Legislative Assembly

L. George Dewar: Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the honourable member a question. He mentions that there were only a few instances of expropriation of land. Now I understand that when the Department of Highways builds a new road any land that they take, that would be expropriation. It might not be forcible expropria- tion, but still it would be expropriation, and is it not true that the Minister is suppos- ed to negotiate with the land owner with respect to the price of the land that he takes ?

Honourable George J. Ferguson: In answer to the honourable member’s ques- tion by statute, the Department of Highways can take sixty-six feet of road to build a highway.

L. George Dewar: Yes, I know that. But where you go off the sixty-six foot right-of-way you are expropriating land.

Honourable George J. Ferguson: Yes, when you do that. Now through negotia- tion I understand, or I am told by the Department as I stated, that it has been possible to negotiate with these owners and to arrive at a solution to the problem without having to go through the Courts to expropriate the land. Now this is what I presume

you meant ?

L. George Dewar: Well of course the Court is the appeal. The land owner has the right of appeal to the Court if he doesn’t agree with the decision with respect to appropriation. What I was complaining of was that the Department does not negot- iate with the land owner at all, either with respect to going in on his land or deter- mining what the land owner thinks it is worth.

Honourable George J. Ferguson: Well, Mr. Speaker, the honourable member may be correct in some instances, I don’t say that he isn’t. This may be the case, but I do believe that there is a determined effort to come to an agreement with all owners of property of land that is taken by the Department of Highways.

L. George Dewar: The Act states that he may negotiate. It doesn't say you have to, I'll admit that, but he may negotiate with respect to a settlement.

Walter R. Shaw: There is quite a wide variation in the price that you offer in cases where land is appropriated. There is, isn’t there?

Honourable George J. Ferguson: Well the policy that is set up is $75.00 an acre. I am not sure that this is a fair figure. I t ink it is something that will have to be studied and possibly we will have to come up with a more reasonable price to pay for land. hit this was the policy that was in use when I took office.

, Walter R. Shaw: Sometimes when a road is appropriated to cross a property it could be injurious, to a very large extent, to a fairly large area of that man’s prop- erty and in these cases I presume that there should be some special concession.

Honourable George J. Ferguson: This is where negotiations take place. Walter R. Shaw: Yes.

Honourable George J. Ferguson: Mr. Speaker, I am sure Jon will agree with me, due to the increase in traffic on our highways each year, s ety must be upper- most in our minds when buildin highways. In order to carry this out I feel that the powers that the Depatrment ve under the Act, althougbt strong, are necessary in order to ensure the buildin of the safe highways in this rovince. I think here the honourable member of Secon Prince realizes what I mean, use it is very difficult on many occasions to get property owners to give you land that is necessary to take to make sure that you are building a safe highway.

1.. George Dewar: I am not disputing the fact that you should have the right to take it, it is the methods that I object to.

Honourable George J. Ferguson: Now, Mr. Speaker, I feel that I shouldn’t mention this subject but I am going to nevertheless. This is concerning Gulf Garden Foods Limited, Georgetown. One would be led to believe from the remarks of the Opposition that this Government had only one thou ht in mind, the destruction of Gulf Garden Foods Industry. Noth- ing, r. Speaker, could be further from the truth. This Government is dedicated to get this industry running on a sound financial basis and this it will do. I am sure

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