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April 2, 1996 Private Bills 23 Standing Committee on Private Bills Wapiti. Title: Tuesday, April 2, 1996 pb 8:32 a.m. MR. TRYNCHY: Peter Trynchy, Whitecourt-Ste. Anne. [Chairman: Mr. Renner] MR. HERARD: Denis Herard, Calgary-Egmont. Welcome. THE CHAIRMAN: Good morning, everyone. I'd like to call this meeting to order. This is the regular meeting of the Standing MR. WHITE: Lance White, Edmonton-Mayfield. Committee on Private Bills. The first item of business is the approval of the agenda. It has been circulated. I would entertain a MR. PHAM: I'm Hung Pham. I'm not a member of the committee, motion to approve the agenda. Mr. Nicol. Any discussion? All in but I'm here as sponsor of the Bill. favour? Opposed? Carried. We have two petitioners that we'll be hearing from: Bills Pr. 3 and MRS. FRITZ: Oh. Welcome, Hung. Pr. 4. Since both of these Bills are substantially the same and they Yvonne Fritz, Calgary-Cross. are both represented by the same counsel, I would ask permission of MR. STELMACH: Ed Stelmach, Vegreville-Viking. the committee to have both petitioners come at the same time. MRS. SOETAERT: Colleen Soetaert, Spruce Grove-Sturgeon-St. HON. MEMBERS: Agreed. Albert. Welcome. THE CHAIRMAN: Just a clarification. There was a handout from MR. BRACKO: Len Bracko, greater St. Albert. Welcome. advanced education distributed – does everyone have that? – and the final version of the Bills. You'll remember in the original notes MR. VASSEUR: Léo Vasseur, Bonnyville. everyone had, we had a draft of the Bills. The Bills have now all been introduced in the House, and the final version you should have THE CHAIRMAN: I'm Rob Renner, chair of the committee. as well. If you don't, you can pick up copies at the table. Just for the information of both the committee and petitioners, Mr. Pham, as he mentioned, is the sponsor of this Bill. Standing Orders MR. TRYNCHY: When was the draft circulated? I don't seem to regarding attendance at committee meetings of the Legislature have it. indicates that any member of the Legislature may attend any meeting and may participate in the meeting, but only members of the THE CHAIRMAN: It should be in your binder. committee may vote. So, Mr. Pham, you're certainly more than welcome to participate to any extent you like. MR. TRYNCHY: Okay. I found it. Thank you. At the Table, I would like to introduce Parliamentary Counsel Mr. Rob Reynolds and Earl Evaniew. We also have Wendy Quach and THE CHAIRMAN: There was also a handout distributed from Janis Kiddie from the Leg. Counsel office. Evangel Bible College as well. With that, if you would like to introduce yourselves, you can then With that, then, Mr. Reynolds, if you would bring in the just proceed into a brief presentation. I've already advised petitioners and swear them in. committee members that we're dealing with both Bills, the Evangel Bible College Act and the Bethesda Bible College Act, and we can [Mr. Harmon, Mr. Crocker, Mr. Roberts, Mr. N. Henry, and Ms discuss both of them. They're almost the same. There are some Richardson were sworn in] minor wording changes between the two. THE CHAIRMAN: Good morning, everyone. I'd like to welcome MR. HARMON: Good morning. My name's Jeff Harmon. I'm the you to the committee this morning. We had an opportunity to dean of Bethesda Bible College. I should give you some information about the college. Our inception was 1987 as an discuss earlier this morning some of the process. I just want to extension college of a theological college in the United States, down reiterate that the purpose of this meeting is for you to have an in Florida, and we proceeded to offer a biblical, theological program opportunity to express to the committee the reasons why you're in a correspondence fashion to the residents of our local church as requesting this Bill and explain the Bill to the committee. As well, well as other churches we were related to. Since 1987 the evolution the committee will have an opportunity to ask any questions of you. has occurred within our program to commence moderating and then We also have representation from advanced education this morning, lecturing and then into a full-time day college that we ran for a and I'll be asking them to give the committee some background and three-year program. We ran our first three-year program ending in also be available for any questions. 1995. Since that time, over the years we have continued to build a Just before we get started, the committee itself is an all-party relationship with local churches, primarily many of the independent committee. It consists of both government and opposition members. churches within the Edmonton area, and we've received leadership We actually have a very good geographic cross section on the support as well from the lay ministry. committee as well. I would like to have the committee members We've had over the years a number of graduates that have gone introduce themselves. I'll also introduce the Table officers to you, through our program as well as through the college in the States, and then I'll ask you to introduce yourselves to the committee as receiving a bachelor program. We've found within our local church well. as well as our relationships the demand to be able to look toward We'll start with Mr. Nicol. having a full-time day college program on a continuous basis that would be able to offer bachelor and certificate degrees in theology, DR. NICOL: Ken Nicol from Lethbridge-East. divinity areas. Many in our own local congregation have sought to go elsewhere outside the province, to Saskatchewan and B.C. as well MS HANSON: Alice Hanson from Edmonton-Highlands-Beverly. as down to the States, Portland, and other colleges. To respond to that, we felt it was primarily our purpose to perhaps offer a college MR. JACQUES: Good morning. Wayne Jacques, Grande Prairie- program here that can meet the needs of local members of our 24 Private Bills April 2, 1996 church as well as the churches within our area. private Acts of the Legislature are used to incorporate when there are 8:42 other ways of doing it; and secondly, a little bit of concern about the sweeping nature of the powers that seem to be granted under these MR. ROBERTS: Good morning. My name is James Roberts, and two Acts – seem to be granted, because I don't think in fact they are I'm the director of admissions and also the dean of students at granted. Evangel Bible College. As you know, our Bills are fairly similar because our schools are fairly similar. Our objectives meet very THE CHAIRMAN: Thanks very much. much the same as Bethesda's does. Our history goes back to 1994 Mr. Herard. when we began our full-time day program, our day Bible college program in Calgary. Currently we have just over 100 students MR. HERARD: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Crocker, you taking one or more classes in our day and evening programs. Our represent both these colleges, and from what I understood from what affiliations are one and the same with Bethesda. We are a was said, both colleges are affiliated with either the same college in recognized extension college of Christian international in Florida. the United States or the same plus others. Why do you need two We are also a recognized extension college of Portland Bible college separate Bills to do this? Why couldn't you do it with one Bill? in Portland, Oregon, which is recognized and accredited by the That would be my first question. government of Oregon and the United States. To this date, our teachers are all certified with a bachelor degree, MR. CROCKER: Although they are affiliated in some circumstances and we have two in the master candidates' program for a master of with the same colleges outside the province, they are still two divinity and one in a doctorate. Our objectives are to provide ministry for the local church raised up by the local church. Both independent colleges, and in fact until recently their paths hadn't colleges are in a local church, one in Edmonton and one in Calgary. crossed. It was just recently that the two colleges joined together to We've seen a need in the last few years for people being raised up so proceed, and it was more by happenstance as opposed to a concerted that they can go back to their own local church and work as they effort at one time. So they are independent. learn rather than having to go out of province or out of country for a number of years and then coming back. MR. HERARD: My second question would be: given the ability to incorporate or to establish yourselves under the Societies Act or the MR. CROCKER: My name is Jim Crocker, and I'm the solicitor on corporations Act, why are you choosing this particular avenue? behalf of both petitioners for the private Bills. Essentially, just as a bit of background, both colleges were established as a result of MR. CROCKER: Well, sir, until recently the Universities Act demonstrated needs within their communities. There weren't any defined a private college as a college incorporated by private Act. colleges that provided the particular theological instruction that their In 1995 there were amendments to the Act broadening the definition congregation and similar congregation members in their community of a private college to mean any college other than a college could attain.