March 25, 1992 Alberta Hansard 83 Legislative Assembly of Alberta (c) the government amends the TRF Act to provide full cost-of- living adjustments to pensions, and Title: Wednesday, March 25, 1992 2:30 p.m. (d) the other changes incorporated in the May 4, 1991, Memoran- Date: 92/03/25 dum of Understanding are retained. [Mr. Speaker in the Chair] MR. SPEAKER: Thank you. MR. SPEAKER: Immediately following our opening prayer we head: will pause for a moment to make a memorial on behalf of one of Notices of Motions our former members. MR. SPEAKER: The Member for Calgary-McKnight. head: Prayers MRS. GAGNON: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I give notice that after question period today I will rise under Standing Order 40 to MR. SPEAKER: Let us pray. O Lord, we give thanks for the bounty of our province: our seek unanimous consent of the Assembly to consider the following motion: land, our resources, and our people. Be it resolved that the Legislative Assembly express its sympathy to We pledge ourselves to act as good stewards on behalf of all the Kurdish community regarding the recent killing of members of Albertans. the Kurdish community in Turkey. Amen. I do have copies for all members. Harry Leinweber passed away March 18, 1992. He represented the constituency of Medicine Hat for the Social Credit Party, was head: Introduction of Bills first elected in the January 19, 1961, by-election, re-elected in the 1963 and 1967 general elections, and served this Legislature until Bill 219 1971. Energy Efficiency Management Administration Act Rest eternal grant unto him, O Lord, and let light perpetual MR. MITCHELL: Mr. Speaker, I beg leave to introduce a Bill shine upon him. being the Energy Efficiency Management Administration Act, Bill Amen. 219. It's a Bill that would shift the energy efficiency branch from the head: Presenting Petitions Department of Energy to the Department of the Environment, MR. SPEAKER: The Member for Edmonton-Avonmore. where it should more properly be. MS M. LAING: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would ask to [Leave granted; Bill 219 read a first time] present petitions on behalf of constituents and citizens in Edmon- ton asking that sexual orientation be included as a protected MR. SPEAKER: The Member for Calgary-Foothills. category in the Individual's Rights Protection Act. Bill 266 MR. SPEAKER: Edmonton-Gold Bar. Business Corporations Amendment Act MRS. BLACK: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I request leave to MRS. HEWES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I beg leave to present introduce Bill 266, the Business Corporations Amendment Act. a petition from the professional staff members of the Terra school Mr. Speaker, if this Act is passed, it will provide for a better urging the Legislative Assembly of Alberta to accord favourable monitoring of the receivership process for businesses and compa- consideration to resolution 226/91, adopted by teacher representa- nies by expediting receivership proceedings so as to serve in the tives at the emergent representative assembly of the Alberta best interests of Albertans. Teachers' Association on September 28, 1991. [Leave granted; Bill 266 read a first time] head: Reading and Receiving Petitions MRS. GAGNON: Mr. Speaker, I ask that the petition which I MR. SPEAKER: The Member for Wainwright. presented yesterday on behalf of St. Bede's teachers be read and received. Bill 268 Ethanol Strategy Act CLERK: MR. FISCHER: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I request leave to We, the undersigned, as professional staff members of St. Bede's introduce Bill 268, the Ethanol Strategy Act. school, urge the Legislative Assembly of Alberta to accord favour- The purpose of this Act is to encourage the province to develop able consideration to the following resolution, adopted by teacher a comprehensive strategy for the use of ethanol in our fuels. representatives at the Emergent Representative Assembly of The Alberta Teachers' Association on September 28, 1991: Be it resolved, that The Alberta Teachers' Association return to [Leave granted; Bill 268 read a first time] negotiations with the Government with a view to concluding a new agreement in which; Bill 259 (a) teachers and the government jointly contribute the full amount Service Dogs Act of all future service costs to the Teachers' Retirement Fund, (b) the government assumes full responsibility for the total un- MR. PAYNE: Mr. Speaker, I request leave today to introduce funded liability related to past service costs and adopts an Bill 259, Service Dogs Act. acceptable plan for retiring that debt, The purpose of this legislation, Mr. Speaker, is to extend to handicapped persons who make use of service dogs the same 84 Alberta Hansard March 25, 1992 protection and provisions that are provided currently to the blind NovAtel Communications Ltd. and their seeing eye dogs with respect to public transportation and MR. MARTIN: Yes, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to continue with the other public facilities. waste and mismanagement coming from this government. It's [Leave granted; Bill 259 read a first time] very ironic that today Telus, the former money-making part of Alberta Government Telephones, announced profits of $183 head: Tabling Returns and Reports million, and of course this is owned now by private investors. The last time we had information, more than a year ago, our MR. ISLEY: Mr. Speaker, I'm tabling three reports today: white elephant NovAtel had cost taxpayers over $200 million, and firstly, the 1991 annual report of the Alberta Veterinary Medical as far as we know, the red ink is still flowing. Last month the Association; secondly, the 1991 annual report of the Farmers' government said that they were going to make a decision very Advocate of Alberta; and thirdly, the 1990-91 annual report of the soon on the future of NovAtel. My question to the Minister of Agricultural Development Corporation. Technology, Research and Telecommunications is simply this: given that four weeks have now passed since this task force was MR. NELSON: Mr. Speaker, I have the privilege today to appointed, will the minister of technology now tell this House present to you and the House the 1990-91 annual report of the what the government plans to do with NovAtel? Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission. MR. STEWART: Mr. Speaker, I'm glad the Leader of the MRS. MIROSH: Mr. Speaker, I'd like to table the chartered Opposition raised the matter of Telus' success as a privatized accountants of Alberta 1991 annual report and the certified company, and indeed I think all taxpayers should be pleased as management accountants 1990-91 annual report as well. This has well that the privatization of Telus brought $500 million to the already been circulated to members of the Assembly through your taxpayers' bottom line. office. With respect to NovAtel, Mr. Speaker, a management commit- Thank you. tee was put in place in order to plan for the divestiture of this 2:40 company. Discussions have been ongoing for some time. They are still ongoing, and when an announcement is ready to be made, MRS. McCLELLAN: Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to table the I will make it. 23rd annual report of the Alberta Hail and Crop Insurance Corporation for the year ended March 31, 1991. MR. MARTIN: Meanwhile the taxpayers lose millions and millions and millions, Mr. Speaker, while they're sitting around MR. MAIN: Mr. Speaker, I have here the '89-90 Alberta Art doing nothing. Foundation annual report, the annual report of the Glenbow- I want to ask the minister simply this question because he's Alberta Institute for 1991, and the 1990-91 annual report for the bragging about Telus. Everybody expected it to make money, Alberta Historical Resources Foundation. I'd like to table those. Mr. Speaker. Doesn't this minister really see the injustice of I'd also like to file with the Assembly copies of a letter that I Telus reporting $183 million in profits, while taxpayers are sent to Orest Olineck, who is the chairman of the Alberta picking up the white elephant NovAtel? Doesn't he see something Multiculturalism Advisory Council. This letter outlines the wrong with that? government's strong commitment to multicultural objectives in the present and future. MR. STEWART: As I indicated, Mr. Speaker, the privatization MR. KLEIN: Mr. Speaker, I would like to table the annual of Telus netted close to $500 million to the taxpayers of Alberta. report of the Alberta Special Waste Management Corporation. It also removed about a billion and a half dollars of loan guaran- tees and other debts that were previously existing. The Telus MR. SPEAKER: Edmonton-Gold Bar. privatization was very much a success for the taxpayers of Alberta, and we would hope that the news with respect to NovAtel MRS. HEWES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I beg leave to table would be coming along soon. a number of letters from students raising questions regarding the health care training stipends. MR. MARTIN: We know that it's coming out soon, Mr. Speaker, and we know we're going to lose millions more. That's head: Introduction of Special Guests the reality of it. How this minister can talk about the great deal when we're losing millions I just can't believe. MR. SPEAKER: Edmonton-Highlands. I'll try another tack, Mr. Speaker. The government supposedly now believes in freedom of information. My question now to the MS BARRETT: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's my pleasure to minister: in this new spirit of freedom of information, will the introduce to the Assembly today 26 grade 6 students from the minister table for Alberta taxpayers NovAtel's financial statements Montrose elementary school, which is in the riding that I repre- for 1990 and make public the company's financial results for sent.