 I thank the members for their attention. It is now time for question period. The member from Renton, Tennessee, Kenra. Thank you very much, Speaker. My question is for the Premier. Premier, the electricity system in Ontario is in a mess. You've wasted $2 billion on smart meters, $1.1 billion – that's $2 billion on smart meters, $1.1 billion on cancelled gas plants, and rates of skyrocket by more than $1,000 a year for the average homeowner since you took office. The people are fed up with your hydro mismanagement. Now you're planning to sell a majority stake in Hydro One – 60% in fact. To raise money you can't come up with otherwise. But don't worry, Mr. Speaker. The Premier says rates might not go up, because the Ontario Energy Board is there to protect consumers. The same energy board that just approved a rate increase of over $68 a year. Premier, why should ratepayers believe you're lying that the OEB will limit increases when yesterday they did the exact opposite? Let me just address the part of the question, and I know that we will speak to the rates in the supplementary. But, Mr. Speaker, let me just be clear that the reason that we have undertaken the review of assets in this province, Mr. Speaker, the reason that Ed Clark and Ms. Cannon were asked to look at the assets that were built by and owned by the people of Ontario, Mr. Speaker, and have served the people of Ontario very well, is that we need to build new assets, Mr. Speaker. We need to build new infrastructure that will serve us in the current environment and in the future, Mr. Speaker. If we don't do that, if we don't make those investments, then we actually hobble the ability of this province to be able to grow. We hobble the ability of communities to be able to thrive. And we restrict the attraction of Ontario, Mr. Speaker, to businesses from other places. So we must make these investments in infrastructure, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Back to the Premier. I don't think I'm the only Ontarian that's skeptical of your plan. After all, you never campaigned on it, and you never held public consultation. You just did it. There's not even a cost-benefit analysis of the majority sale. Yet you and your trusted adviser, Ed Clark, assured Ontarians that rates won't go up with confident phrases like, we don't think so, and I can't guarantee they won't. Premier, you and I both know you don't care about what the rate here pays, just as long as you get your money. A simple question, Premier. Would you still have sold the majority stake in Hydro 1 if you'd balanced the budget? I will continue to say because it is the truth. What I care about is absolutely that we have an affordable and reliable supply of energy, Mr. Speaker, which, quite frankly, when we came into office in 2003, the Hydro system... Stop the clock, please. I'm absolutely ready to bring people to order, and I'll do so quickly. Very little interruption for question and lots of interruption for answer. Absolutely no reliability in the electricity system when we came into office, Mr. Speaker. There were blackouts and brownouts. I can remember knocking on doors in 2003, Mr. Speaker, and the number one issue was people not knowing whether their power supply was... Stop the clock. Leader of the opposition will come to order. Member from Nippie and Carleton will come to order. Thank you. Carry on, please. There was no confidence in the electricity system, Mr. Speaker. There were brownouts and blackouts across the province, and it was absolutely imperative that when we came into office that we rebuild the system, that we do the upgrading that was necessary, Mr. Speaker. We've done that upgrading, and as the member opposite knows, Mr. Speaker, there is a cost associated with that. He also knows that the Ontario Energy Board sets rates, Mr. Speaker, and will set rates at... Thank you. Final supplementary. Premier, it's obvious that what's happened here is you promised a lot more than you can deliver. You drove the province into the ground for 12 years, and now the only way out is on the back of rate pairs. You continue to say that the OEB will regulate prices and that they won't go up, but every bit of evidence confirms the complete opposite. Ontarians have your word on one hand, and the energy boards latest increase on the other. So, Premier, as the PC caucuses, fifth and final ask, will you commit to reducing energy prices so that all businesses, all rate pairs and businesses no longer have to pay some of the highest energy costs in North America? Thank you. Thank you, Premier. The Conservatives wanted to sell it all. Mr. Speaker, let's be clear about the Ontario Energy Board. Mr. Speaker, rate applications will be through the Ontario Energy Board. Some of the history, Mr. Speaker, is in 2010, Hydro One asked for a rate increase for distribution, received a 9% reduction, Mr. Speaker. In 2012, Hydro One asked for a rate increase for transmission, received a 3% reduction, Mr. Speaker, when Ontario Power Generation applied for a 6.2% rate increase in 2011. Mr. Speaker, the OEB denied this request and lowered rates by 0.8%, Mr. Speaker. There is a history of the OEB refusing requests for rate increases, because they can... Remember, from Renfrew, Nipissing, Pembroke, we'll come to order. And now I will also remind you that I am not impressed when I hear people use anything else other than their writing or their title when speaking at all. New question. The Leader of Her Majesty's Royal Office. Thank you for my questions for the Premier. Ed Clark's report on the sale of Hydro One offers a handful of recommendations, the first being, and I quote, the province should proceed immediately with the sale or merger of its interest in Hydro One Brampton, to or with Enter Source Corporation, Power Stream, and Horizon. End of quote. The report, Mr. Speaker, simply speculates that the government would receive $607 million for the sale. It offers no evidence on how the sale price was calculated. We are simply being asked to take the Premier and Mr. Clark's word for it. Premier, will you call for the Auditor General to help to review the Hydro One Brampton deal so Ontarians will have some assurance that they're receiving the best value? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And I know that the Minister of Energy is going to want to comment on the specifics, but let me again, Mr. Speaker, remind the party opposite and their interim leader that what we are doing here is we have made a decision and we ran on this decision, Mr. Speaker. It was in our budget to invest in infrastructure and as part of that, Mr. Speaker, to review the assets that were owned by the people of this province to make sure that we were optimizing the value of those assets so that we could invest in the world and the bridges. In every riding across this province, Mr. Speaker, because there's not a community, there's not a region of this province that doesn't need investment in roads, in bridges, in public transit, Mr. Speaker. So, because of the neglect of government after government, Mr. Speaker, because of the work that was not done before 2003, Mr. Speaker, we need to continue to make those investments if we are going to be competitive in the 21st century. That's the commitment I made, Mr. Speaker, and that's the commitment that we're following through on. You see that, please? Thank you. Supplementary. Mr. Speaker, there's not a very good answer for one of the biggest asset sales in the history of the province. Mr. Speaker, this government's financial mismanagement has been embarrassing. Billions of taxpayers' dollars wasted every time you take a turn. For a Premier who came in preaching openness and transparency, something about this Hydro-1 Brampton sale simply does not add up. Mr. Speaker, why should the people of Ontario believe that a pre-arranged sale, organized in secret by the Premier's back room, why should the people of Ontario believe that this is the best deal for an asset that they own? Premier, if you intend on selling Hydro-1 Brampton, will you put it on the open market to ensure Ontarians get fair value for the company that they own? Mr. Speaker, the Premier set up the asset sale with very, very experienced people, a mixture of people from different backgrounds, different parties, different philosophies, but headed up by Mr. Ed Clark. Mr. Speaker, they created a revolving door of advisors coming in, consultants coming in, Mr. Speaker, to explore all of the elements of the recommendations that they were making, Mr. Speaker. At the end of the day, Mr. Speaker, the selling price was close to twice as much as Hydro-1 had paid for it, a very, very significant uplift in value, Mr. Speaker, which represents a very good investment of a previous government to do that, Mr. Speaker. The reality is, Mr. Speaker, we had seven municipalities, seven mayors, and seven councils. We expect who have supported this, Mr. Speaker, because it improves the further rate payer and it improves the revenue for all of those cities, Mr. Speaker, including Markham and Barry and many others. Final supplementary. Well, back to the Premier. Premier, we simply don't accept that your back room political dealings and pre-arranged sales is the best value for this public asset. You were wrong when you said the cost of cancelling gas plants was $40 million when it really was $1.1 billion. You were wrong when you said the Green Energy Act would cost Hydro customers about the price of a cup of coffee when the real cost is $1,100 per year. But the last 12 years of fiscal mismanagement in this province, no one, no one accepts that your deal is the best deal for this public asset. And why should they accept your word for it? Your word simply is no good when it comes to these transactions. Premier, the people of Ontario deserve all the information respecting the value and sale of Hydro One Brampton, again an asset that they own. Why won't you allow the auditor general to do the sale before it goes through? Minister of Energy. Mr. Speaker, the merger we're looking at is not a 407 deal, Mr. Speaker. It's not a deal where we sell off to somebody and let them make profit out of it, Mr. Speaker, and let them totally 100% control, Mr. Speaker. That's what they did with 407. Mr. Speaker, we have created here... It could be with you. Finish, please. Mr. Speaker, we have created here a utility of one million customers, which rivals Toronto Hydro, Mr. Speaker, the second largest in the province. Mr. Speaker, there were seven municipalities involved, seven utilities, which came together to create this consolidation, Mr. Speaker. It's good for the rate payer. It's good for the shareholders, all of the councils, and every single mayor of seven cities endorsed it, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. New question for the leader of the firm party. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Premier. The Premier is planning to privatize Hydro One. She said she was going to govern from something... Deputy Health Leader. ...she called the Activist Centre. It turns out that the Activist Centre is so far to the right that even the Tories are saying that the Premier's privatization plan for Ontario, Mr. Speaker, for the Premier to insist she's leading a progressive government when she's right of the Conservatives. And the Premier explained exactly how it is, Mr. Speaker, that she lost her way so terribly. Minister of Tourism's Sport, come to order. Premier. And as I said, I understand why the leader of the third party wants to go through a recalibrating exercise for herself, to relocate herself on the political continuum, Mr. Speaker, because who knows where she was in the election? Who knows what she stands for? What we stand for, Mr. Speaker, is making practical decisions that are in the best interest of this province. And right now, Mr. Speaker, across this province, we need to invest in infrastructure. There is no doubt. I have sat with groups of mayor, after groups of mayor, whether it's in the north, whether it's in the greater Toronto Hamilton area, Mr. Speaker, whether it's large urban mayors or whether it's rural mayors, Mr. Speaker, and they have said to me unanimously that they need investment in infrastructure. That is a necessity. And so, Mr. Speaker, that's what we're doing. We ran on that, Mr. Speaker. We said that we were going to invest in roads and bridges and transit, and that's what we're going to do, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Mr. Speaker. Can you see it, please? Can you see it, please? Final supplementary. No, Mr. Speaker, this is my second. Supplementary. The Premier is creating a brand new beer ombudsman so that people can complain if their beer is flat, but she's pushing the Ontario ombudsman out of Hydro One. The Premier has a pretty serious problem with her priorities here, Mr. Speaker. Why does she think that the people of Ontario deserve less oversight with their electricity system? Well, Mr. Speaker, as I have been, it was very much a concern of mine and ours that there be oversight, that there be control, that the province have a 40% share, Mr. Speaker, and have the controls in terms of regulation and price control that are in place now, and that we continue those. But, Mr. Speaker, let me just speak to the ideological bent that the leader of the third party is on right now, and just give her some feedback from some of the people who actually think this is a good idea. First of all, let me quote from the Power Workers Union. The Power Workers Union, understand? And this is Don McKinnon, the President of the Power Workers Union, and I quote, the Power Workers Union welcomes and supports the decision by government to keep Hydro One whole in an IPO process that would, in partnership with government, broaden the ownership structure in Hydro One. This will position the company to grow and provide further high-skill quality jobs for Ontario. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, the Premier is spending months and months exhaustive amounts of time to study whether she wants to sell 12 packs of beer in the LCBO in 10 stores. On the other hand, she doesn't need any time at all, no time whatsoever to decide to sell off Hydro One to Bay Street, a plan that will mean higher electricity bills for every single Ontarian. Now, that's on top of the $70, of course, that was announced as an increase yesterday by Ontario Energy Board. This plan is wrong, Speaker. The Premier's priorities are wrong, Speaker. The Premier has lost her way, and my question is, will she pull the plug on this wrong-headed privatisation plan? Thank you. So again, Mr. Speaker, I understand that the leader of the third party is trying to find her way. I would suggest that supporting a plan that would invest in transit infrastructure roads and bridge across the province might be a way to help her back to her way, Mr. Speaker. And I will also remind her that the Ontario Energy Board, which sets prices now, will set prices after this deal is in place, Mr. Speaker. But I also want to just again remind the member office that this is also about creating jobs. Joseph Manzanelli, who's the Vice President of Central and Eastern Canada Regional Manager of Leuna International, Mr. Speaker, the Building Trades, he says, and I quote, the wind liberal government is to be commended for today's announcement implementing sweeping changes in our province which will greatly benefit all Ontarians. The $4 billion these changes will introduce for investment in infrastructure projects. The largest infrastructure investment in Ontario's history is welcome news to Leuna and our members. Job creation is one of the key components of this initiative, and we welcome the much needed infrastructure and the thousands of jobs that will be created for our members for years to come. I quote. Mr. Speaker, I hope the Premier told Joe that the $4 billion won't even get half of the downtown relief line built. My question is for the Premier, Speaker. The Premier says that a privatised Hydro-1 won't be under the Ombudsman's... Thank you. Question, please. Premier says that a privatised Hydro-1 won't be under the Ombudsman's oversight. Can the Premier guarantee Ontarians that the CEO of the new private Hydro-company will still be appearing on the sunshine list, Speaker? Thank you. Mr. Speaker, you know that the member opposite might have been interested in the transit that can be built as a result of these announcements in Hamilton, for example, Mr. Speaker. In the GTA writ large, Mr. Speaker, I would have thought that she would have been quite interested in the needs of the constituents around the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area, but apparently not, Mr. Speaker. Look, Mr. Speaker, we are building the NDP basically is saying don't build. Don't build this province up. Don't invest in the infrastructure that's needed. Don't create 20,000 jobs, Mr. Speaker, a year. Don't do that. Stay stuck in ideology, Mr. Speaker. Don't look at practical solutions. And when I talk about the activist centre, Mr. Speaker, that's what I mean. Looking for the answers to the problems that are presenting themselves today. Not looking back 100 years and deciding today what we should do based on 100 years ago. That's not what we're... Minister of Aboriginal Affairs will come to order and very close to being asked to withdraw. I'm not amused. Supplementary. Mr. Speaker says that a privatised Hydro One won't be under the scrutiny of the Ombudsman under Ombudsman oversight. She's not telling us whether or not the CEO and other executives are going to be subject to the sunshine list. Can the Premier guarantee Ontarians that the Freedom of Information Act will still apply to the new privatised Hydro company? Mr. Speaker, just a couple of facts that I'm sure the leader of the third party is aware of but has neglected to mention. There will be a new Hydro One Ombudsman. She knows that, I think, Mr. Speaker. And she also knows that there's a different set of accountability measures for publicly traded companies. The CEO's salary will be disclosed according to OSC rules. So she knows that, Mr. Speaker. But I think the bottom line here is that the leader of the third party has no faith in the private sector. In fact, she made a statement to that effect, Mr. Speaker. She said that she has no faith in the private sector and that is a fundamental difference between us. I believe and we believe that it's important that government partner with the private sector. That the private sector, Mr. Speaker, has done an enormous amount of good. And I was at an event just on the weekend that was a prime example of a private public partnership where a community centre is going to be built in conjunction with the City of Toronto working with the private sector. The NDP was there. They were very... Thank you. Final supplementary. A watchdog at Hydro One. The Ombudsman who looks after the interests of the public speaker. But the Premier wants to pull his teeth. We currently have transparency through the sunshine list at Hydro One. But the Premier wants to pull the shades on that speaker. We currently have accountability through freedom of information at Hydro One. But the Premier wants to slam the door on that accountability. The Premier's plan will limit access to information. It will limit transparency. It will limit accountability. It will drive rates sky high. The Premier's plan is wrong, Speaker. Why can't she see that? When did she lose her way, Speaker? Well, Mr Speaker, let me just say again that I made a commitment to the people of Ontario that we would invest in them, that we would invest in the infrastructure that is needed in their community to create the conditions to bring business to this province and create jobs, Mr Speaker. And that's what this is about. What the NDP is saying is that we shouldn't make those investments. We shouldn't create those jobs. And we shouldn't look for solutions, Mr Speaker. And the leader of the NDP said on April 16th, she said, and I quote, I don't have any faith whatsoever in the private sector, unquote. That's quite a statement, Mr Speaker. Given that sector, Mr Speaker, we rely on the private sector to create jobs, to innovate, to draw investment to the province, Mr Speaker. And she chooses not to have any desire or any understanding that we need to work with the private sector if we're going to thrive. Thank you. New question? A member from Sinclair. Mr. Sinclair, I'm glad you brought it. I heard all that. Minister, today is the second day that 24,000 students in Durham don't have classes to attend. Poor kids. Yesterday, you said you were mystified, you were perplexed, and you weren't sure why the board was striking. Well, Minister, you can be perplexed and mystified no longer. The reason the board is striking and the reason for a second day that 24,000 students are out of the classroom, the reason is 12 years of liberal, fiscal mismanagement. Minister Sudbury, OSSTF and Sudbury could strike on April the 27th, and we've just found out that OSSTF peel just announced that they may strike on May the 4th. This isn't a local issue anymore. The buck stops with the liberal government and with you, Minister. Minister, how many more boards need to strike before you realize why they walked away from negotiations? Minister of Education. Yes, thank you very much. And obviously, we're very concerned about the students who are missing classes and that we understand that students and parents are teaching back in the classroom. The kids want to get back in the classroom, which is actually great that students are telling us that they want to get back into their studies. But I think it is important to understand that the way that the Collective Bargaining Act is structured is that some issues are discussed at a provincial level. The central table includes the crown, so yes, I am responsible for being at that table and the trustee association and the provincial union. And that central table continues to have talks. Talks are going on at the central table. Unfortunately, it's some of the local tables where talks are broken down. Thank you. Submission. Back to the Minister, Mr. Speaker. You said yesterday you hadn't heard a coherent explanation as to why Durham is striking. Mr. Speaker, the member from Guelph is the Minister of Education. If she hasn't heard a coherent explanation or been given a proper briefing, I hope she spends time today interviewing new staff. But I suppose I could savor the trouble. The strike in Durham is because of your 12 years of liberal fiscal mismanagement. You can't negotiate fairly and you're backtracking on election promises. Minister, will you stop blaming... Will you stop blaming... Stop the clock please. Order. Please. Thanks, Mr. Speaker. Minister, will you stop blaming the local boards and take responsibility before more boards strike in this province? Minister? I would quibble... Thank you. Minister? Because I think it's important that we don't get into a situation of assigning blame here or a blame there or a blame there. What's important is that at both levels we have talks. We do have talks going on because the only way to reach an agreement is if we're talking. We are negotiating at the central table where I do have responsibility and we understand that we must arrive at a negotiating agreement. But we also know that at the local level we need the local parties and I point out that these are the people whose last platform was to... Thank you. New question. The member from Toronto Dentwork. Thank you, Speaker, to the Premier. Yesterday Ontarians learned that they will be paying another $70 a year on their hydro bill to pay for liberal waste and mismanagement of the hydro system. But instead of trying to make things better and using our strategic energy assets like Hydro One to help people conserve, to help them get their bills under control, the Liberals are privatizing Hydro One and handing control over to Bay Street. Privatization is going to drive up hydro bills just like it's always done. The OEB just approved another rate increase starting May 1st. Can the Premier tell Ontarians how much more she expects rates to go up under her privatization plan? Mr. Premier. Minister of Energy. Mr. Speaker, in December 2013 we issued a long-term energy plan, Mr. Speaker. There was one page in that that had particular attention from the opposition and others, Mr. Speaker. That was our projected rate increases over the next four or five years, Mr. Speaker. Well, the reality is, Mr. Speaker, we've been reducing the costs in the sector and the announcement of a rate increase yesterday is less than what was predicted, Mr. Speaker, because we're getting a better handling on the sector. We're reducing our costs in the sector, Mr. Speaker, and we're making efforts towards the rate payer in many other ways as well, Mr. Speaker. And I'll deal with that in a supplementary. Thank you. Supplementary. Thank you, Speaker. And again, back to the Premier. Ontarians have bills almost twice as high as people get in Manitoba and Quebec where their public utilities are owned by the people. We are watching our rates go up faster and what you put in place will only make it worse. The Premier hasn't learned the lesson that public hydro is more affordable. Her privatization plan is going to be bad for conservation, bad for innovation, bad for jobs, bad for business, bad for the people of Ontario. Premier, this is a lousy plan. When are you going to pull the plug on privatization? Mr. Speaker, we can expect a lot of rhetoric coming from the opposition parties, Mr. Speaker. The reality is that the electricity prices in Ontario, Mr. Speaker, are lower than three other provinces, Mr. Speaker. Carry on, please. They're lower than three other provinces, Mr. Speaker. Yes, Manitoba and Quebec is lower than us because they have legacy hydro projects, Mr. Speaker, that enable that. In Canada, we're in the middle of the pack, Mr. Speaker. And we hear them also say that we've got the highest rates in North America. They should look at Detroit, they should look at New York, they should look at Boston, Mr. Speaker, where it's 18, 19, 20 cents per kilowatt hour, Mr. Speaker. We are lowering the pressures on price, Mr. Speaker. We are lowering that as well, Mr. Speaker, by doing what we're doing with Hydro One, Mr. Speaker. It'll be more efficient, Mr. Speaker, in the long run. The rate payers will be protected. Our plan is working. Mr. Speaker, we have a question from Glen Gary Prescott Russell. Thank you very much, Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Transportation. It's always a privilege for me, Speaker, to bring to this House issues that are of interest to my constituents in Glen Gary Prescott Russell. And one of those issues that I regularly hear about is whether it's through meetings or talking to the mayors and councillors is connecting links. Speaker, there's two connecting links in my writing of Glen Gary Prescott and Russell. There's one in the township of Champlain and one in the town of Hawkesbury. And since the Connecting Links program ended in 2012, many in my community have felt the financial pressure of keeping these roads in good working order and condition. Speaker, through you. Could the Minister please tell the members of this House what our government is doing to help municipalities with their connecting links? Thank you very much, Speaker. I want to begin by thanking the member from Glen Gary Prescott Russell for the question but also for his incredibly strong advocacy for his community. The member is 100% correct, Speaker. We have continued to hear from Ontario municipalities about the need for additional funding for their connecting links. Municipalities have told us that making connecting links projects eligible under the Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund has not been sufficient. So we listened, the Premier listened, our government listened, and we have been committed to working with municipalities to address this issue. That's why I was extremely happy to be in Sault Ste. Marie yesterday with the Minister of Government Services and the Minister of Northern Development and Mines to formally announce that the province is committing $15 million annually to a new connecting links project. This announcement, Speaker, is only one part of our government's plan to unlock the value of certain public assets which will provide approximately $4 billion to build near transit and other priority infrastructure projects. Thank you. Supplementary. Thank you very much, Speaker. For that very comprehensive response and the great announcement that you did make yesterday. Speaker, there's 352 connecting links in Ontario and 70 bridges and 77 municipalities across the province. As I indicated earlier, two of these connecting links are found in my community and my writing of Glen Gary Prescott and Russell. But I've also heard other members in this house, Speaker, talk about connecting links within their writings, often discussing the difficulties their local municipalities are having keeping these roads in good shape. I'm very pleased to hear more about the funding being offered through the new connecting links program. Speaker, through you, can the minister tell the members of this house when Ontario municipalities can expect to start receiving funding from the new connecting links program? Thank you, Minister. Thanks very much, Speaker. And again, I thank that member for his question. As I mentioned previously, this new program is only one part of our government's plan to unlock the value of certain public assets, making more funding available for transit projects like connecting links through our Moving Ontario Forward Plan. This means that what was announced in April 2014 as a nearly $29 billion investment in Moving Ontario Forward is now a $31.5 billion commitment over the next 10 years. Through the Moving Ontario Forward Plan, Speaker, connecting links funding is expected to begin in the spring of 2016. But, Speaker, we want to make sure that we get this program right, which is why we'll continue to consult with municipalities to ensure that we look forward to continuing to work with our municipal partners on this incredibly important project. Thanks very much, Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Premier. Premier, Ontario's Ombudsman's ongoing probe into Hydro One's billing fiasco is now the largest ever undertaken by his office, with more than 10,500 public complaints and an average of 10 new complaints each day still. Residents of my riding have experienced a hand with hundreds of customers, including small businesses, who have gone months without a bill, only to be advised that they owe thousands and will be disconnected if they don't pay in full. Now, with your plan to sell off a majority stake in Hydro One, it will leave its customers without access to the Ontario Ombudsman's oversight. Premier, is your government trying to run away from the accountability of the Ombudsman's oversight and another critical report on the energy file? Let me just say that, in fact, we believe that Hydro One can be a much better run company. In the work that Ed Clark and his group did, Mr. Speaker, they came to that conclusion and they believe that broadening the ownership in Hydro One, Mr. Speaker, and realizing the benefit of that, reinvesting in infrastructure, that that will be good for the people of Ontario on a number of fronts, Mr. Speaker, and a more efficient company. But Mr. Speaker, I also want to say that the announcement that was just referenced in terms of connecting links is part of this. I know that members opposite, particularly in the opposition, claim to have the concerns of people in small communities and rural communities at heart. They should be very, very supportive of a Connecting Links program, Mr. Speaker, because the members who come to the Good Roads Conference and to Roma, talk about over and over again the need for infrastructure investment in Connecting Links, and that's exactly what we're doing, Mr. Speaker. Well, Premier, you have increased the Ontario Ombudsman oversight with Bill 8 only to turn around and take it away from Hydro One. Just last week you announced that a beer ombudsman would be created to watch over beer sales. Premier, families in Ontario are more concerned with their lights being on than their Bud Light being cold. So even though one can't really happen without the other, we have seen this before with other scandals like orange and the gas plants where oversight has been created after the fact. Premier, will you help protect the customers of Ontario's largest electricity provider by allowing proper oversight by the Ontario Ombudsman? Minister Managing. Mr. Speaker, the Hydro One transformation is going to take a number of months. In the meantime, there's plenty of time for the ombudsman to report. But Mr. Speaker, with respect to the work that the ombudsman has been doing, yes, he's received over 10,000 complaints, Mr. Speaker. They're generated out of a new billing system. There are about 3,300 complaints that have been referred to Hydro One for resolution, Mr. Speaker. To date, Hydro One has successfully resolved 99% of the billing complaints it received from the ombudsman, Mr. Speaker. Refunds and credits are being given and accommodation has been given, Mr. Speaker, to all those who have been impacted. Right now, Mr. Speaker, the level of complaints is less than what normally have happened over the course of the last 5, 7 or 10 years, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. No question. A member from Winslow. Premier, yesterday the Minister of Education stated that she was perplexed about the current labour dispute in Ontario's education sector. Speaker, what I find truly perplexing is that the Liberal Government, the Premier, is considering removing limit on class sizes. The signature education policy of her predecessor, Dalton McGinty and forcing students and teachers into larger classes. Speaker, can the Premier please explain to Ontarians why the Liberal Government is flip-flopping on class sizes and throwing our schools into chaos? Premier? Minister of Education? Minister of Education? Yes, thank you very much and let me just repeat what I said previously is that there the legislation is very clear. When you have a central negotiations we're talking about money issues that have to do with money, with finances, with provincial policy those are the issues that are being negotiated at the central table and there could theoretically be a central strike on central issues. When you have a local strike and this is clearly a local strike in Durham it is by definition under the law a strike on local issues. That would be issues like transfer and surplus. We believe that the only way you solve this problem is to negotiate and that's what exactly what we're doing at the central table where we sit. Thank you. Supplementary. I think the Minister of Education clearly doesn't know negotiations are a given a take not just taking. Again to the Premier, Speaker just yesterday the Minister of Education claimed that she hadn't heard a coherent explanation of what local issues prompted education workers to walk out in Durham and that she is mystified by their actions. Maybe if the Premier and Minister actually consulted Ontario families and education workers before slashing education funding and forcing the closure of neighbourhood schools they wouldn't be so mystified as to why Ontarians are so upset. Speaker, when will this Government finally admit that their policies of education cuts and forced school closures are failing Ontarians? Minister? As I said the only way to solve a problem The only way to solve a labour problem is to negotiate. We are committed to negotiating a collective agreement and that's why as we speak people are sitting negotiating to arrive at a central agreement. That is the role that we will continue to play because we are committed to achieving a central negotiated collective agreement. With respect to funding I'm sorry that the NDP doesn't think that a 56% increase in funding qualifies as an increase. They seem to think a 56% increase is a cut. I'm afraid I don't understand NDP math. Thank you Mr President Thank you Mr Speaker My question is for the Ministry of Social Services Announce a significant investment in the developmental services sector in those individuals living with developmental disabilities However as you are aware there is pressure on options for people suffering with behaviour cognitive development problem outside their home. Each later select committee on developmental disabilities there are some well known concerns regarding the access the residential service. Moreover the auditor general released a report last year that noted the number of people waiting for residential support. Mr Speaker will the minister explain what the government do to resolve this problem? Thank you Mr President Thank you Mr Speaker and also thank you the NPP for Allian The services offered to these people is as problem in Ontario especially services in institutions New residential supports since budget 2014 moving toward our commitment of 1400 new urgent residential supports over 4 years We are working with community partners in order to create a broader set of housing options for individuals with developmental disabilities I had the opportunity to meet with my ministry's developmental services housing task force last week and discussed their progress so far to call for proposals on innovative housing solutions I very much appreciate the work done by the housing task force to work with them Thank you Mr President Thank you Thank you Minister I appreciate that this government wants community partners to play an active part in finding the best solutions Minister in the 2014 budget your ministry committed to timelines to eliminate existing wait lists for people waiting for direct funding assistance as you know direct funding through special services at home for children until 18 and passports for adults provides funding for individual and families that can be used towards particular programming at agencies of their choice Through these direct funding programs this government is helping to support individual choice and encourage developmental services and their families Mr President Mr Speaker will the minister share with MPPs all the progress down in terms of financing in terms of funding to end the wait lists now have new direct funding to purchase supports and services that is 8,000 more children and 6,000 more adults in the 2014 budget I visited many places across the province including Ottawa and have witnessed firsthand the need of those with developmental disabilities and the support that our frontline workers and agencies are providing As the member said for the person having intellectual deficiency this direct funding provides services to live more independently and contribute to their community and help their family and we want family of Ontario to be a more inclusive place for this category of people Mr Speaker my question is to the minister of natural resources and forestry minister I've been asking for the release of the special purpose accounts for over three years now legislation in this house must be tabled yearly the SBA account is generated from the fees collected from the hunters and anglers of this province and supposedly to be reinvested in resource management your government insists the SBA fund is decreasing however we cannot verify that assertion but you refuse to table the documents hunters and anglers are facing increased fees new service fees and seniors may now have to purchase a fishing license minister will you show some transparency and table the documents today Mr Speaker thank you very much and I thank the member for the question I do believe at least two of the reports have been tabled that the particular member is referencing I'll double check but I'm pretty sure two of them have been tabled there's one yet to come so I've been happy to make that offer of information that he's been looking for for some time available to him so far to the fees that the member continues to raise in this house there was a significant consultation that was undertaken one or two years ago through that process there were a variety of suggestions that came in through the consultation on what we needed to do to continue to keep the SBA whole many of those recommendations were dismissed the member keeps flying the attitude about a seniors license fee coming in I've very publicly stated on a number of occasions that was suggested through the consultation I've never contemplated doing I've said that in here before say it in here again so the member perhaps in his next supplementary or in the future won't feel the need to reference a seniors licensing issue on the SBA in this particular legislation thank you back to the minister minister I will continue to talk about that because we don't believe you in this side of the house minister you're introducing new fees including the price of licenses in this province and you're still behind in tabling the documents to this legislature I find it really interesting that the Out of Doors magazine is able to have information on this current SBA fund there are a few on the edge here I find it interesting the Out of Doors magazine has information to the SBA fund that has yet to be tabled in this legislature so minister I find that quite disrespectful to this chamber as a whole are you trying to manipulate the public by releasing snippets of incomplete information or you obviously you obviously do have reports prepared why won't you release them in totality what are you hiding from the people of Ontario the SBA account has approximately a hundred million dollars a year in it 66 million of that comes from the licensing and fees that come into the ministry so it's a dedicated account that goes towards Fish and Wildlife Management in the province of Ontario and by way of example in the Alemer district which I think is the member's riding plan spending is $873,000 on fish and wildlife management projects and $520,000 on enforcement in the 14-15 year all from the SBA as well out of the SBA we have been flying moose aerial inventories in the province of Ontario goes both ways member from Alvin Middlesex London you asked carry on almost every wildlife management unit in the province of Ontario has now been flown over the course of the last two or three years to determine what the moose population numbers are we're taking the SBA money we're using it for what it was intended to do it's creating the basis upon which we can make reliable decisions on behalf of fishermen and hunters in the province thank you very much Mr. Speaker my question is to the premier a new study by two York University professors confirms what new democrats have been saying all along auto insurance companies are making record profits while Ontario families are paying the highest auto insurance premiums in the country in 2013 alone Ontarians were overcharged for auto insurance by an estimated 840 million dollars this is absolutely unacceptable the Liberal government has the ability to reduce premiums however time and time again what they're doing instead is giving more and more profits to insurance companies they're breaking their promise the Liberal government had said clearly they promised to reduce auto insurance by 15% but instead they haven't delivered half of that this is again another broken promise enough is enough will this government in the upcoming budget continue to fall in through on their promise thank you Mr. Speaker congratulations on being deputy we need you to support the resolutions of the work we're doing to lower auto insurance rates going forward to get back to what you did before and that was delay what was necessary to bring these rates down we postponed the number of legislation that was required that delay has as a result delayed the opportunity for us to lower still the cost and as a result Mr. Speaker work that has been done is now transforming into lower cost that is now we're halfway there we need to get all the way there with some legislation I stand you sit you have sight supplement thank you very much Mr. Speaker what we did is we didn't support that's enough the deputy house leader is warned carry on thank you very much Mr. Speaker new data from the financial service commission of Ontario shows very clearly that the Liberal government are dragging their feet to support drivers in Ontario we had to move so quickly to put more profits in the pockets of insurance companies the government has said reducing auto insurance is a part of their economic plan for Ontarians and that rates are coming down but when we speak to people we know that the rates are coming down people are instead seeing the rates go up how is it possible this government has been allowing insurance companies individual ones to increase their rates instead of bringing those down two years ago this government made a promise when will we see real action on this file when will we see the government actually commit to reducing auto insurance by 15% Mr. Finance Mr. Speaker auto insurance rates must go down by cutting costs and as a result we have taken actions to reduce the cost of claims it is true Ontario cost of claims are far higher than they are in other provinces of Canada some of them require some tough decisions so we hope that the NDP will support some of the legislation some of the work we are doing to find ways to reduce costs we also know that there are a number of companies now that have reduced their rates by more than 15% already and we know that at working together with a competitive market that exists we can further some of those reductions but we need support from the NDP on this Mr. Speaker I am looking at you I am hoping that they will look at you as well recognizing that together we can get it done this budget will enable us to do that I look to them to support it Thank you Mr. Speaker and my question this morning is for the Minister of Northern Development and Mines our government recognizes that the wealth of natural resources found in northern Ontario are vital to our northern economy forest harvesting and milling as well as mineral production and processing are an incredibly important part of my community of Sudbury and continue to be pathways to prosperity for all northerners Mr. Speaker in 2014 the total number of direct jobs in mineral production was 26,000 with an additional 50,000 jobs associated with manufacturing and processing and the forestry sector currently provides over 170,000 direct and indirect jobs in over 260 communities so Mr. Speaker can the Minister please share the details of the recent northern industry electricity rate program and how it will continue to ensure this climate and protect jobs in northern Ontario Thank you Minister I appreciate the question from the MPP in Sudbury and we know the best way to protect jobs for northerners is to ensure that northern Ontario remains a destination where major mining, forestry and the manufacturing companies choose to do business and that certainly was one of the reasons why we were so pleased to introduce the Northern Industrial Electricity Rate Program and Mr. Speaker designed to assist northern Ontario's major industrial electricity consumers to reduce their electricity costs create and sustain jobs maintaining global competitiveness and Mr. Speaker that's why I was so excited two weeks ago alongside my colleagues the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry, Minister of Government and Consumer Services and the MPP for Sudbury to announce an ongoing $120 million commitment to investment in the northern industrial electricity rate program Thank you Mr. Speaker We have heard loud and clear the program's opposition Ontario is an attractive destination for investment Supplementary Thank you Mr. Speaker and I'd like to thank the Minister for that response and we know the cost and supply of electricity is a major consideration for companies when they choose where to operate and this program continues to receive positive feedback across the north We heard the President at the Federation of Northern Ontario Municipality State that this support is maintaining global competitiveness and helping sustain local jobs and the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association has also expressed that this is great news for industry So Mr. Speaker can the Minister outline what are the benefits to companies operating under the northern industrial electricity rate program Thank you Mr. Speaker Thank you again to the members of the question This program is part of premium wins in our government's commitment to support the north and build a very strong economy across the province and we just heard about the connecting link program and the $50 million commitment by the Minister of Transportation another piece of that commitment and since launching the industrial electricity rate program in 2010 we have demonstrated that it can reduce industrial electricity rates on average up to 25% and industry is certainly telling us the same thing we started our know resident chorus product CAO President said that the program is the cornerstone of the electricity program in northern Ontario Gold Carps, Bill Gaskon said it reduces our cost significantly on our site Mark Boasano of Glencore said that the northern industrial electricity rate program is one of the puzzle pieces to determine the company's future We are very proud of this program Mr. Speaker Thank you Thank you very much My question is to the Premier Premier for over two years the Standing Committee on the Legislative Assembly has been reviewing and debating electronic petitions The mandate is simple not whether we should change the role of petitions just simply whether we should allow online petitions in this house and yet for two years despite countless research presentations by the clerk as well as by expert witnesses the government committee members have ragged the puck last week at committee the member for Scarborough Rouge River gave us our greatest insight why the government won't move forward he said and I quote the worst thing governments can do is to give people hope is your government preventing electronic petitions in this legislative assembly because you fear that they give people hope Thank you very much Speaker and I appreciate the question I think we all know very clearly that if this government stands for accountability and transparency the amount of work we have done to the state to ensure that government is more open more accountable and transparent to the people of Ontario is exemplary not to mention the work that the Member from Lanark will come to order carry on not to mention the work that the open government panel has done in regards to opening the government making sure that there's more information that's available to Ontarians to open data it all speaks to ensuring that people have more information available the committee is looking into the matter and we respect their deliberation in this matter It's like the House Leader likes to write the puck as well Premier we've heard from expert witnesses that all three caucuses have the ability to implement electronic petitions immediately that's because members from all three caucuses already use electronic petitions we have the opportunity to finally take a step forward to modernize this legislature Premier, will you commit to this House that your government will move forward and not write the puck and allow electronic petitions or do you really share the member for Scarborough Rouge Rivers opinion that the worst thing government can do is to give people hope I know Jim Bradley Well Speaker my understanding is that there has been only one deputation thus far and that so-called expert is a staff person of the member opposite who's asking the question I don't think that really qualifies him as an expert on e-petition Speaker, we task members of the committee to do important work on behalf of this legislature and of their constituents this is an important issue this government is very much open to ensuring the government is open that there is more data that is available and if the electronic petition is something that the committee wants to explore we should let them do their work to hear from experts to look at other jurisdictions as to what the mechanism would be I think we should not be second guessing or doubting the members of the committee for the important work they do in the committee Speaker and I thank them for the work they have been doing on this very important issue thank you the member from Niagara Falls my question is to the Premier Mr. Speaker prior to the election the Premier promised Ontarians that within 10 years she would deliver train service every 15 minutes on all goal lines she promised Kitchener, Guelph and Brampton that they would see all day two-way service every 15 minutes within five years the government drastically cut these transit plans instead of 15 minute service people in Barrie and Newmarket will get 60 minute service instead of all day two-way service every 15 minutes Kitchener, Guelph and Brampton will get peak hour peak direction service every 30 minutes this government promised funding for rapid transit projects in Hamilton and Durham for Toronto relief line for the young subway extension and on and on and on Mr. Speaker Premier Minister of Transportation, sorry Thanks very much Speaker it's not often in this house that I have the opportunity to stand and speak so proudly with a setup like that from that particular member Speaker last Friday in Barrie I was very proud to stand alongside the Premier as she announced that over the next decade this government will invest 13.5 billion dollars in transforming the go what we talked about that day means that there will be more than a doubling of peak service and quadrupling of off-peak service compared to where we stand today reduced journey times for some cross-region transit trips across this network and a much wider range of travel options right across the GTHA and Speaker just this morning I stood alongside so many members and caucus colleagues from Peel Region to announce the province's commitment to build the 1.6 billion dollar here Ontario main LRT Get on board Order please we have a deferred vote on the motion of second reading of bill 57 an act to create a framework for pool registered pension plans and to make consequential amendments to other acts calling the members this will be a five minute bill Would all members please take their seats All members please take their seats Thank you On March 25th, Mr. Susan moves second reading of bill 57 All those in favor please rise one at a time be recognized by the clerk Mr. Susan Mr. Schurelli Ms. Matthews Mr. Hoskins Ms. Sandals Mr. Dugas Mr. McCharles Mr. Quinter Mr. Cole Mr. McMeek Mr. Mori Mr. Coteau Mr. Flynn Mr. Zimmer Mr. Delaney Mr. Balfour Mr. Crack Mr. Hunter Mr. Sergio Mr. Del Ducat Mr. Frasier Mr. Anderson Mr. Baker Ms. Hogarth Ms. Kuala Ms. Molly Ms. Martin Mr. McMan Mr. Milch Mr. Pots Mr. Rinaldi Mr. Tebow Mr. Monroe Mr. Hardiman Mr. McCloud Mr. Wilson Mr. Fidele Mr. Yacobusky Mr. Clark Mr. Dunlaw Mr. Jones Mr. Thompson Mr. Barrett Mr. Scott Mr. Yurek Mr. Hillyard Mr. Walker Mr. Smith Mr. Nichols Mr. Marteau Mr. Pettipies Mr. Vantog Mr. DeNovo Mr. Tabbos Mr. Miller Hamilton Mr. Stony Creek Mr. Sattler Mr. Armstrong Mr. Jellinaw Mr. Forester Mr. Hatfield Mr. Gretzky Mr. Gates 77, the NAZR 17 The eyes being 77 in the NAZR 17 I declare the motion carried. Pursuant to the order of the House dated April 16, the bill is ordered referred to the Standing Committee on Social Policy. Point of order from the member from Leeds-Grenville. Speaker, point of order. In response to the member for Lanark Frontenac, Lenox and Addington, the government house leader I believe impugned motive against an expert witness. It should be our three parties' choice who are expert witnesses. The government house leaders should not impugn anyone the side will come and appear before I commit. I appreciate the member's point of order and it is only a point of order when another member is impugned. There are no deferred votes. This house stands resized until 3 p.m. this afternoon.