Pursuant to Standing Order 68, Wally Andersen, MHA for Torngat Mountains, replaces Yvonne Jones, MHA for Cartwright-L'Anse au Clair, and Ross Wiseman, MHA for Trinity North, replaces George Sweeney, MHA for Carbonear-Harbour Grace.

The Committee met at 5:15 p.m. in the House of Assembly.

CHAIR (Mr. Joyce): I now call to order the Government Services Committee meeting for the Department of Environment.

Call the subhead.

CLERK: Subhead 1.1.01.

CHAIR: Subhead 1.1.01.

May I first ask for a motion for the minutes of April 9, the Government Services Committee, to be accepted?

On motion, minutes adopted as circulated.

CHAIR: I would like to thank the minister and his staff for coming over. We can start the questions.

Mr. Osborne, do you want to start?

MR. T. OSBORNE: Certainly.

I wonder, if we called Division now - there are six on that side and four over there - would we win it?

I will start under 1.1.01.06., Purchased Services. I was just wondering what the increase under the revision last year was for.

MR. RALPH WISEMAN: Is that 1.1.01.06., Purchased Services? Is that the one you are asking about?

MR. T. OSBORNE: Yes.

MR. RALPH WISEMAN: That was advertising and printing.

MR. T. OSBORNE: What would that printing have been for?

MR. RALPH WISEMAN: Gerry, do you want to - oh, by the way, I should introduce my officials.

CHAIR: Can I interrupt for a moment, please?

It has been brought to my attention that I should have given the courtesy to the minister to have a few open remarks, if he so pleased, and to introduce his staff. Thank you, Wally, for bringing that to my attention. I am sorry, Minister.

MR. RALPH WISEMAN: Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.

It is certainly a pleasure to be here this evening and have an opportunity to speak briefly about my department, but first I want to introduce to you my staff. On my immediate left is Mr. Paul Dean, Deputy Minister. Next, of course, is Ken Dominy, Assistant Deputy Minister. Next to Ken is Gerry Crocker, Director of Finance and General Operations.

As I said, I will keep my comments brief. I just want to say that government is committed to the environment. The commitment to the environment is evident by the creation of a department that is solely focused on the environment. No longer is one minister responsible for the areas of Environment and Labour, and I welcome the opportunity to be the minister responsible.

Of course, creating a new department brings many changes, particularly with respect to staff and budget requirements. The Department of Environment has a staff of some seventy people, and a total budget of $6.7 million. It would be interesting to note that the department's budget is only .2 per cent of government's total current and capital expenditure. The department is committed to protecting, preserving and enhancing our environment for all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

There are three main divisions in the Department of Environment: Environmental Assessment, Pollution Prevention, and Water Resource Management, which are working in four main areas: protecting and managing our water resources; ensuring an efficient and effective environmental assessment and planning process; strengthening environmental monitoring with particular focus on the industrial sector; and improving solid waste management in the Province.

This year, the department will primarily focus on water and waste management issues. As you may recall from the Budget Speech, ensuring that the residents of the Province have continued access to safe drinking water is a focus for this government.

The Department of Environment is working with the Department of Municipal and Provincial Affairs, Government Services and Lands, and Health and Community Services, to develop a provincial safe drinking water plan to address the sampling, training and infrastructural requirements for this initiative. This year, for its role in the initiative, my department will be hiring two new water quality technicians and increasing the physical and chemical sampling and analysis of community water systems. My department works closely with municipalities to address water quality and to identify potential problem areas and subsequent solutions.

On Budget day, the department also announced continued funding for the environmental remediation work at abandoned sites. Again this year, the department has allotted some $800,000 which will enable the completion of cleanup work at the abandoned military sites at Jerrys Nose, West Bay on the Port au Port Peninsula, and continue the work in St. Anthony.

Our other main initiative, as announced in the Throne Speech last month, is to develop a provincial waste management strategy. To do this, we will be consulting with people in the municipalities and other interested parties on how the Province should move forward on this issue.

In January, the department welcomed back Leslie Grattan, who oversees the environmental planning and management projects team, which is responsible for the waste management initiative.

In the coming months, I will be making more announcements on these issues and look forward to seeing the development of a provincial waste management strategy. There are many exciting initiatives happening in the Department of Environment. This year we have seen an increase in our budget of some $700,000. I feel this increase is certainly needed to implement our water quality and waste management initiatives, as well as our regular programs and policies in order to preserve, protect and enhance our environment for all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

Mr. Chairman, I now welcome comments and questions from your Committee in the department's Estimates for 2001-2002.

Thank you.

CHAIR: Thank you, Minister.

Mr. Osborne, I am sorry about that.

MR. T. OSBORNE: No problem. Thank you.

My question was: What was the printing for there?

MR. RALPH WISEMAN: I had referred that to Gerry.

MR. CROCKER: There was only $2,700 there budgeted for Purchased Services, which would include the advertising, promotional items, entertainment, and printing costs of the minister's office. Since this did include an amount for the Department of Labour also last year, the Labour Day ad runs is fairly expensive. That is why it was up to $13,700.

MR. T. OSBORNE: Thank you.

Under 1.2.02.06., Transportation and Communications, there was a reduction there to $96,000 and you are back up to approximately the same amount as was budgeted last year. Why the reduction there?

MR. RALPH WISEMAN: Under 1.2.02., Transportation and Communications?

MR. T. OSBORNE: Yes.

MR. RALPH WISEMAN: That included phones, postage, et cetera. The budget in 2000-2001 was $212,400, the actual was $96,000, and this year it is back to $207,400. We have had a staff increase in terms of the old department. I think this involves both departments, Gerry?

MR. CROCKER: This activity, actually, still represents all of the administration costs for the Department of Environment and Labour. As you mentioned, there were significant savings there last year as result of lower postage costs, phone costs and shipping costs. We found that over the years, with the use of cell phones and e-mail, some of the costs for postage and so on have gone down. If we use cell phones, usually it is charged back to the individual divisions, where the long distance costs are usually charged to administration, so we have shown some significant savings there.

MR. T. OSBORNE: Under Administrative Support, that is still budgeted for both Environment and Labour.

MR. CROCKER: Yes, that is right. That was some separate activity set up for the Department of Labour. Actually, I guess, what we will do is, we will track the costs to try to separate them during the year and then, during the budget process next year, we will ask for a new activity under the Department of Labour and we will split that budget so that each department will have its own.

MR. T. OSBORNE: Subsection 1.2.02.10., Grants and Subsidies.

MR. RALPH WISEMAN: That is the CCME membership, Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment, of which we are a member.

MR. T. OSBORNE: Why would there be an increase there?

MR. RALPH WISEMAN: In 2000-2001 the actual budget was $38,000, the revised was $225,000. That $225,000 involved the conservation core grants. That won't be made this year. That was the actual setup of the grants, wasn't it?

MR. CROCKER: Yes, that was just a one-time grant of $172,000.

MR. RALPH WISEMAN: Yes, but the $38,000 is the cost of the membership in the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment.

MR. T. OSBORNE: Under subhead 1.2.03., Policy Development and Planning, 01., Salaries, there has been a significant increase there from the budget last year to the budget this year.

MR. RALPH WISEMAN: Yes. We have a number of people who are working on waste management, the executive end of it, and coastal zone management. I think there are three people with support staff who are targeting waste management this year.

MR. T. OSBORNE: Under subhead 2.1.01., Pollution Prevention, 01., Salaries, was there an extra allotment there for an increase in staff?

MR. RALPH WISEMAN: Yes, I think it was.

Gerry, do you want to clarify Salaries, 2.1.01.01.?

MR. CROCKER: There was an amount that was transferred from our operating funding. There was some additional funding that was approved last year and we moved approximately $75,000 into salaries. Plus, for the next fiscal year, there is an additional $10,000 approved for air monitoring.

MR. T. OSBORNE: Okay.

Under 2.2.01., Water Resources Management, again there is an increase in Salaries there.

MR. RALPH WISEMAN: That is two more employees, new employees, water technicians.

MR. T. OSBORNE: Under subhead, 2.2.01,03., Transportation and Communication, the budget has almost doubled.

MR. RALPH WISEMAN: That is because this year we are going to increase the number of technicians by two, so we are going to require more transportation, more communications, because they are traveling quite a bit around the Province. We have some, I think, 799 water supplies in the Province.

MR. T. OSBORNE: Subhead, 2.2.01.05., Professional Services.

MR. RALPH WISEMAN: That is basically dealing with the same issue as training. We are providing training for municipalities around the Province where it is desired: education and training not only for municipalities but we are dealing with schools, in some cases, and hospitals.

MR. T. OSBORNE: Subhead, 2.2.01.06., Purchased Services.

MR. RALPH WISEMAN: That is involving lab work, because the lab work will now increase with the number of samples being taken and tests being done.

MR. T. OSBORNE: That is the testing of municipal water supplies?

MR. RALPH WISEMAN: Yes.

MR. T. OSBORNE: Under subhead 2.2.02., Water Quality Agreement, there is an increase in Salaries there as well.

MR. RALPH WISEMAN: One new employee; that is for water sampling, and that particular sampling is for rivers and streams.

MR. T. OSBORNE: Thank you.

CHAIR: Mr. Young.

MR. YOUNG: I have no questions, Mr. Chairman.

CHAIR: Mr. Collins.

MR. COLLINS: I have just a couple of questions. Most of the obvious ones have already been asked. I would like to say to the minister that, while I do not know all the people personally from your department here today, I do know Mr. Paul Dean, from many years back, from his work with the Department of Mines and Energy. I can assure you, in my opinion and in the opinion of many of the people in Labrador who we have worked with there, Mr. Dean is held in pretty high regard. I think you have a very good person there in the form of a deputy minister.

MR. RALPH WISEMAN: I will second that.

MR. COLLINS: Having said that, under 2.2.02.03., Transportation and Communications, the budget the previous year was 35,100, revised to $37,100, and the estimate for this year at $45,100.

MR. RALPH WISEMAN: We have increased the staff there, so we expect transportation and communications to increase accordingly.

MR. COLLINS: Property, Furnishings and Equipment, .07.

MR. RALPH WISEMAN: We needed some furnishings and equipment for the new individual.

MR. COLLINS: That is about all I have.

Thank you.

CHAIR: Mr. Mercer.

MR. MERCER: No comment.

CHAIR: Mr. Wiseman.

MR. ROSS WISEMAN: No questions, Mr. Chairman.

CHAIR: Mr. Minister, in the last couple of years I know there was a lot of restoration of a few old dump sites in the Bay of Islands area that I can assure you now will be turned into day parks, through the help of your department. There are a few environment cleanups that definitely make the tourism department in the Bay of Islands much more attractive.

I have not been dealing with Mr. Dean a lot, but I can assure you that I have been dealing with Mr. Dominy for a number of years, on a number of occasions. I would just like to publicly thank you for your assistance over the years, because I know how much behind the scenes you have helped the constituents in the Bay of Islands. I thank you publicly for your assistance. It is well appreciated. Sometime you don't get the appreciation, but I thank you very much.

MR. RALPH WISEMAN: Mr. Chairman, I just want to say to you, if you will allow me, that I have made a commitment to the people around the Province. I have done a little bit of traveling, not very much. I have been down the Southern Shore, and I have been to the Burin Peninsula and up the Northern Peninsula. Some of you are already aware - I know my critic is aware - of the Waste Management Trust Fund. I have made a commitment, as long as I am minister, that these monies will be used for waste management. Part of that waste management is to try and remediate a lot of those sites that we have around. They are absolutely terrible. Everywhere I go, I make it a point to go visit them. I am making it very clear that we need to have this cleaned up.

CHAIR: Thank you.

Any other questions from any member?

I call for the heads, please.

On motion, subheads1.l.01. through 2.3.01., carried.

On motion, Department of Environment, total heads, carried.

CHAIR: Thank you very much, Mr. Minister and the personnel.

MR. RALPH WISEMAN: Thank you.

On motion, the Committee adjourned.