps. These certainly have a bad imposition on the environment and possibly on water tables. Mr. Speaker, the other area I want to address is annexation.

Here is a case where two mistakes not making a right has never been more true: the city's application for a large area annexed to the city. The second mistake was made by the province when it in fact agreed to this large annexation. It has not served the city well and certainly has not served the people that have been annexed well. In some parts of the United States where in fact annexation has taken place, there are now moves to do what they call de-annex, to revert some of the lands back to the municipalities from which they were annexed.

I would certainly suggest and hope that this government would look at some of those provisions, because converting that kind of land into urban development is unfortunate and, in fact, not required. One other area that has been a problem for me as an alderman and I think should be addressed by this Assembly, because the problem was created here, is the establishment of a greenbelt around the city. I'm not quarreling with the greenbelt; I think it's a requirement. The utility corridor provided there is a good one. However, I've heard discussions in this Assembly about freedom and the rights of people.

I agree that we should not infringe on the freedom and rights of people or property owners, and yet those that reside in this corridor have lost their freedom. They cannot sell their property unless perhaps the government buys it, but they're not going to. They cannot build or improve on their existing properties. In fact, they have been isolated and are waiting for someone to do something to free them from what has been imposed upon them.

I think that we as a government must look at what has happened to these people and make amendments to the Act to ensure that they can free themselves from the burdens imposed upon them. Mr. Speaker, like other members. I also want to speak about my constituency; that is, Edmonton Beverly. I also want to talk about the concerns particularly relative to the quality of life in that part of our city. I'm very proud of Edmonton Beverly. I have been a resident for many, many years of that vicinity of Edmonton and have gotten to know the people in that area very well.

I've seen it grow from a small hamlet many years ago to the large, mixed constituency that it is today. I am partic ularly proud, and I'm going to . . . My modesty would other wise not permit me to say so, but this time I'm going to say it: of the 60 polls in that constituency. I was very fortunate to win 65 of them. Of the polls that I lost, one was lost by four votes. So I do have a great commitment and appreciation for the citizens of Edmonton Beverly. The constituency is divided into four very identifiable com ponents. We have what is normally referred to as old Beverly.

It's the old, established community that has been there for many years, probably established by the miners who came to mine in the vicinity. The descendants of those people still reside there, Mr. Speaker, They're probably old now, but their fam ilies are also there: it's a community that has a history of people that have lived there for years and years. I think that's great, because the knowledge and experience of each other and the commitment or comradery that exists in that community cer tainly doesn't happen in many other places.

We also have a new component in the constituency, as a result of the recent subdivision developments, known as Her mitage and Clareview. Here we have young people who have moved into an area and, of course, are demanding the services that young people require: schools, playgrounds, roadways, and recreational facilities. I'm pleased to say that we are doing well in that respect, and the population there is making a sig nificant contribution to the functioning of that particular area by their involvement in community leagues that provide rec reation and sports facilities in the area.

The other part of the constituency is rural. It's part of the change in the boundaries of the constituency. It includes veg etable farmers, feedlots. grain farmers, and it's also spotted with other types of small residential areas. The other component is industrial, where we have two or three major plants to the east of us that make up part of the constituency. So you see, Mr. Speaker, it may be similar in many ways to many com munities but, on the other hand, it's very different and quite unique. We have a mixed ethnic community in Edmonton Beverly.

I believe our lives are enriched as a result of this fine mixture. It is particularly appreciated when I've gone to either schools or community league functions to have multicultural presen tations. I am convinced, sir, that this kind of mix is making our constituency more understanding and tolerant of the mul tiple cultures that exist in our constituency. I want to get to the election campaign briefly, if I may, Mr. Speaker, and relate some incidents and situations that I both heard and witnessed during the campaign.

Normally I'm a very optimistic individual, but the things I want to say today have distressed me a great deal, and I think I should relay them to this Assembly. Mr. Speaker, imagine walking up to a door in a modest town house complex during the campaign to discover that the family there are in the process of moving. They are moving because they have lost their home because of repossession.

They are frustrated and angry as they relay to me the history of how they sacrificed, skimped, and saved to buy their first major investment, a home, and only a year or two later have been forced to leave because of the unemployment situation in this country and this province and the inability for them to keep their house. In the final analysis, they virtually broke into tears in their frustration and anger. A sad indictment, I believe, for this province which not so long ago was cited as the envy of Canada, where we had many things happening, to all of a sudden have this thing vaporize.

It suggests to me that some thing is wrong. Something went wrong and the average indi vidual is being asked to pay for it. The above situation is not the only testament of heartbreak that I experienced during the campaign. I talked to single par ents who are also being relegated to welfare recipients, probably for the rest of their lives. Certainly their children don't have the opportunity to develop the way normal children would do in our society.

I talked to senior citizens who would prefer to live their twilight years in their own home but, because of the reduction or cutting off of the home care program, were being virtually forced to leave their home and move into an institution, against their will. Mr.

Speaker, probably the most distressing situation I met during the campaign was the impact that the recession and the environment in this province has on our young people, young men and women who are being forgotten by this government, young men and women who had dreams and hopes for the future but who instead see their hopes crushed and their dreams stripped away. They are angry and frustrated, and I would suggest to you that the demonstration we had here before the Legislature on June 12 was merely the tip of the iceberg. It

180 ALBERTA HANSARD June 23, 1986 saddens me, but I say to the members across to remove your rose-coloured glasses, remove the blinkers, and wake up and smell the coffee. The people of this province are not going to tolerate the unfairness that exists now and the unfairness that is being perpetuated by this Conservative government. Mr. Speaker, I was encouraged when the former Premier of this province introduced two measures in 1975: the heritage trust fund and the pursuit of diversification of the provincial economy.

I was really pleased, because I thought these were positive positions taken by the government with vision. Admit tedly we have the heritage trust fund, but what ever happened to diversification? Was it because the riches and the oil royalties payments blinded this government and thus the rose-coloured glasses and complacency? There is an expression, Mr. Speaker, that goes something along the line that those who sleep with the dogs get the fleas. I believe this government has been in bed too long with mul tinationals, and they have forgotten about the ordinary citizens of this province.

The ordinary citizen elected them, and I predict the ordinary citizen will remove the Tories from office. Mr. Speaker, as a young boy I spent a great deal of time with my grandfather, who as a young man left his homeland to come to Canada. He left his home town because he too was frustrated and angry about the unfairness that he was subjected to and the system in which he lived. Unfortunately, the people of this province and, particularly, its young people do not have an escape hatch.

You will see workers ignore court injunctions, you will see people challenge the police and demonstrate, but I hope their ultimate weapon will be at the election polls. In conclusion, Mr. Speaker, I urge and challenge the government. In fact, I urge all this Assembly to address the plight of the poor in this province, and the numbers are growing. In 1981 there were some 49,200 in this province considered to be poor people. In 1984 there are well over 100,000, and I suspect that figure has increased tremendously in the last couple of years.

We live in a rich province and a prosperous country and yet there are poor people. Nobody wants to be poor, but getting out of poverty is a task that is beyond the capability of indi viduals to solve for themselves. Where is an unemployed 55- year-old man going to seek employment? How is a 25-year- old married man. with a child, making $5 a hour going to escape poverty? How will a single mother be able to live and escape poverty or welfare? Poverty, Mr. Speaker, is a social problem, not an individual problem. The poverty problem can be resolved.

It's a matter of government taking a leading role and making the elimination of poverty a high priority. Thank you, sir. MR. DINNING: Mr. Speaker, it's indeed an honour for me to stand before you and my colleagues in the Assembly today to respond to the speech of Her Honour the Hon. Lieutenant Governor, and it's with a special sense of pride that you. sir. may address me the way you did. as the Member for Calgary Shaw. As the first MLA for Calgary Shaw, it is an extra-special honour to stand before you today.

May I be one of many, sir, to congratulate you and, just as importantly, congratulate the people of Calgary Egmont for the honour that this Assembly has bestowed on you and on them as, again, that is a unique and special honour for both of you. I'd also like to congratulate and thank my hon. friend from the constituency of Lethbridge West for his kind words the other day. To both of you, thank you for your support in the days past and for your leadership in the days ahead. I also wish to congratulate my hon. colleagues from Calgary Foothills and Ponoka-Rimbey for their excellent initiation of this debate.

I can say, Mr. Speaker, that we have been very well served by such a leadoff. If you'll permit me, Mr. Speaker, I'd like to say a few personal words about some very special people who have been and are still today connected with this Assembly. Just as my hon. colleague for Edmonton Glenora raised in her speech. I want to refer to one very honourable gentleman. Lou Hyndman. I had the good fortune to serve Lou Hyndman for about three and a half years. I can say that I learned very, very much at his political knee. As a student of politics under Lou Hyndman, I learned a great deal.

I can say without absolutely any doubt that Louis Davies Hyndman is the most honourable, gentle man I have ever come to know. I want to also refer to three people I served in an earlier incarnation: Peter Lougheed, the hon. Member for Medicine Hat, as well as our Premier today. I served under each of those gentlemen in certain activities in days past, and I thank all of them for their leadership in this province. I'm particularly pleased to be able to serve under, beside, and with the hon. Premier and the hon. Minister of Federal and Intergovernmental Affairs in this Assembly today.

One other gentleman may be remembered by some members in this Assembly, the former Member for Calgary Currie. He was also the minister of industry and commerce. I'm very thankful to him, not only for his support in many of the days past — many of the 19 years I've known the man — but I have a special link with the gentleman, because I've had the good fortune to be married to his daughter for the last 12 years. That's a special relationship, Mr. Speaker, that you spoke so eloquently of in your remarks after having been dragged to your Chair. That's the family relationship.

I'm a very, very fortunate man to be blessed with a family: a wife of some 12 years, Jane, as I've mentioned, and two fine daughters. Alex andra and Hillary. Calgary Shaw. Mr. Speaker, is a new riding in the south western part of the city of Calgary. It's bound on the north by the constituency of Calgary Glenmore. It's bound on the west by the constituency of Banff-Cochrane, to the south — he's not here in the Assembly right now, but the hon. Member for Highwood — and a special word to the eastern neighbour I enjoy, the hon. Member for Calgary Fish Creek.

Seven com munities have been brought together under the Calgary Shaw umbrella. Those two ridings from which those communities have come are very special to me. Braeside and Cedarbrae have come out of the former constituency of Calgary Glenmore, which for the last 11 years was very ably represented by Hugh Planche, who served this Assembly and the people of Alberta very, very well. The five communities of Woodbine, Woodlands, Canyon Meadows, Millrise, and Shawnessy were served during the 19th and 20th Legislatures of Alberta by the current Member for Calgary Fish Creek.

I say to both these fine gentleman, par ticularly to the one who is in the Assembly with us today, that I want to pass along my deepest personal thanks for their tre mendous service to the people in those communities. Mr. Speaker, Calgary Shaw enjoys a unique history. Over 100 years ago it was settled by the Shaw family. In the late mid-1880s they established a woolen mill in the southwestern part of what is now Calgary. They conducted a very successful woolen operation in that area of the city until 1913. Since then they have been very, very active in the construction business of this province.

Today they operate a very successful and a very pleasant golf course in the southwestern part of the city. Shaw-Nee slopes. I would call on all hon. members to avail themselves of that tremendous facility when they're in the city of Calgary.

June 23, 1986 ALBERTA HANSARD 181 That important history, that link to the past, Mr. Speaker, is especially interesting and important to me, because a fourth- generation member of the Shaw family honoured me at our nomination meeting on March 8 by seconding my nomination as a Progressive Conservative candidate in Calgary Shaw. Mrs. Eleanor Turnquist has become a tremendous supporter of mine, and I'm very, very grateful and flattered for that link to four generations of the Shaw family. The constituency of Calgary Shaw, Mr. Speaker, is a dynamic and positive community of people.

It's a newer part of Calgary compared to the more established parts of the south- em region of the city. The communities of Woodbine, Wood lands, Shawnessy, and Millrise are younger, newer communities that grew strong during the last number of years. Today they're still strong, but they share a sense of unease, as do a number of people in our province. The communities of Canyon Meadows, Braeside, and Cedarbrae are the more estab lished communities in the riding, and their special, unique approach brings a different flavour to the fabric of Calgary. I also have the honour, Mr.

Speaker, to be a rural MLA in Calgary Shaw. Within the boundaries of the riding, I have some 30 acreages, 200 to 300 head of cattle — not my own, but someday the farmer may come back in the member — a hundred or so horses, plenty of chickens, and lots and lots of rolling prairie. I want to remind the hon. Minister of Agriculture . . . [interjection] No, Mr. Speaker, I'm talking about an important part of Calgary Shaw constituency. Calgary Shaw and High wood share boundaries. So I look forward with a great deal of interest to those debates on agricultural issues. The jewel of Calgary Shaw is Fish Creek park.

We in the riding of Calgary Shaw inherited what we believe is the very, very best part of Fish Creek park. The wilderness side is one that we're very, very proud of. I ask the hon. Member for Pincher Creek-Crowsnest to bring his friends from the Alberta Wilderness Association to visit that part of Fish Creek park, because there they will see the last truly great wilderness of Alberta. I can only commend the government of days past for the tremendous foresight in establishing seven city provincial parks in various parts of this province.

Those heritage fund dollars have truly gone to work for the benefit of all Albertans. Mr. Speaker, I want to address, as many of my colleagues have, a number of the issues that are of great interest to the people of Calgary Shaw. A number of them came up when we visited at their doors. Clearly the first priority, the first concern, is jobs. People in Calgary Shaw are in the middle-to-senior management of a number of companies in Calgary, particularly the oil and gas industry. They're optimistic, but they're also very realistic.

They realize that as in days past, today they're going to have to dig very, very deeply to get over these eco nomic problems. But they also know that this government's commitment to the long-term growth of that industry is second to none and that this government will not stand by willy-nilly and watch that vital industry be torn apart. So the commitment is — and the people of Calgary Shaw know this — that there is a very strong commitment to that industry. Jobs today are a very important concern, but the people of Calgary Shaw also are concerned about jobs over the long term.

Because it's from a diverse base, not from just oil and gas but from our agriculture, our tourism, our high technology — it's all those areas where we're going to be strong and where Alberta and Calgary Shaw are going to draw long-term strength from. I feel very, very heartened, Mr. Speaker, and the people of Calgary Shaw feel very heartened by the appointment of some very able ministers in the departments of Tourism; Economic Development and Trade; Energy; Technology. Research and Telecommunications; Agriculture; and Manpower.

It is from those ministers, those departments, that a lot of those new initiatives and support for private-sector activity are going to come. We're also heartened by the creative initiation of the farm credit stability program and by the small business term loan program. It's those kinds of new ideas, generated by this Progressive Conservative government in Alberta, that are going to lead to the long-term growth and strength of Alberta.

We're also heartened by Alberta's very strong position on the whole free trade issue, because our long-term strength and growth are going to come from that important large export market that is so vital to Alberta. Another issue that's of real interest in Calgary Shaw, Mr. Speaker, is schools. We have some first-class schools in that riding, but in four of the communities, because of the nature of the growth that's taken place, we're simply oversubscribed. They can't accommodate a number of students, particularly those in grades 1 and 3.

I can say from my own experience that neither of my own two children — we live right around the comer from the Woodlands school — is able to get into that school today. That's clearly, in the case of a growing community, an unacceptable situation, and the solution must be found at the school board level. I made a commitment during both the nomination and the election process that I would get involved, that I would participate with the school board and with my hon. colleague the Minister of Education to try to correct that serious problem.

I'm delighted with the open, rea sonable, flexible, and caring approach that the Minister of Edu cation has laid before us today and in days past. I look forward to working with her, with the communities in Calgary Shaw, and with the school board to try to correct that situation. Transportation is a local issue. Mr. Speaker, but it is a real concern to people in all seven communities of the riding.

Twenty-fourth Street, that runs through Woodbine, Woodlands, Cedarbrae, and Braeside; 14th Street, as it affects Canyon Meadows, Shawnessy, and Millrise: these are immediate con cerns that the city council must deal with, and I have committed to work with the residents in those communities to try to find solutions and to work with city council to get those solutions and get results fast. In the case of the longer term transportation strategy, it's one of LRT. the Sarcee Trail. Those are areas where the provincial government has responsibility with respect to funding. Clearly, we have our work cut out for us.

Two interesting issues came up at the door, Mr. Speaker. One was that of the conversion of public lands. I know you shared the same kind of response when you knocked on some doors in Calgary Egmont. The people in Calgary Shaw were clearly concerned that these lands were being converted from public to private use, and in some way there was the perception that we were conferring upon these farmers, these leaseholders, a unique benefit that no other Albertans were eligible to receive. That unique benefit and restricted access to those lands was something that concerned the people of Calgary Shaw.

Frankly, I couldn't be more delighted with a typical Progressive Con servative government of Alberta reaction to that problem. We said: "Hey, there's a problem out there. The people of Alberta are concerned about it. Let's take another look at it: let's have some input from the community: let's have some response from those people who are concerned. We'll put a freeze on it for now." It's that kind of reaction that this government is renowned for and the way that we will continue to operate in the days ahead. The subject of Sunday shopping is an issue that was clearly at the doorstep. Mr.

Speaker, and it's one that I look forward to debating in this Assembly. I'm pleased to see on the Order Paper a Landlord and Tenant Act amendment. It's going to be an interesting debate.

182 ALBERTA HANSARD June 23, 1986 One last issue that came up at the door — and I think it's the key one out of the election. It's the subject of good, respon sive government in Alberta. More than anything else that's the one item I heard when I knocked on doors. The people of Alberta are looking to their government to listen and listen better, to stay in touch and stay in touch more, to be more sensitive, empathetic, and responsive in tough times and in good times. That, Mr.

Speaker, is the message that came along with the tremendous mandate that Albertans gave the Progres sive Conservative government on May 8, and that message has come through. I know in talking to all of my colleagues that that message is there, and that gives our May 8 mandate even more meaning, because Albertans strongly believe that it is this party and it is this government that has the ability to deliver that responsive, responsible government to Albertans. I've talked about Calgary Shaw, Mr. Speaker. Permit me to talk about the city of Calgary.

It is a distinct honour for me, as I'm sure you'd agree, to represent a constituency in the city of Calgary. No other place in this province has the same drive, determination, and vigour that you'll find in the people of Calgary. It's that drive and determination that gets us through even the most difficult economic times. It's that vibrant city that has a tremendously exciting future, even more so than its great past. I think of the giving spirit in Calgary, the willingness of so many to stand up and say, "Yes, We Can", that catchy phrase that was coined by the Chamber of Commerce some years ago.

It's that spirit, that kind of approach that gets us through the times we've experienced in days past and the times we're in now. That giving spirit, Mr. Speaker, is exemplified in the many projects and activities that Calgarians take on. I only need to look at what's coming up in the next couple of weeks: the Calgary Stampede, a volunteer effort that is second to none in this province. Another initiative is the Calgary Special Olym pics that will take place in July.

The tremendous support that went behind the construction of the Calgary Centre for the Performing Arts; the current drive to rebuild the YMCA in Calgary: two other very special projects near and dear to my heart, the Olympics in Calgary in 1988 and the development of a rehearsal hall sponsored by the music development society of Calgary: it's those initiatives and the time that is so freely given by thousands and thousands of volunteers in Calgary that make that city the centre, where that vibrance, that drive, really find a natural home.

That's going to continue to grow and continue to allow us to beat former Stanley Cup champions and go on to the finals and next year win the Stanley Cup. I'd like to save my remarks associated with Community and Occupational Health for Committee of Supply debate, Mr. Speaker, except to say one thing, and that is just how delighted, how honoured I am with the challenge our Premier has given me. It is an honour for the people of Calgary Shaw, and it's an honour for me to participate in his cabinet and the caucus and to serve under his very strong leadership.

The two Speeches from the Throne, one of April 3 and one of June 12, lay out an exciting agenda for Alberta. I know that Her Honour can't become overly effusive or excited when she is delivering the Speech from the Throne, but I do know that I can be and that I am very, very excited about the days that lie ahead. We've got some great things to do in this province. I've talked about free trade. Yes, Mr. Speaker. I'm worried about it.

I'm worried that it might somehow get off track, because the commitment and the drive by the federal government and by other provinces has to equal the commit ment and the drive that the province of Alberta, the government of Alberta, has given to that important initiative. But in all of those areas where we can be strong and where we are strong — oil and gas; agriculture, both the grain side and the meat side; forestry; tourism; and high technology — it's so typical of members opposite and it rang so true when the hon.

Member for Calgary Buffalo raised the negative aspects of free trade, the doomers and gloomers about the potential, the strength, the strong nature of Alberta. It just galls me that members opposite would somehow argue willy-nilly for the status quo. They're willing to say, "It's good in Alberta; let's stand pat." Make no mistake about it; we have no choice, to coin a phrase of my Liberal friends across the way. We have no choice because the status quo doesn't mean sitting still. It means slid ing further and further backward. We must move ahead.

We'll move ahead and leave you, members opposite, standing with the status quo and sliding backwards. On the tourism front, clearly there's no doubt about it. We can excel. We have everything here that can serve as a tre mendous magnet for international tourism and international travel. The Olympics alone are at least $1 billion in free adver tising. Once the world sees us, Mr. Speaker, they'll come in droves, and they'll come again. So we must be ready with new facilities and. most importantly, we must be ready with quality service to our travellers, to our tourists, so they will return again and again.

On the energy side much has been said. Mr. Speaker, so I won't repeat it except to say that this industry in many ways has become the very basis of our future in high technology. Our energy technology is world renowned, but its application to other industries on a worldwide basis is only beginning to be tapped. The fascinating part of it is that it is another export able product that needs investment right here at home — all the more reason we can't afford to build walls around Alberta.

My hon. friend who's absent from the House right now. my hon. colleague from Edmonton Meadowlark. is suggesting that we build these great big walls through which no Alberta money may go out; therefore, by logical reason, I suppose he's pro moting the idea that no investment dollars should be coming back into this province. The kind of approach he's proposing will do just that. The higher the walls we build — yes, no money will leave Alberta, but clearly the vital link to our future, investment in Alberta, won't come either. Our cities are alive; they are exciting.

We should be attracting and building up those municipalities to attract tourists from abroad. It's those vital cities that are going to make Alberta an even more exciting place to be. On the subject of education and universities, Mr. Speaker, one of many interests I have is that we've got to equip and tool our children to be ready for the high technology days ahead and for the export days ahead.

Whether it's language, whether it's economic and social habits and customs of those other countries, we've got to make sure our students in our schools know about the importance of that high technology and those customs, because we have a rich diversity in this province, people who've come here from other lands. They now make up an important part of Alberta, and they can make a tremen dous contribution to this province. One final personal word, if you will. My grandfather came to this province in the late 1890s. He served and worked in Alberta to make it a very strong province.

I don't believe I've told my hon. colleague the Solicitor General this yet, but my grandfather was the very first chairman of the Alberta Liquor Control Board in 1923. I must say that at times I wonder whether we're still administering some of the laws he wrote some 63 years ago. He was also the first chairman of Nova, an Alberta Corporation. My father was an active member in the Calgary community. My two brothers and my mother are three vibrant members of the community as well. We're a

June 23, 1986 ALBERTA HANSARD 183 family of builders. What I want to say is that Calgary Shaw is full of builders, and I'm proud and honoured to represent the people of Shaw and to work with them to build a better, stronger, and even a more caring Alberta. MR. NELSON: I'd like to be recognized on a point of order, if I might, please. Mr. Speaker, the members from Calgary Shaw and Edmonton Glenora that have just spoken have indi cated that they have some objections to the activities of the members opposite. We are also opposite.

We're having a little difficulty about being included in the activities of the socialists on the other side here. Possibly a little wall could be developed here to assist us. MR. SPEAKER: Thank you, Member for Calgary McCall. A note has already gone from the Speaker to appropriate persons in the Assembly. MS LAING: Mr. Speaker, it is with a sense of the honour and the trust bestowed on me by the constituents of Edmonton Avonmore that I rise to comment on the Speech from the Throne and the philosophy and the commitments therein embodied. I will speak to you about my constituency.

In addition, I will share with you and the members of this Assembly some of the concerns that have motivated me to seek public office. First, however. I would like to congratulate you. Mr. Speaker, on your appointment as Speaker of this Assembly. I trust that you will continue to fulfill your duties, as you have done to this point, with tolerance, dignity, fairness, and gentle humour. We are an inexperienced lot, and it would seem that you have had to have a great deal of patience, as we have had to learn when to stand up and when to sit down, when to speak and when to be silent.

Before I speak of the many issues before this Assembly. I wish to take note of the fact that 10 women now sit in this House. I would pause to reflect upon the fact that when my mother was born, women did not yet have the vote and it was not until eight years prior to my birth that women were rec ognized as persons. I would hope that when it is time for my daughter to take a seat in this Assembly, the number of women here will not be an issue; that, indeed, in an Assembly of 83 seats, 42 might well be held by women.

Much progress has been made by women in the past 70 years, but the struggle has been difficult, often exhausting, and too quickly leading to despair. We still live in a society where one in 17 women is subjected to rape, 1,000 women a year in a city the size of Calgary or Edmonton: where one in 10 wives is battered, 5,500 a year in the province of Alberta; and one in four girls and one in 10 boys are sexually abused. We live in a province wherein women earn 64 cents for every dollar a man earns, where 35 percent of women and families headed by women live in poverty.

Much work remains to be done before my daughters and granddaughters will have as part of their birthright the economic, social, and political opportunities that are afforded my sons and grandsons. I will return to these matters later. I wish to speak of the constituency of Edmonton Avonmore, which I have the honour to represent. Edmonton Avonmore came into being in its present form just prior to the May 1986 election. It is a constituency that draws together two very dif ferent communities. Part of the constituency so formed was part of what was originally Edmonton Avonmore.

It was built 30 to 40 years ago and has a strong German ethnic base. However, as time passed the community changed: new people — younger and from other ethnic backgrounds, as well as homegrown Canadians — moved into the constituency. Part of the community of Mill Woods has been brought into Edmonton Avonmore. Mill Woods began developing 15 years ago. People of many ethnic backgrounds live here and form a rich cultural mosaic. Strong community leagues in the area form a network that works hard to meet the varying needs of children and adults.

The constituency also has within its bound aries Grant MacEwan college, the recreation centre, and Holy Trinity community high school. At the present time, however, I have a sense of two separate communities cut off from the large constituencies of which they were once a part. My predecessor suggested calling the con stituency Edmonton Avonmore-Mill Woods, in order to heal some of the wounds resulting from redistribution. I would hope that we can create within this constituency a larger sense of community that can transcend or at least bridge 51st Avenue.

It would be symbolic of what must happen across constituency, provincial, and national boundaries, as we live in a world increasingly drawn together through the media, a world that will share a common fate as we face the problems of environ mental pollution, poverty, and the threat of nuclear war. in my further remarks I will address the concerns my con stituents have and those concerns which have brought me to this Legislative Assembly. I am a psychologist and a psycho therapist by profession.

The word psychology comes from the Greek word psyche, meaning breath of life, soul, or spirit, and logos, meaning knowledge. Therapy comes from the Greek therapeia. meaning to treat or to attend to. My life experience, my training, and my work have brought me to understand and to attend to that which is most deeply human, the human psyche or spirit. Mr. Speaker, I speak to you and to the members of this Assembly from that perspective. I was born and raised on a farm in central Alberta, and I taught school in Stettler. We had guests from there today.

I have lived and raised my four children in Edmonton for the past 27 years, and for the past eight years I have worked with victims and perpetrators of physical and sexual violence. Many of the policies of this government fly in the face of what we know about human development and the human spirit. The policies are founded in a belief that if we make things bearable for people, they will become fat and lazy: that we must force people to take care of themselves and their children: that we must force them to risk and to overcome adversity.

Yet human istic psychologists recognize that the human spirit strives for actualization: that human beings strive to become all that they can be: that it is, indeed, conditions of deprivation and adversity that thwart and distort and ultimately destroy the human spirit and the human will to work and to love: that violent and vio lating life experiences beget violent and violating individuals. Abraham Maslow. the humanistic psychologist, said: What a human being can be, that he or she must be. That is in fact the nature of the life force.

We see it in children, moving out to know, to explore, to become competent. to become whole. Maslow outlined a hierarchy of needs that we should heed if we expect people to become fully functioning members of society. Those needs include biological survival needs of ade quate food, clothing, and shelter, the need for psychological and physical safety, the need to be loved and to love, and the need to feel good about oneself. Very clearly, we see the differences in children who suffer from malnutrition or emotional deprivation. They do not explore their environment.

Their physical, intellectual, and emotional development is stunted. We know that children, par ticularly boys, that suffer or witness abuse grow into violent and abusive adults. On the other hand, we see that children who are nurtured and nourished, that are physically and emo tionally cared for. that are loved and valued, become more

184 ALBERTA HANSARD June 23, 1986 autonomous, have more initiative, and are more loving as adults. These same principles apply to adults. However, many of the policies of the Minister of Social Services — and I wish she were here to hear my remarks — seem founded in an opposing belief system.

Social allowances are below the poverty line, often not providing for basic necess ities of food, clothing, and shelter, thus forcing recipients to the food bank and fostering feelings of inadequacy and failure, with statements implying that social assistance recipients don't know how to budget their money or that they are wasters. These recipients are in a constant state of anxiety that increases near month's end, it is hard to be a totally loving parent or spouse when one is overcome with worry about how to provide food and clothing.

Parents are denied an allowance for Christmas and birthday gifts, for those little extras that we as parents give to our children. Unexpected and unallowed expenses must be paid back. I remember working with women who had to move due to cutbacks in shelter allowances, who were then required to pay back their moving expenses, and I saw what that meant for the quality of food on their children's plates. We see the punitive level of allowances for the unemployed employables, the suggestion being that if they really wanted to work, they could, in spite of a 10 to 15 percent or higher unemployment rate.

We see the requirement that a healthy mother of a healthy four-month-old infant seek work, in spite of the stress on the family as a place to care for children, in spite of the minister's concern about the impact of group care on children. The cost of unemployment is reflected in many other ways. First, I have seen the unemployed youth in our midst. One to six young people — and I have seen our children in our high schools who have no sense of what their future work will be or if, in fact, they will privileged enough to work.

I have seen their despair and their hopelessness as they take yet another course in the hope of preparing themselves for a job, a job that may not be there for them. I have seen the desperation; they will cross picket lines against their better judgment, because the first l

Document details

Collection	Alberta — Debates (Hansard)
Citation	19860623
Type	hansard
Volume / chapter	L21 S1 19860623 1430 01 han.pdf
Language	en
Format	json
Source	PROVINCIAL
Identifier	bcf886ec30909ae55f104f5d6a202ea96d16f52c

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