 It is therefore now time for Question Period. The member from Dufferin Callaghan. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Premier. Last year, this Legislature unanimous means passed the Supporting Ontario's First Responders Act, which recognized the increased risk of serious disability that our police officers across Ontario face. Yet in Bill 175, the same government is attempting to gut the employment rights of disabled police officers. This bill overrides police collective agreements that protect members from discrimination and limits the human rights of disabled police officers. Section 115 gives police employees a fast track to firing disabled police officers, regardless of whether their disability is temporary or permanent, without regard to how serious it is. How does attacking disabled police officers build stronger and safer communities? Mr. Speaker, I know that the Minister is going to want to comment in the supplementary, but please just let me add my voice to all of those who have welcomed police officers here to the Legislature today, Mr. Speaker, and to just say that we have worked in partnership with First Responders, with police officers in particular, Mr. Speaker, to make sure that we do everything we can to create the safest Ontario possible. And I want to just acknowledge the work of the police officers, the organizations that have worked with us, and we value their advice. But more than that, Mr. Speaker, we value their service to the people of Ontario every single day. Mr. Speaker, if you say that, please, if you say that, please, supplementary. It was a very specific question. Section 115. In 2015, London Police Services revealed that mental health calls account for 15 percent of their entire budget. London Police report they respond to eight mental health crisis calls a day. This is a common story in our cities and towns across Ontario, and Ontario's police have become the de facto front-line mental health workers, but they don't have the resources necessary. Why does this government fail to provide police with the means necessary to deal with mental health issues in our communities? Mr. Speaker, thank you, and thank you once again. And I'll tell you, one of the best things I've ever worked on this house is when we came together for our first responders, and we got unanimous support to do much better on PTSD, Speaker, for first responders to bring in presumptive legislation to make sure that the people who run the front line, Speaker, who go and do the job, Speaker, that we don't want to do, that deal with the situations that we sometimes prefer not to deal with. My resolve is the same as yesterday. You will signal to me when it happens. Carry on. Speaker, Bruce Chapman, the PEO, police officers, firefighters, corrections, paramedic speaker, came forward and said, we need better coverage for post-traumatic stress disorder for our member speaker. We delivered on that speaker. I'm proud of that legislation. We should be all proud of that legislation. Final supplementary. We are. That's why we passed it unanimously. We're underfunding our court system. It's another slap in the face to police officers and justice system. It means more state cases and more dangerous criminals free to roam our streets. Since the landmark Supreme Court, Jordan Decision, more than 200 criminal cases have been tossed out across Canada. Earlier this year, it's been reported that over 70 have occurred here in Ontario. It's completely unacceptable that charged criminals are walking free. We need individuals who have been charged to actually go through the justice system. Can the Liberals explain to the police here today why they've underfunded our court system? Thank you. Mr. Speaker, the Attorney General, the General. Thank you very much, Speaker. And I appreciate the member asking a very important question, Speaker. Since the Jordan Decision came by the Supreme Court of Canada last summer, Speaker, we have been working very actively to ensure that we make our justice system faster and fairer, especially... A member from Dufferin Callendan come to order, and that may indeed get us to warnings, but I'll check. Do you have a complaint to member from Renfrew? No? Good. Carry on. In order to make our justice system faster and fairer, in response to the decision by the Supreme Court of Canada, Speaker, we last December, we announced an investment of $25 million per year in our justice system, hiring more new judges, more crowns, more defense attorneys, more staff to make sure that we make our system effective. But, Speaker, we have not stopped there. We're making structural changes in our system as well, both here in province by changing our bail policy, but also working along with the federal government. Thank you. New question? The member from Nipissing. Thank you. The next question is for the Premier. The fall economic statement presented yesterday in this House is nothing more than a pre-election... Stop the clock. Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport will come to order. Next one gets us to warning. Finish, please. This is a pre-election House of Cards. As we dig deeper into the numbers, it's clear that the Auditor General and Financial Accountability Office are absolutely correct not to believe them. By the government's own admission, the economy will underperform many private sector forecasts for 2017, which had growth at 3% or higher. Despite the government's narrative, it doesn't line up with the fact that growth is slowing as we speak, yet they're still predicting a $10 billion revenue increase this year. Speaker, none of that adds up. To the Premier, why do they continue to thumb their nose at the legislature's independent experts who say the budget is not balanced? Here are the facts that we are dealing with in Ontario. Our economy has grown faster than all G7 countries over the past three years. 800,000 net new jobs have been created since the recession. Our unemployment rate is at a 16-year low, Mr. Speaker, and has been below the national average for 31 straight months. And we've beaten our deficit targets eight years in a row, and our debt-to-GDP ratio is projected to fall from around 40% to 37.8%. The fact is, Mr. Speaker, Ontario is doing very well. We are leading economic growth in this country. But what the member opposite fails to acknowledge is that there is more to be done, which is why our plan to raise minimum wage to ensure equal trade for equal work, those are the pillars of a fair society that apparently the member opposite is not interested in. Back to the Premier. And none of that is agreed to by the Auditor General or the Financial Accountability Office. By almost every metric, this government has underperformed since the 2017 budget. Revenues are only up 115 million, nowhere close to their forecast, yet expenses are up 215 million since the budget. Personal income tax and health premium revenue is down, down, Speaker, $1.8 billion since the budget, yet they still say revenue will increase by $10 billion this year. We have rosy, glowing predictions from the government, but in reality, the numbers just aren't there. The truth does not fit with their narrative, Speaker. Speaker, why does it always take the Auditor General, the Financial Accountability Officer or the OPP to get to the truth in this government? You know, the reality is, corporate revenue is up, Mr. Speaker. The fact is that our economic growth is leading the country. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, this party across the floor promised that they would roll back the $15 minimum wage. They would kick the increase to $15. Your decision is made. We're in warnings. They would kick the increase to $15 an hour down for four years, a four-year phase in Mr. Speaker, which is tantamount to denying that increase, Mr. Speaker. It is tantamount to not allowing people to catch up. And the fact is, Mr. Speaker, that although the province is doing well, not everyone in the province... The member from Renfrew, Nipissing, Pembroke, the member from Leeds, Grenville are warned. You don't get the message. I'll give it to you. Final supplementary. Back to the Premier. Well, the experts have been clear that the government has been using one-time revenue to fluff up their budget numbers. Money from the Hydro One sale, that's over now. From land transfer tax, the housing market's cooling, from federal transfers, that fluctuates every year. Now, without these massive one-time revenues, the government still says annual revenue growth will be 4% over the next four years, but the financial accountability officer says it will average just 3%. It doesn't sound like much, Speaker, but those are billions of dollars apart. None of this, what they're saying, adds up whatsoever. So, Speaker, if the independent legislative experts don't believe this government's numbers, why should any Ontario families? Thank you. Mr. Finance. Mr. Finance. Mr. Speaker, the member opposite maybe didn't read this full economic statement because we revised our numbers from 2.3% real GDP to 2.8% real GDP, which is lower than an independent economist predict for the continuing growth of our economy and for the province of Ontario. In fact, HST has gone up showing consumer confidence. Business investments going up showing business confidence, Mr. Speaker. Our accumulated deficits over the past 25 years is lower today than it's ever been, and our debt to GDP is improving. The member opposite is making reference, but he's not taking to acknowledge that the independent economists, the independent review, the investors are showing confidence in our province because we are winning, and we are supporting opportunity at the same time creating fairness so that every individual in this province gets a fair wage, and businesses get their fair share. We are all improving our economy, and we're working together, Mr. Speaker. Do you see it, please? Do you see it, please? New question. The leader of the third party. Thank you, Speaker. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. Yesterday, the Premier and her Liberal government followed the NDP's lead and agreed to our motion to address the hospital overcrowding and hallway medicine in Brampton. The Premier voted to provide William Osler Health System, which operates Brampton Civic Hospital and Peel Memorial Health Centre, $30.2 million to address urgent overcrowding issues. My question is, will the Premier tell us when exactly the money is going to flow to those facilities? Thank you. Thank you. We were happy to support the motion of the member opposite because we were already there. We're already making those investments. We appreciate the leader of the third party coming along and recognizing that what we were doing was what needed to be done, Mr. Speaker. $41 million already invested over the last couple of years, Mr. Speaker. We are expanding the beds. We are making further investments in the William Osler Health Centre, Mr. Speaker. We understand that there is more to be done. And the fact that the leader of the third party understands that as well, that's a good thing, Mr. Speaker. We can move ahead together. A little late. Thank you. Supplementary. Mr. Brampton Civic Hospital, I might remind this Premier, has two operating rooms that have never even been used. Not because there aren't any patients that need them, but because on the day that it opened, Brampton Civic was already underfunded by this Premier and her Liberal government. The Liberals never provided the funding for those two ORs, Mr. Speaker, leaving people to wait longer for the care that they need. Now that the Premier has finally taken some responsibility for the mess that she's helped create in Brampton, can she tell us when those two ORs are actually going to be opened and operating, Mr. Speaker? Premier. Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker. Your health long-term care. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That was $10 million to the operating budget of William Osler Hospital this year, and $41 million over the past two years. And I had the honour and the opportunity last week. I was at Peele Memorial, the Wellness Centre, the Urgent Care Centre that the Premier opened up earlier this year. And I was proud to announce with the community there, with the Mayor of Brampton, with many councillors, with the political leadership, the health care leadership, our commitment to fund phase two of that Wellness Centre, of Peele Memorial, where we will be adding well in excess of 100 beds and all the necessary supportive care to support those patients, those inpatients, they will be patients that require support on rehabilitation, patients that require complex continuing care. That was an important announcement. And on top of that, I was able to announce 37 new beds immediately for Brampton Civic Hospital that will be available and active this calendar year. Thank you. Final supplementary? Notwithstanding what the Health Minister says, it was just weeks ago that the ask for $30.2 million came from Brampton Civic. That hospital has already been forced to call Code Gridlock here in this year. From January to April, they called Code Gridlock eight times. For a tune of about 62 days in those four months, that hospital was in Code Gridlock. The hospital needs this money immediately, Speaker, to help families with loved ones receiving their medical care currently in public hallways with no dignity, with no privacy, with no confidentiality. I don't think anybody in this legislature would like to see their loved ones getting treatment in hallways in their hospital, Speaker. So my question is this, will the Premier guarantee that this urgent funding that was asked for a couple weeks ago that the Liberals voted for just yesterday afternoon, will she guarantee that that urgent funding will reach the hospital immediately? Thank you. Minister? Well, Mr. Speaker, I'm so happy that the NDP party yesterday, along with the rest of the Legislature, unanimously supported and endorsed our investments in Brampton City. Mr. Speaker, 41 million new dollars in the last two years, 37 new beds announced just last week that will be active this calendar year, Mr. Speaker, a brand new phase two appeal memorial hospital with well in excess of 100 beds and investment worth hundreds of millions of dollars, Mr. Speaker. And I have to say I'm gratified, particularly given their record of closing during their tenure as government, 9,600 acute care beds, 13 percent of all the mental health beds in the hospital, 323 beds, 24 percent of all the acute hospital beds in the province and they decreased hospital funding and they decreased health funding in their last year of government, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Question? The Leader of the Third Party. My next question is also for the Premier. The appeal memorial is dealing with a $19.2 million budget shortfall. When it opened, administrators said that they needed a $50 million operating budget because it was projected that the urgent care center would see 50 percent more patients than it was originally funded for. Well, Speaker, the Premier flatly said no and instead only provided $31 million, falling far short of what was needed, what was required to run a facility that is in such demand. Now, less than a year later, less than a year later, and under intense political pressure to act, the Liberals have finally agreed to make up the shortfall. When will the appeal memorial actually see that money, Speaker? Thank you. Premier. Minister of health and long-term care. Minister of health, long-term care. Well, Mr. Speaker, I'm still trying to figure out. So they asked for a solution, and we provide a solution. Remember, the former Humber River site at Finch, where we provided a solution of more than 150 beds to relieve some of the pressure on six GTA hospitals, Mr. Speaker, and they were against that. And then last week, we announced phase two of appeal memorial to great – there is tremendous support in that room – at every level. The health care providers, the political leadership, the mayor of Brampton, many councillors were there. It was exciting to be part of that announcement, where we're going to be adding more than 100 beds, well over 100 beds to appeal memorial itself, in addition to the 37 beds at Brampton Civic. But I'm still trying to understand. We offer solutions, we implement solutions, and they still aren't happy. They asked for us to make these investments. We make these investments. Thank you. I'm not sure what they want us to do, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Supplementary. Speaker, here's what I'm trying to figure out. Yesterday morning, this health minister accused myself and the NDP of fear-mongering when it comes to Brampton Civic Hospital, and by six o'clock, they were voting for our motion. I guess they had their spin doctors, Speaker, it took months and months of relentless pressure from the NDP, months of sharing horror story, after horror story, after horror story of what families have been dealing with at Brampton Civic Hospital. Tireless advocacy from the Brampton mayor and dedicated activists from that community before this Premier actually woke up to the serious overcrowding issues at Brampton Civic Hospital. Why will this Premier only act when her and her Liberal colleagues are under political threat? Why? Thank you. Minister. Well, Mr. Speaker, here's where I draw the line. When the Leader of the Third Party says, and you can check, Hansard, anybody, that dozens and dozens of hospitals in this province are in ruins. When she says that, Mr. Speaker, I draw the line when she says that patients are in emergency rooms stacked up like cords of wood. When she uses that terminology, I have to draw the line, Mr. Speaker. When she creates a narrative to suggest that every single long-term care home in this province is unsafe and the residents there are unsafe, when she creates that narrative, I draw the line. Mr. Speaker, I work hard, as does this Premier, as does this government, every single day to provide the highest quality healthcare, which independent third parties recognize that we have, and I have to draw the line when she disparages our healthcare system. Thank you. Final supplementary. Well, Mr. Speaker, I draw the line when 4,352 patients in one year are receiving their medical care in a hospital in a public hallway with no... The member may finish. Look, families in Brampton deserve better healthcare. They deserve healthcare that they can count on, and I'm glad that this Liberal government has finally followed our lead and agreed to invest in this community. Question. But I want to remind the Liberal government, there are people in London, in Sudbury, in Peterborough, in Toronto, in Hamilton, in every corner of this province who are also suffering the consequences of decades of conservative... Thank you. Minister. Well, with great respect, Mr. Speaker, we're not talking about somebody's broken elbow. We're talking about one of the best healthcare systems in the entire world. We're talking about... Mr. Agriculture's not helpful. Let me finish your answer. We're talking about thousands upon thousands of exceptionally talented and hardworking healthcare professionals across this province that are doing their best in a healthcare system that is ranked among the best in the world, Mr. Speaker. We have... We have the Attorney General speaks of our cancer care as the best in the world in terms of outcomes, Mr. Speaker. We have among the lowest stroke mortality in the world, Mr. Speaker. We have among the shortest wait times in the OECD for almost every operation and procedures. We have among the lowest wait times in our ERG across the entire country, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Any questions? The member from Rems, from Nipissing, Pembroke. My question, Mr. Minister of Labor, for months now, we've heard from individuals and small businesses about the negative impact Bill 148 will have on jobs and the economy due to the Liberals' rushed implementation of a $15 minimum wage. To make matters worse, the long-promised relief in the fall economic statement yesterday was nothing more than an exercise in liberal political spin, rather than the real relief small businesses need to keep everyone on their payroll. The Canadian Centre for Economic Analysis says the number of jobs at risk would decrease by three-quarters if the minimum wage is gradually increased to $15 over five years instead of the next 14 months. A slightly slower rollout of the new...of the $15 minimum wage would get employees, their pay raise, save their jobs, and the businesses they work for. Speaker, will the minister move beyond his crass political calculations, put in a more phased in...and put in a more phased in...more phased in implementation rate and save the workers' jobs? Thank you. Minister of Labor. Speaker, we've spent the past two and a half years in dialogue with the people of Ontario. They came forward with ideas to change the Employment Standards Act, Speaker, and they came forward with ideas to change the Labor Relations Act. One thing became very, very clear, Speaker, it's about a third of the people in the province of Ontario currently make less than $15 an hour. Half of those people, Speaker, are between the ages of 25 and 64, Speaker. They're trying to raise families, they're trying to buy groceries, they're trying to buy shoes for the kids, they're trying to pay their rent, Speaker. We on this side of the house think it's time for those people to have an increase in their pay. We do not believe, Speaker, that anybody in this province should work 35, 40 hours a week, sometimes a two or three job, Speaker, and not be able to afford the basics in Ontario, Speaker. We disagree wholeheartedly with the Conservative Party. We disagree with Patrick Brown, Speaker. If you're going to deny this increase, Speaker, be honest about it. Thank you. Can you see it, please? Can you see it, please? I also remind, I also remind the Minister that we use either titles or writings. Thank you. Supplementary. Thank you, Speaker, back to the Minister. A job not lost means a worker can still put food on his family's table. The tens of thousands of people who will lose their jobs just because the Minister wants to use the minimum wage for crass political gain will be denied any income. To quote the Minister from earlier this year, quote, when you dig down a little deeper into the issue, though, you realize it's got ramifications that go beyond that first initial political appeal. There's actually an awful lot of economic forces at play, close quote. As recently as May, he knew that the right thing to do was not play politics with the province's minimum wage. But I guess reelection comes before anything else for the Liberal Party of Ontario. Speaker, I ask the Minister again, will he save workers' jobs by implementing a reasonable timetable to a $15 minimum wage? I don't want to see it. Thank you, Minister. Speaker, and I will answer the Honourable Member's question again and say, Speaker, hardworking Ontarians deserve to be paid a decent wage, Speaker. It's that simple. That's what we support on this side of the House. Speaker, we went out, we talked to economists. Economists came back to us. They told us that the right thing to do is exactly what we're doing, Speaker. So people that earn at the lower end of the income scale, Speaker, they spend their money when they get their paycheck. They spend it that day. They spend it that week. They put it back into small business. They go to the shop as drug marts. They go to the Sobies. It recycles through the economy, Speaker. This isn't money that's taken offshore. This is money that goes right back into the local economy, Speaker. It's time I would hope that all parties in this legislature would stand up for all Ontarians, Speaker. We've been counted on this issue January 1, $14 an hour. January 1, 2019, Speaker, $15 an hour. It's the right thing to do. They should be supporting this, Speaker. Thank you. The member from Hamilton Mountain is warned. New question. The member from London West. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Speaker, today college students will be demonstrating at Queens Park for a tuition refund. And yesterday, a class action lawsuit was launched on behalf of the 500,000 Ontario college students whose classes were cancelled because of the strike. The lawsuit seeks to recover damages related to tuition as well as meal plans and residence fees when students are not getting what they paid for. Speaker, this Liberal government's failure to fund the college system appropriately, its failure to lead during this labour dispute has created a hot mess. If the class action lawsuit is successful, there will be almost nothing left for the announced hardship fund when students are reimbursed for lost tuition and fees. Speaker, what kind of reimbursement does this government plan to offer to students who have to pay to repeat courses, who are unable to get the placement hours they need to graduate, who have to turn down jobs they had lined up? How will their financial losses be compensated? Thank you. Education. Do you see it, please? Do you see it, please? Thank you. Premier. Education, skills development. Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Development. Speaker, and thank you to the member for her question. We are joined today by several members of the College Student Alliance speaker. This is the voice of students. They've done an outstanding job in bringing the voice of students to this strike situation. Students are caught in the middle of this speaker. They are talking to individual students at their colleges and have brought those stories of hardship forward. It is thanks to the members of College Student Alliance, Student Alliance and other student group speaker that we have required that colleges set aside the net savings of the strike and return that money to students. We're consulting with students about how best to do that speaker, but we acknowledge that students are the ones who are paying the price for this strike speaker. We acknowledge that. We have tremendous respect for the student leaders who are here today, and I can assure you that the premier, myself, our government are focused on getting students back in the classroom where they deserve to be. Thank you. Again to the premier, many of the representatives of the College Student Alliance today were also at Queens Park for the November 2nd launch of this action plan on student mental health. The plan was developed through an unprecedented collaboration across the post-secondary sector because of this liberal government's failure to deal with the crisis in student mental health with rates that have more than doubled over the last five years. Speaker, as this strike drags on with no end in sight, we are hearing alarming stories of even more students being diagnosed with depression and anxiety. These students feel despair as they watch their futures slip away. They worry how they will ever manage the increased debt they will have to take on to complete their programs. Speaker, what specific plans has this government put in place to support the thousands of college students who are suffering, whose mental health has been compromised because of this strike? Thank you, minister. So there is no question that the number one issue I hear about when I travel to colleges and to universities is mental health. Whether I'm talking to students, whether I'm talking to faculty, whether I'm talking to administration, everybody is saying the same thing, that the demand for mental health services has increased tremendously. And that's exactly why, speaker, we have increased funding for mental health services on campus from $9 million a year to $15 million a year. We're focused on improving the quality of care of mental health care, mental health services on our campus. And again, speaker, it's the voice of the students who is the most compelling when students from the college student alliance and other student groups have said we need to do a better job supporting students than we have been there to answer that call. Answer. Thank you. New question. The member from Topical North. Thank you, speaker. My question is to the minister of finance. Speaker, all Ontarians, I think, can be encouraged by yesterday's release of the fall economic statement which demonstrates our government is working to create fairness and opportunity during this period of rapid economic change. It's also clear, speaker, that our path to balance is on track. Most importantly, unlike the approach of other parties, this is not being achieved by slashing and burning the services that people depend on. And it's being supported by a thriving economy. As you will know, speaker, we have had 800,000 net new jobs since the 2008 recession and 300,000 jobs are expected by 2020. Real GDP is now forecast to grow at a healthy 2.8% a very substantial increase from the previous budget projections. Speaker, a balanced budget allows for more money to invest in the things that matter to everyone in Ontario. Schools, hospitals, roads, bridges and more. To the minister. Could you talk about what the government is doing? Our government is delivering a balanced budget. We've beaten our fiscal targets for the eighth year in a row. Net debt to GDP has improved to 37.3%. Our strength investments continue to attract private and foreign direct investment. The numbers show our policies are working. Real GDP growth is above projections. In fact, over the last three years Ontario's GDP growth exceeds that of all G7 countries. And our businesses have created over 800,000 net new jobs as indicated, bringing our unemployment rate below the national average for 31 straight months. We've managed growth and program spending making Ontario the leanest government in Canada. Ontario has come out of the recession stronger but we know there's more to do. We want to ensure everyone in Ontario benefits from our strong economy. That's why we're taking steps to support workers and families to create more fairness and opportunity for all hardworking Ontarians. Thank you, Mr Speaker. Thank you, Minister. I think it's clear that a growing economy together with a balanced budget is creating more and more opportunities for businesses and individuals across Ontario. On the ground in my own riding at Tobacco North this is reflected, for example, by the $400 million expansion of Tobacco General Hospital which I'd respectfully remind the House is also part of the William Osler system. The policies which build our people up are what matter most to Ontarians and that's why I'm proud to stand with a part of this increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour coming up shortly. We know, Speaker, that hardworking people are struggling to put food on their tables and they cannot wait for years for this pay increase. We know the students over 200,000 of them will be benefitting from free tuition and, Speaker, as a doctor I have to support OHIP Plus the greatest expansion of pharma care for eight generations, as is mentioned. Speaker, we know that our historical investments in infrastructure $190 billion over 13 years will spur economic growth. Can the Minister please detail more of these initiatives? Thank you again for the question. We're building a stronger fairer Ontario. We're designating another $155 million in support for our seniors strategy so our seniors can live independent healthy and active lives. We're helping to build more competitiveness in the environment by providing another $500 million in new initiatives for small business. We're cutting WSIB costs and reducing red tape further. It includes more incentives to businesses to hire young people $124 million over three years as well as new grants to encourage employers to hire apprentices up to $19,000 per apprentice. And, Mr. Speaker, we're creating the third pillar to our post-secondary education system to support our Indigenous institutes and we've also announced $5 million and extra dollars for the North through our Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund. This, Mr. Speaker, is our balance approach to create fairness and opportunity for the people of Ontario. Thank you. Thank you. Any questions? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry. Mr. Speaker, the government has unilaterally decided to close the Ontario tree seed plant in Angus without any consultation. It was only after the government announced the closure that the ministry held a public meeting and at another meeting between stakeholders and the deputy minister those working in the industry urged the government to delay the closure for three to five years to allow them time to transition. Despite this advice the ministry is going ahead with their closure date in nine months time. The minister is on record stating that the government will work with its partners to ensure a smooth transition and yet tree growers and others in the industry say the closure date does not give them enough time. In fact, plans to sell Ontario's irreplaceable and priceless seed inventories are already underway. Mr. Speaker, there seems to be a disconnect here. Will the minister commit to working with these growers or other experts to find a solution that won't destroy yet another thriving industry in the province of Ontario? Thank you. Thank you very much, Speaker. And we continue to work with Rob Keane from Forest Ontario as well as all the partners around the Ontario tree seed plant. We've continued to consult not just in my ministry office but they met recently with my ministry team in our offices. We did not start consultation until we had been able to have a discussion with the employees. It was not appropriate to bring a public consultation ahead of time where the employees knew that there may be some changes down the way. Speaker, we continue to move towards a more efficient and modern seed archive during the transition we'll be encouraging new market opportunities for Ontario's nurseries to provide native seed to grow trees for the industry as well as the public. I want to let you know that there will be significant savings to Ontario taxpayers through reduced operating and capital costs as we transition to a new way of doing things. Thank you. Supplementary. Minister, the minister is assuming that the private sector will take over or be able to take over immediately. That means the private sector in nine months has to build infrastructure acquire an array of specialized equipment hire and train technical staff to run the facility all with a price tag of over a million dollars. Growers in my writing tell me this simply isn't possible. These growers are the largest suppliers to tree planting programs across southern Ontario and they're calling the ministry's plan both unreasonable and irresponsible. In Leeds Grenville, 13 full-time jobs at the Ferguson Forest Centre and the million dollars it spends in the local economy each year are in jeopardy. On October 13th, the Ontario Tree Seed Coalition submitted a transition proposal that they've yet to receive a response to. Growers and the coalition are asking the government to accept the transition proposal and immediately establish a stakeholder group to work alongside ministry officials. I want to talk about significant savings to the taxpayers with the billions of dollars you guys do in scandals. This thing's costing you a million dollars a year. It's an irreplaceable priceless collection of seeds. Some of these plants are extinct. Why are you trying to destroy that? Thank you, sir. Thank you, Speaker. I'd just like to point out to the member opposite. It was his party who in 1996 opened our province's provincial nursery program for privatization and put the Ontario Tree Seed plant in this position in the first place. We have had two recent public meetings in that community to talk about all options going forward. All options continue to be on the table to make sure that we are moving from a facility. It makes no sense to continue to operate at such a large one. We will be transitioning new market opportunities for Ontario's nurseries. We said all options continue to be on the table. We do continue to consult. We've had two recent public meetings. We are developing new policies like the new seed zone policy creating a modern seed archive that will continue to make sure that we can continue to provide the seeds for Ontario's forest moving forward. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Premier. The workers who sort produce for the Ippolito Company at the Ontario Food Terminal have been on strike for the last nine days. They do the back-breaking work that starts at 2 a.m. to distribute produce to our local grocery stores and restaurants. They make less than other workers at the terminal. They don't have sick days. They don't have job security. What they're seeking is simply a fair first contract. A situation, sadly, that is so common where employers drag out this process hoping to rattle newly unionized workplaces. New Democrats propose first contract arbitration that would help ensure that negotiations don't drag out and become strikes or lockouts. Sadly, the Liberal Government voted that down. Will the Premier stand up today with the Ippolito workers and support first contract arbitration of the workers in this province? Thank you. Minister of Labour? Thank you. I thank the Honourable Member for her question and for the concern about the dispute speak that is taking place. What we try to do at the Minister of Labour is obviously we try to promote a very stable and very constructive labour relations regime and have productive workplaces in the province of Ontario. What we do, Speaker, is that we'll be changing Speaker should this House support Bill 148. There's regulations in the programs that will follow that Speaker. But in Ontario we've got an excellent record Speaker of dispute resolution. About 98% of all agreements in the province are reached without strike Speaker, they're reached without lockout Speaker when the two parties approach the table in a meaningful way and a significant way Speaker. We know that the best agreements of those reached at the table Speaker I will expand on that in the supplementary. Thank you, Mr. Speaker back to the Premier. Majority of those workers on strike are Tibetan. I know them to be hardworking incredible assets who both live and work in my riding of Parkdale High Park. Ippolito produce is a multinational company with sales of more than $130 million each year. Last year Ippolito produce received 1.7 million from this Liberal government to retain more than 250 good jobs. The Liberal government is subsidizing bad labour practices. So what about these workers Speaker? Even when Bill 148 passes they will not be guaranteed a first contract. Will the Premier I repeat today stand up with the Ippolito workers and support first contract arbitration for all workers in this problem? Thank you Minister. Well Speaker it doesn't matter to us at the Minister of Labour where somebody comes from. People come to this province from all four corners of the world Speaker and they get treated under the Labour Relations Act Employment Standards Act. They get equity Speaker. They get treated in a way that's why they move here in the first place Speaker. So the fact that these folks happen to be from a certain country doesn't apply in this matter Speaker. 98% of all agreements are reached without a lock out without a strike. We've got some of the best mediators Speaker, the best arbitrators in the country Speaker they've been working on this file Speaker they continued to work on this. Excellent staff at the Minister of Labour are active on this file Speaker. The monitoring it Speaker. Bargaining by its nature as top Speaker. We know the best agreements that are those that are reached by the party at the negotiating table Speaker. Thank you Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Senior Affairs. Minister last week you were at the Sackville Hill Seniors Recreation Centre in Hamilton and the National Plan for seniors. There are over 2 million seniors in Ontario a number that will more than double in the next 25 years and many who also live in my riding of Davenport. With this bold new plan our government will help seniors live independent healthy and active safe and socially connected lives. It involved collaboration across our government with 10 ministries offering new programs and services that support seniors. I know there is this new plan focuses on what they care about most including supports to live independently increased opportunities to contribute to their communities and remaining socially connected with their peers. There is also a significant investment long-term care. Will the Minister of Seniors Affairs inform the House about this new action plan for seniors. Thank you Minister of Seniors Affairs. Thank you Mr Speaker. I am delighted to answer this question. I want to begin from Davenport for the question. The member has been a tireless supporter for seniors in her riding and I want to thank her for her exemplary advocacy on behalf of seniors. Last week I was pleased to stand with our premier and the Minister of Health to launch our Aging with Confidence Action Plan for seniors. The plan invests in services that Ontario seniors have told us they want. Investments like the $15 million in naturally occurring retirement communities. Investments like the $7 million in age friendly communities and Mr Speaker investments like the once in a generation announcement of 30,000 new long-term care beds. Mr Speaker Ontario seniors have told us they want to live their best life no matter what their age that is what this supplementary. Mr Speaker I want to thank the Minister for her work and I'm pleased to hear that we are making investments that will provide seniors with the supports they need to age independently and with confidence. And this past Friday I was at the first Portuguese Canadian Cultural Centre in my riding of Davenport where I had the opportunity to share with the very active and very engaged seniors to see as I am proud to see that our government has listened to seniors directly to ensure our action plan reflects their needs. Minister I'm also aware that with last week's announcement our government launched a new one-stop website for seniors so they can learn about the new programs and services that are available to them. Could the Minister of Seniors Affairs explain to this House about this new one-stop website for seniors to learn about the new programs and services that are available to them. Mr Speaker I want to thank the member for taking the time to make sure that her constituents know about our plan and the member Mr Speaker is absolutely right. As part of our action plan we are launching a new one-stop website called Ontario.ca backslash age well. Mr Speaker our research shows that 70% of this website recognizes that fact and will be a one-stop shop for every single seniors program across our government programs like the new engagement through the arts program programs like our new active for life program programs like the new consumer protection program for seniors we are launching. Aging with confidence is our plan to ensure that Ontario seniors live their best life and this one stop website is part of that. Mr Speaker my question is for the minister of health and long-term care. Halton regional council is expressing serious concerns about the report of the minister's expert panel on public health which is entitled public health within an integrated health system. What's more they are speaking up about the fact that this government continues to short change the region of Halton for public health to the tune of almost $10 million a year. Regional health resolution has authorized regional chair Gary Carr to seek a meeting with the minister of health and long-term care. His original request was sent July the 11th almost four months ago. When will the minister of health and long-term care meet with the Halton regional chair? Thank you Mr Speaker and I appreciate the question. Our 36 public health units across the province play such an essential role in ensuring that Ontarians stay safe and live and thrive in a safe environment. Their work is absolutely essential which is part of the reason why since coming into office we've doubled our funding to public health and in fact a couple of years ago we changed the funding formula based on multi-year consultation with the sector, with the frontline public health workers and others so that the funding formula was not a simple per capita formula but it actually reflected the socio-demographic economic conditions and the need expressed on public health for each of the various localities. I know that there is a request in from the regional chair of Halton Mr Speaker I'm happy to have a look at that and I'm happy to address the any further issues in the supplementary. Thank you supplementary. Well the minister said he'd be happy to look at the request but he didn't say that he would meet with the regional chair. I can't believe that the minister of health would refuse to meet with the regional chair of Halton which has been one of the fastest growing areas in the province. Our elected municipal colleagues are amongst our most important partners. We need to work together. It's in the public interest that we cooperate with our municipal partners and I hope the minister will do that. The recommendations of the expert panel on public health include redrawing geographic boundaries of public health agencies to conform with Lynn boundaries. This means regional municipalities will be separated into more than one public health agency. At the same time municipalities will lose their voice on public health boards but will still be expected to substantially fund the public health programs through local property tax dollars. Region of Halton believes accountability will go out the window. How will the minister ensure that accountability of public health boards to municipalities is not compromised. Thank you Mr. Speaker. As we several years ago spent and invested that time in consultation on the funding formula coming out of the patients first act it was we committed to having a similar process of consultation to look at the structure and governance of public health in this province. Something which hasn't been looked at for many years I think probably until the download that the PCs did for public health which we have obviously we have uploaded a considerable amount of the download to municipalities that the PCs were responsible for. So the expert panel was asked to look at structure and governance they consulted to do that. They made the report available over the summer. Immediately I think the day after I received the report I met with AMO the MOU table municipalities and we are now working on the consultation process across the board including with Halton and public health units and municipalities to get their input on the report. Thank you. My question is for the Premier. Last week after years of delay the provincial government finally released its draft proposal to regulate cumulative air pollution in hot spots like Sarnia, Sudbury and Hamilton. As groups like Environment Hamilton have noted this proposal will do absolutely nothing to reduce the impact of the air pollution on Hamilton. Ecojustice said and I quote this proposal is disappointing it essentially amounts to business as usual. Meanwhile for years Hamilton families have been exposed to a toxic cocktail of different chemicals and we have no idea how our health has been affected. Will the Premier commit to a study to measure the impact of cumulative air pollution on the health of Hamilton families? Thank you very much Mr. Speaker let me say to the second part of the question that we will absolutely the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change will work with the community Mr. Speaker we will absolutely work to make sure that everything is being done that can be done to deal with air pollution. We are you know we are committed having shut down all of the coal fired plants in this province we are committed absolutely to doing everything that we can to reduce air pollution and on the Sarnia issue Mr. Speaker we are building on previous regulations to lower air pollution we did recently post updated sulfur dioxide standards for consultation. Those proposed changes would push industrial facilities to continue to reduce pollution and last week we also proposed a new approach to considering the cumulative effects of pollution in heavy industrialized areas and that could be in Sarnia, that could be in Hamilton or anywhere in the province Mr. Speaker Thank you the supplementary I thank the premier for just repeating what I said but levels of benzene and benzol A pyrene highly carcinogenic chemicals are already well above provincial guidelines in Hamilton and have been for years and the government's draft proposal is not going to do a single thing to reduce existing levels of air pollution any regulation of air pollution in Hamilton Speaker must start with a complete understanding of the current impacts of cumulative air pollution on the health of Hamilton families will the premier conduct the health study that families in Hamilton deserve Speaker Thank you Mr. Speaker I have already said that we will work the minister of the environment and climate change will work with the community will work with environmental groups to make sure that whether it's Sarnia or whether it's Hamilton Mr. Speaker that we do everything we can I talked about the regulations that have been posted I talked about the changes that we are making Mr. Speaker and we will continue to work to find ways to reduce pollution in the air Mr. Speaker we believe that it is possible to clean up the air we believe that it is possible to make make the air cleaner in Ontario so that children don't deal with as many the same numbers Mr. Speaker so that people who are who have respiratory illness Mr. Speaker are able to go out and enjoy the air so yes Mr. Speaker we will work with the communities across this province to do everything that we can to reduce air pollution Thank you Well thank you Speaker my question is to the minister responsible for small business Minister just yesterday the finance minister delivered his fall economic statement and along with it significant measures to help Ontario businesses succeed and grow one of the measures announced was the reduction of small business tax from 4.5% to 3.5% this tax cut will enable small business to compete grow and reinvest in their businesses and it's just the tip of the iceberg of the type of opportunities we are supporting through a number of new initiative can the minister please tell us what other measures our governments put forward to build a better business climate that allows our small business to be more successful Minister responsible for small business Thank you very much Mr. Speaker and I want to thank the member from Quiddie Wiss this morning of course as the owner of Brighton Speedway one of the most successful small businesses in the community of Brighton with more than 400,000 small businesses and communities across the province we know that when they succeed we all succeed that is why through the fall economic statement to help small businesses lower costs take advantage of new opportunities and save time with dealing with government what we've heard from small businesses is that the challenges they face are broader than just their bottom line and some of the most consistent issues that our barriers are facing at hiring and retaining youth for many young people their first job is at the local small business where they gain valuable experience and skills that's more investing $124 million for employers to hire retained youth for 15 to 29 This is just one of the ways they're working to ensure small businesses have the best opportunities to drive the material because with small businesses to succeed our communities prosper Well thank you Minister for that answer it is reassuring that this government is listening and taking action to help address some of the main concerns the businesses face and someone as someone who was a business owner I understand what it takes to succeed in small business with the rapidly changing global market some small businesses feel the pressure as they try to stay competitive and this is a challenge for small business in urban areas like Toronto but even more challenging for rural businesses like the ones in Port Hope Campbellford and Covern Minister can you please tell us what you're doing to support the small mom and pop shops along the downtown and main street areas Thank you Minister Thank you very much Mr. Speaker I want to thank the member for supplementary question while our economy is strong and unemployment is at an all time low we know that not everyone is feeling the benefit of this that's why we're focusing on efforts that help to revitalize more than 70 rural communities across Ontario Mr. Speaker this fund will not only build on main street revitalization planning and promotional activities it will help small businesses enhance their digital capabilities as well as support energy audits to save the money our main street fund will also enhance the planning of promotional activities for downtown and main street areas in our communities these small businesses are the back bound of communities everywhere provide good jobs for family which is why our government is committed to both their success and growth Thank you very much Mr. Speaker my question to the minister of health and long term care the minister of health and long term care despite nothing being in the budget for two previous budgets before that so it's a little bit concerning that eight months before election they're now going to actually build all these beds back in 2007 they committed to redevelop 35,000 beds and there's only a third of those that have actually been completed today now they're trying to come out with another 35,000 beds when we have to re-announce and re-announce but there's 32,000 people still in a wait list, they've known it the tsunami has been coming at us of the demographic baby boomers the government has not produced the minister has not produced those 35,000 beds in their first iteration how can the people of Ontario trust him to develop all those by 2025 now and it's ironic that it's just before election they actually put money in their budget Thank you Mr. Speaker well thank you Mr. Speaker it's always great to get the support from the member from Bruce Grail and Sound on our further investments in long-term care because it is true and I'm happy to share the details with them that we have we have added 10,000 new beds to the complement of long-term care since coming into office and we've redeveloped 13,500 but what's critically important and what I'm very proud and excited about because part of our senior strategy to add 5,000 additional beds just over the next four years and a commitment to add 30,000 more over the next decade Mr. Speaker that is an enormous addition to the complement about 78,000 beds that exist in the province I know that the member's riding is this is a critically important issue to the member I know that and I know it is to his riding as well so I hope we have the opportunity to work together specifically to benefit his residents Mr. Minister of Affairs on a point of order Speaker thank you I'd like to just take a moment to introduce and welcome to Queen's Park Judy Afonso from the College Student Alliance from Confederation College in Thunder Bay Welcome Member from Davenport Bigger point of order I just wanted to introduce the guests that I did earlier that hadn't made it into the house yet Gina Kuki and Alicia Villanga from After Breast Cancer Welcome Thank you so I shall take advantage of the introductions by making sure that my brownie points are added up my speaker's gallery is filled with my daughter Rachel and my wife Rosemarie and we can't even have lunch today so I'm I got a job I got a job I beg to inform the house that pursuant to standing order 71B the chief whip of the third party of the member from Tamiskimi Cochrane has notified the clerk of his intention to file notice of a reasoned amendment to the motion for second reading of bill 177 an act to implement budget measures into an act and amend various statutes the order for second reading of bill 177 may therefore not be called today we have a deferred vote on the government notice of motion number 38 relating to allocation of time of bill 166 an act to amend and repeal various acts into an act 3 new acts with respect to construction of new homes and ticket sales for events calling the members this will be a 5 minute bell all members please take your seats on November 14, 2017 Mr. Chan moved some government notice motion number 38 relating to allocation of time on bill 166 an act to amend or repeal various acts into an act 3 new acts with respect to the construction of new homes and ticket sales for events all those in favor of the motion please rise one at a time be recognized by the clerk Mr. Nacken, Mr. Bradley, Mr. Dalduca, Mr. Dalduca Mr. Sandals, Mr. Sands, Mr. Sousa Mr. Sousa, Mr. Wynn, Mr. Wynn Mr. Matthews, Mr. Hoskins, Mr. Haskins Mr. Shurelli, Mr. Shurelli, Mr. Dugan Mr. Dugan, Mr. McCharles, Mr. McCharles Mr. McMeakin, Mr. McMeakin, Mr. Cole Mr. Cole, Mr. Bardinetti, Mr. Bardinetti Mr. Kahn, Mr. Moriti, Mr. Moriti Mr. Cotto, Mr. Cotto, Ms. Hunter, Mr. Hunter Mr. Leo, Mr. Lille, Mr. Flynn, Mr. Flynn Mr. Flinn, Mr. Flandre, Mr. Flandre Mr. Kaudry, Mr. Dixon, Mr. Dixon Mr. Crack, Mr. Crack, Mr. Dumberland Mr. Dommer, Mrs. Dommer, Mrs. McGarry, Mr.Domorrow Mr. Morrow, Mr. Jassi, Mr. Jassi Mr. Zimmer, Mr. Zimmer, Mrs. Albinese Mr. Albanese, Mrs. McMahon, Mr. Bakman Mr. Knight U. Harris, Mr. Miltjen Mr. Milchin, Mr. Milchen, Mr. Wong Mr. Anderson, Mr. Andersen, Mr. Baker Mr. Coe. Mr. Choe. Mr. Beesson. Mr. Vanta. I am Jelena. Mr. Tabin. Mr. Tabin. Mr. Miller Hamilton East Stony Creek. Ms. Sattler. Ms. Taylor. Ms. Taylor. Ms. Armstrong. Ms. Armstrong. Ms. Fife. Ms. Foyster. Ms. Forster. Ms. Campbell. Miss Campbell. Ms. Shamantha. Mr. Gates. Mr. Gates. Ms. French. The aides are 47. The nays are 36. motion carried just before we leave. A reminder that the Shino Light on Women Abuse Campaign are asking all members to go to the staircase for a picture in support of the anti-abuse of women and also in the Speaker's Gallery another guest I forgot to mention recent retiree with his family Joe Coluzo. Joe, remember, if there are no further deferred votes this house stands recessed until 3 p.m. this afternoon.