 It is now time for oral questions and I recognize the leader of the official opposition. Thank you very much, Speaker. My first question is to the Premier. Parents and students are nervously awaiting news about which schools will be closed tomorrow and hoping for news that will avoid job action. Can the Premier tell us what steps he has taken over the 120 hours since job action was first announced to avoid a shutdown of schools tomorrow? Thank you very much, Speaker. For 204 consecutive days, the teachers' unions have made absolutely no moves to the bargaining table, not with saying that the Government of Ontario has made significant moves from classroom sizes from 28 to 25 to online learning from 4 to 2. We are listening to those we are serving. However, every single entity at the table must be reasonable in order to ensure we keep kids in class both Wednesday and every day thereafter. Our Government is focused on getting deals because the parents of this problem deserve predictability and children deserve educational stability on Wednesday and every day thereafter. The supplementary question. Well, Speaker, the government doesn't get credit for not cutting even deeper. Parents don't want them to cut at all. That's the problem. To parents and students wondering what's going to happen to the school year, it looks like the Premier has been doing very little to fix the mess that he's created. For months, the Premier did his utmost to pick a fight with teachers in the classroom and ignore the concerns of parents and students who said his cuts would hurt the quality of our kids' education and create conflict. Now that we're on the verge of school closures across Ontario, is the Premier ready to actually show some leadership, de-escalate this situation and reverse the reckless cuts? Mr. Speaker, the Premier has demonstrated his firm commitment in the defence of public education by increasing expenditure to the highest levels ever recorded in this province's history. Mr. Speaker, every member of our team is committed to keeping kids in class. We demonstrated this consistent, student-centric focus at the table with QP and with QP we got a deal, a good deal for all parties. We seek to do that again for the teachers in Ontario. Mr. Speaker, what is constant through the process and what is frustrating for observers is that irrespective of the Premier and who's in the chair, the bottom line is teachers' unions escalate against the government and that is unacceptable for parents. It's why you know Bob Ray and former Premier, Premier McGinty and now Doug Ford. The unity there is that they all face escalation by unions and I think parents are frustrated and sick and tired of it. What they want is every party to be reasonable. We're going to continue to invest in education, get a good deal that keeps kids in class. The final supplementary. Well, I guess the minister doesn't get it but cuts in rollbacks, those are escalation speaker. Protecting our public education, that's the way that the government should be going. That's what parents are saying anyways and I don't know what the minister is looking at but here's what parents see. A Premier that spent months calling teachers thugs and blaming them when he was booed at public events. A minister of education who literally delayed bargaining so he could hold a press conference about the lack of bargaining and a government that is still defending classroom cuts that mean larger class sizes, cancelled courses and mandatory online learning. If the Premier wants to keep kids in the classroom he could de-escalate this situation today by reversing his cuts and the question is simple. Why doesn't he? Members, please take their seats. Minister of Education. Mr. Speaker, the Premier has demonstrated a firm commitment to improving education by putting more money in the system than ever before. He's committed to do that because we've doubled the mental health envelope in this province. We've invested more to expand to improve schools, a $550 million renewal to build new schools and improve existing schools. Mr. Speaker, we're putting a $200 million math strategy to lift math scores after they were being firmly held at a low rate for 10 consecutive years. They've essentially stagnated. Mr. Speaker, the government is investing in our children. What we're also doing is asking every party at the table to be reasonable. Students should be in class tomorrow and the government stands with them. And the question for the member opposites, do you oppose escalation by teachers and unions who are keeping kids out of class tomorrow? The next question, once again, the Leader of the Opposition. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, kindly. My next question is also for the Premier. You know, yesterday the Minister of Education defended the government's decision to hide the results of their education consultation. A consultation which showed an overwhelming majority of parents opposed the government's plans for larger classes and mandatory online learning. For months, the Premier insisted he was on the side of parents and he claimed they supported the cuts that now threaten to close schools all across Ontario. Why would he say that when he knew that his own consultation showed the exact opposite? Questions to the Premier? Minister of Education. Referred to the Minister of Education. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the government has consistently been reasonable at the table to incend the parties to stay there and to get a deal. We demonstrated this precise approach in negotiating with QP and we got a deal that was good for students, good for parents and good for the workers of this province. We seek to replicate that again with our teachers for 204 consecutive days. There have been no material change, no change at all to the position of the unions. How is that an acceptable proposition for parents who want all the parties to be reasonable and who want the parties to be focused on keeping kids in class? The Premier has led by example by ensuring that my mandate is to keep kids in class. We're fighting every day at the table, 24-7, to keep kids in class where they belong. Supplementary. Well, Speaker, the minister needs to know, and so does the Premier, that what parents see is the farthest thing from being reasonable in this situation. It's the furthest thing from reasonable that you can get. But for months, the Premier insisted that parents back to scheme for large class sizes, Speaker. Mandatory online learning and firing 10,000 teachers. That's what they were claiming. Yet the government's own consultation showed that parents overwhelmingly disapprove with these moves, Speaker. This government is still hiking class sizes. This government is still forcing students into online learning that won't work for them and will not allow them to graduate with these mandatory requirements. Why would a government actually, who actually listened to parents, move ahead with what parents have clearly rejected, Speaker? Minister. On the contrary, Mr. Speaker, it's this government that is maintaining the lowest classroom size in the early years in the country, and that is a fact which the members of ours choose to ignore. We have listened to families, which is why we've made a decision to move the provincial average of classroom sizes from 28 to 25. It's why we've moved the online learning mandate from four to two. It's why we've improved and invested in front-line education. What we have also heard consistently is the teachers' unions' mandate or the insistence on a 1.5 billion dollar increase in compensation. That's $750 million, and apparently that is insufficient. My priority, the bias of this government, is to put more money in front of class to help our kids. That's what we're going to do with the negotiating table and do everything we can, including turning to third-party mediation to get a deal that keeps the children of this province in class. The final supplement. Here's a news flash to the Premier. Cuts that are less deep are still cuts that parents don't want to our education system. The Premier spent months claiming he had the support of parents and students. Yet parents and students have been crystal clear from day one, and they continue to be clear today. They don't support larger classes, mandatory online courses, or firing 10,000 teachers. So instead of working overtime to work with teachers and reach a deal to improve our public education system, the Premier's been making cuts, picking fights, and pretending to make cuts. When will the Premier stop defending his indefensible cuts and start working with teachers to reach a deal that works for kids, that works for quality public education in the province of Ontario? When will he do that? Mr. Speaker, our government supports a deal, not a strike. That's why we're working hard at the negotiating table to ensure that our education unions in good faith get a deal with us like we did with UP just one month ago. The objective of the government is to ensure that children, the continuity of learning for children, remains unimpeded. And what is regrettable is that irrespective of the party or the Premier, the one constant in my lifetime is that unions escalate against the government. That is an unacceptable reality. And I would think that all members of this legislature would oppose escalation that hurts our kids. We stand with parents against escalation. We're going to work hard every day over the coming hours and days when learning is not impeded because of union escalation. The next question, once again, the leader of the opposition. My next question is to the Premier, but I don't know if the minister noticed there's no parent standing with him. 70% of them don't agree with him. Yesterday, while the Premier's were calling for an increase in provincial health transfers, some were resisting the implementation of a universal pharmacare program, and sadly it seems Ontario's Premier is the leader in that regard. At a time when families desperately need a Premier who will work on the national stage to build a pharmacare program, why is this Premier trying to undermine any effort to do so? Questions addressed to the Premier? Minister of Health. And referred to the Minister of Health. Thank you very much for the question because we are looking to solve problems that exist. One of the problems that exist right now in Ontario is that there's a huge increase in hospitalization costs are going up 5% year over year over year. We need some assistance from the federal government on that, on rare and orphaned disease drugs. It's wonderful that these discoveries are being made, but some of them are in excess of a million dollars per patient. That is something that, as Minister of Health, I take full responsibility for. We want everybody to receive the medications that they need, but we need the federal government's assistance on this. In Ontario, we don't need assistance with that, but we do need assistance with rare and orphaned disease drugs, and that's something that I intend to follow up with the federal health minister to let her know what our position is and to understand what the position of the other provinces and territories is. Thank you very much. I have to say I am shocked by that response. There are people in this province that can't afford their prescription drugs right now that cut pills in half because they're going to renew their prescriptions at a timely fashion, and this health minister refuses to acknowledge that. This is a very serious situation, Speaker. Ontarians have already seen their health care system slashed by this government, and now the Premier is attacking a national pharma care plan that can deliver that very real relief that everyday families need. At a time when people across the province are having to choose, as I said, between filling prescriptions and paying their bills, universal drug coverage is a crucial step, and families simply can't wait, nor should they have to wait, Speaker. Why is the Premier trying to torpedo prescription drug coverage right when Ontarians need it the most? Questions to the minister? With respect, Speaker, I need to say to the leader of the official opposition through you that we are actually increasing our coverage for health costs in the province of Ontario but $1.9 billion that is we already have quite a robust health coverage system for people that need coverage. We also have the Trillium program for people that need extra assistance. However, what we do need help with is access to rare and orphan disease drugs. I've heard from many people about this. I know that the coverage issue is very difficult. It's very expensive. We want people to get that coverage. We want people with rare and orphan disease issues to be able to receive that care. That's where we actually need the federal government's assistance and that's what I'm going to pursue as Minister of Health. The next question, the member from Milton. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Premier. Premier, yesterday yourself along with other premiers demonstrated the true essence of national unity and leadership by representing diverse regions and beliefs in support of the betterment of all Canadians. Leaders from across this great nation gathered together to demonstrate a commitment to putting our country first. Premier, you said it best that although we might have our differences Canada is united together. Premier, can you highlight some of the overlapping policies that all provincial leaders raised as requiring further support from the federal government in order for Canadians from across this country to be better served? Finally, the question is addressed to the Premier. To you, Mr. Speaker, I want to thank our great MPP from Milton. That's actually the home count of my daughter and she tells me everyone loves him over Milton as well. So to you, Mr. Speaker, we've never seen this country so divided after the last federal election. We had people from the West absolutely furious. We had to get back with a block that got elected to have the third largest seats in Parliament there. It was divided. What a great visit when Premier Higgs came by and sat down and I give all the credit for this meeting to my good friend, Premier Scott Moe from Saskatchewan, that felt this was a time to bring the country together. To bring the country together through the premiers to make sure we just lower the heat. We lower the heat amongst all the provinces and the federal government. I know how much they appreciated the meeting after the meeting, Mr. Speaker. We're a divided nation. We're a nation that's united right now. We'll continue being united because we're more united. There's no... Thank you very much. Thank you. The supplementary question. Order. Order. Restart the clock. Supplementary question. Thank you Premier for that answer and for the commitment and leadership in standing up for the people of this great province. Premier, I know in particular you have been a champion for the Canadian economy taking a leadership role on this front highlighting the dangers of instability and economic isolation will have on this country. As you have said previously what is good for Ontario is good for Canada and you have said that provinces should be competing together against the world and not against each other. Premier, can you share with this house the importance of economic growth and the measures that were agreed by all provinces? Great question. Premier? I want to thank the MPP from Milton for that great question. There was a few items Mr. Speaker that we condensed down to about four different items that had the concerns of all provinces across this great nation one being economic development job creation. I can tell you Mr. Speaker we are leading North America in economic development job creation because of the policies of our government we are leading the nation we are leading North America with 252,400 jobs there is 252,000 more families putting food on the table paying more just otherwise not be able to afford our economy is booming we are the envy of Canada and North America we also spoke about the transfers Mr. Speaker nothing is more important in this country than health, health, health jobs, jobs, jobs we ask for an escalator to go up from 3% to 5.2% Mr. Speaker which will take the burden off the provinces because I can tell you Mr. Speaker we can't do it alone when it comes to health care thank you very much the next question the member for Davenport thank you Mr. Speaker and my question is to the premier first let me say that nothing that the minister of education has said here today will give Ontario families an ounce of assurance that schools will be open tomorrow the government says they are being reasonable when it comes to their escalating attacks on our school system but let's take stock for a moment and let's take a look at the next generation they are still planning to fire thousands of teachers they are still planning to replace in person instruction with risky, mandatory Alabama style learning and they are still planning to cram more kids in fewer courses Mr. Speaker does this sound reasonable the question is addressed to the premier minister of education thank you very much Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker what our government is focused on is investing in the front lines of education we have increased expenditure this year on track to spend 1.2 billion dollars more than we did last year Mr. Speaker that is a proof positive that we care deeply about the success of our young people Mr. Speaker when it comes to what we are doing to keep kids in class we have asked members opposite to stand with the government to look to third party mediation which worked with QP just one month ago we've heard silence we've told parents what we have told parents is that the mission of the government is to keep kids in class by using every tool in the toolkit because parents should know with confidence that their kids should be in class tomorrow what is regrettable is that there is not unanimity of purpose in the legislature opposing escalation the silence seems to be almost implicit support for these approaches which we oppose our government is going to continue to work hard 24-7 to get deals so we keep kids in class this is a supplementary question Mr. Speaker I'm going to go back to the premier the minister clearly needs a lesson in bargaining 101 you're supposed to go to the bargaining table to improve education not make cuts that hurt kids if this government cared about our students they wouldn't be asking them to foot the bill for their tax cuts and their costly court cases they wouldn't be jeopardizing graduation rates by cutting courses and pushing kids into online learning they wouldn't be targeting the very people who deliver our education as the clock ticks toward job action will the minister finally do the right thing premier take these unreasonable cuts off the table and stop these attacks on our kids future minister of education thank you speaker the member opposite speaks about data points will she agree that a 1.5 billion dollar increase is too high when it comes to the offer we propose which is for $750 million Mr. Speaker the fundamental issue at the table is a lack of willingness to move off a $1.5 billion commitment to increase compensation it is a fundamental contrast point at the table the priority of this government and this premier is to invest in education Mr. Speaker the 1% we're offering is $750 million which is somewhat similar to the $700 million increase made at the height of liberal spending under the former government Mr. Speaker we are committed to our kids reporting more money in math supports more money in our special education the highest levels in French in mathematics support in first nations in French language Mr. Speaker we're doing that because we believe in the potential of the young people in this province thank you the next question the member for Don Valley West thank you very much Mr. Speaker you know Mr. Speaker I understand that the minister of education is in a tough spot I get that it's a really hard place to be and the interaction that is in place right now is a direct result of this government's unwillingness to recognize that the cuts that are being imposed on the system are going to have implications and Mr. Speaker I've worked as a parent activist with teachers I've been an MPP I've been the minister of education I've been the premier and to a person I know Mr. Speaker from that experience that there's nobody in our schools who want to be part of this conflict they don't want the divisiveness they know that it's problematic for them and their students and also Mr. Speaker many many of the students who are many of the parents who are in our school communities right now were children and students during the Harris years they know Mr. Speaker what it's like to be out of school for weeks on end they know what the cost Mr. Speaker so I say to the minister Mr. Speaker what exactly has the government done beyond continuing to stand by cuts what has the government done in the last four days to address the minister of education Thank you Speaker and thank you to the member opposite for the question Mr. Speaker what we have done is we've offered mediation as a reasonable offer to incentive the party to save the table we've offered independent mediation the same mechanism this government used to get a good deal with CUPI that provided predictability for parents Mr. Speaker the request and the insistence of the teachers union is clear they want a $1.5 billion increase I actually believe we should be remunerating our teachers while they are in the front of class that we need to retain talent they're the second highest remunerated in the nation the preference of this government is to put more money to help our kids we are looking at every option possible to invest more in our children's future that's the priority of students it's the priority of parents and it's the priority of this government Supplementary question Mr. Speaker I understand that the minister my question is the minister of education I understand that the minister of education wants to claim that this is about compensation what I have heard the unions and the federation say Mr. Speaker is that the quality of education is their focus that's their primary focus they know Mr. Speaker that the cuts to per pupil funding the increase in class sizes the insistence on mandatory online courses that those continue to be disrespectful to children disrespectful to parents Mr. Speaker and disrespectful to their teachers and to the poor workers it is up to the government to bring real solutions to the table it is time for the government to bring real solutions to work seriously to come to an agreement mediation can only work Mr. Speaker if there's willingness on both sides of the table the government needs to bring real solutions to the table Mr. Speaker will the minister assure the students of this province that he is going to do just that Mr. Speaker please allow me to quote the member opposite mediation only works if all parties are reasonable I agree for the first time in my history with the member opposite mediation only and what is unreasonable is that for 204 consecutive days without interruption there has been no material change at all to the position of OSSTF how is that acceptable for parents every entity needs to be reasonable and put our kids first doing so what they're providing is an insistent priority on a 1.5 billion to our increased compensation that is unacceptable we want the unions to be reasonable to save the table and work with the government in good faith to provide predictability for every child in this province the next question the member for Chatham Kent Leamington thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the minister of heritage sport tourism and culture industries last month the minister was able to visit where Canada begins during her tour of southwestern Ontario her visit included stops at local attractions as well as meetings with mayors and council members from Tecumseh and Windsor and the CEO of the local tourism organization serving Windsor Essex and Peely Island the minister was also able to visit the folks from MH100 teen program a successful program for at-risk youth in the area before ending her day at the Windsor International Film Festival attended by approximately 1200 cinema enthusiasts and industry professionals it is clear there is much to explore across all of southwestern Ontario can the minister please tell us how her ministry support for attractions in my writing of Chatham Kent Leamington is growing the local economies and communities across southwestern thank you very much the minister of heritage sport tourism and culture industries thank you very much speaker it's my pleasure to respond to the great member from Chatham Kent Leamington he has been a strong advocate in this house for many years for his community and I'm glad to be addressing what we're doing in the ministry of heritage sport tourism and culture industries within his region he's right last month I had the opportunity to meet with Mayor Drew Dilkins of Windsor Gordonor who's the CEO of the local tourism department of Tecumseh and Mahari Higos from MH100 a young man who has built from absolutely nothing something that is so spectacular we want to emulate his involvement in sport in underprivileged areas right across the province I did have the opportunity to go to the Windsor International Film Festival where we invested over $50,000 it is the largest film festival in terms of volunteers across the entire province and speaker they're doing great things there and the contributions that they are making and we're going to continue to support the Windsor International Film Festival as well as the local institutions within the members constituency supplementary question thank you speaker that's wonderful to hear just how an array of industries in southwestern Ontario have such an important impact on our local jobs and tourism spending our region is lucky and proud to call itself a two nation destination since our region is literally a neighbor to our southern neighbor we benefit greatly from our American friends visiting our sites, assets and attractions in fact according to destination Canada during the second quarter of this year visitors from the United States represented 52% or $3.3 billion dollars of all spending by international visitors can the minister please tell us what she is doing to reach new markets and encourage more international visitors to explore what she likes to call a world in one province thank you very much speaker the member is right we do call Ontario the world in one province you can explore and experience almost anything in this province and we should be very proud of that I'm also very proud of Windsor and their surrounding areas for their marketing of being where Canada begins embracing tourists from across across the border and working in fact with Detroit on this two nation destination let me tell you a little bit about destination Ontario that we are strategically targeting markets to show how the potential for increased visitation and visitor expenditures including the United States in 2018 destination Ontario and destination Canada and our regional tourism organizations targeted markets in the United States accessible by a short haul flight with Ontario specific content through major publishers for example the New York Times the New Yorker and the Washington Post with a combined investment of $2 million this partnership generated 97,000 incremental trips to Ontario and approximately $59 million in visitors Mr. Speaker we are open for business open for jobs and we're open for visitors thank you the next question the member for Essex thank you very much speaker my question is to the premier speaker last week the premier's normally wordy energy minister lasted all of about 5 seconds in a scrum with reporters when he finally stated that climate change is real and as a consequence of human activity then he bolted shocking all the journalists in the scrum it would almost be believable speaker if that same minister had not spent the rest of the week defending his passion for a website that specializes in climate change denial whether it's tearing up clean energy contracts to a tune of $231 million or putting up stickers that don't stick it all points to the for government's belief that they can ignore the climate crisis speaker why is the premier stacking key government roles with people who can't even say whether climate change is real well for you Mr. Speaker we've talked about this numerous times and we believe climate change is real but even better we have an incredible policy moving forward to meet our target the Paris Accord of 30% we're well on our way we're actually going to exceed that goal and focus on making sure we have clean air clean lakes clean rivers and making sure that we respect the environment and you know how we're doing that Mr. Speaker the other day yesterday I made announcement of SMR's small modular reactors which is the way of the future it's going to create $10 billion in economic development $150 billion of economic development globally we know the Chinese and the Russians are playing in this arena we have the smartest and brightest people when it comes to nuclear right here in Ontario and we'll make sure that we take care of those jobs we're also getting people out of cars putting a $28 billion project in transit North America the supplementary question Speaker last March the energy minister appointed his former Conservative colleague Joe Oliver as the chair of the independent electricity system operator and charged him with handling Ontario's energy needs it's a big job for a partisan appointee but still Mr. Oliver has found some time on the side to denounce what he calls climate alarmists and even suggested let's not ignore the greater personal comfort of living in a more hospitable climate apparently Mr. Oliver shares the same love of periodicals as the minister of energy does since this premier has given him such a key role in shaping Ontario's energy future does the premier agree with Mr. Oliver about the potential benefits of climate change and if not why did he let his energy minister give him a key role in planning electricity future premier to reply to you Mr. Speaker I'm so proud of our minister of energy he's an absolute all-star Mr. Speaker the minister of energy has one of the toughest jobs down there cleaning up the mess that the NDP and the Liberals created for this province creating a mess that made us uncompetitive gave us the highest hydro bills in North America we're finally getting our hands around the colossal mess and I was reading the auditor general's report Mr. Speaker from 2006 to 2014 under the NDP and the Liberal regime I said there's never been a bigger transfer of wealth from the hardworking men and women of businesses and the ratepayers of this province under their regime the ratepayers paid a tune of $37 billion more than what they should have $37 billion the rate in the pocket of the back room dealers of their cronies and the other cronies that support the Liberals the member for Guelph thank you Speaker my question is for the premier so the premier is making a lot of noise about his government's so-called made in Ontario environment plan but expert analysts have said it's a made order stop the clock you can't drown out the member for Guelph you can't place this question order restart the clock member for Guelph expert analysts have said it's a made to fail plan economists and scientists have given it a failing grade environmental groups have said it's failed to launch and now a group of young people are suing this government for its failure to act on the climate crisis yet the premier continues to sabotage climate solutions while citing the 22 percent emission reductions achieved under the previous government well Speaker 22 percent is not good enough so I ask the premier if he can cite any action his government has taken to actually reduce GHG pollution in Ontario question has been addressed to the premier minister of environment thanks very much Mr. Speaker I'm glad that you have a plan for the environment unlike official opposition a plan to deal with climate change or pollution but Mr. Speaker I will have to say that although we have reached 22 percent we're leading one of the leaders in the country getting our emissions to 30 percent which was the movement away from coal in our electricity sector was started by the last progressive conservative government we thank the liberal government for following through in our initial movement towards removing coal but Mr. Speaker we have made quite a bit of steps towards making our 30 percent this morning I just announced our new dry clean program for heavy duty trucks this morning in North York Mr. Speaker that is going to reduce the pollutants start reducing greenhouse gases in the transportation sector which is one of the leading causes of greenhouse gases in this province Mr. Speaker supplementary question Speaker we have made platitudes will not solve the climate crisis it will not solve the emergency that we face as a matter of fact delaying action is the new form of climate denialism the bottom line is this government has at least one minister who enjoys reading climate denial literature they've wasted 30 million dollars on stickers that don't stick trying to sabotage solutions by suing the federal government to reduce renewable energy contracts at a cost of 231 million dollars at a time when renewable energy prices are dropping they've actually cancelled transit funding outside of Toronto by 40 percent so Speaker I ask the minister can the minister tell the people of Ontario of at least one action this government has done to reduce GHG pollution so that we can leave a livable planet for our children Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker and just the last month working with the ministry of energy I approve the environmental approval so that they can move forward to start creating the Wattay power corridor up in the north that's going to remove the indigenous communities off diesel energy production Mr. Speaker and give her clean energy production from clean sources there's one Mr. Speaker we've laid the groundwork for your transportation to electrifying our GO network that's going to pay benefits down the road of reducing greenhouse gas emissions Mr. Speaker we've got a historic announcement to build four new subways in the city of Toronto which is going to remove thousands hundreds of thousands of vehicles off our roadways every day Mr. Speaker we've implemented and we've asked the federal government a great meeting with the federal minister of environment yesterday as we're moving forward together with our industrial performance standards the emissions from industry the heavy polluters of this province we're going to make sure they start lowering their emissions and they're going to pay for it if they don't Mr. Speaker we are doing much to lower the emissions of this province we're going to Thank you Thank you Speaker my question is to the president of the treasury board a little over a week ago he made an announcement joined by dedicated non-profit and community leaders non-profits and other public sector partners I've been asking the government for years to ease administrative burdens Mr. Speaker I've recently met with representatives of Ontario non-profit network in my writing of Mississauga centre and they told me how excessive administration is taking up more and more of their daily work after 15 years of liberal mismanagement and ill-conceived planning this situation did not improve Ontarians expect and deserve better service from their government the treasury board announced that our government will be consolidating transfer payment agreements to service delivery partners reducing burdensome administration and allowing them to focus on the front lines through you speaker could the minister please explain how consolidation of government transfer payments will improve services for the people of Ontario the questions addressed to the president of the treasury board Thank you Mr. Speaker and I would like to thank the very hard working member Mississauga centre for that question Mr. Speaker as many people in this chamber know 90% of government spending is transferred to other people to provide the vital programs for Ontarians and under the previous administration the liberals of many different ministries and systems and processes were used to deliver these tasks in a duplicative way Mr. Speaker you could often have a transfer payment agreement to seven or eight different ministries making it very complicated for those who deliver these programs Mr. Speaker this robs the ability to deliver those programs in a timely and efficient manner by simplifying and streamlining the profits not only for municipalities but also for not-profits and service providers who receive government funding we are ensuring that Ontarians get funding and more value for Ontario's taxpayer dollars Mr. Speaker I would like to thank the minister for his response and for being a champion for Ontario's taxpayers by making this can focus more time and resources towards frontline services our government is ensuring that Ontarians are getting better access to vital services for their taxpayer dollars for example our government has reduced the administrative burden for municipalities delivering early healthcare programs by 50% this one example shows how transfer payment consolidation is a smart policy that will benefit service providers and Ontarians smart initiatives like transfer payment consolidation is exemplary of how we are building an efficient, effective and smart government together Mr. Speaker my question goes back to the president of the treasury board could the honourable member please explain what our non-profit partners think is an effective question president of the treasury board thank you Mr. Speaker and again I would like to thank the champion for that question transfer payment consolidation has been a long standing request by recipients of transfer payments because reducing red tape allows them to focus on what they do best servicing the public not paperwork for example the Ontario non-profit organization representing 58,000 non-profit entities in this province spent over a decade trying to convince the previous government to make these changes the organization said that the transfer payment reform and I quote is an important opportunity to modernize funding agreements so both non-profits and government spend less time on paperwork and more time delivering services that support Ontarians our work with the Ontario network demonstrates that we are government that listens that delivers and that's dedicated to building Ontario together the next question the member for Hamilton West and Caster Dundas thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the minister of environment conservation of parks since news broke of the devastating environmental contamination of Coots Paradise in Hamilton I have asked questions in the house about when this government learned the spill I wrote to you as minister full public disclosure and I filed a freedom of information request related to this investigation but what I have gotten back from this government is either silence or attempts to shift blame away from the fact that this government chose to not disclose a significant environmental disaster to the people of Hamilton the minister has said that investigation is ongoing and so my question will the minister commit to making the findings public so disasters like this never happen again questions been addressed the minister of environment conservation of parks thanks very much for that question opposite Mr. Speaker I have spoken to the media in this house as well the city of Hamilton has failed its residents with regards to letting them know of the spill we are making changes with the made in Ontario environment plan to ensure that there is no going forward spillage across the entire province to be online and accessible Mr. Speaker and I have made comment the investigation is ongoing and when that is complete we will make the findings public the supplementary question so let's be clear this was a devastating environmental disaster and now a year and a half later people deserve straight answers not comments from the minister to the media and this government's attempts to wash their hands of the responsibility in all of this is simply appalling the premier himself shared his own opinions with the media when he said and I quote it's totally unfair what the councillors did and what the mayor did knowing this all along you know they can't be dishonest with us but his own minister knew for over a year and a half that sewage was flowing into our water and said nothing Speaker the people of Hamilton are looking for some accountability come clean, apologize for keeping Hamiltonians in the dark and release the result of the investigation publicly Minister Thanks Mr. Speaker unfortunately the member opposite didn't listen to my response I said we would make the investigation public once it's completed and we are making changes with regards to how reporting is going forward and Mr. Speaker we have made changes to the work that has to be done with the city of Hamilton going forward so it's going to be very transparent and open process going forward Mr. Speaker and I hope the member opposite works with us and supports us in our main Ontario environment plan to ensure that we continue and make sure that we make it online reporting of any spillage across this province we don't think it's acceptable especially when councils such as Hamilton make a huge mistake with their sewage system so Mr. Speaker we are going to work as hard as we can to ensure the clean up continues and ensure it's made back to go back to how it was originally before this village occurred Thank you very much The next question the member from Mississauga streetsville Thank you Mr. Speaker Many of my constituents were rightfully upset when news broke that a trustee with the Peel made a disparaging comment about McCriman middle school in Brampton and more concerns have been raised by families, students the Peel district school board director of education, the board of trustees and members of the broader community allegations of anti black racism, broader discrimination and a lack of adherence to governance, leadership and human resources practices at the board must be taken seriously Mr. Speaker Our government took immediate action and recently launched a formal review of the Peel district school board Could the minister of education please tell the legislature what this formal review will cover and how it will serve students and their families Questions to the minister of education Thank you very much I want to thank the member for her leadership in standing up for the families of Peel region against discrimination We all agree that schools must be safe and respectful places for all students It is clear given the very serious allegations of anti black racism that the government had to intervene which is why we took immediate steps to call in two reviewers to do that Mr. Speaker, we've called in Inachada who is also a, I should note a Brampton resident is a leader in the South Asian community and is a human rights advocate former vice chair of the Ontario Human Rights Board we appointed Suzanne Herbert who is a former deputy minister but also who is involved in the review of the York region district school board who did a very similar review and very credible person I have also deputized Patrick Case my ADM for education equity to lead this process. Now Patrick is a leader in Ontario's black community, he is a human rights advocate and a lawyer, he will lead this process and sit in each review to ensure the voices of the black community Peel are heard The supplementary question Thank you Mr. Speaker I want to be clear, the Peel district school board is home to one of the most diverse student populations in Canada and it employs thousands of hard working and dedicated professionals as educators, administrators and support staff. It is one of the most important to combat racism and ensure equity in our schools not only in Peel district school board but right across Ontario no student educator or staff member should ever be victim to discriminatory comments or acts Speaker, I know this is a value that every member of our government shares and that combating racism and ensuring the safety of our children are important priorities of our government Could the Minister of Education tell this chamber why these priorities are so important Minister of Education Thank you Mr. Speaker, obviously we stand with all members of this legislature posing racism particularly anti-black racism, sexism homophobia and any form of discrimination prejudice that can manifest in class Mr. Speaker, it is the priority of all members of this legislature to oppose it and denounce it which is why when hearing about these serious allegations from students and parents and administration we took immediate action to call into reviewers. In addition I have deputized my Associate Deputy Minister Patrick case, a leader in Ontario's black community and an advocate for human rights to sit in on every single review to lead that process and to ensure accountability for those that propagated. Mr. Speaker we are committed to ensuring children in Peele feel safe and feel respected in their classrooms The next question the member for Ottawa Centre My question is to the Premier Today is the international day for people with disabilities and people living with disabilities in Ontario is getting harder for them This is a crisis but the actions of this government so far has been to include a cut in half of planned increases to the Ontario disability support program and taking a billion dollars out of the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services that has made life worse We know that there are 16,000 people waiting for supportive housing in Ontario. We know that people with disabilities experience higher rates of homelessness violence, food insecurity and poverty. We know that from the time children with disabilities are born to the time they grow old Speaker we are failing them right now and we are failing their caregivers from ritual burnout right across this province On this day for the international day of persons with disabilities will this Premier keep making things worse or will he finally turn this around and start making life better for people with disabilities The question is addressed to the Premier Minister of Children and Community and Social Services Well thanks very much Thanks to the member opposite for the question is very important particularly on this day my ministry is working to ensure that we are improving supports for those living with disabilities including all the types of disabilities that the member opposite mentioned when it comes to developmental disabilities we are looking into how we are delivering services to those in the DS sector the developmental services sector to ensure that we get them what they need the previous government for many many years didn't improve supports for these individuals and that's why we are looking across all of the different programs that are available I've met with Oasis and I know the members opposite were with Oasis when they were here last week and community living and all those different organizations in fact I had a great meeting on Friday with Terry Corkush in my own riding she is the Executive Director of Community Visions and Networking in the Quinty region there are many different models out there we are going to find the one that worked for the rest of the member for Windsor West thank you speaker back to the premier the fact of the matter is there have been numerous studies and reports done you have the nowhere turn report done by the ombudsman you have the housing task force report that was put forward you have the deputy premier who sat on a select committee and made recommendations about the crisis for people with disabilities it's time for you to actually act to help those people on international day for persons with disabilities it is important to take stock of how we as a society support those living with a disability to lead full and happy lives but the reality is living with a disability in Ontario is hard and the government is not doing nearly enough to make life better for people living with disabilities wait times under the assisted device program which helps people access things like hearing aids and wheelchairs has ballooned to as much as six months under this conservative government and there is still no response to the report or any plan for Ontario to achieve full accessibility by 2025 in fact this government is going backwards when it comes to accessibility when will this government put forward a real comprehensive plan to improve the lives of people living with disabilities questions been referred to minister children the minister of seniors and accessibility been referred to the minister of seniors and accessibility I would like to take the member to ask a question but first of all I would like to thank the Honourable David Arley once again in his work on AODA review the previous government had 14 years to improve the AODA Mr. Arley said in his report they did so little when I tabled Mr. Arley's report I was very pleased to announce the return education STCs which was one of his recommendations the government knows that a lot of work needs to be done to make Ontario accessible for everyone making Ontario accessible is a journey this government will continue to take all of government approach to tearing down barriers thank you Mr. Speaker thank you the next question the member for Carlton thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the Minister of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs everyone who is farmers in their riding knows the difficulties they face on a daily basis cattle farmers like the fosters dairy farmers like the scoutens poultry farmers like the beckings and land farmers like the acres often the great riding of Carlton and in fact all farmers across Ontario feed Ontario's families and support them unfortunately Mr. Speaker farmers in Carlton and across Ontario have felt more and more unsafe in their homes and workplaces which often times are the one and the same due to frequent trespassing on their properties and their homes Carlton's and Ontario's farmers want to know what is our government doing about this and will our government stand with them through you Mr. Speaker will the Minister please tell us are you struggling with trespass issues questions addressed to the Minister of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs and I want to thank the member from Carlton for that excellent question like her we've heard these concerns from farmers and I'm proud to say that we are taking action we have proposed legislation which if passed would keep Ontario farmers and their families, agri-food workers and farm animals safe by reducing the likelihood of trespassing on farms and processing facilities if passed this legislation would deter trespassers by incurring fines of $15,000 on first offence and a maximum of $25,000 for subsequent offences by ensuring that farmers are able to continue the great work that they do that animals are kept safe and healthy we are ensuring the integrity of our food supply Mr. Speaker our government stands with our farmers and remains committed to food safety this supplementary question Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the Minister for his response Mr. Speaker members in rural Ontario will have heard the concerns of farmers regarding this very issue this was a big topic of conversation at one of my earlier Carlton conversations public town hall meetings and I'm encouraged by the fact that our government is taking action on this matter and I'm glad that bill 156 the security from trespass and protecting food safety act has been put forward people in rural Ontario are aware of the great lengths farmers go to to ensure that their livestock is taken care of and that they meet the appropriate biosecurity protocols in order to ensure the integrity of our food supply trespassers are often unaware of how their actions might impact these measures taken and inadvertently cause harm so through you Mr. Speaker will the Minister tell us more about how this proposed legislation deals with this issue Thank you Thank you Mr. Speaker and thanks to the member for the supplementary question our government understands that this legislation needs to strike the right balance we respect the right of people to protest we also are committed to animal safety and food safety Farmers make every effort to ensure the integrity of our food supply by ensuring that their animals are not exposed to disease and distress and that our livestock trespassers threaten this balance the proposed legislation supports farmers in their efforts by creating animal protection zones on farms processing facilities and other prescribed premises with our proposed legislation we are ensuring that food safety is prioritized while also ensuring animal safety and that farmers are able to continue the good work that they do which all of us in Ontario benefit from finally supported this bill we can rest assured that our government is doing just that and I again thank the member for that question the next question the member for Oshawa Thank you very much Speaker my question is to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Speaker almost 100 residents of a few Oshawa apartment buildings found out this summer that their leases were being terminated because of renovations they're being renovicted these soon to be displaced residents are seniors working families and folks on a fixed income the housing situation in Oshawa is dire and they don't know where they will go my constituent Angela wrote to me quote the new owners are abusing the renovation loophole to evict tenants offering large sums of money to people if they'll give up their right to come back they state the units are in such a state of disrepair that renovations are necessary when in reality all they're doing is updating and slapping some paint on the walls and relisting the units for double what we are currently paying this is a cash grab quote speaker every single ontarian deserves a safe and affordable place to live what is this government going to do to stop renovations and to help all of these people find a safe affordable place to live the minister of municipal affairs and housing thanks thanks speaker and through you to the honorable member I want to thank her for the question I also want to thank her for attending our event yesterday in Oshawa where we announced our latest innovation guide on tiny homes appreciated the opportunity to speak about some of the issues in Oshawa with her and Mayor Carter in regard to the issue that the members placed on the table our government believes that every ontarian needs a place to call home and as part of our housing supply action plan more homes more choice we consulted widely about a number of topics including the issue of the residential tenancies act we heard from both landlords and tenants about the need for a fair system as the member notes the Attorney General I have a shared responsibility when it comes to the residential tenancies act and the landlord tenant board we are reviewing the information that we've received as part of the consultation and we'll be moving forward in the near future supplementary question thank you speaker again to the minister each and every week my office here's from people who are struggling to find a safe and affordable place to live minister let me share some more from Angela's letter quote the people in my building have been here for years like Margaret in her late 80s on a pension or Heather a single mom on Ontario works trying to raise her children while suffering from mental health issues and going to school there are so many stories of really great people being forced out by greed I'm going to try and fight them but how can one little person win against a big greedy corporation how can they use this renovation loophole when really all they're doing is cosmetic work to hike up rents why are we not protected speaker I have the same question as Angela for the minister minister why are these renters not protected and what are you going to do about it minister speaker through to the honourable member we want to encourage a safe and fair system for both landlords and tenants and as I mentioned in the previous question we have consulted broadly we understand that it's important for both tenants and landlords to be able to access hearings during a dispute and I know that the attorney general I have worked very diligently to work with tribunals Ontario to ensure that we have a number of more adjudicators when it comes to the system again we've heard a number of suggestions we're reviewing it I understand the concern that the member has we share that concern we want to ensure that the system is fair that it is balanced but in addition I think the member needs to understand that we also have a housing supply crisis and we need to have more purpose built rentals in this province we've seen some great strides with some of the measures that we've done last year we're going to continue to work with all parties this is a big issue speaker we need everyone working together thank you very much that concludes question period for this morning we have a deferred vote on the motion for second reading of bill 116 an act to enact the mental health and addictions center of excellence act 2019 and the opioid damages and health care health costs recovery act 2019 call in the members this will be a five minute bell and ask the members to please take their seats on October 31st 2019 mr. Tobolo moved second reading of bill 116 all those in favor of the motion will please rise one at a time and be recognized by the clerk mr. Tobolo you're your Mr. Fidelli Mr. Ford Ms. Elliott Mr. Philips Mr. Smith Mr. Harderman Mr. McLeod Mr. Walker Mr. Jones Mr. Jones Mr. Jones Mr. McNaughton Mr. Coe Mr. Bailey Mr. McDonnell Mr. Marto Mr. Gill Mr. Gill Mr. Skelly Mr. Puccini Mr. Miller Mr. Barrett Mr. Tanigasa Mr. Harris Mr. Hoga Mrs. Tangry Mrs. Y Mr. Guzzetto Mr. Pang Mr. Crawford Mr. Sando Mr. Ashid Mr. Smith Mr. Cuck Mr. Sando Mr. Gamari Mr. Sabao Ms. Fife Ms. Singh Brampton Senate Mr. Vantah Ms. Horvath Ms. Shaw Mr. Mamakwa Ms. Beggar Ms. Taylor Ms. Armstrong Mr. Kernahan Mr. West Mr. Gates Mr. French Mr. Stony Creek Mr. Andrew Mr. Hatfield Mr. Birch Mr. Gleber Mr. Morris Mr. Rikosa Mr. Hart Mr. Fraser Mr. Win Mr. Schreiner Mr. Hillier All those opposed to the motion will please rise one at a time and be recognized by the clerk. The ayes are 94, the nays are 0. The ayes being 94 and the nays being 0. I declare the motion carried. Pursuant to the order of the house stated November 28, 2019 the bill stands referred to the standing committee on social policy. This house stands in recess until 3pm.