 It is therefore now time for a question period. The leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Energy. I'm going to put forward a pretty simple question. It doesn't require spin, it doesn't require fluff, it doesn't require historical context. There will be no need to blame people from 20 years ago or say your dog ate your homework. What I want to know directly to the Minister of Energy is exactly what was the net financial loss incurred by the Liberal government when exporting power over the last two years. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So the exact number is $236 million in benefits, Mr. Speaker. As estimated by the experts in the independent electricity system operator, Mr. Speaker. And these benefits translate into reduced costs for the ratepayers, Mr. Speaker. Something that we as a government see as so important. That's why we brought forward the Fair Hydro Plan and reduced rates by 25%, something that they voted against, Mr. Speaker. Want to go since 2013? The net benefit of our exports has been over $1 billion in savings to Ontario ratepayers, Mr. Speaker. Now if we want to go in fact to when they had their history and their talks about what they did in the sector, they were actually spending $7 million in electricity in one day just to keep the air conditioners going, Mr. Speaker. They were complaining about having to import. We now export and make money, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Each side has had their chance to huckle. It's now stopping. The message has been sent. Clearly. Supplementary. Mr. Speaker, again to the Minister of Energy. The Minister of Energy just said they make money on exports. Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, facts still matter in Ontario. The Ontario Society of Professional Engineers laid it all out and it was reported in the financial post. The report showed, I will quote, Mr. Speaker, that chief exports of surplus nuclear, solar, wind and hydropower could have cost Ontario as much as $1.25 billion over 21 months. So the facts are in the financial post, $1.25 billion squandered by this liberal government, lost to Michigan, New York and all across the north of the United States. So, Mr. Speaker, we don't need fake spin. Facts do matter. And will the Minister of Energy stand in the House and say that the financial post is wrong? The engineers are wrong. No one believes this government's fake spin. Come clean, tell us the truth. In fact, while the question was being put, I heard more noise from this side than I heard from the other side. So, we are in warnings. And I'll be quick to come up. Minister of Energy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And he is right. Facts do matter in Ontario. And that's why we bring forward facts each and every day while they're the party that talks about spin when they have no policy and no idea on what to do in this sector, Mr. Speaker. The experts in this sector are the independent electricity system operator. The people that run our system day in and day out, Mr. Speaker. And I take their advice and I listen to what they have to say very carefully. And what the ISO says, Mr. Speaker, and maybe they should listen, is that we have made $236 million. Member from Leeds, Grenville, is warned. Carry on. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We made $236 million last year. We made $238 million the year before. And we made more than that the year before that, Mr. Speaker. You want to go back all the way into history? Let's go back to 2002 and 2003 when Ontario paid $900 million to import electricity because they let the system go. They let it get to the tatters. Thank you. Final supplementary. Mr. Speaker, again to the Minister of Energy, it's almost comedy hour hearing the Minister of Energy saying they rebuilt energy. This government re- Minister of Energy is warned. Finished? Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Energy being proud of his record on hydro, they tripled rates since 2003 and they're proud of it. They've allowed a situation to occur where we're subsidizing businesses in Michigan, Pennsylvania, the Northern United States. You're charging Ontario families to subsidize our competitors. And facts matter, Mr. Speaker. So I will repeat. My question to the Minister of Energy, are you saying that the financial post in the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers are wrong when they say you blew over a billion dollars? Stop the party. Minister of Municipal Affairs is warned. I'm almost tempted to do something that I never thought I would think I'd have to do and offer a blanket warning to everybody. That's unheard of. But I will if I have to. Finished, please. Mr. Speaker, I can understand why the government's getting testy about their own record of blowing a billion dollars. But I just want the Minister of Energy to come clean to tell the House the truth. Is the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers, is the financial post correct when they say this government blew a billion dollars? Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So when we look at the experts, the independent electricity system operator who runs our system, who knows the day in and day out needs of our entire system, our entire province, Mr. Speaker, they have said since 2013 we have seen a billion dollars in savings. And of course I'm very proud of the record of this government and what we've done with the electricity sector, Mr. Speaker. We've rebuilt the system that they left in tatters. $70 billion to actually fix the system, Mr. Speaker. Let's start looking at it, eliminating coal, making sure that individuals like Matthew, 10-year-old boy who hasn't had to go to the hospital for a year and a half because the air is clean, that's something I know everyone on this side of the house. Member from Oxford is warned. Carry on. So I will continue to work for people like Matthew and for other children in this province who need clean air to breathe, unlike that party who vote against everything that we do to make this province better for people like Matthew, for seniors, for adults, for children. We make sure that we look after the people of our province unlike that party, Mr. Speaker. New question to the Leader of the Opposition. My question is for the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services. Firefighters have indicated they want to see proactive health and safety for the various aspects of their trade. Their Section 21 Committee provides guidance but non-mandatory health and safety regulations for firefighters. Mr. Speaker, how will the Minister address reviewing the Section 21 Committee mandate and a commitment to the safety of our firefighters? Will she make the guidance notes and other recommendations mandatory under the Health and Safety Act? Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services. Well first, Mr. Speaker, I'm glad that the member of the Leader of the Opposition is asking the question because it gives me an opportunity to thank all our firefighters across our province who are working so hard to keep our community safe, Mr. Speaker. And, you know, I was a guest speaker at the honour of going and speak with them in the last couple days when they were here yesterday for their meeting. And one thing that we have committed is the partnership with our firefighters is the collaborative efforts to raise the issues that they have brought forward for the last 10 years with us, Mr. Speaker. You know, I'm very proud of the fire safety records. We've seen a decrease all around our province regarding fire in buildings and housing based on some initiatives. And again, Mr. Speaker, I want to work and we continue to work with our firefighters. Mr. Speaker, again to the Minister, a simple yes or no, our firefighters deserve that. Will the guidance notes and other recommendations be made mandatory under the Health and Safety Act? Yes or no? Can our firefighters count on you? Thank you, Minister. So, I would say definitely they can count on us in working in collaboration and partnership as we've done for numerous years, Mr. Speaker. And certainly I'm very happy when recently, when I was appointed as a Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services, part of my mandate was to create a fire safety technical table where lots of issues have been raised collectively to find the solutions to improve the well-being of our firefighters. And again, I want to say and commend our member, the Minister of Labor, for introducing PTSD. And that was a huge component, Mr. Speaker, of our collaboration and our partnership with our firefighters. Thank you. Final supplementary. Mr. Speaker, again to the Minister, since I can't get an answer on the section 21 safety aspect for firefighters, let me ask it a different question for firefighters. Two years ago I rose in this house and spoke of the late Billy Wilkins. Over a decade ago he lost his life running into a fire to keep my community, the city of Barrie, safe. A year ago I asked that same question about the need to have survivor benefits in the province of Ontario for our first responders who sacrificed their own safety to keep our province safe. And so for the third time I will raise this again in the House and ask the Minister if I can have this province's commitment that we will set up an Ontario survivor's benefits for the families of first responders, recognizing that they put their own family at risk. They put their own safety at risk. You know, I saw what happened to firefighter Wilkins. His family was left with nothing after he gave his life to our community. Can I count on the Minister to make sure we have a program like that in Ontario? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First off I want to say my heart goes out to all the families that have lost loved ones in the line of duty. You know, they paid the ultimate sacrifice to keep our community safe and we are eternally grateful. I was also very pleased actually to hear that our federal partner, our liberal federal partner, are establishing a public safety officer award which includes $80 million to support families of those who have fallen in the line of duty. And every member in this House in all level of governments can agree that these families deserve support. Mr. Speaker, our government currently support these families through a fund such as the Constable Joe McDonald Public Safety Officer Survivors Collegeship Fund and it is named after Constable Joseph McDonald of the Sudbury Police, Mr. Speaker who actually was shot in the line of duty in 1993. Our government commands a dedication of our public safety officers that exhibits every day. Thank you. My question is to the Acting Premier. Today is the second day college students have been back in the classroom since the strike and they've been offered nothing but more chaos and confusion as to whether they can withdraw from their semester, get their tuition refunded and not lose their spot in their program of their choice. One student says to everyone thinking that dropping the semester means you can still take second semester that's not the case. If you want to refund you withdraw from your entire program. Why is the Premier forcing students who can't complete the condensed semester to leave college entirely and then reapply with no guarantee that they will get back into their program? Thank you. Deputy Premier. Speaker, I have to say that the line of questioning that the member opposite is pursuing is disturbing given that that was the party that has said that if they were in power those students would still be suffering from this strike. They were very clear speaker at every turn as we tried to get students back to work they blocked our legislation speaker. We used every opportunity. Last Thursday we sought unanimous consent to introduce legislation this was denied by the NDP. On Friday we introduced legislation and then requested unanimous consent to debate the legislation on the same day denied. On Saturday we asked the House to immediately vote on second and third reading. The NDP said no. On Sunday we asked for immediate third reading vote but again the NDP said no. So speaker students are back in the classroom. We're happy. Thank you. Supplementary. Thank you speaker I would appreciate an answer to my question. After five weeks of uncertainty students need clear information from this premier and this minister. They have only days to decide about the condensed program and they need to be able to assess their options. Another student says I only get a full refund if I withdraw the semester which I can't even do with the program I'm in or I lose my full year. Thanks for nothing Ontario government. Speaker why is this premier forcing students to drop out completely if they want their tuition refund. Speaker I can tell you that we are doing everything possible and the colleges are doing everything possible to support students as to complete their semester speaker and that is what we are strongly encouraging students to do and that is why we have given a two week the member opposite says days two weeks to decide what is best for them. Every student has the right to choose whether they want to withdraw with a full tuition refund or if they want to continue and work towards the successful completion of their year. Speaker two weeks we are urging students to actually take advantage of that two weeks to understand how they are going to be able to get back on track after this strike that would have gone on indefinitely had the NDP had their way. Thank you final supplementary. Speaker the minister knows that students are being forced to give up their spot in their program in order to qualify for the tuition refund with no guarantee that they will be accepted back in the future that's not acceptable these students want to continue the education they started but they have lives outside of the classroom many have kids, jobs and other obligations that will make it difficult to successfully complete an accelerated condensed course. They do not want to drop out. They want to defer until January to get a fresh start on a complete semester. Why is the premier forcing these students to drop out? Minister? Speaker I am encouraging every student who is considering conditions to actually speak with their college because there is nothing in our directive that prevents students from beginning in January speaker but not every college program is semesters. Many have a full year speaker and so students have to work with their college to find the best option for them. If they choose to withdraw they will get a full refund of their tuition speaker but I am encouraging students to work to do the very best they can to complete the semester. Speaker again to the acting premier this minister knows that it was in action by her liberal government that prolonged the strike for five weeks. Premier's refusal to step in and facilitate a deal meant that some students had to give up their apartments. They've been forced to juggle work schedules. They've had to rearrange travel plans maybe plans to go home for the holidays. A hardship fund capped at $500 just doesn't cut it. One student said that doesn't even cover my rent for the month I missed not to mention my groceries, the parking pass that I already paid for gas money to get to campus because I work there, phone, internet bill etc. Why can't the premier come up with a fund that will actually meet the financial hardships experienced by students? Speaker taken unprecedented action to ensure that students do have access to a hardship fund. It is well within the discretion of the college to determine in exceptional cases that the limit of $500 be waived speaker. The member opposite keeps referring to an opportunity we had to interfere in collective bargaining. I want to make it very clear speaker if we had interfered they would be the first to be attacking us for we let collective bargaining proceed. The member opposite has referred to legislation that allows us to proceed. I explained yesterday there is overriding legislation speaker and I am asking the page to send over copies of both bills and actually have real lawyers read them and then they could advise the NDP whether or not they're on maybe $20,000. You've seen it please. Supplementary. Speaker students have been put through the ringer because of this government's decision to sit on the sidelines and $500 doesn't even begin to cover the cost for. Minister of economic development and growth is warned. Another student says $500 is not enough for all the hardship students had to go through. $500 doesn't cover rent not to mention all other expenses during the strike. Money is nice but it doesn't solve the real issue which is a lack of respect for students. When will this premier show students the respect they deserve and direct the colleges to remove the $500 cap on the student hardship? Thank you. I have to say it's kind of interesting to note that now there is real concern for students coming from that party because I can tell you if you review Hanson if you review the debates that we had about getting students back to the classroom you will see there is no reference to students except when I quote the minister of labour and myself on this issue speaker. So this new found concern for students is refreshing. I'm just not so sure how sincere it is. Final supplementary. Thank you speaker. Instead of supporting students to move beyond the last five weeks of the strike the help offered by this Liberal government is creating more chaos and confusion. The $500 cap on the compensation for students to recover from the strike simply isn't enough and students need to know today if the premier will direct colleges to guarantee that anyone and get their tuition refunded will not lose their place. When will the premier stop paying lip service to students and come up with an appropriate solution to the mess that students have been forced to endure over the past five weeks? Thank you minister. Well speaker the member it might be interesting to know that the hardship fund that we have put in place was informed by consultation with student speaker it is the first time in the history of post-secondary education strikes that this kind of fund has been created I think the NDP is really struggling because they know that they blocked the return to the classroom of college students across this province half a billion students or half a million students 500,000 students know that the NDP blocked the return to classroom and they are trying to pretend they are concerned for students but it is very clear that they do not. Thank you. Thank you my question is for the minister of natural resources and forestry as you know the Ontario forest industry association and a huge group of northern mayors first nation chiefs and business leaders are here at queen's park today to set the record straight about the sustainability of forestry in Ontario section 55 of the endangered species act which removes duplication and allows the forestry sector to operate under the crown forest sustainability act is set to expire next June when the ESA was introduced then minister David Ramsey promised the forestry sector would continue to operate under the crown forest sustainability act which since 1994 has ensured the forestry sector takes care of not only the forest but the animals that live there minister will you stand up for northern communities and first nations keep your word and let our sustainable forestry sector operate under the crown forest sustainability act. Thank you speaker and I am pleased to answer this question which supports our forestry sector and the critical role that it plays in the success of the provincial economy and I also welcome so many members from forestry industry as well as the northern communities here with us today in the galleries. Our government continues to work closely with our federal counterparts on caribou conservation and provides information to the federal government to support our shared conservation goals for caribou in the last few years our government has invested $11 million to support Ontario's caribou conservation plan the investments allowed ministry researchers to participate in over 50 different research projects including monitoring of caribou. We are now able to make more informed decisions about resource activities or development in areas where caribou live in addition we are providing important information to the federal government to support their national progress report on this species and in the supplementary I'll talk about the exemption supplementary the member from here on bruce. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker I might suggest the minister speak with David Canfield and he'll give her a lesson on caribou but back to the minister there are also many first nation chiefs and representatives here today who support and are active in the forest industry with the upcoming expiration of section 55 of the ESA and the lack of action on the part of this government to work towards a permanent solution Speaker these indigenous leaders want what everybody wants the opportunity to provide economic security and jobs for their communities. Yet Speaker the lack of action on the part of this government is standing in the way of that. So Speaker I have to ask the minister when will this government finally get to work on establishing a permanent solution to section 55 of the endangered species act that is the result of a real partnership with stakeholders and right holders such as industry experts like OFIA and first nations communities. Thank you very much and our government continues to engage with indigenous organizations forestry, industry, municipalities environmental organizations and other stakeholders as we seek to provide a balanced and creative solution using their input we had all of these sectors with us earlier this year in a meeting and we will continue to uphold Ontario's high standards of sustainable forest management and creating opportunities for northern communities and in saying that our government knows how important this sector is the exemption for the forestry industry expires in June 2018 our ministry has been exploring possible solutions that minimize impacts on forest operations protect species at risk and their habitat and continue to provide economic opportunities for communities in northern Ontario including those that our indigenous partners are involved with they continue to be a valuable part of our forestry sector and I think the work that you do is very different. Thank you. Thank you speaker my question to the minister of energy in March the privatized hydro one filed its distribution rate applications for 2018 to 2022 and instead of reducing its rates as the government promised would happen the privatized hydro one is seeking a 20% increase but there's more on page 2038 of the application we learned that hydro one wants to install prepayment meters which require the customer to pay first before they get any electricity everywhere that prepayment meters have been used they have hurt struggling families will the government direct the Ontario energy board to prohibit hydro ones use of prepayment meters. Thank you Mr. Energy Mr. Speaker the OEB is the quasi judicial organization and our regulator in the province their mandate is to have the rate payers best interests in mind and so we leave the decisions when it comes to rate applications to the OEB Mr. Speaker you know when it comes to hydro one and the rate application it is also important Mr. Speaker to talk about that the OEB is reviewing this and again Mr. Speaker there will be no increase more than the cost of inflation for the next 4 years Mr. Speaker that was part of the fair hydro plan that that member and that party voted against making sure that rate payers actually had that 25% reduction Mr. Speaker talking about hydro one customers they can see anywhere between a 40% to a 50% reduction because of the action that this government took to make sure that we protect rate payers Mr. Speaker Thank you Mr. Speaker again to the minister after Margaret Thatcher privatized the UK's water system utilities began installing these prepayment meters they hurt struggling families and they created a public health crisis the premier has hurt families in Ontario by privatizing hydro one Hydro one's installation of prepayment hydro meters would bypass Ontario's rules for disconnections hydro one won't have to disconnect anyone the power will be cut off automatically if the customer doesn't feed the meter the UK finally banned prepayment meters will the government do the same thing and stop hydro one from installing prepayment meters Minister again Mr. Speaker this is an application that is before the OEB and the OEB as the quasi judicial economic regulator of our electricity system our energy system Mr. Speaker they're reviewing every application with the rate payers best interest at mind Mr. Speaker I know the member opposite mentioned the importance of protecting the interests of the people of Ontario and that's what this government has done by bringing forward the fair hydro plan and reducing rates by 25 percent but on top of that Mr. Speaker with the broadening of ownership of hydro one not only have we seen Mr. Speaker reductions of anywhere between 40 and 50 percent but we're actually seeing a 13.5 billion dollar investment in the GTHA go regional express rail it's going to quadruple the number of weekly trips to 6,000 5.3 billion dollars in the Eglinton Crosstown LRT 1 billion dollars in Ottawa's LRT 43 million dollars in Waterloo regional transit the list goes on Mr. Speaker thank you new question the member from beaches east York well thank you speaker my question is to the minister of labour speaker this morning we completed third reading debate on bill 148 the fair workplaces and better jobs act this concludes speaker more than two and a half years of evaluating the nature of our workplaces how they have changed and how our labour and employment laws must be amended to reflect those changes and this was a direction given to the minister by the premier win in his mandate letter now speaker this consultation both informed both the changing workplaces review and the resulting legislation bill 148 we heard from countless groups and organizations across the province many of whom are here today with us at Queens Park and they include representatives from labour unions employers workers advocacy groups employees women's advocacy groups doctors economists many many more so speaker will the minister please let us know how their input and feedback has been reflected in the fair work that our jobs act thank you speaker and thank you to the member from beaches east York for this very important question let me start by thanking all the advocates that have joined us today speaker they have worked so hard across this province all they've asked for speaker is to see respect and to see dignity in Ontario workplaces speaker they provided incredible insight to the special advisers right throughout the changing workplaces review we listen to that input speaker the feedback informed our decisions right throughout the province speaker things like raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour establishing paid sick days five days paid leave speaker for victims of domestic and sexual violence speaker we know the provinces economy is doing very well but not everybody is sharing in that prosperity speaker we still have people in this province working 35 40 hours a week sometimes two or three jobs speaker they can't get by it needs to change bill 148 is that change thank you supplementary well thank you speaker and I'd like to take a moment to thank the minister of labour for his diligent work and bringing forward this extremely important piece of legislation over the past two years and especially through this summer I've spoke with so many of my constituents in the riding of beaches east York about the challenges they face at work and at home speaker many have been left trying to support their families on a minimum wage that just doesn't go far enough they need a living wage they're trying to raise their children they're saving for their children's education and they're wondering how are they going ahead our provinces economy is doing extremely well and we cannot forget that everyone is not sharing in this prosperity minister I am proud our speaker I am proud that we have committed to help families in beaches east York and across the province of Ontario through the measures that are included in bill 148 and frankly I am shocked that anyone in this house could withhold support for this very important bill will the minister please let us know what the supporting member from beaches east York again I do want to thank all members of the House for the advocacy the support they've shown on this legislation speaker I agree it's shocking to think that anybody in this house would deny support for this bill it increases the minimum wage for 1.6 million Ontario it ensures equal pay for work of equal value more predictability speaker modernizing our organization practices this is what our government believes in speaker the opposition would like to go back to the Harish year speaker to when the minimum wage was frozen $6.85 they'd like to roll back our commitment to $15 an hour speaker we're not backing down we're not going to back down we're committed to ensuring the best of all futures for our family speaker we're standing up for the rights of all Ontario workers we're committed to fighting for Ontario families and speaker we stand opposed to those who would block these changes thank you do you see it please do you see it please do you question the member from Health and County my question is for the minister responsible for early years in child care parents across Ontario are constantly struggling to find affordable child care options and yet a Globe and Mail article today reports that the government is placing more restrictions on what qualifies as after child care under the minister's restrictions businesses offering unique programming such as theatre and dance will only be able to offer programs three days a week children will go to school five days a week working families need options how does limiting after school programming help hardworking families already struggling to find after school programs for their children thank you minister responsible for early years in child care thank you Mr. Speaker I want to thank the minister for this very important question because I know the situation with sprouts kids has parents concerned and I want them to know that we are working hard to resolve this issue with them with little to know disruption to the kids that are out there needing a before and after school care but Mr. Speaker I want to clarify something when it comes to children in our province in care safety is our number one priority and we brought in rules based on recommendations made by the ombudsman in 2014 and those recommendations came about because of a death of a child in care and so we took those recommendations and move forward almost right away with a set of rules that we were going to bring in place and we gave municipalities and everyone else two years to transition and those rules came into effect three months ago. It is offensive that this minister is comparing after school programs that provide theater, arts, math, tutoring to unregulated care that happened it's offensive to those businesses while parents are struggling to find child care they can afford you are limiting their options this government appears to be on a mission to reduce the choices and availability for after school care in Ontario to quote a mum it feels really wrong to have the government come in and tell you what you are able to choose for your child for an after school program how many after school programs will be shut down leaving families with fewer options for after school care. Mr. Speaker I am once again really pleased to stand up and I am sure that we will have a chance to see that that the government exposes how little the member opposite understands what is going on. There are a wide range of programs offered when it comes to child care we have child care before and after school programs and recreational programs. So we are making sure when it comes to our children being in a safe environment that they are able to provide for their children and their children. I am sure that we will have a chance to see that in the next 6 to 12 years of age. I also want to point out that we are now have introduced before and after school care to our schools where there is sufficient demand across the province. 16,000 more children in Ontario are now access spaces. That is as of September 1. The crisis in child care in this province continues today. In the east end of Toronto, parents of 97 children were given one week's notice to find alternative before and after school care. After sprouts and neighbourhood recreation and walk safe program was found to be in contravention of the early years of child care act. Midway through the school year, east end parents were left to parents serious concerns. Because of this uproar, the ministry last night made an exception. Toronto Councillor Janet Davis has said it best, this province has totally bungled the school age program rules and it begs the question. Will this government be cracking down on every karate program and dance studio in the province of Ontario now? Sorry. To the minister of early years of child care in this province, we have been doing it for more than a year. Those pieces that we are moving forward with are underway. I have to say that the member opposite and the party opposite is a little late coming to the party. We have moved forward with a framework that is now in place and that is expanding the child care in this province by 100,000 additional spaces in the province. In addition to that, we have moved forward with $1.6 billion in capital funding that will now move into place in 2018 and will build spaces. Right now in this year, the 2017-18 year, we have moved forward with $200 million, $24,000 spaces are being created in this year alone. In addition to that, we are making fundamental changes to ensure that we are building a solid foundation when it comes to children and child care in this province. When it comes to this instance of before and after care and sprouts kids, my officials are there right now working with them to ensure that they are compliant and those children have care. Thank you. One parent with a daughter in the sprouts program said that the move to limit sprouts before and after care is over. I think it is a good thing that the government doesn't understand or support a working family. Parents across the province who rely on recreational programs like sprouts, they do so because they are unable to find licensed affordable child care for the children. Certainly they can't after 14 years of this liberal government. With other neighbourhood programs full for the remainder of the process. What is the government's plan for authorized recreational programs or will the Ontario parents in this case be expected to alert from crisis to crisis across this province? Thank you. Mr. Speaker, once again I am pleased to answer this question because it is so important. First of all, absolutely when the situation with sprouts kids came to light, we were concerned and we were working hard to ensure that we resolved the issue. Frankly, I was a bit surprised because these rules came into force September 1 and for the last two years various programs around the province have been working to transition and my teams have been working with them to ensure that we do it and help them get on track. Right now we are working with these families but I do want to point out something Mr. Speaker. When you have children that are 6 to 12 year olds the rules are different. You cannot bypass those child care rules. They are there to make sure we are supporting those children and they are strict because of safety. Thank you Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sports. The province has an ambitious vision to transform Ontario place into a modern, vibrant year of waterfront destination that builds on a legacy of innovation fund, live music and engaged residents and visitors of all ages. This summer we reopened the Trillium Park in William G. Davis trail which has 7.5 acres of green space to Toronto's waterfront. That's a real benefit to residents of Liberty Village, Illinois and Fort York communities. We host four diverse festivals in the spring and summer and celebrate the province 150th anniversary. Through you to the Minister. Can she tell us more about what she announced early this month pertaining to the reopening of iconic Sinisteria theater. Thank you. Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the member for his question. It's been an extremely exciting year for Ontario place. For over 40 years Ontario place has been a cultural centerpiece and a hub for all activities, for all Ontarians and we're excited to have this opportunity to speak to the iconic Sinisteria and exciting part of our Ontario place revitalization. I had the pleasure of welcoming Ontarians back to the Sinisteria earlier this month. In doing so we were able to introduce a new generation to the world's first permanent IMAX theater. We revamped the space to make it a year round facility that everyone can enjoy, making upgrades to the entrance, acoustics, the lighting and there's a new digital projector truly unique. Because it is a Canadian innovation the IMAX 70 millimeter film experience is truly a visual experience that is unparalleled. Finally we're enhancing access to the Sinisteria too. By partnering with charitable organizations so that the community can come free of charge so that everyone can enjoy the unique experience that Ontario plays in the Sinisteria. I thank you minister for the answer. It's wonderful to hear that all the great work has been done to transform Ontario place to a life, life recreational and cultural space for everyone to enjoy. After all the legacy of Ontario place was and continues to be one of the cultures engagement and discovery. The development that we see on our beautiful waterfront is exciting and to hear that many Ontarians have already been down the site whether it's to watch the great flicks at iconic Sinisteria or go for a bike ride along the main trail makes us want to build on this great momentum even further. Speaker to the minister can she explain to this house how is her ministry will continue to make the vision of realizing of a realized Ontario place, a revitalized Ontario place of reality. Thank you minister. Thank you mr. Speaker as the member mentioned the vision for a revitalized Ontario place is one of lively cultural engagement. We call it Ontario place for a reason speaker. It's a place for all Ontarians and our next steps in the revitalization plan will continue to build on that principle. I'm happy to say that we're now officially in the design phase to create a wonderful green space at the 20 acre celebration common at Ontario place. We heard what Ontarians wanted to see and we listened. The space will be transformed and be used for festivals community events and recreation. The ambitious vision for a modern vibrant year round waterfront destination is well underway and we look forward to continuing to welcome all Ontarians to what is truly a wonderful jewel on the waterfront of Canada's largest city. Thank you mr. Speaker. Thank you. Thanks to my questions to the minister of transportation. Well we pay to send our green energy across the border. Ontario auto dealers are being forced to pay here at home for yet another liberal green scheme. Of course long on promises that are funding but short on results. Boasting $14,000 rebates per luxury electric car and of course the minister's own electric car lot the liberal electric vehicle program has become a costly vanity project propped up by taxpayers. Now we hear that the rebate delivered at point of sale has auto dealers paying out of pocket while they await promised government reimbursement that's being held back. I believe dealers in the GTA alone are owed well over two million dollars. Speaker will the minister explain why he is making auto dealers pay the price for his electric car substance. Question. Thank you. Thanks very much speaker I thank the member for his question. I couldn't help but notice from the tone of the question if not the exact language that it seems implied in the question that that member in his leader certainly don't seem to support the idea that we want to deploy more zero GHG vehicles on a road speaker our government cannot stand more starkly in contrast to that backward looking assertion on their part speaker what we've seen here in Ontario since we've introduced even more generous electric vehicle incentive speaker through our electric vehicle incentive program which as he pointed out offers up to $14,000 for those individuals who choose to buy or lease one of these and up to $1,000 by way of rebate for those families. Member from Renfrew Nipissing Pembroke is warned. Finish please. For those families that choose to install home base charging infrastructure what we've seen speaker is actually a dramatic increase in terms of the uptake amongst those families especially as more products come online that are more affordable for those middle class families across the province who want to do their part to fight climate change unlike that member in his leader speaker thanks very much. Supplementary. Well you know talk about prompt payment. We just don't think that auto dealers should be on the hook to pay for liberal subsidies. This program of course has been a wheel spinning exercise since they rolled it out. Of course the Liberals promise 485 electric vehicle charging stations by last spring. A third of them weren't ready for the summer driving season. They promised 20% of the Ontario public service vehicles would be electric by 2020. In 2017 they are just at 4%. And they promised to pay drivers massive incentives to drive electric cars off the lot. Now they're failing to deliver those rebates to the auto dealer who is of course caught now in the middle. Minister why are you leaving Ontario auto dealers to foot the bill for your failing program and when will you actually pay them back. $2 million alone in the GTA for auto dealers. Question? Minister? I think it would be far more forthright member to stand up and just to clear he and his leader don't support the purchase or lease of electric vehicles in the province that they don't support supporting middle class families in this province who want to do their part to fight climate change. Member from Kitchener is warned. Carry on. I was saying Speaker they're making it abundantly clear using the code language that's embedded in that question to make it abundantly clear that they don't support these initiatives which is a real shame we put more incentives into the marketplace more and more middle income families are actually making the choice to do their part to fight climate change by purchasing or leasing these vehicles. I will say along with the electric vehicle and center program the EVCO program which is deploying a charging network right across the province speaker 500 charging stations across 250 unique locations speaker right across the province we're making it easier every single day to support those Ontario families who want to do their part to fight climate change thanks very much. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker my question is to the deputy premier for years Hamiltonians have been promised frequent all day two-way go rail service and speaker we're still waiting and now it looks like we're going to wait even longer despite spending $80 million on two new go stations in Hamilton it seems the government plans to leave these stations empty most of the time. Hamiltonians are calling them go stations. Why hasn't this government made frequent go service from these new stations a priority? The transportation the transportation thanks very much speaker I appreciate the question I always I always love having the opportunity to stand in my place and talk about the fact that our government is in fact building go regional express rail speaker I will say I will say perhaps that member would want to speak to her colleague from Hamilton East Stony Creek he's told me many times in the past speaker he's delighted that our governments decide to build an additional go station at confederation in Stony Creek speaker and of course thanks almost exclusively to the advocacy of my colleague from St. Catharines Gary Young speakers I was saying thanks almost exclusively to the longstanding advocacy of my colleague from St. Catharines our government has decided to extend go train service all the way to Niagara Falls that's what they will continue to be focused on speaker I would point out that there is a section of the Lakeshore West Corridor that member may not know this sorry I hope so supplementary thank you speaker the purpose of spending 80 million dollars on two new go stations in Hamilton is not to provide photo ops to liberal politicians the purpose is to provide frequent go service that Hamilton Indians have been promised for years instead we get ghost stations exactly when can Hamiltonians expect all day two way go service through these new stations thank you minister speaker I have no clue why the member from Hamilton Mountain wants to so vociferously attack the member from Hamilton East but that's a question they can sort out they can sort out in their caucus office speaker as I was saying in my initial answer that member may not realize that there's a portion of what's known as the Lakeshore West Corridor that's currently owned by CN speaker and they carry an awful lot of freight on that section of the Lakeshore West Corridor our government through Metrolinx is working closely with Bowen CNNCP to make sure that we can rationalize freight service and ultimately deliver more frequent go train service to Niagara Falls to Bowmanville to and ultimately through Stony Creek all the way out to other places in Hamilton and beyond your question member from Davenport thank you speaker my question is for the minister of the environment and climate change each year Ontarians generate about 3.7 million tons of waste from food inorganic materials with more than 60 percent sent to landfill in fact food inorganic waste make up approximately one third of Ontario's total waste stream our government recognizes that this needs to change last week our government introduced our proposed food inorganic waste framework which outlines our path forward for reducing food waste and increasing the recovery of organic materials in Ontario the framework is currently posted to the environmental registry for public consultation speaker can the minister please explain to the House how our proposed organic framework would help reduce organic waste while benefiting Ontario's economy thank you thank you to the hardworking member from Davenport for that very important question you know as the member mentioned speaker last week my ministry introduced our proposed food inorganic waste framework right the proposed framework is the next step in moving Ontario toward a circular economy an economy where food and organic waste is no longer seen as waste but as a resource Mr. Speaker we know that recovering organic resources not only is beneficial to the environment but it also builds our economy research from the UK speaker shows that there is $14 of financial benefit for every $1 invested in food waste prevention so our proposed organic framework has the potential to create new jobs in Ontario current efforts to divert food and organic waste create about 1700 jobs in Ontario as we speak Mr. Speaker we know that managing waste and reusing our resources is a critical part of achieving our goals to protect our land and environment for the greener future for Ontario and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions when food and organic waste breaks down in landfills it produces greenhouse gases in 2015 greenhouse gas emissions from the waste sector accounted for about 5% of total greenhouse gas emissions in the province that amounts to 8.6 megatons of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere Mr. Speaker if global food waste were at country it would be the third largest emitter of carbon dioxide after the United States in China that's why Ontario is proposing to take strong action to prevent organic and food waste from ending up in landfills can the minister please describe to the House how recovering organic and food resources would benefit Ontario well thank you Speaker and thank you again to the member from Ontario for this question our food and organic framework is the next step toward a waste free Ontario if we doubled the province's current resource recovery rate of food and organic waste we could reduce an additional 1.1 megatons in greenhouse gas emissions that's the equivalent of removing approximately 260,000 cars from Ontario's roads each year Mr. Speaker and it's bringing us closer to our climate change goals under our climate change action plan we're moving forward to reduce greenhouse gases and stimulate economic growth meanwhile members opposite have no real plan to reduce organic waste and keep resources out of landfill in Ontario and they have no real plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions no real plan to fight climate change Mr. Speaker my question to the minister of community safety and correctional services according to the Toronto Star inmates at the Elgin Middlesex Detention Center are suing the government between the years of 2010 and 13 there have been a pattern of systematic negligence the lawsuit sites overcrowded in Ontario and unsafe conditions sadly this is not an isolated problem a recent report by the independent adviser on corrections reform describes shocking abuses and disorder in Ontario's detention centers detention centers are overcrowded and cell block violence is a huge problem everywhere minister it doesn't appear as though you have the backs of our CO's you aren't giving them the resources but they're duty safely I've said that before that minor tinkering isn't going to fix the corrections minister you're failing our correctional officers so what specifically are you going to do to solve these problems thank you thank you very much to the member for that questions as he knows I cannot comment specifically on anything but what I want to share with this house is our full commitment on moving forward in the transformation of our correction system we have made investment in the past few years and we are going forward in bringing in this house legislation based on recommendation from Mr Howard Sapers from the Ombudsman and we have engaged also with our stakeholder our union representative our indigenous communities in bringing the most the biggest transformation in Ontario's history when it comes to our correction system I was also very happy all throughout the summer to visit our institutions and meet with frontline workers and I want to say thank you for the men and women who works in our Thank you Supplementary Minister you haven't been listening to the correctional officers around the province on the Liberals watch prisoners like Adam Capay have been held in solitary confinement while awaiting trial Capay was held for four years in conditions so degrading that previous inmates of the same cell died but the Liberals didn't care they ignored repeated coroner's inquests warning of unsafe conditions and it only became a problem for this government when Capay's case reached the newspapers our correctional officers speaker have brought the same problems to this ministry's attention many times before the Ontario Human Rights Commission is now suing the ministry over Capay's case and now inmates are suing you for systematic negligence the minister you're not listening to our frontline staff the correctional officers who are the boots on the ground and who face behavioral uncertainty with inmates daily as a social justice premier so minister does this appalling state of corrections pass for social justice I know I have time limited but Mr. Speaker the question of that member is troubling for me in one sense let's remember the time when this party was in power and I hear this alter out my tour of our institutions this summer Mr. Speaker we hear about the failed privatisation of our jail and the cuts of social programs that used to exist in our institutions I hear about the farming program the construction programs that were cut under that government Mr. Speaker you know what we have made full commitment in bringing forward the most transformation system policy driven new act in this house this fall and we have engaged with not only our frontline workers but within everyone in our system to make sure that we get this right for all on thank you the leader of the third party on a point of order I'm just wanting to welcome all of those labour activists and labour leaders who are here today joining us with 48 coming this afternoon so welcome everyone it's good to see you here thank you for all your hard work Mr. Minister I'm happy to introduce today and members each east gallery a member of the Cambridge professional firefighters association a good friend and neighbour of mine John Holman welcome to Queens Park Minister of status women thank you Mr. Speaker I just want to ensure that my record of 16,000 before and after school spaces and schools I understand there may be some it may possibly say 60,000 it's 16,000 thank you Minister I just want to recognize a dear friend of mine Ibrahim Daniel who's in the members lounge thank you we have a deferred vote on the motion of third reading of bill 148 an act to amend the employment standards act 1995 and to make related amendments to other acts call on the members this will be a 5 minute bill all members please take your seats earlier today Mr. Dugud moved third reading of bill 148 an act to amend the employment standards act 2000 in the labour relations act 1995 and to make related amendments to other acts all those in favour please rise one at a time be recognized by the clerk Mr. Blaine Mr. Brad Mr. Schoerelli Mr. Dugud Mr. McCharles Mr. McMeakin Mr. DeCarr Mr. Dillon Mr. Ballard Mr. Mariti Mr. Cotto Mr. Hunter Mr. Lio Mr. Tebow Mr. Coddie Mr. Dixon Mr. McMan Mr. Milcher Mr. Wong Mr. Fraser Mr. Anderson Mr. Baker Mr. Don Mr. Hoegar Mr. Koala Mr. Mollie Mr. Pott Mr. Rinaldi Mr. Reneau Ms. Horvath Ms. Taylor Ms. Armstrong Ms. Forster Ms. Gretzky Ms. French All those opposed please rise one at a time be recognized by the clerk Mr. Yakibusky Mr. Harnam Mr. Wilson Mr. Clark Mr. Fidelli Mr. Miller Perry Mr. McNaught Mr. Barrie Mr. Smith Mr. Bailey Mr. Romano Mr. Ostra Mr. Walker Mr. Harris Mr. Nichols Mr. McDonnell Mr. Pettipies Mr. Ko Mr. Cho Mr. McClare Mr. McClare Mr. Joey Melkasse Mr. Thoubre Mr. Mood Mr. Kovec Mr. Clay Mr. Brown On November 21st, 2017, Mr. Morrill moved government notice of motion number 42 relating to allocation of time and bill 174, an act to enact Cannabis Act 2017 and the Ontario Cannabis Retail Corporation Act 2017 and the Smoke-Free Ontario Act 2017 to repeal two acts and to make amendments to the Highway Traffic Act, respecting alcohol, drugs and other matters. All those in favour, please rise one at a time and be recognized by the clerk. Mr. Nackley. Mr. Nackley. Mr. Bradley. Mr. Bradley. Mr. Del Duca. Mr. Matthews. Mr. Hoss. Mr. Hoss. Mr. Shirelli. Mr. Shirelli. Mr. Duga. Mr. Duga. Mr. McCharles. Mr. McCharles. Mr. McMeakin. Mr. McMeakin. Mr. McCarr. Mr. McCarr. Mr. Cole. Mr. Cole. Mr. Cardinetti. Mr. Cardinetti. Mr. Delaney. Mr. Delaney. Mr. Dillon. Mr. Dillon. Mr. Dillon. Mr. Dillon. Mr. Dillon. Mr. Dillon. Mr. Dillon. Mr. Dillon. Mr. Dillon. Mr. Dillon. This is Gretzky. Mr. Gates. Mr. Gates. Mr. French. Mr. McClaren. Mr. McClaren. The ayes are 50, the nays are 41. The ayes being 50, the nays being 41. I declare the motion carried. There being no further deferred votes, this house stands recessed until 3 p.m. this afternoon.