Second Session - Fortieth Legislature of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba DEBATES and PROCEEDINGS Official Report (Hansard) Published under the authority of The Honourable Daryl Reid Speaker Vol. LXV No. 4 - 1:30 p.m., Thursday, November 22, 2012 ISSN 0542-5492 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 TAILLIEU, Mavis Morris PC WHITEHEAD, Frank The Pas NDP WIEBE, Matt Concordia NDP WIGHT, Melanie Burrows NDP WISHART, Ian Portage la Prairie PC 75 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA Thursday, November 22, 2012 The House met at 1:30 p.m. Bill 201–The Regulatory Accountability and Transparency Act Mr. Speaker: O Eternal and Almighty God, from Whom all power and wisdom come, we are Mr. Cliff Graydon (Emerson): I move, seconded assembled here before Thee to frame such laws as by the member for Morris (Mrs. Taillieu), that may tend to the welfare and prosperity of our Bill 201, The Regulatory Accountability and province. Grant, O merciful God, we pray Thee, that Transparency Act, be now read for the first time. we may desire only that which is in accordance with Motion presented. Thy will, that we may seek it with wisdom, know it with certainty and accomplish it perfectly for the Mr. Graydon: Mr. Speaker, this bill requires the glory and honour of Thy name and for the welfare of government to develop formal procedures to make all our people. Amen. the process of enacting regulations more transparent. It also requires government departments to develop Good afternoon, everyone. Please be seated. regulatory reform plans to eliminate unnecessary regulations and encourage restraint in making new ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS regulations. Both the government procedures and INTRODUCTION OF BILLS department plans must be made public. Thank you. Bill 5–The New Home Warranty Act Mr. Speaker: Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion? [Agreed] Hon. Jim Rondeau (Minister of Healthy Living, Seniors and Consumer Affairs): I move, seconded Any further bills? Seeing none, we'll move on to by the Minister of Advanced Education and Literacy petitions. (Ms. Selby), that Bill 5, The New Home Warranty PETITIONS Act; Loi sur la garantie des maisons neuves, be now read a first time. Coulter Bridge–PR 251 Motion presented. Mr. Larry Maguire (Arthur-Virden): I wish to present the following petition to the Legislative Mr. Rondeau: This bill ensures new homes built for Assembly. sale are covered by a warranty against defects in And the background of this petition is as materials, labour, designs and structural defects. follows: Home builders and warranty providers will be registered with the Province. Only registered builders (1) The flood of 2011 caused the Coulter bridge will be allowed to build homes for sale for others. on Provincial Road 251 west of Waskada to collapse. And the homes must be covered by a home warranty (2) The current 36-kilometre detour provides provided by a insurer. only a minimum level of safety due to heavy traffic The minimum requirement–required coverage from petroleum industry trucks and agricultural will be 12 months for materials, labour and design, equipment having to share this detour with school 15 months for common areas in condos, two years buses and local traffic. for major defects and seven years for structural (3) Local detour options at the bridge site have components. been rejected by Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation despite industry support to cover the I believe this protects consumers and it provides costs of a temporary bridge. a level playing field for builders. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. (4) Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation to date has not moved–has not provided, rather, any Mr. Speaker: Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt financial support for requests to develop an the motion? [Agreed] engineering plan for a local bypass in the Coulter Any further bills? bridge vicinity. 76 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA November 22, 2012 So we petition the Legislative Assembly as The Vita & District Health Centre serves a wide follows, Mr. Speaker: area of southeastern Manitoba and is relied on to provide emergency services. To request that the Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation consider co-operating with the On October 17th, 2012, the emergency room at municipalities of Arthur and Brenda, their citizens the Vita & District Health Centre closed with no and local industries to immediately provide a timelines for it to reopen. temporary detour over the Souris River on Provincial This emergency room deals with approximately Road 251 near the collapsed bridge. 1,700 cases a year, which include patients in the And this petition is signed by B. McKinney, hospital, the attached personal care home and T. Palmer, G. Spence and many, many others, Mr. members of the community and surrounding area. Speaker. Manitobans should expect a high quality of Mr. Speaker: In accordance with our rule 132(6), health care close to home and should not be expected when petitions are read they are deemed to have been to travel great distances for health services. received by the House. We petition the Legislative Assembly of St. Ambroise Beach Provincial Park Manitoba as follows: Mr. Ian Wishart (Portage la Prairie): Mr. Speaker, To request that the Minister of Health consider I wish to present the following petition to the reopening the emergency room in Vita as soon as Legislative Assembly. possible and commit to providing adequate medical support for residents of southeastern Manitoba for And the reasons for this petition are as follows: many years to come. The St. Ambroise provincial park was hard hit This petition is signed by K. Sesiuk, J. Sesiuk, by the 2011 flood, resulting in the park's ongoing A. Brandt and many more fine Manitobans. closure, the loss of local access to Lake Manitoba, as well as untold harm to the ecosystem and wildlife in PR 520 the region. Mr. Wayne Ewasko (Lac du Bonnet): I wish to The park's closure is having a negative impact in present the following petition to the Legislative many areas, including disruptions to local tourism, Assembly. hunting and fishing operations, diminished economic The background of this petition is as follows: and employment opportunities and the potential loss of the local store and decrease in property values. The rural municipalities of Lac du Bonnet and Alexander are experiencing record growth due Local residents and visitors alike want St. especially to an increasing number of Manitobans Ambroise provincial park to be reopened as soon as retiring in cottage country. possible. The population in the RM of Lac du Bonnet We petition the Legislative Assembly of grows exponentially in the summer months due to Manitoba as follows: increased cottage use. To request the appropriate ministers of the * (13:40) provincial government consider repairing the St. Ambroise provincial park and its access points to Due to population growth, Provincial Road 520 their preflood conditions so the park can be reopened experiences heavy traffic, especially during the for the 2013 season or earlier if possible. summer months. Signed by G. McCormick, D. Olafson and W. PR 520 connects cottage country to the Pinawa Bradley and many, many more fine Manitobans. Hospital and as such is frequently used by Vita & District Health Centre emergency medical services to transport patients. Mr. Dennis Smook (La Verendrye): I wish to PR 520 is in such poor condition that there are present the following petition to the Legislative serious concerns about its safety. Assembly. We petition the Legislative Assembly as The reasons for the petition are as follows: follows: November 22, 2012 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA 77 To urge the Minister of Infrastructure and Ms. MacDonald's comments on the Phoenix Transportation to recognize the serious safety Sinclair inquiry as an independent officer of the concerns of Provincial Road 520 and to address its Manitoba Legislative Assembly have shown that a poor condition by prioritizing its renewal. bias or potential conflict of interest may exist between the office of the Children's Advocate and The petition is signed by E. Reitbauer, P. Gray the Phoenix Sinclair inquiry. and K. Halyschuk and hundreds of other fine Manitobans.