Legislative Assembly of Manitoba Standing Committee on Social And
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Second Session - Fortieth Legislature of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba Standing Committee on Social and Economic Development Chairperson Ms. Melanie Wight Constituency of Burrows Vol. LXV No. 5 - 6 p.m., Friday, July 5, 2013 ISSN 1708-6698 MANITOBA LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Fortieth Legislature Member Constituency Political Affiliation ALLAN, Nancy, Hon. St. Vital NDP ALLUM, James Fort Garry-Riverview NDP ALTEMEYER, Rob Wolseley NDP ASHTON, Steve, Hon. Thompson NDP BJORNSON, Peter, Hon. Gimli NDP BLADY, Sharon Kirkfield Park NDP BRAUN, Erna Rossmere NDP BRIESE, Stuart Agassiz PC CALDWELL, Drew Brandon East NDP CHIEF, Kevin, Hon. Point Douglas NDP CHOMIAK, Dave, Hon. Kildonan NDP CROTHERS, Deanne St. James NDP CULLEN, Cliff Spruce Woods PC DEWAR, Gregory Selkirk NDP DRIEDGER, Myrna Charleswood PC EICHLER, Ralph Lakeside PC EWASKO, Wayne Lac du Bonnet PC FRIESEN, Cameron Morden-Winkler PC GAUDREAU, Dave St. Norbert NDP GERRARD, Jon, Hon. River Heights Liberal GOERTZEN, Kelvin Steinbach PC GRAYDON, Cliff Emerson PC HELWER, Reg Brandon West PC HOWARD, Jennifer, Hon. Fort Rouge NDP IRVIN-ROSS, Kerri, Hon. Fort Richmond NDP JHA, Bidhu Radisson NDP KOSTYSHYN, Ron, Hon. Swan River NDP LEMIEUX, Ron, Hon. Dawson Trail NDP MACKINTOSH, Gord, Hon. St. Johns NDP MAGUIRE, Larry Arthur-Virden PC MALOWAY, Jim Elmwood NDP MARCELINO, Flor, Hon. Logan NDP MARCELINO, Ted Tyndall Park NDP MELNICK, Christine, Hon. Riel NDP MITCHELSON, Bonnie River East PC NEVAKSHONOFF, Tom Interlake NDP OSWALD, Theresa, Hon. Seine River NDP PALLISTER, Brian Fort Whyte PC PEDERSEN, Blaine Midland PC PETTERSEN, Clarence Flin Flon NDP REID, Daryl, Hon. Transcona NDP ROBINSON, Eric, Hon. Kewatinook NDP RONDEAU, Jim, Hon. Assiniboia NDP ROWAT, Leanne Riding Mountain PC SARAN, Mohinder The Maples NDP SCHULER, Ron St. Paul PC SELBY, Erin, Hon. Southdale NDP SELINGER, Greg, Hon. St. Boniface NDP SMOOK, Dennis La Verendrye PC STEFANSON, Heather Tuxedo PC STRUTHERS, Stan, Hon. Dauphin NDP SWAN, Andrew, Hon. Minto NDP WHITEHEAD, Frank The Pas NDP WIEBE, Matt Concordia NDP WIGHT, Melanie Burrows NDP WISHART, Ian Portage la Prairie PC Vacant Morris 235 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Friday, July 5, 2013 TIME – 6 p.m. WRITTEN SUBMISSIONS: LOCATION – Winnipeg, Manitoba Johnathan Fahr, private citizen CHAIRPERSON – Ms. Melanie Wight (Burrows) MATTERS UNDER CONSIDERATION: VICE-CHAIRPERSON – Mr. James Allum (Fort Bill 20–The Manitoba Building and Renewal Garry-Riverview) Funding and Fiscal Management Act (Various Acts Amended) ATTENDANCE – 11 QUORUM – 6 * * * Members of the Committee present: Madam Chairperson: Good evening. Will the Hon. Messrs. Bjornson, Struthers Standing Committee on Social and Economic Mr. Allum, Ms. Crothers Mr. Dewar, Mrs. Development please come to order. Driedger, Messrs. Eichler, Helwer, Maloway, I'm going to talk as loud as I can so I'm hoping Mrs. Rowat, Ms. Wight that you'll be able to hear me back there, you seem APPEARING: like you're a long way away. Hon. Jon Gerrard, MLA for River Heights Our first item of business is the election of a Vice-Chairperson. Are there any nominations? PUBLIC PRESENTERS: Mr. Gregory Dewar (Selkirk): Thank you, Madam Mr. Walter Hill, private citizen Chair. I nominate Mr. Allum. Mr. Fred Tait, private citizen Madam Chairperson: Mr. Allum has been Ms. Michelle Gawronsky, Manitoba Government nominated. Are there any more nominations? and General Employees' Union Mr. Henry Siemens, private citizen Hearing no other nominations, Mr. Allum is Mr. Randy Baldwin, private citizen elected Vice-Chairperson. Mr. Dave Mouland, private citizen Mr. Dennis Lewycky, Social Planning Council of Okay, this bill–this meeting has been called to Winnipeg consider Bill 20, The Manitoba Building and Mr. Josh Fisher, private citizen Renewal Funding and Fiscal Management Act. As Mr. John McDonald, private citizen per agreement of the House dated June 20th, we have Ms. Kristina Poturica, private citizen 26 people scheduled to speak on Bill 20 tonight. And Mr. Jeremy Friesen, private citizen you have the list of those presenters before you, Mr. Roland Stankevicius, private citizen which is also posted at the entrance of the room. Mr. Walter Bryk, private citizen We also have a gentleman who called but is not Ms. Maria Collard, private citizen on the list, and I'm just going to ask the committee if Mr. Cody Dzik, private citizen he has leave to present at the end of the list, so he Mr. Darrell Rankin, Communist Party of knows ahead of time if he has that leave. Canada-Manitoba Mr. Thomas Dobson, private citizen So is it the will of the committee to let Mr. Mr. Gary Watkins, private citizen Koziuk to be added to the list at the end? [Agreed] Mr. Alex MacDonald, private citizen Thank you so much. So you're added. Mr. Clay Purvess, private citizen Mr. Brian Davis, private citizen On the topic of determining the order of public Ms. Rosemary Hnatiuk, private citizen presentations, I will note that we do have–I'm Mr. Jeff Koziuk, private citizen assuming we do have some out-of-town presenters, Ms. Wendy Land, private citizen and they're marked with an asterisk on the list. With 236 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA July 5, 2013 this consideration in mind, then, in what order does Hansard people, who are behind me here, will know the committee wish to hear the presentations? who it is that's speaking when they do the transcribing. Okay, so that's the signal. When I say Mr. Ralph Eichler (Lakeside): Tradition has it that your name, then you speak. Okay? we normally hear out-of-town presenters first and ask leave of the committee for that to happening Thank you so much for your patience and we are once again. going to now proceed with the public presentations. Madam Chairperson: Is there leave of the So and as we mentioned I will start with all of committee for the out-of-towners to go first? the out-of-town presenters in order that they appear [Agreed] on the list and then we'll go back to the top, okay? I would also like to remind members of the So our first presenter will be Walter Hill. And committee that, in accordance with the agreement Mr. Hill, do you have any written materials for mentioned before, the committee may also by leave distribution to the committee? decide to hear from presenters in addition to those Mr. Walter Hill (Private Citizen): No, I do not. scheduled for tonight's meeting. Madam Chairperson: Okay, then, please go ahead Before we proceed with presentations, we do with your presentation. have a number of other items and points of information to consider. Mr. Hill: Thank you very much for this opportunity to speak to Bill 20. I'm going to speak firstly about For the information of all the presenters, while how this bill and the other taxes that I have to pay in written versions of presentations are not required, if Manitoba and elsewhere affect me personally and you're going to accompany your presentation with then I want to talk about, hopefully, a couple of written materials, we ask that you provide 20 copies. things that, after reading Hansard, haven't been If you need help with the photocopying, please speak introduced, because as I read the newspapers and I with our staff. They'll help you. read Hansard, I see the same theme and the same As well, I would like to inform presenters that, things being talked about again and again and again. in accordance with our rules, there's a time limit of If I'm lucky, I'll have something new. 10 minutes allotted for presentations, and then an * (18:10) additional five minutes allowed for questions from committee members. I'm a retired senior. I have two children and four grandchildren. My youngest daughter lives in Also, in accordance with the rules agreed in the Alberta and she's, thankfully, self-sufficient. My House for the meetings hearing from presenters on eldest daughter and grandson, unfortunately, struggle Bill 20, if a presenter is not in attendance when their very hard to make ends meet. My eldest daughter name is called, they will be dropped to the bottom of shops frugally at Value Village and Salvation Army the list of tonight's presenters. If the presenter is not thrift shop, and so on, and she and her grandson–and in attendance when their name is called a second my grandson look to me for any extras: shoes, sports time tonight, they will be dropped to the bottom of equipment, school excursion fees, a bicycle, new the global list of presenters. clothes and so on. They live in Winnipeg. I live in A written submission on Bill 20 from Mr. the Whiteshell Provincial Park, which is a great Johnathan Fahr has been received and distributed to privilege. I'm on an old family lot that my mother committee members. Does the committee agree to purchased–or leased–in 1953, and has been passed have this document appear in the Hansard transcript down in the family, and now to me. We moved to the of this meeting? [Agreed] Whiteshell in order to reduce our cost of living. You know, it was costing a lot of money to live in the city Now prior–this is about speaking in committee, of Winnipeg. But now that I'm retired, my income is so prior to proceeding with public presentations I from Old Age Security and Canada Pension Plan and would like to advise the members of the public my savings. I don't have any defined benefit pension regarding the process for speaking in committee. The plan or any of that kind of stuff.