Geoff Regan

[Speech From The Throne, February 2nd, 2001]

Mr. Speaker, I have a question for the hon. member. She mentioned that, in the throne speech, the government is moving towards a unitary state. I find it hard to believe that she would even suggest such a thing.

Does the hon. member not recognize that the government system in Canada is one of the most decentralized systems in the world? Can she not compare our system to that of other countries?

[Broadcast Act, April 22nd, 1997]

Wrong.

[The Budget, February 20th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for The Battlefords-Meadow Lake for his question. I always enjoy hearing questions from this hon. member because he holds the seat that my grandfather, Jack Harrison, held many years ago and we have once in a while had exchanges in the House and it has always been a pleasure to discuss important issues with him.

Since I came to this House in 1993 I have worked, as have many of my colleagues, on issues relating to child poverty. It has been an issue of priority for me for many years, long before I came to this House, as some members will know.

When I hear the hon. member say that this is going to make people worse off, we have had a look at the numbers. The fact is no one will be worse off than they are under the present system. Here are the numbers, here are the facts. The maximum benefit will be increased from $500 per family to $605 for the first child, $405 for the second child and $330 for each additional child. Benefits will continue to be phased in based on family earned income over $3,750, not a very high threshold, and reduced as family income exceeds $20,921.

This is a very important measure in the right direction. We have to go on. I do not say this is enough. I do not begin to say that we are investing in this budget all that we need to do in the long run to solve the problem long term of child poverty, but we are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. We are beginning to make a very important investment. We are showing that this is the direction we want to take on this important national challenge of fighting child poverty.

The member raised the question of the GST and the HST. The changes to the GST and HST in Nova Scotia are very important and very valuable in many ways. They are not perfect. I have never seen a change in taxation that was, unless it is actually eliminated.

We would love to be able to do that. However, when we are paying $42 billion-

[The Budget, February 20th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I am splitting my time with the hon. member for Saint-Denis.

With this, our fourth budget, we begin to build the future while recognizing we are still constrained by the past. As we head into the new millennium, we are continuing to restore Canada's fiscal health. We are continuing to invest in immediate jobs and growth. We are continuing to invest in job creation and growth in the long run and we are continuing to invest in a stronger society.

From the beginning our government has struggled under the weight of massive debt; like a $500 billion ball and chain, the debt prevented us from going where we wanted.

Today we are by no means unchained. The only thing we spend more on than interest is transfers. We spend more on interest on the debt than on everything else combined, excluding transfers. So debt remains a problem. Even when the annual deficit has gone down to zero the ball and chain of debt will remain until we pay off our enormous loan.

As the economy grows and the debt declines we will be able to move more and more freely. So no, we are not unchained but our deficit is lower than it has been in 15 years. We have restored international confidence in our fiscal management of the country. We have restored our fiscal sovereignty. We have restored interest rate sanity and our load is beginning to lighten. We can now begin to move beyond securing, stabilizing and sustaining, toward striving for a stronger society, toward seizing our destiny in the 21st century.

There are those who say this is simply an election budget, that we are not showing our true colours, that our new spendings on jobs, health care and poor children are just short term election ploys. To them I say look at the numbers. They all add up and we are still ahead of our fiscal targets. If we could not sustain these programs and this new spending, would that be so? To them I say look at the markets. Our interest rates are a full two and a quarter percentage points below the U.S. and the dollar is staying strong. When did that last happen? If we could not sustain this spending, would that be so?

As we begin to shed the mantle of heavy debt, our true colours are beginning to shine through. But let us not forget that for the parties of the right, not just the Reform Party but also the Conservative Party, we have not cut quickly enough. The Conservative leader demanded that we clean up the mess his government left behind. He wanted us to cut deeper. He wanted us to cut faster. But our government has taken a more balanced approach.

From the beginning, even as we cut many areas of government to meet our deficit targets, we invested what we could in key Canadian priorities. We cut our own government the most and we cut our transfers for social programs the least. As we gain greater fiscal freedom we are continuing to invest in those priorities.

With this, our fourth budget, we are continuing to invest in immediate jobs and growth. Jobs and growth have been our number one priority from the start; 790,000 new jobs since we started is nothing to sneeze at but it is not nearly enough.

We are extending the Canadian infrastructure works program which has created jobs for 100,000 Canadians.

We increased funding for youth employment, including doubling assistance for summer jobs. We are investing $15 million per year more on promoting tourism. That is an investment that will help to draw people to the rugged rocks of Peggy's Cove and the beautiful beaches of Queensland and Hubbards.

We are continuing to invest in job creation and growth in the long run. We are establishing the Canada Foundation for Innovation, an $800 million foundation to support research infrastructure especially in health, environment, science and engineering.

In the short run, this means jobs for those who will design and build these new and expanding research facilities. It also means more jobs at universities and hospitals in places like Halifax. In the long run, the research this money supports is key to competing in the global race for jobs in the 21st century.

As we all know, a better education means a better job. We are helping students and their parents cope with the rising cost of education. We are improving the student loan system and enhancing the education credit. We are continuing to invest in a stronger society.

When we began, our indebtedness was threatening the very future of our social programs. Now we are investing $300 million over the next three years to support key recommendations of the national forum on health. Now we are allocating $600 million in new funds for the child tax benefit to reduce child poverty. Now we are allocating $230 million over 3 years to assist Canadian with disabilities.

When we began, Canadians had to marshal a great national will to keep Canada from going broke, to secure our social programs and to make them sustainable. Now we need to begin to marshal that same will to build a Canada that works for everyone. Now we need to strengthen our society to make sure Canada can stride unshackled toward its destiny in the 21st century.

With this budget we turn the page. With this budget we take the first steps together on a great new journey.

[Supply, February 13th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, before I go to the substance of these questions, it strikes me as fascinating that the Reform Party, the party that always calls for faster and deeper cuts and says we are not going fast enough in making cuts in government, is the same party that when it comes to things in their backyard Reform members say: "Not in my backyard. Make your cuts somewhere else, but not in this area". I have heard this over and over in this House. On every topic they say: "But do not cut here". If we were to add it up we would never cut at all.

On the topic of Calgary, if Calgary has problems, the biggest problem in Calgary is congestion. It has too much success. It is the growth of that airport and the authority is working to meet this demand. The government is taking a flexible approach on this.

One of the problems with Edmonton is that traffic has moved from the Edmonton municipal airport to Edmonton International Airport. That has changed the circumstances. The federal government is working with that authority to deal with the changed circumstances and it will change the lease accordingly.

It is important to be flexible and to recognize that as things change we must change the leases, we must look at the circumstances and act accordingly.

However, I find it remarkable how the Reform Party is always after us to spend, spend, spend, except when it comes time for the budget.

[Supply, February 13th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the hon. member for Leeds-Grenville.

I am pleased to rise today to participate in the opposition day debate on federal transportation policies. The government clearly outlined the role of the federal government through the 1994 national airports policy and set itself to ensure provision of a safe, efficient, accountable and locally sensitive airport network.

The first objective of the national airports policy is to maintain the existing high levels of safety at Canadian airports. The first order of business of anybody concerned with the air transportation industry is safety. The government is accomplishing this by focusing on the careful certification of all airports and the development of regulations after thorough consultation with the industry and by establishing the airports capital assistance program to ensure the provision of some capital at the local communities that might not otherwise have been able to provide the necessary safety infrastructure.

The second objective is to ensure the efficiency of the airport network across the country. The ability of Canadian business to get to market, the need for Canadians to travel the country and the accessibility of the transportation network to tourism interests all call for an efficient network of airports.

The government has accomplished this goal by ensuring the operation of the country's larger airports, the national airport system, through the operation of Canadian airport authorities; by recognizing that the location of smaller airports is more of a regional nature and more of a regional matter; and by recognizing local and regional governments are better able to make appropriate decisions concerning regional and local airports.

The federal government is phasing out its operation and subsidy of such airports over five years to ensure an orderly transfer of responsibility. It has ensured efficiency by establishing annual cost reduction targets for every Transport Canada airport for as long as they were operated by Transport Canada.

Efficiency improvements were required and the national airports policy implementation is well along to achieving its goal of at least $100 million in annual savings by the year 2000. In addition,

airport charges are based on local site specific forecasts bringing the discipline of user pay user say to the operation of Transport Canada operated airports. This has been done over a four-year period in a time phased fashion to ensure time for adjustment.

The third objective is to get the authorities responsible for managing airports to be as accountable as possible for their activities. There is some degree of competition between airports, whether within Canada or for transborder traffic with the U.S., but we all acknowledge that the airports may have a considerable monopoly.

In Canada, we have chosen not to regulate airport charges, but to ensure that the communities are aware of what is being done, via organizations with jurisdiction over this, and via good administration.

My hon. colleague, the Minister of Transport, has adopted a broader range of stringent principles of accountability for Canadian airport authorities, in order to ensure the transparency of decisions taken via appointments to committees, public meetings, operational audits and financial reports.

These changes will be included in current leases when they are modified: to ensure that the local authorities responsible have the opportunity, first of all, to assume ownership and operation of their regional, local or small airport; to support the continuation of airport operating committees made up of airport users, as was the case with airports operated by Transport Canada in order to ensure that local decision makers receive concrete feedback from users.

The fourth objective is to improve the sensitivity of airport management to local needs. Decisions made in Ottawa, however well intentioned, cannot take the full range of local conditions into account. Any responsible government has to look at an airport from a transportation perspective. Local communities can incorporate tourism objectives or other local priorities. Local communities will decide in conjunction with airport users what level of service best suits that community.

In addition, the federal government has undertaken to ensure a provision of airport services to remote communities where the federal government has an existing involvement and there are no alternative forms of access.

We are doing more for airports and the Canadian air transportation industry to implement a successful national airports policy. Canadian airports will benefit from the new Open Skies agreement. Results to date have been as follows.

The number of services and the total seat capacity in the trans-border market are up substantially. Competition has increased and Canadian and U.S. airlines are participating almost equally in the growth. Seat capacity has increased faster than traffic but this was to be expected in the early development of markets.

Business, tourism and trade interests of Canada and the U.S. are far better served than they ever were before and the greater activity permits more economic development in and around Canadian airports. Traffic improvements are not all due to the Open Skies with the U.S. Canada's airlines and airports are also benefiting from a number of recent successes in the renegotiation of international bilateral agreements, that is to say new or amended agreements between Canada and Japan, the Philippines, Malaysia, Korea and China.

Canadians' degree of confidence in the new methods of airport administration set out in our national airport policy can be gauged by the rate at which communities are taking over administration of their airports.

The figures speak for themselves. Today, more than 80 per cent of Canadian air passengers use airports that have been turned over to the community. By the end of 1996, the current government had turned over, or was nearly finished the process of turning over, 52 airports, including the national airports in Toronto, Winnipeg and Ottawa, 26 regional and local ones, 12 small ones and 11 Arctic airports.

By next March, the total will be 75, which represents a vote of confidence by numerous Canadian communities. I am sure that the process will continue and communities will continue to take over administration of their airports.

The government prefers that our largest airports be operated by not for profit organizations. This approach has proven its worth in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Montreal. These airports are pursuing their commercial potential by using innovative financing for capital works.

The new Vancouver international terminal and runway, the improvements to Calgary and its successful management of a high rate of growth, the focusing of Edmonton's scheduled traffic at the international airport and the improvements to the airports in Montreal, all attest to the success of the airport authority model in the management of major airports.

As the member for Halifax West, I look forward to that kind of success once the Halifax international airport has completed its negotiations to move to a national airport authority.

The national airports policy is a success story of the federal government. I am advised as we approach the end of fiscal year 1996-97 that we are ahead of the track set in 1994 to achieve the goal of at least $100 million in annual savings by the year 2000. This national airport system continues to play a vital role in the growth and development of Canada.

[Harmonized Sales Tax, February 13th, 1997]

Mr. Speaker, the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council says the harmonized sales tax will be good for business and job creation.

Its new report says the HST will help businesses save more than $584 million a year. Businesses will no longer pay sales tax on items they buy to create their products or build their plants. Construction firms for example will have an edge over similar firms in Ontario which will go on paying sales tax.

The report also says that even a small shift in the investment climate will be likely to produce jobs and increase productivity.

Atlantic Canada is a great place to do business. The HST makes it even better.

[Canada Labour Code, November 19th, 1996]

Madam Speaker, today I would like to discuss the proposed amendments to part I of the Canada Labour Code and how important they are to the workers they apply to. These amendments as outlined in Bill C-66 will have some enduring benefits to this important player, the employee, in the rapidly changing labour scenario.

The amendments are based on recommendations made by the task force on the review of the Canada Labour Code. In its report, "Seeking a Balance", the task force strove to find a balance between competing interests including those of labour and management.

The amendments we are discussing today serve to update the existing federal labour law and in no way radically alter the existing Canada Labour Code. Yet they will, I believe, serve the interests of working Canadians.

Part I of the Canada Labour Code applies to the approximately 700,000 workers and their employers in the federal private sector. These include the men and women who serve in our banks, keep our airlines safe and punctual, and physically move our volumes of grain exports on to the ships that come in for example to Halifax harbour. They are part of the group of workers who keep this country moving.

What are the concerns of this important group of workers? Apart from some issues specific to the particular industries they work for, their requirements as employees are no different from those of other industries and other employees. For instance, they want stability. They want to be able to exercise some of their democratic rights, such as the right to organize. They want to be able to have their voices heard in the workplace to ensure their viewpoints are heard and understood. These are factors central to the amendments.

One thing that will not change with these amendments is the continuing ability to engage in collective bargaining. It is an essential that has to remain. This right of workers and employers to organize and bargain collectively is central to any democratic society with a market based economy.

I am reminded of the book The Company Store which is well known in my area of the country. It talks about how in the 1920s the workers in the coal mines of Cape Breton were treated terribly by the coal mining companies, like Dominion Coal Company. It gives a very strong case for why we do need to have collective bargaining in our country and why workers' rights are so important to defend.

There may be those who feel at times that the unions today have become very strong, but if we look at the history we can see why we have to have the collective bargaining process. It is important that workers' rights be protected.

Collective bargaining is fundamental to the Canada Labour Code. For employees it ensures they get a fair and adequate reward for their labour and that they are able to participate as equals in determining policies that affect them in direct and significant ways.

Our existing collective bargaining system has served Canada well. Both employees and employers said that to the task force. It is our expectation that these amendments will allow it to continue to enhance co-operation between and among the respective parties.

Some of the key amendments that will be important to the employee include the following:

There is the establishment of a representational Canada industrial relations board. The chairperson and vice-chairpersons of this new board will be neutral and it will include equal representation of employees and employers. This will make the board more responsive to the community it is intended to serve. Formerly the Canada Labour Relations Board was non-representational. This new development will reflect more accurately the changing face of the Canadian workforce.

The board's remedial powers will be expanded to ensure good faith bargaining. The board will be given the power and the flexibility to deal quickly with routine or urgent matters.

Proposed amendments are also aimed at speeding up certification and decertification processes. They will protect employee rights where there is a change from provincial to federal jurisdiction.

Currently the code does not provide for continued recognition of bargaining agents and collective agreements in cases where a contract for services is transferred to a new employer as a result of contract re-tendering. This has resulted in the loss of remuneration and employment at the end of each contract period for workers employed by contractors in the air transport sector, which is important for instance at Halifax international airport in my riding of Halifax West. Many of the workers in the air transport sector are women and immigrants. Such successive contractors would now be required to pay employees equivalent remuneration. This is a very important amendment.

This proposal intends to deter competition based on who can pay the lowest wages. This will create a level playing field for contractors whose employees are unionized with those who are not, and it will help to reduce turnover rates, an important consideration for all of us in these challenging times. I know even here we are concerned about turnover rates.

With the growth of non-standard employment in Canada, particularly home based employment, attention has to be paid to ensuring that these workers are also a party to the benefits of collective bargaining. Most home based workers are women. It is estimated that two-thirds of home based workers are employed by an organization located elsewhere.

While the home based work arrangement has advantages for many people, others find themselves in a vulnerable situation unable to acquire the traditional employment benefits. For this reason we have included amendments proposing that the board have the discretion to grant an authorized representative of a labour

union a list of the names and addresses of employees who normally work in locations other than the employer's premises.

The union will therefore have access to off site employees on the condition that the privacy and security of off site workers are protected. The industrial relations board can indicate conditions and in a particular case for instance can say: "We are going to give you this kind of information so you can access the people using a way that is suitable in the circumstances so that the privacy and security of the people in their homes are protected".

As the minister said in his speech, one of his main goals was to bring an orderly process to industrial relations in Canada. Therefore some amendments clarify the rights and obligations of the parties during a legal work stoppage. The use of replacement workers during a legal strike has always been a very contentious issue. For as long as I can recall, labour and management have held opposite positions on this issue.

Not surprisingly, the consultation process did not succeed in reaching a consensus on replacement workers. This split appeared also in the Sims task force where a member tabled a minority report. In the end the minister and the government had to decide, and they did. They chose a moderate, fair and equitable formula based on the good faith of the parties.

There is no general edict forbidding the use of replacement workers during a legal strike. However their use for the purpose of undermining a union's representative capacity would be considered as an unfair labour practice. The union can refer the case to the Canada industrial relations board. If the board determines a violation has occurred, it can order the employer to stop using replacements for the duration of the dispute.

The amendments also confirm the right of employees in the bargaining unit who are on strike or locked out to resume employment following a work stoppage in preference to any persons hired to replace them. Another critical feature for employees is that they will be entitled to maintain insurance and benefits programs during work stoppages.

These then are some of the key amendments that will affect workers under part I of the labour code. The legislation also addresses management's interest and is indeed fair and balanced in its approach and aims. Its aim of enhanced co-operation should lead to improved productivity, better job security and increased worker participation in workplace decisions. This is good for Canadian workers and it is good for Canada.

[Radioactive Waste Importation Act, October 31st, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to speak on Bill C-236 which has a significant international component. Canada has an important role to play in strengthening international co-operation in radioactive waste safety. This assistance would diminish if the bill passes.

Radioactive waste from peaceful uses of nuclear energy has many uses from medical treatments to the production of electric power. It must be properly managed at national and international levels by all countries.

It seems the whole issue is an example of how we have become a global village. Environmental issues like pollution and radioactive fallout as we saw in the case of Chernobyl have no boundaries. The issues of air pollution do not know boundaries. We cannot put up walls and prevent that kind of pollution from crossing over into our country.

Therefore we have to take an interest in it and look at it not simply on a domestic basis. We must look beyond our borders and realize that we are responsible citizens of that global village who have to consider this issue in that light.

Canada happens to be the world's leading supplier of radio isotopes for cancer treatment. Radio isotopes also have other uses such as industrial ones. They are used in checking for leaks in sewage and other kinds of pipes. They are also used for sterilising food. Perhaps members have heard of irradiated food.

We must assume our responsibility for the proper disposal of the isotopes we are exporting from this country. How can we do that if we do not allow them back into our country?

The last member suggested that we were taking the wrong approach. However, I recall the member for Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca saying less than an hour ago that we should not be leaving decisions regarding technology to bureaucrats in the health department. The bill would leave discretion about what waste means and what kinds of waste would be allowed into the country and what could not to the Atomic Energy Control Board of Canada. It is strange on the one hand the member does not want to leave things to the bureaucrats and on the other hand he really does. This seems to be a contradiction.

Canada has taken a leading role in disposal technology for this kind of waste. From the long term perspective it is better to know where waste from products created in Canada and exported goes. We have an interest in it. Wherever it ends up in the world it can come back to haunt us later.

The management of radioactive waste is now regulated in most countries. Canada's approach to safety generally exceeds international recommendations. By the way, it is important to note that Canada has no plans to import or export nuclear fuel waste. From our point of view we are not talking about that. If the bill had been clearer about what it intends we might not have that problem, but it is not. It simply talks about radioactive waste and does not clarify whether we are talking about nuclear fuel waste, radio isotopes or other kinds of such products.

Nevertheless, some less developed countries are worried that industrialized countries will be tempted to dump or get rid of their unwanted waste within the developing world. I can understand why they would be concerned about that possibility. They have banned the import of radioactive waste. However, most developed countries do not have such a ban. On the contrary, they see this practice as one in which they have considerable expertise, thereby helping to eliminate undue risks to health and the environment by properly disposing of these products. They also consider this practice to be compatible with sustainable development activities.

The mid-1970s saw an increase in worldwide concern about the transboundary movement of waste in general. At that time the major concern was that nuclear waste and radioactive waste could be exported from industrialized countries where there was an absence of legal, administrative, regulatory, financial or technical capabilities. In fact, the waste could have been sent to less developed countries, causing great problems.

OECD member countries have also been concerned with the control of transboundary movements of hazardous waste since the beginning of the 1980s. This eventually led to the preparation of the convention on the control of transboundary movements of hazardous wastes and their disposal. This important international convention was adopted in Basel, Switzerland on March 22, 1989, under the auspices of the United Nations environment program and entered into force on May 5, 1992. Canada is a party to that convention.

Under the general obligation of the convention each party will prevent the import of hazardous waste if it has reason to believe that the waste in question will not be managed in an environmentally sound manner. The convention also indicates that the exportation of waste is allowed if the state of export does not have suitable facilities to deal properly with the waste in question and also if the waste is required as raw material for recycling or recovering industries in the state of import.

Developing countries have also established their own conventions, having recognized that they are particularly vulnerable in not having adequate radioactive waste management facilities. For instance, the Bamako convention on the ban of the import of hazardous wastes into Africa and the import or transboundary movement of hazardous wastes within Africa was adopted in Bamako, Mali, on January 30, 1991. Although the convention bans the import of wastes by African states, it permits the export of such wastes when a state does not have adequate disposal facilities.

Generally, it is recognized by states that the practice of importing or exporting waste is not in itself detrimental, but that conditions must be attached to this practice.

The first condition involves the proper notification of all countries involved, followed by their acceptance. Governments must respect the right of other governments to decide whether they wish to provide disposal sites for radioactive waste originating from other countries.

Second, there must be proper management of the waste by all countries involved. Any country considering exporting its waste would have to assure itself that the levels of protection for workers, the public and the environment in the importing country are, at the least, equivalent to those observed within its own borders.

Over the years general principles have evolved internationally with regard to importing and exporting hazardous or radioactive wastes. These principles include, if feasible, that waste should be managed within the generating country. There can be sound environmental or socioeconomic reasons for exporting or importing waste for a variety of objectives, such as treatment, temporary storage, recycling or final disposal. Controlling the import or export of wastes, in the form of providing notification, granting licences and compliance with regulations is necessary.

Any state may exercise its sovereign right to permit or ban any imports or exports of waste within its borders. Every state wanting to participate in the international transboundary movement of waste should have a regulatory authority and should adopt appropriate procedures, as necessary, for the regulation of such movement. No state should permit the receipt of waste unless it has the administrative and technical capacity and regulatory structure to manage and dispose of such waste in a manner consistent with international safety standards.

Last, the ultimate aim remains to minimize the production of any waste, as it should be, taking into account social, environmental, technological and economic concerns and considerations.

With specific reference to the safety of radioactive waste management, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the IAEA, is recognized as the premier international body to provide expert advice. Canada continues to actively support the IAEA efforts in this area. The following IAEA activities are particularly relevant to the import of waste.

In 1990 the IAEA established a code of practice for transboundary movement of radioactive waste. The IAEA has developed regulations for the safe transport of radioactive materials which are binding on member states. Experience has shown that these regulations are effective in ensuring safe transport of such materials. Member states are currently developing an international convention on the safety of radioactive waste management. The IAEA has produced a technical document on the nature and magnitude of problematic spent radiation sources.

In September the IAEA adopted a resolution which indicated that under certain circumstances safe management of radioactive waste might be fostered through voluntary agreements among member states to use the disposal facilities for low level radioactive waste available in one state for the benefit of the other states.

For over 20 years, nations around the world have been working diligently to find a sustainable way to deal with the transboundary movement of chemical and radioactive waste. While we must continue to be vigilant, the progress that has been made and that continues to be made at the international level provides increased confidence that the practice of importing and exporting radioactive waste can be conducted within the context of sustainable development not only on a regional scale but truly within the global village.

We have shown that some countries do need to export the radioactive waste that results from activities essential for sustainable development. We must ensure that such countries export their waste to countries that have the expertise needed to effectively handle the radioactive waste. Canada can be such a country and should not turn its back on countries in need.

I urge members of this House not to support this bill.

[Atlantic Entrepreneur Of The Year, October 31st, 1996]

Mr. Speaker, today I would like to honour the nominees from Halifax West for the Atlantic Entrepreneur of the Year award. The Entrepreneur of the Year award recognizes Atlantic Canada's best business people and puts them at the forefront of this national awards program.

Nominees from Halifax West include: Joe Dunford, president of EnviroSeal Engineering Products in Waverley; Glenn Wadden and Rob Spencer of Trihedral Engineering Limited in Bedford; Ron Mayhew, owner of Sportwheels in Lower Sackville; and Canada's best known green grocer, Pete Luckett, president of Pete's Frootique in Bedford.

The award sponsors, including ACOA and Ernst and Young, have realized what the people of Halifax have always known: Atlantic Canadian entrepreneurs are among the best and brightest in Canada.