Finance Committee on Oct. 4th, 2006

[Beverley Smith]

I am not against a national system for children's care. I would define care as wherever the kid is, he's being taken care of; otherwise it's illegal care and there's nobody around. So I would fund the child...to flow with the child. If you want to avoid kids ending up in prison, sending them off to third-party care is counterintuitive. Kids need love and they should be with people who love them.

[Dean Del Mastro, Conservative, Peterborough, ON]

The Coalition of Child Care Advocates of B.C. yesterday...one of their guiding principles is to provide children from birth to twelve years of age with "optimal environments in which to grow". Would you comment on what you think is the optimal environment for a kid to grow?

[The Chair, Conservative, Brian Pallister]

I'm sorry, but Mr. Del Mastro's time is up. But we will continue with Mr. Pacetti.

[Massimo Pacetti, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Just a quick question to Mr. Peters. In your brief, you didn't ask for any funding. Then at the end of your presentation you requested a $200 million separate fund for science and museums. Is that correct?

[Bill Peters]

Yes, a $200 million fund to enable infrastructure and programs in science centres. That's over a five-year period. What I would comment on, and this relates to what Dr. Samarasekera is saying as well, is the perceived need for a national science and technology system for Canada to really move Canada ahead. Science centres are saying we have a role to play on behalf of the nation. We can be one of the contributors to really moving Canada ahead as a science and technology nation. Therefore that investment is merited.

[Massimo Pacetti, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

So it's an investment. Would you see a return on that investment, or is it investing in centres or investing in science?

[Bill Peters]

It's really investing in Canada's young people. Through the learning results we get with Canada's young people, there would be a future return on this investment.

[Massimo Pacetti, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

Before I get cut off, can you send us a couple of lines of what the idea is? It's not in the brief--or am I mistaken?

[Bill Peters]

We've already submitted a couple of briefs, but I'll make sure we get that.

[Massimo Pacetti, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

I didn't see the exact purpose of the $200 million. I didn't see that in the brief. I have the brief here. Is it in here?

[Bill Peters]

It should be in there, but we'll make sure that gets covered more thoroughly, if it's not adequately done.

[Massimo Pacetti, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

Okay. It doesn't have to be a huge document. One page would be enough.

[Bill Peters]

Great. Thank you.

[Massimo Pacetti, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

[The Chair, Conservative, Brian Pallister]

Thank you for doing that, Mr. Peters. We appreciate that.

We'll move finally to Mr. Wallace for three minutes.

[Mike Wallace, Conservative, Burlington, ON]

My questions are directed only to Mr. Allen. I'm from Ontario. I was surprised there are no development charges here in the province. You're in a growth community. Is your organization absolutely opposed to development charges to help communities grow?

[Mike Allen]

Which development charges are you speaking about?

[Mike Wallace, Conservative, Burlington, ON]

Anybody who builds. Anybody who does anything pays a development charge to help the sustainability of the community. For anything that's built, there's a charge.

[Mike Allen]

Actually, there are a number of charges within the municipality for development charges. It depends. Are you speaking specifically about industry, or...?

[Mike Wallace, Conservative, Burlington, ON]

Whether it's an industry, whether it's a company, whether it's an individual, they all pay a development charge.

[Mike Allen]

They have a system of off-site levies here, actually, that are primarily, right now with housing, based on deep services. For any of the building that's going on, those charges are forwarded through the municipality. I believe those go through.... So we're not opposed to them, no.

[Mike Wallace, Conservative, Burlington, ON]

Do they go to soft services also, such as arenas, city halls, and those types of things?

[Mike Allen]

That I can't say for sure.

[Mike Wallace, Conservative, Burlington, ON]

My next question, which will probably be all I have time for, is this. I used to sell in a previous life to doctors' offices, and I heard from the medical folks earlier—I'm not sure whether you were here for their presentation—

[Mike Allen]

Yes.