 It's now time for Question Period, the leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. Yesterday the Premier said in the legislature, we know full well that Ontario sells power to other jurisdictions. That is a profit to the province of Ontario. That is simply astonishing. It's liberal math striking again. So let's pose this question that I found on a liberal math test. If you pay 8.55 cents a kilowatt hour to produce energy in Ontario, and you sell that energy for 2.65 cents a kilowatt hour to New York, Minnesota, Manitoba and Quebec, how much profit does that make for Ontario? And what PR spin should the Liberal government use to try to fool the people of Ontario? It is unacceptable. Will the Premier justify this sale? Thank you very much. The indicators are that my standing doesn't seem to stop people, so I might have to ratchet up right away. And I'll do so. Premier. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And I know that the leader of the opposition would like to take just one moment in time to make his point, but this is a market, Mr. Speaker. And the point I was making yesterday was that overall, Mr. Speaker, when you take into account all of the back and forth... Okay, that last round indicated that you want me to go. So I'm moving to warnings. And if it starts, we'll do it right away. Premier. Overall, Mr. Speaker, there's a net profit to the province of Ontario, and that is the point that I was making. But what I'd like to talk about, Mr. Speaker, is about the energy system in Ontario and where we have come from. When we came into office, we inherited a badly neglected system. Mr. Speaker, we've made investments in that system, and we have upgraded that system. Remember, from Renfrew, Nipissing, Pembroke is warned. And if I know who just did that one, they would get warned, too. Supplementary. Mr. Speaker, again to the Premier. The Premier said it was just a momentary blip when they had to give away energy. A moment in time, as the Premier said, well, let's talk about more than a moment in time. Let's talk about the last three years. In 2013 and 2014, Ontario gave away $1.2 billion worth of energy. And if this government is on pace, it looks like in 2015, it's another $1.1 billion. So to sum up, this isn't a momentary mistake. This is $3 billion in three years. It's unbelievable. It is ridiculous to be giving Ontario energy like this. This is three years of incompetence. I suspect that somebody doesn't trust my words. I'm finding it difficult to move to any side when the question is put and people on your own side are making comments while the question is being put. I am still not happy with the fact that I have to do this. If you think that it doesn't mean anything, I might move to naming. I'm making a point. And if you're not getting it, I'll move to the next level. Premier. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I think the Leader of the Opposition has actually answered his own question. He talked about generating revenue. That's exactly what we do. It is a market. There is a back and forth, Mr. Speaker. And we generate revenue. The member from Leeds Grenville is warned. Carry on. Revenues in that market, Mr. Speaker. But, you know, the genesis of these questions is the electricity system that we inherited an upgraded, a neglected system. We have upgraded that system, Mr. Speaker. We have worked to remove billions of dollars from cost, of cost, Mr. Speaker, by shutting down the coal-fired plants. Four billion dollars in cost in terms of health and other costs, Mr. Speaker. We are now working to acknowledge that there is a cost associated with those upgrades that we have. The member from Nipi and Carlton is warned. I'll keep going. Finish, please. We have, as the member knows in the throne speech, made put-in-place initiatives that will help people with those electricity costs. But we have a clean, reliable grid, Mr. Speaker, which we did not have when we inherited the system that had been broken by the previous government. Mr. Speaker, back to the Premier. No one is buying this liberal spin that it's all right to give away three billion dollars of hydro to our competitors. As Matt Gurney and the National Post pointed out, these liberal contracts require Ontario to buy the green power at a premium price only to dump it at a loss into the grids of neighbors such as New York and Pennsylvania. We are paying huge money for energy in Ontario that we will never use. We are giving energy away costing the people of Ontario billions of dollars. We need the Premier to stand up for Ontario and stop her part-time job as the Minister of the Development of Pennsylvania. The Minister of Finance is warned. Please finish. Mr. Speaker, it is absolutely absurd that the Premier continues to sign these contracts for energy we are only going to give away. Will the Premier show some real leadership? Mr. Speaker, will she promise to stop signing these contracts for energy we'll never need? Thank you. Premier. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I am able to stand and reiterate what the Premier has been saying all along that revenue from electricity exports reduced costs for Ontarians by almost $230 million in 2015. Mr. Speaker, that's estimated by the province's independent system operator. Electricity trading, Mr. Speaker, provides additional grid reliability and helps cover system costs that otherwise would have been paid by Ontario consumers. This actually helps with downward mitigation on rates, Mr. Speaker. The electricity system is planned to meet the demand which can from time to time. Finish, please. Wrap up. Thank you. So from time to time will actually lead to excessive supply during expectedly low demand periods, Mr. Speaker, and what we do to ensure is we keep the downward rates going, Mr. Speaker, not like what they do with the gambling system. Do you have a question, please? The Leader of the Opposition. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. The scandal, waste, and mismanagement by this government is astounding. Billions and billions wasted all paid for by the people of Ontario. And now, again, I say this HST rebate is too little, too late. It's too little for Lindsay. She's a mom from Sault Ste. Marie. Lindsay and her four children sacrificed food just to keep the lights on in their home. They've had as little as $200 a month to spend on food for their entire family. Mr. Speaker, what will the Premier tell Lindsay and her kids that this 8% rebate will do to help their family keep the lights on when another increase is coming on November 1st? Thank you. I have said many times that we recognize that there are people in the province who are struggling to pay their electricity bills. And so, we have made changes in the past. We have put in place the Ontario Energy Support Program. We've put in place property tax credits, Mr. Speaker. And we recognize that there needs to be more done. And that's exactly why, exactly why we put the initiatives that we did in the Throne Speech, Mr. Speaker. You know, we have, as I said, we inherited a degraded electricity system, Mr. Speaker. A dirty, unreliable grid. There have been no brownouts of blackouts this summer, Mr. Speaker, despite record temperatures. There have been no brownouts and blackouts, Mr. Speaker, over no small days, Mr. Speaker, because of the shutdown of the coal plants. So we've made investments. We recognize that there are costs associated with that. And that's why we're working to help people who are struggling with their electricity bills. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, back to the Premier. This Band-Aid solution is also too late for Matt from Peterborough. I was watching global news and hopefully the Premier had a chance to watch their story on hydro-horror stories. But Matt is a Canadian forces veteran. Matt's hydro bills have been $1,000. His hydro was cut off on Remembrance Day while he was at a service. Despite the facts that banks were closed, he managed to pay the bill that day. But his power wasn't turned back on for two days. Mr. Speaker, no one deserves that treatment let alone a veteran on Remembrance Day. And it's not just Matt. There are 567,000 Ontarioans who are in arrears at the end of 2015 because of the hydro crisis. Mr. Speaker, will the Premier stop turning her back on Matt and the 560,000 families in Ontario that can't pay their hydro bill? Local distribution companies work with consumers who are in distress. I don't know the full story, but I am quite sure that in Peterborough there would be support. I hope they were able to support this gentleman. But again, the Leader of the Opposition somehow doesn't believe that I understand that people are struggling. That's exactly why we put the initiatives in place. I haven't actually heard anyone from him about what he would do Mr. Speaker. All we know is that he doesn't support the phase out of coal, he doesn't support green energy Mr. Speaker and he knows that people are struggling. That's why we've taken action Mr. Speaker. Boy Mr. Speaker, if the Premier wants to know what we do differently we'd stop signing contract or give away a free building. Mr. Speaker, there needs to hear another story because she's not appreciating that people in Ontario are in pain. Let me tell you the story of Kip van Kempen. Kip van Kempen had her Hydro 1 disconnected and the family's line, they were unable to repair the line because of red tape and logistical issues. So you cut their Hydro, you cut the Hydro of Kip van Kempen's family then they got a bill for having no Hydro. Mr. Speaker, no powers being delivered, they can't get their line repaired. That's Hydro Services in Ontario under this Liberal government. So my question to the Premier is, is this acceptable? Is it acceptable to charge Ontarians huge astonishing bills for receiving no Hydro? Thank you. Premier. Mr. Speaker, you know it is unacceptable that people would have to face those kinds of challenges. And again, I don't know the specifics of the situations and I don't know what the interaction with the local distribution company was, Mr. Speaker. My hope would be that they'd be able to work with Hydro 1. You know, one of the things, one of the benefits of the broadening of the ownership of Hydro 1, Mr. Speaker, is that it is a more professionally run company. It's a better company than it was Mr. Speaker and it will continue to improve one of the motivations behind the changes that we're making. Mr. Speaker, I recognize that there are people in the province who need support around their electricity costs. Mr. Speaker, I recognize that there are people who need support in their lives on a day-to-day basis. This morning I was at Central Technical School in Toronto and we were talking about the Ontario student grant, Mr. Speaker, so that young people who want to go to post-secondary from more middle-income families will be able to work with Hydro 1. Thank you. My question is for the Premier. People want to believe in Ontario, but they're losing hope. Creating a bright future is going to take action in this province, and it's going to take action now. Monday's throat speech, sadly, was a missed opportunity. Instead of action, Ontarians got yet more disappointed by this Premier because people deserve opportunities for better jobs, Speaker, a life that they can afford and the services that they can count on. Why won't this Government start focusing on the priorities that matter to the people of this province? Thank you. Mr. Speaker, our plan is 100% about growing the economy, creating jobs so that people can have access to those resources that they need, Mr. Speaker, and so that we can, as a Government, reinvest in the people in this province. Ontario is one of the leading jurisdictions in the country in terms of economic growth, Mr. Speaker. The last two years 3% growth over the next couple of years, Mr. Speaker. Our unemployment rate is below the national average. Since I've been the Premier, Mr. Speaker, we've created over 200,000 jobs or been part of creating 200,000 jobs in this province, Mr. Speaker. The success story that we're seeing right now, Mr. Speaker, is because of the investments that we've put in place. It's because of the plan that we have been implementing, Mr. Speaker. We're on track to balance the budget, and what that means, Mr. Speaker, is that we are able to make investments, help people in their lives every single day, including for each across Ontario see that privatizing Hydro-1 is something that they expected the Conservatives to do. They expected that to come out of government, Mr. Speaker. Not what they hoped for from this Premier. On Monday, the government said it was quote, dedicated to reducing electricity costs. That means stopping the privatization of Hydro-1. So, will the Premier do the right thing and stop any further privatization of Hydro-1? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I said, the plan that we have put in place is working. We are seeing the results of the investments that we are making. And, Mr. Speaker, I have acknowledged many times that we have had to make difficult choices. We've had to make difficult decisions in terms of making the investments that are necessary. But, unlike the ideological position that the leader of the third party is holding on this, Mr. Speaker, we understand that in order to be able to invest in and be able to do that, we need those resources. And so, Mr. Speaker, we are making those investments. We are taking an asset that has been owned by the people of Ontario and continuing to control and regulate that, Mr. Speaker, but recycling that asset so that we can make the investments that we know people need so that the transit, the roads, the bridges that they have those in place now so that their economies can thrive so that they can have the future that they deserve. Thank you. Well, Mr. Speaker, I didn't realize that 80% of the people of Ontario share my ideology. That's fantastic. It's a shared value. And that value is the value of having Hydro-1 as a public asset that operates in the public interest. It's about knowing what your values are, Mr. Speaker, and sticking to them. That's what it's about. Tuesday morning, the Premier was asked how long Ontario's can count on her new rebate for Hydro. She said this just changed that they're making permanently, but then on Tuesday afternoon, the Minister of Finance was asked the same question and he wouldn't give an answer. That actually doesn't really give us very much confidence. Doesn't give the people of this province very much confidence. And so the question, Speaker, is this, why doesn't they take the HST off the Hydro bills? Quickly, and on the other hand, the process she puts forward would take months and months and months to accomplish, Mr. Speaker. So we're bringing in legislation that will do exactly the same thing. It will take the provincial portion of the HST off of people's bills and I would hope that the leader of the third party and her team would not stand in the way of that legislation but would work with us to get that legislation on January 1st, 2017 make sure that the provincial portion of the HST is taken off of people's electricity bills, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. No question. Thank you, Speaker. My next question is for the Premier but I suggest she just call a friend if she's so worried about the timing. She can call her friend in Ottawa and get that change made. And much more unaffordable. Instead of permanently taking the HST off Hydro, the government is proposing to rebate that people cannot count on. The government is promising childcare space to Speaker but as parents and experts are saying the problem is that there is nothing there to make childcare more affordable for families, Speaker. So whether it's soaring hydro bills or whether it's unaffordable childcare, young families are at a tipping point in this province. Why won't this government take action now to make life more affordable? So Mr. Speaker, the changes on the electricity bills vis-a-vis the provincial portion of the HST are permanent, Mr. Speaker. We are bringing in legislation and that the leader of the third party wants to put on it. We are making this a permanent change, Mr. Speaker. In terms of the the licensed childcare spaces, we understand that along with those childcare spaces there has to be subsidy dollars, Mr. Speaker. There has to be a way of funding those and that is part of the plan to put those 100,000 childcare spaces in place, Mr. Speaker. We recognize that those zero to four years are incredibly important and at this point, only about 20% of families have access to licensed childcare. That's why we are going to put 100,000 more spaces in place, Mr. Speaker, over five years starting next year including, Mr. Speaker, the resources so that there will be subsidy available. Well, Mr. Speaker, unfortunately those subsidies are going to go to the private sector because that's who's providing childcare in this province under the liberal watch instead of not for profit and public sector, Mr. Speaker, shameful situation. By 2018 people in Alberta are going to be paid a minimum wage of $15 an hour while Ontario's minimum wage is going to be about $11.71. People in Ontario need good job, Speaker, with decent wages, but the minimum wage was not even mentioned in the throne speech. Albertans can count on their NDP government to take action, Speaker. Why can't Ontarians count on their liberal government to take action? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. So, you know, we've moved to put in place a very objective and transparent process around the minimum wage, Mr. Speaker. And I know that other provinces are working to catch up and to phase in increases in minimum wage, but we're leading the country, Mr. Speaker, and I'm very, very proud of the process that we went through bringing in people from the business community, from poverty activism, from across the spectrum, Mr. Speaker, to give us advice on how to take the issue of minimum wage in the hands of politics and put it into an objective measure, Mr. Speaker, so that's what we've done. But let's talk about what we are doing as a government to help people in their lives every day. We're making average college and university tuition free for students with financial needs. Supplementary. Speaker, at the liberal rate, it'll be close to 2030 or later before $15 is the minimum wage in the profits of Ontario. We're leading the country. I hope she listens to what she's saying, Speaker, because everybody knows that that is definitely not the case when it comes to the minimum wage. People actually want to build a good life in this province and they should be able to. They want the next generation to have a great future here in Ontario, but it is getting harder. It is getting harder and people are losing hope. If Ontario is on this path, Speaker, the path in the throne speech, the liberal path, it is only going to get tougher and tougher for people. This is the time for action. Why doesn't this government get it? So, Mr. Speaker, I think if you look at the economic situation that Ontario is in right now compared to three years ago, four years ago, Mr. Speaker, economic growth has increased, Mr. Speaker. Well, you know what, Mr. Speaker? The member office says to look at Alberta. Actually, you know Alberta is struggling and we feel a lot of compassion for the situation that Alberta is in right now, Mr. Speaker. But what we know is that Ontario is leading in terms of economic growth of the country. We're leading in terms of unemployment rate, Mr. Speaker. We're below the national average and that is because we have made some very strategic decisions about investments. So, for example, putting $250 million and extra $250 million over two years to help 150,000 young Ontarians develop skills, have a work experience, Mr. Speaker. That is the kind of decision that allows businesses to have talented, skilled young people and that's the kind of decision that's fueling our economy, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Thank you, Speaker. My question this morning is for the Premier. Speaker, the Premier is being sued again. This time, this time by Cupid, at this point there are so many investigations and depositions that you actually need to buy a program to keep track of them all, Mr. Speaker. So why is the government being sued by Cupid today? Because the lawsuit alleges they crossed an ethical line when they tried to use the Hydro-1 sale to raise money from the big banks who sold it off. Speaker, will the Premier reprimand these ministers for crossing an ethical line or will she admit that they were acting on her own orders when they used the very unpopular Hydro-1 sale to bankroll for the Liberal Party of Ontario? Good question. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm very happy to rise to answer the member's question. I think it's important to recognize that there's a legal process underway. We're going to let that process unfold so we can comment on that directly. But what we can comment on is that the integrity commissioner has already looked into this and recently confirmed that there was no wrongdoing. So what we're going to do now, Mr. Speaker, is we're going to focus as a government in building Ontario up and helping people in their everyday lives, broadening the ownership of Hydro-1 is a crucial part of that plan, Mr. Speaker. Just this past we're going through Ontario, making announcements and capescasing of over $2 million for infrastructure in North Bay, over $5 million for infrastructure, Mr. Speaker. So that's great news for the people of Ontario. So these new infrastructure projects will lead to new jobs, new investments and more economic activity for this province. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We had such high hopes for the new minister but it looks like he's gone from drinking orange Kool-Aid to the red. This government, this government, Mr. Speaker, they fight with the doctors and they get sued. They fight with the teachers and they get sued. They sell Hydro-1 and they get sued. Canceling gas plants, offering appointments in Sudbury and turning the province's air ambulance into a mess all got them investigated by the OPP. Five OPP investigations, Mr. Speaker. At this point, I think part of the deficit is just going to go to pay the legal bills for cabinet ministers. My question for the Premier is a simple one. Why does it always take a deposition or a police investigation for us to get the truth? And if this is the most transparent government, as the Premier always claims, why do they only provide information after they get a court order? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And once again, it's all an honour for me to be able to rise and answer the Honourable Member's question. As I mentioned earlier, because there's not a legal process, I'm not able to talk about that. But what I can talk about, Mr. Speaker, is the more great things that are happening with the broadening and the sale of Hydro-1. So we're on track to realize our budget target of approximately $9 billion, Mr. Speaker, generated through the IPO for a billion for infrastructure investment and $5 billion for debt repayment. This is allowing us, Mr. Speaker, to make investments without corresponding increases in debt, deficits, or cuts to other programs or services. We still own 70% of Hydro-1 shares and have generated a large portion of our target revenue. With 30% more shares to offer, we are on track, Mr. Speaker, to ensure the best possible value for the people of Ontario. Good question. Thank you very much, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Yesterday I asked the Premier if she would stand up and commit to a $15 an hour minimum wage. Incredibly in his response, the Minister of Labour said that, quote, Ontario is leading the way when it comes to the minimum wage. Wait a second here. It was yesterday that the Government of Alberta was leading the way by announcing it was bringing in the minimum wage in 2018. My question is very simple, Speaker. Will the Premier follow Alberta's lead and increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour? Thank you. Thank you, Speaker. It gives me great pleasure to answer that question because I think it really gives us an opportunity to illustrate how Ontario has led the way in this regard. Certainly it was unpredictable in the past. Business couldn't rely on it. There was no stability. People that were earning the minimum wage didn't know they were going to get an increase from one year to the next. In fact, between 1996 and 2003, there were no increases to the minimum wage for that period of time. We bought in a system that's predictable, that's fair. And yes, Speaker, we are leading the way when it comes to the system that's predictable, that's fair. Looking to Ontario as an example, as how you can bring in a system that allows for predictable increases, allows for those increases to take place and yet allows for business to have the stability that it needs, Speaker. It's an excellent system. It's up for review in two or three years. Speaker will be taking another look at it. So while other jurisdictions have said they may do something someday soon, we've done it, Speaker. Thank you. Supplementary. Speaker, one in ten Ontarians earn the minimum wage and that's overwhelmingly young people, women and new Ontarians. Whether you're in Brampton, Scarborough, Hamilton, Toronto, or Windsor Asics, we've listened to them. It's not enough. They were left out of the speech from the throne. Will the Premier commit to raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour? Thank you, Speaker. Ontario's got one of the highest minimum wages of any province in this country, Speaker. It's 11.25 today. As of October 1 of this year, it will be increasing again to 11.40, Speaker. It increases on a rotating, predictable basis. Now, we went out and we got advice, Speaker. We asked everybody in the province that had an interest in this. Remember that word, Speaker, interest. We had poverty advocates come forward. We had employers come forward. Trade unions came forward. Organized labour came forward. The NDP made not one submission to that panel. We have talked about a system. Where were you when we needed you? Where were you when we needed the advice, Speaker? New question. Member from Trinity, Spadina. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the President of the Treasury Board Secretary. I know that public access to data is key aspect of fostering an accountable and trustworthy government as well as it means for local problem solvers to develop new and innovative ways for Ontarians to navigate information. Time and time again, I am amazed by the cutting edge technology developed by startups within and around my writing of Trinity, Spadina. Many of whom use the data that is freely provided by our government. One such example of information technology that utilizes government open data is the real estate service Map Your Property. Map Your Property is an all in one platform that streams lines development planning in Toronto and York Region for urban planners, developers, and engineers. Can the President of the Treasury Board and Secretary tell the member of this House how our government continues to make information open, transparent, and easily accessible? Thank you. I stand you sick. President of the Treasury Board. Yes, thank you very much, Speaker and thank you to the member from Trinity, Spadina for his great question. We continue to go to great lengths to open Ontario's data. As today, we have publicly released over 500 data sets that are in the process of developing a catalogue which publicly discloses all of the data sets Ontario actively maintains. This data speaker helps to power one of Ontario's most rapidly growing sectors the interactive digital media or IDM sector. In fact, the Entertainment Software Association of Canada reports that the IDM sector contributes $3 billion annually across Canada and has grown by 31% since 2013. We believe that by opening up government data we make decision making more transparent to everyday Ontarians and have provided IDM companies the opportunity to do so. Thank you, Speaker and I want to thank the minister for the answer. It's always encouraging to see how creating a transparent government has led to more competitive Ontario. As a follow-up question I would like to ask the minister how our government is continuing to open up information and use input from Ontarians to shape decision making. Our government has a strong record when it comes to making Ontario a more transparent open and transparent province. We post the minister's mandate letter outlining priorities online and release reports on their progress which details how we have delivered on these priorities. With the most reason in January, we have also increased transparency for government agencies by requiring expense and governance documents to be publicly accessible. And this past year we unveiled a new platform of participation resulting over 53,000 Ontarians voting on 1700 budget ideas. Minister, how is our government continue to engage Ontarians in a dialogue making our promise? Minister? Yes, thank you. Speaker, the member has highlighted our record on transparency and openness. And I'm proud to say Ontario is an international It's never too late to get warned. Ontario is an international leader when it comes to making information free and accessible. In fact, Ontario was selected as one of 15 sub-national governments from all around the world to join the open government partnership. The only jurisdiction in Canada to be selected. Using that as a launch pad, our next step towards opening up government will entail new commitments co-created with Ontarians. In August, we invited the public to submit their ideas to help our government become the most digitally connected government in Canada. And final commitments will be chosen at a public workshop coming up soon. Thank you. Thank you, Speaker. My question is quick for the Premier. We hear that the Liberals will be banning MPPs from attending fundraising events, but we know their cash for access scheme continues with some new twists and turns. I understand that recently there was a high-powered big-money Liberal fundraiser, but this time no ministers were there. Instead, they had their proxies, Andrew Bevin, the Premier's Chief of Staff, Andrew Telizwiski, Chief of Staff to Minister of Energy, and Senior Energy Advisor Matt Whittington were all there. Apparently, employees at the Public Service are now tasked to be the Liberal Party big men and intermediaries to enrich the Liberal Party and exchange influences. Speaker, they refuse to stop even after being caught, red-handed, even after being shamed into action by the media. They just... Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs is warned, and the Minister of Economic Development and Growth is warned. You may finish the question. We're on your... Will the Premier stop doing through the back door what she says is inappropriate to do through the front door? Thank you. Attorney General, Mr Speaker. Attorney General. Thank you very much, Speaker. I thank the member for the question. Speaker, you know, we on this side of the House are very proud of the bill that we tabled, the bill 201 now, bill 2, which really changes the way fundraising will be done in the province of Ontario. Speaker, we, as you know, did a very rare thing, which is to take the bill for public consultations right after first reading something that, at least in my time here at this lecture, has never been done. Speaker, I really want to take this opportunity to thank all members of the Standing Committee who worked throughout the summer by travelling the province, listening to Ontarians and experts, people like the chief election officer and other experts in making a remarkable impact in further improving that piece of legislation. And, Speaker, in supplementary, I'll talk a little bit more about the legislation. Here, here. Thank you. Thank you. Supplementary. Speaker, again to the Premier, not for proxy. The entire process they put together on election financing is genuine from the start. Introducing legislation The member will withdraw. I withdraw. Introducing legislation and amendments through press releases completely alters and distorts how our democracy must operate. They continue with their cash for access activities. It's clear this government's priorities start and end with only themselves. We know that both Bill 201 and now Bill 2, along with the committee process, has been dishonest. It's been nothing but a slight I'm going to ask you to withdraw. Withdraw. Yeah. It's only been a slight of hands. Oil and slippery hands. Bill 2 ought to be renamed the Lubricious Act to create Liberal Party bagemen and proxies. Speaker, will the Premier wash his hands? Start the clock. While I have everyone's attention, the member will withdraw. Thank you. Attorney General. Thank you very much, Speaker. On this side of the house, we're very proud to bring forward a bill that is going to make sure that we ban corporate union donations in our province. That we are going to put much lower limits on how fundraising is done and not to mention, Speaker, to regulate funding for corporate party advertising as well. This Premier and this Government that is not engaging in stakeholder-specific fundraisers whereas the Opposition Party continues to do so. In fact, they are holding all those fundraisers and meeting with stakeholders. In fact, Speaker, they're also advertising positions for fundraisers who will then convert private members built into fundraising activities. So, Speaker, I would urge you to be careful in allegations he makes in this house. I will look forward to working with the Opposition parties in making sure that built to the strong piece of legislation that we really change the way fundraising is done in the province of Ontario. Thank you. The member from Windsor West. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Schools across the province are crumbling and they have reached a tipping point. There is a $15 billion repair backlog. $3.4 billion in Toronto alone. Students and education workers have been in sweltering hot classrooms and will have to wear winter jackets in the classroom in the winter. To make matters worse, Ontario's teachers are being forced to load French and music lessons onto carts and transport them from classroom to classroom because of liberal cuts to education. Premier can shake her head all she wants or even speaking out. Will the Premier admit that her misplaced priorities are forcing our young people to pay the price? I'm really shaking my head because it is the reality that core French teachers and music teachers for many many years in this province itinerant music teachers have not necessarily had a dedicated classroom it's worked very very well that teachers have moved from classroom to classroom and certainly children who went through the publicly funded education system in Toronto had exactly that situation and it's not unusual and I think sometimes what happens is when there has been a school where there has been a dedicated classroom and then enrollment may go up or there may be a change and then that changes so that the core French teacher is moving from classroom to classroom that can cause an adjustment in the school but it's not an unusual practice and the kids get very very good education in that way Mr. Speaker. Thank you Speaker back to the Premier. Premier there are classrooms that are being closed and the teachers are being moved out of those classrooms if you think it's working maybe you should actually talk to the education workers delivering the curriculum health concerns related to a lack of air conditioning our schools are in crisis a teacher in Toronto was forced to spend $500 of her own money to install an air conditioner in her classroom because students were feeling faint and lethargic and she felt the environment was unsafe our children should not be trying to learn in classrooms without windows I'm sure the Premier has windows in her office they should not be in classrooms with poor air quality will the Premier immediately ensure that the repair backlog for schools across the province is remedied and I'm talking about $15 billion increase in funding in terms of the repair and renewal of schools we added a historic $1.1 billion on top of an existing $1.6 billion so we have acknowledged that there is a need to continue to fund the renewal of schools we will continue to work with school boards the $1.1 billion that we put in on top of the $1.6 billion Mr. Speaker is funding projects around the province did over the summer and continues to Mr. Speaker school boards make the decisions about how they use those funds Mr. Speaker and they have school boards have priorities they take those funds and they apply them to the priorities we understand that there is a need Mr. Speaker that's why we put in over $1 billion on top of the billion thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the minister of citizenship and immigration and let me start by offering my congratulations on her recent appointment to cabinet she's a tireless worker in our caucus and we're pleased to see her taking on new responsibilities Ontario has been a destination for people fleeing war, famine persecution and other tragic circumstances they come here as my family did and they come here to help themselves and their families as of early August Ontario has received over 12,000 refugees from the Syrian conflict and Kitchener Waterloo has welcomed 1200 of those refugees during the 2016 association of municipalities of Ontario conference the minister met with Kitchener Mayor Barry and Waterloo Mayor Dave to talk about settlement services the province is committed to supporting local municipalities that are settling Syrian newcomers thank you minister I want to thank first of all the member from Kitchener centre for this valuable question our government has partnered with the federal government to support the resettlement of thousands of refugees that fled the Syrian conflict during the past year during the most recent association of municipalities of Ontario conference I did meet with the mayors of Kitchener and Waterloo who asked for reassurance that the province would continue to support local settlement services and within the municipalities during the integration process of the refugees helping refugees is not only the compassionate thing to do it's the right thing to do I would like to thank all municipalities private sponsors volunteers for helping refugees feel safe welcomed and supported in our communities I want to thank the minister for her response Mr. Speaker it's very encouraging to see that our government is doing everything that it can to ensure that refugees can settle and integrate into our communities with success now in my writing many of the constituents rely on the programs and services provided by local settlement agencies it's very important to my constituents and to all Ontarians that these programs and services are safeguarded I'm sure that the minister would agree that the work of the local settlement agencies and integration services in communities is critical to this process and I can tell you that the settlement agencies in Waterloo region have done an excellent job Speaker could the minister please tell us how the government of Ontario is enhancing support for local settlement agencies so that they can continue the very important work that they are performing Thank you minister Mr. Speaker once again thank you to my friend and colleague the member from Kitchener Centre for her question I also want to say that last August 25th our ministry did announce funding for 3.8 million dollars to enhance 26 settlement agencies in integration services in the 12 cities and towns across the province that welcome the majority of Syrian newcomers I thank all settlement agencies for the crucial work as they have been at the forefront of the largest refugee movement in Canada in a generation and the member will be pleased to know that one of these agencies is the Kitchener Waterloo Multicultural Centre the centre will be receiving up to 165,000 dollars last month will support local settlement programs and integration services support programs for refugee women and youth provide training on refugee mental health from frontline settlement workers at school based summer programming for students My questions to the premier I can't remember this premier committing that her government would be accountable and transparent and open but after 5 OPP investigations clap there for that one we know she is not accountable and this summer provide more evidence that she's not open or transparent after a decade of study consultations and planning for the GTA West Highway many are depending on her government slammed on the brakes last December now they've gone a step further closing the doors and leaving the decision making to an unnamed secret panel nobody's heard of because her minister says to tell us who they are who's behind the curtain it's neither transparent nor accountable will the premier report what happened to her commitment to transparency and tell those left in the dark just who she's designated to determine the future of their highway good question thanks very much I thank the member opposite for the question today this is an issue obviously that we have been dealing with at the ministry specifically over the last number of months that member would know last December we did hit as I've said in the past the pause button with respect to the environmental assessment work that's being undertaken for this project and I said at the time and I'll repeat here today that of course is because over the last more than 10 years since this project started as a conceptual highway through this particular part of the GTA 8 the world of transportation has been changing dramatically over those last 10 years one of the member opposite's colleagues makes a point about frozen lands the other commitment that I made at the time to municipalities, landowners, the private sector and all of those who participated in the process since day one was that we would move through via an internal working group working closely with the ministry on this process as quickly as we could and the report when finalized will be made public speaker I'm happy to provide more information thanks very much speaker area municipal councils I'm happy to ask motions calling on this government for answers on the highways future residents and motorists are also looking for direction and her minister is moving this process behind closed doors when I made a very basic request to the minister's office in August following the panel's announcement I was told the panel members will remain unnamed speaker this is a public project involving billions of public dollars continued secrecy only fuels further questions who selected them and why and have they ever paid to access to the minister fair question will the premier end the speculation and sip it provide the names of her minister's secret GTA west panel so speaker as I said in the initial answer to the member on this particular question and I do understand where the municipalities are coming from virtually every municipality in the affected area has had the chance to speak with me about this particular issue and I made an ironclad commitment about the fact that we will not only provide them with the opportunity for additional consultation but we will try to clarify what's taking place with this just as soon as we possibly can speaker I think you know and I understand the importance I will tell people here this is a part of the GTA which includes the community that I'm proud to represent so I get how important this work is and as I said as I said in my initial answer speaker when the report was completed it will be made public I guess speaker I'll close off by saying that though I do have respect for that member who's asked the question today I will say given the history of the conservative party in highways in this province with the sale of the 407 that I will not take advice from that member or from that party when it comes to highways in the GTA No question the member from nickel belt Thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the minister of environment climate change It has been 18 months since the CN train derail, caught fire, exploded and spilled a million liter of crude oil in the Mcamee river in Gogama CN spent all of last summer in fall trying to remove the oil from the water until the river froze over came this spring it became obvious to everyone but to this minister that there is still a lot of oil in the water the people of Mr. Metogamy First Nation and Gogama were promised that their natural environment would be brought back to what it was like before the derailment when is this minister going to order CN to get back to work and remove all of the oil from the water? Thank you Mr. Thank you Mr. Speaker Thank you for the question Our department we work with public health center and with the federal government and given the studies that have been made regarding the quality of the water in this region of the lakes and rivers we keep finding pollution in the water A newsletter that went out which we shared that was three pages long and introduced about 25 different measures that either we, CN or the health department is there I share the concern there has been the discovery of more oil and some of the sediment that work is being done to remediate that I'm happy to continue to work with the member and get her briefing on what the next steps are in cleaning it up This makes no sense Speaker all that's going on in Gogama but it doesn't matter how much oil we find what's the next step we monitor some more all the government has to do is to order CN to come back and continue to clean up it doesn't cost the government a penny it is CN who pays for it we were promised clean water the water is not clean we can see oil, we can smell oil we can feed dead fish everywhere the environment was not like that before it was beautiful why isn't the minister doing anything I know that the people of metogamy and Gogama will never make the donations to the liberals that the CNs are making but they deserve a government who looks after their interests they deserve a government who cares about the environment like they do why don't they order CN to clean it up before the water freezes over you know what speaker minister minister dear friend our reputation is very important and I respect you I hope that you also respect me let me just read from the newsletter about what is happening and what CN is doing just as recently only a couple of weeks ago August 26th CN's consultant completed a survey of the Makame River and the Miniskawa Lake with the Gogama Fire Chief and a member of the Metagamy First Nation to identify all the areas residents have feel or have identified contaminants and remains and they are working now on an action plan with the community and the First Nation starting on August 29th CN's consultants have been undertaking additional sediment benthic monitoring there's about 20 things going on on removal and removal of sediment the leader of the opposition seems to hallow the answer so I guess you don't need to answer the question Mr Speaker thank you Mr Speaker it's nice to be back with everybody my question is for the minister of transportation Mr Speaker we know that we all have a role to play in the fight against climate change and at the same time we also know that Ontarians need to get from point A to point B from school to work to shopping to go with their families safely and efficiently and that's why it's important for our government to help Ontarians achieve both of these goals through investments and environmentally friendly transportation options one option that's growing in popularity among Ontarians and certainly among residents in my community of Etobicole Lakeshore is electric vehicles you see it on the streets I see those green plates in various locations and those people want to know Mr Speaker whether the minister can advise members of this house on what the government is doing to help Ontarians go green and purchase their own electric vehicle Thank you very much Speaker of course I want to begin by thanking the member from Etobicole Lakeshore not only for his question today but for being an extraordinarily hard working member here in this legislature for the people of his community I will also say to the speaker that I know speaking for myself that I was really delighted to be in Etobicole Lakeshore a number of weeks ago a number of months ago at this point Speaker to announce additional details with respect to some of the incentives that we are providing around the charging infrastructure relating to electric vehicles and I want to thank that member for hosting as that particular day Speaker with Electric Drive Week upon us it is the perfect opportunity to take a moment and reflect on our government's commitment to expanding access to electric driving systems across the province our government's electric vehicle incentive program is helping more Ontarians make the crucial move to electric vehicles in February we also modernized the program to make an electric vehicle even more affordable our plan is working Speaker there are over 7000 electric vehicles on Ontario's roads and as the member stated we all have a role to play with respect to fighting climate change thank you very much Speaker Thank you Mr. Speaker thank you to the minister for that response it's clear that electric vehicles play a key role in achieving our commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and Mr. Speaker an investment in electric vehicles only means so much if Ontarians are not only able to charge your vehicles to get where they need to go but to know there's more facilities where they're going Ontarians want to know that owning an electric vehicle is not only a main choice but a practical choice as well and so as the minister stated I was very proud to host the minister of transportation and the minister of environment and climate change in Etobicoke Lakeshore for an important announcement about the expansion of electric charging facilities across the province Mr. Speaker can the minister please provide more information to members of the House on what our government announced in Etobicoke Lakeshore this past July thank you minister minister of environment and climate change sir the environment and climate change thank you very much I want to thank the member for Etobicoke Lakeshore for his remarkable leadership in his community on electrification but I just want to go back Mr. Speaker what we announced was EV charging in a partnership with Ikea and other retailers that is putting Ontario in a leadership role but I want to go back to the answer the premier had earlier what are we going to do about overnight electricity and how are we going to make life more affordable for Ontarians that overnight energy is about to become very low cost and in many cases free fuel for their cars we have a plan that overnight energy is going to be funding batteries and making heating and cooling homes much less expensive the minister of energy and I and the long-term energy plan the climate action plan are coming together to reduce costs and reduce GHGs they have no plan across the aisle we actually have two question period being over there are no deferred votes therefore the cost stands recessed until 3pm this afternoon