 It is now time for oral questions. I recognize the leader of the official opposition. Speaker, before I begin, I just want to extend on behalf of new Democrats in the legislature, our sincerest condolences to the loss of Bruce, to the minister, and to his family and friends and community. Minister, you made us all more aware of the deep loss of this young man. Speaker, my first question goes to the Acting Premier. Ontario families remember the disastrous health transformation of the Mike Harris era. When hospital beds were closed, hospitals were shuttered, and thousands of nurses were fired. Not long ago, the Premier pretended that under his Conservative government, not a single job would be lost. However, just yesterday, the Grand River Hospital in Kitchener announced that 40 nurses would be losing their jobs this week due to budget shortfalls. Is the Acting Premier willing to echo the Premier's claim that frontline health jobs won't be lost on their watch? The Deputy Premier. Well, I think the leader of the opposition for the question, we are certainly aware of the situation with the Grand River Hospital. Our members have kept us fully aware, and the Ministry, of course, is aware of the concern there. We are working with the Grand River Hospital to help them deal with the financial losses that they have experienced. We want to make sure that patients have the frontline care that they need in their community, and that certainly includes the Grand River Hospital. Supplementary. New splash for the Minister. You don't get frontline care without nurses there to provide the frontline. Speaker, the people of Kitchener are already seeing the impact of the Premier's health plans. 40 nursing jobs gone, four fewer beds in the hospitals, which means in that hospital, which means, of course, more people will be in hallways. The Ford government this week announced that they would be merging 20 agencies that employ 10,500 health professionals. But she's refused to say how many jobs will be lost. Will the Acting Premier tell us how many more nurses will be losing jobs as the government imposes their new health scheme on Ontarians? As I indicated previously, the Ministry is working with the people at the Grand River Hospital to help them deal with their financial situation so that there's nothing as certain as yet with what will happen, but what I would say with respect to the transformation that you referred to, the reason why it is being done is because we need to re-center our health care system on patients, families and caregivers. That is not happening now. We're seeing huge disruptions. We want to put more people into frontline care. That's what the people of Ontario expect and deserve. And to suggest that the way things are now is okay is not right. People across Ontario see the cracks, 30,000 people waiting for a long-term care bed, 1,000 people every day receiving care in hospital hallways, in storage rooms, and thousands of people waiting for mental health and addiction care. This needs to change. Final supplementary. Well, Speaker, I have to say that patients, families and caregivers remember the conservative legacy in our province where 6,000 nurses lost their jobs and 28 hospitals were shuttered. And I dare say, Speaker, that that wasn't right either, was it? This week, when the Acting Premier was asked how many health care professionals would be losing their jobs, she said it was something that she just couldn't answer. How did the four governments move so quickly from not a single job lost to who knows how many? Well, as the leader of the official opposition will know, the way the system is being restructured is so that care will be provided on the front lines by local care providers. And so it's premature to say at this point what their plan is going to be. We are opening up the doors to allow them, to allow the providers to work together, the local providers within our public health care system. But let me just say, I'd like to just quote from some of the care providers who I am encouraged by their responses. Anthony Dale, President and CEO of Ontario Hospital Association. Ontario's hospitals are encouraged by the prospect of working more closely with partners in their communities to find local solutions to better meet patient needs. Sue Vanderbent, CEO, Home Care Ontario. We need all parts of the health system working together to help patients stay at home. Opposition come to order. Health care as quickly as possible. The current system unfortunately is fragmented, siloed, and makes that cooperation difficult. Broad support from health care providers. Leader of the Opposition. Thank you, Speaker. My next question is also for the Acting Premier. The legacy of the Harris conservative era isn't just firing nurses and comparing them to hula hoops. That government also opened the door for private for-profit health companies, inviting private home care providers to bid on home care contracts and approving Ontario's first private hospitals. Does the Acting Premier think that this legacy is worth repeating? Deputy Premier. Well, through you, Mr. Speaker, to the Leader of the Official Opposition, any suggestion with respect to privatization being the goal of this exercise is ludicrous. What we are doing is strengthening our public health care system, and it's going to be up to the providers who already provide care. It may be a hospital, it may be a home care provider in a mental health agency, for example, that may choose to come together to apply to become the local Ontario health team. If they are accepted under the strict criteria that we are putting together, they will then have fiscal responsibility to deliver care with all of the health care providers in their area. They will also be required to deliver the quality of care that will be expected and will be required to continue to exercise their responsibilities with patients at the centre of it all. Thank you. Thank you. Supplementary. Well, Speaker, I dare say that privatization is absolutely going to be a bonus for all those folks that paid $1,250 to go to a dinner last night for the Conservatives. Families in Ontario have lived through this before, unfortunately, Speaker, and they heard the same excuses that we are hearing today from both Liberal and Conservative governments. Meanwhile, they're living with the legacy of a broken home care system and paying the price for expensive P3 hospitals. What health services does the acting Premier plan to privatize this time? Because we know it's coming. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, through you, what I would say is being done by the Leader of the Official Opposition is fear-mongering without any basis. Opposition come to order. Opposition come to order. It's time, if I need to tell you, that we're strengthening our public health care system. That's what it's about, to centre it on the patient and to make sure... Okay, I apologize. Opposition will come to order. I have to be able to hear the Deputy Premier's response. Deputy Premier, please conclude your response. Thank you. We are taking steps to ensure that the patients of Ontario receive the coordinated care that they expect and deserve, that they are not receiving under the current system. That is what this transformation is all about within our public health care system. And I think just to read one more quote, and this is from Dr. Doris Grinsbun, the CEO of the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario, who said that today's announcement marks the beginning of much... Supplementary, final supplementary. Look, families across Ontario are looking for a public health system, a public health system that gets them the care that they need without leaving them stranded in a hallway for hours. But what they're seeing is nurses that are still losing their job, Speaker. Hospital beds that are closing at this moment. Hospital beds that are closing. A health minister who can't or won't say how many more jobs are going to be lost and the Conservatives of the Mike Harris era being handed six-figure paychecks as health advisers to this government. Does the acting Premier think people will be fooled again? The government members must come to order. That wasn't appropriate at all. Start the clock. Deputy Premier, please respond. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm sorry, I did just want to read this one quote there because it has to do with nurses and I think it's important from Dr. Doris Grinsbun, CEO of the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario, who said a quote, today's announcement marks the beginning of much-needed change in the health system and the continued role registered nurses must play in both coordinating care with patients in their communities and in helping Ontarians navigate its complexities. End quotes. Dr. Grinsbun and the RNAO support the changes we're bringing for the OMA Ontario Medical Association supports these changes. The Home Care Ontario supports these changes. The Ontario Hospital Association, on and on it goes. I don't understand why all of these providers are so excited about the changes coming to our public health care system while the official opposition just seemingly doesn't get it. Restart the clock. Next question. Leader of the opposition. Next question is to the Minister of Education. Parents of children with autism were devastated by the Premier's decision to pull the support they need for treatment for their children and infuriated by the government's threats, intimidation and manipulation. They were deeply hurt watching backbench progressive conservatives applaud and cheer as they cry and worry for their children's future. But now school boards are also sounding the alarm about the government's scheme. As the chair of the Ontario Public School Board Association puts it, quote, we need to know how many students are coming to us, what their needs are going to be and how that's going to be funded. When will the Minister of Education give them some answers? The Minister of Education. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And again, I'm pleased to be able to stand in this house and talk about the actions that we have already taken. You know, I've spoke about Bill 48 and now I'm going to remind everybody about the pilot program that I agreed to extend. I asked people to keep this pilot going because we need to take a look at what's working and what's not. We're working with 19 boards across Ontario with this pilot and we're exploring ways to improve and make sure students with autism have the services and the support that they need. You know what, this pilot actually is offering targeted EA training and this honestly is providing dedicated this pilot in particular is providing dedicated space for autism services through an external ABA provider on site in school and also we're looking at funding for school boards to hire board certified behaviour analysts. So, Speaker, we're doing our part. Thank you very much. Well, Speaker, a small fraction of school boards in this province having pilot projects brings no comfort to thousands of parents who don't know what's going to happen to their children who need treatment. Those parents are very, very worried, Speaker. The government's new scheme puts huge financial burdens on those parents and many children will be entering the public school system without the supports that they have already been able to rely on. This isn't the parent's fault and it's not the school's fault. This is the Ford government's scheme and it's the Ford government's fault. The Ford government needs to immediately start giving schools answers and resources to help them deal with the challenges that this terrible scheme is causing. Or better yet, stop cheering for this disastrous scheme and replace it with one that works for families in children in Ontario. Which will it be, Speaker? Members, please take their seats. Minister of Education. Thank you very much, Speaker. And I have to suggest to the leader of the opposition party, like seriously, she needs to stop fear-mongering because the fact of the main school board to make sure that they have the opportunity to prepare and offer the services that are required by children with autism. You know, we look forward to seeing as well the results from our pilot project. We're going to be receiving the results from our evaluator that's looking at the pilot projects and that is going to inform how we approach supports for our students, our parents and the system outcomes. Because that's so, so important. And again, $3 billion across this province going to school boards. We're taking action now and we're going to be taking further action. And these students are going to be supported. Thank you. Member from Mississauga, Streetsville. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Health and long-term care. After 15 years of reckless liberal mismanagement, Ontario has been left with a healthcare system that needs immediate help. That is why I couldn't be more pleased that the Minister of Health introduced our government's plan to do just that. Fix and strengthen our healthcare system with the People's Healthcare Act. Fixing the healthcare system the former Liberal government left us with was a core campaign promise which our government is proudly delivering on. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister please explain why our proposed changes are so desperately needed for our healthcare system? Good question. The Minister of Health and long-term care. Mississauga Streetsville for her question. There is no question that our healthcare system is struggling on many fronts. Over the last five years, Ontario has spent more, has been 30% more than the Canadian average in administrative expenses on its healthcare system. So I don't know about you, Mr. Speaker, but I haven't noticed a 30% improvement in our healthcare and nor have the over 1,000 patients each and every day receiving healthcare at hospital hallways and storage rooms. After increasing on-the-board spending over and over again year after year, average wait times to get into a long-term care plant home have ballooned 300% since 2003 from 36 days to now 146 days. We know that in Ontario healthcare represents 42 cents of every dollar collected from taxpayers. Yet we rank poorly on critical factors such as wait times, quality of care and system integration compared to our... Thank you. Supplementary. Mr. Speaker, for her response. There is no doubt our healthcare system needs immediate attention. I have heard many stories from my constituents about their troubles dealing with the system. I'm sure the Minister has heard many stories from patients over her many years as health critic, patient ombudsman and now Minister of Health. Mr. Speaker, it's important to remember that at the end of the day everything we do here is for the people of Ontario. There is a human element to everything we do. It's patient care, Mr. Speaker, unlike the opposition's patient scare. Especially with healthcare. As we heard this morning by Court and Dr. Cohn of Sick Kids Hospital could the Minister please elaborate why these changes are so important? Excellent question. Minister. Well, thank you again to the member and you're absolutely right. Patient care and patient priorities and safety are absolutely central to everything that we do. And I would like to share one patient story with you if I might. There was a gentleman I met not too long ago who unfortunately suffered while he was in good health he suffered a catastrophic injury and ended up in a quadriplegic condition. His family worked incredibly hard with his community hospital to try and find a rehabilitation place for him to go to but he still remained on a ventilator. While he wanted to go somewhere else the only place he could stay to be on the mechanical ventilator was in the intensive care unit of a hospital and he stayed there for 13 months. 13 months. Can you imagine that? I personally can't. That was only because there was no other place in Ontario for him to go. That is not patient-centered care. That's totally system-driven care and that's what needs to change. Restart the clock. The member for Essex. Thank you very much, Speaker. My question is to the acting Premier. Media reports in the Toronto Star today indicate that some unusual edicts came out of the Premier's office. Desperate to sell tickets, the Premier's office allegedly ordered lobbyists to sell tickets to clients under threat of losing access to this government and late yesterday the order banning journalists from the evenings festivities also came out of the Premier's office. Can the acting Premier tell us who in the Premier's office is issuing these disturbing edicts? I'm going to give the member the opportunity to rephrase his question in government policy. Speaker, I had a similar question yesterday. The question is about accountability and transparency in government. Yesterday the government wasn't able to answer the question. It's obvious that they're not willing to answer the question today. I will rephrase it, Speaker. There are some disturbing pattern coming out of this Premier's office issuing ordinances, threatening lobbyists, threatening journalists, banning journalists from events that the government is putting on. Who's making these orders? Is it the Premier's staff driving the bus or is it the Premier himself? Ask the Deputy Premier to respond. Mr. Minister of Economic Development Mr. Minister of Economic Development job creation Thanks, Mr. Speaker I just want to say that the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario hosted the dinner last night. It happens to be the most successful political party in fact that there was a winter storm last night there were over 30-100 people that attended the event last night making their own personal donations from their own personal bank accounts. Gone are the liberal fundraising days where they raised tens of thousands of corporate and union donations and then made government policy based on those corporate and union donations. It was an excellent night last night. It was open to everyone who wanted to buy a ticket and then it was open to everyone via live stream last night and you can hear the positive message and people are excited. Start the clock supplementary Speaker I'm sure that the families of kids with autism and those that were protesting outside of the event last night are overjoyed to hear about the PC party's $4 million one night windfall when they're struggling I'm glad to hear you're so tone deaf. Speaker if this weren't if this were the first time we'd heard stories of the Premier's office it might not be concerning but media reports have stories about Dean French the Premier's Chief of Staff insisting that police time arrests to make the afternoon news stories about Dean French the Premier's Chief of Staff blowing a half a million dollars to get out of hand fired from OPG after one day's work. Speaker today we learned that Dean French the Premier's Chief of Staff is being questioned by the integrity commissioner for his role in the appointment of the next OPP commissioner, Ron Tabner. Speaker this sounds like zero bucks 2.0 to me. I don't know about everybody else. Speaker now we're learning that the Premier's Chief of Staff is threatening lobbyists and declaring the fundraisers a media free zone. Response? Minister? Well thanks to the member for another bizarre question. We've been getting them on a regular basis here in the legislature. Mr. Speaker I can only tell you that what the people of Ontario want and what the people of Essex actually want is a government that's acting in their best interest and that's exactly what we've been doing. We've been making Ontario open for business we've been making Essex open for business. I think the people in Essex are probably a bit embarrassed by the performances of the last couple of weeks by their member and I think they're probably long and hard at what this government has been able to do. But Speaker when it comes to fundraising, when it comes to fundraising our party is doing exceptionally well. I can understand why he's turning red in the face or green with envy it's because they're not raising anything and you know why Mr. Speaker people aren't buying what they're selling. Member for Hamilton East Stone and Creek come to order. Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry come to order. Member for Waterloo come to order. The next question the member for Eglinton Lawrence. The question is to the great minister of government and consumer services. The minister announced the government's plan to reform Tarion. For many of my constituents in Eglinton Lawrence buying a home is one of the most important decisions they will make in their life. They want to know how our government is improving consumer protection for them and all new home buyers across Ontario so that their investment and their family are protected. Through you Mr. Speaker I ask would the minister share the specifics the specific steps that this government is taking to fix Tarion and the new home warranty program. Minister of Government and Consumer Services Thank you Mr. Speaker I want to thank the member from Eglinton Lawrence Robin Martin for her excellent question and responding to her constituents on this important issue. Mr. Speaker as a minister of government and consumer services I am committed to strengthening consumer protections to put the people of Ontario first. I am pleased to speak about the decisive and specific action our government is taking to change Tarion's structure and better protect home buyers. Mr. Speaker last week I announced we are creating a new separate regulator from Tarion to improve oversight of builders and vendors. We are exploring the feasibility of multi-provider insurance model for new home warranties. We are looking at proposed legislative amendments and board compensation publicly available and moving to a more balanced skills-based board composition with fewer builder-vendor sector representatives and we are introducing new initiatives to better inform and protect purchases of cancelled condominium projects. Mr. Speaker we are reforming Tarion in order to put the people of Ontario first. Thank you Supplementary. Mr. Speaker for the great actions he is taking to restore confidence to countless families. It is refreshing to see a government standing up for homeowners. Tarion has been in place for 40 years and yet to quote the Honourable Justice Douglas Cunningham much tinkering had taken place over the years while Tarion remained unresponsive difficult to deal with and not transparent. Mr. Speaker can the minister explain how our government has responded to the recommendations of Injustice Cunningham's 2016 independent report and how we are changing Tarion's structure to better protect Ontario's consumers. Minister. Thank you very much again to my hardworking member and my colleague from Eglinton Lawrence. Mr. Speaker unfortunately the previous Liberal Government did very little with Honourable Justice Douglas Cunningham's report they left sadly homeowners vulnerable. Mr. Speaker we are cleaning up yet another mess left of Liberals that they left without taking any action. We are moving forward with key recommendations to make sure we are protecting interns and I am going to repeat we are creating a new separate regulator from Tarion to improve oversight of builders and vendors. We are exploiting the feasibility of a multi provider insurance model for new homeowners and we are looking at proposed legislative amendments to require Tarion to make executive and board compensation publicly available and moving to a more balanced skills based board. We are going to protect purchase of cancelled condominium projects. I am pleased to share with the members of this House Justice Cunningham is and I quote delighted to see that the Ontario Government is about to implement many of the recommendations contained in my report. Mr. Speaker these are just the first steps on the road to reforming Tarion. We will continue to move forward and restoring trust. Thank you. Restart the clock. Next question the member for Hamilton Mountain. Thank you Speaker my question is for the acting committee. Last night City News Edmonton reported that autism agencies in Alberta are getting calls from Ontario parents. Families feel they have no choice but to move to Alberta because their system actually provides needs based autism services. Their system gives kids a chance. Jolene the mom featured in the story moved to Alberta last year to get therapy for her son due to the Liberals failed plan. Now this government's disastrous autism plan feels that she can't come home with news reports of layoffs at Ontario therapy providers it looks like families will have even less access to services. Does the acting Premier believe that parents should be forced to move provinces just to access needs based services for their children. Good question. The Deputy Premier to the Minister of Children Community and Social Services. Thank you very much Speaker My proud with autism in the province of Ontario deserve support from their Ontario government. Presently today three out of four children in Ontario are denied support from their Ontario government. That's 23,000 children who we're going to make sure get off the waiting list in the next 18 months we're going to do it by doubling our investment into diagnostic hubs and providing a direct fund to mums and dads across this province so that they can get the services that their children need. I will continue to support all children but I have a question for the honourable member on December 1st 2015 she asked the previous Liberal Administration will the Premier commit today to immediately ending the chronic wait list this government is doing that I don't know why she can't take yes for an answer. Supplementary. Speaker I don't grab needs to be needs based to go to my office to share their stories because they need to be supported. Shea who's here with us today lives in the writing of Burlington her son Wesley is six he is nonverbal and has violent outburst when he's overwhelmed he needs constant one-on-one support since starting therapy Wesley has learned to communicate and regulate his emotions he needs needs based therapy and it's working she will receive the plan but Wesley's current cost of therapy is $92,000 a year. The new autism program will fail her family. What does the government suggest or the ministers suggest that she should do with her $4,600 given that that's one Thank you Minister. Thanks very much speaker my commitment and the commitment of this government is to clear the wait list in September. 23,000 children right now are languishing on the wait list. I remember when the member of the opposition would stand in this legislature and call consistently for the end of the wait list like she did on November 3rd 2015 again on November 4th 2015 and again on December 1st she used to have a record of wanting to get those children off the wait list and into service that's what this is all about. I believe that's why we are committed to ending the wait list in 18 months by doubling the investment into diagnostic cubs and ensuring there's a direct fund of upwards of $140,000 per child across the province of Ontario. We're proud of this plan. This plan will be implemented on April 1st. Thank you. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker my question is to the community safety and correctional services. Thank you very much. Speaker the Thunder Bay police services are moving forward to implement recommendations that resulted from reports of the office of the independent police review director and the office of the Ontario civilian police commission which came down late last year reports that did focus on systemic racism within the force and the impact that we're going to have on the community. We're going to continue to implement these recommendations is crucial and a strong commitment from the police services to is crucial to developing a positive relationship with the indigenous community. But it is not without substantial financial implications. Speaker in that all levels of government have made a commitment to implement these recommendations. Thank you very much. Thank you Speaker and thank you for the member from Thunder Bay. It's great to see you in the house today. This is an important issue and I have spoken to the mayor of Thunder Bay. We've spoken about this issue as well. I appreciate your interest. I absolutely understand your interest. These are issues that the Thunder Bay police services board and the police to do the work that is necessary to make sure that their standards are appropriate across Ontario. Mr. Speaker, these are issues that are critically important to make sure that we have a police service that is serving our community to the best of their abilities and making sure that the community is able to serve by their police. So while I appreciate your interest in this issue, I think it's appropriate across Ontario. Thank you. Supplementary. Thank you very much. Thank you very much minister for that response. Although I do think it's important for the province to play a significant role in making sure that these recommendations can be implemented and I would like to think you'll consider that. Another challenge facing the Thunder Bay police services is increased gang activity and increasing the number of police services with 97 of those individuals charged coming from southern Ontario. Speaker Thunder Bay may be far from Toronto geographically, but that does not make us immune to gang activity coming from there. Minister, your ministry has provided significant funding to the Toronto police service to deal with this ever increasing problem. So today, Speaker, I would like to know if the government has taken a very proactive and serious issue with guns and gangs across Ontario, you're absolutely right. We have made a first commitment to the city of Toronto of $25 million in late summer, but that is only the start. You know, we have to ensure that the city of Toronto has a significant amount of gang activity in the city of Toronto. You know, we have to ensure and we have to empower all of our police services to be able to work together to make sure that guns and gangs wherever they are happening in the province of Ontario and the member is absolutely right. There is a lot of transfer of gangs and guns that cross borders. We have to give police services the tools to be able to work together to shut down some of those very, very serious issues. I am happy to continue to work with the member opposite to make sure that we can empower the police and I hope part of that is supporting bill 68 because there are parts of that legislation will assist us as a government to make sure that guns and gangs are shut down in our streets. Thank you. Next question, the member for Mark Union. Thank you. Our government is committed to deliver on our campaign promise to end hallway health care. This is about time we built a health care system centered around the patients. This is why I am so excited that our government has introduced the people's health care act so that patients and families who have access to faster, more connect services. Mr. Speaker, could the minister please update the members of this legislature on how this plan will improve access to services and the patients experience. The minister of health and long-term care. First from Mark Union for your question, the people's health care act if passed will improve access to services and the patient experience. If passed it would allow health care providers to work together as one coordinated team focused on patients and specific local needs. Patients would experience easy transitions from one health care provider to another. And would integrate multiple provincial agencies and specialized provincial programs into a single agency to provide a central point of accountability and oversight for the health care system. Finally our plan would improve access to secure digital tools including online health records and virtual care options for patients. Finally, a 21st century approach to health care. I'm confident that the people's health care act if passed will allow us to create a modernized public health care system for all Ontarians. Supplementary. I thank the minister for her response. I'm proud to support a plan that brings forward desperately needed and overdue improvement to public health care in this province. The mess we inherit from the previous Liberal government called for swift action and substantial improvements to Ontario health care system. I've heard from many of my constituents over the last 48 hours through face to face over the radio over social media and many of them are so excited about our plan. Mr Speaker could the minister highlight feedback she has received from health care experts and health care providers in this province. Thank you. Minister. Thank you again to the member and I am really encouraged that the people's health care act has been so well received by both health care experts health care organizations and health care providers and I would like to hear a few of their responses. Sue Vanderbent the CEO at home care Ontario said that I quote this announcement is great news for patients and their families. People want to stay in their homes as they age and these proposed changes will make that a reality for more patients. End quote Anthony Dale president and CEO of the Ontario Hospital Association agrees that again I quote given the continued capacity of increasing hospitals as a result of a growing and aging population this legislation encourages increased collaboration among health care providers. End quote. And finally Michael Dector former deputy minister believes and I quote the new direction for health policy and delivery a sound and long overdue. Mr Speaker I know that together we will finally build a coordinated health care system here. Thank you. Next question the member for Spadina for York. Thank you Mr. Speaker my questions for the minister of training colleges and universities. Ontario students are saddled with the highest student debt levels in the country. The student debt levels for students to delay buying houses and starting families and yet this government is making their situation worse by converting student grants to loans and by changing the period they're dependent on their parents from four to six years. They also will start their debts will start accumulating interest the moment that they graduates. Why is this government and why is this minister believe why does this minister believe that students in Ontario should have even worse levels of student debt. Minister of training colleges and universities. Thank you speaker and thank you to the member opposite for the question why does this minister believe that students and their families make great sacrifices to pursue post-secondary education and for them every dollar counts. Ontario's government for the people is lowering tuition fees and giving students the power tuition fees keeps money in the pockets of students and we will restore financial sustainability to OSAP to ensure that the program is sustainable for the students now and transparency to the fees students pay by setting a province wide student choice initiative to ensure that students can opt out of non-essential fees while ensuring that critical services are retained reducing tuition and increasing the affordability of college and university will help Ontario students get the education and training needed for good paying jobs in our modern economy. Mr. Speaker, I've been on a tour of colleges and universities across this province and I've been incredibly impressed with the number of services that are provided by student unions. These services include operating food banks campus newspapers, radio stations first aid response teams student clubs and student unions also provide safe spaces for students with disabilities for female students for Indigenous and LGBTQ2 students when the minister declared that these student unions were non-essential was she aware of the services that they provide to all students across the province and when she and we just learned this week Mr. Speaker that OSAP is not going to provide grants or loans to students to cover these services was the minister aware of the impact these changes would have on the students Mr. Speaker and thank you again to the member opposite for the question. Speaker I would like to read a quote from the member from Spadina Fort York in a letter that he sent to me December 20th, 2018 this is about the member asks me to quote freeze tuition at all post-secondary institutions in Ontario and that this will quote help families and students plan for their futures and have a more affordable and predictable post-secondary experience the member keeps flip-flopping on this issue on December 20th have campaigned on a tuition freeze and only now that they are not the one say to the government members that concerted behaviour is not conducive to having a civil house start the clock again the member for Milton Mr. Speaker my question is for the minister of environment conservation and parks our government has been clear we are committed to taking meaningful action to keep our province beautiful strong and vibrant Ontario families understand that we have a personal responsibility to leave behind a province better than the one we inherited not only environmentally but financially as well to do so we will reduce litter and waste in our communities across Ontario can the minister share with us why Ontario needs a new approach to reducing litter and waste in our communities thank you the member for Milton I know he takes his constituents concerns very seriously thank you for that question Mr. Speaker our province generates only a ton of waste per Ontario and our recycling rate has been stuck at 30% 30% for the last 15 years now that means that 70% of the waste that we produce goes into landfills and it doesn't take an expert to know that that's not a sustainable solution and that's why Mr. Speaker I'm pleased to advise the House that next Wednesday on March 5th when I'm speaking to the Ontario Waste Management Association we'll be releasing our consultation paper on waste and litter which is part of our main in Ontario environment plan it's a part that clearly commits us to focusing on litter and waste and breaking the cycle of increasing use of landfills over the last number of years it'll be posted on the environmental registry for a 45 day consultation period and I invite all the members of the House to encourage their constituents to give us their feedback on this important initiative great job supplementary thank you Mr. Speaker on this side of the House Mr. Speaker it is clear that our main in Ontario environment plan is driven by a desire to protect and preserve Ontario's natural beauty I'm proud to be part of a government that is ready to take action on something that's been ignored for far too long many of my constituents in Milton are concerned years of inaction on this issue has meant that Ontario's waste commercial and industrial waste has been stalled at below 30% over the past 15 years and Mr. Speaker we know we can do better can the minister please explain to the House how our main in Ontario environment plan will reduce litter and waste in Ontario Mr. Speaker I again thank the member for the question and I look forward to speaking his constituents in Milton about solutions we recently had the opportunity to host with our members from Brampton where community members came together with municipal leaders to talk about the sorts of things that we need to do based on the main in Ontario plan our waste discussion paper will build on and explore emerging technologies and how we can better recover and recycle we'll look at ways to improve waste diversion we'll look at how to make safe food donations we're looking at ways of making producers more responsible for their waste and how we can use thermal technology that are used around the world to improve our waste diversion level Mr. Speaker this is part of our main in Ontario plan to preserve Ontario's environment and I look forward to the input of all the members of the House and particularly the constituents in Milton about how we're going to proceed in this way next question member for Scarborough south west my question is to the minister of education Mr. Speaker Ontarians already pay the highest child care cost in the entire nation families in my riding pay as much as 20,000 a year for child care the provincial wage enhancement grant provides $2 an hour in wage support to many early childhood educators and child care workers across Ontario but funding for this important program has yet to be confirmed beyond the end of March parents and workers are deeply concerned about what will happen next month when this funding dries up does the minister believe that our ECEs and our child care workers deserve to be valued and paid a decent wage for the important work that they do caring for our children minister of education absolutely I feel very strongly when it comes to ECEs and their assistance they do amazing work in terms of child care development and we need to celebrate them and in doing that we need to recognize the fact that we need to make sure that child care in Ontario we have as much choice and as much flexibility as well that bless you Teresa that actually allows us to make parents know that we hear them loud and clear parents have been asking for choice parents have been asking for flexibility and that's why bill 66 is so so important because you know what we're enabling families who work shift who work different hours of the day bring in to their house child care providers and that's a great progressive move on our response and there's so much more I'll talk about and the supplemental thank you very much supplementary this is a pay equity issue which employs a sector that employs mainly women we're talking about it should be marked it should be marked a shame for this government and for the liberal government which failed which failed in the past we trust our ECEs to do an important job take care of our children and we should value their work if provincial support is scrapped parents will have to take on that additional cost they will have to pay even more that means more expensive child care for families more precarious work and more challenges retaining qualified staff that help our little ones thrive so I asked the minister again because I didn't get an answer before will the minister commit today to this small step stand up for parents, for children for workers and commit to maintaining the wage enhancement grant thank you very much thank you very much Mr. Speaker and you know I'm very pleased to talk about child care and what the PC government is doing right here in Ontario we've already taken steps to ensure what we'll and we're putting more in the parent's pockets by giving them choice but over and above that last year we approved 225 million dollars in new child care funding for operating costs as well as subsidies and that means that almost 200 million went towards wage enhancements for our child care workers speaker we're taking very great steps forward and we feel that child care in Ontario is so so important and this PC government is getting it right and again we're listening to parents, we're making sure there's flexibility, we're making sure there's choice and we're respecting our ECEs and their assistance every step of the way again we introduced 225 million thank you Mr. Speaker my question is to the minister of municipal housing and municipal affairs and housing Ontario system of regional government has been in place for almost 50 years and there's been a lot of change in growth I know that in Halton region municipalities like Oakville have expanded what might have worked 50 years ago in terms of delivering the best service for my constituents does not necessarily work today that's why I was pleased when the minister of municipal affairs and housing announced the launch of the regional government review in January and the appointment of two special advisers to lead that review can the minister please update the house minister of municipal affairs and housing thanks Speaker and I want to thank the member for Oakville for his hard work and his advocacy and really his commitment to his constituents Speaker I was honored to announce the appointment of two special advisers for our regional government review Michael Fen and Ken Ceiling both gentlemen have a tremendous great deal of experience in the municipal sector they've been busy meeting with municipalities and heads of council since they were appointed about a month and a half ago like the member said Speaker the current system has been in place for almost 50 years each region and its municipalities are unique that's why the advisers are meeting with the different regions and the different councils to find out what has been working and what might need improvement by listening and seeking advice they can make better use of taxpayers' dollars and make it easier for their residents to access those very important municipal services Thank you Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the minister for that answer I'm so glad to hear that our government is doing the work it is to put Ontarians first by reviewing local government so that they can continue to provide the vital services that the residents need I know many Oakville constituents to participate in the review and provide their ideas as well but Speaker some of my constituents have raised concerns that the review is simply about amalgamating all the municipalities within the regions under review can the minister please explain what the next steps are and the purpose of this review Minister Thanks again Speaker and again thank you for the question the goal of the review is to help ensure that regional governments are working harder, smarter and more efficiently our government promise to make the municipal level of government more accountable and to respect taxpayers' dollars and that's exactly what we're going to do but let me be clear this review isn't about amalgamation it's about making sure we improve service we improve governance we improve decision making at the municipal level Speaker I want to make it also clear that we've decided on nothing the advisers are currently meeting with municipalities and I look forward to getting their recommendations in the very near future further we want to have broader consultations with the public to participate and Speaker through you to the member I'm going to have more to say on that in the coming year Next question Member for London Fanshawe Thank you Speaker my questions to the minister health and long-term care the Quinton Warner House in London provides residential addiction treatment services for men and places them in supportive housing once they have successfully completed the addiction treatment program funding for the province has been dwindling for the program for quite some time they have increasingly had to rely on donations but they have gotten to a point where this is not sustainable last spring mission services of London requested additional funding to support programs like Quinton Warner House but were denied why did the government deny funding for Londoners seeking addiction treatment Minister of health and long-term care Thank the member very much for the question as she will know we have made a commitment to invest 3.8 billion dollars into mental health and addiction services over the next 10 years 1.9 billion from the province to match 1.9 billion from the federal government and we are undergoing our consultations right now with communities across the province with health care providers we are also going to be speaking with people with lived experience and we will certainly welcome the opportunity to hear from this organization to understand where they fit in in terms of the services that are provided in the London area to determine whether that is where we need to go in the future because we do know that the people of Ontario are desperately underserved by mental health and addiction services that is something that we want to deal with as part of our transformation exercise to make sure that we can follow the great example set by cancer care Ontario with their model for leadership and service across the province I think that could be very easily translated into a system for mental health and addictions as well Supplementary Speaker back to the minister we are in the midst of an opioid crisis with people dying across this province every day now this is the time to step up supports for programs like Quinton Warner House and not let them fail as a result of being denied funding Mission Services of London is going to have to scale back their addiction treatment services and lay off front line staff will the minister do the right thing and provide the requested $700,000 to the Mission Services of London so Quinton Warner House can continue to successfully treat those battling addictions Minister we certainly do know that there is an urgent need for more addiction services in Ontario we have made some strides with the consumption and treatment services sites but there's no question we need to have more detox beds more mental health and addiction services combined together so what I can commit to is that I will definitely take that matter and discuss with my ministry to understand what has happened why the funding was not approved through the Linn and see what we can do I'm happy to look at it thank you next question the member for Durham my question is for the minister of municipal affairs and housing there is a housing crisis it's very difficult for many to find housing that is affordable and it's even more difficult for many seniors to find housing that's why I was proud to introduce the Golden Girls Act to this House can the minister please explain why embracing innovative housing solutions in Ontario is so important Minister I want to thank the member for Durham for that excellent question I want to thank her for her advocacy the member is right we are at a crisis position that's why we began consultations for our housing supply action plan I'm pleased to announce that we received over 2,000 submissions in our consultations we are reviewing it and taking action on the housing crisis but I do want to thank the member for engaging with her constituents I want to thank her for embracing innovative solutions Speaker I want to thank her for being a friend supplementary thank you to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing for keeping this issue of housing a top priority my PMB will be debated this afternoon and if passed will provide further clarity in the planning act on housing now seniors living together has not only economic benefits but many social and health benefits can the minister of seniors and accessibility and the importance of socializing for seniors thank you Mr. Speaker thank you to the honorable member for the great question we want all seniors in Ontario to have a happy healthy active and engaged life top priorities Mr. Speaker focusing in social activities is important for all seniors while there are many places that seniors can go such as seniors active living centers living with others can definitely reduce social isolation and the health create a engaged life thank you to the member for fighting people of her writing especially the seniors there thank you member for Humber River member for Thunder Bay thank you speaker my question is for the acting premier children we are standing on a point of order the question period is over the member for Humber River Black Creek to welcome and recognize a resident from my home riding Humber River Black Creek George Brown College early childhood education student welcome for a friend of mine just came into the chamber my first legislative page welcome back to Queens Park thank you speaker I have two constituents from my writing of Toronto center that I'd like to welcome to the legislature today Ray Suico an ECE student at George Brown College and Serita Denanth who's a registered early childhood educator welcome to Queens Park I beg to inform the house that pursuant to standing order 98C a change has been made to the order of precedence on the ballot list for private members public business such that Ms. Burns McGowan assumes ballot item number 58 and Ms. Shaw assumes ballot item number 62 we now have a deferred vote on a motion for closure on the motion for second reading of bill 68 call in the members this will be a five minute bell on February 25th 2019 Ms. Jones moved second reading of bill 68 an act with respect to community safety and policing Mr. Harris has moved that the question now be put all those in favor of Mr. Harris's motion will please rise one at a time and be recognized by the clerk Mr. Smith may I please Mr. Wach Mr. Bethel Mr. Fidel Mr. Mourouni Mr. Clark Mr. Hardim Mr. Tabolo Mr. Pettipies Mr. Fulerton Mr. Jones Mr. Phil Mr. Miller Mr. Koe Mr. Gil Mr. Klan Mr. Kors Mr. Martin Mr. Sarkari Mr. Ostra Mr. Mackenna Mr. Raman Mr. Harris Mrs. Hogarth Mrs. Fee Mr. Joe Willard Mr. Pachini Mr. Cran Mr. Tang Mr. Rashi Mr. Sandu Mr. Crawford Mr. Kizeto Mr. Kanapati Mr. Babikian Mr. Pang Mr. Tanigasa Mr. Sabawi All those opposed to the motion will please rise one at a time and be counted by the clerk Mr. Tabish Mr. Horvath Mr. Sattler Mr. Bagan Mr. Mamakwa Mr. Yard Mr. Armstrong Mr. Stiles Mr. Stevens Mr. Gates Mr. Gretzky Mr. Miller Hamilton Mr. Hatfield Mr. Taylor Mr. Birch Mr. Burns-McGow Mr. Arthur Mr. Artha Mr. Fraser Mr. Gravel Mr. Schreiner The ayes are 62, the nays are 38 The ayes being 62 and the nays being 38 I declare the motion carried Ms. Jones has moved Second Reading of Bill 68 An act with respect to community safety and policing Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carried? Heard some noes All those in favor of the motion will please say aye All those opposed will please say nay All those in favor of the motion will please say nay My opinion the ayes have it Minister of Community Safety I respectfully ask that it be referred to the Standing Committee on Justice Policy Committee, it's been referred to the Standing Committee on Justice Policy Agreed Agreed This House stands in recess until 1pm