Province Législature/Legislature Session Type de discours/Type of speech Date du discours/Date Locuteur/Speaker Fonction du locuteur/Function Parti politique/Political party Nouvelle-Écosse / Nova-Scotia 49 4 Discours du Trône/Speech from the Throne 19-02-70 Victor de B. Oland Lieutenant-governor PC Nova Scotia: Speech from the throne, Fourth Session of the 49th General Assembly, February 19th, 1970 I am pleased to welcome you to this the Fourth Session of the 49th General Assembly convened in the Province and I extend my best wishes to each of you. The wreck of the tanker "Arrow" in Chedabucto Bay has brought actual and threatened loss to many Nova Scotians. My Government will work with all concerned in the effort to ensure that adequate compensation is paid by those responsible and the pollution is properly dealt with, and in arrangements to lessen the danger of similar occurrences and to deal with them properly if they do occur. The Nova Scotia Voluntary Planning Board supported by the Government of Canada and Nova Scotia, has arranged for an event called "Encounter on Environment" to be held in Halifax next week to help form a useful philosophical concept of what urban environment should be. My Government looks with interest to the results of this experiment. My Government has been represented at all major meetings called by the Prices and Incomes Commission established by the Federal Government to deal with the problem of inflation and at the Federal-Provincial Conference of February 16th and 17th. A report in respect thereof will be presented. Under the cooperative housing program of the Nova Scotia Housing Commission loans for over nine hundred and sixty houses were approved in 1969, an increase from seven hundred and thirty-two in 1968. It is expected that in 1970 one thousand three hundred families will be constructing homes under this program. Also in 1969 the Commission, in cooperation with other governments was sharing in the construction of four hundred and eighty family type units and homes for senior citizens and projections are that one thousand more of these units will be started in 1970. The Commission has acquired land in twenty-four locations where present and future needs appear to be the greatest. Some of this land is serviced, with houses already under construction, some being serviced and the remainder is held for future development. Benefits to the economy are anticipated from increases in the demand for suitable wood and in corresponding employment in the forest industry resulting from expansions in plant now under way by Nova Scotia Pulp Limited, Scott Maritimes Limited and Anil Canada Limited providing for the production of wood products and newsprint. The production of lumber by the sawmill segment of the forest industry is expected to continue at least at its present rate. The Department of Lands and Forests will continue both on Crown Lands and on private wood lots to assist in forest inventory projects, construction of access roads, planting and reforestation, development of sound forestry and conservation practices, the production of tree planting stock and the provision of technical assistance and information to woodlot owners. The Department of Agriculture and Marketing proposes to consolidate and broaden the provisions and applications of its land improvement policies, will continue to assist commercial farmers with capital grants and interest subsidies on farm loans and to increase its emphasis on the need for production and marketing of high quality farm produce for both the Provincial and export markets. In 1969 the development of a new mine and chemical industry based on major celestite deposits in the Lake Enon area was begun. Intensive search is being carried on for other celestite deposits. Petroleum exploration off shore is expected to intensify greatly during 1970 with completion of two drilling rigs at the Halifax Shipyards. Several new mineral discoveries, still to be evaluated, were made in 1969. The extent of diamond drilling in the Province was at an all time high during the year and the rate of activity is likely to continue throughout 1970. My Government notes with great interest the decision of Cape Breton Development Corporation to open a new highly mechanized modern coal mine at Lingan. The extensive highway safety advertising campaign carried on in 1969 will be expanded and legislation will be proposed to improve safety standards. A further measure will be introduced to make it an offence to operate a motor vehicle without the minimum prescribed insurance against public liability and property damage. During this year my Government carried out one of the greatest highway programs undertaken here. Next year this program on all classes of roads will continue. This spring all the Trans Canada Highway, much of the other new main trunk highway and some sections of Trunks 1 and 3 will be exempted from spring weight limits. The Nova Scotia Power Commission opened the 80,000 kilowatt Point Tupper Thermal Generating Station in September. The 150,000 kilowatt extension of the Trenton Generating Station is expected to come into full operation by mid 1970. The Commission's capital budget for 1970-71 provides for a substantial distribution system rehabilitation program to improve service. My Government continues to be concerned with the problem of pollution. It will expand measures to combat this problem. A committee of Cabinet has been appointed to review all aspects of pollution and to consider ways in which the efforts of my Government may best be increased and coordinated with those of the Government of Canada. Legislation dealing with the control of pesticides and similar substances will be introduced. The Juries Act has been proclaimed effective June 30 next. My Government has asked the Governor General in Council to issue a proclamation declaring Part X of the Bankruptcy Act to be in force in Nova Scotia. You will be asked to consider amendments to the Summary Convictions Act relating to the arrest and release of accused persons and to probation for persons convicted under Provincial laws so as to achieve greater uniformity in the treatment of persons under Provincial and Federal laws. Funds to continue a program of legal research and law reform will be requested. An Industrial Inquiry Commission is inquiring into the reasons for certain work stoppages in Cape Breton and into the whole labour management relationship in the construction industry. Legislation will be introduced to amend the Workmen's Compensation Act and the Vacation Pay Act. The Consumer Services Bureau has made progress in discussions with groups, individuals and officials of other Departments of Government, aimed at developing programs of public education and information about consumer affairs. The Bureau maintains liaison with the Federal Consumer Services office and other Provinces. A Division of Management Consulting Services has been established to make and to coordinate studies of management and administrative matters, including those made by private consultants, to assist and advise in the implementation of new or improved procedures, and to continue the work of the Division of Administrative Services. Armed with the 1969 Human Rights Act, the Human Rights Commission has cut deep into the patterns of discrimination that afflict our society. The Commission was active in the field of racial, religious and ethnic discrimination, and in campaigns to obtain recognition of tenants' rights, the legal rights of the individual and other basic human rights. The Commission will enlarge its staff and establish up to four new regional offices. It will increase its sensitivity training programs with teachers, police, industrial supervisors and others in projects to improve human relations. It will undertake research into problems of discrimination and other areas of possible injustice and broaden its programs of public education and support for human rights organizations. The Nova Scotia Research Foundation has moved into its new laboratory building in Dartmouth, and it now has the physical facilities needed to carry on an applied research and development program so necessary to our economy. Progress is being made to develop a Division of Industrial Health in the Department of Public Health. A measure will be introduced to establish a Provincial Health Planning Council. Hospital services and facilities will be greatly augmented when the Isaac Walton Killam Hospital for Children opens about May 1st. It will be the paediatric referral hospital for the whole Province and will be a most important training centre for doctors, nurses and paramedical personnel. You will be asked to approve a policy to give some assistance to hospitals handicapped by limited ability to service their capital debt. A new ferry service will begin in 1970 between Nova Scotia and Maine. The Department of Trade and Industry will increase the emphasis on marketing of Nova Scotia produced products by encouraging programs of education and intensive promotion. It will initiate a program based on the improved transportation service between Nova Scotia and New England to encourage production in Western Nova Scotia for sale in the United States. Efforts will be continued to increase the numbers of tourists who visit the Province and their opportunities to enjoy their stay. My Government will encourage and assist in the promotion and development of marine recreational facilities at selected places and of additional accommodations. Greater emphasis will be placed on the promotion and encouragement of an expanded program of events and attractions. The Sherbrooke Village Restoration program will be continued at an increased rate. Legislation will be placed before you to establish a Board of independent persons to advise Government on certain major requests for financial assistance from public funds, to follow up cases in which such assistance is granted, and, upon request, to provide management advice to small businesses and to departments of Government. The heavy water plant of Deuterium of Canada Limited at Glace Bay remains out of operation. Since the Dupont report last June negotiations and discussions have been and are now being actively carried on by the management of the Company with a number of organizations and persons with a view to rehabilitate the plant and to get it into operation. My Government has engaged in continuing discussions with the Government of Canada upon a request for financial assistance. The Company has informed my Government that after completion of these negotiations and discussions it expects to be able to recommend the best course to follow. The Company advises my Government that effective maintenance procedures are being carried out at the plant in order to prevent deterioration. Turbines, compressors and other equipment have been placed in storage. Pipe lines have been filled with dry air. Pumps which are exposed to the weather are inspected and started on a regular basis and are kept in good condition. The 1969 financial report of Clairtone Sound Corporation will be laid before you when it is available. During 1970 substantial improvements to the plant of the School for Boys in Shelburne will be completed and homes for the care of severely retarded children in Sydney and Dartmouth will be in full operation. Effective July 1, 1969 the Provincial Social Assistance maintenance budget for families in need was increased from 70 per cent to 100 per cent of the minimum maintenance requirement and maximum Provincial Assistance payment to them was increased from $150 to $175 per month. It will be proposed that a Select Committee be established to consider and report whether changes should be made in the law concerning the relationship of landlord and tenant. Legislation to lower the age of qualification for voting will be placed before you. The Department of Education has implemented and will continue to develop a system to provide a controlled approach to planning, programming, budgeting and accounting within the Department and in its relationships with school boards and municipal units. The Education Assistance Act passed in 1969 has generally worked well. Guidelines for a voluntary system of amalgamated school boards have been promulgated. It appears that a number of amalgamated boards will be established in 1970. Three new regional vocational schools began operation in September. Qualified students now have access to vocational training in all areas. In the past two years, total full-time enrolments in secondary vocational training programs in Nova Scotia have been increased by more than fifty per cent. The new Nova Scotia Museum will be in operation in 1970. Negotiations are under way to implement the Atlantic Institute of Education Act passed in 1969. A Bill will be introduced to authorize creation and government support of a program of amateur sport to be known as "The Nova Scotia Summer Games, 1971." Grade 11 Provincial Examinations will be eliminated in 1970. The Nova Scotia Youth Agency will continue its work in the field of recreation, social development and alcohol and drug education; and will seek out more opportunities for the constructive involvement and participation of youth at the local level. My Government is studying the report of the Tribunal on Bilingual Higher Education. The University Grants Committee has helped to bring about during the past year a greater degree of cooperation between some of our universities. The fishing industry has set a record in the value of landings. Prices for cod, haddock and other groundfish products have improved. Prices for lobsters have been at a high level and the catch good. Herring catches were disappointingly low in 1969. Prices for other important species such as scallops and swordfish have remained high. The problems of intensive fishing by foreign fleets, declining stocks of fish and rising production costs must be considered by all interested in the industry. The Department of Fisheries will continue experimental and exploratory work with respect to food herring, red crab and shrimp projects and experimental oyster farming methods. The Department of Public Works is constructing dormitories at the Canso Regional Vocational School and at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College. Improvement of accommodations at the Pines Hotel is continuing. My Government has established a Cabinet Committee on planning and programs which has developed a suggested program for participation in the opportunities which may be available through the Department of Regional Economic Expansion. The 1969 Annual Economic Review of the Voluntary P1anning Board will be placed before you. Medical Services Insurance begun on April 1, 1969, has proceeded satisfactorily. Experience has not been over a sufficiently long period to indicate whether there is need for significant changes. Costs seem likely to be within estimates. The joint Provincial-Municipal fact-finding Committee has held twelve meetings throughout the year. Much of the Committee's work has been to examine present financial positions and to forecast future financial positions of the Province and of the Municipal units based on expenditures necessary to carry out existing programs. An interim report of the Committee was made to the Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities at its meeting in August. The Planning Act of 1969 has been proclaimed to take effect on March first, 1970. Under it existing Regional Planning Commissions will be replaced by District Planning Commissions and new District Planning Commissions will be established in additional areas to coordinate Provincial and Municipal planning. The Department of Municipal Affairs is working closely with municipal representatives engaged in the study of local Government review, both in Cape Breton County and in the Strait of Canso area. The Management of Sydney Steel Corporation have reported to my Government that the Corporation is making excellent progress. During the calendar year 1969 a new production record was made by producing over one million tons. It is estimated that more than one million tons will be produced in the twelve months ending March 31, 1970, the date at which the new fiscal year of the Corporation ends. The outlook for production of a similar quantity in the fiscal year ending March 31, 1971, is good. It is also estimated that profits for the twelve month period ending March 31,1970, will be approximately $10,000,000 as compared with about two and one-half million dollars for the last fiscal year which ended December 31,1968. As a result of the progress made and the encouraging outlook the Management has recommended and my Government has approved the immediate undertaking of a program of modernization which is estimated to cost in the order of $84,000,000 over a period of years. Management believes that if conditions continue as forecast the Corporation will be able to arrange the major part of the financing required for the approved program on its own initiative without any direct burden on the Provincial treasury. Such a program of modernization is necessary now if the plant is to remain in operation and competitive in the longer run. The approved program is planned in two phases. The first provides for vacuum de- gassing facilities to come on stream by 1971 and substantial improvement of the rail mill finishing facilities by 1972. The management believes that these improvements will establish the Sydney Steel Corporation in the forefront of rail producers in North America. The second phase will begin with the building of two basic oxygen converter furnaces (B 0 F) to replace the five open hearth furnaces. Associated with these furnaces will be continuous slab and bloom casters to take maximum advantage of both the economics and the quality of the steel produced. The construction of this part of the plant will require new buildings, additional works services and all the associated elements and laboratory facilities to make this part of the plant operable. These improvements are planned to come into operation before the end of 1973. The management believes that on completion of these two phases the productive capacity of the plant will be in the order of 1,250,000 improved quality ingot tons per year. The design and layout of the plant for both phases have been planned in such a way they can form part of a much longer range plan involving further expansion in capacity of the plant if circumstances warrant. In addition to these two phases there is an early need for a greater supply of oxygen and a new wharf. Ways and means of obtaining these are now being actively explored. My Government wishes to extend warm appreciation and commendation to the management and the work force of Sydney Steel Corporation for the excellent progress made since my Government acquired ownership of the plant. My Government will propose a program of assistance towards the cost of ambulance services. An incentive program will be proposed to encourage recipients of welfare payments who are physically able to work to remain in or return to the work force. Legislation will be introduced to amend the Credit Union Act, the Insurance Act, the Assessment Act, the Municipal Act, the Towns Act, the Public Service Superannuation Act, the Teachers' Pension Act, and other public statutes of the Province. The Public Accounts for the fiscal year ended March 31, 1969, will be presented for your consideration. An interim statement of the revenues and expenditures for the current fiscal year as now estimated will be placed before you. Estimates for the fiscal year to begin on April 1, 1970, will be presented to you for consideration. To these and all other matters which may come before you, I ask your most careful attention, praying that Divine Providence may guide you in all your deliberations and decisions.