Legislative Assembly of Alberta The 27th Legislature Fifth Session Standing Committee on Community Development Department of Municipal Affairs Consideration of Main Estimates Wednesday, February 15, 2012 6:30 p.m. Transcript No. 27-5-1 Legislative Assembly of Alberta The 27th Legislature Fifth Session Standing Committee on Community Development Jablonski, Mary Anne, Red Deer-North (PC), Chair Chase, Harry B., Calgary-Varsity (AL), Deputy Chair Amery, Moe, Calgary-East (PC) Blakeman, Laurie, Edmonton-Centre (AL) Boutilier, Guy C., Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo (W) Calahasen, Pearl, Lesser Slave Lake (PC) Goudreau, Hector G., Dunvegan-Central Peace (PC) Groeneveld, George, Highwood (PC) Lindsay, Fred, Stony Plain (PC) Snelgrove, Lloyd, Vermilion-Lloydminster (Ind) Taylor, Dave, Calgary-Currie (AB) Vandermeer, Tony, Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview (PC) Department of Municipal Affairs Participant Hon. Doug Griffiths Minister Also in Attendance Hinman, Paul, Calgary-Glenmore (W) Mason, Brian, Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood (ND) Swann, Dr. David, Calgary-Mountain View (AL) Support Staff W.J. David McNeil Clerk Shannon Dean Senior Parliamentary Counsel/ Director of House Services Robert H. Reynolds, QC Law Clerk/Director of Interparliamentary Relations Giovana Bianchi Committee Clerk Corinne Dacyshyn Committee Clerk Jody Rempel Committee Clerk Karen Sawchuk Committee Clerk Rhonda Sorensen Manager of Corporate Communications and Broadcast Services Melanie Friesacher Communications Consultant Tracey Sales Communications Consultant Philip Massolin Committee Research Co-ordinator Stephanie LeBlanc Legal Research Officer Rachel Stein Research Officer Liz Sim Managing Editor of Alberta Hansard Transcript produced by Alberta Hansard February 15, 2012 Community Development CD-1 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, February 15, 2012 minutes the members of any other party represented in the Title: Wednesday, February 15, 2012 cd Assembly or any independent members, if any, and the minister or [Mrs. Jablonski in the chair] the member of the Executive Council acting on the minister’s behalf may speak; and any member may speak thereafter. Department of Municipal Affairs Committee members, ministers, and other members who are not Consideration of Main Estimates committee members may participate. Department officials and members’ staff may be present but The Chair: Welcome, Minister Griffiths and everyone here may not address the committee. tonight. This committee has under consideration the estimates of Members may speak more than once; however, speaking time is the Department of Municipal Affairs for the fiscal year ending limited to 10 minutes at a time. March 31, 2013. A minister and a member may combine their time for a total of I want to remind you that the microphones are operated by the 20 minutes. Members are asked to advise the chair at the Hansard staff. Don’t do like I did and touch your microphone, beginning of their speech if they plan to combine their time with because that can disturb it. Let the Hansard staff operate the the minister’s time. microphones. We’re asked not to leave our Blackberrys on the Three hours have been scheduled to consider the estimates of table either because they can interfere with the audio equipment. the Department of Municipal Affairs. If debate is exhausted prior I would like the minister to introduce his staff, and everyone to three hours, the department’s estimates are deemed to have else can introduce themselves. We’ll start to my right with the been considered for the time allotted in the schedule and we will hon. David Swann. adjourn; otherwise, we will adjourn at 9:30 p.m. Points of order will be dealt with as they arise, and the clock Dr. Swann: Thank you. David Swann, Calgary-Mountain View. will continue to run. Mr. Vandermeer: Tony Vandermeer, Edmonton-Beverly- The vote on the estimates is deferred until consideration of all Clareview. department estimates has concluded and will occur in Committee of Supply on March 13, 2012. That is according to Government Mr. Amery: Moe Amery, Calgary-East. Motion 6. I just want to add, too, that I would like to take a five-minute Mr. Goudreau: Hector Goudreau, Dunvegan-Central Peace. break at some point during our meeting this evening, and I’m asking the committee if you’re okay with that. The clock will Mr. Taylor: Dave Taylor, Calgary-Currie. continue to run even as we take a break. All agreed? Okay. Thank you very much. Mr. Lindsay: Fred Lindsay, Stony Plain. We can start with the minister. Ms Calahasen: Pearl Calahasen, Lesser Slave Lake. Mr. Griffiths: Well, thank you very much, Madam Chair. This is Mr. Groeneveld: George Groeneveld, Highwood. very exciting. There is so much to talk about in this department that I hardly know where to begin. In editing down my notes, I The Chair: What I should have said, first of all, is that I’m Mary think we started off at half an hour, and I was very happy with that Anne Jablonski, MLA for Red Deer-North and the chair of this until I found out we had 10 minutes. committee. We have an amazing department, and behind me and beside me Minister, can you introduce your staff, please? are some amazing staff, who deserve a lot of credit for handling some incredible challenges and situations over the last year. I Mr. Griffiths: I’d love to. To my left is our deputy minister, Paul never miss an opportunity to also point out the great work of our Whittaker; to his left is Mike Leathwood, our assistant deputy former minister, who’s also at this committee right now, who minister for housing; to my right is Mike Merritt, assistant deputy really did a lot of work over the last couple of years to make sure minister for local government services. He’s responsible for MSI. that we have such an exceptional budget this year and who We have behind me Ivan Moore, Dan Balderston, Len Hancock, handled some crises across the province that were remarkable. So, and Anthony Lemphers as well as Tim Morrison, my EA, and thank you, Hector. Parker Hogan, our communications person. Now, as Minister of Municipal Affairs I just want to preface my remarks, for those of you who don’t know, by reminding everyone The Chair: Okay. Thank you. that I have literally spent the 10 years as an MLA working on I’m going to read into the record how we’re going to conduct building better communities. It’s very exciting being in this this meeting this evening. Some of you may have heard this department because it seems as though we’re going to get to do before, but we’re going to hear it again. many of the things I talked about. I emphasize again that Government Motion 6 and Standing Order 59.01(4) prescribe Municipal Affairs – and I take the opportunity to say this all the the sequence as follows: the minister or the member of the time – is a ministry that’s built on partnerships, whether it’s Executive Council acting on the minister’s behalf may make housing management bodies or a safety codes council or library opening comments not to exceed 10 minutes; for the hour that boards or the capital region or the Calgary Regional Partnership, follows, members of the Official Opposition and the minister or all the municipalities, emergency services. It’s all based on the member of the Executive Council acting on the minister’s partnerships. This ministry has no function or effect if it doesn’t behalf may speak; for the next 20 minutes the members of the build those relationships and partnerships. Those strong third party, if any, and the minister or the member of the partnerships will help us build better communities. Executive Council acting on behalf of the minister may speak; for This year’s budget takes a long-range view that ensures the next 20 minutes the members of the fourth party, which is the Albertans will continue to see benefits in their communities, ND, if any, and the minister or the member of the Executive where they and their families live, work, and play. The total Council acting on the minister’s behalf may speak; for the next 20 budget for Municipal Affairs is $1.27 billion, but that figure CD-2 Community Development February 15, 2012 represents more than just a dollar amount. It represents the care under the Alberta Housing Act and deliver local services to meet that we take and the work that we do to help Albertans local needs, and we’ll continue to build an incredible relationship collectively, work that’s helping to build a better Alberta. That’s with them. part of a long-range plan that we have for the evolution of our In fact, there are 5,000 full-time employees providing housing communities and demonstrates our commitment to our services to our parents, our relatives, and our friends, and nearly communities. 60 per cent of those live and work outside of Calgary and The first goal of our business plan is the enhanced viability and Edmonton. Social housing supports more than 50,000 Albertans in accountability of municipalities and their communities. Strong over 26,000 housing units, and the units are comprised of communities are the foundation of building a better Alberta. approximately 17,000 for seniors and the remaining 9,000 for We’re committed to supporting and investing in our communities families and individuals. Funding for social housing for low- and our families. That’s why our commitment going forward is to income Albertans has also increased by $4.4 million in this budget revolutionize the next MSI, or the son of MSI or the spawn of to cover the extra costs of providing those services, the cost-of- MSI or whatever anyone wishes to call it, to revolutionize the living increases to maintain those buildings.