 It is now time for question period. The leader of her match, please go along with us. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. Premier, the direction that you chose to take with this budget is one that obviously the PC party fundamentally disagrees with. It's obvious in how you ignore Ontario's massive debt, high unemployment and credit rating warnings that balancing the budget is not a priority for you. The fact that you have no detailed plan to reduce costs is more proof that you're just not serious. But the day of reckoning is going to come when Ontario's lenders tell you that Ontario's credit card has maxed out. Premier, how high are Ontario's borrowing costs going to get before you tell Ontario's bankers how you're going to balance the budget? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and I'm sure that the leader of the opposition just neglected to mention that the Dominion Bond Rating Service today has confirmed our rating and our outlook. According to DVRS, the trend on all ratings remains stable, supported by five consecutive years of lower than expected deficits. I would suggest to the member opposite that yes, we do have a fundamental disagreement with them about what the future should hold for the people of the province of Ontario. What we believe the future should hold is a thriving economy bolstered by and supported by a government that understands that investments are important, community by community, whether it's in the education of the children and the grandchildren of those communities or whether it's in their transportation infrastructure. Premier, you often talk about building Ontario up, but the only thing that you're building up is a tremendous debt load for future generations. If you won't tell us where you're going to cut, then will you at least tell Ontarians where you're going to raise their taxes? Because it's being said that you can't have an activist agenda without raising taxes. So where will those next tax increases be, Mr. Speaker? Premier, are you planning on raising land transfer taxes for home buyers? Are you planning on raising eco fees or the cost of vehicle registration? Will you raise the gas tax? Which Ontarians are you going to hit the hardest with your inevitable tax increases? Very much, Mr. Speaker. Well, if the Leader of the Opposition would read the budget, he would see exactly where those decision points are, Mr. Speaker. It's very clear that we have laid out the investments that we are proposing, but we've also addressed the revenue side of the ledger, Mr. Speaker. We've made it clear that we are going to ask the top 2% of earners in the province to pay a little bit more, Mr. Speaker. We've said that we are going to make sure that the assets that are owned by the people of Ontario, that they're working as hard as they can, and that their value is optimized for the people of the province. We've made those decisions. They're all laid out in the budget. And I know that the Leader of the Opposition will take a second look so he can see those measures. That's a good place, Mr. Speaker. You've not been honest with the people of Ontario. You have no detailed plan to balance the books within the next three years. Despite what Dominion Bond rating has said, Moody's and others, Standard and Poor, has you on a watch list. Moody has you on a negative outlook. Your borrowing costs are going to go up. You're going to have to touch frontline services. In fact, in an unguarded moment yesterday, you did say, quote, we will cut where we must. So, you know, even Smokey Thomas, head of ops who called you out yesterday when he said with what you're promising to spend and how your promises to control costs the public service could only shrink. All we're asking Premier is to be honest, you've already fired nurses and Windsor. You've fired nurses and teachers in North Bay. You've cut physiotherapy services that there are disgrace now for our seniors, particularly seniors in retirement. What further frontline services are you going to cut? Just be honest with the people of Ontario. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, I think the member opposite knows that there are 20,000 more nurses in Ontario today than there were in 2003, Mr. Speaker. The Ontario Chamber of Commerce, Alan Odette, who's their CEO, says, and I quote, I think the budget strikes a good degree of balance. We recognize the significance of having the pension funds available for that cohort of Ontarians that are going to need it, unquote. So what our budget does is it invests in the transit that we know is needed in communities in our urban and suburban centres and also in our rural and northern communities, Mr. Speaker, because roads and bridges and transit are all part of that infrastructure that's necessary, as well as hospitals and schools that we know are necessary for future prosperity. We're going to invest in the education of our people, Mr. Speaker, of the children and the grandchildren who are going to be the job creators of the future, Mr. Speaker. And we're going to set up an Ontario Retirement Pension Plan because we know that people are not able to save enough and they need that security in their retirement. I'm just going to ask everyone to settle down. A new question to the members from the elder military. Minister, your ministry recently outlined plans to levy a number of additional fees on hunters and anglers. For instance, your plan to, and this is for the first time ever, require seniors to pay for fishing licenses and something they've all been exempted from. This comes after the ministry reported that the special purposes account, which is funded by license fees and is required to be used for purposes of managing Ontario's fish and wildlife resources, increased by 31% from 2010 to 2011. Yet just last year, the M&R announced layoffs and reductions that prompted the Environmental Commissioner to state and I quote, It appears that the Ministry of Natural Resources is walking away from many parts of its job to safeguard wildlife and natural resources. Minister, how can you justify levying additional fees when your revenues are up? And according to provinces and environmental watchdog, you're doing less work. Mr. Speaker, thank you very much and I want to thank the member for the question. What I would begin by saying is what's occurring within the ministry today is no different than what's been going on for a very long time. The member will know that the special purpose account has been around for a very long time. The percentage of money that flows into that account is approximately 66% from users and approximately 33% from the CRF. On a go forward basis, there's an acknowledgement that there are challenges with the SPA. They're concerned about the revenue side in terms of the revenue that will flow in there. This is being witnessed right across the country. It makes complete sense to everybody that there should be a review of the account. That's what's occurred. No final decisions have been made. It has been posted on the registry. The results are internal and at some point in the go forward in the near future we'll be making a decision. Nothing has been decided at this point. Thank you. Minister, back to the minister. Minister, I'd like to ask you more about recent figures about the account but your ministry has not released the annual report for the special purpose account for the last two years. I have the 2010-2011 report sitting on my desk. It's 10 pages long with little zero detail. I was told by your office that I have to wait until this fall to get the 2011-2012 report and then another year for the 2012-2013 report. Minister, you're asking hunters in English of this province to pony up more money but you can't even produce a 10 page report but where the money goes until two years after it's relevant. Minister, with the environmental commissioner observing a decrease in your resource management activities and your lack of transparency when it comes to reporting the state of the special purpose account how can you expect hunters in English in this province just to give you more money? Well, Speaker, to repeat, we haven't done that yet. The posting is on the EBR. No final decisions have yet been made. I would give the member one example of what has been done very recently in the ministry when it comes to sustainability of the fish and wildlife sector in the province of Ontario. We just committed, I think the number was about $5 million for the moose aerial inventory into several wildlife management units in northwestern Ontario. That was key and instrumental in maintaining sustainability of the moose inventory in the province of Ontario. What that investment found was that in fact moose numbers had significantly declined. There is serious concern about what's going on with moose inventory in Ontario. It was that investment of money, some of which comes from the SPA that the member is speaking to today that is going to infuse our future decision in policymaking on a go-forward basis. It's necessary. If we're serious about maintaining fish and wildlife in the province of Ontario, we need to have the means to do that. This is one of the means. No final decisions have been made just yet. Minister, if you're a serious lead, open and transparent, we'd have the details of the SPA fund in our hands today. In addition to your ministry delivering its SPA report two years after the fact, there is no detail on how the money is spent. I'm concerned that you, like the rest of your government, feel it's okay to continue to ask Ontarians to pay more without being fully accountable. Hunters and anglers are not able to see where their money goes, and yet you want to levy them with additional fees. Minister, your government has overspent for years and now Ontario faces a $12.5 billion deficit and a possible credit downgrade. Is levying more fees on hunters, fishers and our seniors your strategy to balance the budget? Thank you very much. Well, once again, the same question three times. As I mentioned to the member already, no final decisions have been made on what would be done with the SPA. Everything is on the table. The process, the consultation was posted on the EBR, I think sometime in April. It was there for 45 days. All of the responses are now in-house, and in the near future we would be making decisions on what we will do. I will say to the member again, if we are serious about maintaining in a sustainable fashion fish and wildlife populations in the province of Ontario, we need to have the means to do that. I am not giving the member my position on this. I'm simply saying that as a government we all know that we need to have the means in which to do this. The SPA is one of the means. 66% has traditionally come from the SPA, 33% has traditionally come from the CRF. We will make decisions in the near future. We will communicate those decisions to my critic. And again today, Speaker, I thank him for the questions restating. No final decisions have been made as of yet. New question, later in the third part. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Premier. New Democrats have been calling this Trojan horse budget because it looks like one thing, but inside are all kinds of surprises that the Liberals would rather keep hitting. The Minister of Aboriginal Affairs will withdraw. Please ask your question. It looks like one thing, Speaker, but inside are all sorts of surprises that the Liberals would want to keep hitting. In fact, the Globe and Mail says in black and white that there is a major gap between, and I quote, the government's rhetoric surrounding the budget and the actual budget, unquote. They say, quote, the actual budget is an austerity budget. I quote. Now the Liberals' plan says that there is going to be $3.15 billion that's coming from the sale of public assets, Speaker, but the Premier won't even say those words. Why won't the Premier come clean with her plan to sell off public assets like the LCBO, the OPG and Hydro-1? Thank you, Premier. Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. And that plan that the leader of the third party is talking about doesn't exist. The fact is that we have asked Ed Clark, who's the retiring CEO of the Toronto Dominion Bank, to look at the assets that are owned by the people of Ontario. And we've asked him to make sure that those assets are producing the highest return for the people of Ontario because we believe that assets that were purchased and created and have worked for a number of years, that the money that we can realize from those should be reinvested, Mr. Speaker, that those dollars should be reinvested in services and in assets for the future. So, yes, we will sell real estate, Mr. Speaker. We will sell the LCBO headquarters. We've talked about that and we will do that. But in terms of the other assets, that's an ongoing process. Thank you, supplementary. Well, Speaker, I don't know how the Liberals plan to find $3.15 billion if their budget says they're going to do it by selling off assets and the Premier says they're not. Who knows really what the Liberals are up to in the province of Ontario, Speaker? Another thing that is hidden in the Liberal budget is massive cuts. One editorial in the National Post said that the Liberal Party is, quote, is not being straight with the citizens when it maps out its plans for the next few years, unquote. Page six of the budget speech says the Liberals will, quote, continue to cut. Will the Premier come clean with her plan on cuts and talentarians? Exactly what's on the Liberal chopping block, Speaker? Thank you, Premier. So, Mr. Speaker, let me just frame this answer by saying to the leader of the third party that we recognize that there are challenges that we are confronting as a province. We recognize that there is a fiscal challenge ahead of us and our budget addresses that and it addresses the need for investments right now, Mr. Speaker, to make sure that the economy can thrive. Those two things can exist and do exist side by side in our budget. I understand that the leader of the third party wants a simplistic analysis of the situation in Ontario because simplistic is easier for her to talk about. But, Mr. Speaker, the reality is that it is complex. There are competing priorities and we have to address them both. That's what our budget does, Mr. Speaker, and the investments that we are committed to are a very important part of that future economic growth. Final supplementary. Mr. Speaker, what new Democrats are looking for is the truth. What exactly that exists in that budget that's going to get this government the cuts that they want. That's what we're asking. It's apparent that some of the cuts, Speaker, are going to be coming from public services. Ontarians just voted against firing 100,000 people, but Don Drummond says that the Liberal plan could mean 100,000 job cuts. Bloomberg News said the budget could mean the deepest cuts since Mike Harris. And yesterday the finance minister stubbornly refused to answer questions about how many public service jobs the Liberals will in fact cut. So I guess it's one more thing that's hidden in the Trojan Horse budget, Speaker. Will the Premier give the people of Ontario a straight answer on how many nurses, firefighters, paramedics, early childhood educators, and so many other public service workers are going to be fired in the province of Ontario under their plan. Mr. Speaker, the remarkable thing about this line of questioning is that the leader of the third party based her, albeit disjointed and disparate platform, on our fiscal plan. She used our fiscal plan as the foundation and the men said she'd go $600 million more in terms of reductions, Mr. Speaker. So here's the thing. Our plan deals with the fiscal reality and lays out a path to balance by 2017-18, which she agreed with when she put together her list of platform items. But our plan also invests in the people of this province, invests in the schools and the hospitals that we know we need, Mr. Speaker, invests in and sets up a made in Ontario retirement pension plan, increases the Ontario child benefit, increases social assistance benefits, and all of those things, Mr. Speaker, are things that I would have thought that the NDP would have supported, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My next question is for the Premier. One of the things she forgets, like Liberals love to do, tell half the story, our plan included significant revenues, which they don't have, which is why they're making cuts and selling assets, Mr. Speaker. But scratch the surface in this Trojan Horse Plan and you'll find a plan that leaves Bay Street better off, but it leaves folks on Main Street out of work and out of pocket. Last month, 34,000 Ontarians lost a job. And this is what the Premier had to say about the manufacturing sector in our province. And I quote, believe it or not, a lot has changed in Ontario since 1976. One thing that clearly has not changed, Speaker, is liberal arrogance. And it showed this page yesterday. This is the Premier's plan to abandon manufacturing once and for all in the province of Ontario. Mr. Speaker, thank you. Well, Mr. Speaker, what I'm not doing is bearing my head in the sand and saying, I wish it were 1976. We're not doing that. It's responsible for the government to say wish it was like that again. The fact is, time has moved on. We are in a global economy. We're in a global competition, Mr. Speaker. And if we don't work with businesses to help them to upgrade so that they're able to compete, Mr. Speaker, if we don't play to our strengths in the auto sector in an aerospace and in agri-food and help those businesses to be competitive and invest in the new high-tech industries of the future, Mr. Speaker, if we don't do that, it's all we want that it were 1976. But it's not going to be and we will not have the right future that we want to take. Mr. Speaker, please. A couple of minutes. Good suggestions. It's not responsible to sit by and watch 300,000 manufacturing jobs. Good manufacturing. Yesterday, the Premier insisted she's got a jobs plan for 2014. But it's the same jobs plan that put Ontario's unemployment rate above the national average in 2007. And it's the same plan that put Ontario's unemployment rate above the national average in 2008 and in 2009 and 10 and 11 and 12 and 13. The Premier's plan for jobs in 2014 is more no-strings-a-chatch giveaways. It hasn't worked for years. Why does the Premier think it's going to work now? All of a sudden. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I know the work that we have done over the last number of years and all of those years that the leader of the third party speaks of are years that are since the economic downturn, Mr. Speaker. And the reality is that there are parts of this province including the parts of the province with a high manufacturing sector, Mr. Speaker, that were hit very hard. I said on London Radio this morning that there are parts of southwestern Ontario that were hit extremely hard because of their reliance on manufacturing. So it is our responsibility as a government to make sure that we make the investments and work with those communities so that that manufacturing sector can be competitive, that it can be competitive with all of the global jurisdictions, Mr. Speaker. It is our responsibility to recognize that we have to have a strategy that acknowledges the realities of 2014. That's how we've managed to create and foster more than 460,000 new jobs since the economic downturn, Mr. Speaker. Final supplementary. Speaker, I'm hopeful about Ontario's future. But the Premier seems to think that good manufacturing jobs are a relic of the 1970s. But when 30... And I'm hopeful about jobs as well, Speaker. I am hopeful about jobs. But when 34,000 Ontarians lost a job last month, our manufacturing sector hit nearly a 40-year low in terms of jobs, and when our unemployment rate is stubbornly stuck above the national average for years and years on end, can the Premier explain to Ontarians exactly how her plan that hasn't worked for years is somehow going to start working today? Well, Mr. Speaker, the recovery that has been in place and the 460,000 net new jobs that have been creating in Ontario since the economic downturn, I think our evidence that, although there is a fragility to that recovery, there is a recovery. We are coming back, Mr. Speaker. But now is not the moment to talk Ontario down. Now is the moment to support the communities, to support the businesses in this province, to partner with them, to build the infrastructure that is necessary, that they need in order to be able to move their goods around what their employees need in order to be able to move around the province. Now is the moment that those investments are important. That's why our budget is crafted the way it is. With upfront investment, Mr. Speaker, and those things that are necessary to help the economy thrive and a recognition that at the same time we need to eliminate the deficit by 2017-18. There's no either or there. We have to do both. That's what our budget lays out, Mr. Speaker. A question to members from Thank you, Mr. Speaker, through you to the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Minister, as you're aware, the apple growers in my riding Bruce Gray own sound and across Ontario have faced challenging times the last few years. However, they are looking forward to moving forward to rejuvenate their $16 million strong sector. Specifically, they want your help in facilitating revitalization plan so they can plant new varieties of apples which produce higher yields. Implementing Ontario's own apple revitalization plan is a key aspect of our agricultural sector across the province and specifically in the riding of Bruce Gray own sound and Southern Georgian Bay Area which represent a quarter of the province's apple production. Minister, my question to you is what are you prepared to do to revitalize and rebuild Ontario's apple industry? Good question. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the member from Gray Bruce Owen Sound. He did provide me with a detail letter yesterday on this very important issue and my ministry now has commenced a review of this letter and it would be my commitment to get back to the member of Gray Bruce Owen Sound as quickly as possible. We do know that the apple industry is crucial part of Ontario's agri-food business and just a week ago I had the opportunity to be feeling phone calls a former colleague of Bill Burdock has the rocket talk with Bill Burdock a phone in show I spent an hour on that show and there were very detailed questions about the apple sector and other sectors of the agri-food economy and that members riding and as I said I make a commitment to that member to get back to them as quickly as possible on this very important issue. Mr. Speaker, again to the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Minister, as you're aware we have a big opportunity to grow in Ontario's apple industry so we're able to produce enough apples to supply the market and transport prospects and to create jobs will strengthen this important agricultural partner. Your budget commits 40 million to food processing but commits none to food growers is disappointing and a bit perplexing. So Minister, will you commit to utilizing a portion of the 40 million dollars to facilitate the development of Ontario's own apple revitalization plan and be a champion for Ontario's apple industry. Thank you. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the member for his supplementary. He did make a very positive suggestion and we'll certainly follow up on that and you know Mr. Speaker, later this year the Premier, our Minister of Trade will be going on a trade mission to China and that will be a perfect opportunity to talk about the great food that is growing in Ontario to look at new markets for such things as apples that are growing in Ontario and that will be a great opportunity to do that. I want to thank the member for his question and I want to commend all members of this House get to your local farmers markets and buy those Ontario apples. Second to none. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Finance. Here are the facts of your so-called progressive budget. Program spending is flat lined for three years between 2014-15, 2017-18 but given inflation and the growing population that's a plan essentially to cut spending by 3% each year. That's a 9% cut in real terms in program spending over three years. You didn't talk about that during the election. Even the Globe and Mail calls this budget for what it is. It is an austerity budget. Will the Premier finally admit that a budget that cuts real program spending by 9% is anything but progressive. It is an austerity budget pure and simple. Thank you Mr. Speaker. It was a real pleasure yesterday to reintroduce the budget that is progressive, that is positive that does balance the growth by 2017-18 and it looks after the best of the people of our province. People of the province who have in fact reviewed the budget over the last 60 days and have endorsed exactly the plan as a 10-year plan. We recognize the challenges that we face. That is why we've taken all the essential necessary steps to recalibrate our spending where necessary and we will cut where we can. We will invest where we must because that is what's going to enable us to succeed in the future for the benefit of our children and grandchildren so that we do not pass the burden of debt on to future generations. Thank you Mr. Speaker. So as I was saying this is an austerity budget that is going to cut far deeper in some areas than in others. This budget will hurt the people of this province and you know it, everyone in this house actually knows it. So we're talking about a potential 10% cut or more in programs and services that everything works depend upon but this government won't come clean with the public and tell us where the cuts are going to fall. Will this government finally admit that its so-called progressive budget is truly a Trojan horse budget and will it tell us where those 9% cuts are going to happen where it's going to hurt the people of this province and how you are actually going to balance this budget. So Mr. Speaker, we are making the necessary investments. We are doing what the people of Ontario and their priorities have brought to us because we took over 600,000 submissions in preparing this budget and this plan. We are continuing to do what's necessary to provide a jobs fund to enable more jobs and more investment in our province. We are the top jurisdiction in North America for foreign direct investments surpassing California, Texas, New York and every other province in Canada but this is what the member opposite has voted against in terms of the progressive nature of this budget. She voted against a Maine Ontario pension plan. She voted against increasing Ontario child benefits. She voted against increasing social assistance benefits. She voted against increasing employment benefits. She voted $810 million for adults and developmental disabilities. She voted against low income health benefits and much more for our young people and personal support workers. Thank you. Any questions? The member from Prince Edward Hastings. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. My question this morning is for the Premier. Just after the Easter weekend in April you visited the flood affected areas in Belleville only to let people there know that you had no immediate assistance to provide either to the municipality or to homeowners. One of the residents on River Road, Derek Swaffer actually said that you could visit his property as long as you did something about it. Three months later, here we are in the homes in Foxborough and Tweed that were hit by the flooding or still awaiting some kind of action. Premier, why does it seem that only residents in some disaster affected parts of the province receive immediate help from this government? Thank you Premier. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. I think the member opposite knows full well that when there is an application in terms of disaster relief that has to go through a process. I think he knows that perfectly well. He also knows that when there is a disaster and it doesn't matter where it is in the province there are emergency management personnel who are on the ground. They are at the disposal of those municipalities in every situation Mr. Speaker. And I spoke with mayors in the region that he's talking about. I've spoken with mayors and councillors in other parts of the province where there has been problems whether it's tornadoes or whether it's flooding he knows full well that the emergency management response folks are available immediately. Those are provincial resources that are at the disposal of the municipalities. He knows that Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Let me remind the Premier that you could personally deliver gift cards and disaster relief when it was a rioting that you wanted to take from the NDP. You were there the next morning knocking on their door with the gift card with the photo off going. The problem is it's not like this kind of delay is a one time occurrence. This isn't even the only municipality in Prince Edward Hastings that's waiting for disaster relief. Prince Edward County's been given the run around in trying to fill out its disaster relief paperwork for over a half million dollars worth of damage that it sustained during that same ice storm where you were gladly handing out the gift cards here in Toronto. In fact, your government has had to start up a special program just to deal with the issue for Prince Edward County. More red tape. Premier, you could find immediate relief for other municipalities affected by last winter's ice storm. Why is it that you can't do the right thing for the people of Prince Edward County and Prince Edward Hastings? They deserve it. Well, Mr. Speaker, that's a question that is well beneath the dignity of any member of this house. We do, Mr. Speaker, every single day. That is what our government does every single day, Mr. Speaker. And to suggest that we would treat one part of the province differently than others is it is simply, simply not the case, Mr. Speaker. The Ontario Disaster Relief Assistance Program, ODRAP helps municipalities, individuals, but the member opposite knows perfectly well that there is a process. There is a process that requires that there be a distinction between what is the municipal infrastructure that needs support. What is the personal and private property that needs support, Mr. Speaker? It takes time to unravel that, whether it's in Godridge or whether it's in Thunder Bay or whether it's in Peterborough or whether it is in Prince Edward Hastings, Mr. Speaker. So the reality is that that process is in place and we will make sure that Thank you. The question is the minister of transportation. Minister, the people of the north have long called for the widening of northern highways as the lifelines to their communities. In particular, the four-laning or the health and safety of those that travel north or south along that corridor, as well as the economic development of the region. The budget table in this house tells us that in the last 10 years, only 50 kilometres of highway 69 between Subbury and Perry Sound have been widened. Right now there's 18 kilometres under construction with another 80 kilometres left to go. Meanwhile, the government has stated that the entire project will be completed by 2017-2018. Minister, will the government complete the four-laning of all of highway 69 by 2017-18? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and I want to begin because I believe this is the first question that the newly elected member from Subbury has had the chance to ask and the question I want to congratulate him on his election win. And I also want to say, Speaker, it has an extraordinary story to tell with respect to the commitments and the investments that we made in northern Ontario. And that speaker is in large part due to the fact that the members that serve in this caucus and this government that have over the last 10 years have worked very, very hard to make sure that we are moving forward in a positive way with the kinds of projects, including the project that the member from Subbury has just talked about, Speaker. In fact, Speaker, since 2003 our government has invested more than a billion dollars and we've spent that on expansion to forlain and to initiate other safety improvements on highway 69 between, for example, Port Severn and Sudbury. We know that we have additional work to do, Speaker. We will continue to work harder in yesterday's budget. We talked about the 29 billion dollars that we intend to invest over the next 10 years to make sure that every corner of this province is properly served with the transportation infrastructure that we need. Minister, I understand that the last 80 km stretch of highway 69 to be twin first involves consultation with First Nations. What guarantees will this minister make that the twinning of highway 69 will be completed by 2017-18? Thank you, Minister. Well, as I said, and I thank the member opposite for the supplementary question, as I said in my initial answer, Speaker, we have worked very hard over the last 10 years to make sure that all corners of this province, including Northern Ontario, including the community of Sudbury and areas near Sudbury, as has been mentioned, 50 km of this particular highway have already been completed, Speaker, and an additional 20 km are currently under construction. I know that Ministry of Transportation staff are working very hard to get the needed approvals for the remaining 82 km to complete the corridor. What I also know, Speaker, is that in yesterday's budget, as I mentioned a second ago, we committed to invest 29 billion dollars over the next 10 years to make sure that communities right across Northern Ontario have the transportation infrastructure that they need. We will continue on this side of the House to work very hard to make sure that we fulfill these commitments. Thank you. Mr Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure. Mr Speaker, small businesses are the cornerstone of our economy. In fact, 99% of businesses in Ontario are smaller, medium-sized. Our government plans to create jobs and grow our economy will support small businesses by continuing to cut the red tape, invest in infrastructure and make smart strategic investments that create conditions to allow businesses that need to thrive. The Minister recently reintroduced a bill that would legislate some of these objectives. Entrepreneurs and small business owners in Brampton Springdale are anxious to hear how this legislation will make running a business in Ontario easier. Could the Minister please say a few words about the legislation and how it supports our government's plan to create jobs and grow our economy? Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. Congratulations to the member from Brampton Springdale. Her first question in the legislation. I'll be up with a little hesitation at first, but she's up on her feet and it's great to see small business, Mr Speaker, is critical to our economy. Their innovation and entrepreneurial spirit creates jobs that are working with small businesses and the CFIB to do everything we can to make it easier to do business in Ontario. We've already removed 80,000 regulatory requirements on business. That's a 70% cut in regulatory burden. The Better Business Climate Act, if passed, will commit the Ontario Government to measuring and reporting annually on progress made in reducing regulatory burden. It also requires ministries to undertake and measure the impacts of one burden reduction in 2016-17. That will save Ontario businesses about $100 million. We're proud of this piece of legislation, Mr Speaker. I encourage the members opposite to support us in moving forward on behalf of small businesses in this province. Thank you, supplementary. Thank you, Minister, for the update. It's great to hear how small businesses are being supported across Ontario. I'm glad to see that this government recognizes the contribution that Ontario has made to the economy. In my writing to Brampton Springdale, my constituents are looking to understand how our strategic investments and our partnerships with businesses are creating jobs and growing our economy across Ontario. Our government is committed to partnering with industry in a fiscally responsible way through initiatives like the Southwestern and Eastern Ontario Development Funds and the Rural Economic Development Fund. These investments help them compete together. Thank you, Mr Speaker. Through you to the Minister of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure, could the Minister please elaborate on how this legislation will help Ontario build strong clusters to sustain our thriving economic sector? Thank you, Minister. Thank you, Mr Speaker. We're passionately committed to building a more competitive business environment in Ontario. By building regional clusters to the province, it will require government and consultation with business, academia, labour and non-profit organizations to develop plans for regional economic clusters. We know that strong regional hubs spur innovation and collaboration. And when sectors thrive, our province is better positioned to attract new global investments. Cisco and Open Text are just two examples of global companies that chose to invest in Ontario because of our thriving tech sector. This legislation would require government to publicly release cluster development plans with a mandate to review every five years. Combined with the measures proposed in our budget, these measures would build a stronger, more competitive Ontario economy and create jobs for our province. Thank you, Mr Speaker. Thank you. New question to members from all in Norfolk. Professor of Natural Resources, I've raised the question of Asian carp devastation with your support and he told me to go lobby my federal cousins. So, I did talk to my federal counterpart and I'm pleased to announce that they've tackled the problem. All of the Norfolk cabinet minister, Diane Finley and Bruce Gray, Owen Sound, Larry Miller, announced the opening of a state of the art research facility in Burlington that will allow the announcers of samples in Canada rather than waiting on American fish. The federal government also committed to more monitoring at detector sites and collaborative research with the United States. So, the ball is in your court, minister. My question, when is your minister going to go a step beyond the ban on live Asian carp and require any fish imported for food be gutted? Thank you. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for the question. He absolutely raises an issue that is of serious concern to those of us on this side of the house and I think all parties including both opposition parties. I want to thank him for the question. I would say the obvious response for me is the new minister of natural resources and forestry would be to congratulate the former minister on the introduction in the legislature of the invasive species to the legislature not that long ago and as a result of the opposition parties making a decision that an election was necessary that particular piece of legislation did not have an opportunity to come forward. Obviously, Speaker, it's our intention to reintroduce that legislation at the very earliest opportunity. Obviously, that speaks very clearly to how importantly we take this issue as well as the issue around all invasive species in the province of Ontario so we look forward to that and reintroduce this legislation at the very earliest opportunity. Certainly, you know that if Asian carp do become established in the Great Lakes it will devastate our commercial fishery, our recreational fishery, our boating industry. Minister, I traveled on my own dime to testify before the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on alternatives for the Chicago area waterways. When I read the final transcripts of these individuals who testified no representation from the interior government. Why does your government still not take this seriously enough to not even provide comments let alone redirect necessary funding? We know M&R has finally allowed has finally been allowed by this government to table that legislation not that the carp are going to obey it but when will government resources be reallustrated to your ministry to M&R to help steer off this clear and present danger. Thank you. Thank you, Minister. Thank the member for his question and I will recommend and commend and thank the federal government for their investment. I did receive a note on this last week or two weeks ago their investment. I think the lab is in Burlington. It's welcomed. It's proactive. We thank them for their investment speaking very clearly to initiatives of great concern to ours but I would say to the member that as is often the case Ontario was proactive on the issue and in fact moved on this issue far before this announcement last week about the lab in Burlington. Again I think it was one or two years ago a very short time ago where through our government we made an investment of 15 million or so dollars in an invasive species research centre in Sioux-Saint-Marie and in fact speaker I would say to the member the legislation was there we've invested in our own lab and research centre in Sioux-Saint-Marie so it speaks very clearly to obviously how seriously we're taking the issue as I've said we look forward to the earliest opportunity to reintroduce the legislation in invasive species. Thank you. My question is for the Premier. The Liberal Trojan horse budget contains a lot of surprises but it's missing a lot of things too. Now families in Kingston have been fighting to save their local schools and preserve their downtown but Liberals refuse to listen. This budget does nothing to stop the closure of Kingston Collegiate and Queen Elizabeth Collegiate. In fact it leaves even more schools at risk of closing right across the province. Will the Premier explain why her Trojan horse budget leaves Kingston schools on the chopping block? Minister of Education. Yes, thank you. I actually want to talk about some of the things that are in the budget for education. So for example over the next 10 years we actually have a $11 billion investment in new infrastructure and in particular over the next few years we've got a huge investment of billions of dollars in funding to renew schools because we know that many of the schools in Ontario were built for the baby boomer generation and that in many schools in Ontario we actually do need to have some retrofitting and some renewal going on. So we have a significant budget that is specifically targeted at renewing schools throughout Ontario that need some upgrading but I am very proud that we have invested more in renewing schools and building new schools than any other government. This budget sends a pretty clear message to families the government plans to do nothing to save local schools like the ones in Kingston. In fact, this Trojan horse budget lays out a plan for even more school closures and consolidations in small towns and urban neighbourhoods across our province. Even more residents will be forced to fight just to keep their local neighbourhood school open. The Liberals might call it a plan to quote reduce surplus space but communities and families call it plain and simple school closures. Why won't the Premier listen to families right across Ontario and instead of closing local schools do the right thing and keep them open including the ones in Kingston. Thank you. One of the things that I found really fascinating when I was looking at their platform was they thought it would be amazing if they spent $60 million on school infrastructure. Has anybody listened to this? $60 million versus billions and they're complaining that we're not spending money on schools? Please Speaker this makes absolutely no sense but one of the things that I was also delighted to see this year was that we've actually started to talk to boards about how they can make use of school space together because there are a number of small rural communities where there are a number of schools all of which are half empty and in fact part of that capital funding is available to communities where the boards get together to use school spaces together and make sure they have a good learning place for children from a variety of places. Thank you. Good question. Thank you Mr Speaker. My question is for the Government to ensure equal access to justice for the people of Ontario. I know that the Ministry of the Attorney General and Legal Aid Ontario have worked together over the years to provide legal aid services in Ontario that are effective, sustainable and support are most vulnerable. Mr Speaker I also understand that Legal Aid Ontario and Arms Length and Publicly Funded Agency further support community legal clinics and frontline client services. These clinics include valued agencies such as Parkdale Community Legal Services Western Toronto Community Legal Services and Unison Community Services which together serve the riding of Davenport. Mr Speaker, could the Attorney General please tell us more about these programs introduced by Legal Aid Ontario. Attorney General Thank you Mr Speaker. I would like to thank the MPP for Davenport and congratulations for the election. Depending on individuals eligibility the first program funds 10 hours with family lawyer to engage in settlement discussions and finalize separation agreements. The other provided 6 hours of legal advice for those who have chosen mediation services to settle disputes. Innovative legal service programs such as these two programs are made possible by commitments from our government including the $30 million increase which we committed in our 2013 budget. This funding is meant specifically for family law services and demonstrate our government's belief that community and legal clinics play an integral role in our table justice system. So this is part of our poverty reduction strategy and I was very pleased to see the announcement by Legal Aid last week. Thank you very much. Thank you Mr Speaker and I thank the Attorney General for that answer. Mr Speaker, I am pleased to hear of our government's continued commitment to providing legal services to all Ontarians regardless of their circumstances. As the Attorney General just mentioned in the 2013 budget we committed to investing $30 million over the next three years in additional funding to Legal Aid Ontario. This funding will go directly to the improvement of frontline client services through family law service centres and community and legal aids not only in Davenport but across the whole province. Mr Speaker could the Attorney General please tell us how the 2014 budget if passed will continue to show our commitment to the delivery of frontline legal services. Thank you Attorney General. I am so impressed with this member because she really care about the constituents that are less fortunate in her community. Mr Speaker passed the 2014 budget includes a strategy to expand access to legal aid by raising the income eligibility threshold to qualified for legal aid assistance. Currently Legal Aid's income eligibility threshold is at $10,800 for an individual. The budget propose an incremental increase of 6% per year over the next seven years. So Ontario Legal Aid System ensure Ontario have access to the legal service they need. So again this is part of our poverty reduction strategy and thanks that we were re-elected because there is someone a party who is speaking on behalf of the less fortunate in our community. You have a question? Very good. Thank you Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Natural Resources. Minister, over the past two and three-quarter years I've established a very positive working relationship with former M&R ministers Gravel and Orzetti. Good guys. Rondo Park is the home to 283 cottages and these cottages belong in Rondo. This park was first chartered as a park back in 1894. That's 120 years ago. Throughout the decades cottagers have lived in harmony with the park's nature. Minister, in past I presented a win-win solution that would keep the cottagers in the park while being sensitive to the revenue challenges, its ecology and endangered species. Minister, will you commit today to working with me so that together we can come up with a plan to keep the cottagers in Rondo and, quote, get out of town deadline of December 31st, 2017? We're here. Thank you. Thank you very much. The member puts the pressure on me greatly by beginning his question by reminding everybody that I'm following in the footsteps of Ministers Gravel and Minister Orzetti but I'll do my best to meet his concern and his challenge. Speaker, the issue regarding Rondo and the leases that exist obviously have garnered a great deal of attention over the last number of years. When I was not a Minister, I followed the debate closely, I listened to it closely. As the member has said in his question the leases do not expire until the end of December 2017. There is no decision imminent. I have been briefed on the issue. We are discussing it on a regular basis but I will tell the member that I'm more than happy to work with him on an ongoing basis. I'm not apprised of his suggestions in relation to what he sees as a solution for Rondo Park. He's just suggested to me that he has some. I'm interested in hearing those and I look forward to working with the member. Thank you, Minister. In order to preserve these heritage cottages action needs to be taken now. Cottages are in need of repair. Decades of family memories are at risk of being destroyed unless we come up with equitable solutions to their dilemma. Environmental reports are in unfortunately economic assessment is not. Minister, I do have a plan to restore Rondo to its glory days where there was a buzz within the community in a beehive of activity drawing families to the park. My fond memories include hiking, archery, biking, swimming, fishing, boating, family picnics. Minister, you're from the great Ontario Northland. I know that you can relate and would not want to see these activities evaporate from Rondo landscape. Cottages need the park, but more importantly, Minister, the park needs the cottages. Minister, will you commit today to ensuring cottages remain in Rondo Park? One of the things for lack of a better word that the ministry went forward with in terms of policy related to the leases at Rondo was the commissioning of two additional studies. Both environmental and economic impact. I believe the member said in his question that one is in and one is not. It's my understanding that both of the studies are completed, that both of them are in and that the results of both of those studies are being reviewed about the potential impacts and the data that they yield in terms of the decision making around Rondo. I would add for the member as well, it's my understanding that third party review is being undertaken on both of the studies, both the environmental study and the economic activity study so that we can very reliable count on the data that is yielded from both of those studies and that will infuse our policy and decision making process on a go forward basis. So once we've had an opportunity to view the detail from those studies, we'll be in a better position to advise the member of a decision going forward. Thank you. Thank you Mr. Speaker and good morning to you. My question is to the minister of finance. The power dam special payment program was implemented in 2001 to replace the property taxation revenue associated with the hydroelectric electric plants when they were deemed exempt. In the case of the community of Wawa, 47% of their property assessment base was declared exempt. If this liberal government proceeds with the cancellation of this program, Wawa and 110 other small communities will be unable to meet their financial obligations. Will this government stop the cuts to the power dam special payment program before many of these communities are forced into financial crisis? Thank you. Thank you Mr. Speaker. And I thank the member opposite for the question as well as his advocacy. I know that he's been concerned about the effects that this will have on the communities in the north, particularly Wawa. We're having ongoing discussions, as we said we would. I appreciate the correspondence that you've had with me and we are taking this up with the municipality recognizing the adverse effects that that would have on one particular community versus the overall policy that we're putting forward we're sensitive to that and I congratulate you for bringing it forward as well. Thank you. Again to the Minister of Finance, the power dam special payment program is a very small program but the impact of the clawback is large for many small communities. The payments from this program are significant contributions to the community. Since 2001 the payments have not kept pace with either inflation or property taxation rates in any community resulting in an unfair shift to the remaining assessment base. The only way for communities to recapture the lost revenue is through a property taxation increase or by cutting services. Minister, please tell the good people of Wawa how progressive your budget is again and will this government do the right thing with this Wawa in 110 other communities affected by the significant loss of revenue due to the cuts of your budgets as implemented. Mr. Speaker, again as I mentioned we'll be working closely with the Mayor of Wawa to ensure the effects of his municipality are properly managed. We recognize the importance this has in the municipality to receive an appropriate level of support but keep in mind that combined with OMPF the province's upload has increased by $1.3 million since 2004 more than 85% in 2014 this support includes nearly $2.1 million through the OMPF which is equivalent to $1,222 per household nearly 12 times the provincial average and over $850,000 through the provincial upload to social assistance benefits so we recognize the importance of our municipalities we are partnering with them including Wawa and our ministry will reach out to the municipality representatives to seek input as part of our consultation process so that no one is adversely affected we recognize exceptional circumstances in Wawa and again thank you for bringing to our attention. Thank you Mr. Speaker my question is to the minister of development and mines I'm incredibly proud of a government's aspirational priorities that will lay out in the throne speech Mr. Speaker international businesses are coming to Ontario and local businesses grow here because of the talent and dedication of our workforce that is why our government's throne speech we are committed to building a stronger business climate it is this government's ambitious goal for Ontario to become the North America's leading jurisdiction for talent, skills and training to achieve this goal Mr. Speaker our government must have a pan-Ontario vision that understands regional considerations and needs Speaker through you to the minister can he please inform the House on his ministry's vision on skills and training development that will build a stronger northern economy Good question Thank you very much for the question I thank the member for Scarborough we are not going to get a supplementary so I do want to make sure I get to the regional component but certainly we are very very proud of our government's determined and focused approach to skills development the 30% off tuition grant has made a huge difference to northern Ontario students at university and college in terms of getting their first degree the youth employment fund having a real impact already 2100 students in northern Ontario but the northern component that is so important really is the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund cooperation's co-op and intern program we've invested over $63 million dollars which leverage close to another $36 million dollars from community partners partners we've been able to create almost 4,000 co-op placements and internships since 2005 so they're inaugurating the work experience they need to succeed so these are great examples of programs that work to develop the skills that are needed to move our diversified economy forward in northern Ontario and I thank you for the time speaker we know deferred votes this house stands recess until 3pm this afternoon