 Therefore, it is time for Question Period, the leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. Thank you Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Energy. Yesterday the Premier said of the leaked Liberal Cabinet document, I quote, not the document on which our plan was built. Mr. Speaker, if this is the case, will the Minister release the document that their plan was built on? The people deserve to know yes or no. Thank you Mr. Speaker. The plan was introduced in the assembly last Thursday. Mr. Speaker and the leader of the opposition has already come out and said that he's going to vote against making sure that families and farms and small businesses in this province are going to get a 25% reduction. He also said he's going to vote against giving rule and northern families a 40 to 50% reduction. Mr. Speaker, when it comes to making sure that we're acting in the short term, our fair hydro plan is going to bring that relief for families, for small businesses and for farms once we can get this legislation passed. It has been 76 days since they said that they would have some sort of idea on how to do something. They've actually done nothing since that time. We've brought forward a plan that's going to work for every single family in this province. Mr. Speaker, we look forward to getting this bill passed through the House. Mr. Speaker, again to the Minister of Energy, my question was about the document, the Liberal Cabinet document graph that showed hydro rates are going to skyrocket in Ontario. We got an answer that was completely irrelevant to the question. So I'm going to ask again. We have the Premier saying the document was out of date, that their new plan was built on something else. This is a recent Liberal Cabinet document saying that their plan is going to skyrocket hydro rates. So I will give the Minister of Energy another chance. If this was not recent, if this was not the plan... Start the car. I'm trying to ask the other side to stop. Please. This document was not the one they built their plan on. Like the Liberal Cabinet document says, will the Minister release the graph that will show this is not the case? The people deserve to know. Yes or no, will you release the document? The Minister of Indigenous Reconciliation come to order and the member from Etobicoke North come to order. Mr. Speaker, the 2013 long-term energy plan outlines where our government with consultation with stakeholders and energy experts showed where we believed prices were going to go. But what we've done, Mr. Speaker, is we've pulled costs out of the system. The $3.5 billion renegotiation of the Samsung agreement. The cancellation of LRP2, Mr. Speaker, both took significant billions of dollars out of the system. So, Mr. Speaker, when you look at what the 2013 long-term energy plan said where we were going to be, we've actually reduced that number significantly. This plan that we have brought forward, Mr. Speaker, and are hoping to get passed through this house, we want to see that passed because we're going to bring 25% on average, a reduction on every single electricity bill for families, small businesses and farms, Mr. Speaker. 76 days, they've done nothing. It just shows, Mr. Speaker, they have no plan for the... Thank you. Final supplementary. Mr. Speaker, again to the Minister of Energy. The Minister of Energy quoted a 2013 long-term energy plan. I'm talking about a Liberal Cabinet document for 2017. The show's hydro rates are going to skyrocket and skyrocket and go through the roof. And I know they're doing damage control right now because a whistleblower from this government exposed this government that once again, every time they touch hydro, they make it worse. Now, a third time to the Minister of Energy, if the Liberal Cabinet graph is wrong, if hydro rates are not going to skyrocket, will you do... Will you at least be fair to the people of Ontario and provide us the new graph, the new document that your plan is based on? Will we have that disclosure yes or no? Can you see it, please? Can you see it, please? Thank you. Minister. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Of course, just like we did with the 2010 long-term energy plan and the 2013 long-term energy plan, we'll be bringing forward the 2017 long-term energy plan, Mr. Speaker. That will show where we are going to project, where prices are going to be. And you know where they're going to be right now, Mr. Speaker? 25% lower than where they were last year. And that's thanks to this government, Mr. Speaker, bringing forward a plan that's going to make sure that we help every single family farm and small business in this province. Where's their plan, Mr. Speaker? The last I heard is they were joking that I was in policy development, but now we know, Mr. Speaker, that they're going to conjure something up on that magic weekend in November. But what we're doing, Mr. Speaker, is we're making sure 40 to 50% is coming off for 800,000 families as we make sure that we're helping those in rural and remote parts of our province. And 25% coming off for every family, 500,000 small businesses and farms. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. New question, leader of the opposition. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Energy. Based on the Liberal Cabinet document leak that shows hydro rates are going to skyrocket, I want to ask a very direct question to the Minister of Energy. What will hydro rates be in Ontario in 2022? The document says they're going to skyrocket. Please correct the record. Tell us what hydro rates will be. What type of increase are we going to see in 2022? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Once again, we've been talking about what we're going to do in the short term, which is bring about 25% reduction. Oh, I know, Mr. Speaker. When it comes to the medium term... Finish, please. Mr. Speaker, in the medium term, for the next four years, we're holding our costs and rates of increases, Mr. Speaker, to the rate of inflation. And then in the long term, the 2017 long-term energy plan, that will actually dictate where prices are going to be projected. By 2022, Mr. Speaker, I'm hoping that we might even see something from them that relates to a plan, because I think it'll take them that long, Mr. Speaker. Supplementary. Mr. Speaker, again to the Minister of Energy, and he had a very revealing remark there. He said, we're only focused on the short term. Surprise, surprise, Mr. Speaker. What's happening next year? It's an election. And that's what costs Ontaroans every time. They come up with gimmicks. They come up with games to create a house of cards. And Ontaro ends up paying more. We've only had the gas plants every time they're concerned about elections and not the long-term costs for Ontaro. Ontaroans pay more. So, Mr. Speaker, according to this liberal document, this liberal cabinet document by 2024 will reach a record high in Ontario. So my question to the Minister of Energy, this document says we will reach a record high in 2024. Is that correct? 2024, your document, this government's document says it will be a record high. Please tell us otherwise. Thank you. That's incorrect, Mr. Speaker. The 2017 long-term energy plan is still being worked on, Mr. Speaker, and we're still making sure that we're going to pull costs out of the system. And I know they have a hard time understanding anything about the electricity, Mr. Speaker, because they don't even have a plan. They first started talking about a five-point plan. Then a... Member from here on, Bruce. This please. And then a zero-point plan, Mr. Speaker. And I know the people of Ontario will be working for a magic weekend in November. That's why we're bringing forward legislation if passed will reduce rates by 25%. That will help families, small businesses and farms. We got an OESP program enhancement, Mr. Speaker. We've got a First Nation on reserve reduction, Mr. Speaker. These are things that are helping families. There's got nothing in their plan, Mr. Speaker. They don't even have... Thank you. Final supplementary. Mr. Speaker, again to the Minister of Energy, this liberal cabinet document that shows hydro rates are going to skyrocket is so disappointing. I think many on Terrans hope that when the liberal said they're finally going to address their own hydro mess, that maybe we would have seen executive salaries be reined in. Maybe we would have seen the government say we were wrong to collect $1.3 million in donations from the 30 mega-renewable contracts. That was bad policy. Maybe they would have apologized to on Terrans. Instead right now, we've got an election gimmick. As the Minister of Energy said himself, this is about the short term. I'm concerned about the long term. I'm concerned that our hydro rates are going to continue to skyrocket and their own document says that. Actually, 2022 goes up, 2024 goes up. In your own document in 2028, it's going to jump 10%. Mr. Speaker, families can't afford this. When were we actually going to address the structural problems in hydro? When will this government actually clean up their own mess? Thank you, Minister. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Structural changes are being done right now by our system operator with market renewal, market reform and a capacity option, Mr. Speaker. We're already two steps ahead of this party on many things, Mr. Speaker. When it comes to the electricity file, we've even got a plan bringing forward serious reductions for all families. You know what, Mr. Speaker? A 25% reduction in the short term and in the medium term is something that families in this province want and need and we're delivering, Mr. Speaker. A 40% to 50% reduction for families that live in the rural and northern parts of our province. That is something they need in the short term and in the medium term and we're delivering, Mr. Speaker. And when it comes to the long term, Mr. Speaker, the only thing that is going long term right now is we're 76 days without them putting one iota, one idea on the table on what to do. We've got a long term plan coming out in 2017. Long term energy plan will continue to address and pull costs out of the system. Thank you. New question, the leader of the third party. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the acting premier. The premier is trying to sell the public a bill of goods here. Leak documents show that she knows that her hydro plan will end up costing are causing hydro rates to soar, Mr. Speaker. But in a few months that she's been bragging about this plan, it's a fact, not a once. Why is the premier trying to hide the real cost of her hydro plan, Mr. Speaker? Mr. Speaker, we really want an Ontario where everybody has an even chance where there's a level playing field and we know, Mr. Speaker, that when you're worried about your hydro bill you're not able to focus on those other things, Mr. Speaker, that will make your life better. So that's why we're using electricity prices by 25%, Mr. Speaker. We have a plan. It's an important plan. It will provide relief for people. We are still waiting. Premier, deputy premier. Mr. Speaker, we have had a plan if you want to call it that from the NDP and I'm happy to see that they're actually starting to execute that plan because one piece of that plan, Mr. Speaker, was to get the federal government to pay for hydro prices and now we're one step closer to having the member from Bramley Gormulton elected leader, elected prime minister and then is prepared to vote for for the leadership of the new Democrat Speaker. She certainly doesn't act like one. Look, we know that this document was leaked last week, Speaker. It's a document that this government continues to claim is a document that's out of date. In fact, the premier uses that language. The minister uses that language. But I have to say, that sounds more like, and I quote, the gas plants will only cost 40 million dollars or I promise we won't sell hydro one or nobody tried to bribe anybody in the Sudbury buy election to the next speaker. Will this premier stop the cycle of scandals and just come clean with the people of Ontario about the real cost of her borrowing skills that the people cannot afford? Mr. Speaker, I'm very pleased to rise and talk about our fair hydro plan and of course, Mr. Speaker, the plan that is actually going to bring forward a 25% reduction to help all families, all small businesses 500,000 of those small businesses and farms across the province, Mr. Speaker and that's why we've acted to make sure that we have this legislation to get through this house because if it passes we're also going to help 800,000 families in rural and northern parts of our province, Mr. Speaker and I know the NDP and the PCs have already said that they're going to vote against this, Mr. Speaker they're going to vote against giving families relief now, relief in the midterm Mr. Speaker, and relief in the long term. Mr. Speaker, our plan is making sure that we build Ontario up make sure that we create jobs build the infrastructure we need and at the same time, find ways of reducing rates for all people right across the province. The bottom line is that the people of Ontario deserve the facts they deserve the facts the premium is what the real cost of this borrowing scheme will be and they deserve to know how much Premier Wynn intends to increase the hydro bills and they deserve to know now before the next election that's when people need the information so will this Premier and this Minister do the right thing and tell Ontario families and businesses tell everyone that's sitting in this chamber right now what the real cost of their plan is going to be thank you Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker the member from Hamilton Estonian Creek will withdraw withdraw thank you Mr. Speaker so let's talk about facts 25% reduction for all families 500,000 small businesses in farms in this province 800,000 families in rural or northern parts of our province will see a 40 to 50% reduction once we can get this legislation passed the Ontario electricity support program increased by an additional 50% new line items including more people to qualify for that 192,000 families are currently on the OESP program another fact Mr. Speaker is that we've reduced the delivery line for First Nations on reserve First Nations that's an $85 savings for those families that's a fact that we're making a different in their lives another fact Mr. Speaker is both the NDP and the PCs have said they are voting against this Mr. Speaker the other fact is that's going to hurt every family in this province thank you the leader of the third party thank you Mr. Speaker my next question is also for the acting premier I met Steve and Lucy Franzi Steve and Lucy are business owners speaker they have a number of country style doughnut and M&M meat shops at each store monthly hydro bills are now topping $2,000 they spend over $10,000 a month just on their hydro bills they've done everything that they can do to reduce costs they've changed all the lighting they did extra work on their freezers they're efficient but nothing is bringing their bills down how can the premier implement a hydro plan that will end up costing this hard working family even more in a couple years time thank you Mr. Speaker as we've said the fair hydro plan applies to small businesses many of these small businesses that the leader of the third party has mentioned will qualify for their hydro plan in that 25% reduction so these businesses and these family run businesses will see that 25% reduction if passed Mr. Speaker and that is making sure that we are helping these small businesses keep more money in their pockets so they can continue to expand and grow just like we've been seeing other businesses like outspoken do that in Sault Ste. Marie Mr. Speaker we're going to continue to find ways to help our small businesses in this province and when it comes to electricity concerns we've even addressed those that don't qualify for the 25% reduction we changed the ICI program once again Mr. Speaker this will actually reduce the rate of qualification to ensure that thousands more businesses will qualify again Mr. Speaker saving businesses in this province thousands of dollars on their electricity bills supplementary Mr. Speaker the Francies employ over 50 people in the zoo they pride themselves on being able to provide jobs to zoo residents but with their exorbitant hydro bills they're worried that they're going to have to cut back on staff why is this premier why is this liberal government forcing good community minded employers like Steve and Lucy to choose between providing jobs in Sault Ste. Marie and paying hydro bills thank you Mr. Speaker once again as I said these type of businesses qualify for the 25% reduction so that's good news for the 500,000 small businesses that actually qualify for this program we're also working with the Ontario Chamber of Commerce to make sure that we can get all of the programs that are to help many of these businesses lower their consumption when they lower their consumption they also lower their bills the ICI program that I know many of the businesses in the zoo are actually seeing Mr. Speaker lower their bills by up to a third and for those that weren't qualifying before Mr. Speaker for this program we lowered the threshold from 1 megawatt to 500 kilowatts or 0.5 megawatts Mr. Speaker that opens up this program for thousands of businesses right across the province we're going to continue to work with the Chamber of Commerce we're going to continue to work with small businesses to make sure that they can continue to grow and make Ontario prosper final supplementary Mr. Speaker Steve and Lucy are not alone all over Ontario businesses that were promised relief are now reeling from the truth that the liberal hydro plan is a borrowing scheme that is designed to make liberal friends rich at the expense of hard working Ontario families why is this premier punishing Ontario families and businesses with this wrong headed hydro scheme thank you Mr. Speaker the only two parties that are punishing Ontario's are the opposition parties Mr. Speaker by voting against this bill how can they say Mr. Speaker how can they say that a 25% reduction today is punishing it is actually helping families small businesses and farms right across our province not only this year Mr. Speaker not only next year and not only following year but the year after that Mr. Speaker and then the 2017 long-term energy plan will kick in and you know what Mr. Speaker we're going to continue to take costs out of the system that will see rates even drop more Mr. Speaker we found ways to make sure that we can help Ontario families we're going to continue to do that they can talk about magic weekends in November and coming up with policy or ideas that pie in the sky Mr. Speaker that don't do anything and don't even take a single cent neither party has talked about how they can take a single cent off any bills we're taking 25% Mr. Speaker and we're proud of that Thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the minister of natural resources and forestry late last Friday Toronto police were forced to shoot and kill a bear that had wandered on to city streets police spokesman Mark Pugash said that they called the ministry of natural resources but no one was able to come and help us they were told that there were not any resources to assist them Mr. Speaker why was no one from natural resources able to help and trap the bear Thank you very much and thank you very much to the member for the question public safety is the most important thing in cases like these local police made the decision based on the situation my ministry was contacted that night by police and they provided some advice they were unable to for public safety reasons finish please thank you it is not safe to attempt to tranquilise a bear at night the Toronto police made the decision they were the ones on the ground making the decision they reached out to my ministry for advice so they provided the information I agree it's an unfortunate situation but these are wild animals the police and my ministry have a duty to ensure that the public is protected back to the minister Mr. Speaker you know Don Cherry had this to say feel free to continue disrespecting the chair Minister of Aboriginal Affairs come to order I don't blame the police because they didn't have the equipment or backup it's a dark day and we have to learn from this but Mr. Speaker the government refuses to learn because these dark days aren't all that rare in Ontario June the second 2015 after a bear was shot in Newmarket the former minister said that NUSA's bears were not the responsibilities of the M&R and the reason the police had to act was the M&R couldn't work weekends this time M&R said they couldn't work at night it sounds like the minister doesn't seem to give her staff the resources at all Mr. Speaker when will this government take responsibility these bear deaths are a direct result of their cuts thank you we have a protocol that we follow in Ontario when working with local police in these situations we would never second guess law enforcement's decision regarding public safety and I want to give a shout out to our officers across Ontario and to the public both police might provide advice our ministry officials will go out in the daylight hours to tranquilize a bear let me reiterate it is not safe to try and tranquilize a bear at night we would also like to take a moment to reiterate that if you see a bear that poses a threat to public safety you need to call 9-1-1 and your local police my ministry is always available for advice and support when need be second guess at least decision to make sure that public safety is the most important thing and that they provided public safety that night new question thank you speaker my question to the acting premier the premier promised before the last election to lower auto insurance rates for Ontario drivers by 15% after the election she said it wasn't actually a promise it was a stretch goal we know the premier's hydro-borrowing scheme is the same as her auto insurance promise a political calculation designed to confuse Ontario voters into voting for her party in the next election will the government finally admit that this is the case thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you for the question Mr. Speaker I'm a member opposite usually something that the deputy leader of the opposition third party would ask and I recognize that he's not available now but hopefully in time he'll be able to also act and provide some assistance as we move forward Mr. Speaker as we are with David Marshall's report to ensure we curb the increasing cost within the system to enable us to reduce premiums or in order to achieve our goal Mr. Speaker and that's an ongoing situation stop the clock and I'm sure the minister of finance along with all members know that we do not make reference to someone's attendance in this place supplementary thank you Speaker again to the acting premier I hope this time they'll listen to the question the premier needs to figure out another way to get votes she needs to understand but toying with people's lives for political advantage is not acceptable and it doesn't work Ontarians need real relief from skyrocketing hydro prices that the premier has helped create when will she offer the people of Ontario a solution that benefits them not the Liberal Party Mr. Speaker so Mr. Speaker the member opposite knows that a report has been issued upon four with a number of important recommendations it's up for public debate part of which would reduce the cost of the system and I hope the member opposite will take it into account as he proceeds forward to initiate some of these to reduce those costs to then enable us to have further reductions in our premiums and Mr. Speaker it's an ongoing thing that we've always been said we would do and we are doing it and there are about 20 odd companies that have now reduced by more than 15% it's a competitive industry and we're going to continue moving forward and working with the industry to achieve our goals thank you Mr. Speaker Thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Minister our government and the not-for-profit sector share the common goal of healthy and vibrant Ontario communities in my writing of Davenport a significant number of constituents rely on local not-for-profit organizations like South Asian Women's Centre that increase self-awareness of women and to empower women to develop their social and cultural potential Minister it is crucial to my constituents that they can access organizations that assist to develop their full potential by increasing their economic social and political standing in society Mr. Speaker can the Minister share what the government is doing to strengthen the not-for-profit sector so that Ontarians can continue to access the support they need to succeed Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the dedicated member from Davenport for advocating for immigrant women and the not-for-profit sector in her community Mr. Speaker Ontario is home to more than 55,000 registered not-for-profits not only do they contribute to every aspect of our society but they also positively impact our economy the not-for-profit sector contributes close to $57 billion to Ontario's economy Mr. Speaker our ministry supports non-profits through our partnership grant program since 2011 we have invested almost $18 million to help 67 organizations build program evaluation inclusive leadership and volunteer management capacity Thank you Mr. Speaker I want to thank the minister for her response and it is reassuring to see that our government is committed to strengthening ties with the not-for-profit sector so that Ontarians can access the resources they need I'm sure the minister would agree that the work of local not-for-profit organizations is critical to the success of constituents Minister it is important that we continue to support the not-for-profit sector to build capacity by investing in projects that support intra-sector cooperation and networks I understand that the minister earlier this year was joined by the member from Newmarket Aurora at the Blue Hills Child and Family Center to make a funding announcement Speaker can the minister tell us how our government is enhancing support for not-for-profit organizations so that they can continue to assist Ontarians Minister of Citizenship Immigration Well thank you Mr. Speaker the member from Davenport we called well earlier this year I was joined by the member from Newmarket Aurora to announce an investment of over four million dollars over two years for 21 grants across the province to support and strengthen organizations so that they can continue to serve the people of Ontario Mr. Speaker this program is essential to building capacity within the not-for-profit sector the projects being funded will reach over 2,800 organizations which in turn will assist thousands of Ontarians the member from Davenport will be pleased to learn that the South Asian Women's Center in a writing will be receiving up to $129,000 to develop a diversity and inclusion leadership strategy and provide essential training to partner agency Mr. Speaker our ministry recognizes that non-profit organizations play a crucial role in maintaining the well-being of society the member from here on Bruce thank you very much Mr. Speaker my question is for the Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation on Saturday May 6th 17-year-old Tammy Keash failed to make curfew at her Thunder Bay Group home tragically her body was discovered in the Niebing-Mackattire floodway between Saturday and Sunday no one in her family or the North Caribou First Nation community or the Nitshnabe Aski Nation was notified that she had not returned home Mr. Speaker was looking out for this young woman sadly in total four Indigenous youth living in group homes have died in the last six months why, Speaker is the minister sitting idly by and letting this happen under his watch thank you Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker well thank you for that question we take these issues very seriously I can tell you that yesterday afternoon the Minister of Children and Youth Services and I spent the afternoon at the Native Center on Spadina Road from about 1 o'clock to 5 o'clock in which we discussed the issues specifically surrounding First Nation children and the issues they have in care being taken into care how they're dealt with in care at that meeting was I said Minister of Children and Youth Services myself and the leadership from First Nations communities across Ontario they shared with us their very frank and their very poignant stories but more than their frank and poignant stories they threw solutions out they placed solutions from the table about how to deal with these and I'd be happy to deal with that in the supplementary thank you very much Mr. Speaker I appreciate that update but we have to remember this year since the Thunder Bay inquiry resulted in 145 recommendations on how to better support Indigenous youth in care one recommendation dealt with the development of policies dealing with missing students specifically the timely filing of missing person reports a year later those speakers Indigenous youth are still dying and their families and communities have no safeguard Today we've seen more calls for action, so I ask the Minister will you support the call from the Ontario Children's Aid Society and NAND leadership and call a coroner's inquest into these recent deaths? Well thank you Mr. Speaker and I want to thank the member for the question because this is a really important issue and like the Minister who was responsible for indigenous affairs and reconciliation said yesterday we had a very meaningful conversation with the leadership which he's right across the province here in Toronto and in addition to that Mr. Speaker I've been to many different jurisdictions across this province and spoken to young people and to leaders and elders within communities and we have we have a plan moving forward when it comes to group homes and children in care a new blueprint that we will be bringing forward very shortly with some substantial changes but Mr. Speaker the most important piece here is return jurisdiction back to indigenous communities and making sure that those communities can care for their children and that's the direction that we're moving in thank you Mr. Speaker thank you Mr. Speaker acting Premier yesterday I participated in the Ontario Round Table organized by Diabetes Canada their number one issue was access to medication and supplies Diabetes is an expensive disease to manage and high out-of-pocket costs compromise people's ability to access the medication they need Charlene is 60 years old she buys her insulin in vials mixes them herself before she injects with a needle in order to save money she told us that the essential medicine that she needs including her insulin is costing us one thousand dollars a month and with no public drug coverage that money comes straight out of her pocket like millions of people in Ontario the 1.5 million diabetic patient needs universal question that covers everyone no matter how old you are why doesn't the Premier do that health long-term care well mr. Speaker since we developed a provincial Ontario's diabetes strategy roughly a decade ago we've made important changes so that all Ontarians with diabetes will have access to the necessities that they need and and out of that 1.5 million individuals that the member opposite referenced my sister who for almost 50 years in fact she was diagnosed in her teens as insulin dependent so this is an issue that I know extremely well despite the heckling actually that I'm receiving from the leader of the third party and mr. Speaker and that includes that includes well my my sister who is that age and has had diabetes she's teen mr. Speaker so we provide for children adults uh uh insulin pumps mr. Speaker we provide for diabetic tests and strips we provide for those who have limited means as well on ontario works your odsp additional support thank you so that they can manage their diabetes effectively supplementary thank you speaker well with universal pharmacare every ontarian would have drug coverage no matter how old they are universal pharmacare would save the life of 830 diabetic patient each and every year in ontario ontarian should never be forced to skip their medication they should never have to go into credit card debt just to fill their prescription and minister of health should have to worry about whether she can afford the essential medication she needs to manage her diabetes universal pharmacare is for everyone it is the right thing to do so why won't the liberal government do it thank you you see the place thank you minister well mr. Speaker I would implore the third party to stop describing their program as universal pharmacare because it's anything but what so what would what would the what would that member mr. Speaker say to the minister thank you mr. Speaker and in the uh the over 4 000 days that the leader of the third party has been in this legislature she prior to a couple of weeks ago she mentioned the word pharmacare three times one reference was in reference to an an op ed one wrap up please in those more than 4 000 times one was in reference to an op ed that I wrote on pharmacare and the second was in reference to the trans-pacific partnership which is likely an erroneous thank you mr. Speaker our pharmacare begins new questions and reference car roll agent court thank you mr. Speaker my question for the minister and children and youth services minister this past weekend marked a youth in care day across ontario may 14 every year is a time for all of us to recognize these young people's contribution to the province as well as the strength bravery and resilience these young people have have our government's full support and I know the minister has a long history of advocating for children youth in this province to help position them for success and also help them to thrive as my neighbour speaker the minister is quite familiar with my writing of scarborough agent court and have met with many children youth to hear about their concerns on safety access and child welfare issues speaker three or two the minister can he please provide some insight on how the government is helping young people and children youth in care thank you mr. Speaker and I want to thank the the member from Scarborough agent court for this question but I also want to uh I want to thank her for her advocacy on this issue in fact it was her private members bill that established this day to be recognized here in ontario so thank you so much for all the work you've done as a minister responsible for children youth services here in the province of ontario it is an absolute privilege for me to get out across the province and meet young people and there are so many young people that I've met who are in care with lived experiences that are are working towards building a better ontario for the next generation of young people who live in care so mr. Speaker we're currently working on a very comprehensive piece of legislation which members of the house know about to reform child welfare sector here in this province so every single young person has the opportunity in this province to reach their full potential thank you so much thank you to the minister I'm very pleased minister to see that on bill 89 many young people have added their voice before going through the legislative process of this house we just finished committee stage and is now coming back to the house for third reading our government knows how important this legislation is and we want to get this right mr. Speaker I also know the minister has listened closely to the feedback from those who appear before the standing committee especially young people sharing their experience both at the public hearings and throughout the consultation process our government's amendment to the bills feedback also reflects some of the amendments in the in the bill minister can you please share with the house how bill 89 as amended with impact youth in care should the bill be passed thank you minister well thank you mr. Speaker and the member is correct that we had a the opportunity to get out there and engage with a lot of young people and they provided a tremendous amount of insight into the changes that they thought were necessary at the beginning stage through the consultation over the last few years to to build the initial legislation but also through the committee amendment process so this bill mr. Speaker is such an important piece of legislation one of the pieces that I think is so important is that it raises the age of protection and will now protect 16 and 17 year olds who may be vulnerable and need support in addition to that it'll improve oversight for service providers including children's aid societies so that children and youth receive consistent high quality services right across this province and it'll affirm the rights of children and require service providers to uphold them and mr. Speaker most importantly it upholds Caitlyn's principles clearly stating that every child has a right to be heard and respected thank you minister of agriculture food and rural affairs we've now seen 10 months of turmoil in Ontario's processing vegetable market it's incumbent on government to work through a process consistent with the needs of both growers and processors while supporting regulated marketing and supporting the growth of Ontario's processing vegetable industry 2017 crop negotiations are wrapped up there's more work to do when will we see your government's promised economic impact study it's been 10 months now and when will we see the establishment of the industry advisory committee mr. Speaker I want to thank the member from Hollywood Norfolk for a very thoughtful question this morning we of course had issued a regulation 440 a process that we're working through we had a particular challenge this early spring with the tomato crop in the province of Ontario we appointed one of the most distinguished people the province of Ontario the former agriculture minister the honorable Albert Buchanan who served so well in this house from 1990 to 95 to act as a trustee and now mr. Speaker there is a court case that is potentially pending and because that court case is potentially pending I can't comment any further thank you supplementary well look the processing vegetable industry they've invested thousands of dollars in land and labor and plant and equipment machinery and information you mentioned regulation 440 the growers the processors they've now negotiated a minimum price in terms and conditions of agreement for the coming season however planting irrigating harvest is looming with the attendant need for oversight of grading filling contracts adjusting contracts ever mindful of the vagaries of weather and other externalities minister growers need they're elected and trusted organization back to ensure orderly marketing they need the representation directors committees support staff when will we see the election of directors and when will we see the appointment of staff to make the required decisions during harvest mr. Speaker I want to thank I want to thank the member for supplementary question we were faced with a situation that we want to make sure that we protected a crop in 2017 we want to protect family farms and we want to protect the processing industry which is so important to agricultural province of Ontario we appoint it as I said one of the most distinguished people in agricultural province of Ontario today the Honourable Albert Buchanan he acted as a trustee he was able to negotiate contracts to make sure that we got those crops planted in the ground and potentially harvest for a robust sector of that part of Ontario's agriculture I take the member's representation this morning but there is a pending court case and I can't comment any further mr. Speaker thank you new question the member from Kitchener wanted thank you very much mr. Speaker my questions to the acting premier one out of every 10 workers in the province of Ontario make the minimum wage which has not kept pace with the rising cost of almost everything 70% of Ontarians want to see a $15 minimum wage yet there was nothing in the budget and the minister has made it clear there's nothing in the changing workplaces report new democrats listen speaker that's why we have committed to increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour for over a year now will the acting premier commit today to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour thank you speaker and thank you to the member for this question there obviously is discussion right throughout the North American continent on minimum wages these days what we've done as a government speaker we want to make sure that every family in this province is able to benefit from the economy of this problem speaker the economy is robust we're leading an economic growth amongst the g7 speaker Ontario is doing well we need to ensure that every sector every person from the high income earners to low income earners are earning their share in that economy speaker that's why we implemented the changing workplaces review to make sure that we took a look at all the labor relations aspects all the employment standard speaker that that have been raised by organized labor by business by poverty advocates throughout the province of Ontario I hope to come back to the house after the report is released once the public has seen the report and is able to digest its speaker with some changes that I think really meet the needs of those hardworking ontarians speaker that have relied on a sense of decency in Ontario's workplaces thank you supplementary so for over a year now new democrats have been committed to the $15 minimum wage again last week we asked this liberal government will you commit to this wage and we asked again on April 25th then we asked again on March 8th and we asked again on February 23rd and anytime this liberal government has been asked if they'll raise the minimum wage chief government has been the same and I quote ontarians want predictable no they don't speaker they want change and hardworking ontarians deserve a $15 minimum wage will this be another stretch goal or will this government commit today to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour thank you minister speaker I want to thank the member again for that question obviously I say as I said at the start of the previous answer speaker this is a topic that is being discussed all over north america when you look to the to our neighbors to the south you're seeing changes implemented on a city basis on a state basis when you look to our own country you're seeing changes that are being made on a provincial basis speaker it's about protecting people's wages it's about protecting their ability to earn a good living speaker now speaker we've gone through a review that is looked at employment standards we've looked at labour relations in the province of Ontario to make sure that we fully understand the ramifications of what we do what the premier asked me to do in the mandate letter was to take a look at the the workplaces today make sure that the legislation is up to date and do it in a way that Ontario business can remain it can remain competitive speaker the ndps referred to this as a waste of time I could not agree more speaker it's very important your question the member well thank you speaker my question is to the minister responsible for early years in child care minister I am proud of our government is committed to ensuring that families have access to quality and affordable child care all across the province but I hear over and over again from my constituents about the struggle to find child care for their children there is an acute shortage and while we have addressed the issue of non-refundable weightless fees that I raised in a private members bill more supply of affordable spaces is required and as the MPP for beaches east york I want to ensure that we are providing child care options for all of the families in need across the province so speaker will the minister responsible for early years in child care please tell us all what the government is doing to make sure families needs are going to be met thank you minister I would ask that those kinds of things not be said please need a response thank you mr speaker and thanks to the hardworking men bear from beaches east york for this important question speaker it's vital for families to have access to quality affordable child care and we know that this is can be a challenge for families that's why I'm proud that our government has a plan to modernize the way we are delivering child care the 2017 budget reaffirmed our government's commitment to help 100 000 more children access affordable quality licensed child care and we're starting immediately with an investment of 200 million dollars for the 2017-18 year this funding supports the creation of 24 000 more spaces for children it will provide immediate relief for families reduce weightless and courage reduce fees and increase subsidies this investment will be felt by thousands of parents searching for affordable accessible child care i'm waiting for oh there it is thank you speaker thank you and thank you to the minister for her excellent work and trying to provide more daycare spaces for constituents right across the province it's encouraging to know that our government is working to address the needs of Ontario families and I know that I'm working very hard with local daycare providers like Debbie Viscotti the executive director of center 55 to identify new locations in beaches east york for affordable daycare in beaches east york and I know that families in my riding are excited to see that new non-profit daycare spaces are being created and I recognize there's a lot more work to be done and people who are involved in the child care and early years sector are keen to see how the system will be modernized we've heard about the 100 000 new spaces being created and our government with swift action will help provide families with access to child care that they need right now but speaker will the minister please explain to us and tell us more about the way which our government is plans to transform child care in the long term Mr. Speaker and please answer the members question my ministry and I have been working hard to support the needs of families when it comes to early years and child care in Ontario we know that providing space is not enough which is why we are developing a renewed early years and child care framework to help transform the entire system speaker we want to help families get the support they need whether they choose to stay at home with a young one or use child care and this framework will include an affordability strategy to create long-term solutions as you know we held consultations in 20 different Ontario communities and heard from close to 8 000 people the needs of families in this province are diverse and I'm pleased to say that we will be sharing the details of our framework in the coming weeks the 2017 budget commitment is just the start thank you new question the member from Chatham Kent sx thank you very much mr. Speaker my questions to the minister of natural resources and forestry speaker it's been over five years and four mnrf ministers since i first asked about the future of rondo cottages now there's less than a week to go before the rondo cottages return to see what repairs are needed after the winter their leases are set to expire in less than eight months if no decision is reached your liberal government minister will force them to tear down their cottages at their own expense after december 2017 these cottages need to know answers now cottages are in need of repair minister you've delayed this decision far too long question so speaker to the minister will the minister commit today to extending the leases for the cottages thank you minister thank you very much speaker and thank you to the member opposite for the question as he knows the 20 year lease was set to expire december 31st 2017 and that our government's been taking steps to allow existing private cottage lots in rondo provincial park to continue until december 31st 2038 but a final decision will be informed by consultation environmental and economic studies and an and an environmental assessment and and that's where it rests right now with the ministry of environment who is doing an environmental assessment there it's an approach that's intended to balance the interests of public cottagers and demonstrate fiscal responsibility while protecting the environment in rondo provincial park so we will continue to work with the cottagers we understand time of is of the essence but at the moment the file rests with the minister for environmental uh environment and climate change supplementary speaker wow how many more environmental assessments have to be done you know years ago i was told that the ministry was waiting for the last environmental and economic study to be finished before they can make a decision and i don't think that it's fair to compare rondo to algonquin because rondo is a sound and solid community who are excellent stewards of the land the studies are done but still no answers minister after many years the deadline is fast approaching and the government seems no closer to making up its mind these cottages have been in families for decades so speaker with the least deadline fast approaching these cottagers need answers now so speaker to the minister why are the rondo cottagers still waiting for an answer from this government precedence has been established for a 99 year lease you might know that too thank you sir thank you very much uh mr speaker and this is a very complex topic there's many different uh stakeholders that uh some are for keeping cottagers in the park and yet there are other organizations and other stakeholders that are against keeping cottagers in the park my ministry has been working alongside the ministry of environment and climate change to be able to see some of the conditions that will be required if the cottagers have an extension past december 31st 2017 we have uh requested an independent third party peer review of the environmental reports that have been prepared by the ministry to ensure the findings are accurate and balanced the reports were revised to address comments received and the conclusions of the report don't change the environmental reports indicate that cottage lock structures and activities contribute to pressures on the park a value such as rare and sensitive habitat species that risk and bio thank you member from hamilton mount thank you speaker my question is for the minister of children use services in february fire swept through a foster home near lindsay killing 14 year old cassie finbow and andrea reed one of the caregivers this tragic event highlights several serious concerns about foster and group homes four aboriginal youth living in group homes in ontario have died in the past six months canina su turtle kourtney scott amy owen tammy kiash the nishnabe aski nation has called for inquest as well as the provincial advocate for children and youth the ontario association of children's aid society has set a full understanding of prevention strategies that need to be implemented is required speaker this is a crisis with our most vulnerable children will the minister institute mandatory inquest into the death of all children in care thank you mr children use services well thank you very much uh mr speaker and thank you to the the member uh for asking this important question um last week i um i had the opportunity to go up to timon's and i met two of the families um who have lost uh children uh in care and um you know mr speaker um anytime a young person uh here in the province uh uh we experience a death of a young person and uh it saddens everyone here in this legislature um but to answer specifically the question that the members asked um whenever a child dies in care we want to make sure uh that we take the appropriate steps necessary to prevent similar tragedies from ever happening again and that's why uh mr speaker our ministry in the office of the chief corners have joint directives in place so that an investigation is conducted whenever a child does die in care based on the finding of these investigation the corner provides recommendations which then ensures that each children's aid society uh has to follow so mr speaker there are steps in place and member knows opposite when when we actually time minister of labor on a point of order on a point of order i'd like to correct my record in an answer to the member from the kitchen of water loo today at the end i said i couldn't agree more that the changing workplaces was a waste of time obviously i meant i couldn't disagree more that the changing workplace at the time chief government whip on a point of order point of order mr speaker i would like to uh introduce in the members gallery he was there at least uh the mayor of st catrin's mayor walter senzic who is here with impact today thank you speaker i just wish to acknowledge some students who are here earlier from bowmanville high school thank you chief jork yes yes thank you speaker um i'd also like to welcome a representative from impact katelin plots there's no relationship pursue a disdaining order 38a the member from hullam and nerfolk has given notice of his dissatisfaction with the answer to his question given by the minister of agriculture food and rural affairs concerning process and vegetable marketing this matter will be debated today at 6 p.m. we have a deferred vote on the amended uh amendment to the motion that is the house approves in general the budgetary policy of the government calling the members this will be a five-minute bill all members please take your seats all members on april 27 2017 mr susan moved seconded by miss wind that this house approves in general the budgetary policy of the government on may 8th 2017 mr fidele moved that the motion moved by the minister of finance on april 27 2017 that this house approves in general the budgetary policy of the government be amended by deleting the words following that this house and adding there to the following recognizes that ontario has not balanced the budget and in fact contains a five billion dollar operational deficit financed through one-time revenue sources and cash grabs and 10 billion in new debt and therefore the government has lost the confidence of the house all those in favor of the amendment please rise one at a time mr fidele mr fidele mr arnett mr arnett mr hardiman mr hardiman mccloud mr mccloud mr wilson mr wilson jones jones mr brown mr brown mr clark mr clark mr jacobusky mr jacobusky mr hillier mr hillier mr miller perry san muscoca mr miller perry san muscoca mr mcnaughton mr mcnaughton mr thompson mr thompson mr barrett mr barrett mr yurt mr yurt mr mcclaren mr mcclaren mr baley mr balie mr osterhoff mr osterhoff mr walker mr walker mr smith mr smith mr harris mr harris n嘛 Mr. Hathill. Mr. Hathfield. Mr. Gates. Mr. Gates. Mr. Hathfield. Mr. Gates. Mr. Gates. Mr. Hathfield. Mr. Gates. Mr. Gates. All those opposed please rise one at a time. You're recognized by the treasury. Mr. Bragley. Mr. Bragley. Mr. Bragley. Michael Ducan. Sandals. Samus. Susa. Susa. Miss Wynne. Miss Matthews. Matthews. Mr. Hoskins. Mr. Hosherelly. Mr. Shirelli. Mr. Dugud. Mr. Dugud. Mr. Charles. Mr. Charles. Mr. McMeekin. Mr. McMeekin. Mr. Ticcar. Mr. Ticcar. Mr. Cole. Mr. Cole. Mr. Baradunetti. Mr. Baradunetti. Mr. Delaney. Mr. Delaney. Mr. Dillon. Mr. Dillon. Mr. Murray. Mr. Murray. Mr. Domerla. Mr. Domerla. Mr. McGarry. Mr. McGarry. Mr. Morrow. Mr. Morrow. Mr. Morrow. Mr. Morrow. Mr. Morrow. Mr. Morrow. Mr. Morrow. Mr. Morrow. Mr. Morrow. Mr. Morrow. Mr. Morrow. Mr. Morrow. Mr. Morrow. Mr. Morrow. Mr. Morrow. Mr. Morrow. Mr. Morrow. Mr. Morrow. Mr Morrow. Mr. Morrow. Mr. Morrow. Mr. Morrow. Mr. Morrow. Mr. Morrow. Mr. Morrow. 39 in the nays being 53 I declare the amendment lost. Now we now come to the motion of Mr. Sousa that is the House approves in general the budgetary policy of the government. Is it the pleasure of the House that Mr. Sousa's motion carry? I'm here to know all those in favor please say aye. All opposed please say nay. In my opinion the ayes have it. Calling the members this will be a five-minute bill. The motion of Mr. Sousa that this House approves in general the budgetary policy of the government. All those in favor please rise one at a time be recognized by the question. Mr. Sousa, Radley, D'Elduca, Sandals, Ms. Wynn, Ms. Matthews, Mr. Hosskins, Mr. Sharelli, Mr. Dugan, Mr. Charles, Mr. McMeekin, Mr. McCarty, Mr. Kohl, Mr. Bernardinetti, Mr. Delaney, Mr. Dillon, Mr. Murray, Mr. Chan, Mr. Mooridi, Mr. Cotel, Ms. Hunter, Mr. Leal, Mr. Flynn, Mr. Teeble, Mr. Tiba, Nammalong, Mr. One at a time. Mr. B来了. Mr. Harnam. Mr. Wilson. Mr. Jones. Mr. Brown. Mr. Clark. Mr. Clark. Mr. Yacobasky. Mr. Hillyard. Mr. Miller. Mr. Perry. Mr. Peremers. Mr. Hylian. Mr. agreed. Mr. Hylian. Mr. Bill. Mr. Bill. Mr. Hylian. Mr. Hylian. Mr. Hylian. Mr. Hylian. Mr. worse. Mr. Ross. Mr. Ross. Mr. Ross. I just want to acknowledge a very valuable member of our legislative team, Jessica Lippert. It's her birthday today. Happy birthday, Jessica. For so much of the standing order of 38A, the member from Chatham Kent Essex has given notice of his dissatisfaction with the answer to his question given by the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry concerning Rondo Cottages. This matter will be debated today at 6 p.m. There are no further deferred votes. This out stands recessed until 3 p.m. this afternoon.