 Therefore, it is now time for the question period. The Leader of Her Majesty's Mayoral Opposition. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. Yesterday, five different MPPs asked the Premier if she had confidence in her Minister of Health. They asked whether the Premier would fire him or shuffle him out of the Minister of Health portfolio. Despite all the cuts, the Premier wouldn't answer the question. Five times and five times she avoided answering the question. So it's clear, if the Premier agrees with the cuts, she will prove him as Minister of Health. If she doesn't agree with the cuts, she will shuffle him out. Mr. Speaker, here is a crystal clear question. Will the Minister of Health still have his job as Minister of Health after his death? And, Mr. Speaker, does the Premier have confidence in him? Thank you. I am trying to deal with that site. The members will come to order and I'm not going to tolerate that constantly. Premier? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have confidence in my Minister of Health. I have confidence in my Cabinet. I have confidence in my top, Mr. Speaker. We are making investments across the province, in hospitals, in schools, in transit, in transportation, Mr. Speaker, in roads and bridges across the province. We are making investments, Mr. Speaker, in this province that are going to stand this province in good stead into the future that are going to make us more prosperous. Our economy is growing. We're one of the leaders in the country, Mr. Speaker. We are leading this country with our diverse, strong economy. Do I have confidence? Start the clock please. Supplementary. Mr. Speaker, again to the Premier, well it will be with extreme disappointment to Ontario nurses, physicians and patients that you stand by this embattled health minister. You know I toured the Scarborough Hospital yesterday and again I got to see- I'm sorry, stop the clock. I am now going to move to individuals and I'm going to start with a member from Beaches East York and that's not helpful when I'm trying to get the other side to come to order and that goes for everybody. I'm coming to every individual today. Please finish. Mr. Speaker, touring the Scarborough Hospital is able to realize the negative effects of these liberal cuts. You know who put it best actually? Former Liberal MPP Bass Balkansen who described the situation in Scarborough as not meeting the needs of modern medicine and yet the Scarborough Hospital wasn't on the government's past capital projects, not in their future plans. All the government does is fund more studies. The hospital staff feel they're not even on the radar with this government. So Mr. Speaker, will the Premier put the hacksaw away and finally give the Scarborough Hospital the support they deserve? Minister of Health and Long-Term Care is going to want to comment on the Scarborough issue but Mr. Speaker, I think it is really important to recognize that this is the leader of a party that has consistently voted against and opposed the investments that we are making in health care. A billion dollars in our budget, Mr. Speaker, the leader of the opposition and their party voted against that and opposed those investments, Mr. Speaker, and $345 million more for hospitals. New funding, Mr. Speaker, $12 billion, Mr. Speaker, to build and renovate hospitals around the province, $50 million, Mr. Speaker, a year to deal with maintenance and deferred maintenance issues, Mr. Speaker, all of those investments. The leader of the opposition has opposed. They have voted against. It's a bit rich, Mr. Speaker, but we need to stand up and say that we need to invest more. Thank you. Final supplementary. Mr. Speaker, back to the Premier. I proudly opposed a budget that cut 1,400 nurses. I proudly opposed a budget that took 800 million from physicians to take away from patient care. But let's be very specific about the Scarborough Hospital. The operating rooms are the oldest in the province, created in 1956. The staff at the Scarborough Hospital told me they're half the size they're supposed to be. And to such an extent, they have to put the equipment in the operating room in the hallways. It is unacceptable for patient care. Seven years ago, the province did a study saying they unequivocally needed new operating rooms. You have sat on the news for seven years that these operating rooms don't meet the standards of modern medicine. So my question, Mr. Speaker, is will you finally show the respect to the people of Scarborough by giving them the new operating rooms and taking their own studies? The member from Renfrew, Nipissing Pembroke, come to order. Premier. Long-term care. Mr. Speaker, long-term care. That the opposition, the official opposition, has finally demonstrated some interest in Scarborough. I don't recall the last two years a single healthcare question about Scarborough. I don't know if the timing is coincidental. But I was recently in Scarborough myself, Mr. Speaker. And I stood side by side with every MPP from Scarborough and from Durham as we announced the result of a one-year focus on healthcare in Scarborough. Where we announced a $19 million contribution to Scarborough General Hospital for diagnostic imaging. So we announced a $5 million planning grant for both Durham and Scarborough regions so we could build new infrastructure. Where we announced a $4.5 million increase in operating funds this year for Rouge Valley Hospital. $3 million in new funds for Scarborough Hospital and $2.6 million more for Lakers, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. The Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport will come to order. New question, the Leader of the Opposition. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. A couple of weeks ago, the Global Mail acquired a 57-page climate change action plan. The document was stamped Cabinet Confidential. Now we all know about Cabinet Confidential and it's an important part of our system, important principle of our parliamentary system. It is a serious breach of trust and ethics to leak Cabinet documents. Mr. Speaker, thanks to the Global Mail, we also know the Premier doesn't trust her own Cabinet. So Mr. Speaker, my question is, does the Premier know which minister walked out of Cabinet with this confidential document? Mr. Speaker, you know, I fear of the opposition. Really, like his former colleague in the Wild Rose in Alberta, really doesn't want to talk about climate change. We have to take this challenge on head on, Mr. Speaker, that we must make change. We must tackle this, Mr. Speaker, because we have a responsibility as a jurisdiction in Canada, but as part of the globe. And so the changes that we're making, Mr. Speaker, the cap and trade, the climate change action plan that we're putting in place is going to drive innovation in this province. It's going to drive down greenhouse gas emissions, Mr. Speaker, and it's going to help Canada to meet its commitment in the global crisis. Mr. Speaker, again to the Premier, my question was actually about the Cabinet leak, but I'll ask another question. According to the Global Mail, the Premier believes some ministers are not pulling their weight. And to be honest, I happen to agree with the Premier. He isn't pulling their weight. Is it the Minister of Children and Youth Services that took away IBI therapy from five-year-old children with autism? Is it the Minister of Health who fired recklessly 1,400 nurses? Is it the Minister of Community and Social Services that has thrown away $292 million on computer systems that don't work? Mr. Speaker, can the Premier tell us exactly which minister she thinks isn't pulling their weight and what was it, which one of them leaked the Cabinet document? Thank you. The member from Anglinton, Lawrence, come to order. The member from Anglinton, Lawrence, second time. Premier. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Well, once again, I would say to the leader of the opposition, I actually do understand why he would want to lower himself to make personal divisive attacks because he cannot, he cannot take on the challenge of talking about climate change. The member from Prince Edward Hastings. Finish, please. Crystal clear, Mr. Speaker, that we on this side of the House see it as our responsibility to tackle this threat that is probably the greatest threat that humanity has ever faced, Mr. Speaker, the fact that we have taken the largest initiative in North America by shutting down the coal-fired plants doesn't mean we can rest on our laurels, Mr. Speaker. It means that we have to move ahead and we have to take initiative that leads the country and leads the globe in terms of developing innovation and technology to tackle the greenhouse gas emissions on this planet, Mr. Speaker. I will supplement you. Mr. Speaker, back to the Premier. The personal and divisive comments that I was attributing are sourced to you. The Premier of Ontario, Mr. Speaker, one other reference to the Premier's opinions. Liberal sources went on to tell the globe that the Premier believes longer-serving members of cabinet are not particularly effective communicators. Again, I happen to agree with the Premier. Just look at the Minister of Education and how she blew millions of dollars on pizza parties and hotel rooms. Or look at the Minister of Energy, who told us that the gas plant scandal was going to cost a cup of coffee. Let's not forget the Minister of Environment that told us that they were going to ban both nuclear and natural gas. Now, someone in this cabinet leaked this ridiculous plan to ban natural gas. So, Mr. Speaker, instead of throwing one of these Ministers under the bus, is she interested in going to take responsibility for this cabinet leak and the ridiculous plan to ban natural gas? Thank you. Thank you. The member from the Renfrew Nipissing Pembroke, second time. Premier. Mr. Speaker, the comments attributed to me about my team are false. I made it clear one other. And here's what we're going to do with the bus. We're going to make sure the bus is clean. Mr. Speaker, we're going to make sure that it's emissions-free and we're going to make sure that we have a province that is a leader in fighting climate change. New question. The leader of the third party. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Premier. The Premier did not run on a platform to sell Hydro-1. In fact, she stood in this house and said straight from her own lips that it was not for sale. And she promised at the same time, Speaker, that she was going to be open and transparent. 80% of the people of Ontario want to keep Hydro-1 public. And over 200 municipalities say the same thing. Not a single Ontarian voted for the sell-off of Hydro-1, but today, for the very first time in the history of our province, private shareholders' meetings are happening across the street, Speaker, because this Premier broke her promise. Will the Premier do the right thing and stop selling off any further shares of Hydro-1? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And I know that the leader of the third party knows that I ran on a platform that was designed to invest in infrastructure across this province. And what that means, Mr. Speaker, is to build transit, build roads, bridges. And we talked about assets, Mr. Speaker. We talked about a review of assets that was going to generate revenue to allow us to make those investments, Mr. Speaker. The leader of the third party was clear about that because she started opposing it right from the get-go because she opposed those investments in transit, Mr. Speaker. She imposed those investments in expanding the northern highways. She opposed those investments in hospitals and schools around the province, Mr. Speaker, because she fundamentally opposed the investments in infrastructure that is so desperately needed for this economy. That's what we ran on, Mr. Speaker, and that's exactly what we're doing. Thank you. Supplementary? Mr. Speaker, what I fundamentally oppose is a Premier who is not telling the truth to the people of this province around the... I'm going to ask the member to withdraw because you can't say indirectly what you can't say directly. Actually withdraw, Mr. Speaker, and I do withdraw. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, what I fundamentally oppose is a government that doesn't tell the people of the province their intention to sell off a revenue-generating asset that belongs to the people of this province paying attention to what the financial accountability officer of this province says, which is, in fact, the worst way to try to fund infrastructure is to sell off... ...assets owned by the people of Ontario to better produce value, to reinvest in new assets, to have even greater returns. And that's exactly what's happening. We now have a corporation that is more improved, more customer-focused. It has greater investments that's increased value for the shareholders, which are the people of Ontario right now, and it's unlocked billions of dollars needed. Member from Hamilton, East Tony Creek, second time. Minister? It's unlocked billions of dollars of needed capital to invest in infrastructure, which the member opposite has opposed. More importantly, the foregone revenue the member talks about is, in fact, made up by greater returns that's being had as a result of the investments that we make, Mr. Speaker. That's right. Thank you. Final supplementary. Speaker, selling off Hydro One will shoot the rates through the roof. It happens every time there is a privatization of Hydro, regardless of where in the world it has happened, and it started with Mike Harris right here in the province of Ontario and this previous financial accountability officer, the independent financial accountability officer, says it will actually cost us money, Speaker. It means a bigger deficit and less money for transit and infrastructure. The evidence is clear. The Liberal claims simply are not based in reality. They are nothing but Liberal Party spin. Will this previous stop the sell off before it is too late, Speaker? Thank you, Minister. Mr. Speaker, talking about spin, the member opposite knows all too well. The Ontario Energy Board actually sets the rates. It won't be Hydro One. She also knows that we're doing this in strontius to minimize the risk, unlike what happened with the sale of 407. We still retain the largest ownership of Hydro One, a much more improved company, and the markets have indicated the fact that the reaction to the Hydro One process is making it more valuable, is providing even greater dividends to the province, and no one can have more than 10% ownership of Hydro One, which minimizes the very risk that the member is talking about. The majority of the province, the majority of the company is still owned by retail investors that are Ontarians, as well as the province of Ontario. It's better for the province. It's more money for infrastructure. It's better for our economy, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Thank you, Speaker, back to the Premier, but I have to say our priority is people, not the market. Please carry on. Thank you, Speaker. Ontarians want to know that when their loved ones need care, when their hospital is safe, and that it's been properly repaired, Speaker. The records show the ones that New Democrats got, just how much repair work is needed at each hospital in Ontario collectively. It's over $3.2 billion, Speaker, of repair backlogs. But the government has censored which hospitals actually need the work. Will this Premier actually be open and transparent and show Ontarians the respect they deserve and release the complete list? Thank you. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, I know what the leader of the third party is suggesting. She wants to actually reveal in advance of any bidding process to potential contractors, to bidders. She wants to reveal what the hospital and the Ministry of Health and the government think is the cost of renovating or improving or maintaining a facility. To give that unfair advantage in a bidding process which would enable those potential bidders to actually reflect what they believe that they can get rather than the best prices what government should be looking for. But it's important to note as well that when we look at the issue of deferred maintenance it doesn't simply represent a total of all the necessary repairs required to enable a hospital to deliver quality services. They represent the dollars that would be required to upgrade all hospitals in Ontario to brand new hospital status. Quotations, brand new hospital status, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, supplementary. Because this has nothing to do with contractors it happens to be to do with the rights of people to know what's happening in their local hospitals. Yesterday the Ministry of Health told reporters that hospitals with the greatest repair needs include entirely new builds. He apparently clarified this a little while later to say that some of this might be in places where hospitals may be actually replaced. But of course the government isn't releasing the names of those hospitals so the Liberals are asking Ontarians to just take their word for it. We don't know a hospital that needs $200 million in maintenance is slated to be replaced in a year in 20 years or at all, Speaker. Until the government releases the facts they're expecting Ontarians to just trust them. Will this Premier show Ontarians the respect that they deserve and release the complete list? Thank you. Mr. Speaker. I know that the leader of the third party wants to completely disrupt if not destroy the competitive bidding process. It would be completely inappropriate, for example for a new build as well to actually provide a dollar value estimate from the government in terms of what we think that is required to build that new hospital or to renovate it. It's ludicrous, quite frankly, Mr. Speaker. But I'm proud of this government's record of past investment. We have 35 new or highly renovated hospital projects underway in the province right now as we speak, Mr. Speaker. We're investing $12 billion in new capital spends over the next 10 years. $100 million each and every year just specifically for maintenance. For deferred maintenance, it would be the example of your house of what it would cost to rebuild your house so it is in brand new status. That's a very different thing than what's required to provide quality health care. That's right. More than $3.2 billion is needed to fix our hospitals just to keep them safe and prevent imminent breakdowns. That was what was reported in the FOI that we received from this minister's staff of his ministry. He better read the FOI that we received but according to the auditor, Ontario is falling behind each and every year when it comes to making those investments. In fact, the auditor said, and I quote, in the last five years hospitals spent on average $45 million of their operating funds that should be going to patient care hospital and other funding needs and this is happening at the same time that the liberals froze hospital operating budget speaker for four straight years. When will this Premier cut the spin and this minister cut the spin and admit that the liberals are failing to properly fund hospital repairs? Well, Mr. Speaker, it's precisely in response to our agreement with the auditor general's report that we put substantial new funds into the budget that was recently approved so I'm not sure what the leader of the third party is referring to and why they chose not to support a budget that agreed with the auditor general that invested more money, $12 billion in capital, doubling our maintenance, the deferred maintenance from $50 million a year to $100 million a year, we're making those investments notwithstanding them voting against the budget we responded to the auditor general's report, we've responded to the needs that have been identified for us on our behalf by the hospitals across the province but it's important to recognize what deferred maintenance is it's an estimation on a go-forward basis for a whole slew of activities that may need to be replaced in the coming years, we've got a plan to do that in an orderly responsible fashion that maintains the quality of care. Thank you. Thank you and good morning speaker my question is for the premier, this morning the financial accountability officer confirmed what we here already know, this government is neither open nor transparent he said it is quote highly disappointing that instead of looking to maximize information disclosure this government restricts disclosure this quote impedes the ability of MPPs to perform their duties of holding this government to account they have repeatedly missed reporting requirements under the fiscal transparency and accountability act since 2012 they cancel the gas plant scandal hearings, remove the legislature officer oversight on hydro one and regularly stonewall the FAO and auditor general from receiving necessary information I ask the premier, are cabinet leaks and criminal investigations the only way we can ever get the real facts here thank you very much let me talk about the financial accountability officer and we have a real respect for this office, the member opposite knows that we have worked Mr. Speaker ministeries work closely with the FAO, the member opposite knows that we worked with the opposition parties and we recognize during a minority parliament we work together to establish the office of the FAO Mr. Speaker and both the legislation and the office of the financial accountability officer were modeled after the parliamentary budget officer Mr. Speaker that was the agreement and the discussion that we talked about with the opposition it is the office and the parameters of his job of that office are modeled after the parliamentary budget officer Mr. Speaker that is the work that we did together member from leeds granville second time supplementary the FAO told us there is quote a broader pattern of refusals for access to information he also said the government stonewalling has quote made it difficult to assess the plausibility of the government's financial projections and to evaluate risks that those projections would ever be met he doesn't trust their numbers the FAO said the government is holding documents and shocked us speaker by saying quote I believe this is political direction this is unbelievable from back room deals to stonewalling officers of the legislature this government only does what's best for the liberal party Speaker will the premier end this pattern of obstruction and give the FAO the necessary documents to do his job Mr. Speaker I want to reiterate that we work very closely with the financial accountability officer the first of its kind in Canada for a province to undertake additionally thank you minister we respect the work that the financial accountability officer does for our province it is why we put in place the opportunities to have more forward thinking and review of the actions that we take additionally we will be sending a government-wide directive to all officials that offices are responding to the FAO in a consistent and timely manner Mr. Speaker to be clear requests for information from the FAO are responded by non-partisan officials it's not by the political staff and during the minority government all parties work together to establish the FAO and the legislation that governs the office we are working within those parameters will continue to work collaboratively with the FAO Mr. Speaker thank you very much Mr. Speaker my question is to the premier the NDP fought hard to ensure that the legislature and MPPs had a financial accountability officer here New Democrats believe in independent oversight when the legislation was written no one expected the premier and the Liberal government to deny the financial accountability officer the information he needs to do his job this morning the FAO called and he said and I quote it is highly disappointing that instead of looking to maximize the information that the government can provide to MPPs and through them all Ontarians the government is focusing on how it can restrict disclosure of information why is this premier trying to undermine yet another independent watchdog Mr. Speaker you see this please thank you Mr. Speaker we value the work that the financial accountability officer does we are working collaboratively with them we recognize the necessity for timely manner in which information is received we also recognize a duty that we have in regards to confidentiality requirements in the work that we do and I know the member opposite respects that and if they don't they should continue to work with the financial accountability officer to provide the information necessary the member from the member from Renfrew Nipissing Pembroke is warned you've got two Mr. Speaker we'll continue to work with the FAO as we always have thank you supplementary Mr. Speaker the Liberals have tried to undermine the auditor general of this province they have fought with the Ombudsman now they're refusing to give to the financial accountability officer the information that he needs to assess the financial impact of this government's decisions Mr. Speaker there is a pattern here this government seems to have a problem with transparency and accountability and openness as the FAO has said this morning and I quote they are saying they're an open government and I'm saying let's see the data to show that you're open now the Premier talks a lot about transparency will she be open with Ontario's independent non-partisan financial accountability officer or will she continue to Stonewall Minister Mr. Speaker we will continue to work with the FAO I talked with him on an ongoing basis my officials even yesterday met with the FAO because we recognize how important the work he does and must have information on time within the confines in fact the FAO recently said with respect to the concept of cabinet confidentiality yes they do need to have cabinet confidentiality we do require some degree of confidentiality when we're putting forward some of the issues we recognize as well that the FAO as well as the Auditor General requires information when it's available and at this point in time we will make everything available a directive is being sent across the ministry to ensure that the officials and the cabinet who does have ongoing relationship with the FAO to provide the information that is required within the act that that member approved and supported Mr. Speaker thank you thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs yesterday I was so proud to be in this room to hear the Premier apologize to survivors of residential schools for this dark chapter in our history and the lasting impacts it still has for Indigenous peoples the Premier announced as part of her apology a new strategy to bring meaningful change to the lives of Indigenous people and the communities in the spirit of reconciliation called the journey together Ontario's action plan for reconciliation with Indigenous peoples can the Minister please tell us more about this action plan and tell us why it is so important for our relationship with Indigenous peoples in Ontario Mr. Speaker I thank the member for that very important question since the release of the final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission last December the Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs has been working across ministries to prepare Ontario's response to this document it is a whole of government response we are taking action on the recommendations it is a priority for this government I am very pleased to reiterate that commitment with yesterday's announcement of the document the journey together this is another step on the path to reconciliation but it is not the end of the journey there is much much work to be done to do together with our Indigenous partners and all Ontarians and genuine reconciliation a reality thank you Mr. Speaker Thank you Mr. Speaker it is wonderful to hear that the government is honouring the commitments it has made to address the legacy of residential schools and work with Indigenous partners to develop a new path forwards towards reconciliation I know that taking action on the recommendations contained in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report is a priority for the Ontario government and that we are committed towards achieving true reconciliation I understand that the action plan builds on positive first steps already taken by our government to strengthen the partnerships based on mutual respect and shared benefits could the minister please tell us more about the steps our government will take to bring real change to the lives of Indigenous peoples Thank you Minister Speaker the journey together Ontario's commitment to reconciliation with Indigenous peoples is aimed at improving social, economic and health outcomes through five broad themes the themes are one understanding the legacy of residential schools two plugging the gaps and removing the barriers creating a culturally relevant and responsive justice system four supporting Indigenous culture and five reconciling relations with Indigenous peoples Ontario plans to invest $253 million over the next three years on programs and actions guided by these five themes which are in turn a response to the 94 recommendations of the TRC report shaped by the document the journey together Ontario along with Indigenous partners and the federal government will work to achieve measurable change for Indigenous communities it's long required Mr. Speaker my question is for the Premier Ontario is a vibrant province with a rich and diverse culture our pluralism makes us stronger freedom of religion is fundamental and we love and enjoy in Canada in Sikhism the wear into the turban is an essential symbol of identity of the members of the Sikh faith and now it's time for a motorcycle helmet exemption for Sikh riders like the one that exists in British Columbia Manitoba and the United Kingdom Mr. Speaker will the Premier commit to amending the Highway Traffic Act to accommodate the rights of Sikhs to display their faith thank you Mr. Speaker we have to strike the right balance between public safety and religious accommodation it is absolutely critical Mr. Speaker we're very proud of our record of road safety in Ontario we consistently rank among the safest roads in North America Mr. Speaker in Ontario we know that riders without helmets involved in a collision had a 17% greater risk of being killed or seriously injured 17% Mr. Speaker I will say to the heckler opposite I never I have never said that this is something that we would do there are people in this room who know that I said and my caucus knows that we would look at it we would look for the evidence Mr. Speaker and the evidence points to safety requiring a helmet on motorcycles Mr. Speaker supplementary Mr. Speaker again to the premier standing up for freedom of religion shouldn't be something you only do at the calcid day parade or before an election it is something that you should do each and every day members of the community some who are present here today feel betrayed by the premier they feel that she went back on her promise and it's not just the premier going back on her promise it's every member of your caucus in peel so I will try again will you honor your promise will you honor the promise that the members of your government made will you do the right thing and support the member of prince from prince Edward Hastings and his bill to amend the highway traffic act to accommodate members of the seek thing thank you premier I have struggled with this issue I struggled with this issue when I was the minister of transportation and I have struggled with this issue as premier I understand the politics that the leader of the opposition is playing but he is perpetrating a falsehood I have never said that we would take this move and when we know that wearing helmets mean that injury rates go down 75% I will not be the premier who stands in front of a mother who has been killed because he was not wearing a helmet I will not be that premier I am going to make sure that we do everything we can thank you new question the member from kanora reaney river thank you speaker to the premier in april as rea coco penes a 14 year old girl and member of the grassy narrows first nation walked away from the lake of the woods hospital in kanora and she was found dead two days later there's a lot we don't know about what happened to as rea why did the police drop her off at the hospital why did she walk away but what we do know from her father is that as rea needed help as rea was involved in the child welfare system and under the care of the hospital when she went missing speaker will the premier commit to bring the coco penes family and her community of grassy narrows some peace and back their call for a corners thank you thank you thank you speaker I want to thank the member for this important question and whenever a child in the welfare system or outside of it is devastated as described here we are all deeply concerned and speaker we know there's more work to do in the child welfare system and we're working very hard for our indigenous partners for reforming that system and supporting culturally appropriate services and programs to those communities and quite frankly speaker looking at the broader system as well to make sure that children care are front and centre and that those children's best interests are always put first and foremost so we work very closely with our indigenous partners on child welfare reform when it comes to those communities and we'll continue that work with them to be clear these services don't exist they don't even exist in canora where families are told that they have to travel 500 kilometres to thunder bay to access some of these very basic mental health services for youth speaker yesterday's announcement of the truth and reconciliation process we recognize the need to listen to be humble to acknowledge the powerful legacy of our relationship with first nations but we need to do more than just acknowledge we need action on this mental health crisis resulting from this legacy for first nations especially for young people a coroner's inquest is required here what response does the premier have to azrea's family and for the community of grassy narrows which is already reeling from environmental devastation and what action is the premier prepared to take thank you minister thank you speaker and yesterday was indeed a very important day in fact i held a third round table with our matey onwa and family friendship centres to develop the work further on our soon to be renamed indigenous child and youth strategy and a big part of that is making sure we have the right mental health supports for indigenous children both from a prevention point of view as well as when children in those communities enter care the minister health has announced additional funding to support the mental health and addiction strategy and we recognize that additional supports are always required and we've supported training for Aboriginal mental health and addiction workers with annual funding of three million dollars is there more to do yes and i'm happy to talk one on one with this member but this particular thank you minister speaker my question is for the attorney general our government is committed to ending chronic homelessness in ten years we're also delivering on our priority of targeting youth homelessness we know that LGBTQ to spirited youth experience far higher rates of homelessness than other young people these grim statistics reflect the toll that homophobia and transphobia take on our youth they face violence and harassment in our schools within families and other communities they have rejection of their sexual identity which is integral to who they are Mr. Speaker could the minister please tell us what this government is doing to help support LGBTQ to spirited youth in Ontario thank you attorney general we thank you Mr. Speaker I want to thank the member from Kitchener Centre for an important question every young person as they grow and develop needs a supportive home and a caring adult to help them reach their full potential just this morning the premier announced that our government is supporting the outreach program to support crisis centre for LGBTQ youth runs by equal Canada human rights trust we are providing up to 1.5 million in funding for this dropping crisis centre over three years it gives young people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless an array of crucial services too often our communities youth avoid seeking help because of encounters with homophobia and transphobia at other institutions equal offer them accepting and welcoming place to get the kind of help that can make a profound difference in their life thank you Mr. Speaker thank you Mr. Speaker and I'd like to thank the minister for her answer and for her attention and her commitment to this very important issue we know that this mental health support crisis centre offers an accepting and welcoming place to get the kind of help that makes a profound difference in a young person's life now on Wednesday the premier is going to be attending the pride flag raising at Queens Park this is a very important symbol of Ontario's commitment to equality minister despite how far we have come over the past few decades we still have a very long way to go for example Ontario's current law on who can't form a family is outdated as it does not reflect present realities minister can you please tell this house what you are doing to ensure that Ontario's laws do reflect acceptance for all families thank you attorney general yes Mr. Speaker first let me thank the member from Parkdale I park for bringing forward a private member bill that would modernize our legislation we are committed as I said last week to fixing this as the premier said this morning she asked me to bring forward legislation in September that would if pass ensure that all parents are clearly recognizing Ontario whether they be gay or straight and whether their children are conceived with or without assistance so this legislation the premier asked me to work with the member from Parkdale I park and stakeholders to craft a bill based on the work that has already been done by the uniform law conference of Canada the conference consulted with province stakeholders and legal expert in preparing its guidance it provides a solid starting point for an Ontario bill and British Columbia and Alberta are already have this bill in place so Mr. Speaker because we would like to see the definition changing Ontario by the end of this year question is to the minister of children and youth minister let me share the story of Chelsea and her son Charlie on May 4th Charlie was told he was being terminated from IBI therapy as of September just in time for Charlie to go to school problem is minister Charlie isn't ready for school he hasn't achieved half of his developmental goals so Charlie is expected to go to school in September because he needs to succeed Charlie is being set up to fail it's not right and it's not fair I will ask the minister again will she reverse her decision and allow children like Charlie to continue receiving IBI therapy until he has met his developmental goals thank you speaker and I want to thank my critic for the question as well it's important to remember for children with IBI therapy currently they will continue in IBI therapy until their next assessment and I think there's a myth out there a myth that needs to be clarified that these children after a clinical assessment are not automatically dropped they will be assessed and their future treatment will be recommended by a clinician and a transition plan will be established it's important to remember too speaker that IBI and ABA are essentially the same thing the difference is the difference is speaker intensity of the service what we're moving to what we're moving to speaker is a system that moves away from extreme choices and we are building a model thank you member from Dufferin Palace of Income to order supplementary it is very frustrating speaker it's not getting through this is not a myth from Chelsea's email and I quote my son Charlie was terminated from IBI at his six month progress service he is not ready for school Charlie has waited two years to start IBI therapy only to be told he's out in September no appeal no transition no direct funding option I will ask a game on behalf of the children like Charlie and the thousands of kids in Ontario with ASD will the minister reverse her decision to remove IBI therapy for kids over five until she has a coordinated provincial autism strategy in place thank you minister speaker my commitment to families and these children is that they will have a personalized plan of care that is responsive to their needs and to their changing circumstances speaker families have asked us for this and providers have been asking for this experts have said this that's exactly why we're doing this speaker and I'm very pleased to say speaker that we're working very closely with members of the community when it comes to the connections program to ensure smooth transitions well before a child goes into the school system and while they start in the school system I'm also very pleased to report speaker that as of this point over 434 families have met with their service provider that just happened in a week speaker over half of the involved families have had their first meeting some are taking second meetings we're monitoring these situations the case by case with the families we're listening to the families are saying and we're taking the member from Dufferin Caledon second time the member from Hamilton Mountain second time and the member from Leeds Grenville is Warren new question the member from Nickelbelt my question is for the Premier yesterday the day we apologized to our First Nation people the Premier said that she did not know the source and had not read the report into the cleanup option for the mercury poisoning the First Nations people we have very much the same issue it is, the government appointed working group and I don't know why no one in the government has read it because they got the report back in April so it is disappointing to hear in response to the report yesterday the Ministry of the Environment said and I quote currently there is no evidence to suggest that mercury levels natural sedimentation remediation would be warranted. Does the Premier think that this is an acceptable response to the First Nations people of grass in the air? The recommendations of the report, Mr. Speaker. And from those recommendations, it's not very clear exactly what the solution is. If the member opposite looks through the recommendation, she will see that the first recommendation starts with putting in place some field studies, Mr. Speaker, to determine whether there is mercury still leaking, Mr. Speaker, and to determine whether capping or whether dredging or whether some other solution would be the answer, Mr. Speaker. So I said yesterday I had not read the report. The report has been read, Mr. Speaker, in government. I have now looked at the recommendations and I certainly will be talking with the Minister of the Environment to see if that recommendation around field studies, if that's something that we can do. But I've rest assured, Mr. Speaker, there is no clear direction in that report that points to a simple solution. It is a complex issue. There may be some solutions that have arisen in the last three years, Mr. Speaker, but there is no one solution that's going to solve the mercury problem at Grassley Narrows. Thank you. A supplementary question. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, the report says that remediation can be enhanced by applying a layer of clay to the source of the sediments, very much like we have done in my writing, with similar problem. It is safe, it is cheap, and it is an effective method. Leaders at Grassley Narrows First Nations travel again, the 1,700 kilometers, to come to Queen's Park to plea with this government to act to clean up the river that is poisoning them. Two years ago, Chief Steve Forbeser had to starve himself on the lawn of Queen's Park to get a meeting with this government, and it took a Japanese research team to fly around the world to get that research restarted. So, Mr. Speaker, my questions for the good people of Grassley Narrows is simple. When will the Premier clean up the mercury contamination in the Waibegun River and Clay Lake? Thank you. Mr. Speaker, I have sat in the community hall at Grassley Narrows. I have heard from residents who have been affected, some of whom have gotten compensation, others from surrounding communities have not, and the discussion that was referenced in terms of the Japanese expert and the issues around minimated disease. Mr. Speaker, I have heard those concerns. I have also heard from scientists, Mr. Speaker, who have differing views about how that water can be cleaned up and how the mercury can be dealt with, Mr. Speaker. As I said, the report that I have now seen that I have looked at, Mr. Speaker, suggests that there is a need for some field studies to look at what the possibilities might be, Mr. Speaker. Answer. You know, the member office can pick one solution. There are partial solutions. The report says that there are certain sections of the river starting downstream that might be dealt with. Thank you. We're going to look at that report, Mr. Speaker, and make a decision. Thank you. New question. The member from Glengarry, Prescott Russell. Thank you very much. Thank you very much, Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Mr. Speaker, this question is in good taste. Mr. Speaker, summer weather has arrived. And barbecue season has arrived. Mr. Speaker, my mouth waters when I speak of all the folks across the province that will be grilling seasoned steaks, barbecuing steaks, and beef hamburgers. And they're going to be talked off, Speaker, with Ontario tomatoes, lettuce, and French's ketchup. I was excited to hear how important beef farming is in Ontario. Cattle farming in our great province generates almost nine billion in retail sales every year. But, Mr. Speaker, with beef from other provinces and countries sold in our grocery stores, can the Minister explain how the government is supporting Ontario's beef farmers to help ensure that they remain competitive? Mr. Speaker, I want to really thank the member from Glengarry, Prescott Russell for that very meaty question this morning. Mr. Speaker, remember the famous Wendy's commercial? When Dave Thomas was there, the little lady came up and said, where's the beef? The beef will be out front at Queen's Park. Corn-fed beef, I recommend everybody get out there and sample the very best beef that Ontario has to offer. As the members indicated, beef is a very important part of Ontario's agri-food sector, responsible for 9,500 jobs in primary production and another 9,000 jobs in processing. Last year, seven days a week, Ontario exported 58 million kilograms of chilled and frozen beef worth $355 million. This government, from the Made in Ontario risk management program to cross-sharing and are going forward too, and farmers can access a range of programs to support sustainable growth. Today, Mr. Speaker, I want to focus on a program unique to big farming in Ontario, the Peter Catterlow program, and I'll talk about it in a minute. Yes, you will. Supplementary. Very much, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the hardworking and articulate Minister of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs for that response. It's good to know that our government is ensuring that beef farmers have access to a wide range of programs that will support the growth and help new farmers get started. By working together, Ontario can support a thriving cattle industry across the province. Since being established, the Peter Catterlow guarantee program has supported nearly 1.53 billion in direct economic activity. And there's also, Mr. Speaker, never once has there been a claim against the government's guarantee in the history of the program. So in order to improve the program, the beef farmers of Ontario have been asking the government to increase the maximum individual loan limits under the Peter Catterlow guarantee program and increase the loan guarantee. Can the hardworking minister elaborate on the improvements that the government has made to the Peter Catterlow program? Thank you, Minister. Mr. Speaker, I want to say that the member for Gladbury Presscott Russell to supplementary. That was as sizzling as sizzling supplementary. Mr. Speaker, this morning, we had a great honour working with our industry. At 7 a.m., we made the announcement that effectively, immediately in the profits of Ontario, we are doubling the cap of the Peter Catterlow program. That is, Mr. Speaker, the program is going from $130 billion to $260 billion per year. This, along with changes that we made last year to double the individual lending limits, will allow more farmers access to competitive interest rates and new farmers to get into this exciting industry. We're also looking at making changes to make it access to our loan program. Mr. Speaker, this government stands with the farmers of the profits of Ontario. Thank you. My question is for the Attorney General. As the Attorney General knows, we've been working with local municipal officials, including regional chair Gary Carr, lawyers, and Halton area MPPs, to push for a new Halton courthouse. A new courthouse in Halton is urgently needed. The existing facility in Milton is aging, overcrowded, and completely inadequate in terms of security and privacy. Questions have even been raised about access to justice. When I raised this issue in question period in March of 2015, the Attorney General assured us that a new Halton courthouse was a priority. That was 14 months ago. Can the Attorney General update the House on the status of the planning process, which surely should be under way, for a new Halton courthouse? And what specific tech steps that she has taken to move this project forward? Thank you, Attorney General. Mr. President, for his question. Yes, the Milton courthouse is still our number one priority in our ministry, and we recognize that the Milton courthouse has many deficits. And, you know, Mr. Speaker, I hear it from my side, from the representative, the MPP from Burlington, Alton, Mrs. Auguste Redville, the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Labor. I think I will need security pretty soon, because I hear it. It's a priority. We're working on it. My ministry is already on the Milton courthouse. I visited the Milton courthouse. I know the situation, and we will keep you posted on the progress of this file. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you very much, Speaker. I would remiss to recognize three very important guests who was in the assembly with us. I want to recognize Joyce Craigle, who's an artist behind the exhibit, because he's 2016 and lives in my community of Ottawa Center. Also with her was Councillor Katherine McKenney, who represents the Somerside Ward community of Ottawa Center, along with her daughter, Kenny. I welcome them to Queen's Park. Thank you. I am going to say that that's not a point of order, and as a result of yesterday and some reflection of mine, we have set aside time to introduce people. If they're not in the house at that time, I would ask you to introduce them anyway. This is going to become a problem for us that we keep expanding the times in which we use, and we're right now in between so I'm going to ask all members to be sensitive to the fact that these after-the-fact things are happening and we should improve it. I remember from kids that were hastings on a point of order. Two guests that I was remissing. That's not a point of order. And I'm going to be insistent on that, people. We have a deferred vote and Government Notice of Motion Number 74 as amended related to arranging proceedings of Bill 201 Act to amend the Election Finances Act and the Taxation Act 2007. Collin, the members, this will be a five-minute bell. First, please take their seats. On May 30th, Mr. Nakvi moved Government Notice of Motion Number 74 which was amended to read as follows. Not that, not withstanding any standing order. Dispence? Dispence. All those in favour of the motion please as amended please rise one at a time be recognised by the clerk. Mr. Nakvi. Mr. Bradley. Mr. Bradley. Mr. material. Mr. Marriage. Mr. Backfield. Mr. Bradley. Mr. Bradley. Down May Ear. Mr. Susie. Mr. Susie. Mr. Zwayne.. As win. Miss Matthews. Miss Matthews. Mr. History. Miss Sandals. Mr. Misteada Dagger. Mr. catalyst. Mr. Kalam. Mr. Officer. Lowe. Mr. DeLine. Mr. electric. Mr. älou Pasteur. Mr. Mr. CRATL. Mr. 2LER WPLF Balance by ReรB for royals, Mr. being 18 I declare the motion carry as amended carry there are no further deferred votes this house stands recessed until 3 p.m. this afternoon