 Therefore, it is time for Question Period, the leader of Her Majesty's Royal Opposition. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Transportation. The government hired a company to build a bridge over the 401. One catch, the company had never built a bridge. The result? The company installed the bridge upside down, at a cost of millions of dollars for the government to fix shoddy work. How did the liberals react? They rewarded the company another $39 million in government projects. You know, I wouldn't be shocked if this is the norm for this government. Mr. Speaker, how many other bridges have been built upside down? Mr. Speaker, it's ridiculous that I even have to ask that question. But yesterday's AG report is ridiculous in terms of what we're hearing that your government has done. It is completely unacceptable. How many other bridges, how many other projects like this have happened? Mr. Speaker, you see the place? Thank you. Minister of Transportation. Well, thanks very much, Speaker. I want to begin, of course, as I said yesterday. I want to begin, as I said yesterday, by thanking the auditor general for her report and for the recommendations contained in her report, Speaker. The member of the leader of the opposition is raising a project, obviously, managed and completed by Metrolinx. I would say, here today in the house, as I said in the media studio yesterday, over the last five years, Metrolinx has completed 275 construction projects, Speaker. The majority of those projects has been completed on time and on budget, Speaker. I do thank, again, the auditor for her recommendations. I know that Metrolinx will continue to work hard. A couple of things to keep in mind, Speaker. In March of this year, about eight months ago, I provided the chair of their board with a letter of direction. We've received the report back. We now have a tighter opportunity to provide oversight with the agency. The agency is also applying a new vendor performance management system. Thank you. Supplementary. Mr. Speaker, since I can't get an answer on the upside down bridge and the minister is trying to say that there's more oversight. Let's read the headlines. The headline today, infrastructure incompetence. And the bridge, I'll quote one description, the most spectacular item in the reports, a cavalcade of nonsense but not by much. That's because the auditor general highlighted the ministry's sheer ineptitude. They're incompetence when it comes to paving our highways. Ashfalt should be laid for 15 years. But in Ontario it cracks after one or two years. Not surprisingly, no one is held accountable. The minister says everything is fine, even after one section of the 403 cost $12 million to prematurely repair. Mr. Speaker, can the minister explain why the Liberals allow our highways to crack and crumble? Does it have anything to do in the $100,000 in donations from these companies to the Ontario Liberal Party? Well, thanks very much, Speaker. I want to reiterate that I thank the auditor for her recommendations, not just as it relates to Metrolinx but as it relates to MTO and the management of our construction project. I think it's important to make sure that the accurate facts are on the record over the last seven years, which is the period of time during which the auditor was referencing some of MTO's construction contracts. Over those seven years, Speaker, what we've seen using the same objective criteria from seven years ago versus today is that provincial bridges and provincial roads are dramatically improved in terms of their quality, Speaker. And that's because our government, Speaker, that's because our government, Speaker has understood how critical it is to make sure that we are investing in transportation infrastructure in every corner of this province because of years of chronic underinvestment when that party was in power, Speaker. We're going to keep working hard to make sure that we get it right. Thanks very much. Mr. Speaker, again to the Minister, no answer on the upside down bridge, no answer on the $100,000 in donations. I know it's their talking point to say, I thank the auditor general. The auditor general called your government incompetent and inept. So let's speak very specifically. Again on highway 403, paved in 2006, redone in 2008, redone again. Stop the clock. Okay, I did try to make an effort to allow you to kind of find your spot and you're not finding it. I am also going to remind members that even during the heckling I'm not impressed with hearing names other than the titles or their writings. So you've decided on your own by giving you the time to do so that you're going to be somewhere I can't tolerate. I may have to move to warnings right away. And you can give me any kind of face you want and if it continues you'll be leaving. Finish please. Mr. Speaker, highway 403 paved in 2006, again in 2008, again in 2011 and it will need to be paved again in the near future at an added cost of millions of dollars to taxpayers. That doesn't include the 686,000 bonus to the company received for not doing the job properly. That's their style of government. Mr. Speaker, how many other companies did the minister reward bonuses for not doing their job? Is that the order of the day in your ministry? Thanks very much, Speaker. You know, Speaker, I got to say there's been a lot of allegations that have been tossed around in the leader of the opposition's questions this morning, Speaker. I'm going to say right off the top, I'm pretty sure those sleazy tactics worked for 10 years in Ottawa when he was a Harper Crony. They don't work here in the province of Ontario. Speaker, let's remember something fundamental about that leader and that party, Speaker. In my time here as an MPP, here's a short list of the projects that they voted against, Speaker. Go Regional Express Rail, LRTs in Toronto, Peel, Hamilton, BRTs in York Region, Durham Region, New Street Cars in Toronto, Union Station Revitalization, Four Laning of Highway 69, the Morrison BiPAC, let's go on. Minister of Agriculture is not helping. Wrap up, please. Seekers, I was saying that leader in that party, the 410 Leiden, the 407 Phase 1 and Phase 2, 417 Upgrades in Ottawa, that party's transportation policy amounts to killing the Eglinton subway and selling our 407. Two questions. The leader is the opposition. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Deputy Premier. Since I can't get an answer on the upside down bridge that the minister supported, I'm going to try something else. First it was the environmental commissioner who raised concerns about cap and trade. Then it was the financial accountability officer who raised concerns and now it's the auditor general. Mr. Speaker, yesterday the auditor confirmed what we've been saying all along. Less than 20% of Ontario's emission reductions will actually occur here in Ontario. The Liberal scheme will barely make a dent in pollution in Ontario and at the same time, this is unbelievable, we're going to send 466 million to Quebec and California by 2020 and all that money is going to leave Ontario. Mr. Speaker, why do the Liberals want to subsidize companies and businesses in California? Maybe the... Mr. Speaker, maybe the leader of the opposition should talk to his critic who's briefed up on this because clearly he has not been briefed up on this. The cap and trade system and the 3.8... Remember from Simcoe Gray, come to order please. Finish please. Mr. Speaker, the 3.8 megatons comes from the cap and trade system and additional 9.8 megatons comes from the results of the action plan reviewed by economists. If you do the math, that's the vast majority of reductions being secured over the next five years. That was the work done by David Sawyer. The 3.8 is the groundwork for the Calculate the Action Plan, Mr. Speaker. But then he's the member who wants to put $157 a ton price on carbon, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, again to the minister, clearly the minister has not read the AG's report. So let me share with you what the Auditor General said. Small reductions in emissions in Ontario come at significant cost to business and households. Quote, the Climate Action Plan contains unrealistic, unsubstantiated assumptions. Quote, and here's another assessment by the AG. Ontario's cap does not actually control the amount of greenhouse gases that can be emitted in Ontario. That's a stinging indictment, Mr. Speaker. The Liberal cap and trade scheme has fatal flaws this government is ignoring. And the worst part, without a new agreement with this new agreement with the USA and Canada, not a single one of the credits purchased from California will count towards our emission credits. So Mr. Speaker, this is unbelievable. Why do the Liberals want to force Ontario businesses to subsidize businesses in California and Beverly Hills on a rodeo drive and do nothing to fight pollution in Ontario? The member from beaches east York is warned. And if you don't get the idea, I'm in warnings. Minister. Thank you very much. I'll try one more time. It's not that hard. Two numbers. 3.8 megatons achieved by the market. We understand that? That's not me. The member from Renfrew Nipissing, Pam Brooke, is warned. The member from Nipissing is warned. Anyone else? Carry on. 3.8 megatons achieved by the market mechanism. Very clearly stated. David Sawyer is reviewed by everyone. All the nine large emitting industry associations chose cap and trade. Support that. 9.8 billion, 9.8 megatons. The result of $8 billion of reinvestment in Ontario's industry achieves them. And this is the difference between our plan. Yours is revenue neutral. You have no money to reinvest in St. Mary's Cemetery, Nova Corporation. Thank you. Again to the minister. I asked a simple question to the minister that he's not answering. I asked why is the minister setting up and committing Ontario to a plan that sends $466 million to Quebec and Ontario by 2020? The Auditor General, sorry, Quebec and California, the Auditor General has pointed out this will grow to over 4 billion by 2030. The ministers will become the best minister of economic development that California has ever seen. This isn't the opposition saying this. This is the Auditor General. This is the independent oversight saying that your plan is flawed. It does not curb, hear me, this does not curb pollution in Ontario. This does not fight climate change in Ontario. All it does is make businesses less competitive and it doesn't meet our mission targets. So hearing what the Auditor General has said. Will the minister do the right thing? Take a pause, fix this because it's clearly broken. Do the right thing for Ontario. It's not too late. Can you stand up please? Thank you, minister. Mr. Speaker, since I can't seem to get him to understand some two simple numbers, let me try another approach. Every year, $42 billion in imported fossil fuels is purchased by Ontario's family and businesses. The Environmental Commissioner says if we did not have cap and trade, those costs just for the families alone would go up $300 million a year. We will be dramatically reducing that $41 billion in annual expenditures, which is why all of the industry associations do that because they are all fuel-switching to local Ontario-generated clean energy creating jobs in Ontario. Now, I know the member doesn't understand that because I watched him for 10 years as a Member of Parliament destroying every provincial initiative to do submissions, Mr. Speaker. Question to the Leader of the Third Party. Thank you very much. I have questions to the Acting Premier. On Tuesday, I met with Jean Bastien, mine manager and a number of miners at Richmont Mines near Dubraville. These are hard-working women and man-speaker who have a love for what they do and a love for where they live. And the company is hoping to actually hire more employees, Speaker, but the skyrocketing electricity costs are a big problem for them. They're hampering the company's efforts to expand and create more jobs. The sell-off of Hydro-1 is going to make things even worse. Speaker, not better. Will the Acting Premier do the right thing for jobs in the North and stop any further sell-off of Hydro-1? Thank you. Mr. Finance. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the question. We all are concerned about ensuring that the people of Ontario, everywhere throughout Ontario, have good, paying, high-value jobs. And certainly the mining sector is critical as one of the many sectors of Ontario's diverse economy. And that enables us, frankly, to weather economic storms, including when commodity prices hit the global markets. It happens so in Ontario as well, but because of our diversified economy, we're able to balance out and continue to prosper and still exceed Canada, the G7, and the United States in the last quarter. But more importantly, the member makes the accusation, however, that by broadening the ownership of Hydro-1 and somehow making it a much better-run company to be more efficient and to ensure that we deliver better results and reinvest them to build more infrastructure, including, frankly, greater investments and stimulus in the mining sector. I just don't believe the premise of her question, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, supplementary. Speaker, I also met with the mayor of White River as we visited the White River Sawmill. Like all companies in the forestry industry, Hydro is a huge part of their cost. And although they're trying to expand and breathe life into the economy in these northern towns, they're worried about their ability to do so because of the cost of their electricity bills, because those bills continue to soar, Speaker. We should be building on successes and supporting job creators, not stopping them. Will the Acting Premier do the right thing for White River and for the White River Mill and start getting Hydro rates under control and stop the sell-off of Hydro-1? Minister? Mr. Speaker, in order to make some of our industries more competitive in the marketplace, it's essential for us to provide some of those supports. And that's exactly what we are trying to do, Mr. Speaker. The reference to Hydro-1 and the assumption, the presumption that somehow making Hydro-1 a more effective company which is one of 72 different distribution centers in the province of Ontario would negatively impact an industry is not the case. What is important though is the programs that we do have in place. Working with New Europe and working with some of our northern programs to provide some of those supports and enable those companies to foster and return on their investment as we provide for more predictability on those rates. That's what's happening, Mr. Speaker. We're working with a number of sectors to do just that. Thank you. Thank you. Final supplementary. Well, Speaker, it's not just businesses who rely on Hydro that are worried. I also met with Sharon Hill, a retired nurse that's almost 80 years old. We sat at her kitchen table in the Sioux Speaker. Her Hydro bills have hit $300 a month. She's living on old-age security because she doesn't have a company pension. She doesn't know how she's going to be able to afford her Hydro bills for the rest of the winter. After a long, full life, Speaker, people shouldn't have to worry about something as basic as being able to pay their Hydro bills. Whether you're a minor Speaker, whether you're a sawmill operator, a young family or a senior like Sharon Hill, your biggest worry is your Hydro bill. Will this acting premier will this Liberal government do the right thing for Sharon and people like her and get their Hydro bills under control and stop making it worse for selling off Hydro bills? Can you see it, please? Minister. Mr. Speaker, we agree that families, especially those most vulnerable, need more support. That's why we are on this side of the House. We're working and putting programs in place to foster and support that. We've done so also with the number of industries in the North. In fact, when you consider a low-income family in the North or in rural Ontario, we've taken the following steps. We recently announced the 8% HSC rebate. We expanded the rural and remote rate protection program. That combines up to 20% improvement. We provided the Ontario Energy Support Program for low-income families at $600 a year in savings. We have the Northern Ontario Energy Credit for $224 in savings to provide some more support for Northern consumers. Mr. Speaker, the Ontario Energy and Property Tax Credit can save an additional $1,000 a year. I hope the member opposite when she makes these discussions and has the ongoing discussions with these families that she provides them with support and mechanisms that's available to them that we put forward to enable those families to have better support. We know we need to do more. Thank you. My next question is for the acting Premier. People want to believe in the future of Ontario. But yesterday's Auditor General's report shows that the government is making decisions that are not about people. Hospitals are overcrowded. People are waiting nearly 40 hours for acute care that they should be receiving in 8 hours. They're waiting longer to see a family doctor. And the Auditor General said information about wait times for surgery is misleading. How did the Liberal government get things so wrong, Speaker? So messed up. Thank you, Deputy Premier. The Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I said yesterday, I welcome the Auditor General's report and I accept her recommendations as they pertain to our healthcare system. I welcome her report each year, Mr. Speaker. Just like I did last year, her two reports that referenced our home and community care program and it provided me with important guidance on how to move forward. I welcome her comments and recommendations with regards to how we can continue to improve our hospital operations so that they better serve our patients. But it is important to acknowledge the progress that is being made, Mr. Speaker. And I'm happy in the supplementary to reference some of the third party data that we have that was made available and some of it in fact referenced by the Auditor General that shows the improvements that have been made over the past number of years, four wait times in ERs, four hospitalization in the outcomes that we're looking for. Well, Speaker, having a good future here in Ontario means having a good job to go to every day. But the Auditor General said that the government's job programs are a mess. Auditor and apprenticeship aren't finishing and the Second Career and Employment Services programs are helping less than 40% of the people who are trying to build a better life with a better job. This government is letting people down. The Auditor General's report is clear. They are letting people down on many, many front speaker when will this government start focusing on people who are trying to get a better job. Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I'm going to continue to talk about the progress that we've made in our emergency rooms, for example, where we had a report that just came out in the last number of weeks from HQO Health Quality Ontario that shows that despite an aging population, despite an increasing population and seeing more individuals in our ERs, we've seen significant improvements in the shortening of the wait time in our ERs right across this province. So in the Auditor General report, we referenced yesterday that nine out of every Ontarians are seen and discharged from our emergencies in the province within the target, the provincial targeted time, and that was validated by the work that HQO did earlier as well. And on other aspects of short time, just in the past year, and this is information that was just made available by the Fraser Institute, so perhaps it wasn't referenced in the AG's report, but wait times have gone down by 36% just in the last year, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Final supplementary. Speaker, while people are finding it harder to get a job and waiting longer for the health care they need, the Auditor General said in the meantime the government spending more on misleading partisan advertising. The Liberal government needs to explain to the people of this province why people who need health care and people who are looking for work are at the bottom of the pile, Speaker, at the bottom of the list for attention from their government. And if the Liberal re-election campaign needs another 20 million dollars for partisan advertising they seem to be able to find the money in the public purse, Speaker. Can the acting Premier explain to a person who has spent hours in an emergency ward waiting for a bed or trying really, really hard to find a new job, why the government is more interested in their own re-election campaign and helping those folks get what they need. So, Mr. Speaker, I take the analysis of the Auditor General very, very seriously. I take her recommendations very, very seriously. There's no question that there is much, much more work to be done within our health care sector, right across the board, including in our hospitals. But it is important to acknowledge that when we've invested upwards of a billion dollars specifically to reduce wait times in our health care system over the past roughly one decade we have made significant progress where the Fraser Institute describes us as being the best or among the best in terms of shortest wait times for selected surgical procedures. Mr. Speaker, the wait time alliance has given us straight A's as well on their report card in terms of having the lowest or near the lowest wait times in all of Canada. We have the shortest wait times in the whole country in that important period from their family doctor or nurse practitioner to getting to see the specialist. We have the shortest wait times in the whole country, Mr. Speaker. We have the shortest wait times in the whole country for CT scans, MRIs and ultrasounds. So, we need, there is more work to be done. There's no question, Mr. Speaker, but we made significant progress. Thank you. Question to the members from DIPACI. Thank you and good morning, Speaker. My question is for the Deputy Premier. Rather than address their own incompetence the Liberal government continues to attack the economy of our independent experts. The Auditor General says their numbers can't be trusted. The Deputy Premier says, quote, we take issue with the auditor's accounting practices. The Auditor General questions why millions and bonuses were awarded to underperforming contractors. The Minister of Transportation doesn't think her perspective is, quote, representative of what reality is. Well, the Minister needs a reality check. The people of Ontario trust our independent, non-partisan auditor, not a Liberal government that has mired in waste, mismanagement and scandal. Speaker, will the government stop attacking the credibility of our Auditor General and look into their own incompetence? Thank you. The President of the Treasury Board. Yes, thank you very much, Speaker. I thank the Auditor General for her report and obviously we do need to work with Auditor General and continue to continue to work with her on our public accounts. But I think it's important to remind the member opposite that the Auditor General actually agreed with our analysis of our public accounts for the year just past. In fact, we use the numbers that the Auditor General prescribed to us. There is no disagreement over the numbers and the auditor agreed with the accounting that we used in the public accounts in the past year. So to suggest that somehow we're undermining her work is just simply not true. We used her numbers. Thank you. Back to the committee, Premier. The Auditor General and the Financial Accountability Officer have revealed the government has subjected Ontario taxpayers to record tax increases, endless cuts to frontline services and years of waste, mismanagement and scandals. Yet the Auditor General says the government somehow managed to spend $50 million on shameless self-promoting advertisements. Advertisements the auditor called quote misleading quote. While this government can you cannot you cannot say indirectly what you cannot say directly you will withdraw. Speaker, I'm quoting from the Auditor General here. Please be seated. The member from Leeds Grenville is close to a warning. I do not want that challenge to occur. Carry on. While this government continues to make life unaffordable for Ontario families, they're advertising on the taxpayers' dime. Will the government end their tax increases, cuts to frontline service and end their shameless self-promotion? Yes, thank you very much. I would like to remind the member opposite that Ontario is the only Canada, one of the few in the world that in fact has a government advertising that we have banned partisan public government advertising. We're the people that did that and you're the people that voted against that. Let's just look at your record. Look at your record. Between 1995 and 2002 the conservative government of Mike Harris spent over 400 million dollars a day speakers with those horrible, horrible ads. Stop the clock. Start the clock. New question. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. My question is to the acting premier. The government is spending even more money on partisan government ads. The auditor general calls these ads misleading and points out that these advertisements are and I quote Stop the clock. I'm trying to explain that you cannot say indirectly what you can say you cannot say directly even quoting somebody else using that language is not acceptable in this house the member will withdraw. Draw. Carry on. These advertisements are spending tax dollars to reinforce the partisan messaging of the Ontario Liberal Party Unquote. Can the acting premier explain why she thinks government ads should be presenting their own messages whose only purpose is to help the Liberal Party. Thank you. President of the Treasury Board Thank you very much I remind the member opposite that our legislation which is the strictest in Canada by far actually ban partisan government advertising it provides a clear definition of partisan advertising where you cannot use the name of any member of this house government opposition you cannot criticize or support any member of this house there you cannot use any partisan partisan logo Subtle reminder we are in warnings and I will continue to use them and what comes after warnings are naming. Finish please. So we have a very strict advertising regime but what we do do is share information with the public so we have shared information with the public about vaccination The member from Hamilton and Estonia Creek is warned Finish please. She is away from being named Finish please. Yes we have shared information about changes in the rules for childcare and to help educate parents on how to distinguish between what is licensed childcare what is not licensed and how do you respond if you think there is a problem in childcare. Those are all things that we have spent money on advertising. Thank you. Supplementary. Mr. Speaker, everyone in this house knows that that government watered down the advertising rules in this province well and she has called you out for it and everybody knows about it. The practice of using government funded ads to bankroll the Liberal Party's injury for the people of Ontario Parents sitting in hospital rooms with sick kids have to watch commercials claiming this government has reduced emergency room wait times Meanwhile, raising for emergency room residents to address the wait times instead of looking out for Ontarians who are waiting for healthcare this Premier has been solely focused on getting herself re-elected and using government money to hold on to power. Speaker will the Liberal Party pay back what they have spent on partisan advertising in this province? Thank you, President. I understand that the member opposite wasn't actually a member of this legislature when we brought in the original government advertising bill in 2004. The one that she claims that her party is so strongly supportive of. But in fact if you go back and check the voting record member from Leeds Grandville has warned you're close. Check the voting record in 2004 the NDP voted against the legislation that they say they want to defend and one of the members of the NDP caucus at the time is the current leader of the third party. Now the member who's asking the question may not remember that. We remember it and the public record of Ontario remembers that the NDP voted against the legislation that they are defending. You're close to remember some more somebody came to us. Well thank you Speaker. My question is the Attorney General this used his family members of the LGBTQ2 plus community across this province were inspired and moved by the historic passing of all families are equal act. I understand that before the passing of this bill many families who use assisted reproduction faced unnecessary barriers. The LGBTQ2 plus parents were forced to spend time and money to be legally recognized as their children's parents. I have heard that this experience can be painful and humiliating for families. That's not fair and it's not right. The Attorney General would most likely agree that having a child would be a wonderful time. Not a time filled with uncertainty and anxiety. Can the Attorney General please tell us how all families are equal act all families are equal act will help families across this province. Attorney General. Thank you very much Speaker. I want to thank the member from Northumberland for asking this very important question. Speaker people in Ontario value diversity and equality all parents and their kids need to be treated equally under the law and I'm pleased that the all families are equal and have the best pass in this legislation. This bill updates our law so that all kids are treated equally by recognizing the legal status of their parents no matter if their parents are LGBTQ2 plus or straight and no matter if they were conceived with or without the help of assistance. Speaker this legislation will update Ontario's parentage laws to make the law as inclusive as possible. It is really that simple. We're doing this because parents should not have to go to court to be recognized as their child's mother or father. And Speaker let's make this absolutely clear. We are not removing mother and father with this legislation. We are broadening this legislation to ensure equality for all families in Ontario. Thank you. Speaker I'd like to thank the Attorney General for his response. I'm pleased to hear their governments committed to ensuring all children are treated equally by recognizing the legal status of their parents no matter if their parents are LGBTQ2 plus or straight. Many in this House will recall that the law governing legal status of child's parents and birth has not been substantially changed in nearly 40 years. A lot has changed since then. In the year 2016 there was no one way to start and raise a family. Family just like this great province we call home are more diverse than they were so many years ago. This bill represents an historic movement in our province. Can the Attorney General tell us more about the families and communities that helped shape this important situation? Thank you very much and the member is right this is a very historic moment for our province. This legislative assembly stood on the side of equality by voting for this bill and showing the support for the LGBTQ2 plus community and the values of diversity that are so important to Ontario. This issue was raised by families who are raising their children with love and respect and dignity. Something that we all wish and hope for in our families across the province. I personally found it very disappointing that some members of this House voted for all the legislation a horrible legislation when the legislation is all about making sure that kids have certainty as to who their parents are that it's all about ensuring that there's equality for all parents regardless of who they are that's what this legislation does is make sure that our children are loved all the time and I'm glad that members of this House voted in support of this historic legislation. Thank you. The PC caucus has consistently raised examples in this legislature of how the liberal government's rationing of health care dollars is negatively affecting patients. The other generals report yesterday confirmed that wait times for surgeries have increased and the health of those waiting for life saving treatment has been jeopardized. Due to chronic underfunding, elective and emergency surgeries 25% of patients with critical or life-threatening conditions must wait double the expected time for surgery. Only 33% of neurosurgery were completed within the ministry's target time. Will the minister admit his government's policies are failing Ontarians and explain to them why they should trust this government's plan? Thank you Mr. Speaker and as I mentioned earlier I appreciate the analysis and the narrative provided by the minister general. Her very sound recommendations as they pertain to all elements of our health care system including hospitalization and there is work to be done and that is part of the reason why we're investing a quarter of a billion new dollars this year in home and community care so we can pull out some of those patients that are occupying beds in hospitals that don't need to be there so that those wait times will be reduced even further. We're investing a billion dollars this year specifically for hospital operations this fiscal year to allow us to address some of those capacity and wait time issues including for important surgical operations like hip and knee in the southwest linen in London for example Mr. Speaker but we are making significant progress and by any objective measure Mr. Speaker we have solid evidence that the investments that we've made do have a born fruit Mr. Speaker Supplementary. Thank you Mr. Speaker the other general evidence is showing this government is failing Ontarians but it's not just the surgeries whose wait times are out of control the auditor general notes that the government is also failing Ontarians on accessing hospital beds when they need to be admitted patients must wait in the emergency room for more than 37 hours to get a bed often in the hallways or other unsafe areas where funding in four years of frozen hospital budgets are hurting patients the rationing of healthcare has patients waiting hours for life saving surgeries operating rooms are going unused and patients are stuck in hospital beds when they should be elsewhere Ontarians deserve better from their government than having to wait for basic care Ontarians the PC caucus have had enough of this government's excuses, waste and mismanagement of our healthcare system when will the minister acknowledge his failing and end the rationing of healthcare Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker I can't even begin to imagine what it would be like if they had succeeded with their campaign pledge to cut 100,000 jobs in education in healthcare Mr. Speaker but speaking of wait times in Ontario I know that the member from Kitchener Conestoga asked yesterday about the emergency department at Grand River hospital and I'm happy to update him they're concerned about wait times in the ER and I'm happy to update them that in fact the Waterloo Wellington Linn is number one in all of Ontario but the the specific hospital Grand River has the shortest wait times for high acutely patients in their ER of anywhere in Ontario in fact they're beating the provincial average by more than three hours Mr. Speaker they have for complex patients but they're also beating targets for minor that it needs and that Waterloo Wellington Linn is number one in the entire province has the best results ever recorded in Ontario history for each Thank you Minister of Agriculture for Rural Affairs and Food is warned New question the member from Nicobel Thank you Mr. Speaker Thank you Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker under this premier it is getting harder to access the health care that our families need after years of cuts and lay often in our hospital people are waiting up to 37 hours in the emergency room after years of bed closure the auditor saw people on stretchers and hallways because our hospital are dangerously overcrowded after years of budget cuts to our hospital the auditor found long wait time for surgery that are putting people's life at risk how can this liberal government keep failing the patients of Ontario by forcing people to wait longer and longer for the care that they need now Thank you Minister of Health long-term care Thank you Mr. Speaker and that's why I remain so troubled by the fact that that party had a budget that had $345 million of new investments in our hospitals in operating costs to help them deal with capacity issues but the member needs to at least acknowledge when we have third party experts, third party entities that tell us that we actually 9 out of 10 individuals that go to our emergency departments are discharged from those emergency departments within the provincial targets within the national targets Mr. Speaker and that was validated in her report yesterday by the auditor general and in fact despite increasing population, despite increased volumes seen in our emergency departments, we've seen just in the last 5 or 6 years significant progress and further reducing that so where that figure for both low acuity and high acuity 9 out of 10 patients are seen within the provincial target of time Thank you The auditor's report is really an indictment of this premier's record on healthcare The liberal government closed mental health bed leaving people in distress waiting without help for months on end The liberal government had squeezed hospital budget to the point that the auditor says 60% of hospitals are deferring surgery to balance their budget and while the liberal government claims to publish wait time for surgery the auditor general found that the real-world time are months longer than what the government claimed She says that the information is misleading for patients Why is this liberal government Stop the clock I don't have to explain myself again You will withdraw I withdraw Finish please I is this liberal government cutting healthcare, closing hospital bed and publishing wait times Well Mr. Speaker I know that their minister of cuts that they were proposing was going to save $600 million out of the healthcare and education budgets and when they were in power they closed 24% of the acute hospital beds in this province When they were in power they closed 13% of our mental health beds in the entire province But when we look at third party independent analysis of our wait times we have the shortest wait times from GP to specialist in the entire country we have the second shortest wait times from specialist to treatment including surgical procedures 20% shorter than the national average we have the shortest we have the shortest wait times for CT scans for MRIs for ultrasounds just in the last year Mr. Speaker our wait time for elective cardiovascular surgery for medical oncology down by 39% Mr. Speaker Thank you My question is for the president of the treasury board In 2013 our premier set out a bold vision to be the most open government in this country and to that end Ontario has released over 550 data sets and created an inventory of almost 1300 actively maintained data sets and those numbers do continue to grow most of the mandate letters for each minister online and we passed the public sector and NPP Accountability and Transparency Act as a result of this important work Ontario was selected as one of 15 sub-national governments to join the open government partnership but we know that transparency means more than just posting information it means giving the public opportunities to weigh in on government decision making Speaker could the minister please tell us how the president of the treasury board is engaging with Ontario Thank you Speaker Thank you to the member from Kitchener center for this question and welcome to her constituents Our government has been actively engaging Ontarians in an effort to create better policy deliver better services and improve outcomes Last year we posted our open data directive as a google doc edit and comment on the directive we've opened up our procurement directive for consultations to find out how we can make it easier for small and medium size businesses to do business with the government most recently our government announced that we will spend up to 3 million dollars in the 2007 budget to bring to life ideas suggested and voted on by the Ontarians an initiative of the minister So through open government we're making the policy creation process more accessible to Ontarians and our engaging society to help us co-create solutions Thank you It's very encouraging to see that the president of the treasury board has been reaching out to Ontarians and is helping them to engage with Queen's park through this kind of policy Each week one of the ways that I share information with my constituents is by recording a one minute video blog goings on at the legislature this past week I encouraged my constituents to get involved and submit ideas for the 2017 budget building pathways for Ontarians to engage as half the challenge but as elected representatives we also need to play a role in informing our constituents of how they can make a difference Now that we've taken stock of what Ontario is currently doing please tell us what's next for open government and how the treasury board plans to continue engaging with Ontarians Thank you As the member previously mentioned Ontario was selected as one of 15 sub-national governments to join the open government partnership The only sub-national jurisdiction invited in Canada and one of three in North America As part of the open government partnership Ontario has been co-developing initiatives to further enhance transparency with Ontarians We asked Ontarians to submit their ideas online then we asked them to vote on the ideas that had been submitted and then we sent the top 15 in the vote the top 15 ideas to public workshop sessions in Toronto, Ottawa and to make sure we caught everybody online in an effort to publicly refine and discuss these ideas and next week I will be announcing new co-created commitments to further accountability at the open government partnership Global Summit Question The member from Dufferin College My question is to the Minister for Children and Youth In yesterday's auditor general's annual report she highlighted many concerns about the minister's lack of oversight for children and youth One of the concerns raised by the auditor general is quote after audits in 2003 and 2008 the Ministry of Children and Youth Services has yet to make changes to ensure that agencies deliver mental health services to children and youth appropriately, cost effectively and on a timely basis After 13 years will the minister finally act on the recommendations made in 2003 2008 and this year's annual report Thank you Well thank you Mr. Speaker and I want to thank the member for the question We know the majority of mental health here in the province of Ontario and addiction issues begin at childhood for adolescents and that's why it's so important to make sure that children and youth have timely access to supports when they need it the most I'd like to thank the auditor general for her report and efforts in developing some advice that are insightful and will ensure that we continue to prioritize the challenging needs of children and youth and families here in the province of Ontario Mr. Speaker we know when it comes to mental health it's something that's always changing the pressures in the systems constantly change but we've taken the auditor general's advice and we're moving ahead to implement a new funding model for children and youth and children and youth mental health services we're going to enhance oversight to hold service providers accountable and expand their use of data to access agencies performance and improve quality Thank you Mr. Speaker After 13 years and three reports the auditor general found that the minister is still not monitoring the delivery of services to ensure children are receiving adequate treatment it's no wonder there has been a 50% increase in hospitalization of children and youth suffering with mental health illnesses the lack of action on mental health has reached a crisis these children have nowhere to turn they need help and they need it now use the 26 recommendations in the all party select committee on mental health and addictions use the 11 recommendations in the auditor general's report after 13 years when will the minister act Thank you Mr. Speaker and again I want to thank the member for the question in 13 years there's a lot that's changed in mental health if we look at the province of Ontario 20-30 years ago and today we know that the stigma around mental health has drastically changed and people are talking about this issue more we know 13 years ago and today even the pressures in the system has changed so we've invested $100 million into new funding over the last five years and we're seeing a huge difference today's children and youth mental health agencies serve more than 100,000 young people annually more than 4,000 indigenous children and youth access culturally appropriate services in their communities and more than 3,200 specialized consultations for children and youth in remote rural areas through tele-mental health services Mr. Speaker, again things are changing in mental health and we're leading that change Thank you Mr. Speaker according to the Auditor General's report released yesterday only 47% of people who began an apprenticeship program in Ontario actually finished it and the number of apprentices at risk of non-completion increased after the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development implemented a monitoring strategy to overcome this very problem there is a shortage of skilled trades people in Ontario we need young people wishing to start the trades to be successful so that they can stay here and build a future here in Ontario when will the Liberal government stop setting up these young people for failure Mr. Speaker, I welcome the question I thank the Auditor General for her remarks and I can tell you we are not setting anyone out for failure in fact choosing an apprenticeship is a very smart choice Speaker and we encourage more young people to think about apprentices when they're considering what to do after high school what I can tell you Speaker is that prior to 2014 we were very focused on enrolling more people into apprenticeships we were successful in doing that but what we have to do now Speaker is focus on the completion rate we are moving forward with the modernization of the apprenticeship system Speaker where we need to better support students to finish and to support employers in a way that supports the completion of those apprenticeships. Thank you Speaker aspiring apprentices were not the only ones left behind by the poor performance of the government's employment and training services only 14% of Ontarians participating in the provinces employment services program found full-time employment in their field of study upon completing the program the government spent $1.3 billion a year alone on employment and training strategies with very little to show for it how are the good people of Ontario who rely on these services supposed to get ahead when will the government stop making these things worse for Ontarians and invest properly in the services that they need to build a prosperous future here in Ontario. Thank you Speaker I find it astounding that the member opposite calls training programs a waste of money Speaker these really important programs do we need to do a better job measuring the impact Speaker absolutely yes we do and that's why Treasury Board now actually has a centre for evidence-based decision making because we need to do a lot better job not just in this sector but across government in actually defining the outcomes we're working to achieve identifying those programs that are successful investing more where we're getting the outcomes and last where we're not getting the outcomes we need to bring that kind of rigor to all of our program Speaker including those in employment supports but I'm very confident that the organizations we have delivering these services in our communities are really committing to doing what's best for young people or older people who are getting employment support Speaker Thank you Speaker My question is for the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry Speaker the opposition often accuses our government of not paying enough attention to rural communities and has made claims in the past that we are mismanaging our forestry industry all too often we hear accusations from across the floor that we are making lives harder for the people in Ontario Speaker surely they are mistaken I know that our government has been investing in infrastructure such as roads and hospitals and communities including rural communities but the human infrastructure is also important I know that your staff in MNRF act as tireless advocates for our land and resources all across this province can the minister tell us what our government is doing to make sure that the everyday life of the people rural communities working in Ontario's forestry sector are in fact easier Thank you very much and I'd like to thank the hard working member from Barrie for her question making sure we are making life better for people living in rural and northern communities is a major priority for our government our government understands how important a strong forest sector is to Ontario's economy and the key role that it plays in over 260 communities across Ontario I encourage Ontarians to look for the leaf on Ontario wood products and cut your own tree when shopping this holiday season but it's why we've created the forestry growth fund which will provide up to $10 million annually for forest operations in our province Earlier this week we were pleased to announce that we're investing over $4 million into a sawmill in Eganville which has consequently created and maintained over 100 jobs in the forestry sector improving their everyday lives in the riding of Ontario and through Nibsing, Canberra So I encourage everybody to get out on December 6th Thank you supplementary Speaker I'd like to thank the minister for her answer I'm very pleased to hear that we are creating new jobs in both rural communities and the forest industry My father Jim Torpey worked in forestry with the then ministry of natural resources for over 40 years and I'm proud of the contribution he made and that your ministry continues to make to Ontario It's comforting to know that our government is taking steps to ensure that the everyday lives of people in rural communities are better thanks to actions taken by this government something of which I know the member from Renfrew Nibsing, Pembroke would be proud I'm also proud of the steps that our government is taking to ensure the forest injury on Ontario is sustainable Speaker could the minister please go into more detail about the forestry industry and why it is so important to Ontario Minister Thank you speaker I'd like to thank the member from Berry for her supplementary question and I'm pleased to report that the forestry industry on Ontario generates 11 billion dollars of economic activity and provides well paying job for over 170,000 people in over 260 communities in Ontario After announcements like the one in the sawmill we're ensuring these numbers continue to grow something we're very happy and proud of on this side of the house Our exports of forest products have increased each year since 2012 with a total value of wood exports topping $6 billion in 2015 So last year alone our manufactured forest product sales increased by over $1 billion over the year before I'm pleased to see that these numbers continue to grow I'm pleased to see that every day we're putting more Ontario wood to work Ontario's forest sector will continue to grow thanks to the work our government's doing tomorrow and came to the Minister of Agriculture and I are cutting Thank you and a question from the member from here on Bruce The question is for the minister of the environment Speaker yesterday the auditor general confirmed what we have known all along the Liberals have no real plan that this government's own analysis of their so called action plan only forecast a third of the pollution reductions they're promising instead this government will be sending $2.2 billion to Quebec and California California excuse me and guess where the emissions will be reduced Speaker unfortunately it won't be Ontario the emissions will be reduced in California and Quebec yet this government still plans to take $8 billion from people and businesses in Ontario it's unacceptable it's time for this government to be honest will the minister finally admit that it's not about the environment but instead a clever way to get into Ontario's pockets Mr. Speaker I'm not enamored whatsoever for those kinds of heckles and it's going to stop Minister Thank you First I do want to thank the auditor general she made 15 recommendations on cap and trade we have either implemented I think we've now implemented the majority of them and the balance of them will be implemented in the next year she has been very constructive and helpful on the numbers I want to be very clear the action plan and the work of David Sawyer and economists and experts not my work Mr. Speaker shows 9.8 megatons of reductions as a result of the expenditure of $8 billion you may notice Mr. Speaker that all of the large emitting industries refining and chemistry to cement to the auto sector supported cap and trade and are working on designing it we have great confidence businesses of Ontario to meet those targets and that $8 billion will be going back into the lives and pockets of Ontarians when you buy an electric car you get $14,000 off Thank you Mr. Speaker I believe you'll find we have unanimous consent to observe a moment of silence in recognition of Roger Perrant Mr. Perrant was a Saskatchewan MLA who tragically lost his battle with cancer the member from Simcoe Gray is seeking unanimous consent for a moment of silence do we agree? I would ask all members to please rise in a moment of silence and respect from Mr. Perrant Thank you we have a deferred vote on the motion of second reading of bill 70 an act to implement budget measures and to enact and amend various statutes calling the members this will be a five minute bill All members please take your seats on November 22nd, 2016 as McGarry moved the second reading of bill 70 and an act to implement budget measures and to enact and amend various statutes All those in favor please rise one at a time to be recognized by the clerk Mr. Sousa Mr. Bratley Mr. Sandoz Mr. Hoss Mr. Shirelli Mr. McCarles Mr. Cole Mr. Delaney Mr. Dillon Mr. Murray Mr. Quoteau Mr. Flann Mr. Codrie Mr. Dixon Mr. Crack Mr. Dommerle Mr. McGarry Mr. Zimmer Mr. Albanese Mr. Baller Mr. Wong Mr. Frazer Mr. Baker Mr. Hoga Mr. Martin Mr. Milch Mr. Pots Mr. Rinaldi All those in favor please rise one at a time to be recognized very quickly Mr. Bredelli Mr. Arnott Mr. Wilson Mr. Jones Mr. Brown Mr. Clark Mr. Yacobusky Mr. Hillyard Mr. Thompson Mr. Barrett Mr. Bailie Mr. Osterhoff Mr. Walker Mr. Smith Mr. Harris Mr. Nickle Mr. Coe Mr. Choe Mr. Seng Mr. Horvath Mr. Vantoff Mr. DeNovo Mr. Tad Mr. Miller Hamilton East Stony Creek Mr. Miller Hamilton East Stony Creek Mr. Natascha Mr. Armstrong Mr. Hatfield Mr. Gretzky Mr. Gaines Mr. French Mr. DuVal The Ayes being 49 and the Nays being 44 declare the motion carried on November 30th, 2016 the bill is ordered to refer to the standing committee on finance and economic affairs we have a deferred vote on the motion of third reading of bill 2 an act to amend and repeal various acts with respect to housing and planning calling the members this will be a 5 minute bill on November 30th, 2016 Mr. Knack we move third reading of bill 2 an act to amend and repeal various acts with respect to housing and planning all those in favor please rise one at a time be recognized by the clerk Mr. Dillard Mr. Dillard Mr. Dillard Mr. Murray Mr. Chan Mr. Morridi Mr. Morridi Mr. Koto Mr. Hunter Mr. Leo Mr. Flynn Mr. Coddley Mr. Dixon Mr. Crack Mr. Romerloss Mr. McGarry Mr. Zimmer Mr. Albanese Mr. McMahon Mr. Ballas Mr. Andersen Mr. Baker Mr. Hogan Mr. Koala Mr. Miltjen Mr. Pot Mr. Rinaldo Mr. Rinaldo Mr. Hardim Mr. McLeod Mr. Wilson Mr. Brown Mr. Clark Mr. Clark Mr. Fidelli Mr. Fidelli Mr. Yakubeski Mr. Miller-Parison Mr. McDonnell Mr. McDonnell Mr. Scott Mr. Thompson Mr. Ko Mr. Choe Mr. Sain Mr. Vantop Mr. Novo Mr. Tabet Mr. Miller Hamilton Mr. Natashak Mr. Armstrong Mr. Hattfield Mr. Gretzky Mr. Gaines Mr. French Mr. Tussaud Mr. Sney Mr.