 It is now time for oral questions. I recognize the member for Toronto Danforth. Thank you Speaker. My question to the Minister of Energy. This week the Minister of Energy justified his government's scrapping of clean energy contracts by quoting what he called his favourite periodical, a climate change conspiracy website called Climate Change Dispatch. The Minister seems to doubt climate science and is now getting dubious facts from conspiracies he finds online. The Minister says he likes to consider quote-unquote both sides of the question. When it comes to the question of whether there is a climate crisis, does the Energy Minister believe there are two legitimate sides of the coin? Minister of Energy, Northern Development and Minds. Thank you Mr. Speaker and I certainly do believe in climate change and that's why I'm proud. The fact that Ontario has one of the cleanest energy jurisdictions in the continent Mr. Speaker, 92% of our energy system is GHG and Mission Free and more than 60% of it comes from clean nuclear source which the NDP do not support Mr. Speaker. Let's be clear that this journey started 18 years ago. Then Premier Harris issued a directive to phase out coal starting at the Lakeview generating station. It took 14 years and other governments to complete that journey Mr. Speaker but it was a major step in ensuring that Ontario would have one of the cleanest energy jurisdictions in North America and for the world to marvel at. Thank you Mr. Speaker. The supplementary question. Thank you Speaker. Again to the Minister of Energy. In the face of a major new report that says the world needs to take bold action to tackle the climate crisis the Ford government rejects the consensus of climate science scientists that we're facing a human caused climate crisis and clings to climate denial websites. The minister couldn't even answer a yes or no question from the media on whether he believes human activity is a significant contributor to climate change. I'd like to give him another chance. Does the minister believe human activity is a significant contributor to climate change? It's always interesting Mr. Speaker when an official opposition has to use the media to carry the big boxes for them isn't it interesting over the past week that they've had to quote big words that they had to check in the dictionary from a Toronto Star reporter or a headline from the CBC Mr. Speaker which was a departure from the facts and the discussion that was had that day Mr. Speaker here's the truth Ontario leads North America as one of the cleanest as the cleanest energy jurisdiction Mr. Speaker. It's because we remain committed to Cole phase of course of 18 years Mr. Speaker it's because we believe in the people in the in the Durham region who every day go to work as a skilled workforce Mr. Speaker to ensure that we have world-class safe nuclear energy Mr. Speaker to supply almost two-thirds of this province with its energy we remain committed to those kinds of investments not projects Mr. Speaker that have made our system too complex non-competitive and more importantly for family seniors indigenous communities across the province thank you thank you and we all know what it means when a minister won't address the question I think we all know that denying the climate crisis a human-caused climate crisis would certainly explain many of this government's actions government ripped up clean energy contracts costing Ontarians at least 231 million spent million more millions more on stickers on gas pumps that didn't even stick and fighting a losing court battle against putting a price on pollution the Ford government would clearly rather rip down windmills and stick up stickers than invest in the clean energy economy of Ontario's future I'd like to ask a third time does the minister believe that human-caused climate change is real climate change is real mr. Speaker there's no dispute about that anywhere in this place I'm pretty sure of that the question is mr. Speaker how do we develop a clean affordable energy system here in Ontario and here's how we don't do it mr. Speaker in 2015 annual report the auditor general concluded that rate pairs paid wait for it 37 billion dollars more than necessary from 2006 to 2014 the same hydro rates went up by 22 percent she also determined that we'd spend an additional 133 billion dollars by 2032 due to the global adjustment electricity fees on hydro bills you want to talk about expensive and how we got there mr. Speaker I'll tell you how we got there there were votes in this place that system the most complex and expensive in the system and that member voted for it every single time mr. Speaker the next question again the member for Toronto Danforth thank you Speaker I guess the answer to my last question was a no so we'll go to my next for over a year the premier has insisted that scrapping clean energy would lead to a 12% reduction in hydro bills now the contracts have been scrapped and the price tag for scrapping them has gone from zero dollars and I'm sure you remember speaker to 231 million dollars can the minister tell families when they can expect their bills to go down thank you mr. Speaker let's let's be clear on the cost savings from scrapping more than 750 of these projects 790 million dollars in net present that's not accommodating for inflationary rates that's not accommodating for the fact that this would in fact fortify a system mr. Speaker that has become so complex and so expensive it is runs the risk of putting Ontario out of business mr. Speaker and families are spending too much more for their energy we've taken the kinds of step extraordinary steps most of them by the auditor general mr. Speaker to ensure that we have a path to reduce hydro rates in the province of Ontario and it's coming soon mr. Thank you Speaker I don't think he quite addressed the question there after one year the Ford government hydro bills are higher than they have ever been in fact they're climbing the Ford government strategy so far has consisted of metering at hydro one and tearing up contracts for renewable energy that's made a lot of money for energy companies raking in hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation for bungled contracts but families are still waiting for relief speaker order can the minister tell families when they can expect their bills to go down it just it just occurred to me mr. Speaker that the impact of the increase in hydro rates from 2009 to 2015 which ranged from 5.5 percent every year to 22 percent every year fully endorsed by the member opposite mr. Speaker includes or previous liberal government mr. Speaker because it wasn't on the bill you see they didn't have to hide it an inflationary rate this past November 1st we take very seriously mr. Speaker and we've spent the last year making sure that we get rid of the things that and pressures that have been on our system to make this one of the most complex and expensive there is but that member mr. Speaker has never had to account for the fact that in November 1st 2015 he gave a ringing endorsement for a 22 percent increase the people of Canora mr. Speaker the people of Thunder Bay the residents who live in Kuwait and mr. Speaker you name the community they paid way too much and he vote thank you government side come to order restart the clock member for Toronto Danforth final supplementary yeah well thank you speaker I think they're getting a bit touchy on that side speaker if the premier's job was to make energy companies millions of dollars he's done an amazingly good job let's face it right the US energy company of Vista took home a hundred and three million dollar cancellation fee when the premier bungled a deal with them renewable energy providers here in Ontario will be paid at least two hundred and thirty one million dollars not to generate electricity but families aren't getting a break they're certainly not seeing a 12% reduction in their bills as was promised does the forward government have any intention of delivering on their promise to reduce hydro bills by 12% well we certainly do mr. Speaker and it started started with an act that some might have deemed colloquial colloquial in nature mr. Speaker but it was the clean up the hydro mess act the mess that was created by the previous government and supported 100% of the time by the official opposition 90 orders no less than 90 communities across this province mr. Speaker were said that they were unwilling host communities to the Green Energy Act mr. Speaker I think that's grounds to repeal that act if I'm not mistaken mr. Speaker and that's exactly what we did and we scrapped 750 projects because they were going to continue to support the most complex and expensive energy system we have mr. Speaker we are finally at a place where we have gotten rid of all the ridiculous things that were built in response system baked into it mr. Speaker and we're going to deliver on a promise to reduce hydro rates for major employers small businesses seniors indigenous communities mr. Speaker and communities all across our great thank you very much thank you and good morning mr. Speaker my question is to the premier on Monday the legislature unanimously passed a motion calling on this government to communicate directly to the premier of Quebec our opposition to Quebec's bill 21 the premier is missing it has a meeting face-to-face with Premier Legault and there is an expectation from organizations such as the World Sick Organization the Toronto Board of Rabbis and the National Council of Canadian Muslims that this government will do what it says it will do and communicate Ontario's concern and opposition to bill 21 directly to Premier Legault yet the premier is refusing to address this serious violation of basic human rights why premier refer to the government I've addressed this on multiple occasions both yesterday and in the speech to this house we've reaffirmed on multiple occasions both the premier on behalf of the government and the members of this legislature on behalf of all parliamentarians and bill like that has no place in the province of Ontario we would fight something like that mr. Speaker I would encourage the members opposite to continue to do what we're doing to work towards those things and focus on those things that unify the country and help us do that mr. Speaker at the same time it's also talked about the other things like the economy mr. Speaker let's work to build a better economy mr. Speaker I think the again finally we've been very clear on this and and I appreciate that I'm bringing it up and hopefully we can move on from the politics of this and move towards doing what's right for the people of Canada supplementary question I think it's important that we acknowledge that this house indeed has stood up and spoke out but we are still waiting to have the premier actually address and do what the motion calls on him to do this meeting is a chance to defend basic human rights in Ontario and across this country speaker the premier hasn't been shy about standing up for Alberta's equalization payments or his opposition to pharmacare here in the country yet when it comes to basic human rights he suddenly doesn't know where he stands and can't stand up and speak out and stay what he needs to the premier needs to show leadership on a national stage leaders don't sit silent when rights are at stake cabinet ministers stood proudly to announce their support for this motion the associate minister of small business and red tape reduction even tweeted at a video talking about his support so why don't any of these cabinet ministers mention that they have no intention of actually doing what the motion says it will do mr speaker you know the the the easy thing would be for me to to to ramp up and but i'm not going to mr speaker look these are the communities that that the minister of small business and trade talked about to the member for milton the member for eglinton lorence the education minister the member for york senator these are all very important communities not just to the government it's all members of the house i remind the honorable member that it was a unanimous unanimous in this parliament mr speaker the on the motion that was brought forward not once but twice and the premier has spoken often about this and has been extraordinarily clear prior to the first motion prior to the second motion and since that a bill like this would have no place in the province of ontario thank you the next question the member for oakville thank you mr speaker and my question is for the minister of heritage sports tourism and cultural industries visiting ontario's museums art galleries and a treasure art attractions is a great experience for families but it can be very expensive for lower to middle income families i know within the ministry there are several cultural assets like the royal ontario museum the art gallery of ontario the mac michael gallery the royal botanical gardens the ontario science center in toronto science north and sudbury and the parks commission in niagara it'd be great if the government could make these assets attainable for all ontario families can the minister inform this house how are ministries assets support lower and middle income families so they can see the incredible works of art and history that this province has to offer thank you minister of heritage sport tourism and culture industries thank you very much speaker and i want to say thank you to the member from oakville for that question i know as a father of two daughters that are my daughter's age it's really important that we continue to make the arts the cultural history of our province our museums and our historic sites accessible and attainable for every family in this wonderful province now he mentioned the agio and i'm so very proud of the art gallery of ontario they offer free admission to all indigenous peoples and they offer those 25 years of age and under free admission on every wednesday evening in addition the royal ontario museum which i believe is one of the best run museums in the world offers free admission on the third Tuesday of each month from 5 30 to 8 30 they also also offer the daphne cockwell gallery dedicated to the first peoples and art and culture free of charge for every ontarian speaker i often say that we are the response province we also have world class facilities that every ontario child deserves to see the supplementary question thank you minister that's wonderful to hear that very positive news speaker ensuring all families have access to art arts and culture and all our natural heritage is incredibly important since my constituents neither live in toronto or near any of the other cultural assets it can sometimes be difficult for them to take part in these free events in my community we have the oakville museum which recently told the story of an exhibit preserving peace souvenirs of peacekeeping eva martinez the first female united nations observer who spoke about her experience with the un peacekeeping mission in guatemala in 1997 the value of learning these experiences such as this are imeasurable and essential to instilling pride in our province and country can the minister tell us what she is doing to support local museums like this and help local families access these services thank you minister it's a very good question i'm glad that he was able to tell this house with the wonderful work that they're doing in oakville at their museum again our ministry our goal is to build on and grow our spectacular double bottom line that is a 71 billion dollar economic imprint but the same time preserving and protecting our cultural history and our fabric and we do so within this ministry by investing directly into museums across ontario to ensure that they continue to operate but one of the things i'm most excited about speaker that was in a fall economic statement is the fact that we're going to expand the fund pass to all museums and galleries and attractions throughout ontario so that we can make local museums local historic site and local attractions free for children we'll have more details in the months ahead speaker but this is i think one of the most exciting things this government can be doing to make sure that we are offering the entire world in one province to every child response the next question a member for davin thank you mr speaker good morning my questions for the minister of education elementary and secondary teachers are continuing job actions today standing firm in defense of our public education system and against this government's cuts teachers are standing up for students and their right to learn in a classroom that isn't bursting at the seams they're standing up for parents who don't want their kids left to fend for themselves with risky online courses or to fall through the cracks as 10 000 caring adults and countless supports disappear from our schools mr speaker as negotiations drag on could the minister update the house on the status of those negotiations questions addressing the minister of education well thank you very much speaker and thank you to the member opposite for the question it is the position of this government that we want a deal not a strike to keep the children of this province in class and that's why mr speaker this week we're meeting with osstf with etfo as well as with all teacher unions over the coming seven days but the three major unions will be met with this week as part of our plan to negotiate in good faith to provide predictability for parents what is regrettable through this experience mr speakers and irrespective of government and premier and party the one constant through this process every three years is that unions choose to escalate and my message to them and i hope the member opposite would agree with this premise to seize from escalation to stand with parents to stay at the table and let's get a deal that keeps the children of this province in class the supplementary question mr speaker that's exactly the kind of demonization of the workers that we expect from this government and it is not helpful the reason there's no progress at the bargaining table is because there's been no real moves by the minister to stop his cuts only this government would try to spin eliminating 10 000 jobs to eliminating 6 000 jobs and massively increasing class sizes is some kind of reasonable move by now it should be pretty darn clear to this minister and this government that ontarians don't support the elimination of those jobs they don't support mandatory online learning replacing in-person instruction and they don't support re uh they don't support trading their children's education for short-term savings will the minister listen get back to work stop the spin and reverse these terrible cuts to our classrooms thank you very much mr speaker as i make clear the premier and this entire government is committed to getting a resolution as we did with qp that provides predictability for the families and the children of this province however what is telling mr speaker is when given the opportunity to affirm her support with parents against escalation she and the leader of the new democrats have said nothing and that abdication of opportunity of responsibility to say with clarity that they oppose escalation they oppose their children being out of class or more importantly having steps being taken under mind their education is in fact quite telling and regrettable my position the position of every member of this team is to keep children in class through negotiated settlements that are good for teachers good for students and good for parents of this province thank you very much the next question the member for Kitchener Conestoga well thank you mr speaker my question is for the minister of finance earlier this month the minister delivered our government's fall economic statement and with it our plan to build Ontario together the minister outlined a plan to like make life more affordable for Ontarians across the province it's a plan that also recognizes the unique challenges and opportunities in northern Ontario could the minister please inform the house about the steps our government is taking to make life more affordable for families and individuals living in the north good question questions to the minister of finance mr speaker i thank the member from from kitchener conestoga of course he he represents his members as well and his or his constituents well but of course he also grew up in the north and so he appreciates the unique challenges that and opportunities that that face face our citizens in the north we understand that as a government mr speaker that is why in our fall economic statement we have put forward the proposal to reduce the cost of living in the north by reducing the cost of aviation fuel mr speaker reducing attacks from six point seven cents to two point seven cents and mr speaker what does that mean i often talk about affordability not as grandiose gestures but tangible actions that means reducing the cost of groceries for a family of four by two hundred and thirty dollars mr speaker a year or reducing the cost of air travel by a hundred and thirty five dollars and i'd ask mr speaker our colleagues in the opposition where the north is so well represented how they plan to vote i know they voted twice against reducing the cost of living in the north but how they plan to vote when this comes for a final vote in this light just you the supplementary question thank you speaker and thank you to the minister for his answer the proposed aviation fuel tax cut makes it abundantly clear that this is a government committed to supporting northern ontario our government is dedicated to making life more affordable for ontarians across the province no matter where you live we want to put more money in your pocket and make it easier for families and individuals could the minister please inform the house about what other steps this government is taking to improve affordability minister finance and i think i think the member for the question so the aviation fuel tax will reduction will reduce the cost of living in thunder bay and timmins and sudbury across the north and that's important and again i asked the members across the the legislature to think about that but mr speaker that's not all this government has done we've also introduced our low-income tax credit mr speaker at 1.1 million ontarians that will see a reduction in their costs and and in fact eliminate 580 000 ontarians who make minimum wage from the tax rolls our low our low-income child care tax credit mr speaker that targets the most the family's most in need and will reduce costs by an average of $1,200 mr speaker for those families in child care these are the specific actions we're taking again not grandiose statements about making life affordable but specific actions we're taking to make life more affordable order i join all our colleagues to support these kinds of important the next question the member for to miscommunicate thank you speaking my questions to the premium today's global mill reports that bill Blair or brad Blair excuse me the decorated police veteran who was fired is acting opp commissioner when he blew the whistle on the premier's attempts to hire his friend has launched a constitutional challenge against the government specifically against bill 100 the government's blatant attempt to place itself above the law and to make the premier immune from lawsuits does the forward government truly believe that their legislation is justifiable and constitutional the deputy premier for to the attorney general thank you mr speaker and and it's interesting because i know all members of the house understand the rules and how things work and and to ask me about a question that is in the courts is very difficult for me to respond so mr speaker i look forward to the members second question which which perhaps i can actually actually deal her thank you mr speaker the supplementary question that actually was the point of the question but if the if the forward government genuinely thought this legislation was defensible they wouldn't have buried it in an ominous bill and rammed it through with only two days of hearings the former commissioner wasn't afraid to blow the whistle when the premier tried to appoint his friend as opp commissioner or when the premier asked him to buy a van and keep it off the books and he's not afraid to take on the forward government now brad Blair shouldn't have to take this government to do the right thing so a question that the attorney general can answer is how much money is the government willing to waste to drag this through the courts again the attorney general thank you mr speaker and i missed i missed the member from essics on these kinds of questions mr speaker because he wouldn't even ask it you know mr speaker again it's a matter of litigation i can't address matters of litigation in front when they're when they're in proceeding mr speaker so so i would love to have a dialogue perhaps when when litigation is completed about whatever the process was or whatever the perceived difficulties is the member has but for the moment mr speaker as a matter of litigation i can't respond thank you mr speaker next question the member for nagar west thank you very much speaker my question is for the associate minister of children and women's issues speaker human trafficking is a serious issue happening across the globe and across our province this summer the minister visited my riding of nagar west and held a round table with those impacted by human trafficking in our region where it is a serious problem it was shocking for me to hear about the realities of human trafficking in our province and especially the realities of human trafficking happening in our local communities speaker did you know that the average age for recruitment is only 13 years old and over 70 percent of human trafficking victims identified by police are under the age of 25 it is disgusting and completely unacceptable could the minister tell the house what she's doing to stop human trafficking in our province associate minister for children and women's issues thank you speaker and thank you to the member for nagar west for the important question first i would like to thank and acknowledge the minister of infrastructure for all her advocacy on this file for the past five years her knowledge and activism have helped me personally as our government works to build a comprehensive anti-human trafficking strategy speaker the member is right human trafficking is a crisis that is happening across the province in all of our communities and at all levels of society victims are being lured by perpetrators who rob them of their safety and dignity and profit from their abuse that is why this morning our government announced that we are committing to 20 million dollars per year to support survivors and combat human trafficking this is a first step as we develop comprehensive anti-human trafficking strategy our goal is that everyone in this province can live safely and free from the threat fear or experience of exploitation and violence thank you this supplementary question thank you speaker and i would like to thank the minister for her response and investment in such an important issue in our province i'd also like to congratulate the minister and the solicitor general on co-developing working together to build a new stronger cross government strategy to raise awareness of these horrific crimes and ensure survivors get the supports they need and that we hold offenders accountable it's so important to have a cross government work human trafficking impacts so many aspects of a survivor's life and this requires wraparound services i know at the roundtable that we did hold earlier this year we heard from survivors who've been supported by local community organizations in my writing like jillian's place the Niagara sexual assault center even the Niagara Falls firefighters but there's so much more to be done so could the minister tell the house exactly what this funding is for and what exactly our government is doing to support those who have been impacted by human trafficking minister thank you again for the member for that question the funding announced this morning is part of a range of investments we have made to combat human trafficking prevent and end violence against women and support victims of sexual violence and exploitation and end gang related activity this announcement is a signal that we are taking immediate action on what we heard from stakeholders in our human trafficking roundtables discussions this summer that there was a need for consistent and reliable funding this funding includes supports for culturally relevant services and care designed by and for indigenous peoples within Ontario it also includes support for projects that offer wraparound services to those being human trafficked and increased protection for people at risk of being trafficked as we continue to develop the new human trafficking strategy we all need to work together this means working across sectors across jurisdictions and across the aisle so we can raise awareness help survivors and hope thank you very much the next question the member for Hamilton west and castard done that thank you mr speaker my question this morning is for the premier yesterday the minister of the environment shifted blame from his ministry and denied any responsibility for informing Hamiltonians of a massive sewage spill his own ministry has been investigated for some time the ministry's own officials have known of the spill since the spring of 2018 if not earlier than that and yet his ministry chose not to tell Hamiltonians or their watershed neighbors like Burlington they didn't tell them about what the potential for contamination could mean for the health of citizens and for our environment so to the minister if Hamilton has quote failed its citizens what does it say about this government that knew about the this spill and said basically oh well not my job to tell anyone deputy premier referred to the minister of the environment conservation member opposites and listen we've been working with the public health down there the municipality conservation authority to deal with this issue but you know under the current system the onus of municipalities local health authorities and conservation authorities is to notify the public of these health and safety matters while the city complied with the intent of the ministry orders we think more should have been done to fulfill the responsibility and mr speaker we're going to take action on that's part of our main Ontario environment plan which is a year old tomorrow this this plan which continues to evolve and make Ontario a better place to live we're going to transfer into a system that delivers online notification the people living across Ontario so that any sewage spills any events such as that going on they'll be able to go online get real-time data to ensure that they're informed of what's going on again i reiterate the the council of Hamilton city council Hampton let their people down and hopefully they learn from their errors and move on and become more open and transparent to the people of Hamilton supplementary question well that's all well and good but i believe the ministry has the discretion to make sure that Hamiltonians were informed and you chose not to use that discretionary power and obviously Ontarians deserve transparency when it comes to protect the contamination of our ecosystems especially when that contamination could affect our water supply families walk their dogs by rivers and creeks and they let their kids play in ponds they deserve to know what could be lurking we now know the ministry of the environment has known about the massage sewage spill for some time in Hamilton so my question again to the minister the people of Hamilton and the people of Ontario deserve to know what's in our water how many other spills and leaks is the ministry currently waiting for someone else to report well thanks again for the question mr speaker and you know other jurisdictions are informing the people if there's spillage of sewages and not unfortunately the city of Hamilton decided not to fully be open to the people of the of the city of Hamilton and that's unfortunate that council failed its residents but mr speaker whether or not the member opposite wants to make up certain rules and regulations the onus today is to report the any type of system on the municipalities we are working as the ministry environment to ensure that the cleanup is happening and the water and the resources return to its best state possible mr speaker we are making changes to the system for an online real time of data available to all residents of Ontario for any sources sewage uh contamination mr speaker we are going to continue to work and ensure that systems up and going our main environmental plan will start dealing with wastewater treatment mr speaker we are going to make Ontario a better place to live as we protect our land air and sea and make a healthy economy and a healthy environment thank you very much next question the member for kitchen iconistoga thank you mr speaker my question is for the government house leader yesterday the government house leader introduced a package of changes to the standing orders the NDP claimed that these proposed changes will allow our government and i quote to ram through legislation and pass a bill in a single day would the government house leader please explain if the proposed changes to the standing orders really limit debate as the NDP claim thank you uh recognize the government house leader thank you very much thank you mr speaker and let me just uh congratulate the member for kitchen iconistoga he's been a wealth of knowledge over the over the summer as we've been consulting on potential changes to the standing orders he has been a very fierce advocate for improving debate and the ability for members across the aisle to engage in more personal debate so thank you for that uh mr speaker uh let me assure the member because i know the member this is important to the member but let me share the member at all members of the house that in fact the changes that are being proposed to the standing orders in no way impact or allow this government give given this government more tools to pass a bill uh in one day in fact mr speaker we've added the following standing order 47 d which says a bill and a time allocation motion applying to that same bill may not be considered on the same day we of course have not removed the ability for opposition to provide reason amendments would which would also allow them to delay the passage of legislation mr speaker so part of the problem i suspect is that the NDP withdrew from the process and maybe very much thank you the supplementary question thank you speaker and uh thank you to the government house leader for those kind words and of course clearing up what we're here to talk about today mr speaker if the NDP had indicated that they did not want to support the proposed changes i assume that that would also mean mr speaker that they don't support the accommodation of members with disabilities and i find that quite outstanding would the government house please explain what consultation process went into these proposals mr speaker government house thank you very much for the question mr speaker the member raises a very important point because early on in the process we made a lot of discussion we had talked a lot about what standing orders we could use to modernize now mr speaker we in the standing order changes we did make a proposal that members with disability would not have to ask for unanimous consent in order to participate in the daily operations of the house we made some changes with respect to cell phones and laptops i'm sure if you look around the chamber most members have laptops and phones on on their on their desks we reached out of course in early october and said to the opposition what are the things that we can agree upon let's put those on the table let's pass those like that i was talking about with respect to members with disabilities and let's pass that and let's debate the rest of it the ndp chose at that point to withdraw from the discussions mr speaker unfortunately i do i am encouraged that both the liberal party and the green party have continued to participate and i think the standing orders will reflect improved opportunity for data cross across both sides of the house mr speaker the next question the member for muskegawak james pay thank you mr speaker to the premier north ontario and once again the province response was to close highway 11 and 17 once again north ontario families were cut off and once again the movement of goods throughout north ontario came to a halt the government officially treats highway 11 and 17 in north ontario as class 2 literally second class mr speaker this means the province think it's okay that north ontario drivers must wait longer for their highways to be cleared why did this premier think north ontario families deserve second class safety and services deputy premier referred to the minister of transportation thank you mr speaker and i'm happy to rise in the house to answer this question yet again and i will do it every single day because i'm sure every day in the north it will snow and the ministry of transportation will work closely with the opp to make sure that we are taking steps to ensure the safety of our motorists in the north i'm sure mr speaker that the member opposite would not want to make would not want to subject our motorists to unsafe driving conditions because that's what we work on and that's what we're focused on at the ministry of transportation and i'm happy to report as i have already in this house that we exceed our safety standards and our snow plowing standards on highway 11 and highway 17 they exceed the standards that we expect for our class one highways we will continue mr speaker to find ways to exceed those standards and to continue to do better because on this side of the house we are focused on the safety of the motorists of the north supplementary question they'll see me thank you home and i'm the minister it's more plows earlier this month this government voted down my bill to apply the same snow clearance standard to northern highways 11 and 17 as the 400 series highways in the south the government voted to keep northern Ontario as second class the member of nipissing said second class status for the north was fine by him this week north Ontario families are seeing this second class status for themselves with repeated highway closures the answer to snow is not to close northern highways the answer is to run more plows will the premier listen to northern Ontario families and stop this second class treatment members please take your seats and the minister of transportation again to report thank you mr speaker and i'm very pleased to say that our government has taken concrete steps to improve the lives of people living in northern Ontario but instead of supporting our initiatives that help the people living in northern Ontario the ndp decided to vote against it and play politics in this year's budget mr speaker our government reaffirmed our commitment the four laning of highway 69 and highway 11 and 17 in the north including stretches between canora and the manitoba border the creation of a mining working group mr speaker that's going to focus on attracting investment to northern ontario the opposition voted against those initiatives mr speaker mr speaker they vote they're voting against the ontario seniors dental care program they're voting against the child care tax credit and they're voting against the low income individuals and families tax credit mr speaker they're also voting against the aviation fuel tax credit mr speaker that will make the thank you thank you very much start the clock the next question the member for willowdale thank you speaker and good morning my question is for our provinces first associate minister of mental health and addictions speaker mental health and addictions affect people and families in all of our communities across this great province each and every year no matter where in ontario we know that each year two and a half million ontarians that's one in five mr speaker will experience a mental health or addictions challenge and for many living in northern ontario especially those in our indigenous communities there is next to no mental health and addiction support i know that our government recognizes mr speaker speaker that we must do more would the minister please explain what this government is doing to address mental health and addictions in northern ontario the associate minister of mental health and addictions thank you mr speaker and i want to thank the member from willowdale for his excellent and important question mr speaker i recently traveled throughout northern ontario visiting many of the remote communities that provided me with an understanding of the mental health and addictions challenges faced by many ontarians living in rural and remote communities each and every day mr speaker my travels took me from thunder bay to sue look out and all the way to remote indigenous communities such as pecanja cum and sandy lake during my travels i met with a number of indigenous leaders community organizations and first responders who continue to work with populations who were continually neglected by previous governments i heard from the people with lived experience in these communities and our government remains committed to taking real action to ensure that the ontarians in the north receive access to high quality mental health and addiction services where and when they need them the supplementary thank you speaker i am proud to stand here in this legislature knowing that our government is making mental health and addictions a top priority i'm also proud that our government is continuing to deliver real action to address the mental health and addictions crisis in northern ontario i'm also pleased to hear that the minister has taken the time to meet with indigenous partners and frontline workers throughout the north i know that these firsthand experiences will inform much of the work that we are doing to address the gaps in our mental health and addiction system speaker would the minister please provide this house with more detail on the mental health and addiction supports being provided for those incredible citizens in northern ontaria minister to reply thank you mr speaker and again i want to thank the member for that question since the very beginning our government has remained committed to investing 3.8 billion dollars over 10 years to build a comprehensive connected and integrated mental health and addiction system underpinned by our mental health and addiction strategy that we look forward to unveiling in the coming months our government will continue working hard to ensure that ontarians in the north are able to access quality mental health and addiction services no matter where they live in the province on top of the 19.9 million we have invested in consumption and treatment service sites this year we will also make investments in the north that will generate positive impacts in northern communities this year we have invested over 33 million opioid and treatment services funding that has and will continue to go to service providers in regions across northern ontario thank you the next question the member for st catheters thank you speaker my question is to the acting premier today in st catheters i have a resident jared wailand who suffers from spinal muscular atrophy a degenerative disease that requires a drug called spinrassa jared is over 18 years old which means he has to cover the full cost of the life-saving drug he simply cannot afford to pay upwards of $700,000 per dose back in june the health minister committed to reviewing coverage on a case-by-case basis through the exceptional access program for people who are too old for automatic coverage however despite full of all requirements for the exceptional coverage jared has been waiting for months to hear back from the ministry does the premier think it is fair to make young people like jared hope and pray they'll receive approval of this because of an arbitrary age restriction established by this government deputy premier thank you very much for the question and i'm sorry that jared has been waiting so long to find out about his the availability of spinrassa under the exceptional access program i would be happy to speak with you privately about this to understand more about the details and i would certainly follow up with the ministry to try and get an answer for him as soon as possible supplementary question thank you speaker and i think that thank you for that response however jared is 31 years old and he's whose life expectancy is cut short because he cannot afford this medication he needs and you know this however the minister of health knows this because i sent her a letter in june and then another one in august and i only received a letter late in october after reminding the health minister in person but her response still did not include an actual answer for the dying man just earlier this week the premier gave the excuse that nearly all enterians have drug coverage for his reason to oppose pharmacare will the premier admit that he was wrong and immediately commit to coverage covering jared's drug treatment today again deputy premier minister of health again thank you for the question but as the member will know we have to make evidence-based decisions with respect to drugs with respect to any kind of coverage the indications that we have right now is spin raza is particularly effective for people of a younger age but as i have indicated to you i am certainly very happy to look specifically into jared's case and to discuss that with you in greater detail so thank you the next question the member for perry sound with skull cuts thank you mr speaker my question is for the minister of natural resources and forestry flooding is having an increased impact on the people of ontario and our communities in both 2017 and 2019 we experienced widespread flooding during the spring fresh out as a result there are ongoing concerns about the situation especially in my riding at perry sound with skull cut this summer you appointed dug mcneill a special advisor to examine ontario's flood preparedness and response to this year's floods the special advisors report has been made public this morning and i look forward to studying it closely can the minister tell the people perry sound with skokha and other areas that experience flooding this year about what steps are being taken by our government the minister of natural resources and forestry thank the member from perry sound with skokha for the question and i want to thank him for his hard work during the floods joy of us doing the spring as well i want to thank mr mcneill for his hard work on the report as a special advisor as well as the premier for his leadership on this file as i announced this morning mr mcneill's independent report on ontario's flood response found that the actions taken by our government and our partners in water management have been effective in reducing and mitigating the risks posed by flooding however we know that there is always more that can be done so that ontario is better prepared for future events the special advisors report contains recommendations on how we can improve flood management in ontario and i look forward to speaking to more of the specifics of the recommendations in the supplemental thank you supplementary question thank you mr speaker the number one priority for any government needs to be public safety and the protection of people and property i do want to thank mr mcneill for his work on this report i was impressed with his knowledge and expertise when i attended his meeting with municipal leaders in muscoca can the minister tell us the nature of the recommendations in the report and what actions the government will be taking to increase ontario's resiliency for future flood events sir for a supplemental as well speaker as i said earlier the special advisors report makes recommendations on improving ontario's flood management our government is committed to addressing these recommendations by updating policies regulations and guidelines to protect people and property as well as continuing to invest over 4.7 million dollars in infrastructure for flood forecasting and warnings last week the premier sent a letter to prime minister chadeau asking the international joint commission to appoint a member to the international lake ontario saint Lawrence river board from ontario someone chosen by the province to represent the region impacted by record high water levels it is imperative that communities most impacted by the decisions made by the ijc are represented at the table thank you very much the question the member for kiewet known good morning speaker my question is to the kuchuguma the premier the matawa chief's council came to queen's park this week to address the concerns they had with bill 32 at committee they stated that it was an inappropriate for ontario to address inherent Aboriginal and treaty rights within the schedule of the red tape reduction bill the chief's council came here to speak to ontario not just as partners but as investors of certainty that is required for anyone to do business in the north mr speaker why does this government not understand the financial impact of not properly partnering with first nations minister of indigenous affairs thank you mr speaker and i want to thank the member opposite for this question of course the better better for people smarter for business act 2019 provides certainty to the mining sector the proposed amendments to the mining act hold the government to make a decision about filing or returning a closure plan amendment to 45 days but mr speaker there are no impacts to treaty and Aboriginal rights as a result of these proposed changes all consultation importantly needs to be completed upfront with the consultation report before any certified closure plan is received mr speaker we take our duty to consult and accommodate more importantly build relationships with the metawak communities like the 30 million dollar investment into their broadband mr speaker so to ensure that they have an information highway hopefully a corridor to prosperity and a better life overall thank you mr speaker supplementary question ontario's north has the potential to be the next economic engine of the country but any development in what ontario calls a far north cannot and will not be imposed without the consent of first nations beyond this bill legislation bill 132 is being fast tracked by this government without getting first nations an appropriate engagement mechanism in time to respond will the government remove schedules 8 and 16 from the bill and establish a respectful process for engagement with first nations yes or no minister of indigenous affairs well thank you mr speaker it's important to understand the history of the far north act no one should dispute on either side of this floor mr speaker that that foreign far north act lacked any any consultation or accommodation for the indigenous communities in the far north i happened to be living up in those communities when that act was being shoved down their throats mr speaker the only piece of it that was salvageable was land use planning mr speaker and we intend and we continue to support the communities in those important activities because they will have a say mr speaker the fact of the matter is that i just had a conversation with grand chief alvin fiddler mr speaker who's looking forward to an important dialogue moving forward mr speaker that will transform the opportunity for those communities in the north but while i'm on my feet mr speaker i have to ask the member opposite when it comes to vote her against the aviation fuel response mr speaker why did he say no to something that would in actual dollars reduce the cost of food transportation in and out of the isolated communities in his rip rock thank you the next question very much speaker my question is again for the associate minister of children women's issues as i mentioned earlier the minister attended a human trafficking roundtable in my writing this summer and i'm proud to say that we had wonderful turnout from organizations across the region out of the 13 that were held i understand we had the most participants we even had firefighters speaking about their experience working with victims and survivors and it's so unfortunate that human trafficking occurs and impacts so many areas of life but it is also so encouraging to see that many different sectors are taking this seriously and providing training so that they can be supportive understanding and helping those who need it most so could the minister expand on the role of the stakeholders and how they've played such an important role in developing our anti-human trafficking work what she heard at our roundtables across the province and how this has informed the announcement this morning the associate minister of women's and children's issues thank you mr speaker and thank you to the member for that question speaker i want to thank all stakeholders for participating in these roundtables i was privileged to meet with survivors law enforcement officers indigenous partners like ontario native women's association who is in the gallery today and who i'll be meeting with later and also other frontline workers it is the workers of parts or the work of partners like on-wall that encouraged us to act on today's announcement and it is through collaborative work that the Solicitor General and i will be developing a comprehensive anti-human trafficking strategy i want to thank coralie maguire syreech from ontario native women's association for her supportive quote today the ontario native women's association is pleased that the ontario government has renewed and expanded on their commitment to end human trafficking this is a significant step honoring the voices and expertise of indigenous survivors who have bravely shared their stories to create programming services that meets the needs of indigenous women and children very much supplement your question my question is back to the associate minister of women's issues this is such an important subject and it's one that i know so many of us across party lines have heard from constituents and have heard from people in our communities about but it's often a hidden problem it's one that we might not know about we might not hear about until it impacts someone very close to us i know prior to getting into elected office i did not know much about human trafficking and i was unaware of just how much of it occurs also in the nagger region and so as our eyes are open the call to action becomes stronger and i'm so proud that this government the leadership of premium ford and our whole team has shown dedication towards this issue i also want to acknowledge the work of the minister of infrastructure in this regards but i think it's so important that the announcement this morning question the first step towards many more much more work that needs to be done in this area so could the minister explain as to how this announcement came to be and what the steps are going to be moving forward thank you minister reply thank you mr speaker and thank you member again for your question and thank you for hosting a roundtable in your riding the roundtable we held in niger falls was the last of 13 round tables that we did and i thank all those stakeholders who came out and shared their valuable information those with lived experience those working on the front lines those in the community safety sector we were in thunder bay niagara berry burlington just to name a few i've also met with violence against women coordinating committees and shelters across the province to hear firsthand from those working with victims of human trafficking i'd like to thank all of those with lived experience who shared that experience with us and moving forward as we develop our anti-human trafficking program as the member said it's often unreported cases response two-thirds of the cases happening in canada happen right here at home in our own communities it's very important that we're supporting victims but that we're also educating the public to have next question the member for tim well thank you very much mr speaker my question is to the minister of community and social services my colleague from st paul's earlier this week asked the question in regards to the closure of the tranquility house the women's shelter that was in matheson and my colleague's writing as a result of that closure capacity has increased as far as the number of women seeking beds in the shelters both in his communities and in the city of timmons we need to get you to transfer the money that used to go to shelters that provided the dollars in order to be able to provide services to the women to enter those shelters will you make sure that the money that used to be used in order to fund the services at tranquility house in matheson be transferred to the other centers so that they can deal with the over capacity we are now running at a hundred and thirty percent in timmons at the women's centers both at boston and and also at the women's shelter will you do that question is addressed to the minister of children community and social service the associate minister of children and women's issues referred to the minister the social minister of women's and children's issues thank you mr speaker thank you to the number for your question the safety and security of all in chariots is a top priority and i will work to meet with you as well as your shelter on how we can do better in those areas our government is investing in violence prevention and community services that support women and their dependence this year the ministry is investing more than hundred and sixty six million in supports for survivors of violence prevention initiatives this includes more than eight point seven million in supports for areas we remain committed to combating against violence of women in all of its forms i look forward to meeting with the member and discussing the situation in your writing thank you that concludes our question period for today we have a deferred vote on government notice of motion number 74 relating to allocation of time on bill 118 an act to amend an act to enact rather mental health and addictions center of excellence act 2019 and the opioid damages and health costs recovery act 2019 call on the members this is be a five minute bell going to ask the members to please take their seats on november the 28th 2019 mr colander moved government notice of motion number 74 relating to allocation of time on bill 116 all those in favor of the motion will please rise one at a time and be counted by the clerk mr colander mr colander mr york mr lecce mr lecce mr coo mr coo mr sandou mr sandou mr anon mr anon mr andon mr gammari mr canapass mr canapass mr babiki mr babiki mr sabawi mr sabawi all those opposed to the motion will please rise one at a time and be recognized by the mr bison mr bison mr manam jellan mr fight mr fight mr sing brampton center sing brampton center mr vantah mr vantah mr tabish mr tablet mr sat mis sattling mis lindo micro linda misHA mishaw mr momma miss baigam is begging mr yard mr yara Ms. Taylor. Ms. Shamantha. Ms. Armstrong. Ms. Armstrong. Ms. Stiles. Ms. Kernaghan. Ms. Stevens. Ms. French. Ms. French. Mr. Singh Brampton East. Mr. Singh Brampton East. Ms. Andrew. Ms. Andrew. Mr. Hatfield. Mr. Hatfield. Mr. Birch. Ms. Burns McGowan. Mr. Arthur. Mr. Arthur. Mr. Bergwain. Mr. Bergwain. Ms. Bell. Ms. Bell. Mr. Glover. Ms. Morris. Ms. Morrison. Mr. Kosovic. Ms. Montieth Farrell. Ms. Montieth Farrell. Mr. Eson. Mr. Eson. The ayes being 59 and the nays being 34. I declare the motion carried. This house stands in recess until 1pm.