 comments. It is now time for Question Period, the leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. It was very clear yesterday from the non-answers we heard from the government that neither of them, neither the Health Minister or the Premier had any idea what was happening at Orange Air. We in the PC caucus didn't learn about Orange's plan to lease a helicopter from Augusta, Westland, through a Freedom of Information Request. We didn't learn about it from a whistleblower. We learned about it just through a search through a public website on the internet. So can the Premier explain how neither she or the Health Minister, the very people responsible for oversight of Orange, had no idea that Orange was planning to do business with the very same company being investigated by the OPP? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I know that the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care will want to speak to the details and the leader of the opposition received a letter before the end of Question Period yesterday outlining what was happening, Mr. Speaker. Obviously, as I said yesterday, Orange is well into a new chapter. The governance has been changed, Mr. Speaker. Orange has been working with both of the communities who are supportive of the measure to lease an AW-139 aircraft to replace the SK-676 helicopters at its Musni Base. But Mr. Speaker, what's really important is that despite what the member opposite is inferring, this RFI is still open, Mr. Speaker. It continues to be open from companies, receiving from companies until March 29th. So in fact, there have been no decisions made, Mr. Speaker, despite what the leader of the opposition implies. Well, I saw a single source. That'll do. And I will deal with anyone that decides that that's funny. Supplementary. Mr. Speaker, back to the Premier. At the end of Question Period yesterday, the Health Minister gave me a copy of a letter dated February 10th of this year from Orange, about Orange from his assistant deputy minister, advising the minister that had planned to lease a helicopter from Augusta, Westland. So it's pretty obvious, Mr. Speaker, that the letter was only brought to the minister's attention after I asked the question here in the legislature about Orange's shady business deal. Mr. Speaker, isn't the Premier concerned that neither she or the Health Minister knew anything about Orange's sole source deal with Augusta, Westland? Where is the oversight that this government promised? Or is this business as usual under the government of Kathleen Wynne? Well, with these wild accusations, Mr. Speaker, I think we're finally beginning to see the true colors of the leader of the opposition. And the smear campaign that he's trying to introduce here, here is the truth. And what a difference a day makes, Mr. Speaker. As the Premier mentioned, this is, there are two Sikorsky helicopters in Moussini that are reaching end of service. A decision was made after consultation by Orange to replace those Sikorskis with the least AW, Augusta, Westland helicopter, so that we would have a single fleet across the province. Because there were challenges to getting pilots who were also trained on the Sikorskis, Mr. Speaker, and having a single fleet makes absolute sense. So an RFI, a request for information, was introduced in February. And despite what the member is inferring, the RFI continues to be open until the end of the month. In fact, I understand that several companies have expressed interest on the lease. And should there be an indication that a company or companies all continue in the same way? Thank you. Final supplementary. Mr. Speaker, back to the Premier. When a serious public policy question is asked, the government chooses to attack. And I will refer the Auditor General completed his 2012 report into Orange Air and said the scandal was a textbook example of what happens when a ministry fails to properly oversee a government agency. The Public Accounts Committee report said the ministry missed a number of red flags, just should have been alerted to bad things were happening at Orange. Mr. Speaker, getting a letter from Orange, announcing that their soul sourcing a contract from the very same company under a criminal investigation by the OPP should have raised one gigantic liberal red flag. Mr. Speaker, can the Premier explain, after seeing this letter, why they didn't cancel the shady contract? Thank you, Minister. Well, first of all, there is no contract, Mr. Speaker. And as I was mentioning, should a company or companies express interest between now and the end of the month, it will move forward to a request for proposals. And in the event of a request for proposals, an RFP, a fairness commissioner, will oversee the process to ensure fairness and transparency. And I think I would hope this would make it abundantly clear to the opposition just how important and how proper this process is. And I know the member is concerned about the relationship with Augusta Westland. And Augusta Westland is cooperating fully with the OPP on the investigation. But, however, Orange currently has a relationship with Augusta because for maintenance of the helicopters for replacement of parts, they need to get them from the parent company. So what the leader of the opposition is suggesting, either entirely buying a new fleet, if he doesn't want this orange to have a relationship with Augusta Westland for maintenance of the current health sector, or he's talking about danger to the pilots that they have to fly these if we're unable to service them properly. Yeah. Thank you. Good question. The leader of the opposition. Mr. Speaker, the CEO of Orange kept up his end of bargain. He sent a letter to the health minister and told him the orange was getting back into bed with Augusta Westland. He waved that big red flag. Question to the premier. The failure here is with the minister and the premier. And my question is for the premier. Yesterday, when I asked the premier about the orange's shady deal with Augusta Westland, she responded, I do not know the nature of this particular decision. Mr. Speaker, can the premier explain why she knew nothing about such a controversial deal? Can the premier tell us why she isn't doing her job to protect patients and taxpayers in the province of Ontario? Thank you. Mr. Speaker, I find this unbelievable. I would suggest that the leader of the party just understand that there's no way he's going to win this argument when you look at the facts behind this, the wild allegations that he made yesterday that he continues to make today. And he's dismerging the reputation of Orange, Mr. Speaker, including great individuals like Ian Delaney, like Charles Harnick, the former attorney general of this province and a member of the Progressive Conservative Party. I can't believe that he continues. But to suggest that as the member opposite seems to be suggesting that we cut off all business ties with Augusta Westland, that would require the purchasing of an entirely new fleet. Or alternatively, it would require putting our first responders and our patients, 18,000 patients a year, Mr. Speaker, putting them at risk by not properly servicing these aircraft. We don't have a contract before the lease of Augusta Westland. We have an RFI that may lead to an RFP and a number of companies have expressed interest, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, back to the premier. What the government did. That's it. I'm going to go to the individual. I asked you to try to keep it calm. You're not. I'm going to deal with the individuals, even if you chirp something quick. Finish, please. Mr. Speaker, we've obviously touched the nerve. The government got caught and they got caught with the exposure of an advanced award contract notice. That is what we found and that is what we're trying to expose. I do not understand why the government is doing business with a company under criminal investigation here in the province of Ontario, but it gets worse, Mr. Speaker. This same company, Augusta Westland, the same company that whined and dined disgraced orange seal Chris Mazza in October of 2014, got charged by the Indian government for shady deals. And actually, just more recently, Sweden, their interruption authorities launched an inquiry into the sole source purchase of Augusta Westland helicopters. There is criminal investigations into this company across the world and this government is doing business. Why are you doing business with it? Thank you. Thank you. I'm trying to get in and I'll deal with it, but you're not helping me. The Minister of Energy will withdraw. Mr. Speaker, Minister of Health. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I understand that the member opposite is expressing concerns about a company that is fully cooperating with an OPP investigation and investigation that centres on the previous administration a number of years ago at Orange. However, as I mentioned, and what the member opposite seems to be implying, I'm not prepared to abandon an entire fleet. We have to maintain a relationship with the parent company, with Augusta Westland, for spare parts for things like the gearbox of a helicopter that what the member is suggesting is cutting off all ties with Augusta Westland, which is completely inappropriate and impractical, because either we stop servicing these aircraft, putting patients and pilots at risk, or we would have to spend millions and millions of dollars and purchase an entirely new fleet. That's completely inappropriate. But what is happening is Organs cooperating with the OPP. The Ministry is cooperating with the OPP. Augusta Westland is cooperating with the OPP. And now we'll continue. Thank you. Supplementary. Mr. Speaker, back to the Premier. And I'm hoping, rather than spin, we can get a serious answer to a serious question. This is a company that's being investigated worldwide in Sweden, in Cyprus, in India for trying to influence government for shady deals. For some reason, the Liberal government here in Ontario chooses to want to do business with them again. Despite the fact, Audre General said, we don't need additional helicopters. If you do not want to answer on the question of protecting taxpayer dollars, how about we talk about patients, about the health concerns associated with these helicopters? The report from the Audre General said there's not enough room to perform CPR. There's not enough room to lift patients' heads, forcing paramedics to insert a breathing tube. A July 2013 coroner's report said operational issues with these helicopters contributed the death of eight patients. So my question for the Premier, and please don't pass the buck, Mr. Speaker, it's not right for patients. It's not right for taxpayers. Why are they doing business with a company that's being criminally investigated? Thank you. Please. Mr. Speaker, thank you. Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. And again, I'll repeat that we have two aging Sikorsky helicopters in Musini. They're nearing the end of their serviceable period. They need to be replaced. They're going to be replaced with what's most appropriate, another Augusta Westland, which will turn our fleet from having two different types of helicopters into a single fleet. It's much better for pilots. They support this. We don't have to be concerned about having pilots specifically trained for the Sikorsky and the challenges of getting pilots on staff at Musini for that reason. It's better for reliability as well. We have an RFI, which is open until the end of the month. There are a number of companies, including a guest of Westland's parent company that has expressed interest in holding that lease. If there is a company or a number of companies that move forward with that RFI, will move to an RFP, will have a fairness commissioner who will oversee that entire process. Mr. Speaker, it will be consistent with the broader public sector procurement directive. This is as open and transparent as it gets. The member opposite wants to actually dismantle the fleet, buy an entire new fleet and put patients and pilots at risk. Thank you. No question. The member from Bradley Gormaldi. Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Premier. Mr. Speaker, did the Premier or her staff sign off on the budget before it was sent to the translators? Mr. Speaker, I want to answer the question, but I just want to acknowledge what I think people are seeing on their on their social media that Rob Ford has died. And I just want to express the sadness of this legislature in that and we'll address have a moment of silence at the end. I believe we're going to ask for a moment of silence at the end. Okay. So, Mr. Speaker, in terms of the budget, I just want to I just want to make sure that the that the member opposite understands that we listen to people from around the province constantly. I travel the province. I I hear from people year round on the issues and the concerns that I hear and that we hear are reflected in the decisions that we make and are reflected in our budget on the specifics in terms of the timing. There were a number of groups, for example, who appeared before the committee, Mr. Speaker, and their ideas are reflected in the budget. So, I will come back to those in the in the supplementary, but there was there was a lot of a lot of information that flowed into the speaker well after the translation had already been had begun. Thank you. Supplementary. Just before I ask my question, Mr. Speaker, I also want to acknowledge on behalf of new Democrats that the sadness and the loss of the death of Mr. Mr. Ford, it's a tragic loss. So, I just want to acknowledge that as well. Mr. Speaker, the budget was written and sent for translation on January 27th. That was before pre-budget consultations heard from the following. The Ontario Health Coalition, the Canadian Federation of Students, the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, the Registered Nurses, Nurses Practitioners, and ONA. Opsu, the Toronto District Labor Council, the Ontario Hospital Association, the Kraft Brewers and Winemakers, the Chiefs of Ontario and Fix Our Schools. Can the Premier explain why she went ahead with the budget before hearing from these Ontarians? Wow. Mr. Speaker, it's completely false and untrue what the member has just said. We had all done all the consultations, all that was achieved, we did over 20 of them. Translations of portions of the budget are done continuously. The one that mattered most, Mr. Speaker, is what happened on Saturday, February 20th. The day that I sat in my office here in Toronto reviewing the budget, making amendments to it still, and that translation was what mattered. That was the final product. That was what went to print and was produced here in the house on 25th of February. Thank you. Final supplementary. Mr. Speaker, the Premier loves to talk about consultations and conversations, but that means listening as well as talking. But while people were presenting, the Liberal government had already written the budget, finalized it, and sent it for translation. Will the Premier apologize to Ontarians for treating their consultation as a PR exercise? Mr. Speaker, the work that Skafea does, the work that all of us in this house do to consult with our constituents, to enable us to populate the budget, the document with priorities and responsibilities of the people of the province, that's critical. I sat on Skafea for many years. I recognize all too well why we should do it and need to do it. It's why I appeared before Skafea on the final submissions of consultations. And I had the opportunity to express what the government wanted to do to express and hear from both the NDP, the Liberals and the PCs on their reflections of those consultations. And the very people that the member opposite just cited are included in this budget, are cited in this budget. In fact, I can relate some of the very issues. Three million for the bio-industrial innovation of Canada. That's on page 10 in Hamilton. One million to the issue of pregnancy and infant loss on page 115. That happened, Mr. Speaker, after those consultations. 17 million to the Toronto Atmospheric Fund on page 30. Thank you. The next question is again to the Premier. The Premier says she is a partner in the federal government. Does that mean the federal budget will ensure that Ontario will receive enough funding, infrastructure funding so that the Premier can finally stop the sale of hydro one? I have no idea what is in the federal budget. We will all have to wait until this afternoon. I am hopeful, Mr. Speaker, I am hopeful now that we actually have a federal government that understands that investing in infrastructure, Mr. Speaker, that working with provinces is important, that having a price on carbon is important, Mr. Speaker, that we have a federal government that is willing to work in partnership with the provincial governments across the country. I'm hopeful, Mr. Speaker, that we will see those things reflected in the budget. I'm very optimistic about that, but I don't know the specifics of the budget. We'll have to wait until this afternoon. Thank you. Supplementary. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. In the fall of 2014, Liberal MPP supported a motion calling for national, universal, and affordable child care. Unfortunately, there was nothing in this Ontario budget for child care. Liberal MPPs made a promise here in the legislature to partner with the federal government so mothers and fathers can get the child care they that they can afford, and families would stop seeing cuts to child care across this province. Given that there was nothing in the Ontario budget for child care, hasn't previously received any assurances from the federal government that they will pick up where the provincial budget failed and actually support affordable child care in Ontario. Again, I don't have information about what is in the federal budget. I know that we have a federal government now that, unlike the previous federal government, actually shares a value system with our government, that understands that it's important to work with provincial governments, that it's important to invest in people and their talent and their skills, invest in infrastructure, and is willing to have those discussions that the previous government wasn't willing to have. But Mr. Speaker, I have no information about the specifics that are in the budget this afternoon. What I do know, Mr. Speaker, is that we have been working to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in child care. We have worked with the child care sector, Mr. Speaker. We're modernizing the child care sector so that we can assure safety and security for children who are in child care places in child care across the province. We'll continue to do that, Mr. Speaker, but we'll have to wait for the federal budget this afternoon. Thank you. Final supplementary. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. For years of liberalism insisted that all the problems came from Ottawa. Now they talk about the strength of their federal partnership. Does that mean that after this federal budget they will stop closing demonstration schools, they will stop closing hospital beds, they'll stop firing nurses, and finally stop the sale of Hydro-1. Good Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, Mr. Speaker, we have made investments in this province and the member opposite talks about the infrastructure investments. Well, he doesn't talk about the infrastructure investments. He talks about Hydro-1, but he doesn't support infrastructure investments. His party would somehow, out of a whole cloth, magical thinking they would create the opportunity to build infrastructure. There is absolutely no evidence that they have any idea how they would do that, Mr. Speaker. We actually have a plan that we're implementing. That plan is part of our budget, Mr. Speaker, and I, you know, I hope, given what the member opposite has said, that maybe he's looking at our budget once again and is considering supporting parts of our budget. Thank you. No partially, nothing from Charvin St. Desserts. Thank you, Speaker. Speaker, allow me just a quick moment on behalf of the Ontario PCs. We would again like to express our sincere condolences to the Ford family on the passing of Rob Ford early this morning. Speaker, my question is to the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services. 21 dogs were seized from a dog fighting ring in my riding and they've been locked up in cages for over five months while their alleged abusers remain free on bail. I requested the OSPCA to allow me to see the dogs just to see how well they're doing, but to date they have not returned my call. The Animal Sanctuary Dog Tales Rescue was offered to take them in immediately as an interim measure at no cost to the province, but they need the Minister's help. They require his approval. I understand the Minister has a rescue dog just like me and will be visiting dog tales. Speaker, the province can either pay to have these dogs killed or take action and save them at no cost. Only the Minister has the power to save these dogs. So Speaker, to the Minister, thank you, is the Minister willing to provide special designation? Thank you. Minister, when I stand, you sit. Thank you. Thank you very much again, Speaker. I want to thank the member opposite for asking this question and I very much appreciate his sincere passion on this issue. I think all of us in this house I have an affinity towards protecting the most vulnerable the pets in our communities who in many respect are a voiceless speaker. But Speaker, as I've stated before in the house what the member is asking is about a court process which is underway involving the OSPCA. We do understand that this is a very challenging issue and many individuals and then organizations are concerned. But as the member knows there is currently an application to the court by the OSPCA for permission to euthanize 21 of the 31 pit bull dogs seized from an alleged dog fighting operation citing risks to public safety. Thank you. However, Speaker, the remaining dogs are being rehabilitated for relocation outside the province is up to the courts to decide Speaker as to the next steps. Thank you. Supplementary. Back to the minister. Speaker, this government just doesn't get it. In his responses to questions on this issue the minister claims he can't do anything. This is unacceptable. Minister, you do have the authority. The Dog Owners Liability Act permits these dogs to be given to a designated body. This could be done without a formal regulation. In other words, your ministry's approval is all that's required. If you if either one of us were told that our dogs were sick and they had to be put down I'm sure that we would seek a second opinion. We'd fight to save their lives. These dogs cannot speak for themselves. So I will be their voice. The next court hearing is April 18th and I'm asking you minister don't leave these dogs in cages for another month. So Speaker to the minister we move quickly to grant a special designation to Dog Tales Rescue to give these suffering dogs a second chance at life. Thank you. You see me please. Thank you. Minister. Well Speaker again contrary to the members assertion and public reports the government of Ontario does not currently have legislative or regulatory authority direct the OSPCA to take or not take any action or to exempt a private facility from the requirements of the Dog Owners Liability Act for the purposes of transferring ownership of the dogs to such a facility. The OSPCA Speaker is an independent charitable organization that provides a number of services such as animal shelters veterinary and spray spay neuter clinics and public education about animal welfare. Additionally Speaker the OSPCA Act authorizes SPCA inspectors and agents to enforce any law pertaining to the welfare of animals. Police may also enforce these laws. There's a reason Speaker that his decision has been made by the experts who have the capacity and the legislation to make those determination it's not up to this legislation or the government to intervene. Thank you. Your question. The member from Parkdale High Park. Thank you Mr Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Yesterday we learned that the President of the Union Pearson Express Kathy Haley is being fired. Her crime she did what the Premier ordered her to do. We need a history lesson here. Six years ago the Premier who was then the Minister of Transportation ordered Metrolinx to take over the UP Express after the private partner dropped out of the project because they knew it wouldn't make any money. Even so the Premier ordered Metrolinx to implement the same flawed business model. Kathy Haley was hired a year after the Premier made this decision. Why is the Premier not taking any responsibility to make this decision? Minister of Transportation. Thanks very much Speaker. I appreciate the member's question. I'm not going to comment on personnel matters specifically to Metrolinx or any other personnel matters. I know that these converse the questions similar to this one came up yesterday Speaker regarding the Union Pearson Express. What I said yesterday stands I've had the opportunity to speak with a board chair Rob Pritchard. I've had the opportunity to work with the board chair board members and senior staff. At Metrolinx now for close to two years. What we are focused on on this side of the house working closely with Metrolinx is to make sure that we can deliver on the transit progress that the people of the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area expect. That's the mandate that they give this Premier. That's the mandate that this Premier has given me. I look forward to continuing to work with Metrolinx to make sure that we deliver on our commitments. Thanks very much. Thank you. Thank you. Supplementary. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Again back to the Premier. The original private partner knew that the UP Express could not make money as the exclusive Batik Express service for the executive class travelers demanded by this Liberal Government. When the private partner dropped out in 2010 the Premier who was then the Minister of Transportation could have fixed this problem. She could have changed the UP Express into a true public transit service with affordable fairs, more stations and more public access. She could have electrified from the start. No Mr. Speaker. This is what the public has always demanded and wanted. Instead she forced Metrolinx to build what her government wanted. Why must Kathy Haley take the blame for the Premier and this Liberal Government's bad decision? Thanks very much Premier. One thing it's important to note just a couple of days ago or a few days ago we announced in time for the March break that we were making the fairs for the Union Pearson Express more affordable for people who are visiting this region for people who live in this region and preliminary numbers and analysis show that since we have made that change to the fairs that ridership has dramatically increased people. Which I think is good news. In the first half of our question the member from Parkdale High Park referenced a history lesson. I think it's most important for people watching people here in this chamber and watching at home speaker to remember that over the last couple of years at least as this Premier and our government have put forward plans to build the province up through budgets and other initiatives the NDP in this chamber have consistently have consistently voted against and resisted every opportunity to support the trans and investments that they claim they so desperately want speaker it's on New question member from Glenn Gary Puskett Russell Merci Monsieur le Président Thank you Mr Speaker my question is for the Minister for Francophone Affairs I gave him a chance but the member from Essex will come to order carry on please okay again my question is for the Minister for Francophone Affairs on March 20th Ontario's Francophones as well as those in the country as a whole celebrated the International Day of Francophony in Ontario there are more than 600,000 Francophones that is 5% of the population it is the largest Francophone population outside of Quebec today Franco-Ontarians can live in French thanks to French access in education to French health services offered in French as well as as well as multidisciplinary services offered by cultural organizations can the minister explain what the government is doing to support the Francophone community I would like to thank the member for Glenn Gary Puskett Russell for his question I know that he supports the Francophony and represents a lot of Francophones I would like to take this opportunity to wish all Francophones and Francophones a good week of the Francophony in this very special week we can be very happy of the efforts that were done by the government to improve French services since 2003 this government has done a lot through several initiatives in order to improve French language services such as for example the creation of the commissioner for French language services we have we can think about the five percent Francophone immigration that we've had the day for Franco- Ontarians we can also think about the several schools that have been created for French languages in Ontario as well as post-secondary education in French in Ontario thank you Mr Speaker supplementary thank you I'd like to thank the minister for her answer Mr Speaker university is a key element in our province indeed 10 percent of Francophones in this province are from minority groups we have created different programs to attract qualified workers who wants to who want to come here and settle in Ontario and like for the minister to tell us more about the different programs that support the Francophone community the minister thank you again to the member for Glenn Gary Prescott Russell and the member is indeed right Ontario is the first jurisdiction working with the Ontario program for immigration candidate it's a first and we can count on our pilot project on French services in the Court of Justice in Ottawa which brings a better access to the judicial process in French we can also think about French education from kindergarten to second grade we have French language programs in six universities across the province and we also support different Francophone organizations in the province they are essential for different fields for example health and culture I'm very proud of the progress that has been made here in Ontario and it contributes to the flourishing of our Francophone community thank you very much speaker my question is for the minister of health and long-term care I'd like to read a quote from the minister we aim to make it easier for patients to find a doctor and from his mandate letter ensure that every Ontario has a primary care provider Mr. Speaker this Liberal government has been in power for 13 years and yet my writing has two high physician needs communities Owensound and Scythe Bruce Peninsula the reality that the residents of my communities remain in high physician need and that my constituents have not had access to family doctors is simply inexcusable minister why is your government denying this primary health service to families in my writing good question thank you minister of health and long-term care well thank you Mr. Speaker and I appreciate the question it is a very important issue that we continue to increase the availability of physicians and other health care providers or nurse practitioners for example that form part of our primary health care teams that we make sure that we're increasing access to them currently 94 percent of Ontarians have such access does demonstrate not only how far we've come that's significant improvements since a decade ago Mr. Speaker but and in fact it's one of the highest in the country but Mr. Speaker there is more work to be done and that's part of the reason why I released in December a discussion paper which calls for further reforms to our primary care systems specifically for that reason so we can go that extra mile that extra distance for those additional 6 percent who do want a health care provider but are unable to find them and designation of high needs area is areas as a perfect as the member opposite answer to the fact that much of his writing is designated high nights I'm happy to talk in the supplementary about the benefits of that as well thank you supplementary thank you Mr. Speaker back to the minister of health and long-term care minister your government has been in charge for 13 years yet 300 communities under service this is deplorable and an indefensible record we're talking about the very important work of putting doctors in area of high needs what's worse the minister has recently cut off south bruce peninsula from the high needs program nine local families access to doctors order the minister has cut off a community need one with a significant burden of poverty a high proportion of vulnerable frail seniors and at-risk first nation population and a community identified well that's not helpful at all when you're the one that's complaining that I'm not standing well we've got you on tape and I don't consider that a challenge to the chair finish your question first nation population and a community identified but your own ministry is under service this isn't the time to make excuses and talk platitudes access to a family physician is not a stretch goal this is not an extra mile given the evidence the families in south bruce peninsula expect your liberal government to reinstate their high needs designation minister will you do that today thank you minister help long-term care well thank you Mr. Speaker and the high needs designation is an extremely important designation that for example it gives access to physicians in a family health team model in fact two of his colleagues the member from Bellford Callaby the member for for Halliburton Coortha and the member for Chatham Kent Essex will agree with me that just recently in the past days both of their significant portions in the case of Chatham Kent Essex his entire riding has now been designated high needs same with the member from from Halliburton Coortha what I would ask the member opposite is as the as his two colleagues have done is work with me if he's got concerns about designation if he's got order and access to doctors but it's rich coming from this party who fired 9,000 nurses who closed 28 hospitals who's so disrespected physicians that they were fleeing the province Mr. Speaker and so we can't get lessons from the history that they provide us what we're doing is we're continuing to provide that access I hope the member opposite would work with me to provide access to his riding thank you no question the member from Oslo thank you Mr. Speaker and my question is to the minister of community safety and correctional services Speaker two weeks ago I called on the minister to intervene in the OSPCA's application to put down 21 dogs rescued from a dog fighting ring in Tilbury and to spare their lives two weeks later and the courts have denied the application of the dog rescue to rehabilitate these animals and their lives remain in the minister's hands Speaker these dogs should be going to a rescue organization and the only barrier is the OSPCA court application and the breed specific legislation that bans them will the minister commit to saving these dogs and end the breed specific ban in Ontario thank you minister of community and correctional services well speaker I mean this question is already asked identical question and my answer really does not change contrary to public reports the government does not currently have legislative or regulatory authority direct the OSPCA to take or not to take any action or to exempt a private facility from the requirements of the dog owners liability act for the purposes of transferring ownership of the dogs to such a facility I speaker the OSPCA as we know is an independent charitable organization that provides a number of services a lot of those a lot of those services come as a result of the OSPCA act that has been passed by this legislation speaker and and part of that legislative requirement is for the SPCA inspectors and agents to enforce any law pertaining to the welfare of animals and of course speaker police could also enforce those laws thank you supplementary thank you Mr. Speaker and just to be clear this wasn't a repeat of the same question we are asking for an end to the breed specific ban there's nothing he can do but he is the minister responsible for the administration of the OSPCA act that governs the group seeking to euthanize these dogs so he does have a say the breed specific ban is a provincial ban and this government is choosing to continue on with this discriminatory legislation so speaker I will ask again just to be clear will the minister end the breed specific ban and allow animal welfare agencies the chance to rehabilitate these 21 dogs instead of condemning them to dog thank you minister speaker thank you again to the member for the for the question and again I just want to make sure that that particular piece of legislation has been put in place by this legislature to ensure public safety and security and speaker we have heard of many instances where particular breed of breed of dogs have resulted in serious injuries to to to children in particular and that speaker something that of course we all take very seriously in this particular instance speaker as we know that there are currently an application to the core by the OSPCF for permission to euthanize 21 of the 31 pit bull dogs sees from an alleged dog fighting operation citing risk to public safety and that is a key speaker one of the reasons why OSPCF is seeking this application because they feel that 21 of the dogs that size a serious risk to public safety and the other dogs the members of Parkdale High Park have been rehabilitated but in this particular instance determination may has been made thank you there from Northumberland Quinty West speaker speaker my question my question the minister community safety and correctional service and it's not about SPCA let's be clear minister minister yesterday you hosted minister so far a new strategy for safe Ontario in my community at Colburn that's not helpful either minister of Aboriginal Affairs finish please minister yesterday you hosted consultation for your new strategy for a safer Ontario in my community at Colburn there we heard passionate ideas from a number of our local community members about how to modernize policing across our province for the 21st century many of my community members provide a feedback on how policing can be modernized in the 21st century to better serve Ontarians but Mr Speaker Ontarians across the province and those with us in this legislation here today need to have a further understanding of what this consultation and strategy for a safer Ontario is all about question speaker through you to the minister please explain the purpose of these consultations thank you minister community safety and correctional service thank you very much speaker I want to first thank the member from Northumberland Quinty West for his hospitality yesterday when I was in his community of Colburn we had a we had a very fruitful day in terms of visiting the rebound child and youth center and the incredible work they do in helping at risk use in Northumberland County it was encouraging speaker to see the work they're doing in addition speaker we had the opportunity to meet with the chiefs of police from Coburg board and the OPP Detachment Commander and members of the police services board about the excellent work they're doing in Northumberland counting keeping the community safe and then we speaker ended the day with with the consultation on strategy for safer Ontario at the Coburg community center speaker there was some incredible turnout in fact the room was smaller than we we had answered we had to bring more chairs and tables and it was great to see the active participation of the community and how can we build a safer Ontario and in my supplementary I'll speak to some of those findings thank you supplementary well thank you minister I'm pleased to hear that you are consulting so broadly on this new strategy with a clear focus on evidence-based outcomes after all as many of us here today already know while our police officer work hard every day to keep our community safe the current model of community safety is no longer sustainable we need a made in Ontario approach to community safety the focus on addressing the problem in our communities not just from an enforcement perspective but rather through a more coordinated effort with multiple different types of services that way communities will be able to respond to crime social issues and more lasting cost-effect in fashion Mr. Speaker through you can the minister please explain how the strategy for safer Ontario will improve community for safety outcomes across the province absolutely thank you very much Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker this is a very exciting time and in the history of policing in Ontario as we are looking at ways to modernize and build a 21st century policing in the province of Ontario in fact Mr. Speaker this is an opportunity for our province to be a leader in Canada and in North America and Mr. Speaker the consultations exactly are about that we want to hear from communities as to how do we ensure that we move away from a reactive enforcement-based model of policing to one that is more proactive and community-focused how can we ensure that local communities are able to develop community safety and well-being plans how can we better utilize community safety hubs to ensure that our communities are safe what kind of roles and functions that policing a 21st century police officer plays and how can we ensure Speaker that we're providing the right response at the right time by the right personnel these are the kind of questions we're asking members of the public Speaker we ask them to join our consultations or go online at Ontario.ca slash safer communities for our public consultation document Thank you New question the member from Oxford Thank you very much Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker my question is to the Minister of the Environment as you know there's a proposal for a landfill in my riding I know the Minister has received thousands and thousands of letters postcards and emails from my constituents who are concerned about the impact on their drinking water the Mayor of Ingersoll has been very vocal about the fact that our community does not want to take another municipalities garbage both by going to these municipalities and in speaking to the government at Roma to make it clear we are not a willing host at Roma the Minister of Municipal Affairs and the Minister of Agriculture stated that a municipality would not be forced to take the garbage if they are not a willing host can the Minister confirm that this government will not force our community to take another municipalities garbage Thank you Thank you The Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Thank you very much Mr. Speaker we I just want to be very clear about where we are in the process right now because there's a legal process to ensure we protect the rights of communities but we also have a fair process for siding landfills and I think we all appreciate that it's not a matter of taking other people's garbage we have a system in Ontario where we share those burdens of disposal what has been approved is a terms of reference that the proponents in this case have to follow and as we go through this process Mr. Speaker Order All aspects are looked at detailed studies are done on risks to water supplies opportunities A member from Renfrew Nipissing Pembroke come to order Finish please Thank you very much So it's an evidence based public transparent process and Mr. Speaker I wrote into the amendment for the terms of reference that we have to consider cumulative effects Answer There was some confusion there because that actually includes human health effects I just want to be very clear on the record A member from Leeds Crenville We don't have a health category Thank you But that's included in cumulative Thank you Supplementary Well thank you very much Mr. Minister as you know the people in my community are worried not just about where the garbage could come from but the risk to our drinking water of a landfill located on fractured bedrock near the Thames River and one of Engershal's main municipal water supplies They're concerned that this government doesn't get it Today is World Water Day and to mark this occasion the people in my writing are looking for a commitment from the minister of the environment Can the minister gave us his insurance that the landfill will not be approved if it is put on our if it puts our drinking water at risk Thank you Minister Mr. Speaker the short answer is yes and that's what the terms of reference policy is and now well I have great respect from the member from Oxford he's been a friend and I think we've worked well together on these issues and I know he and I share a concern I would even go further Mr. Speaker I would say that Oxford County is one of the leading counties if not the leading county in Ontario on environmental sustainability zero waste and low carbon This is a remarkable community with a remarkable environmental group So we are very concerned because there are not that many communities each of us as MPPs would find would not put in our election literature that we're running for re-election by putting a waste facility in our communities it is one of the more difficult decisions So we want to make sure that the standards are some of the highest I commit to work with your community with your mayor and with yourself to ensure that if the decision in the air is to cite a dump there that it meets every single standard and I think we put in place with cumulative effects the highest standard possible Thank you Do you have a question? A member from Windsor West Thank you Speaker My question is to the Minister of Education Speaker Children and families across the province continue to inundate my office expressing concerns that provincial and demonstration schools may be forced to close Students who have had positive life changing experiences are coming forward sharing their stories Parents have seen their children grow thrive and succeed Experts in the sector have spoken publicly about the value of these schools Even pediatricians are coming forward These schools help our most vulnerable kids Some children particularly those who thrive in ASL or QSL environments will be left with no other local alternatives My question is clear Will the Minister of Education ensure that no provincial or demonstration school is closed as a result of consultation? Yes or no? Thank you Minister Yes and of course as we've said many times no decisions have been made the consultation is continuing and we really do need to think about how do we best serve our children with special needs We know that that the children who are in the demonstration schools are served very well by the demonstration schools Nobody is arguing that that they have very good programs But what we are looking at is the availability of those programs the accessibility of those programs and we are reviewing the demonstration schools and I want to assure people that that review will happen as quickly as possible but we do want to hear from everyone involved and no decisions have been made at this point Answer Thank you Supplementary Thank you Speaker These are critical programs for students that go into the provincial and the demonstration schools as the minister herself has acknowledged so perhaps she should lift the caps on enrollment and reopen enrollment rather than keeping it closed Right Speaker I have a question Even though the minister herself continually rises in this house and speaks with certainty about the positive impacts of these schools it is clear that the government will not commit to keeping these specialized schools open On this side of the house we believe that all children deserve equal access to education that allows them to thrive If families want to benefit from these schools they should have every right to do so This government should be should not be balancing the books on the backs of vulnerable children and families I'll ask again Will the minister tell concerned families today that no provincial or demonstration school will be closed as a result of consultation Thank you minister Yes and I think the the member opposite in her question actually hit on the issue here is that we believe in equal access for all students with special need So we are committed to reviewing special education programs and making sure that in fact we are meeting the needs of special education students not as she said locally and these aren't local schools they're schools where people fly in from literally fly in from around the province We need to look at what is the availability of programs in all boards throughout the province in all regions throughout the province What's the availability of programming for children with very severe learning disabilities That's what we're having Thank you It's an equal act Thank you New question The member from York South Western Thank you Mr Speaker My question is to the minister of training colleges and universities Ontario's apprenticeship system is a key part of building the highly skilled workforce our province needs to compete in today's global economy Many constituents in my writing of York South West often ask me about the different ways our government is supporting people entering the skilled trades in Ontario I understand that the minister recently was at George Brown College to announce additional funding in two apprenticeship programs that will help the next generation of skilled trades people access to training equipment and facilities they need to get high quality jobs Some of my constituents are particularly interested to know how this funding will help those who face barriers to start an apprenticeship access promising careers in the skilled trades Speaker could the minister please inform the members of the House how this funding will help people access apprenticeship programs in the province of Ontario Thank you Minister of training College of Universities Thank you Mr Speaker and I want to thank the member from York South Western for that very timely question Mr Speaker I just recently visited George Brown College to announce that our government is investing 36 million dollars in two apprenticeship programs out part of Ontario's renewed new job strategy You are investing Mr Speaker 23 million dollars over two years in the Apprenticeship Enhancement Fund and the 30 million dollars in Ontario's pre-apprenticeship program One example is a central Ontario building trades hammer heads program Mr Speaker put an excellent program Mr Speaker which provides life changing training opportunities to youth Mr Speaker our government will continue building Ontario up by ensuring our people have the skills to get good jobs Mr Speaker I want to take this moment to thank all instructors in our 68 training centres run by our colleges and the union and employee based training centres I want to thank the instructors junior persons and the mentors for the good work they do Supplementary Thank you Mr Speaker and thank you to the minister for that answer it is reassuring to know that our government is committed to helping people access apprenticeship programs in the province of Ontario and the hammer heads program is a tremendous program they operate in my writing and they've helped many young people many of my constituents who are new to Canada often tell me that they face challenges in finding good jobs Mr Speaker because they lack the training and the experience to work in the skilled trains in our province I understand that one of the minister's priorities is to support newcomers to Canada and to apprenticeship programs Speaker could the minister please inform the members of this house on the progress that he and his ministry are making in helping new Canadians through Ontario's Priests Apprenticeship Question Thank you Mr Speaker and the Mr Speaker the hardworking member from York South West it is absolutely right Mr Speaker Mr Speaker almost one in five new jobs in Ontario over this decade is expected to be in trades related occupations and I am pleased to say that Ontario's Priests Apprenticeship training program is funding projects that will support newcomers to Canada and to Ontario to access apprenticeship programs I am proud to say that Mr Speaker this year we are investing nearly three million dollars towards a 13th Priests Apprenticeship program that will help new Canadians into this trade Mr Speaker our government will continue investing in our people by supporting a high quality skill trades and apprenticeship system in our province of Ontario Thank you Mr Speaker Thank you Mr Speaker Any questions? Thank you Mr Speaker Thank you Mr Speaker My question is to the Minister of Energy Speaker last week a wind project was awarded to Inver Energy in Dutton Dunwich even though this municipality is not a willing host in fact 84% of the residents of Dutton Dunwich voted against this wind project Speaker another municipality am I writing Malahide was a willing host but was not awarded a contract Speaker this government has stated that municipalities will have a say on wind projects however in this latest round of contracts this does not seem to be the case Speaker will the minister explain to the municipalities in my writing why they are ignoring their voices Thank you Thank you Mr. Inver Mr Speaker we have a process for large renewable procurement Mr Speaker that was consulted very broadly across the province of Ontario including with the Association of Municipalities of Ontario AMO with individual municipalities we produced a handbook for municipalities and distributed to every municipality in the province Mr Speaker setting out what the process was was very clear that no municipality would have a veto but that did require the proponents Mr Speaker to have a very very broad engagement with the municipalities provided incentives for them to have agreements with municipalities Mr Speaker of 16 contracts awarded Mr Speaker 13 of them had willing host communities Back to the minister Speaker even your own words back in test back in using a testimony from the minister and committee in November of 2013 he said municipalities wouldn't be given a veto of projects but it would be very rare indeed for any to be improved without municipal backing it would be almost impossible for somebody to win one of those bidding processes without engagement with the municipality Speaker either the ministry minister doesn't know what's going on in his ministry or he just wasn't telling the truth in committee Speaker will the minute I withdraw Speaker Speaker will the minister keep his word and stop the contract from coming to Dutton Dunn-Witch Mr Speaker there was very significant engagement in this particular five Mr Speaker we have a quote here from Laurie Spence Bannerman CAO of Dutton Dunn-Witch Laurie say who recognized Mr Speaker the efforts of the company to set up a monthly meeting with the working group the wind energy company has to show that they're doing things to engage the community and so they were hosting regular monthly meetings a working group is one of those things that shows that you're engaging the local community Mr Speaker that quote is from Laurie Spence Bannerman CAO of Dutton Dunn-Witch Mr Speaker thank you Leader of the opposition on a point of order of order Mr Speaker Toronto Councillor and former Mayor Rob Ford passed away this morning following a hard fought battle against cancer this house sends its condolences to his wife his children and loved ones as a sign that the entire province mourns the loss of Rob Ford I believe you'll find we have unanimous consent to observe a moment of silence Leader of the opposition is seeking unanimous consent to create to do a moment of silence for the passing of Rob Ford do we agree? I would ask all members to please rise and observe a moment of silence kind gesture we have a deferred vote on the motion that this house approves in general the budgetary policy of the government calling the members this will be a five minute bill Members please take their seats All members please take your seats I wonder if there's a competition to see who's the last to sit I can't figure it out On February 25th 2016 Mr. Sousa moves second seconded by Ms. Wynne that this house approves in general the budgetary policy the government all those in favor please rise one at a time be recognized by the court Mr. Schurali Mr. Schurelli Mr. Mayer Ms. Wynne Ms. Matthews Mr. Matthews Mr. Hoskins Mr. Hoskins Ms. Sandals Ms. McCharles Ms. McCharles Mr. Coal Mr. Coal Mr. Tkar Mr. Tkar Mr. Barardinetti Mr. Barardinetti Mr. Dallani Mr. Dallani Mr. Dallani Mr. Dallani Mr. Dallani Mr. Orzetti, Mr. Gravel, Mr. McMeacon, Mr. Murray, Mr. Chan, Mr. Moriti, Mr. Couto, Mr. Leo, Mr. Flynn, Mr. Zimmer, Mr. Zimmer, Madame Lalonde, Mr. Quadrie, Mr. Albanese, Mr. Dixon, Mr. Dixon, Mr. Mangat, Mr. Crack, Mr. Hunter, Mr. Sergio, Mr. Moro, Mr. Del Duca, Ms. Dahmerla, Ms. Dahmerla, Ms. Wong, Ms. Wong, Mr. Fraser, Mr. Andersen, Mr. Anderson, Mr. Baker, Mr. Baker, Mr. Baller, Mr. Baller, Mr. Don, Mr. Don, Ms. Hogarth, Ms. Hogarth, Ms. Koala, Ms. Mollie, Ms. Mollie, Ms. Martin, Ms. McGarry, Ms. McMahon, Mr. Miltjen, Mr. Miltjen, Ms. Nidoo Harris, Mr. Potts, Mr. Reynolds, Mr. Rinaldi, Ms. Rinaldi. All those opposed, please rise one at a time and be recognized by the court. Ms. McCall, Ms. McCall, Mr. Wilson, Ms. Jones, Mr. Brown, Mr. Brown, Mr. Clark, Mr. Yacobosky, Mr. Hillier, Mr. Miller, Parry Sound, Ms. Cote, Mr. Scott, Mr. Barrich, Mr. Urech, Mr. Huda, Mr. Huda, Mr. Bailey, Mr. Bailey, Mr. Walker, Mr. Smith, Mr. Smith, Mr. Harris, Mr. Harrod, Mr. Nichols, Ms. Marteau, Mr. Pettipies, Mr. Pettipies, Mr. Cole, Mr. Singh, Mr. Vantop, Mr. Vantop, Ms. DeNovo, Ms. DeNovo, Mr. Tabith, Mr. Miller, Hamilton, Mr. Stone and Creep, Ms. Sattler, Ms. Taylor, Ms. Taylor, Mr. Natashak, Ms. Armstrong, Ms. Armstrong, Ms. Forrester, Ms. Forrester, Ms. Campbell, Ms. Campbell, Mr. Montag, Ms. Montag, Mr. Hatfield, Ms. Gretzky, Mr. Gates, Ms. Frantz, Ms. Frantz. The nays are 39. The ayes being 53 and the nays being 39. I declare the motion carried. There are no further deferred votes this House stands recess until 3 p.m. this afternoon.