LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY of ALBERTA [The House Met at 2:30
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March 15, 1983 ALBERTA HANSARD 65 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ALBERTA duce Bill No. 4, the Planning Amendment Act, 1983, an amendment to allow for the completion of regional plans, Title: Tuesday, March 15, 1983 2:30 p.m. to be effective December 31, 1983, and to maintain pre• liminary regional plans until the new regional plans are in place. [The House met at 2:30 p.m.] [Leave granted; Bill 4 read a first time] PRAYERS Bill 20 Rural Gas Amendment Act, 1983 [Mr. Speaker in the Chair] MRS. CRIPPS: Mr. Speaker, I beg leave to introduce Bill No. 20, the Rural Gas Amendment Act, 1983. The purpose of this Bill is to make the name changes in head: INTRODUCTION OF BILLS the legislation reflective of the changes in departmental responsibilities. Reference will be included to ensure that Bill 23 the minister may make regulations ensuring that addi• Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund tional construction of new lines will require agreement of Special Appropriation Act, 1983-84 property owners. The Bill will permit the co-ops to hook up customers in franchise areas whose consumption pre• MR. HYNDMAN: Mr. Speaker, I request leave to intro• viously made them ineligible. Lastly, the Bill allows rural duce Bill No. 23, the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust municipal authorities to be subject to the same provisions Fund Special Appropriation Act, 1983-84. This being a as the rural gas co-ops. money Bill, His Honour the Honourable the Lieutenant- Governor, having been informed of the contents of this [Leave granted; Bill 20 read a first time] Bill, recommends the same to the Assembly. The purpose of this short Bill is to authorize the MR. CRAWFORD: Mr. Speaker, I move that Bills 4, 16, Provincial Treasurer to transfer 15 per cent of the non• and 20 be placed on the Order Paper under Government renewable resource revenues received in the 1983-84 fiscal Bills and Orders. year from the General Revenue Fund to the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund. [Motion carried] [Leave granted; Bill 23 read a first time] Bill 201 An Act to Amend the Bill 2 Motor Vehicle Administration Act Aerial Photographic Survey Repeal Act MRS. CRIPPS: Mr. Speaker, I beg leave to introduce Bill 201, An Act to Amend the Motor Vehicle Adminis• MR. SPARROW: Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure today tration Act. to beg leave to introduce Bill No. 2, the Aerial Photo• The purpose of this Bill is to allow a judge to order the graphic Survey Repeal Act. seizure of a vehicle operated by an impaired driver who The purpose of this Bill is to no longer require private has been convicted of a previous offence and is operating individuals or companies to have licences to photograph without a driver's licence. land in Alberta from the air, to be used for mapping or surveying purposes. [Leave granted; Bill 201 read a first time] [Leave granted; Bill 2 read a first time] head: TABLING RETURNS AND REPORTS Bill 16 Companies Amendment Act, 1983 MR. FJORDBOTTEN: Mr. Speaker, I beg leave to table the 1981-82 annual report of the Agricultural Develop• MR. ALEXANDER: Mr. Speaker, I request leave to ment Corporation. Copies were forwarded to members introduce Bill No. 16, the Companies Amendment Act, on December 7, 1982. 1983. Public companies that are authorized to issue shares MR. HYNDMAN: Mr. Speaker, I wish to table with the under the Securities Act must comply with two different Legislature copies of the 1981-82 Public Accounts of the sets of rules under both the Securities Act and the province of Alberta, volumes 1 and 11. They were made Companies Act. The purpose of the amendment is to public on February 9, 1983. As well, in a package which consolidate these rules, in form and substance, to relieve was available, members will be provided with supplemen• such public companies from unnecessary paperwork and tary information and the financial summary and budget• to provide consistency in provincial legislation. ary review for the same fiscal year. [Leave granted; Bill 16 read a first time] MR. KING: Mr. Speaker, I would like to table the first annual report of the Alberta Health Occupations Board. Bill 4 This being the first annual report of the board, Mr. Speaker, I'd like to take the opportunity to express my Planning Amendment Act, 1983 appreciation and that of the government to Mr. Elvin MR. MUSGROVE: Mr. Speaker, I beg leave to intro• Christenson, chairman of the board, and the members of 66 ALBERTA HANSARD March 15, 1983 the board for their work in the establishment of the board 1983 calendar years. during the year 1982. Last summer we became aware of possible problems with respect to the way in which the royalty tax credit was being used or might be contemplated as being used in head: INTRODUCTION OF SPECIAL GUESTS future. Of course the credit was designed, and I believe has been very effective, to assist the smaller oil and gas MR. HIEBERT: Mr. Speaker, I am pleased this after• companies in the province in generating jobs and in noon to introduce 22 grade 6 students from St. Bede exploration and production. Members will recall that last school in the Edmonton Gold Bar constituency. They are August, I believe, I issued a statement which indicated accompanied by their teacher Mrs. Bahry, and parents that from the point of view of policy, which would Mrs. Fraser and Mr. Tulodzeike. They are in the mem• subsequently be buttressed by legislation, we would be bers gallery, and I ask them to rise and receive the warm clarifying the interpretation of the previous legislation welcome of the House. with regard to the eligibility of the royalty tax credit to the total of $4 million. Accordingly, at that stage that was MR. HYLAND: Mr. Speaker, I'd like to introduce to the the policy and has been the policy. In this session, legisla• Assembly some students from Senator Gershaw high tion which will implement that will be introduced in the school in Bow Island. Approximately 20 students made form of amendments to the corporate tax Act. the bus trip to visit the capital and the Legislature. The students are accompanied by Brian and Pam Moen and Ernie Van Soest. I'd ask them to rise and receive the MR. NOTLEY: Mr. Speaker, a supplementary question warm welcome of the Legislature, please. to the minister. During the course of the investigations that led to the announcement in August, is the minister in MRS. CRIPPS: Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege today to a position today to advise the Assembly how many introduce to you, and through you, 26 grade 6 students companies may have offended the spirit of the program from Breton school. They are accompanied by their by selling some of their assets or dividing their operations teacher, Mr. Tom Gray, bus driver Ted Grzyb, and in such a way as to qualify for more than one royalty tax parents Mr. Ernie Mockerman, Mrs. Mockerman, Mrs. credit? Marg Stevenson, Mrs. Elaine Adair, and Mrs. Charlotte Sobon. They have participated in a model legislature, and MR. HYNDMAN: Mr. Speaker, this Legislature of the students are interested in seeing their real life coun• course debates at length, and there are many views about terparts over there, so look sharp. They're seated in the the extent to which the spirit of a given policy may be members gallery, and I ask that they rise and receive the acquiesced in or blurred. We have to deal with what the warm welcome of the House. law of the Assembly is and was. The law of this Assem• bly, the corporate tax Act as passed in previous years, MR. DIACHUK: Mr. Speaker, I take pleasure today in sets forth the eligibility of the royalty tax credit. From the introducing a class of some 20 grade 6 students who are point of view of compliance with the law itself, last visiting the Legislature from Anne Fitzgerald school in summer we indicated that we wanted to clarify the exist• the constituency of Edmonton Beverly. They are accom• ing provisions. So we made available a policy statement panied by a parent, Mr. Marvin Drews, and a school to that effect in August, made it available to the industry. teacher who, coincidentally, has the same name as the Amendments to effect that clarification will be brought Minister of Education, David King. I wonder what those into the Assembly for debate within weeks. students sometimes share with David King in their class. I welcome them here today. I ask if they would rise in the MR. NOTLEY: Mr. Speaker, a supplementary question. public gallery and receive the usual welcome of the Can the Provincial Treasurer advise the Assembly today Assembly. whether in fact companies sold some of their assets or divided their operations in such a way as to qualify for more than one royalty tax credit in a program that I head: ORAL QUESTION PERIOD remind the Provincial Treasurer has mushroomed from a cost of $280 million to $670 million, $400 million of Royalty Tax Credit Program public funds. How many companies took advantage of that particular scheme to subdivide and benefit to the MR. NOTLEY: Mr. Speaker, I'd like to direct this ques• tune of more grants than we were told they would tion to the hon. Provincial Treasurer. It flows from the otherwise qualify for? February update on the budget, showing our deficit up from $758 million to just under $2.4 billion. With respect MR. HYNDMAN: I think the question as to what to the royalty tax credit, which was estimated at $282 companies received what royalty tax credits is one for the million — and in the February update, it's going to come Order Paper, and that would be public information, Mr.