Fredericton - David Coon, Leader of the Green Party of New Brunswick and MLA for Fredericton South, is insisting that the government, in partnership with NB Liquor, implement a comprehensive strategy aimed at alcohol harm reduction.

“We have been increasing the availability and visibility of alcohol in our province, with the appearance hard liquor amongst chips and skittles in our convenience stores” says Coon. “The Department of Health NB Liquor is neither tracking the effects of, nor implementing a public awareness campaign to address this increased availability.”

On October 31^st Coon tabled a motion urging that the government, in partnership with NB Liquor, adopt a comprehensive strategy aimed at reducing alcohol harm that involves regulating prices, limiting the physical availability of alcohol and a public awareness campaign that promotes responsible alcohol consumption.

“Alcohol is the leading cause of injury and death in Canada,” said Coon. “Excessive drinking bears numerous known health risks including certain types of cancer. In 2012 it was found that 20.5% of alcohol consumers in New Brunswick exceeded the chronic alcohol drinking guidelines. It’s time our government prioritise the health of New Brunswickers and develop a comprehensive strategy to reduce alcohol consumption and alcohol related disease and death in the province.”

Fredericton - David Coon, Leader of the Green Party of New Brunswick and MLA for Fredericton South, is urging the government to support his motions to give the Committees of the Legislature greater authority and autonomy. 

“Our legislative committees currently lack the necessary authority to fulfill the mandates the Legislative Assembly gave them years ago. Whether it is examining the spending of public money by government departments, reviewing proposed legislation, or ensuring the recommendations of Legislative Officers such as the Child, Youth and Seniors Advocate, our committees are hamstrung,” said Coon.

Today, Coon tabled two motions. First, he wants members of the Legislature to give committees the authority to call for persons, papers, and documents.

“Just like most other parliaments in Canada, our legislative committees should have the ability to hear testimony from the public, representatives of groups, experts or public official to help us in our work to make laws, develop policy proposals, and recommend improvements to expenditure of public moneys by government departments,” said Coon.

Secondly, he tabled a motion that would mandate Legislative Officers, other than the Auditor General, to present their annual reports, and special reports containing recommendations, to the Standing Committee on Procedures, Privileges and Legislative Officers.

“The Standing Committee on Public Accounts is responsible for following up on the implementation of the recommendations made by the Auditor General, but at the moment, recommendations made by other Legislative Officers, such as the Child, Youth and Seniors Advocate, go nowhere. I believe the Standing Committee Responsible for Legislative Officers should be mandated to receive and follow-up on the reports and recommendations of all the other legislative officers,” said Coon.

“It is my hope that these motions receive the support of government and that we see them passed by the Legislature this session,” said Coon.

Fredericton – David Coon, Leader of the Green party of New Brunswick and MLA for Fredericton South started the legislative session by tabling a bill to restore some fairness to property tax assessments.

If adopted, Coon’s bill to amend the Assessment Act would remove the exemption for crude oil storage tanks, as well as for industrial machinery and equipment in heavy industry.

“The exemption for crude oil storage tanks was created in response to the 1979 oil crisis, which ended decades ago,” said Coon. “And a recent report prepared for the Saint John Common Council indicated that removing exemptions for heavy industry on machinery and equipment would ensure it pays its fair share of property taxes.

“For example, property tax revenue from heavy industry in Saint John represents only 8% of its tax base. The Saint John Regional Hospital pays almost twice the property tax paid by the refinery. The McAllister Mall pays far more property tax than the Irving pulp and paper mill. The Conference Board of Canada found that New Brunswick has one of lowest burdens of net business taxes in the country,” said Coon

Listen up David Coon's Questions on Property Tax#NB https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6kasAiRmy0

Le français suit
18 October 2017

For Immediate Release

Statement by the Green Party Leader during Autism Awareness Month

Fredericton – David Coon, Leader of the Green Party of New Brunswick and MLA for Fredericton South made the following statement in recognition of Autism Awareness Month:

“Autism Spectrum Disorder is a neurological disorder estimated to affect one in 94 children in Canada between six to nineyears old, and those numbers are rising. New Brunswick is known for its inclusive education and early behavioral intervention for pre-school aged children with ASD. The problem is that when youth leave the public school system, the services they have been provided drop off.”

“October is Autism Awareness Month. It is the perfect time to remind our government that we need to be investing in affordable, specialized support for adults with autism.”

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Media Contact: Shannon Carmont
506.478.7781
[email protected]

Saint Stephen, October 3rd, 2017

Press release

Media Contact:

Saint John, September 27th, 2017

Press release

Wayne Dryer, strong voice for fair taxation elected by party members in Saint John Harbour 

Fredericton, September 27th, 2017

Media Advisory - Two entrepreneurs are seeking the nominations for Saint John Harbour

Fredericton - The nomination meeting for the Saint John Harbour riding will take place on September 27th from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Social Enterprise Hub located on 139 Prince Edward Street in Saint-John.  David Coon, leader of the Green Party and MLA for Fredericton South, will be present to support the nominees. 

Seeking nomination for Saint John Harbour are Wayne Dryer and Ryan Lanigan. 

Wayne is an entrepreneur and partner of Thera Ped. He is also a pastor of Germain St. United Baptist Church where he realized that the problems facing individuals in his community could only be resolved by addressing the social and political structural issues that created them. He became involved in poverty reduction strategies, social housing, the opposition to the LNG terminal and in advocating for an alternative to the P3 funding model for Saint John’s water treatment system. In recent years he has been a strong opponent of the unjust tax concessions enjoyed by some large corporations in New Brunswick which are contributing to the financial difficulties the province is experiencing.

Ryan has worked throughout the province of New Brunswick and Atlantic Canada in numerous industries as a business development representative. He has seen firsthand and worked with those who are the backbone of our economy, while also providing innovative solutions for these organizations and their facilities. He has partaken in the successes of productive environmental policies and as a result, he was able to experience the economic growth that comes with it.  Over the past decade, Ryan has been involved with the Saint John Trojans Rugby Football Club and the rugby community in New Brunswick.

For more information about the nominees please visit: 
http://www.greenpartynb.ca/32_saint_john_harbour

If you have any questions feel free to call us.