 It is now there for a time for a question period. The leader of her masses, Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. Listen to these quotes. For my tax dollars, I want politicians who aren't frightened to disobey a provincial regime I believe is destructive to human beings. If trustee's don't agree with the funding formula, I expect them to go out on a limb and push back not implemented. Trustees acted like bureaucrats when what we desperately need are politicians who tell the province no. Mr. Speaker, those are the words of our current liberal premier about the school closures that now this government is implementing. So my question, Mr. Speaker, is why has there been a complete 180 in the tone of the premier? Well, Mr. Speaker, the leader of the opposition has laid out exactly why I ran for provincial office, Mr. Speaker, because there was a government that didn't listen to us, Mr. Speaker, that had cut funding across the province. The member from Renfrew come to order and if this continues we'll move to warnings. I'm prepared. Finish please. Mr. Speaker, there were billions of dollars taken out of education in this province during the Harris years. That is why I ran for provincial office, Mr. Speaker. In fact, in fact, there are many members here who ran for provincial office because of the devastation that was brought by that party when Harris was in office, Mr. Speaker. I'm for education system. 68% of kids were graduating. Supplementary. Mr. Speaker, again to the premier, I don't think the children and the families at the rally outside Queens Park today would believe those words from the premier. And Mr. Speaker, another quote from the premier is this. From our current premier, a key priority of the McGinty government has been to keep good schools open. Immediately upon taking office, the government asked school boards to put a moratorium on school closures. This pause allowed the government to develop a new tool for boards to empower local decision-making on school closures. They wanted a moratorium then. Something's changed. That was our current premier from the tropical north. Advocating for a moratorium on school closures. But right now, when parents, when children are pleading for a moratorium, the government is deaf to those concerns. And Mr. Speaker, why have they changed their mind on the moratorium? Well, Mr. Speaker, there had been, as I said, devastation across the education system in this province. It was absolutely necessary, Mr. Speaker, to put a moratorium in place while guidelines were put in place. Look, Mr. Speaker, I know how difficult it is and has been for decades, for school boards to make decisions about school closures or potential consolidations. It's a most difficult decision that school boards have to make. But, Mr. Speaker, that moratorium was listed, at least in part, because school boards were saying, we can't run our boards unless we have the authority to make decisions that are in the best interests of kids. And that means the best programs, the best staffing, Mr. Speaker. And that means that, as schools are built, as new modern buildings are created, there have to be, sometimes, school closures and consolidations. But in the final supplementary, Mr. Speaker, I'll talk about options. Mr. Speaker, again to the premier. Now, the premier said there was devastation when she was running for office. Now, I have a stat here, Mr. Speaker. I think the government needs to hear this, rather than heckle. According to the legislative library, this liberal government has now closed 100 more schools than the previous conservative government ever dreamed of. They are setting records on school closures. The facts don't lie, Mr. Speaker. This premier, this government, they said they were in it for education. This premier was the education minister. It's actually coming from both sides, too. Finish. Mr. Speaker, I guess the truth hurts, and that's why the government benches are heckling. But the reality is this premier said she was in politics for education. And she has now closed 100 more schools than any previous government ever dreamed of. This premier is setting records. So, Mr. Speaker, I think what we also need to talk about is the 810 new schools that have been closed. There has been a renovation of 780 schools, Mr. Speaker, on top of the 810 schools. So, Mr. Speaker, I go back to what I said in the second question. I understand that closing a school or consolidating two schools is a real challenge for school boards. I also know, Mr. Speaker, that we have great examples in this province where school boards have worked together, where school buildings have been kept open because there's been cooperation between school boards and municipalities. We need more of that. We've put money in place. Remember from Leeds Grandville. Thank you. In case you didn't hear it, the member from Leeds Grandville comes over. New question. Leader of the opposition. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the premier. Tomorrow is a big day. The Liberals are allegedly tabling their first ballot budget in many years. But, Mr. Speaker, I share the concerns of the financial accountability officer and the auditor general that the government's numbers don't add up. We've heard descriptions in the media cooking the books. It's a shallow game. It's smoke and mirrors, regardless of what you think. I'm a minister of indigenous relations and reconciliation will come to order. And I'm going to ask the member to withdraw because I don't want to get into this accusation before or after the budget about anything that's happening between individuals and making an accusation. So I'd like you to withdraw. You will be able to complete the question please. Regardless of the term used, the evidence that the independent officers are highlighting speaks to the fact that government's numbers do not add up. And when things don't add up in liberal Ontario, there's usually only one result. And that's big tax increases or severe budget cuts. And if the Premier could share with the legislature today, which is it going to be, given the independent officers say the numbers don't add up, is it going to be a tax increase or a deep cut? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Well, I know the Leader of the Opposition will be in the legislature, will hear the budget speech tomorrow. And I would think, Mr. Speaker, given his conservative outlook on life, he would be pleased that the big books in the province are being brought about. Perhaps diverge is from my perspective and from our perspective, a balanced budget means that we have the opportunity to build on the foundation that we have already put in place in this province. We've been building infrastructure, we've been building roads and schools and hospitals and bridges, Mr. Speaker, and transit. We've been investing in children's education and in the education of our post-secondary students, Mr. Speaker. We now, Mr. Speaker, with a balanced budget have a responsibility to make sure that we tackle the needs that people are confronting in this globally uncertain economy, Mr. Speaker. And that's exactly what we're going to do. Supplementary. Mr. Speaker, if it actually was a balanced budget, then I would be pleased. But when the independent officers of parliament are saying the numbers don't add up, that raises alarm bells across the province. Minister of Labor, come to order. We're inches away from warning people. Carry on. Mr. Speaker, the minister of finance has been claiming there will be a major booster shot for healthcare funding. But in January, the financial accountability officer reported that the government would need to slash its healthcare budget by 2.8 billion over the next years if it was to meet their balanced budget targets. And once again, my question to the Premier is who are we to believe? The financial accountability officer or Chef Sousa? Please enlighten the legislature. The order? The member knows better. I ask in this house that we either refer to people by their title or by their writing and it won't happen again. We have a recipe for success, Mr. Speaker. My responsibilities are to hold this place into quorum and either any member making it happen in an opposite way is not liked by me. Bring it down. Please take that prop. I'm charged with the decorum in this place. I'd appreciate help. Minister. Mr. Speaker, the numbers do speak for themselves. We're increasing our revenues. We're growing our economy. We're exceeding Canada, the U.S. and the G7. And we're balancing the books tomorrow, Mr. Speaker. We're balancing the books next year. We're balancing the books the year after that. And we're investing in the people of Ontario. We're moving to warnings. I'm not getting help. I'll give myself some help. Final supplementary. Mr. Speaker, again to the Premier. The reality is no one believes this recipe the Minister of Finance is putting forward. No one believes this recipe. Let me share the words of the financial accountability officer. I quote the outlook for the budget balance has deteriorated and concluded Ontario's budget would be expected to remain in deficit over the next five years. Will the Liberals come clean? You've got the financial accountability officer saying one thing. You've got the Minister of Finance saying something entirely different. So to the Premier, who do you expect Ontario's to believe? The independent legislative oversight or the Minister of Finance? Thank you. So Mr. Speaker, independent agencies around the world here in Canada, the Conference Board of Canada, has cited that Ontario's numbers is the most transparent with the greatest integrity of any other government in Canada. The opposition and naysayers say Ontario can never come to balance. Ontario cannot do what they say they will do and we exceed a target. Member from Nipissing is warned. We exceed a target year over year, Mr. Speaker. We've been deliberate. We've been consistent and we're balancing the budget. More importantly, the people who believe it are the people who have jobs this year, Mr. Speaker. Over 700,000 more jobs since the depths of the recession. It's families who have more to care for their families. Business speaker, it's about them and we're delivering for the people of Ontario. Do you see it, please? New portion? Member from Bromley-Gormoltz. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Does this Premier believe in universal public pharma care for Ontarians? Thank you. Minister of Health and long-term care. Minister of Health, long-term care. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the question and the member opposite knows that for the past few years our government has been relentless in advocating for a national pharma care program here in Canada. Quite frankly, Mr. Speaker, we have been the leading political voice in the country advocating for a national program that would ensure that all Canadians have that access to medicines, which is critically important. We know, Mr. Speaker, that at least one out of every 10 families in this province and across the country are unable to secure the medicines that are prescribed to them because of financial difficulties. That's the basis of our advocacy. It's an issue of fairness and health equity, the social determinants of health. It's no less important as the other aspects of Medicare, Mr. Speaker. That's why we have been working so hard with this advocacy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Supplementary. Mr. Speaker, does the Premier think that it's okay to sit by for Ontario to sit by and wait for Ottawa to do something while the people in this province have to empty their wallet to pay for life-saving medication day after day? Thank you, Minister. Well, Mr. Speaker, quite frankly, this member is late to the party. We have been working across this country, Mr. Speaker, for the last three years in advocating for the exact access to medicines that the member opposite is quite recently. The member from Hamilton, East Stony Creek, is warned. The member from Ancaster is warned. Finish, please. And, Mr. Speaker, despite being late to the party and despite recently having found the ability to articulate their advocacy for access to medicines, I applaud the third party for their advocacy. It's important that all of us who believe in issues of health equity and social determinants of health and the importance of access to prescribed medicine, it's important that we all work together. I just wish that the party, the third party, had to be there three years ago or two years ago or even one year ago. Final supplementary. Mr. Speaker, all across Ontario, people are getting prescriptions that they can't afford to fill. People are reaching for their credit cards so their kids can get a much needed asthma inhaler. They're splitting their pills in half or worse, going without medication. The NDP plan for universal pharmacare will save lives. But let's talk about being late to the party. Instead of doing anything, what has the Premier done? She sent her minister to Ottawa to talk and last year, let's talk about advocacy, last year this government Minister of Natural Resources is warned. slashed coverage of drug plans. That's slashed coverage for seniors drug care medication. That's their plan to slash coverage. Why does the government, why is this government so out of touch with what's going on in this province? Thank you, Mr. Well, Mr. Speaker, I'm sorry but I remember things last year a little differently because I remember that we added 170,000 more seniors in this province who at the time were paying $100 deductible annually and were paying at least six dollars as a co-payment each time they refilled a prescription. We brought that 170,000 of the lowest income seniors into a position where that annual deductible was gone. It was abolished, Mr. Speaker, where the co-payment went from six dollars per prescription down to two dollars prescription. That had an incredible impact for some of the most vulnerable people in this province. We will continue to advocate for pharmacare as we have. I'm glad that the third party has decided to join our efforts towards this end. Thank you. New question? Remember from Kitchener Waterloo. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Peter Thurley. Peter Thurley lives in downtown Kitchener. I just want to remind people, in case they forgot, when I get to warnings the next is naming, meaning you leave, just to reinforce that. If you didn't want to cooperate, I'm going to get it. Finish, please. Thank you. My question is to the Premier. Peter Thurley lives in downtown Kitchener. In April of 2015, Peter had a series of surgeries that saved his life because public Medicare works. But now he's paying between $700 and $1,000 out of pocket each month for medications he needs because he's there's no public pharmacare program in Ontario. Peter has had to stop working because he still is recovering. He no longer has drug coverage. Peter's wife has some drug coverage but it's not enough. They don't know how they will continue to pay for Peter's medication. Peter told me that every dollar his family spends on medication comes directly out of their food budget. Does the Premier think that in a province as wealthy as Ontario, that this is okay? Mr. Speaker, we have an excellent program in this province called Trillium, which is accessible to all Ontarians who find themselves in that very difficult, challenging situation of affordability of their medicines. If those costs and it's an income-based program, so if those costs are exorbitant, if they're unable to afford them, that there's a place where those families, those individuals can go. They can put in an application based on their expenditures and there will be support for them based on their ability to pay. I have no doubt that the member opposite is aware of this program. It's been in existence for many years in the province. I would encourage her to work with her constituent to see if there are measures that can be done through that program and others, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Ontario New Democrats brought in the Trillium program. You're not listening to this story. Peter had a good job. Peter's wife has a good job. But getting sick forced them to make decisions that no Ontarians should have to make. We're used to hearing these stories coming from the United States, not from Canada. New Democrats want to fix this. Your government wants to wait for Ottawa. Can the Premier explain to Peter and his wife why they should have to wait in this province? Well, Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the fact that the NDP brought in Trillium. They also were the government that eliminated, removed 10% of all the drugs that were on the formulary at the time. Almost 250 drugs, when they were a government, they took off the formulary that were no longer available to Ontarians. But, Mr. Speaker, it's important that Ontarians understand the efforts that we've made. And we have had great success in part because of the Pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance, where we are finding across the country a significant portion, as you can appreciate here in Ontario, $700 million in annual savings because of the reduction in drug prices we've been able to achieve because of bulk purchasing and bulk bargaining or working out the price with the manufacturers. We've reinvested those savings into new medicines and we continue to add it. We have more than 4,000 drugs on our formulary today. Mr. Speaker, talking to Ottawa isn't going to help the 2.2 million people in this province who have no coverage. The Liberal government in Ottawa isn't doing anything to help families in like Peters. The Liberal government at Queen's Park isn't doing anything to help families like Peters. Getting access to life-saving medications isn't going to get easier unless Ontario does something. The NDP is ready to act on pharma care. Speaker, why doesn't the Premier of this province believe in universal public pharma care? Thank you. Can you see it, please? Can you see it, please? Thank you. Mr. Speaker, I am elated at the change of heart from the member from Kitchener Waterloo because we need to remember it was only during the last election campaign in 2014 where the NDP committed to finding $600 million in savings and when the member opposite was asked where those savings would come from, she said that they would likely... A member from Hamilton Mountain is warned. Finish, please. ...that their new Accountability Minister, their Minister of Cuts, would look to find efficiencies in the health care and post-secondary education. We're going to play that game. I'm going to win. The member from Kitchener Waterloo is warned. Finish. She went on to say, quote, I would go first to health. I am elated that she's had a change of heart, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. New question to the member from Brucebury, what sound? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Education Minister. The Minister has just announced a Liberal Party tour across rural communities to seek solutions to her government's mass school closures. Mr. Speaker, Ontarians can smell a junket when they see one, and they know this is no fact finding mission. This is about damage control, and the Liberals looking out for their best interest, not insurance. Through you, Mr. Speaker, I ask, since the Minister did not consult these communities before changing the rules and removing the community impact component from the school closing review process, why should they trust you now? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I want to thank the member opposite for this question because, you know, first of all, I know that there are parents who are here at the Legislature today to talk about their school communities, and I want to welcome them, Mr. Speaker, because it's very important that we do listen to parents, Mr. Speaker, and to schools and to students, and to hear what they have to say, Mr. Speaker. And I also want to be clear that, you know, I understand how vital schools are to local communities, Mr. Speaker. They're the heart of our communities. And, you know, every student, every parent, every educator cares about our students and their success. Mr. Speaker, that's what we're focused on, and that's why we have engaged in consultations. Because we want to ensure, Mr. Speaker. The member of Niagara West Glamrock is warned. These engagements are important, Mr. Speaker, because we want to ensure that, you know, that we hear about the ideas and the information that parents and school communities want to tell us about their local schools, Mr. Speaker. We want to continue to ensure that we provide the best education for all students in Ontario. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, back to the Education Minister. You should be ashamed of turning the hearts out of our rural communities. Because that's what you're doing. You blew the public's trust once before when you failed to consult them on new accommodation rules, resulting in possibly as many as 600 schools being closed across Ontario. Considering the serious deficit of trust and credibility with your minister and your government, I want to know, Mr. Speaker, in the spirit of trust and collaboration, why hasn't the minister included members from this side of the house on the Problems Life Consultation Care? Thank you. Right. Good thought. Minister. You know, the member opposite is suggesting something that's simply not the case. Just last week, I was in Markdale and you were there. So, you know, there's, Mr. Speaker, are really designed so that we can ensure that we're providing the best education possible, Mr. Speaker. I've also made it very clear to our school boards, to municipalities that we're looking for creative and innovative solutions, Mr. Speaker. We want boards to work together. There are really great examples of that. If you look at Terrence Bay, for instance, both the English, Terrence Bay, Mr. Speaker, the English and the French Catholic school boards are working together to share an elementary school. This is in allowing access to libraries, to gyms, to play spaces, Mr. Speaker, to technology labs, ensuring that students have the best range of programs possible. And that's what these engagements are about. How do we provide the best education for students in Ontario? New question, and we'll turn it in for you. Thank you, Speaker. Speaker, my question is a premier. Last year, the Minister of Energy denied that there was a crisis with soaring hydro bills. Then the government ignored the NDP's demand for moratorium on disconnections of hydro through the winter. Only when a crisis had pushed her government into a political corner did the Premier act. Well, a new crisis is upon us. Starting May 1st, Ontario families will start losing their hydro. Does the Premier know how many families will be losing their hydro on May 1st? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I'm very pleased to rise and talk about what Hydro 1 is doing, Mr. Speaker. Hydro 1, which has millions of customers in this province, are extending their winter moratorium until the end of May, Mr. Speaker. That is great news, Mr. Speaker. And it just shows that Hydro 1 is working closely with their customers who have fallen behind on their bills, Mr. Speaker. The extra time will allow customers to take advantage of some of the early savings from Ontario's fair hydro plan, in which all families, small businesses, and farms in this province will get a 25% up to, Mr. Speaker, on average, a 25% reduction. And for those families, Mr. Speaker, that in the rural or in their northern parts of our province, Mr. Speaker, that rate will be between 40% and 50%. They will see significant savings, Mr. Speaker, unlike nothing in their plan, Mr. Speaker. So I guess the rest don't really count. They really aren't a factor anymore. Speaker, again to the Premier, if a family heats with natural gas, they have access to up to $1,000 in emergency relief to help pay their hydro and gas bills if they can't meet their payments. But many rural families don't have access to natural gas and they must heat with hydro. Not only is hydro more expensive, the government only offers these struggling families $600 in emergency relief, not $1,000. Why does the Premier think it's fair that rural Ontario families, paying some of the highest hydro rates in Canada, don't have access to relief the way everyone else does? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First off, when it comes to the West, the East, the North and the South, this government is acting, Mr. Speaker. I don't know where that member is coming from with the West. But also, Mr. Speaker, when it comes to rural, when it comes to remote, and when it comes to northern, Mr. Speaker, I just said in the last supplementary, and I know he hasn't been listening to the last month and a half in terms of what our plan is doing. And I know he probably didn't pay attention during the technical briefing, but let me remind him, that's 40 to 50% off for rural or remote families, Mr. Speaker. And on top of that, and on top of that, Mr. Speaker, if these families qualify for the Ontario Electricity Support Program, they can get an additional 50% off of their bills as well, Mr. Speaker. So we're making sure that those in the rural and remote parts of our province are seeing significant relief on their energy bills, Mr. Speaker. We have a plan. It's already working, Mr. Speaker, by examples with the OEB. It's too bad they don't have a plan that even fathoms to work. Good question. A member from Davenport. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And my question is for the Minister of Energy about a concern that my constituents have raised in Davenport. Last week, the Ontario Energy Board made an announcement regarding new electricity rates to be effective on May 1st. As the independent regulator of Ontario's energy sector, the OEB is a quasi-judicial board which governs the sector with a mandate to protect ratepayers. It sets electricity rates twice a year so Ontarians know what to expect with their bills. As members of this House know well, our government has recognized that Ontarians want relief on electricity costs and we have acted. Our plan is to lower electricity bills by an average of 25% by this summer. I understand that the OEB has taken early action in beginning to put these savings onto ratepayer bills. Would the Minister please clarify what the impact is to all of Ontarians? Thank you. Great question. Minister Andrew. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also want to thank the member for that important question. And I was pleased, Mr. Speaker, with the OEB's decision to begin lowering rates on May 1st, Mr. Speaker, and anticipation of our government's fair hydro plan. This is the next of several steps which Ontarians will see as we work towards bills being reduced by 25% beginning this summer, Mr. Speaker, with rates held to inflation for the next four years. The OEB's decision means that bills will be reduced by 17% beginning May 1st. That's even earlier than expected, Mr. Speaker. The rest of our plan is intended to come into effect by this summer in order to achieve the rest of the promised savings, Mr. Speaker. The OEB would require to reduce rates again this summer when final legislation is passed to ensure Ontarians see the full benefit of our plan, Mr. Speaker, as soon as possible. Thank you, Mr. Secretary. Thank you to the Minister for that response and for his hard work on this file, on a file that is so important to my constituents. Our government heard from Ontarians who were struggling with the cost of electricity, and that's why we introduced the Fair Hydro Plan. It's also why this winter we gave the OEB the power to ban power disconnections during the winter months. Several utilities actually already had this type of policy, including Hydra 1. In fact, Hydra 1 had already implemented a ban on winter disconnections and introduced a winter relief program to restore power to disconnected customers as part of a broader effect to be a more customer-focused company. I understand that yesterday, Hydra 1 made an announcement where they extended their winter moratorium to provide even more support to customers. Will the Minister share with his House the details of that announcement and how it is providing further relief to Ontario ratepayers? Thank you, Speaker. Again, thank you to the member for the question. Yesterday, as the member mentioned, Hydra 1 announced they are extending their winter moratorium until the end of May. So Hydra 1 will be working closely with customers who have fallen behind on their bills, Mr. Speaker. And this extra time will allow customers to take advantage of some of the early savings from our fair Hydro plan while they work with the company to make sure that they get back on the right track, Mr. Speaker. I was also pleased to see Hydra 1 take this step which provides just more evidence of their new customer focus at this company. And as part of yesterday's announcement, Mr. Speaker, Hydra 1 is also eliminating requirements for security deposits from residential customers as well as reducing deposit requirements for businesses, Mr. Speaker. This removes a substantial burden from many customers and will put money back in the hands of Ontarians. These actions from Hydra 1 work together with our government's fair Hydro plan being fairly for everyone in this province. Thank you. Any questions? None from Ms. D. and Carl? Thank you very much. Speaker, my question is to the minister of health. Yesterday, I once again approached the minister to join me in Ottawa with parents and teens who are right now struggling with dangerous counterfeit drugs laced with potent and potentially fatal opioids. In my city, we are at a crisis level. Earlier today, I spoke by email with our city's chief medical officer of health, Isra Levy, who agrees that this is a crisis. Last week, there were 15 recorded overdoses in a 72-hour time frame. Since last Tuesday, there have been a total of 28 recorded overdoses all told, 13 over the weekend. These drugs are like nothing we have ever seen on our streets. The first pill can be fatal. The person taking it may only have taken the pill once. I've written and spoken to the minister and his government many times and we need his attention on this crisis. Speaker, will the minister join me in Ottawa and meet the faces of this crisis? Thank you. Minister of Health, all through the care. Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. And as always, I appreciate the advocacy of the member opposite on this important issue. And it is, I describe it as a crisis. It's a national crisis. It's got obviously very serious provincial consequences, including in Ottawa. And I was very distraught when I learned of the increase in overdoses as a result, likely of an increased presence of fentanyl on the streets in Ottawa. I think the member knows that this is a multifaceted approach that we have to take to this. And we are working very closely with the mayor of Ottawa, with the local municipality. We will shortly be having a meeting of all municipal leaders that I will chair, Mr. Speaker. The Premier has asserted that that meeting will take place. And it will allow us, I think, to work even more closely with local jurisdictions. And it is important that Ontarians also understand that we, in that multifaceted approach that's required, we unveiled the most comprehensive opioid strategy that this country currently has. Thank you. Supplementary. Thank you, Speaker. Back to the Minister. Each week when I go home I meet with Steve Cody, who lost his son to an overdose, and Sean Leary, whose daughter is struggling with addiction. Both of them are prominent businessmen who have co-founded We The Parents. They have become grassroots advocates and they spend their spare moments meeting with hundreds of Ottawa parents and their children who have taken these counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl, some of whom have lost their own children. We have reached a crisis level and with respect what is being done is either not working or it is too slow reaching the people who need the help the most. Will the minister commit today to ensuring that students in our middle and high schools are part of an awareness campaign about the dangers of these new drugs? Will the minister join me in Ottawa and will he commit to spending resources to alert the parents and their kids to this potentially life-threatening drug that are now on the streets of Ottawa? The time is now to act minister. Minister of health. Well thank you Mr. Speaker and again I think it's important that the legislature and Ontarians not be left with the impression that this government isn't acting with the highest level of seriousness including in Ottawa Mr. Speaker where we've committed this year 1.5 million to the Dave Smith Youth Treatment Centre to support the construction of a new 30-bed residential treatment facility for youth and I have to say Mr. Speaker that the members the Liberal members provincial parliament from Ottawa particularly the member from Ottawa South working very closely with me and with the Premier addressing this issue Mr. Speaker and in Ottawa there are more than it's important to mention there are more than 80 pharmacies in Ottawa alone that are providing naloxone which is a life-saving treatment for those who experience an overdose 80 pharmacies that are being accessed getting naloxone and naloxone training and free of charge through their pharmacist Mr. Speaker Thank you. New question the member from Nicobel Thank you Mr. President My question is for the Premier Let me be clear Speaker the Premier school funding formula discriminate against small northern and rural school What does that mean for our kids? Well in Nicobel four years old children who live in Geneva Lake will be on the bus for three hours each day if they want to stay in French immersion In the winters kids leave home in the dark and come home from school in the dark they are tired some of them hate school because of it their parents will struggle to convince them to stay in school I know of little kids speaker who are being bullied right now because they had to pee and cannot hold it for one and a half hour in a bus Premier do you believe that it is acceptable for northern and rural children to grow up without a community school Thank you Minister of Education Mr. Speaker our priority is to ensure that every student in Ontario receives the best education possible Mr. Speaker and we recognize the distinct challenges that are facing rural and northern school boards Mr. Speaker and that is why we are giving more resources to rural and northern boards than ever before Mr. Speaker the school boards are projected overall to receive 23.8 billion dollars in the 2017-18 school year through the grants for students needs and this is an increase of 849 million dollars from last year every board across this province will receive an increase in funding Rural boards are projected to receive 3.8 billion dollars in the 2017-18 GSN and that's an increase of 1.3 million dollars or a 3.7% increase Mr. Speaker from last year so we want to ensure that our rural boards have the resources that they need and that is exactly what we're doing Thank you Speaker our children suffer because of this liberal government school funding formula and so do our communities after the school did not enclose the first thing to go was the ice cream shop then the chip stand then the one and only store and now even the one and only gas station is gone Donya Chenan moved to Lavak so that her six-year-old son could attend french immersion at Lavak public school she's now worried that Lavak will be the next ghost town if this liberal government continues with this free of school closure yet when the premier when her minister hear the fears of families in Lavak they ignore them and just keep right on at it with an unfair funding formula this government still has 300 school on the chopping block what do they have to say to the worried family in Lavak Thank you You know Mr. Speaker I want it's important that that everyone recognizes that the funding formula recognizes the unique needs of our rural and northern boards and that's why there is $1,200 per student more to rural and northern schools than to urban schools Mr. Speaker I want to make that very clear and you know I have visited schools in northern Ontario Mr. Speaker I visited schools in Sioux Lookout and you know I want to talk about some of the innovative things that our school boards are doing on behalf of our students and when you look at the Q8 and Patricia District School Board Mr. Speaker they're opening a new secondary school in partnership with Confederation College with Menoya Health Centre and Firefly Mental Health because of the unique needs in that community Mr. Speaker they are working together to design this unique hub to meet the needs of the students who are in that community Mr. Speaker so that they have the support that they need Mr. Speaker we are supporting the board in that decision as they move forward Mr. Speaker I have a question for the member from Kitchener Centre Thank you Speaker my question is for the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change The green investments that are outlined in our Climate Change Action Plan are now starting to roll out and we are seeing the tangible benefits of these investments in my own writing of Kitchener Centre Home Energy Audits are saving many homeowners a lot of money Now just over a year ago Mr. Speaker Mary Jane Patterson she heads REAP Green Solutions this is a non-profit group that promotes energy efficiency in KW she came to see me to lobby in favour of Home Energy Audits and retrofits and a few days later we delivered on that in our budget Speaker in my community Home Energy Evaluations have doubled this clearly shows that homeowners and businesses are actively engaged in our Climate Action Plan Speaker Ontarians know that these investments are lowering their carbon footprint and it's lowering their energy costs so could the minister please explain to the House the long-term value of these investments Thank you Minister of the Environment Climate Change Thank you Mr. Speaker and I know it probably won't come to as a surprise to many people here that the part of Ontario we know is KW awesome is out ahead of much of the province on this the REAP program is truly one of the most innovative on doing education and demonstrating technology the program and expansion based on that experience and the members advocacy is going to lead to 1.6 million tons of GHG reductions one of the largest Mr. Speaker and the audits that the premier this was actually the premier's idea to get these audits out so people could learn and understand the technologies the savings and the development we're doing 37,000 of them that will in the end not only reduce GHGs but significantly bring down people's heating and energy bills Mr. Speaker so no pun intended for the premier this is a win-win-win scenario Mr. Speaker Thank you Speaker and thank you to the minister for his answer and for his leadership on this important initiative and he has a lot of fans and supporters in Kitchener Waterloo it is very encouraging to hear that Ontarians are seeing the benefits of green investments and that they're taking an active role in fighting climate change not only is this helping us to achieve our emission reduction targets but it's also helping us to create jobs now to date we have produced over 40,000 jobs tied to green energy and here's another interesting stat Speaker according to reports released by Environmental Defense Blue-Green Canada and the Clean Economy Alliance green investments can produce up to 32,900 green jobs in the province and their research also found an additional 24,000 jobs could be created for the reinvestments of the green cost savings Speaker could the minister please explain why making these investments are important to creating jobs Sir Mr. Speaker and it gives me great pleasure just to talk about the economic dimensions and you're quite right environmentalist fans and actually a parallel study done by Pembina Institute showed that the first just the first tranche of investments of 2.5 billion dollars creates 33,000 high-skilled jobs in Ontario by the time by the time Mr. Speaker we have retrofitted all of the buildings in Ontario which this program will do over the next couple of decades it will probably be the biggest single job creation program in Ontario and Mr. Speaker but while we have the win on our side we are very worried about a brown out from the other side Mr. Speaker a complete brown out of all of the funding programs because the member opposite would tear up the cap and trade system these jobs or savings would never appear Mr. Speaker we know Ontarians want to win they don't want a brown out Mr. Speaker thank you Your question to the member from Perry Sound, Miss Skokor Thank you Mr. Speaker my question is to the minister of health and long-term care people in Northwestern Ontario have a life expectancy 2.9 years shorter than the rest of the province Speaker a report from Health Quality Ontario has confirmed the reality facing Northern Ontarians they are more likely to have cardiovascular disease have limited access to healthy foods be obese and they are more likely to commit suicide Northerners navigate a health care system with reduced access to testing and to doctors the ministry's own rural and northern health care report identified these issues in 2011 Speaker when is the minister going to address the regional disparities in our health care system Here here Minister of Health long-term care Well Mr. Speaker this is a very important issue and I appreciated the report that came out from Health Quality Ontario that pointed to the work that needs to be done to address the as they themselves indicated a lot of this has to do with the social determinants of health but to address the fact that individuals in the north do have challenges in the north because of residing there because of the nature of the situation that are different than in the south but Mr. Speaker we are making enormous investments in the north as we are throughout the province since coming into office we've increased the funding in northern hospitals by 55 percent we just announced recently in Thunder Bay a new cardiac center which will provide both vascular surgery as well as cardiac surgery and I want to thank both members from Thunder Bay both MPPs who worked hard to be able to make that reality and I'm happy to speak more in this supplementary Thank you Mr. Speaker again to the minister well Speaker research published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal about cardiovascular events shows that the three healthiest healthiest lins are in the GTA on the other hand three of the four least healthy lins are the northeast northwest and north simple muscoca it is deplorable that today where you live in Ontario is a determinant of your health and your life expectancy Speaker I'm going to the northern northwestern Ontario Municipal Association conference later this week what does the minister have to say to the people in the northwest Linn Well that we continue to invest in the north Mr. Speaker the first nurse practitioner led clinic was in the north in Sudbury we have 42 family health teams in the north as well and I I know if the if the member opposite read the CMAJ report it I think it was likely the one that referenced the health quality Ontario report which was the report that we commissioned through an agency of government to actually provide us with that additional valuable information and they pointed to areas where we could continue to improve and where investments should be made we've made over $157 million of investments in additional surgeries and bringing down wait times in the northern region as well Mr. Speaker there's a lot of work to do across the province I'm very fixed at the north as well because of the unique challenges faced there and what we can do more to improve the health situation of our northern residents sir thank you no question the member from Timmins James Bay my question is to the Premier Premier we've all heard the latest attack on Ontario's forest industry the Trump administration is slapping a 20% tariff on softwood lumber claiming the Ontario industry is subsidized Premier we all know that's not the case in fact in 2015 decision by the trade tribunals found that Ontario does not I repeat does not subsidize its forest industry so what the U.S. couldn't get done through the front door in 2015 Trump is trying to get through the back door and what a perious tragedy has meant to tie up our forest producer and a lengthly costly fight which I'm confident we will win in the end however this time many producers may not be able to withstand this latest frivolous attack by Mr. Trump so Premier what are you prepared to do in order to help our producers survive as we fight back this frivolous attempt to hurt our industry thank you Premier this is natural resources in forestry this is natural resources in forestry thank you very much Speaker and I thank the member for the question that certainly on everybody's mind today about our softwood sector certainly I want to reassure everybody in the house that Ontario is standing shoulder to shoulder with our forestry industry in order to protect their workers at this time of economic uncertainty certainly we cannot let the uncreditability of our southern neighbour affect the jobs and well-being of Ontario so I want to reassure everybody that Ontario has been looking to things that we can do in the meantime we've been aware that this has been coming for some time we also know that the 20 percent tariffs on our lumber are unfair and we're going to be stepping forward with a number of things we have been working very closely with our federal partners we have called on our federal government to provide a loan guarantee program to help in the meantime thank you supplementary well according listen you've come pretty late to the game we've known that this has been coming for some time you just now start to react we've already heard from BC we've already heard from Quebec and your responses is to say well we're going to depend on Ottawa to be able to fix this problem for us this industry in Ontario is unique and specific to our stop the clock my resolve has not changed from the from earlier and that's not helpful either please put your question as I said the industry in Ontario is pretty specific to Ontario we have a system that is probably the best in the world it is not subsidized we have a competitive tariff system based on price and we're should be taking a position Ontario to make sure that we do what's right for this province and if that means we do what Quebec did and provide our own loan guarantee program so be it so can you assure us and ensure the 57,000 people that work in this industry we're not going to diddle as we watch Ottawa do nothing thank you minister thank you very much speaker and again I want to say that this is a federal issue and it's up to our our federal partnership to negotiate this in saying that we have come forward on new initiatives for instance we're providing 10 million dollars in new fund new funding to the forestry industry to reimburse costs for road construction and maintenance on public access road we have announced just today that we have 74 million dollars from this government to assist with the forest access road program that helps to have public access and that connecting some of our northern remote communities we hired a chief negotiator the former former federal trade minister Jim Peterson who is on board to help to negotiate this deal we've been meeting with our industry partners they've asked for these things and sir we're going to be continuing to work with our federal partnership to ask for that federal loan guarantee thank you thank you question member from Trinidad, Spadina thank you speaker my question is to the minister of tourism culture and sport speaker our government is a proud supporter of Ontario's culture sector because of the great work being done by our artists musicians writers teachers curator culture is one of Ontario's fastest growing sectors in my writing of Trinidad, Spadina and across Ontario our government's support for culture continues to bring people together build Ontario's identity and create jobs and grow our economy I'm pleased to ask the minister about an announcement she made recently at Ryerson Image Centre the minister announced this year's spring and summer recipient of Ontario culture attraction fund which is a fund designed to increase culture tourism supports events that foster economic growth and contribute to job creation Speaker through you to the minister can she tell the member of this house question the OCAP fund and how you will impact arts organizations across our province thank you Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Sport thank you Mr. Speaker and I want to thank the member from Trinidad, Spadina for his question and for his steadfast support of the vibrant arts and culture organizations in his writing as a member mentioned I was at Ryerson Image Centre last month to announce support for festivals such as the Scotiabank contact photography which will kick off at the Image Centre on Friday while there I announced that this spring in summer season 45 arts and culture organizations will receive over 2.8 million dollars in support to the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund these include and they're across our province Speaker Franco Fett in Ottawa a taste of Greece in London the eight days stars and thunder international fireworks and music festival in Timmins this year's recipients include events that will commemorate Ontario's 150th anniversary and speaker our support helps communities and organizations to attract business through tourism and economic development I look forward to adding more in this documentary thank you policy thank you speaker I want to thank the minister for her response many festivals and events like the hotdog film festival in my writing which begins tomorrow tomorrow night is the world's largest largest documentary film festival they are having a positive impact on tourism and culture seen in Ontario our government continues to work closely with our partners to build a stronger culture sector last year the Ministry of Tourism Culture and Sport introduced Ontario's first culture strategy the four goals of the culture strategy are promoting culture engagement inclusion strengthening culture in communities and fueling the creative economy and promoting the value of arts throughout the government the culture strategy envisions and Ontario where every person has an opportunity to creative expression and culture partition or participation and where the diversity of our stories and community is reflected valued and celebrated Mr Speaker through you to the minister question can she tell this house on the economic impact and how our support for culture impacts Ontario thank you minister oh look at that thank you Mr Speaker and thank you again to the member for his question you know Speaker we're very proud of the hotdogs festival it's something that's a government we're enormously proud of they have a global reach and a global impact and we're absolutely really thrilled to see them because they're doing amazing work and we understand as a government speaker that arts and artists play an important role not just in bringing joy into our live speaker but they contribute very much to our economy as well and it's why we're proud of our education system because when I hear from organizations from around the world why they're investing in Ontario they speak loudly and clearly about the quality of our graduates and our education and our school system speaker but culture is really not just about joy which is also important it's about job speaker to the tune of 25 billion dollars to our economy and over 280,000 jobs these are critically important to vitality of not just our arts and culture sector but to our economy and we're enormously proud of our arts and our artists for the world and global recognition that they're getting to be here thank you very much new question member from foreign hill thank you minister of child and youth services a report came out yesterday that details horrific outcomes for youth who exit the foster care system typically their lives involve low academic achievement unemployment underemployment and poverty homelessness and housing insecurity criminal justice system involvement early parenthood poor physical and mental health and of course loneliness if the child welfare system was apparent it may well have its kids taken away minister speaker will the minister tell us what he is doing to ensure that Ontario's most vulnerable youth have the same future as that which we plan for our own children thank you minister thank you minister well thank you Mr. Speaker and I'd like to thank the member for the question as the member knows over the last several months we've been working on a new act here in the province of Ontario to better protect children youth and families here in our province in fact Mr. Speaker recently a report came out called one vision one voice which looks at black youth here in the province of Ontario specifically in Toronto where there's a huge over representation of black youth in our child protection system and Mr. Speaker to go even beyond that within that report there was a call to collect good data the anti-racism directorate is working to to look at how race when we talk about black and indigenous youth who are overly represented in fact Mr. Speaker in Toronto it's over 50% if you combine the indigenous and the black youth together so we're working with advocates with within the child care system to look for ways to better position young people for success here in Ontario thank you the minister is legally the parent of approximately a thousand youth who age out of the system every year in Ontario their life outcomes are horrific and compromise the talented people who could be thriving in our society Mr. Speaker we must have higher expectations for the child welfare system that parents these youth in their most formative years after all the new legislation pays a lot of attention to accountability but there's a big miss what's missing are checks and balances to determine if our system is an effective parent presently no one is systemically studying the outcomes for youth aging out of Ontario so speaker the minister does not measure youth outcomes after care in any way how does he know anything he has been implementing is actually working thank you very much Mr. Speaker you know I don't like I don't want to politicize this issue but when it caught when we talk about a big miss here in the legislature not once is anyone from that side of the house asked me about the overrepresentation of indigenous or black children in the child welfare system so I think I think that's a big miss here in the province of Ontario and especially in this legislature Mr. Speaker we set up the anti-racism directorate we're looking at reform of the act within child welfare we are looking for ways to better position young people for success and in fact Mr. Speaker those young people you know we refer to them sometimes as neat youth you know they're not employed in education or some type of training there's 173,000 of them we have a strategy here in the province of Ontario to look for ways to to provide more opportunities and the very fact that this is a government for the first time that look at 16 and 17 year olds and how to bring them into protection I think this government should be very proud of the work that it's doing have a deferred voter in the motion the second reading of bill 114 an act to provide anti-racism measures calling the members this will be a five minute bell members please take your seats I can't there it is I want a picture all members please take your seats your own seats on April 6th 2017 Mr. Koto moved second reading of bill 114 an act to provide anti-racism measures all those in favour please arise one at a time to be recognized by the person Mr. Koto Mr. Koto Mr. Natchez Mr. Natchez Mr. Bradley Mr. Bradley Mr. Del Duca Mr. Del Duca Mr. Sandals Mr. Sandals Mr. Sousa Mr. Sousa Mr. Sousa Ms. Wynne Ms. Wynne Ms. Matthews Ms. Matthews Mr. Hoskins Mr. Hoskins Mr. Sharelli Mr. Sharelli Ms. McCharles Ms. McCharles Mr. McMeakin Mr. McMeakin Mr. McMeakin Mr. Dakar Mr. Dakar Mr. Dakar Mr. Koi Mr. Koe Mr. Koe Mr. Cho Mr. Cho Mr. Sigg Mr. Sigg Mr. Bissonne Mr. Vantah Mr. Vantah Mr. Tabbins Mr. Tabbins Mr. Miller Hamilton Mr. Natasja Mr. Natasja Ms. Armstrong Ms. Armstrong Ms. Angelina Ms. Fyte Ms. Fyte Mr. Monta Mr. Hadfield Mr. Hadfield Mr. Gates Mr. Gates Ms. French Ms. French Both please rise one at a time be recognized by the clerk The a's are 85 the nays are zero the a's being 85 The nays being zero declare the motion carried second reading the bill to say election to present the law shall the bill be ordered for third reading Minister to the children use services general government member from member from this is our air and ale on a point of order Mr. Speaker We are celebrating the bussaki function and doing prayer in the legislature today So I wanted to take this opportunity to invite all members of the legislature and the guests to join us in room number 247 from now till 130 everyone is welcome My aunt and uncle were here visiting me from India and they were in the gallery a little bit earlier today So I did want to take an opportunity to introduce them. Mr. Sergey, Mr. Sergey Gill and Mr. Jiginder Gill On a point of order, Mr. Speaker I would like to welcome to the legislative assembly the Ontario Association of Police Services Board Queens Park today And welcome everyone in the house for their reception in room 247 at 5 p.m. Thank you There being no further deferred votes this house stands recessed until 3 p.m. This afternoon