Nova Scotia will not follow Saskatchewan’s lead in exploring a controversial treatment for multiple sclerosis.

The NDP government said Wednesday it’s not interested in paying to study an unproven treatment.

“Clinical trials are tremendously expensive,” said New Democrat MLA Leonard Preyra, speaking on behalf of Premier Darrell Dexter.

“There’s a public purse that needs to be protected and the money we spend on treatments or on research has to be spent wisely. It has to be spent prudently. It has to be spent on evidence and data, not on optimism.”

Earlier this week, Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall said his province is willing to fund trials of the MS treatment, known as liberation therapy.

The treatment is based on thinking that MS is a vascular disorder that can be treated by opening constricted veins in the neck and chest. Several Nova Scotians with MS have travelled abroad for the procedure, which isn’t available in Canada, and say it has helped them.

Liberal health critic Diana Whalen said Nova Scotia has the highest per-capita rate of multiple sclerosis in Canada, so it makes sense to conduct the research in the province.

“We owe it to the people of Nova Scotia whose family members have MS or who they themselves are suffering from MS. We owe it to them to pioneer this treatment,” she said.

But the money the province saves on research will be available for treatment if it turns out that liberation therapy works, said Preyra.

“Both my wife and my mother died after very long and very difficult battles against cancer and in those days we would try anything. I remember peach pits being the answer. People were saying if you grind up peach pits up it’s been shown to slow cancer, and that kind of desperation and hope shouldn’t drive the funding of public policy,” he said.

Wall is still hoping to recruit other provinces. He said Saskatchewan is a long way from starting research trials.

By DAVID JACKSON Provincial Reporter | The Howe Room

New Liberal MLA Zach Churchill will see a familiar face from the classroom in the legislature.

The Saint Mary’s University alumnus, 26, joins his old political science professor, New Democrat Leonard Preyra, at Province House.

Preyra, a nemesis of Liberals at the public accounts committee, was among those at the swearing-in last week, where he congratulated his former student.

“He was very much a political animal,” Preyra said of the former student association president, who went on to lead a national student organization.

As for words of wisdom, Preyra said he told Churchill that legislators can be adversarial in public, but a lot of constructive work gets done behind the scenes, so it would be wise to build bridges with other MLAs and groups around the province.

Oh, and one other thing.

“You also throw out everything you learned in politics class because the practice of politics is very different from the theory of politics,” said Preyra, laughing. “I can say that to him now.”

( djackson@herald.ca)

Nick was the recipient of this year’s Phoenix Award which acknowledged his significant improvement in her academic studies over the course of her high school career. He possessed a good work ethic and positive attitude.

Liam received the Thinking Outside the Box Award as she consistently demonstrated unconventional wisdom and an innovative approach to academics.

Citadel High School and Leonard Preyra are proud to congratulate Nick Jessop and Liam Coughlan for their significant accomplishments and encourage them to remain dedicated to achieving excellence.

The party leaders have spoken, but maybe the public accounts committee didn’t get the message.

Premier Darrell Dexter, Liberal Leader Stephen McNeil and interim Progressive Conservative leader Karen Casey met Tuesday to break a stalemate over agenda-setting at the legislature’s highest-profile committee.

They all seemed satisfied the committee would be able to move past the acrimony of the last few months.

But it was not to be.

Wednesday’s meeting again degenerated into bickering and ended without MLAs doing any work on the committee agenda.

Chairwoman Diana Whalen, a Liberal MLA, said it appeared the New Democrat committee members weren’t fully informed of what the leaders had decided. She said she hopes they will find out so the committee can meet again and work on an agenda.

Tory MLA Cecil Clarke chastised the New Democrats, saying Dexter and his officials “have to train the seals more because they’re coming in here not knowing what they’re voting for or against.”

New Democrat MLA Leonard Preyra said he did talk to Dexter on Tuesday after the leaders’ meeting and went to Wednesday’s meeting ready to work on an agenda. He blamed the opposition for grandstanding instead of being productive and took a shot at Whalen.

“Sometimes chairs don’t understand that they’re not there as deputy leaders of their parties,” said Preyra, referring to Whalen’s former position in the Liberal caucus.

“They have a duty to put aside their partisan advantage that they have as chair and make that committee work. And so there’s blame enough to go around everywhere, but certainly the chair has to take some responsibility for making this work.”

( djackson@herald.ca)

Not surprisingly, as with almost all issues affecting Sable Island, the recent decision to designate it as a national park has generated a great deal of attention and discussion. People care deeply about this legendary sand bar, especially its iconic horses and unique flora and fauna, and would settle for nothing less than the highest levels of protection.

The steps leading to national park status began in January when the federal and provincial governments signed a memorandum of understanding to work collaboratively to designate Sable Island as a protected area. Shortly thereafter, a joint task group was struck to identify legal, legislative, jurisdictional, and technical issues, and to determine which of the federal protected-area designations (national park or national wildlife area) offered the best protection for Sable Island’s fragile ecosystem.

After three months of study, the group recommended that Sable Island be designated and managed as a national park under the Canada National Parks Act. On May 18, both levels of government accepted this recommendation and committed to exploring ways and means of implementing it.

Many longtime Sable Island stewards have stated that the status quo is untenable, and conservation groups have expressed their agreement that the national park option promises the best protection of the island and its natural and cultural assets. However, much work remains to be done before any designation can be finalized. This is the time for the public to get involved in shaping a vision for the future of the island.

Foremost in the discussion has been the protection of Sable Island’s flora and fauna, including species at risk, such as the roseate tern and the Ipswich sparrow, the Sable horses, and the management of other wildlife populations. Recent developments in the Gulf of Mexico remind us of our obligation to protect the integrity of this fragile ecosystem and its surrounding waters.

Many of our national parks hold great fascination for Canadians and visitors from around the world, and Sable Island is no exception. While part of the Parks Canada mandate is to present and interpret Canada’s national heritage, there are a range of ways to do this.

Many Canadians will never visit our remote northern national parks, for example, where visitor access is strictly managed. But rich learning experiences can be created in off-site visitor centres or even online, and can help make a fragile and remote place like Sable accessible to a broader audience. Your expectations for how Canadians will learn about and appreciate Sable Island, whether through educational materials or on a once-in-a-lifetime visit, are needed to help shape this vision.

Both levels of government have also committed to maintaining an ongoing human presence on the island. Parks Canada appears to be best positioned to manage and protect Sable Island, but there is a great deal of ongoing and vital wildlife and environmental monitoring and research conducted on the island, which require a commitment and management plan to support a research station and the scientific community which depends on it.

Both levels of government are committed to finding the right fit for Sable Island’s protection. This memorandum of understanding is about establishing a meaningful and stable conservation and management plan that secures this wonderful ecological and cultural legacy for present and future generations.

This week, Parks Canada is holding public information sessions at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic and Pier 21 to identify citizens’ concerns and expectations. I encourage you to participate. To find out more, go to www.parkscanada.gc.ca. To participate in a community-based discussion, go to the Green Horse Society website at www.greenhorsesociety.com.

I, too, would like to know your reaction to this initiative. I can be contacted by email at preyra@eastlink.ca or by phone at 902-444-3238.

‘Rich learning experiences can be created in off-site visitor centres or even online, and can help make a fragile and remote place like Sable accessible to a broader audience.’

Leonard Preyra is MLA for Halifax Citadel–Sable Island.

By DAVID JACKSON Provincial Reporter

Progressive Conservative MLAs will be back at today’s public accounts committee meeting, two weeks after a dispute over the Nova Scotia Gaming Corp. prompted a boycott of all committees.

Interim Tory leader Karen Casey said that she and her caucus are satisfied the committee will function better after she met with Premier Darrell Dexter and Liberal Leader Stephen McNeil on Tuesday.

“Some changes will take place which will improve the operation of the committee, and we’ll continue to participate,” Casey said.

Dexter said the main change will be better planning of agenda items.

The majority New Democrats and the opposition MLAs have wrangled for months over who should appear before the committee. The opposition has complained about New Democrats voting against topics that come before the full committee after approving them at the agenda-setting subcommittee.

The friction came to a head on June 9 when Cape Breton North Tory Cecil Clarke walked out of the public accounts committee meeting, angry that the New Democrats cancelled the appearance of Nova Scotia Gaming Corp. officials scheduled for the next week.

That was after all parties had previously agreed to have gaming corporation president Marie Mullally appear on the Support 4 Sport program that day. She had declined the committee’s invitation to April 14 because she had committed to an Atlantic Lottery Corp. board meeting.

When she pulled out, committee chairwoman Diana Whalen wrote her a letter saying the committee was disappointed and noted the importance of the committee in keeping publicly funded departments accountable.

Whalen said June 9 that cancelling Mullally’s appearance after sending the letter was embarrassing and made the committee look silly.

New Democrat committee member Leonard Preyra said the committee should follow up topics in auditor general Jacques Lapointe’s June report and suggested environmental monitoring should be on the June 16 agenda.

Preyra said Mullally could perhaps appear in the fall, when the province’s new gaming strategy is due. Last week’s meeting didn’t come together.

Dexter said Tuesday that the leaders agreed their caucuses would give earlier notice to the public accounts committee’s subcommittee on the setting of topics they want on the agenda. He said the subcommittee will work on a clear, longer list of future agenda items to fill in any gaps at scheduled meetings.

Dexter said it’s in everyone’s best interest that committees operate as smoothly as they can.

“You’re never going to take politics out of these committees, as you won’t take them out of the House of Assembly,” he said.

“Sometimes, you search hard to distinguish between legitimate complaints and grandstanding.”

McNeil, who requested the meeting of leaders, said there has to be more respect for the agenda-setting process.

“This committee is an important part of keeping Nova Scotians informed and holding government to account, and it needs to operate properly,” McNeil said.

“Ultimately, they have the majority. They can make those decisions, but they need to do it in a way that makes everyone feel like they’re engaged. If they want to set the agenda, that’s fine — set it and then we will work inside that. But you can’t set it and then change it, and all of those things.”

( djackson@herald.ca)

Not surprisingly, as with almost all issues affecting Sable Island, the recent decision to designate it as a national park has generated a great deal of attention and discussion. People care deeply about this legendary sand bar, especially its iconic horses and unique flora and fauna, and would settle for nothing less than the highest levels of protection.

The steps leading to national park status began in January when the federal and provincial governments signed a memorandum of understanding to work collaboratively to designate Sable Island as a protected area. Shortly thereafter, a joint task group was struck to identify legal, legislative, jurisdictional, and technical issues, and to determine which of the federal protected-area designations (national park or national wildlife area) offered the best protection for Sable Island’s fragile ecosystem.

After three months of study, the group recommended that Sable Island be designated and managed as a national park under the Canada National Parks Act. On May 18, both levels of government accepted this recommendation and committed to exploring ways and means of implementing it.

Many longtime Sable Island stewards have stated that the status quo is untenable, and conservation groups have expressed their agreement that the national park option promises the best protection of the island and its natural and cultural assets. However, much work remains to be done before any designation can be finalized. This is the time for the public to get involved in shaping a vision for the future of the island.

Foremost in the discussion has been the protection of Sable Island’s flora and fauna, including species at risk, such as the roseate tern and the Ipswich sparrow, the Sable horses, and the management of other wildlife populations. Recent developments in the Gulf of Mexico remind us of our obligation to protect the integrity of this fragile ecosystem and its surrounding waters.

Many of our national parks hold great fascination for Canadians and visitors from around the world, and Sable Island is no exception. While part of the Parks Canada mandate is to present and interpret Canada’s national heritage, there are a range of ways to do this.

Many Canadians will never visit our remote northern national parks, for example, where visitor access is strictly managed. But rich learning experiences can be created in off-site visitor centres or even online, and can help make a fragile and remote place like Sable accessible to a broader audience. Your expectations for how Canadians will learn about and appreciate Sable Island, whether through educational materials or on a once-in-a-lifetime visit, are needed to help shape this vision.

Both levels of government have also committed to maintaining an ongoing human presence on the island. Parks Canada appears to be best positioned to manage and protect Sable Island, but there is a great deal of ongoing and vital wildlife and environmental monitoring and research conducted on the island, which require a commitment and management plan to support a research station and the scientific community which depends on it.

Both levels of government are committed to finding the right fit for Sable Island’s protection. This memorandum of understanding is about establishing a meaningful and stable conservation and management plan that secures this wonderful ecological and cultural legacy for present and future generations.

This week, Parks Canada is holding public information sessions at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic and Pier 21 to identify citizens’ concerns and expectations. I encourage you to participate. To find out more, go to www.parkscanada.gc.ca. To participate in a community-based discussion, go to the Green Horse Society website at www.greenhorsesociety.com.

I, too, would like to know your reaction to this initiative. I can be contacted by email at preyra@eastlink.ca or by phone at 902-444-3238.

‘Rich learning experiences can be created in off-site visitor centres or even online, and can help make a fragile and remote place like Sable accessible to a broader audience.’

LEONARD PREYRA

Leonard Preyra is MLA for Halifax Citadel–Sable Island.

Health Promotion and Protection

Opposition MLAs ran into an NDP brick wall Wednesday in their attempts to force the government to turn over documents to the auditor general and have a committee hear from Nova Scotia Gaming Corp. officials.

Tory Cecil Clarke even walked out of the public accounts committee meeting before it was over.

» Dexter: ‘We are making the right decisions’
» Opposition fights MLA expense plan

Liberal Keith Colwell asked the committee to subpoena documents the government withheld from auditor general Jacques Lapointe in his recent audit of taxpayers’ financial assistance to businesses, if the government didn’t hand them over immediately.

“I don’t know what they’re trying to hide,” Colwell said.

The NDP used its majority on the committee to shoot down the request.

New Democrat MLA Leonard Preyra said the government will bring legislation this fall that will allow Lapointe to see the documents while ensuring they stay confidential. Lapointe has said there’s no concern about confidentiality and he should be able to see the information.

Colwell also asked the committee to invite Premier Darrell Dexter to appear to answer questions on the access issue, but Preyra and the NDP dismissed the request as political grandstanding.

The opposition MLAs were also frustrated by another delay in hearing from Nova Scotia Gaming Corp. officials.

The gaming corporation was scheduled to appear next week but the New Democrats have bumped them in favour of Environment Department officials.

Preyra said the committee had agreed to make hearing from departments in Lapointe’s most recent report a priority. Lapointe included a chapter on contaminated sites.

Liberal MLA Diana Whalen, the committee chairwoman, said the committee previously agreed to have her write a letter to gaming corporation CEO Marie Mullally urging her to appear.

Mullally was scheduled to be at the April 14th meeting, but couldn’t attend because of an Atlantic Lottery Corp. board meeting, said corporation spokeswoman Robyn McIsaac.

Delaying Mullally’s appearance after she had written her is “silly and embarrassing,” Whalen said.

She said she agreed with Clarke’s suggestion to have two sessions next week, one with the Environment officials and one with Mullally.

Clarke accused the Dexter government of directing NDP backbenchers on the committee to overturn a previous compromise on agenda-setting.

“What’s the point of this committee even meeting if you won’t even respect the work of the committee?” Clarke said.

The Tories issued a news release late Wednesday afternoon saying they’ll boycott all committee meetings until the NDP “stop these undemocratic measures that have created a veil of secrecy within government.”

Preyra insisted the NDP wants the committee to hear from Mullally but it can be done later, perhaps around the time the province’s new gaming strategy is released in the fall.

After Clarke walked out, Colwell moved adjournment, so the committee couldn’t work on an agenda for September.

Whalen said the current dysfunction amounts to a “crisis in terms of this committee, and this committee is an essential element for good oversight and accountability.”

Premier Darrell Dexter said he’s open to meeting with the other party leaders to discuss their concerns.

( djackson@herald.ca)

The provincial legislature’s flagship committee may grind to a halt after a Tory MLA stormed out of a meeting yesterday and plans a full-scale boycott.

Tory Cecil Clarke and two members of the Liberal party were livid after being outvoted by the NDP majority on Public Accounts, the legislature’s busiest and most high-profile MLA committee.

The surprise NDP motion cancelled a plan to have executives from the Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation appear for questioning next week. The NDP said it was more urgent to discuss the findings of the recent auditor general’s report instead.

Opposition parties pleaded with the government to do both, especially since the committee had recently written a letter to Gaming Corporation executives chastising them for cancelling two appearances.

The NDP rejected that idea.

Clarke denounced the NDP for “neutering” the committee and walked out. He said he did not plan to return and would urge his whole party to boycott. The Liberals say they will consider a similar move.

“What we’ve seen is the government has basically said whatever we don’t like we’ll just move a motion, change the agenda, not participate,” Clarke told reporters.

“They don’t respect this institution. It’s interesting, how they would have felt (in) opposition themselves if the previous government would have acted in that manner.”

Liberal MLA Keith Colwell said he suspects the NDP is trying to dodge questions about a recent report on problem gambling it killed and refused to make public.

“If that’s going to happen, what’s the sense of having this committee?” said Colwell.
“This is outrageous. Absolutely outrageous.”

NDP MLA Leonard Preyra said it’s customary to deal immediately with the findings of auditor general’s reports, and the gaming discussion would occur later. He said it’s too difficult to hold two meetings in one day.

“It creates a huge problem in trying to address both issues in one sitting. It’s just a lot of work,” said Preyra.

He said the committee would not meet unless all three parties are present. He rejected a Liberal proposal to shift the balance of power to opposition parties.

Subpoena defeated
As expected, Darrell Dexter will not present himself to be grilled by the Public Accounts Committee. The NDP defeated a series of motions by Liberal Keith Colwell yesterday that would have subpoenaed business documents for the auditor general and brought Dexter in front of the committee for questioning.

The NDP said it’s not opposed to handing over documents to the auditor general, but it needs to pass new legislation first to avoid a conflict with cabinet confidentiality rules. A minor war of words was sparked when NDP MLA Leonard Preyra accused Colwell of grandstanding.