Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly, Wednesday 21 May 2025
Question Period focused heavily on health care delivery challenges, including cancer treatment wait times, physician recruitment in rural areas, and ambulance response delays. The Opposition also pressed ministers on school infrastructure issues, waste management access-card systems, and housing affordability for low-income families. Ministers defended their recruitment and retention efforts, screening initiatives, and investments in infrastructure, while acknowledging ongoing challenges in rural service delivery. The House debated and passed Bill 108, An Act to Amend the Revenue Administration Act No. 8, which makes technical amendments to the mining and mineral rights tax to prevent double-deduction of exploration expenditures and clarify treatment of capital costs. Following second reading, committee stage, and third reading approval, the House recessed. After resuming, Members delivered statements recognizing community contributions and service, and the Minister Responsible for WorkplaceNL acknowledged youth winners of a workplace safety contest. The afternoon concluded with a Private Member's resolution calling for creation of a stand-alone advocate for persons with disabilities, which received broad support from all parties and extensive debate about the need for dedicated advocacy.
Members' Statements
Passing of Sylvia Oliver
T. Wakeham
Honoured Sylvia Oliver of Mainland, Port au Port Peninsula, a teacher, Francophone advocate, and woman of deep faith who fostered over 300 children alongside her late husband Howard.
Community food-sharing pantries in Bay Bulls and Witless Bay
L. O'Driscoll
Recognized establishment of community food pantries in Bay Bulls (initiated by Margie Dinn with support from Living Faith Program and HMP Carpentry) and Witless Bay (organized by Kinsmen Club).
Green Bay Ground Search and Rescue
L. Paddock
Congratulated the re-established Green Bay Ground Search and Rescue team, which has grown to 20 volunteers and successfully fundraised for a new 2025 utility rescue truck through community support.
Young author Mila Lilly
P. Dinn
Celebrated 10-year-old Mila Lilly of Paradise for publishing her book 'Mr. Monkey: Detective Agency: The Case of the Missing Banana' on Amazon and working on a sequel.
Reverend Dr. Major Ian S. Wishart
L. Parrott
Saluted Reverend Wishart for over 50 years of service as chaplain to the Royal Newfoundland Regiment and at Remembrance Day ceremonies, continuing his ministry at age 94.
Routine Proceedings
Ministerial statement on WorkplaceNL Student Safety Contest winners
P. Parsons
Acknowledged four youth (Eli Peach, Darwin Anderson, Jayda Crummey, Mehak Humayun) for winning WorkplaceNL's 2025 Student Safety Video and Radio Ad Contest promoting workplace injury prevention for young workers aged 15-24.
Ministerial statement on College of the North Atlantic research ranking
B. Davis
Congratulated College of the North Atlantic for placing in Canada's Top 10 Research Colleges for the first time in 2024, ranking first in Granting Council Research Income Growth (over 1,000% increase) among medium-sized colleges.
Notice of motion for Independent Appointments Commission
L. Dempster
Gave notice of resolution to reappoint four commissioners (Karen McCarthy as chair, William Mahoney, Brendan Mitchell, Jamie Schwartz) and appoint three new commissioners (Karen Skinner, Nancy Ruth Healey, Rex A. Goudie) to the Independent Appointments Commission for three-year terms.
Answer to question on Matty Mitchell Prospectors Resource Room
S. Coady
Responded that the room is a joint initiative between Mining NL and Industry, Energy and Technology funded by ACOA; a memorandum of understanding is being finalized and recruitment for a position will commence once completed.
Petition on environmental issues in Main Point-Davidsville
J. McKenna
Presented petition calling for coastal erosion prevention with rock barriers, clearing of overgrown ditches, and proper trenching and grading of gravel sideroads to address flooding and safety concerns.
Petition on pay equity for home support workers
C. Pardy
Presented petition calling for pay equity between home support workers paid directly by Department of Health and unionized agency workers, noting a $2.40/hour differential despite both being government-funded and doing the same work.
Question Period
Cancer treatment wait times and national benchmarks
Asked by T. Wakeham · Answered by K. Howell
The minister emphasized prevention and screening initiatives, including new self-referral tools on MyHealthNL, reduced colonoscopy wait times, and expanded breast and cervical cancer screening. She acknowledged staffing issues but highlighted progress in meeting national benchmarks for colonoscopies.
Radiation oncology unit at Western Memorial Regional Hospital
Asked by T. Wakeham · Answered by K. Howell
The minister stated that recruitment of a specialized radiation oncologist is ongoing and that opening a second unit in St. John's has made the province an accredited provider, which will help attract qualified specialists to staff the Corner Brook facility.
Reappointment of two family physicians in Lewisporte
Asked by B. Petten · Answered by K. Howell
The minister committed to investigating any barriers preventing the reappointment of the two physicians and stated the government will work with them to address their needs and ensure they can continue practicing in Lewisporte.
Chief of family medicine for Central Region residing in Ontario
Asked by B. Petten · Answered by K. Howell
The minister said operational questions should be directed to NLHS but acknowledged that virtual care is sometimes necessary when on-the-ground coverage is unavailable. She committed to communicating with NLHS to ensure accountability and transparency.
Postal codes and emergency dispatch in rural areas
Asked by L. Parrott · Answered by J. Haggie
The minister stated that 911 does not ask for postal codes but rather for location information (community, highway marker, or general area). He noted that cell phone location data is available through telecom providers and that GIS mapping is being rolled out to 70 communities so far.
Ambulance response times in Bonavista
Asked by C. Pardy · Answered by K. Howell
The minister acknowledged significant wait times and off-load delays affecting ambulance availability. She stated that work is ongoing to address these issues, particularly around emergency room overcrowding and delays in returning ambulances to service.
Emergency room closures at Bonavista hospital
Asked by C. Pardy · Answered by K. Howell
The minister noted progress in reducing ER closures and diversions through recruitment, retention efforts, and the introduction of virtual care. She emphasized that incentives are being provided to encourage physicians to stay in rural areas.
Access-card system at waste recovery sites
Asked by L. O'Driscoll · Answered by S. Reid
The minister stated that Regional Service Boards, established by the previous administration, are responsible for operational policies. He acknowledged challenges with the card system and expressed willingness to work with boards and municipalities to address them, but said the government lacks authority to direct the boards.
School infrastructure issues at Larkhall Academy
Asked by P. Dinn · Answered by B. Davis
The minister acknowledged that mechanical equipment can fail in schools of varying ages and stated that the department works closely with Transportation and Infrastructure to identify and fix issues. He noted that school replacement plans are forthcoming.
Safe bus stops on four-lane highways
Asked by P. Dinn · Answered by E. Loveless
The minister emphasized that child safety is of utmost importance and invited the Member to bring specific concerns forward so they can be addressed.
Teacher vacancies and recruitment
Asked by P. Dinn · Answered by B. Davis
The minister highlighted a $20-million investment in the budget to add more than 400 educators to the school system, noting that the Opposition voted against the budget. He committed to ensuring schools have the resources needed for students' educational opportunities.
Divided highway construction from Bishop's Falls to Grand Falls-Windsor
Asked by P. Forsey · Answered by E. Loveless
The minister stated that the government has invested in highways significantly and that work in Central Newfoundland has started and will continue through the summer months.
Housing support for single mother facing eviction
Asked by J. Dinn · Answered by J. Abbott
The minister stated that Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation works with families in distress to address their housing needs, either through rental subsidies or housing units, depending on the situation.
Rent controls and Canada Housing Benefit increases
Asked by J. Dinn · Answered by S. Stoodley
The minister argued that provinces with rent controls have higher rental increases than those without, and that implementing controls would require additional bureaucracy and red tape. She stated she will continue to monitor the issue.
Future use of Livingstone Street properties destroyed by fire
Asked by J. Dinn · Answered by J. Abbott
The minister stated that each replacement option is assessed on its own merit and that the site in question is not suitable for rebuilding. He committed to working with the community association to determine the best future use of the property.
Shortage of home care workers in Corner Brook-Bay of Islands
Asked by E. Joyce · Answered by K. Howell
The minister outlined supports for keeping seniors at home, including caregiver grants and home modification grants. She noted that the government has worked with agencies to increase wages and introduce travel allowances for home care workers.
Employment of international students as personal care attendants
Asked by E. Joyce · Answered by K. Howell
The minister acknowledged the shortage of personal care attendants and stated that hiring falls under a collective agreement managed by NLHS with seniority-based posting. She committed to working with interested individuals to develop a plan to get more workers on the front lines.
Orders of the Day
Second reading of Bill 108 (Revenue Administration Act amendments)
Multiple
Minister Coady introduced technical amendments to mining and mineral rights tax to prevent double-deduction of exploration expenditures and exclude capital costs from exploration expenditures for mineral rights tax. Opposition critics (Paddock, Brown, Tibbs, Trimper, Parrott) supported the bill while raising broader mining sector issues including labour needs, road infrastructure, gas tax treatment, environmental reviews, and community benefits agreements. Bill passed second reading unanimously.
Committee of the Whole on Bill 108
Multiple
In committee, Paddock raised questions about the Bowater Act's impact on mining and the closure of the Matty Mitchell Prospectors Resource Room. Minister Coady committed to taking both issues under advisement with relevant ministers. Bill 108 carried through committee without amendment.
Third reading of Bill 108
L. Dempster
Bill 108 ordered for third reading on the following day after committee report was received and adopted.
Private Members' Business
Private Member's resolution on advocate for persons with disabilities
Multiple
Conway Ottenheimer introduced resolution calling for immediate creation of a stand-alone statutory advocate for persons with disabilities, noting 30% of provincial residents have disabilities and the position has been promised since 2020 mandate letters. Gambin-Walsh (Minister for Women and Gender Equality) supported the resolution, sharing her personal experience as parent of child with autism and her 26 years of advocacy work. Parrott spoke powerfully about his own disability experience and accessibility failures, calling for immediate action. Wakeham committed that a PC government would create the advocate immediately after election. Joyce urged all parties to pass enabling legislation in the current sitting. Pike (Municipal Affairs) outlined existing government accessibility programs and initiatives. Debate reflected unanimous support across all parties for creating a dedicated disability advocate separate from the Seniors' Advocate role.
This is Tabled's summary of the sitting, written from the official record; Hansard is only ever quoted at the link above. Search Newfoundland and Labrador Hansard for the words themselves, or read this sitting in the archive.