 I thank all of our guests, and it's now time for Question Period, the member from the missing. Thank you, and good morning, Speaker. My question is for the Premier. Good morning, Premier. You and I both attended the Ontario Economic Summit in Niagara recently. At that conference, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce released an alarming assessment of your government's performance. Their guide titled How Bad Is It confirms Ontario has an unsustainable structural deficit. They confirmed that Ontario, quote, Ontario's fiscal situation is becoming increasingly dire. The Chamber's report says interest payments will, quote, further crowd out capacity to spend on programs like health, education, and transportation. Premier, will your fall economic statement continue to show your deficit of ideas, your deficit of action, and your deficit of hope, or will it address what the Chamber says is a clear case for urgency? Well, Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the question from the member opposite, and I, given the tone and tenor of the question, I'm sure he is very, very pleased to know that on my recent trip to China, we have come back with a billion dollars worth of investment in Ontario, actuation in Ontario. We know, Mr. Speaker, and we ran on a plan that addresses that urgency, Mr. Speaker. We ran on a plan that makes the investments that we know are necessary, that sets up the partnerships that allows for the growth that we know is necessary. And as part of that plan, Mr. Speaker, has an international, a global trade strategy that allows us to bring investment to Ontario in order to grow as we know we need to to deal with the structural issues that we face, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Premier, the Chamber's annual survey shows business confidence in Ontario is eroding. And here's what else they had to say. The number of businesses who believe Ontario is restoring the fiscal balance is down. Investing in innovation and competitiveness, down. In building a modern workforce, down. A perfect example of liberal mismanagement is one of the Chamber's key priorities, the Ring of Fire. Last week, the CEO of Cliffs Resources said there is, quote, zero hope this massive economic opportunity will happen. He cited your lack of leadership and lack of a plan as the reasons why. Premier, the Chamber says you need to, quote, fundamentally change what you're doing. Will you? Thank you, Premier. Mr. Speaker, it's interesting because as I have had the opportunity to work with Premier Cuiard in Quebec and we have been talking about the similarities between the Ring of Fire investment and the potential for that and our commitment to infrastructure in the Ring of Fire. And the plan now that is in place in Quebec, Mr. Speaker, as we had the opportunity to speak with investors and with businesses in China, Mr. Speaker, who are looking at both Quebec and Ontario as vitally important places to invest, Mr. Speaker. I actually see that there's a very different picture that we paint of the future for Ontario, Mr. Speaker. And that's premised on the reality that right now we are the number one jurisdiction for foreign direct investment, Mr. Speaker. So the member opposite may think that it is to the advantage of his constituents to talk Ontario down. I don't agree, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. I think we focus on our strengths and we build this problem. Thank you. Well, Speaker, you brought Ontario down, Premier. The Ontario Chamber of Commerce isn't the only group of job creators who are sounding the alarm. The Canadian manufacturers and exporters released a survey showing 60% of their members do not believe your government is supporting investment and growth. They say high energy costs, the highest in North America, but your labor shortages make it difficult to compete and develop new markets. They cite the weak financial situation that you created is a major challenge. Premier, our job creators want to signal from you that things are going to change for the better, but you continue to ignore them. We are committed here on this show to create the conditions to make Ontario first Premier. Why aren't you? Well, Mr. Understandable that this member who is a former PC finance critic would want to distance himself from his policy of cutting 100,000 dogs. It's completely understandable, Mr. Speaker. But let's just look at the facts. Ontario's tax system is one of the most competitive in the OECD. Ontario is the first destination for direct foreign investment in North America, Mr. Speaker. We are number one in terms of direct foreign investment. Seven out of ten of the world's largest technology companies are conducting research and development right here in Ontario, Mr. Speaker. So I take no lessons from the member opposite in terms of what we need to do to grow this economy, Mr. Speaker. Order. Ten second, Reverend. So, creating a jobs and prosperity fund, building transit in infrastructure, partnering with businesses, Mr. Speaker. Those are the things that we are doing. They are bearing fruit. They are bearing success. Thank you. I hope the member opposite will join the party. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My new question is also for the Premier. As the former mayor of the city of North Bay, I have spoken strongly about the role of local governments. Last week's municipal elections provide a fresh start to put local governments at the centre of the issues that affect them. The new mayors and councillors need to look beyond their cities and towns because things you do here affect them at home. When you bring an aviation fuel tax, they lose jobs at home. When you bring a pension tax, their chambers tell us that 53% of their businesses are going to fire people to pay for it. The decisions you make with no consultation with local governments are hurting communities. Will you continue to say you consult only to surprise them with a new bill, Premier? Premier? Well, Mr. Speaker, there's probably, I'm going to make a generalisation here, but I think there's probably not a government that has spent more time consulting with local leadership on a monthly basis, Mr. Speaker. On a monthly basis, the Ministry, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing and Ministers across this government sit down with leadership from the Association of Municipalities of Ontario. They talk about the issues that the municipalities are bringing forward. They talk about legislation that is coming forward, Mr. Speaker. So in terms of consultation, we work very, very closely with municipalities. I'm going to say, Mr. Speaker, many of us here are here on this side of the House because the people on that side of the House were part of a government that imposed amalgamations with nary a word to the leadership and municipalities, Mr. Speaker. We've gone quite in the opposite direction. Premier, I know that the facts hurt. You passed the Far North Act without listening to the... Come to order. Come to order. The Minister of Aboriginal Affairs is warned. Finish, please. You passed the Far North Act without listening to mayors and First Nations chiefs. And as predicted, 80% of the bills... Minister of Government Services, come to order. You say one thing, but you do the opposite. You formed the Ring of Fire Development Corporation with no First Nations on board. You say one thing, you do the other. Today, there are mayors, chiefs and citizens from Rainey River District here. They chartered a plane and had to hold a media conference to get their message out because they know you're not listening. They're here with a message. It's about forestry. But instead of listening to the mayors and chiefs, you hastily scheduled a news conference at the same time as theirs. Premier, is that your idea of leadership? Mr. Speaker, I'm very glad that the delegation is here and I know that my ministers are going to be meeting with them in terms of consultation. Specifically, the member opposite raised the issue of the Ring of Fire. Mr. Speaker, in fact, we have worked very, very closely with the Matao First Nations to make sure that there is a framework agreement in place to make sure that First Nations are part of the consultation and the discussion all the way along. And the member opposite knows full well that the Development Corporation that has been set up has been set up as an entity that is now going to bring the partners on board to be part of that Development Corporation. And I would say, Mr. Speaker, it is irresponsible for the member opposite to frame or to characterize the Development Corporation in any other way. It is an entity that is designed to bring in the partners, the private sector, the First Nations government, the federal government to work towards the development of the Ring of Fire. Mr. Speaker, you see it, please. You see it. The member from Leeds, Grenville, come to order. Final supplementary. Mr. Speaker, you say you will consult, but you don't. You surprise Ontario with the closure of 10 provincial parks. Again, no consultation. Tourists travelled elsewhere. Communities took the hit. Realising the impact local municipalities offered to operate the sites themselves, and it worked. Had you only talked openly about your plans in advance, consulted them, there would have been no loss of revenue. Today you've got chiefs and mayors here, because you continue to create problems for them when they have the solutions. By dealing openly with municipal governments and First Nations, we can make Ontario first. They're right here, Premier. Will you meet with them? Or will you continue to say one thing and do the opposite? Mr. Speaker, I have already said that my ministers are going to be meeting with this delegation. It's very important to me that we have this conversation and that we understand exactly what is going on in all of the communities across the province, Mr. Speaker. That's why, during the election, Mr. Speaker, I was in the north a lot compared to the leader of the opposition. He didn't go north a very, Mr. Speaker. I have made it my business. Both as a minister and as Premier to go to the north to make sure that I engage with municipalities. But I go back to my first point, Mr. Speaker. We deal with and work with, on a regular basis, the leadership in municipalities from across this province. Ministers attend the meetings of the local groups. We have an ongoing and monthly discussion with the Association of Municipalities of Ontario. We are engaged fully in finding solutions to the challenges that municipalities are confronting, Mr. Speaker. The member opposite knows that, and he should. He should be taking part in those consultations with us, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Your question, the leader of the third party. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Premier. Page 46 of Hydro One's management report, released this February, shows that their distribution network brings in 452 million and before tax profits. My question is a simple one, Speaker. Why is the Premier planning to privatize a public asset that serves 1.3 million customers and puts hundreds of millions of dollars in the provincial bank account annually? Thank you, Premier. Well, Mr. Speaker, let's just go back to the premise of the question and the premise of the question that the leader of the third party is asking, is that we should never look at the assets that are owned by the people of Ontario and determine whether they are working to the best advantage of the people of Ontario. I just disagree with that premise, Mr. Speaker. I think that it's very important that on a regular basis we look at those assets, we make sure that they are working. I made it clear when Ed Kark, who is the expert who is looking with his team at these assets, made it clear that we wanted to retain those assets in the hands of the public, and we are doing that, Mr. Speaker, and that is their advice to us. But should we look at how they can work better? Should we look at them as a package and figure out how to optimise their value? Absolutely we should, Mr. Speaker. It would be irresponsible to do otherwise. Thank you. Hydro-1's distribution business puts money in the provincial bank account every single year that goes into hospitals, schools, all kinds of frontline services for the people of this province. Not only will privatising Hydro-1's local distribution assets cut out a source of revenue, but it will push up the bills, Speaker. That means everyone from local homeowners to businesses will see their electricity costs go up. Privatising electricity generation made Hydro-1's bills more expensive. The member from Gladiary County will do exactly the same thing. So why does the Premier think that ratepayers should be paying more just to pad the profit margins of private energy companies, Speaker? Mr. Speaker, actually the leader of the third party once again has got it wrong because the parameters that we gave to Mr. Clark was that the revenue stream that is already in place, Mr. Speaker, either needed to stay in place or needed to be enhanced because we recognise, as she does, I suppose that it's very important that that revenue that comes into the provincial coffers and is used for services to the people of Ontario that that remain whole. And so if the leader of the third party chose to read the whole speech that Mr. Clark gave and look at the whole interim report which will come out, she will see that those revenue streams, the integrity of those revenue streams is whole, Mr. Speaker, that there is an offset for that revenue that she's proposing, and that in fact the effect on the rate face, Mr. Speaker, will not be negative, will actually help people across the province. Thank you. Speaker, the more you look at the Liberal plan, the less it makes sense. The Premier is privatising an asset, Speaker, that brings in hundreds of millions of dollars annually and they're ignoring the lessons of history, Speaker. Privatising electricity generation made hydro bills more expensive, not cheaper. Privatising distribution, Speaker, is going to do exactly the same thing. Now will the Premier admit that her plan to privatise hydro ones distribution assets will cost everyone, from homeowners to businesses that have higher bills? If she then does not agree with her member for Tomiskaming Cochran, who has said that he's written that the Minister of Energy should be encouraged to encourage the OPA to renew the contract for private power that's generated in his own writing, I would also ask the member opposite the leader of the third party to explain whether she disagrees with her government's policy when it was in office, when they signed nine private power generating contracts. The reality is that we have asked experts to look at the assets that are owned by the people of Ontario. We have said that we prefer that we believe that those should be kept in the hands of the people of Ontario but can they be optimised? Can we do better in terms of the value of those assets? We believe we can, Mr Speaker and that's exactly what we're going to do. I ask the Premier to look at history's lessons, Speaker. That's what I ask the Premier to look at. My next question, in fact, is for the Premier. The Kraft Mill in Fort Francis, Speaker, is at a critical point as we sit in this legislature right now. If the mill gets purchased, it will create a thousand jobs in that community, Speaker. If the mill doesn't get purchased, the current owner will stop winterising it and the mill may be lost forever. By doing nothing, the Premier will kill a thousand jobs. My question is, why is this Premier putting the interest of one company ahead of a thousand people in the Northwest? So which of the sources in forestry is going to want to speak to the specifics? But I want to just say that our government has maintained open lines of communication with the town of Fort Francis since the Resolute announced that they would be idling their Fort Francis operations. Mr. Speaker, there's been a continuous engagement and obviously we're disappointed that this particular arrangement hasn't worked out, but that doesn't mean that we are abandoning the process, Mr. Speaker. It doesn't mean that we're abandoning the community. We will continue to work with the community. We will continue to work for solutions and the Minister is engaged in that on a regular basis, Mr. Speaker. And I believe the leader of the third party knows that. Thank you. Supplementary? Mr. Speaker, the Crossroot Forest is a crown resource. Communities in the Northwest are making a simple request to ensure that forests in the region are sustainably managed to create jobs in the region. With the stroke of a pen, the Minister can convert the sustainable forestry license to an enhanced sustainable forestry license so that the community and companies manage that forest together. But the Minister has said nothing is going to happen until 2016. Mr. Speaker, that is going to be far too late for Fort Francis. So will the Premier make a commitment right here and now to take action today? Mr. Speaker, thank you and I thank the member for the question. Mr. Speaker, the premise of the question is that if an enhanced sustainable forest license was in place today, if those discussions had started a year ago, and quite frankly if they'd started a year ago, I still think it's unlikely that one would have been in place today, because the four priority areas that are being worked on still do not have one in place today. But even if it had been in place, there is no guarantee, and the people from Fort Francis are aware of this, there is no guarantee that that in any way would have facilitated a deal, a private sector deal between two forestry companies. Speaker, MNDF staff, MNRF staff and MNDM staff were at the table guiding the process. But at the end of the day, this was very clearly a business-to-business relationship. Fundamental to all of this is that the mill, the mill is owned privately, the company is not in bankruptcy, they own the mill, they own the asset, and clearly they're fundamental to any deal coming together on this fund. Final supplement. Speaker, the people of Ontario, the crown owns the forest. That's the point. Sydney River District are asking this Premier and this Government to take action. The town of Fort Francis is asking this Premier and this Government to take action. Local First Nations are asking this Premier and this Government to take action. The Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association is asking this Premier and this Government to take action. There are people in this gallery, in the galleries here today, representing the Rainy River District, and they are asking this Premier and this Government to take action. New Democrats, Speaker, are asking this Premier and this Government to take action. Will the Premier finally agree to take immediate action to create a thousand much-needed jobs in Fort Francis? Minister? Speaker, thank you. You know, the member is right, we do own the forest, but what she doesn't acknowledge is the system of tenure that exists today is the system that was put in place by the NDP in 1994. Forest tenure today is the system that they put in place in 1994 under the Crown Forest Sustainability Act. Our tenure modernization in 2011 has begun the process of moving away from that tenure model. First of all, Speaker, unfortunately it's not my belief or anybody's belief that a thousand jobs would be created. There would be significant job creation if the mill were to reopen, but it wouldn't be a thousand jobs. I'm not sure where that number is coming from. Having said that, I understand completely the emotion that's attached to this decision. We have four three companies in Thunder Bay. We live the recession, the Minister of Northern Development, and myself. We know how important it is. We will continue to work and do anything that we can to try and facilitate something positive at the core of the practice mill in Thunder Bay. Question? New question, the member from Halliburne. Premier, it has been 24 hours since I asked you to strike an all-party select committee to study sexual harassment in the workplace. Yesterday you talked about being open to conversations and the need to be vigilant, but those are all fake at words with no commitment to action. What better way to demonstrate this is that this is a serious issue than by agreeing today to strike an all-party select committee to study sexual harassment in the workplace. Premier, when can we expect your decision of this matter? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Well, in that 24 hours, Mr. Speaker, I have actually taken some action. So what I did was I spoke with the head of the OPS to determine exactly what procedures and protocols were in place. I have that information. I'm happy to share that with the member opposite. But people need to know that there is a workplace discrimination and harassment policy in place that addresses prevention, reporting, and workplace discrimination and harassment policy that deals also with violence in the workplace. That is within the framework of the legislation that is in place and the Human Rights Code. The other thing that I did, Mr. Speaker, was I checked within our own Liberal Caucus to make sure that the policies were in place, and there is, in fact, a policy for harassment and violence-free workplace that applies to our Liberal Caucus, Mr. Speaker. So I'd be very interested in the House leaders actually having a discussion about what's in place in the other Caucuses, Mr. Speaker. I think this is an issue that affects every single one of us. We need to make sure that the OPS, the private sector, and our own Caucuses, Mr. Speaker, and the Legislative Assembly has protocols are in place because I believe that this goes way beyond one incident, one person in one media outlet. This is a societal issue. This is a culture of the workplace issue, and I'd be happy to talk to the member opposite about that. Thank you. Well, Premier, this is a serious issue. We don't want you to play politics with it. Today I did send letters to the House leaders to stress the importance of the issue and to formally request that we move forward with the All-Party Select Committee to study the sexual harassment in the workplace. Now, yesterday I was brought to your government's attention again for the second time the issue involving an assistant crown attorney who is allowed to resign and given one year's salary bonus rather than the Attorney General, your own Attorney General and your government, rather than investigate the workplace harassment complaint made against him. So the problem, you know, you talk about policies, the problem is occurring under your own roof. So Premier, you know, will I be receiving an affirmative response to my request for an All-Party Select Committee today? Well, Mr. Speaker, I think the member opposite knows perfectly well that I can't comment on a particular case and she keeps raising that one case. But here's what I believe about this issue, Mr. Speaker. I believe that this... Come to order. That this issue affects every single member of our society. I believe that no matter where we work, no matter where we live, we have to take action ourselves. We have legislative frameworks, Mr. Speaker. We have regulatory frameworks. We have policies and I am in the process of making sure that those policies are in place across government. But the reality is that if every one of us in this house doesn't look to our own practice and doesn't look to our own colleagues and takes responsibility for our own action, then we will not make the cultural change that's necessary, Mr. Speaker. So I'm saying to the member opposite that I'm going to ask my house leader to raise this issue to make sure that across this house we have the correct policies. Thank you. Any questions? The member from Kenora Rainy River. Thank you, Speaker, to the Premier. Today over 30 elected officials from municipalities and First Nation communities across the Rainy River District have traveled 1,800 kilometres and are here at Queens Park to tell the Premier what her government should have already done, which is take leadership of the cross route forest so that the Fort Francis Craft Mill can reopen and put people back to work. They are literally fighting for the future of the Rainy River District. Premier, this is a needless problem that has a very simple solution. We have a mill. We have more than enough wood and we have a potential buyer. All we need to make this deal happen is for your government to reallocate this wood and tell Xperia the potential buyer that we want their business. Premier, will you do that today? Thank you. Once again, the premise of the question is that if there was an enhanced sustainable forest license in place that a deal could have been consummated between the two parties. I personally don't believe that that would have guaranteed anything. It doesn't mean we're not trying to work in that regard. What I would say to the member is security of supply was not the issue. The supply agreement offered to the Minister of the Member from Timmins James Bay will come to order. For the second time, the member from Timmins James Bay will come to order last time. Finish, please. There was a supply agreement offered to the company that was interested in purchasing the facility of 740,000 cubic metres per year. That's allowed under the terms of the existing sustainable forest license. It's not an issue. The enhanced sustainable forest license piece would not necessarily have guaranteed anything. The mill is privately owned and that's where it sits today. We still continue to look for opportunities on behalf of the community of Fort Francis. Thank you. It's not a business-to-business problem as the Minister of Natural Resources states. The only business-to-business dealings that are being made pertain to the physical mill structure. The biggest holdup to this deal is the allocation. Wood that belongs to the people and to a company. It is our wood and it should be used to keep our local people working. Premier, you can fix this problem with the stroke of a pen. We have three weeks to get this right before the mill assets are damaged by not being heated this winter. Premier, will you fix this injustice for the people of Fort Francis and put our deserving town back to work before it's too late? Mr. Speaker, once again I fundamentally disagree. It was a business-to-business deal that was trying to be negotiated between someone who privately owns a mill and someone who was trying to purchase potentially the mill and get other assets to reopen the facility. MNRF staff and MNDM staff were there at the table guiding the process only. It was not our deal to be made. We were trying to do what we could to help. I would say to the member and to the members of the third party thinking that the ESFL process would have necessarily guaranteed a deal that today currently in the member's riding there are companies that want to see an SFL put in place for their particular operation so that they can reopen and create more jobs in the member's community. So, Speaker, there is no perfect system when it comes to tenure. We've made a commitment through legislation to move forward with modernization. That is occurring. At the end of the day it does not guarantee that we can land a deal between a business and a business speaker. That is unfortunately reality. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Education. We all know that a nutritious breakfast is critical to the success of every child's development. Eating a healthy breakfast has lasting physical, mental health and educational benefits and this morning the Minister of Education and her children and youth services joined St. Joseph's College with the students for nutritious start to their day. The Minister also helped Breakfast Club of Canada along with a corporate sponsor, MinuteMade celebrate the 500th Ontario Breakfast Club opening this year. A healthy morning meal is now guaranteed to 90,000 students in Ontario schools nearly 330,000 of them in the Toronto region. Now, Minister, can you let us, this House, know the announcement today entailed and how we are ensuring that all children have access to a healthy and nutritious breakfast. Thank you, Minister of Education. Yes, and thank you to the member from Beaches East York for his interest in this very important issue. Speaker, it's a top priority for this government to ensure that students are starting off their day with the support they need to succeed and that includes breakfast. So the Breakfast Club of Canada was founded on the belief that every child has the right to succeed in life and most of all have the safe and reliable access to food. A healthy breakfast helps with better student attendance, increased physical activity, increased self-esteem, and improved memory and cognition. Together with the Breakfast Club across Ontario we have reached over 90,000 students and this year 500 schools and you know, Speaker, 13,567,525 breakfast have been served and we were very helpful with our, pleased with our partners Breakfast Club. Thank you. We deserve more this morning. Thank you. Thank you Minister and this is a very exciting milestone and an exciting announcement you made today and I can tell you that the Breakfast Club is a priority for my constituents in the riding of beaches east York. The club now has over 80 schools in the City of Toronto alone and in my riding of beaches east York two schools take part in this excellent program and we know Minister that the benefits of the Breakfast Clubs go far beyond the school walls. Evidence shows that schools with programs see improvements in attendance, punctuality as well as in behavior and concentration and they help turn young people into better people. Please tell us how our government is helping to support the Breakfast Club with their initiative to provide nutritious breakfast to students across Ontario. Thank you, Minister. Minister of Children and Youth Services. Minister of Children and Youth Services. Thank you, Speaker. It was great to be at the Breakfast Club 500th opening of Breakfast Club of Canada. It was great. Minister Sandals But, Speaker, it is a really great program and thanks to our partners for making that happen and our government, as you know, Speaker announced an investment of $32 million over the next three years as part of our five year plan to expand and enhance our student nutrition program and an additional $10.3 million will be invested in the program and this year next. So the total funding is $31 million, Speaker, for the new Breakfast programs and it is to establish programs where there are higher needs. So it's very focused. 56,000 more children, it's fantastic. We're committed to making sure Students Ontario starts their day off right. Thank you, Speaker. Good question. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My question this morning is to the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and International Trade. The purpose of the Fairness Commissioner is to make sure that everyone who has qualified to practice in a regulated profession can get a license to practice here in the province of Ontario. Minister, we have learned that in the last 15 months the Fairness Commissioner, Jean Augustine has expensed over $3,400 in limousine rides to Ontario's taxpayers. Minister, nothing is too small for this government's appointee to expense. We have built taxpayers $3.40 for her airplane headphones. Clearly the eHealth and Pan Am style of entitlement is alive and well in this ministry. Minister, why are you allowing the Fairness Commissioner these entitlements at taxpayers' expense or do you agree with them? Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and International Trade. Thank you very much for the question, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Ontario Fairness Length Agency of the Ministry of Citizenship, Immigration and International Trade we have no involvement in the day-to-day operation of her office. Speaker, the government of Ontario has a number of rules and regulations regarding expense account put in place to protect the people of Ontario. The member from Dufford County comes to order across all levels of government including agencies. Speaker, we expect everyone to address to these rules particularly those in a position of authority whom we respect to set a positive example for others to follow. Thank you, Speaker. Mr. Speaker, back to the Minister. Minister, you should also know that while on a $6,300 trip to Finland last September this appointee made taxpayers cover the cost of a personal sightseeing tour. We all know that the Fairness Commissioner was appointed to change for giving up her seat to the failed federal liberal leader Michael Ignadia. Speaker, this government talks about transparency yet the only way we were able to learn about this shocking abuse of public money was through a freedom of information request. Minister, it doesn't seem like the Fairness Commissioner is being very fair to taxpayers in this province. Minister, will you order her to post her expenses online and continue to allow her to abuse taxpayers' dollars by expensing limo rides, airplane headphones and sightseeing tours? Thank you, Minister. Thank you, Speaker. Again, the office of the Fairness Commissioner is an arms length agency of the Government Ontario. However, like all agencies, under the agency accountability and establishment directive it must comply with the guidelines set out in the travel meal and hospitality expenses directive and other spending guidelines. Speaker, these guidelines have been communicated to the office of the Fairness Commissioner. The Fairness Commissioner has a mandate to ensure that the regulated professions in Ontario have practices that are transparent, objective and fair when determining who is allowed to practice in these professions. Speaker, the office is accountable for using government funds with effectiveness and economy for the purpose of fulfilling this mandate. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Speaker, the last few months have shown that sexual violence for women and impunity for powerful men remains a reality in Ontario. Today we learned that doctors can sexually assault women during examinations and return to practice medicine without requiring the College of Physicians to inform the police. And if you are a crown attorney facing sexual harassment allegations, the government will give you double your annual salary as severance. All you have to do is resign. Can the government explain what it will do to end this culture of impunity and create an Ontario where sexual violence and sexual assault allegations are taken seriously and acted upon? So, Mr. Speaker, as I have already indicated in response to a couple of other questions, this is something that I and our government take very, very seriously as I hope everyone in this legislature takes seriously, Mr. Speaker. So, whether it's at work or at home or in the community, whether it's public service or private sector, we all have to be vigilant there are rules and regulations in place. In fact, Mr. Speaker, in 2009 our government actually brought in changes to strengthen the Occupational Health and Safety Act to address workplace violence and harassment. So, Mr. Speaker, we will continue to monitor the legislation and the rules, Mr. Speaker, but I would say to the member opposite, I think it goes beyond that. I think it goes beyond the frameworks that are in place to continually be improved and we have to look to our own practice, we have to look to our own communities and our own workplaces and make sure that we have the practices and behaviors in place in those places that keep ourselves and our colleagues safe. Thank you, supplementary. Mr. Speaker, beyond monitoring there are specific ways this government could address violence and harassment faced by women now. For example, yesterday we heard that some journalism students were warned against internships at Q with Shian Gomeshi. We know that interns are vulnerable. They fear reprisals or damage to their careers if they report inappropriate or even illegal conduct by their employers. I've tabled a bill that would allow interns to anonymously report inappropriate conduct. This is one simple measure the government can take now. But much more needs to be done to make violence prevention and all of government priority. Will this government move immediately to update Ontario's sexual violence action plan to include real goals, real funding and real progress so that it offers real protection for women today? Minister responsible for women's issues. Minister responsible for women's issues. Thank you, Speaker. And as the Premier said, sexual violence and abuse of any kind is a very serious issue. We all take it seriously. I find it completely unacceptable and it is something that we all have to think about here in the legislature in more places and beyond because sexual violence has a devastating impact. And we have many initiatives and programs. We have $15 million sexual violence action plan. We also have additional money to support sexual assault centers. And I want to say here what I said outside the House Speaker, if people are facing abuse I encourage them to go to the authorities if they can. I encourage them to go to support groups if they can. I encourage their unions if they can. And there's many protections. Interns are covered by the Human Rights Code and employer policies. There are many progressive policies in workplaces that require employers to respond to formal and informal complaints of abuse. It's something we all have to take seriously. We're working on it. We'll continue to invest in this. Thank you. My question is for the Minister of Legal Affairs and Housing. On August 4th extreme flooding hit my riding of Burlington as well as areas in the riding of my colleague, the member from Halton. The city of Burlington received nearly 200 millimeters of rain in five hours. That is equal to the total rainfall usually received in the months of July and August. This flash flood caused damage to more than 3,000 homes throughout Burlington. In August, Burlington City Council passed a resolution requesting assistance under the private component of ODRA for assistance to individuals for financial expenses not otherwise covered by insurance. The city of Burlington has been working together with Halton Region to help the people of Burlington affected by this natural disaster. Mr. Speaker, I am so proud of the community spirit that has flourished throughout Burlington as a result of this extremely successful fundraising on behalf of those who need it most. Minister, will you please provide an update on the status of Burlington's application? Thank you. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member from Burlington and also the member from Halton for keeping our ministry apprised of what's been going on there the tremendous community efforts. Mr. Speaker, I know how difficult it is for communities to try to deal with disasters and in that context it's our government's first priority to ensure that residents are made safe in the event of a disaster. The ODRAP program, Mr. Speaker, is a tool to help communities where damages exceed the financial resources of the affected individuals and municipalities. In the case of Burlington the most severe damage was felt by individuals. When reimbursing individuals ODRAP's role was to ensure that essential needs like access to housing, food, medical response and heating are met. So I look forward to being kept apprised and hopefully we'll have some news in the application. Thank you Mr. Speaker. I too saw the extensive flood damage and felt the frustration of my constituents living in the Burlington part of my community. I knocked on residents' doors with officials assessing the devastation and saw firsthand the widespread destruction in some neighbourhoods. Flooded basements waterlogged furniture and garbage bags full of ruined clothing. Perhaps most memorable though were the stories of loss and the looks as they dealt with the flood destruction. Mr. Speaker, confusion often surrounds the decisions which designate some communities eligible for ODRAP and denies others this assistance. Eligibility requirements are dependent on the particular characteristics of a given disaster event and this can lead to assumptions that the program is inconsistently administered. The length of time required for provincial funds to flow is also under scrutiny. Mr. Speaker, how does the Minister respond to the many questions that often surround the Ontario Disaster Assistance Program? Thank you. Minister? Mr. Speaker, I certainly agree with the members' observation that our climate is changing. In fact, perhaps a little known fact 28% of all insurance claims settled today are categorized as a response to a catastrophic weather event. Her thoughtful comments and her hard work have led us to do exactly what our mandate letter my mandate letter calls me to do and that's to look at the ODRAP program and to review it to make sure it meets the needs of local communities who experience disasters and I continue to welcome input from all members of the House in that regard. We're going to examine the findings of our formal review scheduled for completion next spring and hopefully Mr. Speaker will be in a better position to help communities experiencing climate change disasters. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. My question is the Premier. Ever since four orange crew members regrettably died the Ontario Public has been looking to do two specific things. One, stop denying the facts and two, start accepting responsibility. Yesterday your Deputy Premier told a CBC reporter that she did not know about the orange until October 2011. May I remind you that on May 3rd, 2011 the Ontario Air Transport Association sent her a five page letter alerting her to the egregious concerns at orange and urging her to act as rapidly as possible. We have now learned that her response to them was I'm too busy to discuss the orange. Premier, your deputy hasn't been truthful. She said she didn't know before October 2011 but a reply to the Air Transport Association letter I'm going to caution the member and ask him to withdraw that one comment please. Premier will you do the right thing and ask for her resignation today. Thank you. The long term care is going to want to comment on this but we've got new leadership at Orange, a new CEO we have a new board of directors and we have a new senior management team at Orange Mr. Speaker. It was our deputy Premier who put those changes in place Mr. Speaker. We took action Mr. Speaker. That is the reality. That's what happened and that's why there are so many changes at Orange because this deputy Premier when she was Minister of Health she took those actions Mr. Speaker. We now have a piece of legislation in front of this house. We hope that the members opposite will support us in getting that legislation passed because it will make further changes in oversight to Orange Mr. Speaker and we really do trust that given the urgency coming from the other side that they will work with us to get that legislation passed as soon as possible. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Back to the Premier. What the Second Orange Report really boils down to is an issue of ministerial and first ministerial responsibility. That's what this is about. What the public expects and demands is that you and your minister accept responsibility for the mismanagement and boondoggle of Orange. This is not appropriate for a minister in these circumstances to have not just stayed on but to have been also promoted. Just a few minutes ago in this house Premier you asked for responsibility and said we should all take responsibility in this house. As such I want to know about your standards. How many more people have to die before you ask for that minister's resignation? Premier. Minister of Health and long-term care. Minister of Health and long-term care. Well said. Minister chicken群 cheese slime that is still a bother for the amendment law connected to bill 11. Which was the air ambulance amendment act to further improve oversight at Orange Mr. Speaker. The bill was sent to committee in April of last year but it was more than a We want us to just come to our finish please wrap up so mr. Speaker we're proud of the changes that our deputy premier has made to make and that's why we're looking forward to the both opposition parties supporting us we've reintroduced the elements of that act under the accountability and transparency transparency act I hope that the opposition will work with us to get those changes approved as soon as possible. My question is to the premier you will know that your house leaders moved a time allocation motion in order to move the daycare bill in such a way that the public will not have a chance to have their say outside of the city of Toronto. Now you're the premier it says that you want to have a conversation with Ontarians you're the premier says you want to include the voices of people across Ontario in whatever this government does we moved the motion this morning to allow the committee to travel five days five days outside of Toronto in order to hear the voices of the people of Ontario my question to you is this will you support our motion and allow the voices of those people outside of this area to be heard on this issue. Thank you very much speaker I thank the member opposite for the question speaker this this is a very important bill this bill is about protecting our children speaker this bill the core essence of this bill is to make sure that our kids are safe when somebody else is looking after our children I speak as speaker as a parent and that's why speaker we cannot take any more chances in terms of tragedies that could be could be traumatic or fatal for our children that is why the the minister of education speaker had table this bill some time ago in the previous parliament to ensure that we move ahead with protecting our children making sure that our children are getting the best possible care the kind of attention that we have put in our schools we need to make sure make sure that when it comes to child care our children are safe at all times that's what parents are asking us for to and we need to do that thank you this bill well you say that you're a parent a parent from Ottawa and any parent in Ottawa will not get a chance to speak to this bill your government under the leadership of this Premier says you want to hear from Ontarians we want to engage in conversations with people across this province we agree we believe it's important to hear the voices of people from Ottawa people from Northern Ontario people from the Southwest and others when it comes to important issues such as daycare so our question is simply this will this government support a motion that will allow the voices of the people from Ontario outside of Toronto to be able to be heard on this issue so that their thoughts their reflections can be seen in the final product of this bill what do you mean I'll say it Speaker I ask the opposition to stop to stop playing politics when it comes to the lives and the protection of our children speaker this bill at its heart at its core it's at its mandate is about protecting our children and partisanship should not be the one that should trump the safety and the security of our children when they are being looked after by somebody else within our community and some of you are not even in your own chairs don't insult the kids finish it and wrap up please thank you speaker I I love the Minister of Education for for bringing a very extensive piece of legislation based on very substantive consultations that she took place that's why this bill was table speaker almost a year ago and have an ample debate we need to make sure that we protect our kids thank you mr. Speaker morning is for the minister of Norton development and mines mr. Speaker just last week Ontario Mining Association hosted their annual meet the minors day at Queen's Park. Many of us myself included were very happy and proud to participate in this event and to learn about the exceptional role that they play in our province in our daily in the daily events of our province in mine financing geology and engineering stable exploration and mining industries and as one of the lowest mining tax rates in Canada and we have the advantage of a strong economy competitive business costs and world research and development environment. Mr. President can the minister inform the house on the status of the mining industry in Ontario and its significance to our provincial economy. Thank you very much for a really important question and may I say on a day when the official opposition is is talking down the positive aspects of the economy I think it's important that we get the facts out about the mining industry it was a great gathering of meet the miners last week and I think it's important to state that despite certain of the challenges within the sector Ontario continues to be the leading jurisdiction in the country for both the exploration and the production of minerals in Canada and certainly a major player across the world and it plays an incredibly important part in our provincial economy. Speaker the mining sector directly employs some 26,000 workers and in 2013 the value of mineral production Ontario was 9.8 billion dollars on tourist mine and supply and services sector 50,000 workers employed 10 billion dollars in output I'll look forward to give you more details during my supplementary thank you thank you Mr. Speaker for government's plan to build Ontario up by creating a dynamic and in supportive environment where business can prosper the minister has made it clear that our government is doing just that when it comes to the mining sector the global mining economy is evolving and new competition is always emerging I know our government is committed to ensuring that Ontario remains a world leader in mineral exploration and mining investment Mr. President can the minister tell the house what our government is doing to maximize Ontario's mineral potential and support a modern and innovative industry ensuring that Ontario's mining sector continue to try to come well that's another great question a speaker I mean be certainly armed with a with a spectrum of solid data and well research information is crucial to an industry that requires innovation and our understanding of the industry requires us to move forward and that's why our ministry certainly partnered with the entire mining association and another organization to provide support for research in that sector two reports were released last week one with the mean term mining association which actually spoke to the direct economic impact of a gold mine it's a remarkable story the details are worth getting into I know I don't have time for that and there was also a great report by the Canadian Association for mining equipment and services for export can be seen as it is known by those of us in the sector which actually talked about the incredible economic impacts of the mining supply and services sector which I referenced earlier as being up to 50,000 people employed and over $10,000 of total value but it's a great story in the sector lots of challenges but we're working and focusing on everything and may I say including work going forward on the rig of fire thank you so much thank you thank you mr. Speaker my question is for the minister responsible for infrastructure why is it taking the minister so long to put together the list of infrastructure projects which he needs to submit to the federal government to receive funding under the Building Canada plan sir of economic development employment and infrastructure Mr. Speaker I used to be a hockey player when I went into the corners and somebody had their elbows up they always got a little taste of the stick and I want to I want to I want to I want to put that analogy to use here the federal minister of finance mr. Mr. Speaker was being very disingenuous yesterday when he suggested incorrectly that Ontario was in any way holding up the Building Canada fund in fact mr. Speaker since March we've been waiting for documents from the federal government that ironically came two hours after I spoke out yesterday so mr. Speaker the minister of finance federally may be very embarrassed by this the fact is mr. Speaker that we're going to continue to invest in infrastructure and he should be embarrassed when you look at the comparison between the federal investment and infrastructure compared to ours we're investing $130 billion over the next 10 years the federal government's only investing $70 billion mr. Speaker and that includes their own bank through the whole country even with all the bluster that the minister can muster he cannot deny that there are nearly $11 billion on the table set aside to support infrastructure projects in the province of Ontario this government has insisted time and time again that infrastructure spending is their priority they've made promise after promise improved public transit in Toronto all-day two-way go service through my riding high-speed rail between London Toronto the Ring of Fire the list goes on and on yet Alberta Nova Scotia New Brunswick and Manitoba have all submitted their lists this minister continues to drag his feet will this government get its act together and commit to getting its list of preferred infrastructure projects to the minister I know it might be a little embarrassing for the member to have been so misinformed by his federal cousins but the fact of the matter is mr. Speaker since March we've been waiting for a draft agreement from the federal government and it's going to come mr. Speaker we were notified two hours after we spoke out yesterday refuting the incorrect information that the federal minister had mr. Speaker the fact of the matter is we were the first province in this country to provide a municipal infrastructure projects mr. Speaker an application process for small municipalities the first in the country we're eager to move forward with this program mr. Speaker all we've asked for mr. Speaker is the draft agreement from the federal government mr. Speaker we've been asking since March we haven't had it within two hours of us speaking out yesterday that's ridiculously it's gonna come mr. Speaker we'll keep working with the federal government despite the fact that they're so undercharging infrastructure in this province mr. Speaker good congratulations see you please the member from Leeds Grenville on a point of order thank you very much speaker on a point of order I just feel it's very important that hands are reflect that as of June 15th 2010 the Occupational Health and Safety Act requires all employers to have a policy regarding workplace harassment which includes sexual harassment that is not a point of order and I should have jumped up a little quicker the member from Dufferin call it in on a point of order thank you speaker I was remiss during um introduction of guests I see that the mayor elect for the town of Caledon Allen Thompson has joined us and I would like everyone to join and welcome the member from Kenora rainy river on a point of order yes thank you speaker I know it's hard to believe but I think it's possible I may have left out one or two of my constituents and I know I'm pretty sure I missed out on on Ken Perry and there may there may have been some others and if I did overlook anyone I do sincerely apologize I welcome everyone who has made the long journey here today thank you mr. Speaker I'd like to again add to the roster that the family of our colleague Michael Harris Sarah Murphy and Lincoln Harris all joined us in the members gallery I think they might have just slipped out but they were here watching question for you thank you thank you there are no deferred votes this house stands recessed until 3 p.m. this afternoon