David Coon, MLA/Député

Omnibus Bill – March 29, 2016
An Act to Implement Strategic Program Review Initiatives

This 78 page Omnibus bill enacts, amends or repeals 15 statutes with consequential amendments to many others.

Four licensing or appeal boards are eliminated. Three appeal boards are consolidated into one. Two development (funding) boards are consolidated into one. Two Crown Corporations are eliminated. The arbitration process in the Industrial Relations Act and the Public Service Labour Relations Act is fundamentally altered to favour the employer. Amendments are made to the Highways Act, the Limitations of Actions Act, the NB Liquor Control Act, the Opportunities New Brunswick Act

1. The Agricultural Appeal Board Act is enacted to replace:
– the Agricultural Land Protection and Development Appeal Board
– the FLIP Appeal Board
– the Livestock Operations appeal Board

2. The Agricultural Development Act is amended to create the Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries Development Board.
The Fisheries and Aquaculture Development Act is amended to roll the Fisheries and Aquaculture Development Board into the Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries Development Board.

3. The Highways Act is amended to expand the time truck scales are deemed to be accurate following certification from 60 days to 120 days.

4. The Industrial Relations Act is amended to alter the arbitration process by creating a roster of arbitrators appointed by the Minister and having them or them together with a representative of the employer and the employees union picking either the employer’s final offer or the union’s final wage offer to be binding.

5. The Public Service Labour Relations Act is amended to achieve the same as the amendments to the Industrial Relations Act.

6. The Limitations of Actions Act is amended.

7. The New Brunswick Investment Management Corporation Act is repealed abolishing the Crown Corporation which manages and invests the pension assets of 51,000 members of the public service, teachers and judges pension funds. The property is transferred to Vestcor Services Corp, as are the employees of the Pension and Employee Benefit Division of the Department of Human Resources as of October 1, 2016. The Minister becomes the trustee for the judges pension fund.

8. The NB Liquor Control Act is amended.

9. The Off-Road Vehicle Act is amended to abolish the Trail Management Trust Fund Advisory Board .

10. The Opportunities New Brunswick Act is amended.

11. The Post-Secondary Student Financial Services Assistance Act is amended to abolish the Student Financial Assistance Review Board. Appeals are to be file with the Minister instead.

12. The Private Investigators and Security Services Act is amended to eliminate the Private Investigators and Security Services Licensing Commission. The Minister of Pubic Safety is to take on this roll.

13. The New Brunswick Private Occupational Training Act is amended to abolish the NB Private Occupational Training Corporation.

14. The Salvage Dealers Licensing Act is amended to abolish the Salvage Dealers Licensing Commission to be replaced by the Minister.