 It is now time for a question period the leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition Question is to the Premier Speaker this morning our party and our leader Patrick Brown laid out our concerns with the hydro wildfire sale Sale that the PCs knew was wrong in 2002 and we know it is wrong today This morning you heard Patrick Brown talk about the first demonstration of hydro in 1910 The demonstration lit up a sign for all to see above a street in Kitchener and that sign said for the people Speaker because of this government's mismanagement and its desire to sell hydro one to pay its debts The utility will no longer be for the people Premier will you stop the hydro one fire sale and keep the majority of it for the people? Well, let me just let me just say to the member opposite and he can deliver the message to his leader that The reason we are in the process of reviewing assets Mr. Speaker the reason we have made a decision about hydro one mr. Speaker is that we know that investing in transit and transportation infrastructure is critical to the economic Life of this province mr. Speaker and the opportunity to grow I know that the that the interim leader of the opposition is not is not supportive and of investing in transit mr. Speaker they've made that very very clear But mr. Speaker the reality is that we ran on a platform of economic growth and investment in this province and people's talent and Skills and infrastructure mr. Speaker and the infrastructure component mr. Speaker and backed up by a review of assets That's the investment that we committed to and that's the Premier's speaker the misguided actions of the government means that hydro one will no longer be for the people Sadly the sale isn't about the people the sale isn't about infrastructure There's nothing new in the government's recent budget about infrastructure that wasn't already laid out in last year's budget Order and it didn't include the sale of hydro one at that time The sale is about paying the government's debt. They're brats. They can't keep under control The Premier and the Liberal Party are not looking out for the people's interests Premier if you were looking out for the people of Ontario You'd allow the auditor and the financial council accountability officer to reveal Review the sale to make sure that we're getting the best value for the people will you at least commit to that today? Let me let me just remind the member opposite as I have said many times in this house The our plan to invest in infrastructure whether it's roads bridges whether it's connecting links in Communities around the province or whether it's transit infrastructure that plan always Contained as part a review of our assets mr. Speaker because we knew we were going to need that funding to be able to make those investments Mr. Speaker, I will also remind the member opposite that as a Backdrop to our decision around hydro one. We use the sale of the 407 mr. Speaker as an example of how not To sell off an asset mr. Speaker There was no ongoing return to the people of Ontario there was no targeted investment in the future of the people of Ontario Mr. Speaker and mr. Speaker there was no Accurate assessment of the value of that asset before it was sold off We are not doing what the opposite party did on the Thank you Thank you Well Premier, how do we know that anything you just said is true? We don't know we know accountability after the budget is passed This Wednesday, you're selling hydro one to a shell company that won't be subject to oversight from the auditor general freedom of information Financial accountability officer none of the officers of this house the ombudsman You're Telling us to believe that the 15 billion dollar total value is the true value of hydro one yet There's no independent studies. There's no cost-benefit analysis. There's nobody but you and your hired Hack that tells us that were to take your word for it You've already spent the four billion dollars. You're gonna get four times in terms of two billion dollars for smart meters 1.1 to cancel gas question 83 million we just learned in terms of the hydro one billing scandal Premier, why should we believe anything you say? Mr. Speaker if you look around this province you can see infrastructure projects being built around the province mr. Speaker you can see Shovels in the ground and you can see projects being completed So that mr. Speaker is the experience that we are building on in our investments going forward But I would say to the I'd say to the member opposite I don't know where this party is coming from mr. Speaker the leader of the official opposition seems to be a little confused about where he stands Patrick Brown on May 5th of this year said I generally believe that the private sector can do a better job than the public sector I generally think market conditions would be a helpful for a lot of government agencies That was Patrick Brown May 5th mr. Speaker in their in their most recent Paper on energy that was in 2012 mr. Speaker. They said they suggested opening both hydro one and OPG to invest Mr.. Speaker so They don't support investing in transit and transportation infrastructure we understand that we do we know that's necessary We said all along that we needed to review assets Thank you My question is to the premier as well generally does not mean the sale of hydro one Premier this morning we outlined three key points that worry our caucus about the Liberals fire sale of hydro one First the secrecy that is associated with this sale the decision to sell hydro one was made without public input and Now with the government's recent budget amendment. We found fine that it will be done in complete secrecy No information for the public on who is making offers to purchase it No information on the price that is being offered and no information on the conditions attached to the purchase Premier why won't you come clean with your true motives behind this fire sale? Thank you The speaker we've said consistently the true motive is to reposition assets that we have to invest in infrastructure Mr. Speaker their tremendous infrastructure deficits across the province and across Canada mr. Speaker and it's important that we invest in those The proceeds from this sale significant amount of the mr. Speaker will go in to build infrastructure without raising taxes mr. Speaker ever from storm on Mr. Speaker and without cutting programs mr. Speaker it's the right thing to do mr. Speaker that's why we're proceeding with it We sat in our budget 2014 Assets we identified the energy agencies as well as others mr. Speaker we're going ahead with our agenda mr. Speaker We're making a difference for people in this province We're creating economic development and we're creating quality of life for their investments in infrastructure Thank you February 2013 you said it was the wrong idea. It's no wonder nobody believes a word they hear from Secondly the sale of hydro one is a bad policy decision whether the government 14% the fact remains the same it is not a majority stake and they will no longer have control The majority will do what is in the best interest of their bottom line not the best interest of Ontarians Hydro one is a natural monopoly. There is no alternative People don't have to have a choice if they don't like their service the people will pay what the majority owners demand Premier why won't you stop the fire sale and make sure this natural monopoly that's hard the sale of this natural monopoly does not harm Ontarians We've taken tremendous care to protect the interest of the rate pair and the taxpayer mr. Speaker The member from Hamilton East Stony Creek and the member from the P in Carlton come to order finish please Mr. Speaker there are allegations that are made without basis the structure going forward mr. Speaker is to ensure that no other Shareholder will have more than 10% interest in Hydro one mr. Speaker. We put protections in in terms of the board of directors In terms of protecting the appointment of the directors and requiring two-thirds vote mr. Speaker Which will include member from Rosemary on South all significant major decisions for the speaker Mr.. Speaker they will choose to ignore almost everything that's in the legislation and they will spin mr. Speaker Items that have no relevance at all with respect to the way. We are proceeding mr. Speaker They have a policy that would privatize OPG and Hydro one they have a new leader who wants to privatize government agencies member from Dufferin County They can't have it both ways mr. Speaker Supplementary The ministers had more positions on the sale of Hydro one than there are police investigations going on in that party Caucus has brought this up time and time again the problems created with the lack of independent oversight are frightening Public oversight of Hydro one ends this week Not when a majority is sold in fact before a single share is sold as the budget is written all public oversight The day disappears the day the budget receives royal assent Clearly that is wrong. No more investigations into the billing complaints No more information into your smart meter boondoggle the details of the sale are being hidden And so will all the problems that come with Hydro one Premier don't you agree the public has a right to know what's going on with her share of hydro one I'll ask you once again. Will you not remove this bad sale and any reference to it from your budget bill Thank you Minister It's interesting to note in their version of privatization They said quite clearly the rate pair will be protected by the Ontario energy board mr. Speaker Rape will be protected mr. Speaker the reality is moving forward We have protections for the rate pair and and furthermore mr. Speaker They know they know very very well that moving forward There will be an opportunity for hydro one to expand business to be a growth business the same time as to protect and rate pairs mr. Speaker We will always have 40% interest mr. Speaker. We have we have Denny does it have we have Denny does it have a former auditor general mr. Speaker Mr. Denny does it have a former auditor general of Canada is overseeing the implementation of an ombudsman in the hydro one corporation mr. They also know particularly some in the front benches the Ontario Securities Act now Ontario Securities Commission have tremendous protections for all Thank you new question the leader of the third party Thank You speaker my questions for the premier hydro one isn't the premier's to sell because it belongs to Ontarians I believe that Ontarians deserve a say speaker will this premier agree to hold a referendum So that Ontarians can have their say on their hydro one Answer this question again I've answered this question many times in this house mr. Speaker We were very clear in our budget in our platform in our budget again Mr. Speaker that in order to make the investments in transit and transportation infrastructure around the province We needed to look at the assets that were currently owned by the people of Ontario We need to leverage those mr. Speaker in order to be able to make investments in new assets That will work for people over the coming generations mr. Speaker So that is what we have done We asked Ed Clark and his commission to look his group to look at the assets mr. Speaker We made it very clear the assets that we were looking at the decisions have been made mr. Speaker That we need to make those investments in transit and transportation infrastructure and part of the way We need to do that is to recycle the value of current assets in the new assets. That's what the investments are about This is not her decision to make Ontarians deserve a say on this premier's wrong-headed decision to sell hydro one the Toronto star says and I quote Rushing this risky deal into law is wrong The Toronto said Toronto Sun says and I quote this proposed sale of hydro one Doesn't make sense Please finish and the Globe and Mail says the scheme is based on quote wishful thinking Accounting the most important question is what Ontarians want for their hydro one So speaker I ask again will this premier give Ontarians a say and hold a referendum on the sell-off of hydro one Well, mr. Speaker, you know There are various decisions that That are made by government that some members of the media members of the opposition either agree with or don't agree with mr. Speaker And that actually cannot be the deciding Factor in a decision that is made by a government whether a particular media outlet or a particular member of the opposition chooses to take a different position What we have to do as government mr. Speaker is we have to we have to take a position Which we did mr. Speaker in our platform and in our budget. We have to explain In our budget we said a number of times One quote mr. Speaker we will look at maximizing an unlocking value from assets It currently holds the government will including real estate holdings as well as crown corporations such as OPG hydro one and the LCBO Unquote on page 164 in our 2014 budget We said and I quote valuable assets include large and complex government business enterprises such as the LCBO Hydro one in the OPG the government will launch an in-depth review process. It was quite clear. We were looking at these assets mr. Speaker Thank you My opinion or some other opposition members opinion. It's about the opinion of Ontarians Yeah Risky and being based on wishful thinking the premier's plan to sell off hydro one is being called a astronomical proportions Astronomical magnitude by a man who actually knows about financial sector cons first-hand speaker He says it's a con job because it's such a great deal for banks and investors and such a bad deal Such a bad deal for the people of Ontario now Will this premier give Ontarians a say and agree to hold a referendum on hydro one? To decide whether to sell it The leader of the third party is she just cannot have it both ways mr. Speaker she can't rewrite history She can't say on the one hand that we didn't talk about what we were going to do and and in the face of all of the material that we put forward mr. Speaker Including her own statements so on July 9th of 2014 the leader of the NDP said and I quote The budget says in black and white that the government is looking at the sale of assets including crown corporations Just as on such as Ontario power generation Hydro one and the liquor control board of Ontario We said we were reviewing assets We said we were looking at leveraging those assets in order to invest in new assets mr. Speaker That is what we are doing and we are putting protections in place so that the regulatory controls The price controls will remain in place with the new company mr. Speaker Sorry my next questions to the premier speaker, which is exactly why new Democrats voted again that tear against that terrible budget Not once but twice I Draw bills in the in this country they cannot afford to pay Order Minister of Finance come to order Please finish they can't afford to pay more speaker even Bay Street fraudsters think that the premier's numbers are Fishy speaker and once the premier starts down this road there is no going back So before the premier makes yet another wrong decision for the people of Ontario Mr. Speaker It is very important to recognize that as government there are many things that have to be tackled at once So the budget that the leader of the third party is talking about did include the review of public assets We said we were going to do that And we said we were going to do that mr. Speaker because we know that investing in transit and transportation Infrastructure is what is needed right now all across this country mr. Speaker and in North America There are jurisdictions that are looking for ways to build infrastructure They know that if we are going to compete we in North America if we're going to compete with other jurisdictions around the world We have to make those investments mr. Speaker so that it that was part of our budget But also part of our budget was increase in wages for psw's mr. Speaker Hydro one hurts middle-class families and struggling Ontarians it hurts moms and dads who need to pay the bills It hurts young people looking for jobs speaker because it's hurting businesses that want to hire those young people It hurts healthcare it hurts education it hurts every corner of our province This is the wrong Decision end of story will the premier do the right thing? Will she finally do the right thing and give Ontarians a say on the sell-off of their hydro one Mr. Speaker again, I would say to the leader of the third party you can't on the one hand say that we talked about maximizing assets selling off some of the assets that That are owned by the people of Ontario in order to be able to invest in new assets Mr. Speaker which is what she has said repeatedly and then at the same time say that we didn't talk about this and somehow It is a surprise to people that we said we were going to review assets in order to be able to invest in new assets The fact is we said we were going to do this mr. Speaker. This is not an easy decision This is not an easy decision for the people sitting on this side of the house mr. Speaker But what is an important decision is that we make the right investments in? 2015 so that in 2020 and 20 for 25 we have the infrastructure that's needed so that businesses So that people can move so that those families that the leader of the third party is talking about can get to their children's daycare and get to their jobs Thank you final supplementary The premier can't pretend that she was upfront with the people of Ontario during that election campaign But new Democrats know the premier's way speaker We know the liberal ways and that's why we were so concerned, but there is still one Fundamental question By this premier why why will this premier not? Bother to hear from the people of Ontario by putting the sale of Hydra one to a referendum You see it, please thank you Premier season that we were so explicit in our budget and in our platform and then in our budget again the reason we were explicit about how we were going to pay for transit and transportation infrastructure was that we knew mr. Speaker that those were going to be difficult decisions So we made it very clear that we were looking at OPG. We were looking at LCBO. We were looking at Hydra one Mr. Speaker we were looking at real estate that is owned by the people of Ontario mr. Speaker and that we needed to we needed to recycle we needed to leverage those assets in order to make those investments Mr. Speaker we have made a set of very difficult decisions in order to make the investments that we know are necessary Because we know that if we don't upgrade our transit mr. Speaker if we don't invest in Hamilton and in Kitchen and Waterloo and in Ottawa and in the greater Toronto Hamilton area Mr. Speaker if we don't do that if we don't build the connecting links in our rural communities if we don't repair those roads and bridges And build new ones mr. Speaker we will not be able to compete Speaker my question is as well to the Premier on February 2nd 2013 Her energy Minister said to sell off Hydra one was quote a failed plan In fact not only did the Premier campaign against the sale of Hydro in every single election since she entered politics Her and Dalton McGinty said it was bad for families It would cause power rates to go up and it was just quote plain wrong The Premier has changed her policies and beliefs over the past year on anti-slap legislation on government Advertising laws and on a publicly funded documentary starring herself But the Hydro one about face is the biggest most dishonest flip-flop we have seen today She now says the fire sale won't cost us more and doesn't this is any concern of of a lack of oversight Was she lying that or is she lying now? I'll take care of the judgment here The member will withdraw Speaker sorry excuse me. I didn't hear With drawn speaker and if the member says it again, she will be named Premier Well, I guess it's the last week in the legislature. Mr. Speaker I would just say to the to the member opposite that I've been very clear actually from the time I started to run in In the leadership race, Mr. Speaker I was very clear that investing in transit and transportation infrastructure was a priority, you know I've had the experience of being the minister of transfer Finish please actually had the experience of being the minister of transportation For two years, and I had traveled the province. There wasn't a jurisdiction. There was not a jurisdiction The member from Leeds-Grenville and the member from Renfrew Nipissing Pembroke will come to order Carry on. There wasn't a jurisdiction in this province that wasn't suffering from underinvestment of infrastructure Mr. Speaker the underinvestment that we inherited when we came in office in 2003 We've been working on that We don't make those investments going forward we won't be able to thrive economically and so we're going to make those investments Her changing position on hydro one sales not the only flip-flop with respect to this file Take what she's going to do with the money in the profits The previous year the profits of hydro one would pay for infrastructure Then she said it would go toward the debt when she was reminded and only reminded that it was the law now Company before it's been sold to prevent a strike in the energy sector She spent the profit three times already and the company hasn't yet been sold This isn't a coherent plan for an asset sale in the province on taro And it's not an appropriate way to manage the energy sector in this province The two opposition leaders have asked you to withdraw From the budget will you do it or is your pants suit on fine withdrawn? We've stated very clearly all along consistently since 2013 in our budget 2014 we did so twice we put in the platform of our election The people spoke and reaffirmed their desire for us to move forward. We introduced it again in 2015 budget It is a very pragmatic and deliberate way to maximize evaluations of a substantial crime corporation while at the same time holding the majority Shares of that corporation for the benefit of the public. It's going to be one of the largest growth companies We're doing it in stages. Mr. Speaker only 50 percent tronche and the first stage it'll then determine It's true maximize value and we will do so to protect the public interest in the best interest of our public And it'll be broadly held as a result of speaker and more so answer the member opposite and that party We're actually proposing a full 100% Sale of that which we are not Thank you new question Remember from Toronto Danforth. Thank you speaker my question to the premier Not a single ontarian voted to sell hydro one not a single ontarian and for months For months the premier and her ministers insisted that was never the plan They stood in the legislature and insisted that hydro one was staying public Now they've changed their tune and the premier is insisting a sell-off was the plan the whole time This is a mess speaker while the Liberals are making a 180 degree turn Ontarians are sending a clear message stop the sell-off Will the premier Speaker let's let's examine exactly what's happened since 2013 Pre-election 2013 we had a budget mr. Speaker which indicated that we were going to assess all of our entrepreneur assets For repurposing to invest in infrastructure After the election mr. Speaker we had a budget that was approved Based on specifically reviewing among other things member from him is James Bay Agencies in terms of repurposing those assets mr. Speaker coming forward mr. Speaker and before the last election in April 2013 Mr.. Speaker we appointed mr. Clark and the asset council to review They studied that mr. Speaker for almost a year. They then provided an interim report mr. Speaker They did further further analysis. They provided a report mr. Speaker Everybody in this province who was paying any attention knew where we were Nice try actually many of them read that interim report saying that it shouldn't be sold off They knew where it should be going Ontarians own hydro one It's clear they were kept in the dark for months liberal government insisted that hydro one would stay public Ontarians want a say They want don't want to pay the price for this wrong decision Will the premier give Ontarians a say on hydro one by putting this to a full public referendum? Thank you Mr.. Speaker there have been a lot of major major decisions major initiatives that have taken place In this house mr. Speaker Some of the most important in the history of this province mr. Speaker they did not go forward with a referendum mr. Speaker Mr.. Speaker we have made this very very part of our agenda Since 2013 we're moving forward with an agenda to make sense mr. Speaker the idea of Broadening the ownership of public agencies is not new the NDP in Manitoba mr. Speaker introduced a balanced budget bill The two-way conversations have to stop I need to focus Just finish wrap up, please. I'll wrap up mr. Speaker with that final comment that it's called the balanced budget fiscal management of taxpayer accountability Act Introduced by the NDP government in Manitoba and NDP for sure. Okay, mr. Speaker where they want to Considered the privatization of Manitoba hydro the Manitoba public insurance corporation. Thank you Thank you no question The member from new market Aurora Well, thank you mr. Speaker my question is to the minister of community and social services You may know that June is deaf-blind awareness month in Ontario and as of last week was declared by the Canadian Senate as Deaf-blind awareness month across Canada June is the birth month of Helen Keller Who was a champion to people who are deaf-blind her courage and determination is an enduring example of how Despite enormous challenges Individuals of all abilities can achieve great things for someone who is deaf-blind Communication barriers can seriously limit their access to activities most of us take for granted greater independence is achieved through better Access to the community and its services Minister your ministry provides funding to the community agencies that support individuals who experience deaf-blindness Can you please give the house an overview of the community agency network which supports the deaf-blind community? Thank you Well, thank you mr. Speaker and to the member for new market Aurora for the question My ministry's goal is to build greater independence for people living with disabilities including those of course who are deaf-blind And it is the work that our community agencies and professional interveners do for people who are deaf-blind That really assist in building a more inclusive Ontario Intervener services delivered by 21 community agencies across the province enhance communication between individuals and their community Through tactile sign language Braille an American sign language with the goal that they can live as independently as possible I had the great privilege of visiting both the Canadian Helen Keller Center as well as the Rotary Cheshire Apartments in Willowdale earlier this year on my visits I met several of the staff who every day bring the world to life for people who are deaf-blind And I want to thank and celebrate those individuals for their skillful work and dedication Well, thank you minister making Ontario a more inclusive province is a responsibility We all share and there are many people to credit for the advances the deaf-blind community has achieved as you said minister It is those dedicated individuals in the intervener profession who work hard to open the doors of opportunity for people who are deaf-blind Also a lot of momentum has come from the work of the leading partners in the deaf-blind community Who have raised awareness and work closely with the government to build a better system? This government believes that every Ontarian should have the opportunity to participate in the life of their community as much as they are able Ontario is now a leading jurisdiction in the world for intervener services And this government has tripled funding for that program since 2003 Minister, can you please detail some of the work? Thank you, and I'm proud to say that Ontario has set an International standard for service delivery and is emerging as a world leader in policy development for programs and services For people who are deaf-blind We are currently developing a new funding framework that will result in a consistent approach to funding that is fair Equitable and accountable our government has increased the minimum hours of service for all individuals for a deaf-blind So those that require these services receive a minimum of 10 hours per week Also, we fund an emergency intervener service that provides support to deaf-blind individuals should an emergency ever arise Last year we invested an additional three point eight four million dollars over three years in Interpreter and intervener services to help serve a stable and well-trained Workforce together. We will build a stronger more inclusive Ontario where people who are deaf-blind can participate to their thank you potential Much like your scrap documentary you're going to unprecedented lengths To keep the public in the dark about your hydro one sale Even before all our MPPs had a chance to speak to the budget you closed off debate Then you rammed it through committee sitting only four days and only in Toronto You turned down every one of our amendments that would have given businesses Families and seniors a fighting chance Worse than that you put forward a surprise amendment that immediately transfers hydro one to a new corporation One that you control and now it's that Corporation that will sell off its pieces to shareholders and remove scrutiny Immediately Premier, what is it that you're so desperate to hide from us this time? Oh What it is that he's so desperate about that he won't look at the facts mr. Speaker the facts are mr. Speaker in 2000 when Premier Harris Restructured the electricity system for those all of the LDCs all of the utilities and hydro one then and hydro one today We're set up with a whole coal and an operating company. It already exists It was a technical correction mr. Speaker to describe what is now mr. Speaker. We have a whole coal now mr. Speaker We've had it for the last 15 years mr. Speaker, and we're going to continue to have one moving forward It was an amendment to correct the record mr. Speaker. I don't know how he doesn't know that mr. Speaker. He should I guess we could have talked about it over a cup of coffee a speaker This amendment speaker that they snuck in is the most serious piece of paper that this government has ever put forward It transfers the largest asset owned by the beach is a short over to a corporation that you Control, but you didn't do it here in the legislature last Thursday It was snuck in as an amendment a minor change to the budget You just heard the the minister call it that so this minor change now Immediately takes away the power of the auditor general financial accountability officer freedom of information Ombudsman they're cut out of the entire deal speaker immediately We have now no way to know which insiders they're paying to do what or even if Ontario is going to be getting a good deal This isn't a front to democracy premier with you tell Volunteerians what is so bad about the deal that you went to such drastic links to sneak this by Thank you minister Most almost all public utilities public companies for that matter have holding corporations And most corporations be it those from crowned Similar to the federal government and other provinces that have tried and have ax maximized some of their holdings in the same format Have used whole coast in fact the conserved as proposed the very same holding corporation when they were looking at this very venture This mr. Speaker will help maximize Will help maximize the value of all of our shares of which the province continues to hold 100% More importantly mr. Speaker it helps protect public ownership as we proceed forward so as not to dilute the overall held of these shares through the Holy Court The Question the member from Windsor West Thank You speaker my questions to the premier speaker. We know that keeping class sizes manageable is fundamentally important to student success We also know that the liberal government is aware of a fact that all research points to the importance of class size caps To ensuring the best learning environment for our students just a few years ago the liberals said and I quote We know smaller class sizes allow students to get more of the attention They need to learn to read write and do math at a high level and quote So what happened our schools are already in chaos because of more than a decade of chronic underfunding of education in Ontario And bigger class sizes will only make the problems worse My question is simple will the premier make the chaos in schools even worse for our kids by allowing class sizes to increase this fall Yes, or no Yes, thank you, and as I've said repeatedly to the member opposite In fact the the funding model this year provides twenty two point five billion dollars Just like the funding model last year provided twenty two point five billion dollars Despite the fact that there are actually fewer students Projected to be in the schools in September, which means we're actually spending more per student If you were to look at the details of the funding model for next year You would find that the class size Generators in our grants are exactly the same next year as they are this year so that The I'm not sure why the member thinks that we are trying to change class sizes That's not something that sir we are trying to do the class size generators in the funding model are exactly the same now as they Wear last year Thank you speaker speaker here we go again with the Minister of Education playing the blame game and refusing to take Responsibility for the mass hero cuts have made to education. We all know that Order please We all know the class size caps are on the table speaker I find the liberals change of heart on class size caps very perplexing It is clear that the Minister of Education has lost control of the situation And is now trying to force students to pay the price for her ill-informed cuts All evidence suggests lower class size caps are important to preserving quality education for our kids The premier in her government pay lip service to evidence-based policy, but when it comes down to it It's obvious that they are not committed the premier and her government are clearly out of touch with what matters to most families So I'll try asking the premier again Will the premier maintain current caps on class size to preserve the quality of children's education? Or will she let class sizes increase in this sort of agriculture students to pay the price? Thank you speaker and I want to make it clear that we remained absolutely Committed to negotiating collective agreements with all of our partners both the teachers unions and the education workers We have three months Between now and next September I fully intend to be at the bargaining table over the next three months and to reach those Collective agreements, but I must repeat we have not cut Education funding in fact if you look at education funding since 2003 The per pupil funding has actually increased by over $4,000 the per pupil funding 59% that's not blaming anybody that's just simply providing accurate information speaker Thank You mr. Speaker my question is to the Minister of Transportation as the member for Barry I know how important transport and transportation is for those living in my community Time and time again I have constituents tell me that they that we need to continue to invest in critical infrastructure Projects that will keep Ontario moving. They are frustrated by sitting in traffic. They are tired of gridlock They are upset that they are spending time that could be spent with their loved ones parked on the four of highway 400 and they want to know that our government is making investments that will keep them and Their families moving efficiently reliably across this province mr. Speaker can the minister Please tell members of this house how our government is planning to invest in transit and Transportation infrastructure across the province to keep Ontario families moving That's very much speaker I want to begin by thanking the member from Barry for her Advocacy on behalf of the people living in her community like many living in and working in the GTHA and frankly speaker in communities right across Ontario I felt the frustration of gridlock Successfully fighting our congestion challenge requires strong leadership the kind of leadership that premier wind is showing and an ongoing and consistent Commitment to making the right decisions even when those are not necessarily Politically convenient families across this province are asking us to be bold speaker to build To put shovels in the ground and to ensure that more transit and transportation options come into actual service Giving them and their families real choices last June They gave us a mandate to put progress ahead of politics speaker and to deliver results instead of more rhetoric And that's exactly what we're doing with critical investments being made in every corner of Ontario And I'll provide an additional update in the supplementary answer I want to thank the minister for his response I know that those living in my community will be excited to hear that we have such a strong vision for building transport transit and transportation infrastructure across this province and I'm pleased that the investments We are making will help those living in my community of Barry as an example regional express railroads provide better and Reliable service for those traveling along the very goal line But I'm sure mr. Speaker that members of the house will be interested in knowing exactly how we are delivering our vision Can the minister please tell members of this house? What investments our government has and will be making to deliver our transit and transportation Vision for Ontario. Thank you. Minister. Thanks very much speaker We are delivering on our plan to move Ontario forward because of our 13.5 billion dollar investment Weekly trips across the GO rail network will increase from 1500 trips to nearly 6,000 in 10 years We were first at the table to support the construction of the Waterloo and Ottawa LRTs And we'll be there again to offer significant support for phase 2 in both communities We have built the Union Pearson Express which comes into service this Saturday speaker connecting Pearson Airport to Union Station Here in the GTA and the area around the GTA We are and we will build LRTs in Hamilton along Finch and Eglinton in Toronto Mississaugin Brampton and Peele region speaker will continue to make critical investments to our 31.5 Billion dollar moving Ontario forward plan speaker and if I can say Listening to the question posed this morning by members of that party particularly the member from the PN Carlton I almost pity poor Patrick Brown speaker because he has to lead that crew and they made it clear why they've lost four Thank you Thank you speaker speaker my question is to the Premier Premier you offered an outrageous lump sum payment number Premier you offered an outrageous lump sum payment in stocks in the soon-to-be privatized Hydro utility to get the power workers union on board with your fire sale This weekend. I came across a quote from June 2012 and I quote We've been pretty clear. We'll keep Ontario power generation and Hydro one in the public hands as they should be and the quote Premier that was your Minister of Agriculture and his thoughts on the sell-off of Hydro one Premier will you be open and transparent and tell this house what you offered your minister to get him on board with your fire sale Mr. Speaker This corporation Will be one of the fastest growing corporations in Canada. What'll be the largest ones here in Ontario based right here in Ontario? This please mr. Speaker it will be broadly held No one person can have more than 10% of this corporation meaning that there will be more opportunities for retail and Public investors to have ownership of the corporation and we will do so in a very pragmatic and in a diligent manner to Maximize evaluations for the entire public and more importantly mr. Speaker will be able to Enable greater value of the corporation and reinvest some of the proceeds into another It very important public investment to generate even higher value for the entire public mr. Speaker That's in keeping with the public good and we'll continue to do so But clearly the Premier doesn't take the Agriculture and rural Ontario minister rural Ontario minister very seriously I'm not surprised that you've ignored your minister's objections However, I would like I would think that you would take the concerns of the Dean of the Legislature and your chair of cabinet Seriously when he expressed the following and I quote I think anyone who looks objectively at hydro one the Transmission grid in this province would recognize that it would naturally be something that is best kept in public ownership and Public hands and of quote Premier after 38 years in this Legislature I would think there was nothing left you could offer your chair of cabinet Premier what did it take to get him to contradict himself and throw away his liberal principles? You see it in place Mr. Farns We're maintaining ownership of hydro one. We're maximizing its value for the public good We're reinvesting further into transmission as well as into other public infrastructure like public transit Which is important to the people of Ontario Finish please More importantly, this is not about selling an entire Corporation what we're doing is retaining at least 40% of that corporation and at the start we're maintaining 85% ownership in order to assess and maximize our value That's exactly keeping what we said we should do and it's in the public good the member from Hamilton Mountain is warned One wrap-up sentence available The member opposite for what he stands for I'm shocked by his question in the first place We are we are retaining ownership and we're doing so for the Question the leader of the third party you speaker my questions for the Premier the Union Pearson Express will begin exclusive Diesel train service for business class travelers this Saturday This is the only the only new rapid transit service the Liberals have delivered in Toronto Since the flurry of transit promises that were made way back in 2007 now This government is keeping a province it made to business from beach is east York it's breaking the promise that it made to the communities throughout which this only this dirty and Stop the clock. Stop the clock. The Minister of Energy will withdraw Carry on is breaking the promise it made to communities through which this dirty and noisy Diesel train will run can the Premier tell us exactly when the last Diesel train will run on the Union Pearson Express Thanks very much speaker I'm always delighted to have the opportunity to stand in my place or be anywhere in the GTA to talk about the extraordinary Success that is and will be the Union Pearson Express. I mentioned it earlier speaker. It comes into service this Saturday It's a train that will finally connect to of Canada's busiest transportation hubs Union Station and Pearson Airport with trains running 25 minutes long is the actual trip itself speaker We had the chance to try it out tried out 19 and a half hours a day these trains will be running speaker It's being delivered on time. It's being delivered on budget and most importantly speaker It's being delivered on time for the Pan Am para Pan Am games 2007 the government promised Trontonians that it would build two new subway extensions and eight new late light rail lines And then before the last election campaign the Premier declared the downtown relief line Member from Trinity Spadina is warned Carry on and before the last election campaign the Premier declared the downtown relief line to be a top transit priority But since 2007 they've cut four billion dollars from transit funding They've cancelled five of the light rail projects deferred the Shepard East LRT until at least the next decade And there is no sign of the two subway lines including the downtown relief line that the Premier promised to prioritize just a year ago So why should Trontonians believe that the government will not again? Delay and defer its promise to electrify the Union Pearson Express Thank you You know speaker everywhere that we go in the GTHA and also in communities like kitchen or Waterloo in an Ottawa people see Very clear evidence of the extraordinary investments that we are making to build Transit and transportation speaker here in the city of Toronto if the leader of the NDP Took the opportunity to travel around the city speaker She would see that the Eglinton Crosstown LRT is under construction the single largest public transit project in this province's History, she would see that the Toronto York Spadina subway extension Certainly under construction speaker the first time the subway will run into the 905 She would see again speakers I mentioned a second ago that the Union Pearson Express will be operating this coming Saturday speaker She would also note that over the last decade we've invested 11 billion dollars to build up go transit 23 million more people using go transit today than were 10 years ago speaker Thank you Reminding the minister I stand you sit new question the member from York Southwest Thank You mr. Speaker my question is for the Minister of Labor Speaker the workers that crown metal packaging and be my strike for 21 months the employer has been using Replacement workers at the site to keep up production and continue their very profitable business Minister you've made it clear that the ongoing a labor disruption at crown metal holdings was disconcerting to you and You said that the dispute does not follow the norm in terms of labor relations in our province And it's not just concerning to the minister mr. Speaker. It is also concerning to the entire labor community They've sent thousands of letters urging for greater action, and I'm sure that you would be aware That labor leaders are here at Queen's Park this morning for a press conference on this very situation pressing for action Minister you appointed an industrial inquiry Commission April, but you've need not heard nothing since Speaker through you to the minister when we can we expect a rescue on this matter of labor? Thank you speaker And thank you to the member and thank you for asking another question on this the member from York Southwest And I think is paying the attention that this issue deserves the members right the ongoing dispute a crown was Concerning enough that we took action, and we appointed the industrial Inquiry Commission, and we're trying to get to the bottom of the remaining issues and advise on a path forward This is unusual in Ontario speaker, but on this side of the house We believe the best deals are negotiated right at the bargaining table Sometimes that relationship breaks down speaker further action may be required from time to time That's what's happened at crown metals the processes unfolding with the assistance of mr. Mitchick pleased to report that since the appointment of the inquiry The parties have resumed talking answer negotiations are continuing, but while they're at the table speaker It's important. We let the discussions happen and continue to hope that an agreement will be supplementary Thank You mr. Speaker The employees at crown need answers and they need them sooner rather than later They've been out on the lines for 21 months. They're tired of walking the line And no one seems to be listening and we need to let them know that someone's listening It's time that the workers know that our government has their back and that they won't let their struggle go unnoticed Speaker a crown employees Want the minister to know that the clock is ticking they want to know that they will be able to return to their jobs So speaker the minister has said the yes appointment Morton Mitch Nick is the head of an industrial inquiry commissioner and the commissioner has had nearly two months To resolve the ongoing dispute I Speaker through you to the minister what else can the government do? When it's back to receive the advice of the industrial inquiry commission mr. Labor Thank You speaker and thanks again to the member for York South Western for continuing to bring this issue Forward on behalf of the working people in this province the Ontario Labor Relations Act of 1995 Grants a few special powers to the Minister of Labor to intervene during a labor dispute of this nature Under section 37 of that act I've already appointed an inquiry commission that's led by Morton Mitch Nick His job is to look into report back on the dispute and with recommendations as to how we can move forward He's a well-known. He's a respected mediator. He's a very good arbitrator I've got full confidence in the ability of this individual to provide this house and to provide me with sound and reasonable Advice on a path forward. It's essential to understand that the best deals are the ones that are made of this that table While the parties remain at the table. It's essential. We let them continue. I can't inform this house speaker I anticipate mr. Mitch Nick's report will be here on June My question is for the Minister of Education Minister you know now that because of virtually no bargaining taking place at either the Central or the local level the elementary teachers Federation of Ontario has escalated their work to real campaign effective today Minister the clock is ticking. We both we both know that a little over 800,000 elementary school students and their families are impacted by this escalation And now it's just 99 days left before the students return from their summer recess You have the potential of education turmoil on your hands Minister when will you actually get serious about the non bargaining that's taking place And the turmoil that it's building in the education system Thank you Yes, thank you very much. And I I want to emphasize that there are three months remaining Before the next school year starts In fact bargaining has been going on at various tables as I've mentioned many times We actually have nine central tables and just because bargaining isn't happening at one on a particular week Doesn't mean that bargaining isn't happening at another table in a particular week. So in fact central central Central bargaining is ongoing. We are we are gradually working towards resolution on a number of issues and I am certainly committed to being at the table over the next three months and I would hope that Everyone would be there The member from bruce gray one sound on a point of order very much Mr. Speaker, I'd like to welcome paul rose bush CEO of south bruce gray health center He's here to meet with ministry of health staff in regard to the chastity restorative carry-in. Thank you, speaker The member for Windsor to come see on a point of order. Thank you speaker with your indulgence They have two friends here this morning from the Windsor region representing the Windsor construction association They arrived after the start of question period President steve cuts a necklace is here and the executive director jim lions Welcome to queens park and speaker. They have right to all In the dining lounge put on by the construction association of Ontario later today. Thank you There are no deferred votes this house stands recess until 1 p.m. This afternoon