Pesticides As the spring sitting of the legislature circles the drain, politicians moved to put the finishing touches on some final pieces of legislation yesterday.
After a long public hearing yesterday, a ban on pesticides is set to go ahead with a few alterations.
Environment Minister Sterling Belliveau confirmed the government will accept changes to close a loophole that would exempt pathways that are part of a lawn from the ban.
However, Belliveau is not planning to take away the exemption of backyard gardens or golf courses, which several spokespeople at a public hearing had called for.
The amended bill is expected to be passed today, shortly before the house raises for the summer.
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Ethics Liberals are hoping the government will accept their proposal for an MLA Code of Ethics today.
The Liberals introduced the code yesterday as an amendment to new laws designed to clean up MLA expenses.
The code includes several ethical vows including “I do not use my office or the resources of the province for personal gain” and “I am honest and forthright with my fellow officials, the public and others, even when it is uncomfortable to do so.”
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Audit It was rumoured auditor general Jacques Lapointe, whose last report kicked off the expense scandal, would release his followup audit today.
But Lapointe told reporters yesterday he is close to finishing but not done quite yet. He said it will likely drop later this week or next.
Lapointe and his staff have been conducting a forensic audit into the MLA finances, including calling up people to double-check they’d actually been paid what MLAs have claimed.
Lapointe also pushed his own amendment to new expense rules yesterday. Current drafts require annual audits and task the auditor general’s office with handling them if someone else isn’t hired.
Lapointe said this would “not be an effective use” of his office.
