 It is therefore an out-time for question period, the Leader of Remastered Systems. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. Part two of Global TV's Carolyn Jarvis's expose on Ontario's probation system was just as disturbing and shocking as the first part. So I want to be very clear. The member from Ottawa Centre led the Ministry of Community and Safety and Correctional Services for two years. He is currently the top legal officer in the province. He can pass the buck to someone who has been on the job less than five months or he can own up to the systemic failure in the system that he oversaw for two years. A failure that was outlined in the scathing Auditor General's report and a follow-up report that showed he didn't solve the disaster in our probation system. This is his mess. He should take responsibility. So Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Premier. Will you fire your Attorney General? No, Mr. Speaker, I will not do that. And obviously there are situations that are of great concern to all of us, Mr. Speaker. And we are working to deal with those, Mr. Speaker. But in partnership with our police services and justice partners, we've made Ontario one of the safest jurisdictions in North America, Mr. Speaker, and that is a testament to the work of our police services, Mr. Speaker. It is a testament to the work of our parole officers, our probation officers, Mr. Speaker. The reality is that we have people working in this province who have made this one of the safest jurisdictions in Canada, Mr. Speaker, and Ontario is also home to six of the 10 safest census metropolitan areas in the country, Mr. Speaker. So I am very proud of the work that is done by the people who keep our community safe, Mr. Speaker. Are there situations, are there disturbing situations that need to be dealt with? Absolutely. Mr. Speaker, again to the Premier. I'm sorry, that's not good enough, Mr. Speaker. The reality is our probation officers are saying that our communities aren't safe because this government has not taken this seriously. Let me give another example. Look at the story from yesterday's report. Kyle McLaughlin was convicted of child luring in 2013. He was sentenced to 18 months in jail, three years of probation, but just two years later he committed the same crime. This is child luring. According to sources, not once did a probation or police officer check in on him in the community to make sure he was following the rules of his release. Our probation officers are saying there is a major risk to community safety. Can you imagine that someone who's convicted of child luring and is out on probation and there's no one checking up on him? It's ridiculous. It's offensive. And yesterday this government, after I asked this question, I want them to take us seriously. I want the Premier. Premier. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Let me just say off the top that our Attorney General is one of the strongest men with integrity in this province, Mr. Speaker. He worked hard. He worked tirelessly for his constituency, Mr. Speaker, that the rule of law is what we need to follow. He also believes, Mr. Speaker, that government has a role to play in putting the protections in place for families across the province. He does not believe, Mr. Speaker, he does not believe that filling our jails, Mr. Speaker, that vilifying and criminalizing every action of young people, people in our province, Mr. Speaker, that is the way to go. We need to transform our system. He is leading that transformation along with our Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services, Mr. Speaker. And I understand. I understand that it is easier for the leader of the opposition. Thank you. The leader of the opposition. Thank you. Final supplementary. Mr. Speaker, again to the Premier, I just gave you an example, an example where someone was convicted of child luring and went out and committed the same offense. And your response was to praise your Attorney General for the great job he's doing. They have dropped the ball. They have failed the test of leadership. Our communities are not safe because they've neglected to make sure there are not loopholes. And let me give you an example of what they said yesterday. You know, the Attorney General said it's not him. It's another minister. And that minister said, I wish there was never an area we need to improve, but it does happen. Chief Government. It does happen? Can you believe that's the response? It does happen. Our communities are at risk and it's okay. It does happen. I wanted to clean up the mess. I wanted to close the loopholes and I'm going to ask the Premier again. We have we have dangerous criminals who aren't being checked up on and someone's got to be accountable. This expose was shocking. So, Mr. Speaker, to the question, knowing that our communities at risk, will you hold someone accountable for this incredible negligence and incompetence? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And I never said that there weren't disturbing situations. In fact, I led my answer with saying that there are disturbing situations. Of course, there's more that we can do, Mr. Speaker. I take this very seriously as does our Attorney General, as does our Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services. But Mr. Speaker, the fact is that we have one of the safest jurisdictions in North America. The fact is that we are hiring more officers, Mr. Speaker. We are putting more resources in place. And Mr. Speaker, we will continue to work to keep our province one of the safest, if not the safest in North America, Mr. Speaker. But what I will not do is buy into rhetoric that vilifies one person, Mr. Speaker, as though somehow that is the solution to systemic issues. And I would ask the Leader of the Opposition to look at his record as a member of the Harvard government. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. I've had the privilege of meeting hundreds of nurses this week as we celebrate Nurses Week in Ontario. They share me stories, countless stories of how they want a government that supports and defends our province's nurses. Not a government that attacks the health care system. Just look at the last two years. This government has fired 1,600 nurses. 1,600 nurses. Mr. Speaker, how does the Premier reconcile the fact during this Nurses Week that her government has fired 1,600 nurses? Mr. Speaker, you know, I want to just say to all of the nurses in the province that we value their work, Mr. Speaker. We understand how critical that work is to families across the province. Mr. Speaker, I'm about to have a nurse in my own family. My youngest daughter is going to graduate from nursing this June, Mr. Speaker. I'm proud that she has chosen that career, Mr. Speaker. So we will continue to invest in the health care personnel in this province, Mr. Speaker. We've made a huge investment in our budget, a $7 billion boost to the health care system, Mr. Speaker. That will mean that there will be more personnel, that hospitals will be able to deal with the challenges that they have, Mr. Speaker, including hiring more health care personnel frontline. Mr. Speaker, we have hired more nurses. We will continue to hire more nurses. We've also listened to nurses when they've talked to us about their scope of practice. We've increased their scope of practice, and that makes the health care system work better, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, again, to the Premier. Not only did they fire 1,600 nurses in the last two years, they continued to fire nurses despite the fact a report, and this is shocking, a report, Mr. Speaker, from the Canadian Institute for Health Information. I think everyone trusts CIHI confirmed a dangerous reality about health care services first identified by RNAO. And what this CIHI report said is Ontario's RN to population ratio is now the worst in Canada. So no matter what spin the Premier gives, because of these firing of nurses, we have the worst, the absolute worst RN to population ratio in Canada. And so, Mr. Speaker, can the Premier please tell us, can she please reconcile to us why here during Nurses Week, but right now in Ontario, she is proud of the fact that her government has overseen Ontario having the lowest RN to population ratio in Canada. So, Mr. Speaker, the leader of the opposition is assiduously only talking about RNs. He is not talking about nurse practitioners, Mr. Speaker. He is not talking about RPMs, Mr. Speaker. The reality is that since 2003, more than 28,949 nurses, 16, the number of nurses employed in nursing in Ontario, increased for the 12th consecutive year. Every single year, Mr. Speaker, more nurses have been hired. And Mr. Speaker, that was necessary, because when this government came into office under my predecessor, there had been nurses slashed. There had been nurses demeaned across this province, and there was a huge gap. That's why there are 28,900 more nurses working in Ontario than there were when we came into office. And every year, Mr. Speaker, more nurses are hired, and we will continue on that track, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, again to the Premier. And since I can't get an answer on the nurse firings, one of the things I heard this week when it came to Nursing Week, you know, I was visiting the Vandy Centre for Women, the Correctional Institute, and I also visited oncology at SickKids, and there was one common thing that was raised to me from the RNs, and they said they couldn't believe the government's oversight that they were not included in the PTSD legislation. Listen, these nurses have to see things we never want to see. They are affected, and the government's been saying they're going to look at it, maybe, maybe down the road. I'm telling you, Mr. Speaker, we need nurses to be included in the PTSD legislation. It's the right thing to do. No more delays. Can today, can we get a commitment and a promise from the Premier that no longer will there be this oversight? 8,000 nurses have signed the petition pleading with the government to include them in the PTSD legislation. Mr. Speaker, will the Premier give us that assurance today and do the right thing? Thank you very much to the Leader of the Opposition for that question. I would ask whether the Leader of the Opposition was a year ago when we were passing this legislation, Speaker. That was a time to bring it forward. When we honored our first responders, when we honored our firefighters, our police officers, our corrections officers, our nurses in correction facilities, you sat on your hands. The third party helped us. To the Chair, please. Thank you, Speaker. Speaker, we are dealing with all the first responders, nurses in correctional facilities are covered under PTSD legislation, so you should do your homework. You should do your homework before you ask questions like this. New question. Member from Toronto, Danforth. Good speaker to the Premier. Yesterday in a self congratulatory press conference, Minister of Energy touted the Liberal government's short-sighted decision to sell off yet another batch of Hydro 1 shares. What he neglected to mention, though, was that the further privatization of our hydro system will ensure that hydro bills for everyday Ontario families will continue to climb. Why are the Premier and our Minister of Energy so excited that families who are already struggling will be left further behind? Thank you. Mr. Speaker, I know that the member of the third party understands that building infrastructure in this province is important. He lives in an urban riding, Mr. Speaker. He represents an urban riding that needs those investments, Mr. Speaker. And in fact, we continue to make investments in transit. In this police premier, Mr. Speaker, that the net proceeds will be reinvested in new infrastructure, Mr. Speaker. And I know he supports investing in infrastructure. So, Mr. Speaker, we made a decision to maximize the value of our assets in order to make those critical new infrastructure investments. We are going to continue to do that, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Supplementary. Thank you again to the Premier. The loss of the province's majority stake in Hydro One will cost Ontarians dearly. People's hydro bills will keep going up. Member from beaches east York. And they will lose out on the services that revenue from Hydro One used to pay for. Our hospitals, schools, long-term care homes are already at a tipping point because of liberal cuts. The sell-off will make the situation even worse. How can the Premier justify this boondoggle for Bay Street investors at the expense of the people of Ontario? Thank you. Thank you. Minister of energy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Once again, please to rise to talk about what we're doing to continue to make rates affordable for all Ontarians across the province, Mr. Speaker. The Ontario Fair Hydro Plan has already reduced rates by 17%. They've seen that by. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Once again, I'll repeat. Rates have dropped down as of May 1st down by 17% compared to last year and by July 1st of this year, Mr. Speaker. If passed through the legislation, we will see an additional 8% bringing that total on average to 25%. But you know, Mr. Speaker, the media know. I know the opposition know the official office should know that rates are set by the O. E. B. It's too bad that the third party doesn't understand that component. Well, clearly the minister doesn't know how energy works in this province. Speaker, the Premier has no mandate to sell off hydro one. It will hurt everyday families. It will put further strain on our public services. She knows that 80% of Ontarians oppose this sell off. And yet she insists on moving forward. Why is the Premier allowing already wealthy Bay Street investors to get filthy rich off the backs of ordinary Ontario families? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And it's not just this party that, you know, understands how the electricity system works. Mr. Speaker, we've been working hard with stakeholders throughout the province to come forward with a fair hydro plan that's going to reduce rates by 25%. And I know the opposition, the third party, Mr. Speaker, can understand how the O. E. B. applies the rates. They can go to their website. It's explained there very clearly, Mr. Speaker. But the criticism, what's interesting, Mr. Speaker, with of their obsession with hydro one, Mr. Speaker, is even more harsh from Tim Kildass of the Globe and Mail calls the belief that ownership of utilities in Ontario affecting rates. One of the biggest misconceptions about electricity. Even Brady Yash, an economist of the Consumer Policy Institute and frequent government critic, calls the idea of privatization increases rates as a strawman, Mr. Speaker. You know what? When it comes to doing right for the people of Ontario, we're building infrastructure, we're building the hospitals, we're building the schools because we have a plan to build Ontario up, unlike the opposition parties, Mr. Speaker. New question. Thank you, Mr. President. My question is for the Premier. Yesterday, Ontario learned about 87 years old Ralphina Delra. Ralphina was admitted to the Brenton Civic Hospital. But before she was moved into a hospital room, she spent five long days in the hallway of the ER. Does the Premier think that a sick elderly woman like Ralphina should be seen by her doctor in a public hallway of the busiest emergency room in Ontario? Thank you. Mr. Speaker, I believe that she and every other patient in Ontario deserves the very best care, Mr. Speaker. And I believe that physicians should have the opportunity to see their patients in the best circumstances, Mr. Speaker. We recognize that hospitals need support, that they need an injection of funding, Mr. Speaker, which is exactly why $500 million in funding is included in our budget to go directly to hospitals. That means a minimum 2% increase across the board, Mr. Speaker, for every hospital. But across the board, it's more than a 3% increase to hospitals budgets, Mr. Speaker. And that's on top of the $495 million that was already put on their base last year. Mr. Speaker, so we recognize that there is a difference between the budget and the hospital budget. And that's why our budget addresses it. Thank you. Supplementary. By the time Rolfina finally got her hospital room, her doctor told her family that she was severely dehydrated and that her stay in the hallway of the ER had made her respiratory condition worse. Rolfina never got better. She died at Brenton Civic Hospital. A frozen hospital budget. Her years of cut to frontline healthcare workers and the heartbreaking stories like Rolfina. Thank you. This is a tragic situation and I'm very sorry to hear about it, Mr. Speaker. What I recognize and what our government and our budget recognizes is that there is a need to put a direct investment in hospital funding, Mr. Speaker, to increase that base. Particularly, Mr. Speaker, in high growth areas. And I believe the member of the third party said that this is a Brampton hospital, Mr. Speaker. This is one of the highest growth areas in the province and so we have recognized on top of the general injection of funding into hospitals. We've recognized that those high growth areas, Mr. Speaker, need an additional amount of support. And of course, there should be support for every patient across the province. That is what we strive for, Mr. Speaker. That's why our budget addresses the challenges that hospitals are facing right now, Mr. Speaker. Final supplement. Brenton Civic Hospital said at Point Blank, they are overburdened by the large number of patients coming into the emergency department. Their ER sees on average 400 people per day. That's what they're there for. The vice president of medical affairs is even blunter. He says they need at least 200 more beds in the short term and 600 in the long term just to keep up with what they have right now. Does the premier plan to address this crisis in Toronto, in the GTA, like what's happening at Brenton Civic? Mr. Speaker, again, I say to the member opposite that not only does there need to be an increase to the base funding of hospitals, which we have put in place $500 million on top of the $495 million that was put in place last year, Mr. Speaker, and we recognize that in high-growth areas there is a need for building. I was at the Trillium Health Centre, Mr. Speaker, announcing that we would be investing in an increase in beds, Mr. Speaker, because we remember the third party acknowledges the GTA, where there is that high population growth, Mr. Speaker, that we need to make capital investments as well. We are doing that. We recognize the challenge, Mr. Speaker. That's exactly why our budget has addressed those issues. Thank you. New question the member from Liner Front, Lenox and Adam. Thank you, my question is to the premier. Premier, after 10 years I thought I'd seen every imaginable government incompetence, but that all changed last week. Speaker, Maureen, who is a constituent tried to trade in her car, but it turns out that Fred and Pembles Flintstone have a lien registered against it. Maureen received her used vehicle information package from Service Ontario, which showed no liens on the car. However the car dealer would not pay her because the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services had registered a lien against her valid bid number in the names of Fred and Pembles Flintstone. The documents prove that there are other false liens in place on more vehicles. Speaker, why did the Ministry register liens on valid vins in the names of Fred and Pembles Flintstone who live on the Yellow River Road, but why did it take nine months to get it fixed? Thank you. Minister of Government and Consumer Services I want to thank the member opposite for the question. As he knows when I heard about this issue yesterday I said I was on top of it, I got to the bottom of it and that's what I've done. So what's happened, Speaker, is Service Ontario was contacted by this individual in March and the Ministry discharged a lien at that time. I understand she has since successfully sold her car. It appears what happened in this case Speaker that testing was done and test liens were entered into the system by a technician so it's a human error in relation to these vins. These testing performers were not removed immediately and Service Ontario of course is reviewing what happened. To my knowledge there have been no other similar cases but I am committed to making sure that the right protocols are in place going forward. Thank you. Thank you, Premier. Clearly we all knew that this was an act of gross incompetence as everyone knows that the Flintstones live on Rocky Road in Bedrock, USA and Fred drives a footmobile not a 2006 Chev uplander. I had contacted car proof who carries the PPSR database they were informed by this government that Marine would have to hire a lawyer to expunge these liens. Speaker, how many more mystery machines have had liens placed on them in the names of Scooby Doo in the gang and other Saturday morning cartoon personalities? Speaker I'm glad that the minister has worked on this and guaranteed to expunge this false and animated lean against Marine but will she guarantee that others affected by this these loony tuned shenanigans won't take nine months to get fixed. Thank you. Thank you. Minister. I appreciate the member opposite sense of humor. I do take this issue very seriously as a minister of government and consumer services and as I said before to my knowledge this has not happened before and I'm making sure that it doesn't happen again. And I understand, I heard this morning that his constituent is very pleased with the information that he would lay from service Ontario and just for information as well when a lean is removed it generally displays on the system for 60 days and showing it's been discharged and once that lean is discharged I want to emphasize too does not affect an individual's ability to sell their vehicle so I thank the member for bringing this to my attention yesterday and service Ontario will continue to provide any information that he may need to respond to his constituent. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you speaker. My question is to the premier this morning. Yesterday the premier was in Sault Ste. Marie after conveniently forgetting to mention her lack of action on the Ring of Fire. She was asked by a reporter what was going on with the one billion she promised for development. The premier said that billion is available it's there. The premier tell us exactly where the money is since it didn't appear in her budget this year. Thank you. We have committed a billion dollars to building infrastructure in order to open up the Ring of Fire. What I also said yesterday because the member of the third party has not taken the whole transcript what I also said was that we are working with the Metalla First Nations we are determined that this development will be done in conjunction with First Nations. I also said that our history in this province and in this country is riddled. It is riddled with bad examples of not working with First Nations of not stewarding the land of not being a partner of not sharing the resources and the wealth of this land with First Nations we are not going to do that again we are going to work in conjunction with First Nations we are going to work to open up those communities because of course this is about the wealth that's in the ground in the Ring of Fire but it's also about the economic development of those communities that circle that very, very treasure that's in the land. Thank you. Supplementary. I'm still looking for that money in the budget. This is just another example of the premier making big promises and not following through. She was bragging about her budget would help the north while at the same time there is no money at all for the Ring of Fire. When will this premier learn that the people of Ontario see her through her desperate political tactics and start walking the walk in addition to talking the talk. Thank you. Mr. Speaker I was very clear yesterday and I'm clear today and I know that all of our members have been very clear that billion dollars has been allocated it is there Mr. Speaker it is there to build the infrastructure to get better. On page 73 there is a reference to that money Mr. Speaker. We have been working with the First Nations we will continue to do that Mr. Speaker and when I was in Sault Ste. Marie yesterday Mr. Speaker I was actually correcting what had been said by members of the opposition that were in fact information that was in fact not accurate Mr. Speaker because that money has not been removed we are committed to investing in the Ring of Fire and the Third Party in the opposition don't think that that's a worthwhile endeavor we know Mr. Speaker that if we are actually going to live up to truth and reconciliation in this country then province by province, territory by territory we have to change the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. Can you see it please? Can you see it please? Thank you. New question. The member from Barrie. Thank you Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Labor and the House we heard the Minister respond to the Leader of the Opposition and refer to the PC's Bill 83. Upon reading this bill I too find myself wondering how the opposition could speak about protecting Ontario's workers while Bill 83 Stop the clock. I have dealt with this yesterday I'm dealing with it today it will be on government policy please. Okay incredibly trombly how could a bill that would be a hard based certification and disrupt labor relations in the construction industry be supported by others now and it now pretends to care about labor issues. This bill this bill refers to union members as predators and implies that unions are undemocratic. Could the Minister speak to clarify the implications of Bill 83. Thank you Thank you Speaker and thank you to the member for that important question Speaker I agree with the member it was puzzling to me as Minister of Labor I try to work with the opposition parties but some days it's hard to figure them out Speaker we've got private members Bill 83 coming forward Speaker the policy of this government Speaker and the policy of this government for a number of years has been hard based certification in construction we have that policy Speaker because it makes sense it's an industry that's mobile come to order. Finish please Thank you Speaker it's an industry that is mobile it's got projects that are often limited in duration are building trade unions our construction unions work in partnership with incredibly successful Ontario companies they fought long and hard for this process and I don't agree with any member of this House that thinks it should be taken away simply is not government policy and it doesn't benefit workers in this problem. Supplementary. Thank you Minister for your answer and your passion on this topic it is clear that this bill would be a step in the wrong direction under our Labor law it would take us backwards in Labor relations in this province in a time when it is imperative to modernize and innovate. We continue to hear more and more the world of work is changing in today's workplace people are no longer keeping traditional nine to five business days or taking weekends off it is common for Ontarians to be self-employed or have part-time or temporary employment. We need to ensure that we do all that we can to provide support for these changing workplaces. Minister can you please elaborate on what you're doing to address these changes and challenges that they present to us? Thank you. I'm happy to stand in the House this morning to speak on this very important issue. We all in this House know the world of work is changing we're facing challenges they're presenting themselves head on speaker as those changes take place we started this very important conversation with the people of Ontario about two years ago we talked to advocates we talked to organized labor businesses workers about what we are labor and employment laws to look like and we know the fundamental changes are needed to create that sustainable framework where everybody in Ontario gets to share in the economic success of this province because we've got to stay competitive in this fast-paced global economy but we need to protect workers while we do that speaker we need to give them the protection they need and the protection they deserve and we want to reward those employers those excellent employers in the province they need a level playing field speaker the ones that obey the law speaker I have the final report I look forward to bring it to the House very soon. Thank you. New question the leader of the opposition Mr. Speaker my question is for the premier and the recently launched anti-racism directorate the minister addresses the need to stop systemic racism and discrimination against a number of communities yet there is no mention of the plan in this plan to combat anti-semitism to help the Jewish community a community that is still one of the most targeted in Canada and many Jewish community groups have come and raised this concern not only with the government but with the opposition Mr. Speaker will the premier ensure the Jewish community in Ontario will be included in the ongoing work of the anti-racism directorate and will the premier ensure that the education on anti-semitism is offered in all educational programs the director will aim to implement thank you absolutely Mr. Speaker it is I think it is a solid assumption of I would say everyone in this House Mr. Speaker that as we fight systemic racism that anti-semitism is absolutely central to that struggle Mr. Speaker and we would never step away from that we will continue to work to make sure that wherever there is racism whether it is whether it is anti-semitism or whether it is Islamophobia or whether it is anti-black racism Mr. Speaker that we root that out and that we make sure that our young people as they go through school you know Mr. Speaker we put in place an equity and inclusive education strategy many years ago to restore equity and anti-racism education within the education system Mr. Speaker because it had been removed and we are absolutely committed across society Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker again to the premier and I think it is straight forward that we would all make that assumption that's why it was surprising that there was this oversight initially and I'm encouraged the premier is saying that they will correct this oversight because the reality is the Jewish community continues to be one of the most targeted groups when it comes to hate crimes in Ontario in the latest Toronto police services report alone the Jewish community of 43 of 145 hate crime offenses in 2016 meaning that 30% of the offenses were directed towards the Jewish community similarly in Hamilton 21 out of 115 reported hate crimes in the year of 2016 were directed towards the Jewish community these are not isolated incidences and certainly the Jewish community is a target of hate Mr. Speaker and that's why I'm asking the premier to guarantee to ensure this legislature the Jewish community will and to get a commitment will make an amendment that this oversight will be corrected can we get a commitment to an amendment on their legislation that will be supported by the premier thank you you see it in the premier thank you very much Mr. Speaker well there is a pattern developing it is very important that every time there is something said that actually is not accurate Mr. Speaker I don't know how to counter that because I do believe that the truth and facts really matter in Ontario and so Mr. Speaker let me read from the antiracism strategy Mr. Speaker on page one premier let me just read from the antiracism strategy page 171 in the budget document Mr. Speaker there are four points and then the fifth part of the strategy says public education and awareness initiatives that are targeting racism including Islamophobia and anti-semitism Mr. Speaker the member from Hamilton mountain Mr. Speaker my question is to the premier children needing developmental services are made to jump through hoops to get the supports they need families going to debt and are threatened with losing treatment because their money that they've been promised doesn't come schools are understaffed and unable to provide the supports they need as families struggle through teenage years they're burdened with the thought of what's to come as their child becomes an adult and their services are lost in 2014 the select committee on developmental services recommended that recipients of special services at home funding not lose that funding before passport funding is in place when will the premier act to ensure that essential services continue for vulnerable young adults thank you Minister of Community and Social Services you seated please you seated please thank you Minister of Community and Social Services very much Mr. Speaker and at first I would like to acknowledge the great respect that I my ministry and this government has for those families who do care for their loved ones with developmental disabilities and that's precisely why we have doubled more than doubled our budget since we took office to provide those supports and services for those with developmental disabilities the member did refer to the passport program this was a program that our government initiated in 2005-2006 initially those most in need were accommodated some 800 people through the years we have grown that program considerably and with the $810 million in the 2014 budget we were able to increase some 13,000 individuals receiving passport for a grand total now of 24,000 people receiving that support supplementary the member from Windsor West back to the premier these people need action not platitudes from this government families have come here today to rally and fight for their children they're here because their adult children are waiting years for the developmental services they need parents and other family caregivers are scrambling for support some have had to quit their jobs to pick up the slack created by your government right now there are 11,000 waiting for passport funding with no guarantee it will ever come 14,000 are waiting for supportive housing for 22 years or more your government brags about eliminating the wait list from 3 years ago but the crisis in developmental services is still here and it's growing when will your government eliminate the wait list of developmental services and actually support these families well Mr. Speaker it sounds like the member opposite is reporting our budget this year because we are proposing some $677 million in addition to the 2.1 billion that we already provide and of course we are taking action in fact again in terms of the passport waiting list what we do is we ensure that priority cases receive passport funding first they're prioritized very carefully according to their unique needs and individuals with the highest needs receive funding in as little as 7 days with about 75% receiving funding within 6 months we're working very hard on the residential support side and this year's budget does include a component to particularly serve those who may be inappropriately housed in long-term care or hospitals or even in correctional facilities where our government is full of that Thank you Well thank you Speaker my question is to the Minister of Northern Mines more than Development and Mines we are fortunate of course Speaker that in Ontario we have an abundance of natural resources including rich mineral deposits that support our provinces mining industry and our manufacturing sectors and according to the Ontario Mining Association Ontario was number one in middle production in Canada in 2015 producing far more than a quarter of the national total and the value of this mineral production has gone up from member from Renfrew, Nipissing, Pembroke and the member from Leeds, Grenville will come to order I was saying that the value of the mineral production has gone up from $5.7 billion in 2003 to $10.8 billion in 2015 and our government is continuously working to support the mining industry all areas across the province There are a number of programs in place to support our developing and modernizing industry and Ontarians want to know how the government is taking steps to ensure that our industry will continue to be a natural leader Minister of Northern Development and Mines Thank you very much for the question I want to thank the member for that Northern Municipality Speaker dozens of them understand the importance of the mining industry and the forest industry to their economies and the regional economies We have had a flagship program in place to support not only mining but the large industrials across Northern Ontario We call it the Northern Industrial Electricity Rate Program or NEAR That program is permanent It provides on an annual basis a guaranteed $120 million to help large industrials in Northern Ontario deal with their energy costs That can represent as much as a 25% reduction for these large industrials in Northern Ontario The NEAR program alone has supported large industrials in Northern Ontario to the tune of $730 million That is a massive investment in large industrials in Northern Ontario specifically today dealing with the mining sector Lots of other programs in place as well that perhaps will have an opportunity in the supplementary reference Thank you Thank you to the minister for the great work he is doing in the mining industry in Northern Ontario and explaining how the program the Northern Industrial Electricity Rate Program is working and helping my constituents in Beaches East York and their investments in the mining industry and helping create the manufacturing we need So I understand that the government of Ontario is investing $100 million annually to strengthen communities across the north through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation This corporation is working to build strong and prosperous Northern communities It offers unique programs to help foster hope and opportunity across the north and the corporation does this by investing in Northern businesses and municipalities and a vast majority of these projects have been extremely successful However, Speaker, I understand these investments come with conditions that recipients are expected to adhere to So would the minister please elaborate on the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation and how our government ensures these funds are used to support job growth Minister Again, I thank the member for the question and I want to clarify an issue that came up earlier this week in the House in relation to the NOHFC and in particular a company called Great Lakes Graphite First of all, Speaker, I'll mention that we as a government have taken the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund from $60 million to $100 million annually and we did that at a time of a recession in the province of Ontario a renewed and embellished commitment to the people of Northern Ontario Speaker, loans and grants provided by the NOHFC are attached with strict terms and conditions which clearly outline that all funds both loan and grants as I referenced earlier this week are required to be repaid in the event of a default. Speaker, in the implication or the narrative that was attempted to be created the other day, I want to address that and make sure that people understand that there is significant third party due diligence that is attached to all of the private sector applications that flow through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund and its board and its operators do a great job of representing Northern Ontario this fund is a great fund for Northern Ontario Speaker and it's important that people know there are terms and conditions attached, third party due diligence is done before the money goes out the door. Thank you Speaker, new question to the Minister of Municipal Affairs As the Minister knows in my writing the township of Minden Hills has been hit hard by the recent flooding with water levels expected to continue to rise businesses are being washed away and people are exasperated I was in touch with the local funeral home in Minden and despite placing 10,000 same bags and deploying 23 sump bumps, unfortunately overnight they lost their battle the owners felt helpless that their livelihood literally went underwater the situation is desperate the people feel that their government isn't acting to help them in their hour of need currently the government's own website only shows the Ottawa River flood areas as being under assessment as the Minister responsible for the Ontario Disaster Recovery Assistance, what is the government doing to help Ontarians in Minden Hills in this emergency Thank you Thank you for the question let me first commend and thank all of the volunteers and first responders in a number of communities right across Ontario who are dealing with what is by their own estimation and their own calculations a massive historic flooding situation and people will know that it's not only Ontario Quebec has been massively and significantly affected as well before I go to some detail in supplementary I would tell the member that Ottawa is being considered but we have already activated the program when it comes to Renfrew County they were the first as I understand piece of geography in Ontario that was significantly affected the team from the ministry was on the ground they went in, they did their work the water was so significant in the Renfrew County example that they were unable even to do an assessment they made a recommendation to me and we activated the program for Renfrew County so that one is done and behind us is the program Ottawa is being considered and I'll speak more directly to Minden in a second thank you Mr. Speaker thank you Mr. Speaker and of course the community has been incredible in its assistance but I joined the mayor of Minden yesterday in calling on the minister to urgently deploy the Ontario Disaster Assessment Team to Minden and the surrounding areas I was told that the government doesn't deploy have receded not only is this absolutely unacceptable it is not accurate people can't wait they need assistance right now the minister activate the disaster recovery assistance program immediately to Minden Hills so the people will know that the government will provide assistance for those affected you need to do it now minister thank you Mr. Speaker, the answer is simply no I won't activate the program right now and the members should clearly understand this and we've had an opportunity to talk about it the assessment team needs to have an ability to get on the ground and create an assessment and define an area of geography and delineate the range and where who might be eligible now as I said to you as well it's not necessary in certain circumstances for them to do an assessment if the water has not receded if the rain continues it can come back to me without them actually being able to see it because the rain has persisted there is work that has to be done but I caution people not to overestimate or raise expectations on what may be eligible through our program there's a municipal side and there's a private side the private side deals simply with the essentials if in fact they're eligible the program is not a replacement for insurance we understand how traumatic this is for communities and for people in those community speakers we have a program that helps to learn with people trying to expedite a process and raising expectations for their community members I have reached out to a number of mayors and talked to them directly on this file I would say speaker we're doing what we can the program's in place we'll let the process unfold thank you speaker my questions to the premier Jack O'Neill is a friend a long time community senior activist and president of friends over 55 senior center in Port Colburn it is the oldest independent nonprofit seniors recreation center in the Niagara region and the services are dependent on membership fees and donations last year the center's hydro bill was just over $150 for the month of April this year their hydro bill I have it here is almost $600 if this government doesn't put a stop to the sell off of hydro one it's going to be impossible for Jack to afford to pay these bills while still keeping his center open what is the premier going to do today for Jack and for seniors in my community who risk losing programming and services because of skyrocket hydro bill thank you Mr. Speaker I know the minister of seniors will want to answer in the supplementary as well but when it comes to hydro bills Mr. Speaker a cost for electricity all of those bills in this province will be going down by summer on average 25% Mr. Speaker and I know the honourable member mentioned hydro one hydro one customers with designations of R1 and R2 Mr. Speaker will see a 40 to 50% reduction on their bills as well so Mr. Speaker we are addressing many of the concerns that people have when it comes to hydro bills and when it comes to seniors Mr. Speaker we are ensuring that the Ontario electricity support program is being enhanced by an additional 50% so on top of the 25% and the 40 to 50% when you add in another $540 a year Mr. Speaker rates for seniors in this province are coming down significantly and long lasting Mr. Speaker well Mr. Speaker we've seen the commercials but we haven't seen the legislation yesterday that the premier is going to sell off more shares of hydro one this comes days after the premier actually defended hydro ones executive pay increases of 500% meanwhile seniors in my community could lose programming and services and Jack and the seniors at the senior centre are seeing the skyrocketing hydro bills that are going through the roof Speaker will the government put a stop today for further sell off of hydro one and put vulnerable seniors ahead of shareholders Thank you Mr. Speaker when it comes to vulnerable seniors we've acted with the fair hydro plan where they're going to see a 25% reduction on their bills there's also the Ontario electricity support program where they're going to see a 50% increase to that rebate so they can see another $540 off their bills so when it comes to vulnerable seniors when it comes to vulnerable people in this province it makes you wonder why they would put them on the last page of their plan we have made sure that we are acting we are acting as quickly as we can to bring forward a comprehensive piece of legislation that will ensure 25% reduction by summer so much so Mr. Speaker that the OEB anticipation has brought forward an additional 9% bringing the reduction right now to 17% when it comes to the sale of hydro one we will make sure that we invest that money in infrastructure across this province Thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Development we have a lot to celebrate on job growth in this province in fact the unemployment rate is the lowest that it's been since 2001 it's at 5.8% and that news was very well received in my community of Kitchener Centre at a post budget luncheon that I held and while that figure is very noteworthy we know that there are barriers to employment for many people for example youth face particular challenges in entering the labour market finding a job that is full time or in their community or relates to what they studied in school so Mr. Speaker could the Minister please tell us if people get ready for the labour market Thank you Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Development Thank you to the member from Kitchener Centre Speaker we know that our young people have so much to offer this province and when they can't find good jobs we all lose out on their endless potential so building on what we have accomplished through our youth job strategy we're now launching Ontario's career kickstart strategy it invests $190 million over the next three years and creates 40,000 more opportunities for our young people it will open the doors to real world hands on experiences as they transition from the classroom into the workforce and it gives employers the opportunity to help train and equip the next generation of Ontario's highly skilled workforce with the skills they need to succeed educators are asking for certainly employers have been asking for but most importantly is what young people want and they deserve to kick start their career Thank you Mr. Supplementary Thank you Speaker and I'd like to thank the Minister for her answer after the budget was introduced the leader of the third party was on the radio in my community talking about how life is hard for young people in the province these days that young people are anxious about their costs for secondary education to their first job and one would hope that they would appreciate the many initiatives that are in the budget things like pharma care for those who are under 25 rent controls and the career kickstart you heard the Minister talking about that's certainly going to make life easier for young adults but we do know that dealing with student loans can be very daunting for many so Speaker could the Minister please tell us what her ministry is doing to help young people manage the costs of their education Thank you Minister Thanks Speaker we're definitely pleased that the NDP recognizes the challenge that young people face and the importance of helping young people navigate this changing Speaker and this uncertain economy it's something we are very much focused on and that's why we brought forth initiatives in this budget to help young people manage their pocketbook and maximize their prospects so as we know we're making tuition in college and university free for or better than free for over 200 thousand student Speaker Please finish I encourage people to visit Ontario.ca slash OSAP to see the calculator to find out how much they might be eligible for Speaker but that's not all in this budget we're making changes so that people who have RESPs will not be penalized for saving for their education they will be exempt from OSAP Speaker and new question from the team Speaker my question is to the Premier Premier I appreciated your visit to Ottawa Monday to assess the damage from the severe flooding in our region my hope is the province will act immediately to help the 346 people who witnessed their homes flood in the 155 who had to be this morning the general manager of the city of Ottawa's emergency and protective services department Anthony DeMonte so that the city has made a formal request for the disaster relief assistance program even though the team is already on site it has yet to be activated we have been dealing with the flooding on the Ottawa for over a week now and the disaster assistance from the Ontario has been slow to respond with more flooding on the way can the Premier tell me and the Ottawa residents that are affected particularly they can expect the disaster relief assistance program to kick in Thank you Premier Minister of municipal affairs Thank you for the question an opportunity to give some detail for people if the program is recommended for activation and if the program is activated there is still a fair bit of work to be done the money or support that may flow to individual homeowners remembering the program is not a replacement for insurance on the private side it deals with essentials only if it's activated and if they're eligible and if money flows there is still a time lag there before any money might flow at all I would make sure you're communicating to your constituents that they're required to have receipts and details that they can submit if the program gets activated there is a time lag around that obviously that can't be turned around so if the question is about whether financial assistance will be coming even if I activated the program five minutes ago a check doesn't show up in the mail tomorrow there's still work to be done by the constituents I would recommend perhaps calling into our ministry getting a bit more detail and we'd be happy to fill in some of the gaps for you I think the minister very much we are expecting more rain this weekend residents have been told by the city this morning to keep their sand bags in place as a result the city's responded very compassionately just this morning passing a tax relief package for those who are affected by the flood for 200 residents or 2,000 residents have volunteered to help in various ways such as bagging sand, loading trucks and packing sand bags around homes again while I appreciated the visit and the fact that the disaster relief has not yet been activated there's other questions about how Hydro-1 for example will be responding to flood victims whose electricity has been disconnected and compared to the flooding response across the Ottawa River and Gatno the province of Ontario hasn't been quite as visible from the minister's point it's important that my constituents are aware of some of the challenges so I'm wondering if the minister can lay out concrete steps the province of Ontario is taking to deal with this massive flooding and the timeline that my constituents and my city can expect Minister, can you give me safety and correctional services speak Minister? Well first of all I thank you for the question and I thank you to our minister Sykes-Eccart-Russell the member from Ottawa South and I on Monday we talk to individual we praise the good work of our volunteers of our first responder the amazing work that's being done to protect the house of everyone is to be commended and certainly Minister of Municipal Affairs, his official, and ours at the Emergency of Ontario Preparedness, we have engaged with our municipality every single day, Mr. Speaker. We are, I would say, almost every hour receiving reports, and if they need anything, we're responding. When they needed sandbag, we made the call right away and expedited those decisions, Mr. Speaker. Certainly, our goal is to be part and with them. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. There have been over three votes. This House stands recessed until 3 p.m. this afternoon.