 It is now time for oral questions. I recognize the leader of the official opposition. Thank you very much, Speaker. My first question is to the Premier. Tomorrow, General Motors is going to be meeting with U.S. lawmakers about their restructuring plans. These lawmakers have all made it clear that they're not going to throw in the towel when it comes to fighting GM's decisions to move jobs out of their communities. Meanwhile, the Premier's message to GM workers is, it's over. It's done. Why does the Premier think throwing in the towel is the only option? Premier. Through you, Mr. Speaker, over the last few days, probably a week or so, I've talked to more GM workers and their families than anyone in the country. Anyone in the country. I actually, I spoke to a mother of a GM worker, spoke to a mother of a GM worker this morning, and when I told her we're going to be working our backs off and we're continually working our backs off to create new opportunities, opportunities for GM workers that they don't have to worry about losing their jobs every two years, because that's what it seems been happening with GM and Oshawa. Every two years, they're either there for bailout or they're threatening to close those facility downs. We have all hands on deck. We had four ministers at our meeting up in Durham. We had our local MPPs up there. We're reaching out to every major company in the world. Thank you. Thank you. Supplementary. Wow. Well, Speaker, in a joint statement, the two U.S. Senators for Ohio made it very clear. I said, and I quote, we are committed to saving these jobs. GM work and again, and we will continue to fight on their behalf, is what those Senators said. They're sitting down with GM tomorrow, Speaker, to fight for jobs in their community. Why isn't the Premier putting up the same fight for workers in Oshawa? Premier. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Everyone in this chamber, especially the leader of the NDP knows I never walk away from a fight ever. Ever. So I'll be fighting for lower taxes on every individual, lower taxes on businesses. I'm going to be fighting to get rid of this nasty carbon tax because you can't be, you know, saying you can't be fighting for a carbon tax one day on a Monday and then wonder why jobs are leaving on a Tuesday. That's what the opposition's doing. They're continuously fighting to raise taxes, to make sure they have a carbon tax. We just passed Bill 47. It's a great bill to attract new companies. Speaker, except when overnight the Premier walked away from the fight to save jobs that will fight for jobs, instead they have a Premier who says it's over, it's done. The thousands of people who rely on GM for direct and indirect jobs need an auto strategy. Instead, this government scraps support for electric cars, leaves the position of auto adviser vacant for months and refuses to fight for their jobs. Why is the Premier refusing to do what every other elected leader across North America is already doing, standing up for the workers at GM and saying, I'm not... Through you, Mr. Speaker, as the leader of the NDP will be saying this for the next year, as the jobs are going to be wound down, we're going to be out there creating new jobs, great paying jobs, secure jobs, because our government's creating jobs in Ontario. We lost 300,000 jobs under the previous administration that the NDP voted 97% of the time with their Liberal partners there. We have changed the rules in this province about creating jobs. We've lowered the hydro rates. We've ended up getting rid of wasteful energy contracts to a tune of $790 million, bringing hydro rates down, bringing taxes down, creating an environment, creating an environment that Ontario is open for business. I was just speaking to the Minister of Finance, he was over in New York. The best words I've ever heard are those three words were open for business. Thank you. Start the clock. Next question, Leader of the Opposition. Well, Speaker, my next question is also for the Premier, notwithstanding the fact that he's making stuff up about the NDP again in his responses. I have to ask the Leader of the Opposition to withdraw. Speaker, the Globe and Mail reported this week that the Premier and Dean French's Chief of Staff are working very hard, in fact, to ensure that Toronto hydro CEO Anthony Haynes gets the CEO position at Hydro One. As a Toronto councillor, the Premier was an ally of Haynes, supporting him as his salary climbed to $1.1 million a year. According to the governance agreement, however, with Hydro One, the hiring of the CEO is a decision for the Board and the Board alone. Can the Premier explain why Dean French's Chief of Staff is personally intervening rather to land the job for Haynes? Premier, Minister of Energy. The Leader of the Opposition asked a pertinent question. Let's look at the difference between OPG and Hydro One. OPG is a Crown Corporation, Hydro One's a private company. That's the difference. What's the same about them is they make their own staffing decisions. So a Crown Corporation making their own staffing decisions, a private company making their own staffing decisions. Thank you. Well, Speaker, according to the Globe report, the only Hydro One directors supporting the Premier's favoured candidate are the ones that the Premier installed on the Board. Six out of six of the independent directors at Hydro One are rejecting the Premier's personal pick and have even hired a lawyer to help them deal with the Premier and his Chief of Staff. Why is the Premier so adamant on foisting his hire upon Hydro One? Well, thank you, Mr Speaker. As I said before, both OPG as a Crown Corporation and Hydro One as a private corporation make their own staffing decisions. We've endeavored to renew the leadership there and reflect the cost savings that matters to the people who pay their hydro bills each and every month. But I find it interesting that the leader of the opposition, the head of the anti-nuclear Democratic Party, would have gotten involved in the operations... Order. ...would have gotten involved in the operations of our public utility and cut 7,500 people loose. That's what they claimed on it. We're standing up for those jobs. That's a skilled workforce in pickering up Oxbridge and we're going to defend those jobs every day. We won't let her have an operational say. Restart the clock. Supplementary. What we see a lot of is the government standing up for the Premier's hand-picked friends and high-position speakers. Once again, the Premier and his hand-picked Chief of Staff seem to think they can do whatever they want, whenever they want, and stick the people of Ontario with the bill. We're already paying half a million dollars because the Premier's Chief of Staff demanded that Ali Ken Valshi be fired after a single day of work. Now the Premier wants to meddle in the hiring at Hydro One. Why is the Premier's Chief of Staff, Dean French, inappropriately intervening in this hiring process? Minister. Mr. Speaker, then maybe just by way of review, we'll look at the differences and similarities between these two companies. OPG is a crown corporation. It's different from Hydro One as a private corporation. Those would be the differences. Oppositions come to order. The similarities are, or the similarity, with respect to human resources, is that they make their own staffing decisions, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Next question. Maybe the opposition. Speaker, my next question is also to the Premier. Yesterday we asked the Minister of Community Safety regarding the serious concerns raised about the Premier's appointment of a new OPP commissioner. iPolitics has just broken a story. They report that when the top job with the Ontario Provincial Police was posted in October, Ron Taverner couldn't apply because his rank was too low. Then two days later, the requirements suddenly changed. Can the Premier tell us if the Premier's office had anything to do with this change, or did the Premier recuse himself from that decision? Premier, to a community safety and correctional services. Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services. Thank you, Speaker. As was reported, there was a change in the qualification request for the ad. But from reading the reports, it was to ensure that more people applied. We wanted to make sure that the best person to have perfect kinks in the islands was going to apply. The hiring firm made that decision and it's been done. Frankly, I find it pretty offensive that someone who has spent literally decades in our public service has been suggested that he is not qualified to serve as the commissioner for the OPP. That's what I find offensive. Well, Speaker, what is shocking is that this minister just admitted that the hiring process was changed so that a certain someone like the Premier's friend would suddenly be able to qualify for serious concerns about disappointment and the process. Chris Lewis, the former OPP commissioner, has claimed, quote, the fix was in from day one. Now it looks as though the government has finally rewrote the job description so a friend of the Premier's could apply for the job. Will the government commit to a transparent and impartial review of this hiring process for this incredibly important position? The Independent Hiring Committee unanimously supported the appointment of Ron Travner. I was happy to endorse that at Cabinet last Thursday, but I want to remind people that it wasn't just about us. Rob Jameson, President of the Ontario Police Association. On behalf of the Uniformed and Civilian Members of the OPPA, I would like to welcome our new commissioner. We look forward to working collaboratively with Commissioner Ron Travner, someone who has such a proven track record in Ron Police Association of Ontario. He's been known Superintendent Ron Travner for 30-plus years. He's a hard-working, progressive, and dedicated officer. Ron is a great choice to lead Ontario Police Service. And the Chief of Police from the City of Toronto. The City of Toronto's loss by having Ron Travner lead is actually the OPP's game. He will be an excellent officer. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. This is to the Minister of Environment, Conservation, and Parks. For too long, the hard-working people of this province were faced with inflated costs that they simply could not afford. With the passing of the Cap and Trade Cancellation Act, Ontarians have finally been able to feel some relief. While the Trudeau Liberals advocate that a carbon tax is the only viable option to reduce emissions, they fail to see that their tax will once again make life unaffordable. The people of this province need a government that will stand up for them. They need to know that our government will do everything they can within our power to stop the Trudeau carbon tax. Can the Minister tell this House what our government, what the leadership of Premier Ford intends to do to stop this regressive job-killing tax from being imposed on our province? Minister of the Environment, Conservation, and Parks. Mr. Speaker, through you to the member from Chatham-Canton, thank you for that question. Mr. Speaker, our government made a promise to the people of Ontario, a promise to get rid of the job-killing Cap and Trade program. But we did not do that, Mr. Speaker. We did not do that, Mr. Speaker, to have the federal Liberals just impose a carbon tax that the FAO says will cost $648 per family, Mr. Speaker. We didn't get rid of Cap and Trade just to have an even worse carbon tax put in its place. And that's why, under the leadership of our Premier, Mr. Speaker, there are now six provinces, six provinces across this country that are standing together, standing against the federal plan. Most recently, the province of New Brunswick, who said last week they will join the court challenge against this unconstitutional, regressive job-killing tax. Mr. Speaker, we will do everything in our power to stop Justin Trudeau's carbon tax. Here. Supplementary. Thank you, Speaker. You know, it's good to know that our government remains committed to doing everything we can to ensure that the hardworking people of our province are no longer punished with increased costs to everything. Speaker, the province of Ontario has the authority to make decisions on how Ontario will fight climate change. Our government is serious about taking actions against the challenges we face because of climate change. Last week, the minister brought forward our plan that will in fact ensure that we share our, or take, or refer to, you know, and take, well, what's the exact word? We will hold on to the Paris Agreement. So, again, can the minister highlight the actions we will take to ensure that Ontario's continues progress towards our targets? Minister. Just a little excited. I've never heard the number from Chatham Canada lost for words. This is the excitement of our Made in Ontario environment plan, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it's a comprehensive plan that ensures clean air, clean water, clean land, but also addresses the challenge of climate change. We did commit to meet Canada's targets in terms of the Paris Accords Ontario's share of that, which is a 30% reduction by 2030. Ontarians have already made great contributions in that regard, 22% reduction, and we have put a plan together that will constructively and in a common sense where we take that down, that extra 8%. Mr. Speaker, we've also put a plan in place that will make sure that we are taking care of our waterways, that we are monitoring and making people aware of sewage discharges. We've talked about municipalities having a say in landfill. There are many parts of this plan that I look forward to talking about, but Mr. Speaker, the one thing that isn't that plan, the one thing that we promised wouldn't be in that plan, and the one thing that Ontarians can count on us to fight is a carbon tax that's going to hurt families and hurt businesses. Which one? The member for Kingston and the Islands. I'm good, okay, sorry. I apologize to all of you. Last week I almost stole a question from over there, so yesterday we heard from legal experts and environmental experts including the Canadian Environmental Law Association, Ontario Headwaters, and the former Deputy Environmental Commissioner. They warned that the government's decision to abolish the Independent Environmental Commissioner would gut environmental oversight and accountability in this province. Will the Premier listen to these experts and keep this important independent office? Premier. Minister of Environment. Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parts. Mr. Speaker, through you to the member, and I thank the member for the question. Mr. Speaker, the changes we've made are going to ensure that Ontario continues to be the only province that has an environmental commissioner. Our environmental commissioner will be independent of the auspices of the Auditor General. Mr. Speaker, this reflects our government's need to deal with the fact that we have a $15 billion deficit that we're dealing with as a government, but that we still may in chairing the appropriate oversight that the commissioner will be there working under the Auditor General to ensure that all of the various oversight and other requirements are in place that we can continue to balance a healthy economy and a healthy environment. Supplementary. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That's an interesting answer because the government just tabled amendments to Bill 57 to provide for potential layoffs to the office of the environmental commissioner. It looks like the government is planning on some staffing cuts when it comes to the environment. Why is the Premier so afraid of environmental oversight and accountability? Mr. Speaker. Still 57, right? Mr. Speaker, and I thank the member of the NDP for the question. I note that the NDP didn't apparently file any amendment to Bill 57. Did I write, Mr. House Leader? I guess they don't have any concerns in fact, none related No good ideas over there. No ideas on any of the aspects and nothing related to the environment commissioner. The committee will duly consider the amendments and make the decisions on it as they should. They will be voted by this House. But, Mr. Speaker, the important aspect is that Ontario will maintain an environment commissioner. That environment commissioner will in fact be in the federal model, the exact same model as the federal government uses working with the Auditor General and it will remain the only province that has an environment commissioner. Next question. I'm going to ask the minister of food and rural affairs. My favorite minister. The minister spoke at the Ontario Greenhouse Alliance reception last week and pointed out numerous ways in which our government is supporting the greenhouse sector in areas such as labour, natural gas expansion and reducing regulatory burdens. Ontario represents almost 60% of the production area for Canadian greenhouse vegetables. And last year, Ontario's greenhouse sector and related value chain supported over 81,000 jobs enabling the people of Ontario to enjoy fresh Ontario vegetables all year long. Last week, the minister announced that our government is redesigning funding to ensure it will help the greenhouse sector take their businesses a step ahead through innovation. Can the minister please tell us what steps this government has taken to reduce burdens for greenhouse businesses in Ontario? Minister, they are called for food and rural affairs. Thank you very much. Last week, I was proud to announce that our government has redesigned up to $8 million in existing funding projects delivered through the Agriculture Adaptation Council to help fund more projects and encourage more innovation in the greenhouse sector. Our government has already taken action to help greenhouse sector by reducing regulatory burdens ending the cap and trade carbon tax reducing energy bills for our greenhouse producers. By working with the private sector we are creating more incentives to expand natural gas to rural and remote communities to assist our producers with their energy costs. Our government continues to press the federal government on the temporary foreign workers program to have it reflect the unique circumstances of the agriculture food production. We are committed to working with our greenhouse farmers to continue to promote growth and innovation. Supplementary. Thank you, Mr. Speaker and to the minister for his answer and his support of our greenhouse industry in Ontario. Greenhouse farmers across Carlton such as Suntech Farms will be happy to hear about the ways in which our government for the people is supporting them in areas such as labour natural gas expansion and reducing regulatory burdens. Our investment in the greenhouse sector will result in additional innovative projects occurring in the greenhouse sector specifically programs that are accelerated or incremental. It is great that our government was able to work with the sector to make this program more effective. Can the minister please tell us how we are supporting the needs of the greenhouse industry in Ontario? Minister? Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank the member again for a supplementary question. As the member previously mentioned we are helping our greenhouse sector across numerous areas such as labour natural gas expansion and reducing regulatory burdens. Our government is working with our partners in the Ontario greenhouse vegetables and ornamental sectors to make sure we deliver maximum value for our investments. In fact Jan van der Hout chair of the Ontario greenhouse alliance says quote greenhouse agriculture is a driver for growth and jobs. We are very pleased to be working as a partner with minister Hardiman to get support for the greenhouse farmers. This funding will help the sector to continue implementing advanced technology that is more effective as a sector and to benefit consumers. Our government is proud to work with the Ontario greenhouse alliance as well as all of our other partners in the greenhouse fruit and vegetable and ornamental sectors. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker for the question. Thank you Mr. Speaker My question is to the minister of community safety and correctional services. Last week Statistics Canada released their annual report on hate crimes in Canada and it was not good. In Ontario there was a 67% increase in hate crimes last year well above the rest of the country. These troubling statistics demonstrate the highest number of hate crimes in Canada since 2009. Mr. Speaker lip service that there is no place for racism in Ontario is simply not enough. Concrete action needs to be taken. Will this government do the right thing and fully fund the anti-racism after it so that it can carry out its mandate of ensuring that Ontario is an equitable and safe place for all Ontarians. Minister of community safety and correctional services. Thank you for the question and I'm actually very pleased to be able to talk about that stats can statistics and release because it is important and notwithstanding your previous comment I do actually believe that there is no role there is no time and place where anti-racism should be accepted and will be accepted in our workflow racism apologies would be accepted in our homes in our communities in our workforces that's why I'm pleased that the anti-racism director will continue its important work we need to have those details in order to make sure we make the appropriate decisions to make sure everyone across Ontario is safe. Supplementary. Now more than ever the anti-racism directorate ought to be reinstated. The report clearly states that among the provinces the greatest increase in overall number of hate crimes was observed in Ontario. Hate crimes against Muslims increased an alarming 207% last year against black Ontarians it increased 84% and against the Jewish community it rose 41% this is beyond alarming it's disturbing real action needs to be taken now to combat anti-Semitism anti-black racism and Islamophobia and inflammatory rhetoric is not going to make this reality better combating racism in Ontario must be a priority will the government commit to expanding the anti-racism directorate mandate to ensure that government officials are trained so that they do not pass legislation that perpetuates hate violence. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I'm not sure where the rhetoric is coming from speaker. I said very clearly to make sure we make decisions with the facts we will do that with the assistance of the anti-racism directorate but again I will say we need to make sure that in our schools in our offices in our synagogues in our places of worship we protect those individuals who are targeted and subject to hate it is inappropriate isn't wrong and we will make sure that it and we will make sure as a government that we are putting policies and procedures in place to actually make a difference. Thank you. Order. Member for Scarborough-Gildwood During question. Member for Scarborough-Gildwood Speaker I seek unanimous consent to ask a question for the member from Thunder Bay Superior North. Member for Scarborough-Gildwood is seeking unanimous consent of the House to permit her to ask a question on behalf of the member for Thunder Bay agreed? Member for Scarborough-Gildwood Thank you speaker. My question is to the Premier it is widely reported that your Chief of Staff ordered police to shut down cannabis dispensaries. Also a few months ago there was meddling in Hydro 1 in terms of the appointment of the CEO. OPGs Vice President it was reported that your Chief of Staff ordered his firing costing taxpayers $500,000. Premier when you were asked your response is that you're not interested in knowing what happened but this is of concern to the people of this province how much will Dean French your Chief of Staff continue to cost the people of this province is it time Premier for you to fire your Chief of Staff Premier Minister of Energy Minister of Energy Thank you Mr. Speaker with all of the respect that I can muster think of the number of people who were fired because of the incapable incompetent way that our energy sector was dealt with during a decade and a half of darkness we've flipped the switch turned the light on Mr. Speaker people in Northern Ontario now have better options for energy we're lowering the price of electricity lowering the price of gas Mr. Speaker talk about hiring and firing Mr. Speaker too many people in this province too many people in our vast region of Northern Ontario made choices between heating and eating made choices as to where their kids what activities their kids would go in we have to move to next because this government put them out of work do their incompetent way they handled the energy sector Mr. Speaker supplementary Thank you Speaker and back to the Premier now Ontarians are wondering how is it possible that your close personal friend Rob Minister of Children, Community and Social Services from Toronto was given the position of Chief of Police for the OPP people are writing concerned about what this means in terms of ongoing investigations into former candidates and the Premier himself will not be able to proceed in an unbiased and objective manner especially given the fact that the Premier's Chief of Staff has no problem picking up the phone and calling the OPP and ordering them to conduct investigations Premier the people of Ontario are concerned with your government's deliberate abuse of power pertaining to personal friends and what this will mean for people across this province Thank you Minister of Energy respond again again Mr. Speaker as I said earlier this was a party that destroyed the economic viability of this province let's be clear about that we used to lead this country we were its economic engine we are now its fiscal basket case thank goodness we have a President of the Treasury Board who stays awake all night worrying about this deficit but gets him up in the morning and every one of our colleagues around this place are going to stand shoulder to shoulder to undo the damage that they did to make electricity prices more affordable to ensure that gasoline prices are affordable to make sure Mr. Speaker that that job killing carbon tax which the federal government is going to impose on us and would cost us some true dough never comes to fruition here in Ontario start the clock next question the member for Barry Innisfield Thank you Mr. Speaker my questions for the Minister of Economic Development Job Creation and Trade today we have representatives from the Canadian Manufacturing and Exporters joining us here at Queen's Park the CME represents 2500 leading manufacturing jobs across Canada including hundreds of jobs here in Ontario in fact they're going to be releasing a report later today on advanced manufacturing and how to strengthen the sector here in Ontario I know our government for the people was elected on a promise to bring good jobs here to Ontario and a big part of that part of that job is to bring good manufacturing jobs here in Ontario can the Minister inform the House on the steps that he's taking and our government is taking to make sure we support our manufacturing sector and Ontario is open for business the Minister of Economic Development Job Creation and Trade Well thank you very much Speaker that's a great question and we mean it when we say that Ontario is open for business since we were elected in June my ministry has been working tirelessly to attract and build and grow manufacturing businesses right here in Ontario my parliamentary assistants Parsah and Skelly have been busy travelling the province talking to people at roundtables that's how we created that's how we created the Making Ontario Open for Business Act which repealed the job killing legislation that was included in Bill 148 Mr. Speaker we repealed those job killing parts of 148 in past Bill 47 as a matter of fact Mr. Speaker Dennis Darby who's the President of Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters said that the repeal of Bill 148 is a major step toward reducing costs for business competitiveness for Ontario's manufacturers Mr. Speaker we're going to continue to cut the red tape in Ontario and bring good jobs back to Ontario Thank you Minister I am glad you're working hard to keep Ontario open for business we know that we would have lost 7,000 jobs in pickering in the nuclear industry if it was up to the opposition Shame on you guys Shame on you our province lost 300,000 manufacturing jobs good jobs that support Ontario families and communities these are hardworking people Mr. Speaker neighbours of ours who want to own a home, a car and who want to help their kids obtain an education failed liberal policies like Bill 148 made it harder if not impossible to achieve these dreams can the Minister inform this House what other steps he and our government are taking and intended to take to restore a manufacturing sector and bring more good paying jobs to Ontario Mr. Speaker, great question again the Making Ontario Open for Business Act was just the first step in our plan to make Ontario open for business in the fall economic statement our government announced that we were going to be reducing red tape by 25% by 2022 that's a 25% reduction Mr. Speaker we're going to make Ontario the most competitive destination for investment in North America manufacturers are going to move their operations from Ohio and Michigan to Ontario instead of the other way around and they're going to be more good paying jobs for the people of this province after 15 years of failed liberal policies supported by the NDP Mr. Speaker policies that made it harder policies that made it extremely difficult to build buy and drive a car in Ontario Mr. Speaker we're turning this ship around Ontario is open for business Mr. Speaker House come to order government side come to order next question member for Essex this is a question about the premier's leadership we're seeing a disturbing increase in discrimination and the outright promotion of hate this Sunday this Sunday the premier will be appearing at Charles McVidi's event as his special guest in Mississauga he's even in the promotional material for this event this would be the same Charles McVidi who was condemned by the broadcasting standards council for distorted facts and abusive comments about gays and lesbians my question is simple why is the premier endorsing this man and his views premier the government for you Mr. Speaker it had nothing to do with government policy but you know something I'll be speaking to people I will be speaking to people taxpayers taxpayers that were fed up with the liberal government and their buddies the NDP raising taxes the highest taxes in North America and some of those people I'll be speaking to on Sunday those were the group of some of the 300,000 people that lost their jobs under the leadership of the NDP and the liberals in this province they are so pleased and so happy our government is in power turning this province around creating good paying jobs lowering taxes lowering the hydro rates making sure every single month when they see the gas bill when they're filling up their tank at the gas station to get to the event guess what they're paying the lowest gas prices in years that's what they appreciate these are people that are fed up with the last 15 years start the call order start the call supplementary I guess the premier doesn't think that the LGBTQ community or minorities are taxpayers either in this province of Ontario very shameful speaker speaker I want the premier to hear some of the hateful rhetoric that McVity has said by the way what is sexual orientation you could have an orientation to commit pedophilia you could have a sexual orientation to commit all kinds of things it doesn't mean that we have to accept it that's Charles McVity in other broadcasts he claimed that Muslims were responsible for the Holocaust and he referred to Haiti as the capital for voodoo speaker are these the sort of family values that the premier plans to support this weekend for you Mr. Speaker again these people are going to be there from all sorts of churches across Ontario they want to hear from not only myself but other leaders in the community how we're going to help them create jobs these are good Christian people maybe he's an anti-Christian I'm not anti anything you know Mr. Speaker well you're right minister we got anti-police, anti-Christian anti-military, anti-everything over there they're anti-business we're pro-business we're creating jobs we're lowering taxes we're putting money back into the people's pockets instead of the socialist regime so I agree stop the clock stop order order the house will come to order start the clock next question, the member for Ottawa South order Mr. Speaker today is the day that you've designated for two questions for members of this side of the house I am seeking unanimous consent to ask a question on behalf of my colleague in Don Valley West member for Ottawa South is seeking unanimous consent of the house to ask a question on behalf of the member for Don Valley West agreed? I heard a no next question the member for Niagara West thank you Speaker Herman is committed to protecting and creating good jobs in the North and I'm proud that we've been keeping that promise early on in our mandate a strong Northern Ontario is a strong signal for a prosperous Ontario that's why we're supporting infrastructure development and creating new jobs in the North to ensure we remain competitive our government is going to tear down the liberal barriers that have hindered the development of the Northern Ontario economy and so can the minister please tell the members of this house how we're creating and protecting good jobs in the North Minister of Energy any time I get a chance to speak about Northern Ontario and the communities that we're creating of course Mr Speaker I appreciate those kinds of questions we're focusing on communities we're focusing on industry and we're focusing on academic assets in our vast region we're supporting things like the township of Carling to support the building of a 9,443 square foot facility to host family gatherings, conferences business functions and serve as an emergency shelter while helping to create jobs in sustaining that asset we're investing in forestry operations forestry operations that are jointly owned by Indigenous communities and private companies we cut through the red tape so that heart gold could expand the sugar zone and how sweet it was to see all those happy people out there ready to get to work in that mine we have a great member of provincial parliament from Sault Ste. Marie and now Mr. Speaker we're going to continue to fund our education system in Northern Ontario thank you supplementary the member from Sault Ste. Marie thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you very much to the minister for all your hard work creating jobs for the people of Northern Ontario Speaker I know from speaking with employers that in addition to creating good jobs and making our Ontario open for business Ontario also needs to do a better job of giving young people the opportunity to reach their full potential this includes ensuring that they have the skills necessary to fill the jobs that are being created across Ontario I know that families and young people want to be able to gain the skills they need in their local communities so that they can continue to build a life for themselves in Northern Ontario can the minister please tell us what our government is doing to ensure that young people and job seekers have the strength for the good paying jobs in Northern Ontario Minister of training colleges and universities Minister of training colleges and thank you to the member from Sault Ste. Marie for that question they're absolutely right that ensuring our young people have the skills for the jobs of tomorrow is essential for the prosperity of Northern Ontario and our young people that is why I'm proud that Ontario's government for the people has invested over $6.5 million at Lakehead University as part of the creation of the Centre for Advanced Studies in Engineering as a student entrepreneur centre and new Canada research chairs in early November I had the pleasure of visiting Thunder Bay and Lakehead University and I saw firsthand the exciting efforts to create an even more successful environment for our young people at Lakehead University on this new development and look forward to working with them and all of our Northern universities and colleges to deliver results for the people of Northern Ontario thank you speaker the house will come to order start the clock the member for Hamilton East Stony Creek thank you Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker my question is the Minister of Culture Tourism and Sports Mr. Speaker earlier this year in the fall I was alerted to a situation when the office began getting phone calls at a local and very popular year round sports facility players' paradise intended on selling their property to another company it's my understanding that this recreational facility is now being converted into a marijuana grow up this is the only climate controlled year round facility in my writing and parents are now having to drive their children as far as Mississauga to keep them active in sports Mr. Speaker will the government and the people of Hamilton East Stony Creek have access to proper publicly owned sports and recreation facilities by investing in a new year round facility for my community Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sports thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you for the question I'm not apprised of the details of that specific situation but the Ontario government is very concerned and wants to ensure that facilities are available for youth to be able to not only participate in sports but also develop the skills and move forward whether it be continuing in minor league or professional leagues but the important thing is that something like this has not come to light to me as yet but I would love to discuss it with you perhaps after today's session learn a little bit more and investigate what exactly is happening there so that we can look into it and provide the proper direction and the proper review of it thank you supplementary thank you minister one of my main concerns my constituents have told me that they should not have to depend on a private business a business that can sell out and move away at any time for their families, team sports senior fitness programs or even their children's birthday soccer parties I'm sure that the local and federal governments and counterparts will minister support this endeavor Minister thank you again Mr. Speaker for that question as I mentioned to you sports is something that is of great interest to the people of Ontario and also as a way to ensure that our children have opportunities to better their lives to stay busy and occupied and learn skills that are necessary later on in life whether it be teamwork, whether it be individuals setting goals for oneself it's important that we have those facilities available and one of the things that our government stands behind is ensuring that we work toward providing those opportunities unfortunately at this point I don't have enough information to be able to get back to but what I can tell you is saddled with the debt and saddled with the operating deficit we have we have to be very careful and very calculated moving forward as to how we allocate funds to ensure you this is something that's of interest and it's something that we will look into and see what we can do as a government thank you next question the member from Miss Saga East Thank you very much Mr. Speaker my question is for the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sports Minister I learned recently that the application process for Celebrate Ontario 2019 launched a program that supports local festivals in communities across Ontario although there are many members who are aware of this fantastic program I'm sure many of my constituents may not be familiar with the assistance that this program provides I have seen countless examples of Celebrate Ontario funding grants that have helped organizations in putting on great events that bring people to our communities from right here in Ontario and around the world the minister provides the house with more information on the Celebrate Ontario program next question Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sports Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the member from Miss Saga East Cooksville for the question Celebrate Ontario Celebrate Ontario is a program that supports events and festivals that attracts tourists to local communities and creates opportunity creates jobs and generates millions of dollars for the economy in Ontario has been incredible in terms of the results that it's provided in fact one dollar of funding from Celebrate Ontario results in almost 21 dollars in visitor spending in the past Celebrate Ontario has helped events like the beaches international jazz festival art fest Kingston and the festival that have been reached their full potential it will also help the recently announced tall ships festival which will take place in Brockville next summer I could speak more about the positive results of Celebrate Ontario program for much longer than the time that's allocated however I will in supplement expand on the program supplementary Thank you to the minister for that response for every one tax dollar invested communities benefit from a 21 dollar return is an astounding figure this program truly seems to exemplify value for money when it comes to spending the taxpayers dollar in a fiscally responsible way here here I'm also certain that members in this house would love to feel this impact in their local communities as well can the minister let us know more about the application process and how organizations that put on events and festivals can apply to the Celebrate Ontario program here here good question Mr. Speaker I'm very pleased to answer the question Ontario program must be completed and submitted no later than Wednesday, January 9th 2019 at 5pm for 2019 the new Celebrate Ontario application process makes it easier for festivals and events to apply to the program these changes include a simplified single application form making it easier for applicants to apply to the program a streamlined funding formula that's applicable to all festivals and event budgets as well as funding support that is focused on programming for all festivals we hope that we will see you at the events throughout Ontario and to see as many people apply for this fantastic initiative and I would like I hope all the best of chances for every potential candidate Thank you Speaker I would like to thank the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services the Ontario Association of Food Banks 2018 hunger report was released yesterday with startling statistics the number of seniors visiting food banks increased more than 10% over the last year a rate that is nearly three times faster than the general population yet this government has slashed social assistance with a basic income pilot in the absence of basic income which would have provided a solution to this problem what is the minister going to do about increasing senior poverty Minister of Children, Community and Social Services Thanks very much Speaker it's a very important question but let me be very clear I don't want to increase seniors poverty as the member just asked what I would do to do that we want to decrease let me say first of all thank you to the Ontario Association of Food Banks for the important work that they do particularly at this time of year and the report that I read yesterday was startling and we have already taken measures within my ministry to work with the minister responsible for seniors as well as the minister responsible for housing the difference between this progressive conservative government and every government that came before us is we work together in a multi ministerial way to support the individual to lift them out of poverty one in seven people living in the province of Ontario living in poverty is unacceptable and it's something that we're going to work towards to make change and Speaker I'd be remiss if I did not encourage every member of this house to do what myself and others are doing by having a food drive for their local community as I'll be doing on Saturday for the Barhaven team Supplementary Thank you Speaker Seniors are being pushed further and further into poverty by the rising cost of newly housing 74% of food bank clients over the age of 65 or rental or social housing tenants yet this government has decided to cut rent control for new units in the middle of a housing crisis can the minister explain how cutting rent control in the middle of a housing crisis will make life more affordable for our seniors who need to use food banks so they can make rent or is she going to suggest that seniors should all be going out and getting a job Minister Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Thanks Speaker but I do want to correct her the rent control exemption is not the only thing our government is proposing and again I want to make this very clear to the members on the opposite side we launched last week a housing supply action plan and I encourage all members to have a round table to go on to our website Ontario.ca forward slash housing supply and give us the ideas on how we can create more housing how we can deal with that supply problem I agree we have a supply a real supply crisis in the greater Toronto and Hamilton areas and if we're going to solve it we need to work together again I encourage everyone Ontario.ca forward slash housing supply give our government for the people your ideas we want to work together we want to create more housing The next question Member for Cambridge Thank you Mr. Speaker and good morning My question is for the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport Our government's tourism strategy plays a key role in the future of our province and as a significant economic driver as the Minister has mentioned previously in the House the tourism industry accounts for over 4% of the province's GDP more than agriculture, mining and forestry combined The greater Toronto area alone hosted almost 44 million tourists in 2017 with a total of 8.8 billion dollars in visitor spending Can the Minister update the House in respect to the government's tourism strategy Thank you to the Member from Cambridge for the question Mr. Speaker Our government launched our strategy on tourism during the General Assembly of the Tourism Association in Windsor Ontario and their partners will have thoughtful insights when engaging in the consultation process When we strengthen our tourism sector it strengthens our economy as a whole It's an industry that supports over 390,000 jobs and generates over 34 billion in economic activity Our government for the people is ready to launch our consultation process throughout the province in the near future Thank you Minister for that response It is indeed an exciting time for tourism sector across Ontario including my riding of Cambridge Not only have we launched consultations for a new tourism strategy but we have also committed to creating opportunity for the economy to flourish create good paying jobs and strengthen the visitor's experience Would the Minister please inform this House as to why it is so important to have a strong tourism strategy that will draw more people to our great province Minister Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to my colleague for that question Our tourism strategy will play a key role in bringing in more international visitors to Ontario to ensure that our local partners have the necessary tools to succeed in achieving our objectives Our tourism strategy will ensure that our local partners are heard loud and clear regarding the challenges they face because it's our job to ensure we implement those changes to further strengthen the industry and the communities and the people on the front lines also have a strong voice in our consultation sessions Our government is committed to bringing back jobs and economic prosperity to the province of Ontario I can assure this House that under Premier Ford's leadership our government will work tirelessly to strengthen the tourism industry in the next four years and beyond My question is for the Minister of Government and Consumer Services Congratulations on your new portfolio Yes Yesterday I met with Julie and Marcel Belfay who purchased their new Ottawa home from Tamarack Homes They have black mold They have leaky walls They have a crack foundation and much more Their home value has dropped 100,000 and they're not alone in their troubles Tarion is the agency to get these problems fixed but Tarion is dragging its heels and they continue to suffer Tarion is supposed to help when the developer refuses to fix defects When will this government do something substantive for the Belfay's and when will the Minister reform Tarion so that it finally protects new home buyers instead of just developers Minister of Government and Consumer Services Thank you very much Mr Speaker and thank you to the member opposite for the question We always on this side of the house want to ensure that people have the protections they need when they need them We want to ensure that people's ability to buy a house a home, a condo, whatever that be that they have the skills the services, the programs and that protection and confidence because that is the biggest purchase that they'll probably ever make in their life We want to ensure that the entities within the Ministry are always providing value and respect. We'll be working with industry stakeholders and in Tarion to ensure the appropriate protections are in place for consumers and that the regulatory burden for businesses are reduced and the organizations and agencies like Tarion are there for people when they need them Question period for today We have a deferred vote on a motion for closure on the motion for third reading of Bill 34. Call in the members this is a five minute bell I'm going to ask the members to please take their seats On November 13th 2018 Mr. Rickford moved third reading of Bill 34 an act to appeal Green Energy Act 2009 and to amend the Electricity Act 1998 the Environmental Protection Act the Planning Act and various other statutes Ms. Skelly has moved that the question now be put All those in favor of Ms. Skelly's motion please rise one at a time and be recognized by the clerk Ms. Skelly Ms. Elliott Ms. Mulroney Mr. Clark Mr. Hardiman Mr. Pettipese Mr. Marteau Mr. Bailie Ms. Fullerton Ms. Jones Mr. Rickford Mr. Phillips Mr. Miller Mr. Coe Mr. Downey Mr. Klan Mr. Parsa Mr. Martin Mr. Sarkaris Mr. Osterhoff Mr. Hillier Mr. Coussendova Mr. Romano Ms. Gammari Ms. Hoga Ms. Carahalle Mr. Joe Willard Mr. Smith Peterborough Mr. Puccini Ms. Y Mr. Tangliss Mr. Rashid Mr. Sando Mr. Crawford Mr. Inaz Mr. McKenna Mr. Kenapati Mr. Babikia Mr. Pangs Mr. Sabawi Mr. Teddy Gaslin Mr. Roberts All those opposed to the motion Ms. Singh Branson Mr. Vanta Ms. Horvath Ms. Begum Ms. Shaw Ms. Yard Ms. Lindo Ms. Armstrong Mr. Kernahan Mr. West Mr. Gates Mr. French Mr. Miller Hamilton Mr. Hampton Mr. Burglant Mr. Glaver Mr. Rikosa Mr. Harden Mr. Hassan Mr. Frazer Ms. Hunter Mr. Shreiner Mr. Amalol The ayes are 69, the nays are 38 The ayes being 69, and the nays being 38 I declare the motion carried Mr. Rickford has moved third has moved a bill 34, an act to repeal the Green Energy Act 2009 and to amend the Electricity Act 1998, the Environmental Protection Act, the Planning Act, and various other statutes. Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carries, or it's a no? All those in favour of the motion will please say aye, and those opposed will please say nay. In my opinion the ayes have it. Call in the members. This will be a 10 minute bill. I am 69, the nays are 38. The ayes being 69, the nays being 38. I declare the motion carried. The action will be adjourned. The bill will be passed and be entitled as in the motion. This House stands in recess until three o'clock this afternoon.