Ms Blakeman: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Freedom of speech doesn’t seem to be a priority for this government. 

They took down only the antinuclear signs in Peace River, and now they are failing to protect the residents of Rocky View county’s right to free speech. In January of this year cease-and-desist orders were issued by the town council to individuals running a website which was critical of the council’s policies. To the Minister of Municipal Affairs: does the minister agree with the Canadian Civil Liberties Association’s criticism that the council infringed on the residents’ right to free speech?

Mr. Goudreau: Mr. Speaker, I’m not familiar with those particular details. If the member opposite would want to give me more information on that, I would do the research and get back to her.

The Speaker: The hon. member.

Ms Blakeman: Well, thank you. Perhaps the minister at the same time could tell me why nothing was done by the ministry to protect the rights and the freedoms of those same citizens of Rocky View.

Mr. Goudreau: As I indicated, Mr. Speaker, I’ve got no details as to what may or may not have happened and the reasons why they might not have released some of that information. I’m going to wait for the member to send me that information.

The Speaker: The hon. member.

Ms Blakeman: Thank you very much. Mr. Speaker, given that freedom of speech is only the most recent problem that the residents of Rocky View county have had with their council, could I also get the minister to agree to meet with these constituents to address their concerns?

Mr. Goudreau: Mr. Speaker, my role is to work with the individual municipalities. I think there might be other ministers in this room that might be more appropriate to respond to the issues that those particular individuals have. At this stage those are just allegations. Unless I get more information, I can’t say yes or no that I would meet with them.

Noise Abatement

Ms Blakeman: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. A few weeks ago I raised the issue of loud vehicle noise in the cities and the efforts of the Edmonton Police Service, the industry, and Alberta Transportation to establish testing procedures and recommendations for new legislation which would establish a provincial standard for noise emissions. We need to give officers objective noise emission levels and approved equipment. So far no legislation. To the Minister of Transportation: why is the desire of government to hit the summer barbecue circuit early more important than the eardrums and a quality night’s sleep for many urban Albertans?

Mr. Ouellette: Mr. Speaker, I absolutely don’t know where this hon. member ever got the idea that we were bringing legislation forward on vehicle noise. The province has never ever indicated we’d do that, and no other jurisdiction in Canada is doing that. Yes, we’ve done preliminary research tests. We’ve been doing static tests on noise of motorcycles. Contrary to what she believes, there’s no real way to prove the tests while they’re moving.

The Speaker: The hon. member.

Ms Blakeman: Well, thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. To the same minister: since the minister’s ADM is well aware of this issue, if the minister hasn’t asked for a briefing, will he ask for a briefing, which would explain to him the need to establish a workable noise limit and approved noise-testing equipment and to understand that this was developed using automotive engineering test procedures?

Mr. Ouellette: Mr. Speaker, I’m very aware of what she’s talking about. That’s why I’m telling her the real truth of the matter. The fact of the matter is that municipalities can give out and are giving out violations right now on noise with motorcycles. It’s being done today.

Ms Blakeman: Given that the police service is having trouble getting this through the courts because it is not verifiable, it’s not an objective way of dealing with this. Will the minister, since he wouldn’t bring it forward this time, guarantee us that this House will see that legislation next fall?

Mr. Ouellette: Absolutely not, Mr. Speaker. I told her we have no intention of bringing it forward because it’s not testable. I want to reiterate that the Edmonton Police Service issued 383 tickets between May and October of last year.

Alberta Hansard, April 21, 2010

[direct link to this article]