 Seeing no further introductions, therefore, it is time for question period. The Leader of Her Majesty's Law Opposition. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Finance. The Ontario P.C. caucus called for, and we're happy to see the Liberals introduce some of her ideas in their housing plan. But Mr. Speaker, the plan is missing a very important part, and it's failing to address the underlying problem. On Saturday, and the Globe and Mail economic expert, Sean Speer, put it best, the plan, I will quote, will do nothing to address the underlying supply issues affecting affordability. Let me repeat that. The plan will do nothing to address the supply issue. Mr. Speaker, why have the Liberals ignored the underlying issues for so long? To the Minister of Finance, Mr. Speaker, is there any goal of the government to address the supply issue? Thank you. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the question from the man with no plan, Mr. Speaker. Here we have a party who is talking. I'm going to interject. I'm going to hold to the tradition in the convention that we respect each other by naming each other's either their writing or their title. That's going to stay. Carry on. The leader of the opposition has put forward no plan, Mr. Speaker, and instead he's going on about what it is that we should still do a lot of talk, but no action. We have put forward a 16-point plan that is actionable, that talks a lot about addressing demand and addressing supply. It is why we have put measures in place to inspire and promote more supply into the mix. I can see Mr. Speaker and vacant lots are an issue. We're addressing that in this plan, as well as discounting development charges and other things to try to promote more purpose-built into the mix, Mr. Speaker. It has been endorsed by economists, endorsed by the Bank of Canada, who recognizes how important it is to put these measures into place. The member opposite and his party have offered nothing. Mr. Speaker. Supplementary. Mr. Speaker, again to the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Finance is proud of his plan, taxes, taxes, taxes, and more taxes, but the economic experts are saying it doesn't address the issue of supply. At a minimum, a detailed review of policies related to zoning and development should be part of the plan. I think we already know what that review would tell us, too much red tape suffocating the system. Now, in the last 10 years in the GTA, we've seen the result of the liberal red tape. At the end of January 2007, there were 18,400 new ground-oriented homes available for purchase for families in the GTA. In January of 2017, a number had shrunk to 1,500, 18,000 to 1,500, and they say there's no supply issue. So I will ask again, rather than attacking others and hurling interests, my question to Mr. Speaker is, will we deal with the supply issue that's causing a spiral in the future? Mr. Speaker, we're taking actions on the supply mix. We've actually pointed out a number of them, Mr. Speaker. They include surplus provincial lands. They have empowered the municipalities and the cities to provide for an expedite vacant properties. We're looking at reducing multi-residential apartment buildings, tax positions. We're investing $125 million in a five-year program to encourage construction of rental properties. We've taken a housing supply team that's being established, Mr. Speaker, dedicated to these very issues. And I have to say this, Mr. Speaker. I have a quote here that says this, looks like the government listens and are caring about people who are going to be exempt. And we're talking from the tax who would contribute to our economy and help our healthcare system. That is from Tim Houdak, Mr. Speaker. He recognizes that we are doing what's necessary for the people of Ontario. Thank you. We've done a supplementary comedy hour over there. Mr. Speaker, again, to the Minister of Finance. And the Minister of Finance likes sharing quotes. And he just said that he believes there is a supply issue and they're acting on it. Well, the Premier, the Liberal Premier of Ontario, your boss, Minister of Finance, on October 19th said the housing supply problem is a myth. So I'm glad at least the Minister of Finance recognizes and says that supply is an issue. Because you know what? All the independent experts are saying that it's a big issue. The Toronto Board of Trade said they question whether this liberal scheme does anything to address the lack of supply to buy or rent in the face of unprecedented demand. I got a quote here from Jan De Silva of the Board of Trade. We've got 80,000 people moving into the city. We should have 30,000 new rental units a year coming on. Right now, there's very few. The average has been 1,500. So my question, Mr. Speaker, is this is not helping supply. But we know the government's going to collect a lot of new money. And so maybe the Minister of Finance can tell us what all these taxes is going to result in. How much money will the government get? But there's one thing. Thank you. Sorry. Minister of Finance. Honourable Speaker, let's put it in perspective. What we're talking about is encouraging supply. The very taxes that he's talking about that we shouldn't do, again, no plan, is actually curving and not encouraging supply. The TD Economics says this, the tax on non-residents and paper flipping should together help stem speculative behaviour, cool demand on properties in the greater Golden Horseshoe. The National Bank of Canada says you could do nothing, as is being proposed over here, or you could take action in the face of pronounced risk, implementing policies designed to both tame speculation, spur needed development, thereby placing the resulting housing market on a more stable footing. Ontario's Finance Minister has opted for the latter course of action, and it's a decision we applaud. Mr. Speaker, that is Warren Lovely from the National Bank of Canada. Thank you for your question. The Leader of the Opposition. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Health. Since I can't get an answer for the Minister of Finance on supply, I'm going to hope that the Minister of Health will share with us an answer on a very important topic. According to the Ontario Drug Policy Review Research Network, this province has more than two people who die each day from an opioid overdose. That's unacceptable. Mr. Speaker, how many more days are we going to have to bear this tragic statistic in the province of Ontario? Can the Minister of Health please tell us how he's going to deal with this crisis? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We are taking action on this side of the legislature. In fact, last fall we introduced the first opioid strategy in this province's history. In fact, we are at the leading edge, if not in front of the rest of the country when it comes to the measures that we've put in place to tackle the opioid crisis, which as we all know is a national crisis, including here in the province. We're investing more in our pain clinics, 17 pain clinics. We're investing more in treatment centres for those that face addictions. We're making naloxone available. We have made it for almost one year available free of charge through pharmacies, more than a thousand pharmacies in the province are providing this and they've distributed more than 28,000 life-saving naloxone kits that can literally save a life at that moment of need, Mr. Speaker. We're working on improving, prescribing with our frontline healthcare professionals. There's a whole lot of measures and I hope the member opposite understands that this can't be a partisan issue. This needs to be an issue where we all work together to end this epidemic. Supplementary. Mr. Speaker, again to the Minister of Health. Last week in Ottawa, 15 overdoses in 72 hours. Obviously, this is a crisis. Obviously, we're not doing enough. Too often opioid pills are cheap and easy to get and they're dangerous. A lethal dose of pure fentanyl is as little as two milligrams, the weight of seven poppy seeds. People don't realize, young people don't realize how dangerous this can be. The Premier and the Minister must crack down on this scourge that is hurting our youth, that is hurting families, that is hurting people in Ontario. And so my question, Mr. Speaker, to the Minister of Health is will he support the official opposition's call to cancel the hydro vanity ads and use the limited advertising budget the province has to raise public awareness on this issue. Young people are dying and there is not a proper appreciation for how dangerous this fentanyl is. Thank you. Thank you. Minister? Well, Mr. Speaker, if the member opposite thinks it's as simple as simply launching a public awareness campaign, he's dead wrong, Mr. Speaker. There's so many measures that are required to address this and it includes the investments that we're making this year in more treatment centres for youth in Ottawa. It includes the fact that more than 80 pharmacies in Ottawa are providing free of charge, life-saving naloxone available over the counter with training from the pharmacists that can save lives. I'm as concerned as the member opposite about the availability of illicit fentanyl, car fentanyl and other narcotics on our streets. We all need to work together to end this scourge. It's something which we've been doing for many years. We have a strategy to address it. I'd like to know other than fancy ads to increase awareness what's in his plan, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Final supplementary. Mr. Speaker, again to the Minister of Health, there is multiple ways to tackle this crisis and Mr. Speaker, the fact is... I'm finished, please. Mr. Speaker, on such a serious issue, they attack rather than want to work together. You know, the member for Nipissing had a great idea of fentanyl patches. The MPP for Kitchener and Conestoga had a great idea on the legal pill-press machines, but they attack. They don't understand that there are many ways we can attack this issue, and one of the ways is to stop spending the government's advertising budget on vanity ads supporting the Liberal Party rather than actually raising awareness for young people. This is not a part of health. Support our request to use the limited advertising budget. Question. To actually make young people aware how dangerous this is. You know, when I was in Ottawa, I heard about 14-year-old Chloe Cookville, 19-year-old Tesla Russell, who died because... The member from Davenport come to order. Minister of Health. Mr. Speaker, since April 1st of this year, every hospital in this province is reporting at least on a weekly basis overdoses that they see in their ERs. We've named the first-ever provincial overdose coordinator, Mr. Speaker. We're working with the coroner to expedite and improve the data that's available for important decision-making. We're doing everything we can imagine. In fact, Mr. Speaker, the pill-press idea, which is a good idea that the federal government is working on because that's a federal issue. I'd like to hear more ideas, but for the next 10 years, when he was member of a government in Ottawa, I can tell you what he did on those of the opioid crisis that we've known, Mr. Speaker. He did nothing. You see it, please? New question. The leader of the third party. Mr. Speaker, my questions to the acting premier. There are 2.2 million people in Ontario who don't have drug coverage. And I don't think those people should have to empty their wallet just to get the kind of medications that they need. Or worse, go without the medications that they need. Does the Liberal Government think the same, Speaker? Thank you. Deputy Premier. Minister of Health, long-term care. Mr. Speaker, I applaud the member from the third party for her advocacy on this important issue. And... But Mr. Speaker. The member in the third party know that for at least the past 3 years, our government, myself, the premier have been strong and relentless advocates in advocating for a national pharmacare program. In fact, I would argue that we have been the largest and the strongest political voice nationally on this issue in the last 3 years. But it's important that all of us in this legislature and outside who believe in the importance of a national pharmacare program in access to medicines as a healthcare professional myself, I understand how critically important that is. It's important we all work together to hopefully meet that vision, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Well, Speaker, part of the problem is that there's lots of talk, today in Ontario, today in Ontario there will be people who go to a doctor or a nurse practitioner and they'll get a prescription and they'll leave that appointment knowing that they can't afford to fill that prescription. That means they won't take the medication that they need, Speaker. I don't think that that's right. Does the Liberal Government? Minister? Mr. Speaker, there's no distance between myself and the leader of the third party on this issue. We both agree on how critically important it is that the estimated one out of ten perhaps more families across this country that are unable to access medicines because of their socioeconomic status. We agree on this and even more so, Mr. Speaker, as a practicing physician particularly practicing since graduation with lower socioeconomic groups, refugees and immigrants, primarily from Africa. I know just how vitally real, how absolutely real this challenge is and how important it is that this unfinished business of Medicare that was envisioned 51 years ago, Mr. Speaker, that we all work together too. Thanks to Tommy Douglas. There's no question. Thanks to Tommy Douglas. It's unfinished business and I have been challenging this and have been championing this issue for three years, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Final supplementary. In fact, there's a big distance, Speaker, because we would actually implement universal care across our province. There are people who will get prescription, who, sorry, who will get a prescription filled and in fact when those people get home they'll sit down at their kitchen table and they'll take their pills from the bottle and they will split each and every one of those pills in half because the medication is so expensive. In fact, one in four Ontarians right now are forced to do exactly that, Speaker. I think people should be able to take the medication they need at the dosage that their physician has prescribed. Question. Does the Liberal Government Minister? Of course we do, Mr. Speaker. Of course we believe that that issue of health equity and access is vitally important. That's why in 2014 I met with the Federal Minister of Health then Rona Ambrose and our provincial and territorial health ministers and I advocated for national pharmacare. In 2015 I hosted a conference here in Toronto on national pharmacare, Mr. Speaker. In 2015 I advocated again at the federal provincial and territorial level. In 2016 when we hosted that same group of federal provincial and territorial ministers I called for it again. The member opposite knows how important this issue is. I just wish she had of been there three years ago. Two years ago. One year ago. Side by side with me advocating for this important vision. New question. My next question is for the acting minister but I can tell the Minister of Health that we were there telling them to back off of Canadian health care in our country. And we all know that and he famously said and I quote let's not forget that the ultimate goal of Medicare must be to keep people well. Not just keep patching them up when they get sick. Keeping people well means ensuring that they have the medicine speaker that they need to stay healthy. It means universal pharmacare for everyone. It means lower health care for Ontarians. Does the Liberal government believe that our health care system should be keeping people healthy or just patching people up until the next time? Mr. Speaker I'm proud of the fact that our drug benefit system in this province is one of the strongest most generous in the entire country if not the most generous Mr. Speaker. And I'm proud of the last year's budget we announced that an additional 170,000 seniors would no longer have to pay an annual deductible Mr. Speaker and their co-payment was reduced from $6 down to $2. Mr. Speaker we need to all of us be proud of the efforts that we've made over the past decade to expand the availability of drugs just recently after introducing a virtual cure for hepatitis C we've announced the expansion of that program at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars to the Treasury Mr. Speaker but we're doing that because we know just how critically important it is to provide these health-saving medications. Supplementary. Mr. Speaker as I recall it was the Canadian Association of Retire Persons. It was seniors across the province. It was new Democrats that forced them to back down. The Minister agrees and talks a lot about it but just because the federal government is dragging its feet it doesn't mean that the people of Ontario should have to empty their wallets for the medications that they need Speaker or worse go without them does the Liberal government understand that the people of this province need universal pharmacare. Thank you Mr. Speaker well Mr. Speaker we did hear from our stakeholders with our efforts to expand the availability and reduce the cost of drugs. We introduced that in our budget. It led to 170,000 more seniors paying no annual deductible and reducing their co-payment and Mr. Speaker the third party voted against that measure. They know they did but Mr. Speaker pharmacare is too important to make it a partisan issue and I'm proud of the fact that our Premier and myself for many years now have been advocating across this country we have been the strongest political leadership advocating for pharmacare. I do not recall having these conversations with the party the third party two years ago or two years ago even one year ago but I'm glad that they've finally come to the table Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Final supplementary. Thank you Speaker and we'll proudly vote against budgets that starve hospitals and cut services off the bridge whatsoever and the problem is getting worse not better Speaker as work becomes less stable and less secure it's harder for people to find jobs with benefits I believe that parents shouldn't have to empty their wallet or reach for a maxed out credit card when their daughter or son is having an asthma attack and they need to go to the pharmacy to get an inhaler. Working people shouldn't have to skip their heart medication because they lost their jobs or their benefits got cut off Ontario should be a leader this province should be a leader will universal pharmacare be in this week's budget Speaker on Thursday or will the people of this province be left waiting and suffering yet again by this Liberal Government's lack of action Mr. Speaker universal access to drugs is a gap nationally in our Medicare system and it needs to be addressed and that's why in 2015 Minister that's why in 2015 I convened a round table of some of the leading experts nationally and internationally to get there finish and then in January 2016 I discussed the issue again at the FPT level level leading to the creation of a working group a Penn National Working Group to look specifically at the issue of pharmacare the member opposite knows that this is not a simple issue I raised it again last fall at the FPT and our advocacy continues unrelenting Mr. Speaker new question the member from Nipissing and good morning Speaker my question is for the Minister of Finance last week I wrote to you specifically about Northern Ontario with four budget recommendations injured hydro crisis make cap and trade revenue neutral save our rural schools and take action on the growing debt interest payments on that debt are crowding out the services people in Northern Ontario depend on you've cut staff at the hospitals in Atacocon, Espinola Lake of the Woods to Miskaming Sudbury the Sioux, Timmins, Thunder Bay and more the almost 400 frontline healthcare workers you've cut in a day including 100 nurses is having a severe impact on patients health care will you commit to immediately paying down the province's debt lay out a long term debt plan and stop trying to balance your budget on the backs of patients in Northern hospitals thank you Minister of Finance I do appreciate the question for the member opposite he's just gone on about how we should not borrow not invest in hospitals and in schools because he wants to across the board cuts that's been their recommendation and Mr. Speaker on this side of the house we don't ascribe to that we've taken a very balanced approach we've done a very thoughtful approach to invest to stimulate growth to invest in those programs and services that Ontarians care for and rely upon Mr. Speaker they opted for 100,000 job cuts but Mr. Speaker we didn't do that we're balancing the books we're investing in things that matter to the people of Ontario and I'll have more to say about that on April 27th Mr. Speaker thank you supplementary the member from Niagara West my question is to the Minister of Finance I also wrote to the Minister last week nurses and doctors in Niagara tell me the same sad story frontline healthcare in the Niagara region is a major concern but this government has caught over 1500 nursing positions over the past year in some cases there is only one registered nurse taking care of over 200 seniors in a long term care facility this is unfair to our nurses unfair to our seniors and unfair to the people of Niagara while blaming this situation on funding restrictions this government keeps wasting money on layers of bureaucracy and duplication of services and we feed frustration my question is to the Minister will this government stop wasting the taxpayer's hard-earned dollar on the growth of senseless bureaucracy and will this budget invest in the frontline health services that actually serve the people of Ontario so Mr. Speaker I'm very proud of the work and the increases that we have put in budgets for healthcare for frontline services we have more nurses than we did before Mr. Speaker and I remind the member opposite who is new to this house they actually wanted to cut 100,000 people on the front lines we will continue to invest in our hospitals we will continue to invest in our education we will continue to build more schools and more hospitals we are going to continue hiring more doctors and more nurses as we have year over year Mr. Speaker the people of Ontario rely on those services we opted to invest in those services not make the cuts that they have been advocating for Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker thank you Mr. Speaker my question to the acting Premier hydro bills at the Sue area hospital have jumped nearly a million dollars in recent years it's become clear that the hospital along with manufacturers and other medium-sized businesses will not see any bill reductions despite the Premier's promises and late last Friday the Ontario Energy Board revealed that no one will see the full reductions that the Premier promised would be in place this summer the summer hydro rates that were just posted by the Ontario Energy Board do not include all the reductions promised by the Premier why do the Premier's hydro promises keep falling short thank you do you minister of energy thank you Mr. Speaker very pleased to rise and talk about the 25% reduction that everyone will see come this summer Mr. Speaker the OEB rate that was announced last week is an additional 9% Mr. Speaker so everyone on May 1st will see a 17% reduction when you take the 8% that started in January plus the 9% that's coming Mr. Speaker that's 17 with more to come Mr. Speaker and that's great news for all families right across the province and I know Mr. Speaker it's very hard to understand that when it comes from a party that has no plan no real substance Mr. Speaker when it comes to reducing rates they've got pie in the sky ideas Mr. Speaker they want to form a committee and maybe have that committee in some day come up with a solution our solution is working Mr. Speaker so much so that the OEB already brought forward a 9% reduction on top of the 8% we're going to see 25% reduction by summer Mr. Speaker that's good for all families for farms and for 500,000 small businesses right across our province Mr. Speaker supplementary Speaker back to the acting Premier starting May 1st hydro disconnections will resume thousands of Ontario families will lose their power because they can't afford their soaring hydro bills the Premier the Premier could bring hydro one back into public hands so that rate payers don't have to pay the 20% increase that hydro one's private investors are demanding the Premier could renegotiate her overpriced privatized power contracts instead she's spending up to 40 billion dollars to get herself out of a political jam while doing nothing nothing to rein in the underlying costs of hydro why won't the Premier put families and businesses first in Ontario instead of the political needs of the Liberal Party thank you Mr. Speaker it's families, small businesses and farms Mr. Speaker that have been put first by giving them an average of 25% reduction come summer Mr. Speaker that's putting them first low income individuals we've increased the OESP program by 50% including more families that qualify Mr. Speaker putting them first you know where they were Mr. Speaker in their plan the last page I'm not even mentioning First Nations Mr. Speaker we are making sure we're helping First Nations we're helping small businesses we're helping farms Mr. Speaker when it comes to putting families first when it comes to putting small businesses first and farms first Mr. Speaker that is something that we do Mr. Speaker on the other side of the house don't forget about them Mr. Speaker we have no time to look at pie-in-the-sky ideas like they do that's why we're acting by summer with 25% well thank you Speaker my question is to the Minister of Finance Speaker a couple of weeks ago the minister in a speech to the Empire Club confirmed that Ontario was one of the fastest growing provinces in Canada and that our economy continues to outpace Canada and all other G7 nations we have created almost 100,000 new jobs since the recession and unemployment is at a 10 year low Speaker these numbers are important they show that we are on the right track they show that we are prudent fiscal managers of Ontario's economy our government has taken a responsible approach to eliminating the deficit while continuing to invest in key public services my own riding a beach is east York we are continuing to invest in critical new investments that will strengthen our community and other parts of Ontario could the minister provide an update on our fiscal plan in advance of the 217-218 budget thank you Minister of Finance thank you Mr. Speaker and I'd like to thank the member from beach is east York for the question I am happy to formally announce that this Thursday April 27th I will deliver the 2017-18 Ontario budget and Mr. Speaker it will be a balanced budget global recession hit we made a choice to invest in our economy while protecting the vital public services healthcare and education Ontario met this challenge head on we made a decision to put Ontario first our government set a realistic and responsible approach to return to balance by 2017-18 and this week our government will deliver on that commitment thank you Mr. Speaker well thank you Speaker that is incredibly great news and I want to thank the minister of finance for his continuing excellent stewardship of our province's economy and I know I speak for everyone we are actually awaiting the budget this Thursday because we know that a balanced budget means that the government will no longer need to borrow to pay for his job ongoing operating costs it means that an important commitment that we made in the 2014 election is being delivered on it means a promise made has been a promise kept and we know that a strong economy together with a balanced budget is positioning Ontario for our long-term fiscal sustainability and in my own writing we are already seeing the benefits of our government's increased fiscal flexibility so Speaker would the minister then explain exactly what he means by a balanced budget what it will mean for the province of Ontario and particularly what it will mean for my constituents in Beaches East York thank you Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker it is simple to remember from Beaches East York noted a balanced budget means more money to invest in health care, education to people of Ontario we are no longer working to eliminate the deficit but our principle remains the same build Ontario up in a balanced way to protect our economy to promote jobs and security because of our balanced budget there will be new investments in public education in childcare, in transit and in business support because of our balanced approach there will be more investments in health care as well the people of Ontario have worked hard to achieve a balanced budget for the people of Ontario we are working with the people of Ontario Mr. Speaker thank you my question to the Minister of Finance over a decade of liberal budgets have meant Warloo region residents are working harder but getting less as provincial debt interest crowds out services and promised infrastructure improvements we all depend on patients in Warloo region are waiting longer for vital procedures all day two way go is now live but another 10 years away and promised high speed rail has hit a speed bump from what I heard around the region last week liberal caucus members aren't the only ones airing frustrations about lacking liberal leadership Speaker I wrote the Minister of Finance to tell him that we can't afford to be left behind by yet another liberal budget will the minister commit today to immediately pay down the province's debt in his upcoming budget to move forward on service and infrastructure investments we require or will he give you down a budget path that leaves us stuck in reverse Mr. Speaker let's be clear what the member is asking what the member and the leader of the opposition is asking and what all of them are alluding to they're asking us to invest more in education, invest more in public transit invest more in hospitals but they're asking us to actually do the opposite they want us to cut our borrowings which is going to do exactly what's going to make us competitive long term Mr. Speaker, our debt to our GDP is strong and it's improving over time it actually outpaces we are leading Canada we're leading the United States we're leading the G7 in our economic growth because of the investments that we're making the member opposite is asking us to actually make cuts to the very things that he's wanting us to invest in Mr. Speaker any questions to the Minister of Finance also, last week I wrote to the Minister calling on him to address the real concerns of Ontarians in his budget and not his government's self-serving political priorities in my area the cost of servicing the province's massive debt is hurting hardworking people we've seen reduced access to health care including overcrowded hospitals and wait lists for long term care that have grown to 4,500 our communities have been hit by unwanted school closures like that of Lakefield Secondary School businesses like Cedarville and Holsteins have seen their hydro bills triple due to the ongoing hydro crisis the government's 2017 budget needs to address these failures in management that are making life harder for families in Halliburton, Corklake, Brock and Peterborough can we expect the government to stop focusing on their own political projects and address the real concerns of Ontarians Minister Mr. Speaker it's astounds me that the member opposite is asking a question about investing in health care in her community when we did we increased it by 10% Mr. Speaker in her very community it astounds me that the member opposite belongs to a party where their interest on debt represented 15% of their revenues of their budget today it's 8.9% Mr. Speaker we've locked in rates for 30 and 40 years so that we can minimize the volatility of interest rates and invest in the very things that they're asking for Mr. Speaker they're sucking and blowing on this one I would it's not helpful either I would ask the member to take for his comments I would like you to ask Mr. Speaker I I would ask I would ask all members to kind of relax a little bit new question the member from London West my question is to the acting premier last week London health sciences centre mental health ER was at 146% capacity with 18 patients waiting for beds this was not an isolated spike as this liberal government knows this has been the reality in London for years yet the ministry continues to sit on a pilot project proposal that was submitted by my community last fall to allow ambulance transfer of non-acute mental health and addiction patients directly to the crisis centre instead of the hospital emergency room I understand there was a meeting last week with ministry staff at which several options were discussed what was not discussed was the pilot project proposal itself what my community wants to know is is this pilot project on or off the table as a solution to the mental health crisis in London thank you Mr. Health long-term care Mr. Speaker we love the pilot project we just want to support it without breaking the law and so Mr. Speaker so earlier this year we put together a proposal rejected by the local community that if the centre came under the corporate structure of the hospital we would be able to implement that pilot project immediately Mr. Speaker I know that later this week the member opposite will be briefed by my ministry on all options within existing legislative opportunities on how we might proceed with what we all agree is an important project that needs to be further supported and I'd remind the member opposite that it was this government two years ago I believe that invested $1.2 million to create the crisis centre that she is talking about in the first place we're committed to it we've demonstrated a commitment and we're continuing to work with that centre in the Linn supplementary again to the acting premier as the capacity crisis at the hospital has increased and the cost of the hospital is increasing the pilot project could divert as many as 3,000 people a year from the hospital generating savings of $2.5 million instead of waiting six hours or more to be seen at the hospital a patient could access care at the crisis centre in as little as 20 minutes this pilot project could be in place within a month providing an immediate solution to ease some of the pressure on the hospital will this liberal government commit to doing whatever is necessary to allow the pilot project to proceed Mr. Speaker there's no argument in terms of the value of what is being proposed however the regulatory fix the member opposite has promulgated just doesn't work within the confines of the existing legislation and were we to take a legislative approach it could take many months for that process to reach its conclusion however I asked the ministry to brief me on this issue last week they did I then asked them with the several suggestions for promoting it that had come forward for them to brief the proponents in the field together with the Linn this week the member opposite is being briefed tomorrow and I'm confident that if we work in a participatory way without thinking that there's some quick fix to this particularly given the absence of workable ideas that she's brought forward I'm confident that we can actually support this new question to the member from Trinity Spadina my question is to the minister for research, innovation and science all over the globe developing economy are starting to embrace new technologies that will transform many of our most important business sectors a number of these new technology are remarkable sectors that have the potential for incredible growth one area that come to mind is artificial intelligence a powerful resource that Ontario is a competitive leader in if artificial intelligence can be managed properly there's incredible potential to keep Ontario firms globally competitive can the minister tell the member of this house about how he is ensuring business in Ontario will stay ahead in the innovative economy in regards to AI great question thank you Mr. Speaker and I want to thank the member from Trinity Spadina for that very good question the member is absolutely right artificial intelligence is quickly becoming a business sector capable of massive expansion it is my honor to inform Mr. Speaker the house of the recent announcement on the creation of the Vector Institute supported by an investment of 50 million dollars from our government backed by the federal government and with over 25 private sector investors we are certain this institute is the first step towards entering Ontario as a leader in artificial intelligence Mr. Speaker the Vector Institute will collaborate with industry partners from sectors such as healthcare, banking, accounting insurance, retail and telecommunications Mr. Speaker the opportunities are limitless thank you Mr. Speaker and I want to thank the minister for his response it's great to hear that our government is investing the tools and resource on firms needs to remain globally innovative it's more important than ever that this government takes these steps to stay ahead when it comes to research and development of experimental technologies investments like this will help diversify our economy and create jobs of future that will be increasing demand could the minister please speak a little more about this exciting initiative and how his ministry expect Vector Institute to improve AI in Ontario thank you minister again I want to thank the member from Spadina for that question Mr. Speaker staying ahead of the competition in the world of great economic change requires us to work harder and work smarter artificial intelligence can help us do that the Vector Institute will help coordinate Ontario's existing artificial intelligence resources direct investment for research and development and create highly skilled jobs and instead of this calibre Mr. Speaker will attract top artificial intelligence researchers from all over the world as well as keep homegrown Ontario talent right here in the province of Ontario Mr. Speaker through the Vector Institute we will be able to provide Ontario businesses with Made in Ontario AI tools and promote the exportation of Ontario technology worldwide thank you Mr. Speaker thank you Mr. Speaker my question is the minister of finance I too wrote the minister last week people across London and southwest in Ontario struggling they're working harder paying more but falling further behind the province's debt continues to cause staffing and service cuts to London Health Science Centre in St. Joseph's Hospital the hydro crisis has caused businesses like North Star Ice to see their hydro bills by 50% in two years and after 14 years of scandal waste and mismanagement we've created a fast tracking of school closures which is gutting rural Ontario in the Thames Valley District School Board Region Mr. Speaker we need a firm commitment from this Liberal Government not pre-election propaganda such as the high speed rail project promised in 2014 which they have since backtracked Mr. Speaker will the minister of finance commit to the people of London and southwest in Ontario to include their needs that I've outlined in this year's budget Mr. Budget Mr. Budget Mr. Speaker this budget this budget will speak to the needs of London and Ontario it will speak to the needs of the people in Windsor from Windsor all the way to Canora all the way to Cornwall and the surrounding Thunder Bay North Bay Mr. Speaker everywhere in between it's about investing in the people of Ontario it's about investing in hospitals investing in education investing in schools Mr. Speaker not about cutting as being proposed by the member opposite in the past this is about invest to stimulate growth we have over 700,000 net new jobs in the depth of the recession Mr. Speaker I will continue to support them Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker thank you Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker I've also written to the minister as well massive cap and trade costs are causing havoc on the greenhouse industry that is so vital to my writing of Chatham Canessics Jerry Mastronardi owner of TG&G Mastronardi Greenhouse has said that his family business will be lucky to survive after their natural gas bills were doubled by the win government Matt Marchand president of the Windsor Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce noted that the result of this scheme is that we're going to export jobs into other jurisdictions like Ohio we're all going to the states and import their pollution minister your government's cap and trade scheme is ludicrous and to prove this Carl Mastronardi of Sunrake Greenhouses said that he would have paid less in government fees had he not installed $2 million worth of energy saving curtains in his greenhouses his company could have qualified for savings that are available to larger natural gas users he said there's no one set up to save energy the only green this government is concerned about is money not the environment so speaker will the liberals stop the cash and grab and make cap and trade revenue neutral Mr. Speaker despite the challenges that we've had in our economy as we've gone out and recovered from the recession we've invested and the agri-food industry the agri-food processing we are proud in this country for the tremendous amount of GDP that agriculture brings to Ontario we invested $19 million just in the greenhouse industry and we know we know that foreign direct investment we need in this province among all other jurisdictions it's not by accident again it's because of our encouragement for that economic activity we'll continue to support we'll continue to invest and Mr. Speaker the member opposite makes reference to the fact that jobs are important they're critically important that's why we have to embrace the new economy he's turning his back on that new economy he doesn't want to go to clean tech he wants to actually churn around and put his head in the sand as the rest of the world leads Ontario will always lead Mr. Speaker Thank you Mr. Speaker Order Thank you My question is for the acting Premier Jamie Lee Ball is a young woman who found herself in excruciating pain she was suffering from internal bleeding and complications from surgery so she went to the emergency room at Brampton Civic Hospital to get some help but instead of getting a hospital bed Jamie Lee was put on a stretcher in a hallway she was labelled hallway patient number one and she spent five long days and nights waiting for a real hospital bed why does this Liberal government think that hallway medicine is good enough for Jamie Lee and other patients in Brampton Minister of Health Mr. Speaker I appreciate the leader of the third party raising this it had been raised earlier in the legislature as well and at that time I was able to express my deep concern certainly my sympathy and empathy for this individual young woman and Mr. Speaker it's not acceptable that an individual should have to spend that length of time under those conditions I know that the hospital also is extremely concerned about it working on the issue working with the family as well it's important that we find ways as we increase our investments to hospital including significant increases for the last year to the Brampton Civic and the Associated Hospitals in the order of 25 million dollars new funds last year that we find those solutions so that unfortunate unacceptable situations like this do not happen in the future well Speaker they don't want sympathy they want change Speaker that's what they want for in such a big crisis look Ontario's hospitals have been pushed to the breaking point by this minister hospitals are seriously overcrowded surgeries are being cancelled patients like Jamie Lee and Brampton are being forced to spend days in a situation of complete indignity in hospitals hallways on stretchers according to officials at Brampton Civic Speaker the new Peel Memorial actually reduced patient volume for about 10 days 10 days but now the Civic Hospital is back to severe overcrowding that's putting patients in Brampton in Mr. Hallway Medicine when they deserve so much better when will this Liberal Government stock the cuts to hospitals admit that they've created a gridlock crisis and do something about it Thank you Well Mr. Speaker the member opposite knows that the Peel Region is one of the fastest growing parts in this country and that's why we're responding to the level of funding that we are because the William Osler Health System that Brampton Civic is part of we actually increased their funding last year by 6.5% more than $30 million Mr. Speaker so that they would be able to address the increased capacity the volume issues that they're seeing but I was very proud to be with the premier a couple of weeks ago at Peel Memorial I mean the member opposite seems to discount the importance of that centre to the community population but an incredible facility the Peel Memorial Wellness Centre which we opened just a couple of weeks ago which is providing a whole myriad of services cataract surgery emergency care a whole set of comprehensive outpatient care we know talking directly with the patients the clients and the staff that that is making a tremendous difference in the region Mr. Speaker The new question is the member from Barrie Mr. Speaker my question is to the minister of international trade as the trade landscape around the world is in constant motion it is important that Ontario continues to position itself in a way that leverages the strength of our growing sectors the minister has long emphasised the importance of diversification in both the markets that we trade and the sectors we promote within those markets in the past year Ontario has conducted a host of successful trade missions to countries like India, South Korea and Japan promoting sectors spanning from agri-food and financial tech to ICT and clean tech given the success of these missions I was excited to hear that last week the minister led a mission to China a priority market for Ontario's export can the minister please tell about the important relationship that Ontario has with China and how businesses workers stand to benefit from these relationship building efforts Minister of international trade Thank you for the question and I want to thank the honourable member from Barrie for asking our future economic growth relies on our ability to compete globally and that's a fact China is Ontario's second largest trading partner from 2012 to 2016 two-way trade between Ontario and China has increased by a whopping 35% the purpose of my latest mission to China was to support Ontario companies in signing new business agreements strengthening trade and economic partnerships and encouraging investment in Ontario expanding the reach of Ontario exported by connecting them to foreign buyers allows for Ontario government services to get the exposure they deserve thank you speaker as jurisdictions around the globe aggressively promote their economies on world business stage it is reassuring to know that Ontario has taken the steps necessary to not only compete globally but lead the charge it is encouraging to know that our government has made strides in making exporting easier for Ontario's up and coming businesses as the minister has mentioned the relationship between Ontario and China in regards to trade and investment is growing yearly however it is important to note that developing last global partnership is not something that can be done overnight it requires regular meaningful interaction over multiple meetings to develop the kinds of relationships that see significant economic returns speaker through you to the minister can the minister speak to the inroads made by companies thank you minister speaker thank you for the opportunity again speaker the member from berry is correct we have made significant inroads in making exporting easier for everyday Ontarians last week speaker in Guangzhou a city in southern China I witnessed the signing of agreement between Ontario based OTT financial and Tencent WeChat payment the signing creates an immediate an instinct connection between Canadian merchants and Chinese customers bringing our jurisdictions closer through tourism and trade as the mission move to Shanghai and Jiangsu province I had the privilege of speaking at the official launch of united power a company that uses Ontario technology to produce materials and parts for e-veh batteries speaker seeing Ontario company make connections and partnership that will help them scale up and succeed in global market is a testament to this government's commitment to position Ontarians for the economy of the future thank you speaker the question the member from thank you speaker my question is for the minister finance who I also wrote to last week the member from beaches east York to the south thank you speaker due to this local government's reckless financial policies hard working families in the region of Durham are struggling interest payments on the government's massive debt are crowding out funding for public services particularly patient care at Lake Ridge health and Ontario shores mental health center speaker local businesses are closing their doors due to the excessive hydro cost as well as the government's cap and trade tax grab scheme as well epsom public school and school gov and Torah central public school in Brock are being considered for closure to balance the government's budget speaker when will this minister address Ontario's massive debt and stop balancing the budget on the backs of hard working families in the region of Durham Mr. Finance I was thinking this is the last day on this respect here's the gist of all of their letter campaigns in a nutshell they're saying this give me more money in my community pay for my hospital cut everywhere else special speaker that is not what we're doing we represent all of Ontario on this side of the house we're taking a balanced approach that ensures that every community benefits from the prosperity of our community the member from rent from Nipissing get himself warned if he carries on like that again if not named wrap up please I'll wait for the supplementary Mr. Speaker supplementary thank you Mr. Speaker our Ontario school boards are forced to make unpopular decisions because they need every dollar they can find to fund special needs in the suburbs north of Toronto schools such as our lady of peace are being shut down even though they are 90% full Stornoway Crescent public school in Thornhill is being considered for closure even though the community is shut off from all other schools by major thoroughfares Mr. Speaker four out of five school boards are spending more on special needs than they are getting this is at the expense of other programming will the minister please tell us what his new budget will do to help our schools properly fund special need programming so Mr. Speaker let's be clear we're balanced in the budget and because we're balanced in the budget we're investing more we're building more new schools Mr. Speaker we're investing more frontline we're supporting more individuals and people and students especially those with disabilities and learning disabilities Mr. Speaker we've taken a leadership in this respect and furthermore Mr. Speaker we're investing and supporting rural Ontario we're providing predictable funding throughout the past four years more so than ever before we recognize the importance of all of Ontario as we move forward not just any one particular community thank you questions to the acting premier the association for non-profit and service for Ontario's and the Ontario community supports association have asked you to protect public health care instead you drop the requirement that only not for profit organizations are eligible for provincial funding to provide community support services minister you know that privatization costs more has less oversight and ultimately Ontario's families pay the price the wind government didn't have a mandate to privatize hydro when and the wind government doesn't have a mandate to privatize our public health care system either minister acting premier of Ontario will you protect Ontario seniors so they shouldn't have to empty their wallets to get the community supports they need what will it take for the wind liberals to stop public health care dollars from going to profit to the minister of health and long-term care well thank you Mr. Speaker and we've been listening to our stakeholders as we move through the implementation of the patients first act and it's critically important the advice that they provide the experience that they give so that's why today in fact Mr. Speaker I wrote a letter to all limbs across the province asking them because we're not making any changes we're actually maintaining the status quo Mr. Speaker and that was important to all parties but in the interim as we further consult with all stakeholders over the next several months I've asked our Lins not to engage in any new contracts with new community care providers Mr. Speaker so I've asked them in fact I've requested that they implement a moratorium so we can have this consultation and we'll have the consultation with all our stakeholders remember from Monday, you asked the question thank you I beg no no it's over I beg to inform the House the following report was from the ombudsman of Ontario concerning investigation of the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services point of order the Government House leader Mr. Speaker I believe you will find that we have unanimous consent to move a motion with our notice regarding Yad Vasham Government House leader is seeking an item as consent put forward a motion I don't notice do we agree Government House leader I move that following the routine proceeding member statements today Monday April 24 2017 up to five minutes to be allotted to each caucus to speak to recognize Yad Vasham at the end of which the member for Thornhill will recite a prayer in ancient Hebrew Mr. Nakhry moves that the following routine proceedings and member statements today Monday April 24 2017 up to five minutes to be allotted for each caucus to speak to recognize Yad Vasham at the end of the member from Thornhill will recite an ancient ancient a prayer in ancient Hebrew agreed the minister community safety on a point of order thank you Mr. Speaker I beg your forgiveness on behalf of the Ottawa caucus I would like to recognize the presence I'd like to the gallery of Michael Cochran President and CEO of the Ottawa tourism welcome Michael thank you the member from the member from rent from Nipissing Pembroke on a point of order it's not a point of order but I'd like to wish my granddaughter Lily Colburn a happy 5th birthday today thank you it is not a point of order but you better have done it the minister of tourism thank you Mr. Speaker I'd like to welcome to Queens Park today members of the tourism industry association of Ontario in fact 15 members in the house joining us today's speaker including Beth Potter the CEO the president and CEO of Tourism Toronto and several board members of the house to join us at a reception this evening in rooms 228 230 thank you Mr. Speaker I'd also like to make an introduction we have a group of grade 9 and 10 students here visiting us from India today Vijay Singh Danda, Rochelle Bansal Parmur Singh, Harpal Pur Prabhseman Burdi, Moksha Gupta Vijay Singh Siddhu, Deep Sattra and their coordinators Rajesh Bhatia and Sangita Malik as well as our local coordinator and CEO of CIAS Mrs. Grishan Kendra and also my good friend Nindra Thand who's here supporting her son today who's a page Mr. Speaker I'm totally against her wishes I'd like on behalf of all members of the house to wish the member for Dufferin Khaled a happy birthday I'm not sure what number it is Mr. Speaker that's a very that's a that's a good wish and also a very smart move there are no deferred votes this house stands resist to 1pm this afternoon