 It is now time for oral questions. I recognize the leader of the opposition. Thank you, Speaker. Before I bring my comments or my first question to the Premier, I think it's important that we acknowledge the loss of a person who was educated in Windsor and played a big role in the business community in the auto sector. Mr. Marcioni was a trailblazer at Fiat Chrysler and his loss will I think impact many, many workers and many, many other business people around the world. For my first questions to the Premier, yesterday I asked the Premier if consent would be included in the curriculum this fall, but the Premier refused to say yes. He refused to say that consent would be taught in Ontario's classrooms and in the year 2018 that is a decision that fails every student in Ontario. Why does this Premier think that keeping his social conservative friends happy is more important than keeping young people and young women safe? For you, Mr. Speaker, Leader of the Opposition, I'm going to tell you who we're going to keep happy. We're going to keep the parents happy. We're going to keep the parents happy because they weren't consulted. Only 1,600 people were consulted around the province. Again, that's .001% of the population that has not been consulted, that were consulted, that have not been consulted. We're looking at, my friend, I know a little tongue twister there, I agree. At the end of the day, my friend, 1,600 people out of 14 million people were consulted. What we believe in reaching out to the parents, I know the Leader of the Opposition doesn't believe in consulting with the parents. They believe in the government making the decisions I'll tell you, we're going to do the largest consultation the province has ever seen. We're going to crisscross this province to 124 ridings and consult with the people. That matters, and that's the parents. Thank you. Mark, supplementary. Speaker, might I submit that this Premier has no idea what I believe, nor is he an expert on what we believe has new Democrats. Premier of gender identity, sexual orientation and LGBTQ families would be fully included in the curriculum this fall. But the Premier failed to say yes. In fact, he said that's not up to us to decide. And in the year 2018, Speaker, that too is a decision that fails queer young people in Ontario across our province. Why does this Premier think that keeping his social conservative friends happy is more important than keeping queer youth safe? Well, through you, Mr. Speaker, Leader of the Opposition, this is about the curriculum. This is from a gentleman named Mr. Jagmeet Singh. Mr. Speaker, I stand today once again to voice my concerns of my constituents around the health curriculum in our schools. When it comes to proper consultation, it is clear the liberal government has not learned from previous mistakes. The last consultation before announcing the curriculum was disrespectful to parents in my constituency and the mistake of the Liberal governments. I remember that. Thank you. Restart the clock. Final supplementary. Thank you, Speaker. And I think it's clear to everyone who is paying attention during those days of the decision by the Liberals to announce the curriculum without a proper consultation in terms of... First, please come to order. Leader of the Opposition. Asians planned because they were worried about a Sudbury by-election scandal. That was their irresponsibility and I think everybody would agree. But this Premier, in fact, is driven by insiders and backroom deals. Instead of moving Ontario forward, he is denying the realities of 2018 by failing to teach consent, cyber-bullying, gender identity and sexual orientation. And he is doing it because Charles McVeedy and Tanya Granik Allen told him to. Why is this Premier more concerned about keeping Charles and Tanya happy than he is about keeping millions of young people safe? Mr. Speaker, I'm glad the Leader of the Opposition has acknowledged there wasn't enough consultation. I'm glad. They even agree that there wasn't proper consultation with the parents. And again, I can assure you, we're going to consult with the parents right across this province. Thank you. Restart the clock. Next question. Thank you, Speaker. My next question is also for the Premier. And it's unfortunate that this Conservative government is making decisions based on their political best interests, just like the Liberal government did when it came to making sure that the curriculum was well communicated. That was the problem that happened. And that's what we're all paying the price for now. Decision after decision with this Premier, however, is being made as a result of influence from insiders. And we see it with sex ed and we see it with hydro as well. The Premier says that getting rid of the CEO costs, we're going to be zero costs, absolutely zero costs. But we know that Mayo Schmidt will walk away with at least $9 million. And ratepayers could be on the hook for another $103 million if the deal with Avista falls through. When will the Premier release the full details and full costs of his backroom deal at Hydro One? Through you, Mr. Speaker, Leader of the Opposition, you have to get new material. We're going over and over and over. To make sure that we save the taxpayers of Ontario's $790 million. $260 per family. We believe in putting money back into their pockets, lowering the hydro rates, lowering taxes, creating good paying jobs. We're going to have this economy booming in Ontario and we're going to lower the hydro rates. And again, I just want to remind you, through you, Mr. Speaker, Leader of the Opposition, the CEO had zero sevens. Well, I guess the leader of, or rather the Premier of Ontario has a problem with numbers, Speaker, because the $6 million man turned into a $9 million man with this Premier's backroom deal. And deals like this will make it even less affordable for the people of Ontario. In less than a month, he turned the $6 million man. I apologize. The government side has to come to order. I can't hear the Leader of the Opposition. Apologize. Leader of the Opposition. Your man, he could end up costing Hydro One ratepayers over $100 million dollars and we have no idea what other hidden costs are still buried in the Premier's secret backroom deal. And I will continue to ask those questions until this Premier actually answers it. Such a great deal. We just release it so that we can all judge, Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I find it very, very rich. Not just rich, but very rich. She's taught that the Leader of the Opposition is talking about numbers. And I have to admonish the opposition because I can't hear the Premier. Please come to order. I apologize to the Premier. Leader of the Opposition made a small little mistake on our budget to a two to five billion dollars. Just a glitch. Just a little glitch. My friends, when it comes to adding up numbers, again, that's a little rich on your behalf. Leader of the Opposition, through you, Mr. Speaker. We're going to make sure that we scrap the Green Energy Act. We're going to make sure that we lower Hydro rates. We're going to make sure that businesses are competitive because, Mr. Speaker, when I travel around this province, I talk to hundreds and hundreds of businesses that we're saying we don't lower the Hydro rates or moving south of the border. And if it was up to the Leader of the Opposition, she'd have the highest Hydro rates in the world, not just in North America, and drive every single company out of Ontario. Speaker, I think the Premier needs to look in the mirror around who's going to be driving business out of Ontario with the policies that he's been making. The job of the Premier is to work for all Ontarians, but scrapping sex ed only works for radical social conservatives. Scrapping cap and trade will only work for big polluters. And cooking up a secret backroom deal at Hydro One only works for the 9 million dollar man. Or else the Premier would be happy to release the details of that deal, Speaker. So why is the Premier being driven by insiders, lobbyists and backroom deals, when he should be working for all Ontarians? Through you, Mr. Speaker. Cap and trade, since you brought that into the conversation, that is the first step to lowering gas prices by 10 cents a leader. We need to make sure that businesses are competitive in the climate we're facing today to compete against people around the world. And we'll do that by lowering their taxes, cutting as much as we can out of 380,000 regulations businesses face every single day here in this province. Lowering higher rates again by 12 percent. We will be the envy of the world. We will be the engine of Canada once again. I'll take your seats. Next question. The member for Tomiskman-Cocker. My question is to the Premier. On Monday, the Business Council of Canada sent a letter urging the government to reconsider the White Pines Wind Project Termination Act. The letter says, and I quote, We believe this legislation, if enacted, will undermine investor confidence and set an unfortunate precedent for how the government intends to deal with the private sector. End of quote. It goes on to say that this government's actions risk jeopardizing Ontario's reputation for fair dealing and respect for the rule of law. WPD has already said they will be seeking $100 million from the province for breaking the White Pines contract. Why is this government bent on burdening Ontario families with yet another multimillion dollar electricity boondog? What this government, what our government is bent on doing is reducing hydro rates by 12 percent. Over the past three weeks, we have taken extraordinary steps to ensure that the renewed leadership of Hydro One will make responsible business decisions moving forward, Mr. Speaker. We're confident that we've made good choices here, put the kind of legislation in place, Mr. Speaker, that will ensure that moving forward, Ontarians will experience a lower hydro rate. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This Conservative government talks about making Ontario open for business, but has at every turn shaken the business community, business community's trust in dealing with the province. In just six weeks, this government has managed to cancel renewable energy contracts that will likely cost Ontarians hundreds of millions of dollars in penalties. And they pushed out the board and CEO of Hydro One, which a banker quoted in the financial post, described the act as an unprecedented intrusion into the private capital markets. And in our part of the world, big employers like Glencore are expressing serious concern at both the unstability of the practices of this government. Does this Conservative government not understand that making Ontario open for business means more than putting up a big neon sign on the border? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My own discussions with people in Canora Rainey River throughout the province, my colleagues, Mr. Speaker, have expressed nothing but extreme pleasure with the renewed leadership process that we're undergoing with Hydro One. They're confident that they'll make responsible business decisions. The termination of those contracts represents the fact that these weren't just projects that Ontario didn't need. They were ones that their communities didn't actually want, Mr. Speaker. We'll not make apologies for making good choices around lowering hydro rates and respecting taxpayers' dollars. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Restart the clock. Next question, the member for Mississauga East Cooksville. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services. Minister, I see from news reports that you attended the Emergency Federal Immigration Committee hearing on the impact of the crossers. I understand that the bill created through federal inaction and lack of follow-through has now reached $200 million. Minister, can you please tell us how this bill keeps adding up and whether you have heard that the federal government will pay to the member? I want to congratulate him on his election to his house. I'd also think it's important to note he is the first Muslim elected to our party and we are very happy to hear that. Restart the clock. They'd be biased as well, Speaker, but I think that so far in question period that was the best question. And it was the best question because he wants to demonstrate how the members on this side of the House and in this government want to stand up for Ontarians. Yesterday I had the opportunity to attend the federal immigration hearings, the emergency hearings given, the high immigration level, the high refugee crossings in the province of Quebec. They're having an impact here in the province of Ontario. The member asked me to outline the cost. We are now at over $200 million and I can itemize it this way. $90 million is going towards social assistance, $74 million and growing in shelter costs in Toronto, $12 million in shelter costs in Ottawa, $3 million that I signed off on today for the Red Cross and $20 million in education. I think we need to make sure Thank you. Minister, thank you for that answer. The bill seems to keep going up. I wonder if you would support a recorded vote in this House that costs on the federal government to follow through on its decisions and be a standard partner that pays its bills. Thank you. Take the sentiment from the member and I certainly will be in support of all members of this legislature standing up for Ontario and asking the federal government to commit to funding $200 million worth of bills that have been piling up as a result of a crisis that was created by their own doing. The federal government has sold jurisdiction over border management and Canada's refugee and asylum programs including who is eligible for a refugee claim. What we're simply saying is we want the federal government to support us. We want their $200 million and I personally want every member of this legislature to stand up for Ontario. Next question, the member for Kitchener Centre. My question is to the Premier. Earlier this week following an impromptu meeting at City Hall on gun violence the Premier said that the Conservative government will take funding for mental health and addiction support and put it into policing services. Let me be clear. Ontario's new Democrats have been fighting for first responders to get the mental health and PTSD supports they need and we support the investment. Mental health is an urgent matter. There are thousands of young people that wait 18 long months for mental health services and Ontarians deserve to know what this government's mental health plan actually is. Can the Premier explain how the money will be allocated to address Ontario's mental health crisis? Thank the member very much for the question. The issue of people waiting for long periods of time to receive mental health services and treatments and addiction services and treatments is a serious problem. One that we promised during the election campaign that we were going to address and we will address we are putting $1.9 billion into development that will be attached by the federal government and certainly we want to look at victim services we want to look at first responders but we also want to make sure that people get the help that they need. The senseless tragedy that happened on the day and forth is sadly an example of the need to have the programs and services available for people that is what we promise to do and that's what we will deliver on. The Conservative government has remained tight-lipped on exactly how mental health funding will be spent. Siphoning off the money needed to address wait lists for mental health services isn't the answer and the Premier should not get away with breaking a $1.9 billion promise to fund mental health and addictions. We also learned this morning that the Premier has cut funding from $2.1 billion to $1.9 billion over 10 years. Mental health money that is going towards policing should be in addition to the original $1.9 billion commitment to fund partnerships between police officers and mental health workers like what's been happening in Waterloo region. So my question how will this government ensure that reallocating mental health funding does not exacerbate the mental health crisis here in Ontario? Our government is presently working on developing a comprehensive mental health and addiction system which actually takes into account about 12 different ministries that happen in Ontario. It's a clear thought it's health and many others. We are not prepared at this time to specifically allocate money but I can assure you that this is the biggest commitment that has ever been made in terms of mental health in this province $3.8 billion is a lot of money. We want to make sure that we address all of the questions. We start the clock. Next question the member for Mississauga center. Thank you Mr. Speaker. We are troubled by the shooting on Danford. We feel sad for all the victims. It's honorable and this reminds me of a violent incident in Mississauga center during my campaign this attack at the Bombay restaurant a few steps for my office. This incident hurt many people but they were fortunately noted statistics are there and violence increases in Ontario and in Toronto according the police there were 218 shooting in Ontario an increase of 71 person compared to last day my question to the procurers and all can she talk about the plan to fight all violent crimes in the great Toronto area. Thank you Mr. Speaker. I wish to thank the member for the question. The priority is always to make sure that the people are in safe. Our government will work with government the federal government the mayor chief of police to make sure to avoid another strategy during our meetings with the premier mental health is very important. That's why our government will invest one billion nine hundred one billion nine hundred million dollars to support the federal government will invest the same. We work with the federal government to make sure that the system can be used to proceed the program in Ontario. Thank you. This summer it was very hard there were many people on the street to take advantage of this summer. Safety is a priority. Residents of Ontario deserve safe streets women and women of the first first respondents I will the district attorney work with the first respondents to make sure that our streets are safe as much as possible. Mr Speaker the premier as my ministry as to security other ministry and correctional services to work with different governments including police services in the next few weeks we'll talk to experts to make sure that all programs and policies funded by the farmers to make sure their safety on the streets and to to make sure to control violence gangs and Ontario the ministry wants to find a solution to eliminate gun violence and to abstract the rules at the federal level and to improve measures to fight against contraband and to make sure they are less guns on the streets for each disease York thank you Mr Speaker my question is to the premier like every community in the province Toronto is in the midst of an opioid overdose emergency today there are 18 supervised injection sites and overdose prevention sites in Ontario half of which are right here in Toronto and they are saving lives every day but during the campaign the premier inexplicably said he was quote dead against them yesterday the health minister admitted that they have merit and she said the premier would listen to experts will the premier himself stand up and confirm that he is no longer dead against supervised injection sites and overdose prevention sites which are saving lives every day the minister helping you thank you Mr Speaker and through you Mr Speaker to the member I'm sure you are aware of a subsequent statement that was made by premier Ford wherein he said he was going to listen to the evidence on supervised injection sites there is lots of information that we have to gather yet we are going to be speaking with Canadian Mental Health Association Children's Mental Health Ontario Addictions in Mental Health Ontario to understand from them what the actual statistics are to make sure that continued supervision supervised injection sites are going to be of merit to people of Ontario that's what we promise the people of Ontario we will do to make sure that each and every program that we provide is of benefit to the public the evidence is already overwhelmingly clear this is a full-blown public health emergency last year over 300 people in Toronto from across socio-economic classes alone died from an opioid overdose and 121% increase in just two years but the fact is that all of these deaths are preventable and thanks to the incredible dedication of frontline harm reduction workers lives are being saved every day at supervised injection and overdose prevention sites in this city and across Ontario that's the evidence will the premier commit today to fully supporting overdose prevention sites and supervised injection sites which are saving lives across Ontario thank you minister committed to fighting the ongoing opioid crisis and getting people with addictions the help that they absolutely need we are listening to the people we are listening to the experts on the evidence available with respect to supervised injection sites and we want to make sure that when we develop as we are working on right now our comprehensive mental health and addiction system that we will get people with addictions the help that they need with supervised injection sites perhaps or with other supports that they need but we need to listen to the experts and hear what they have to say restart the clock next question the member for dawn valley east thank you mr. Speaker my question is to the premier premier what does systemic racism mean to you and do you believe it exists in ontario premier minister of community and safety services minister of community safety services I want to assure the house that the anti-racism directorate is continuing to fulfill its mandate of the whole the approach will address systemic racism by implementing a strategic plan this includes the implementation of an anti-racism data standards the collection and analysis of reliable and usable data will help the government identify any systemic barriers across sectors and help make evidence-based decisions to shape policies programs and services ultimately improving how the people of ontario were served restart the clock supplementary thank you mr. Speaker my question back to the premier does will they collect disaggregated race-based data in the justice system minister as I stated the collection of the data will be on the whole of government approach so the anti-racism directorate will continue its important work and it will be on an integrated approach across government to identify initiatives that will remove systemic racism we restart the clock next question the member for flamborough glamborough my question today is for the minister of community safety and correctional services and I would first like to congratulate the minister for being tasked with this very crucial responsibility now with the recent indiscriminate acts of violence that have taken place on the streets of toronto including those that occurred most recently on the danforth I'm proud to see that our government for the people is committed to providing police with the necessary tools and resources to keep our community safe mr. Speaker with these recent acts of gun violence is there a message that this government would like to send to those who may feel like Ontario streets are simply not safe good question good question thank you minister of community safety and correctional services thank you mr. Speaker and I'd like to congratulate the member from flamborough glamborough on her work I'd like to begin by repeating that our government will not tolerate gun violence in our streets our government for the people will continue to ensure public safety across this province mr. Speaker this government is committed it is committed to providing our police services with the necessary tools and resources to perform their jobs safety safely and effectively in Ontario I'd like to add mr. Speaker that last night my family and I visited the danforth community based on my visit and speaking with local business owners and members of the community as well as the police services that were present I want to assure all Ontarians that the provinces streets are safe my family and I enjoyed a wonderful evening on the danforth mr. Speaker I wanted to show thank you thank you mr. Speaker back to the minister minister the previous liberal government failed failed to act to ensure that our first responders were given the necessary tools and resources to help protect Ontario communities our first responders are assets to our communities and they deserve to perform those duties safely and effectively day in and day out mr. Speaker our government has remained committed to ensuring public safety across this wonderful province with those recent tragedy and occurred on the danforth some Ontarians are really concerned about gun violence on our streets mr. Speaker will the minister please explain to the members of this legislature what he will do about those who commit gun violence in our great province again for the question and what I want to do is assure once again all Ontarians that our streets are safe and that this government is committing to supporting community safety throughout the province with my recent visit to the danforth I was proud to walk through such an extraordinary and vibrant neighborhood talk with local business owners and members of the local community mr. Speaker I urge all those in the Toronto area to visit the small businesses in the danforth as well as the upcoming taste of the danforth which is scheduled to begin August 10th 2018 the danforth is an extraordinary and vibrant community and should continue to be enjoyed by all Ontarians rest assured our government is committed to supporting public safety and providing our first responders with the tools and resources they respond to perform their job safely and effectively once again thank you to the men and women who provide our cities with safe suits thank you we start the clock next question member for Sudbury thank you mr. Speaker my question is for the Premier I'd like to start my question by reading an email that I received from Andrea who's a parent from my writing of Sudbury and I quote I'm writing to you as a concerned parent of a transgender child my 14 year old child was faced harassment and bullying at school that was so extreme that it became suicidal and we had to homeschool him the recent announcement of the Ontario government is reverting to the 20 year old sex education curriculum is incredibly troubling to me school was already an unsafe space for my child and I worry it'll become even less safe for him and other LGBTQ2 plus kids but the curriculum does not reflect the realities the old curriculum completely invalidates their experiences and even their existence my question Mr. Speaker will the premier confirm for us here and for this family at home that the curriculum being taught this year and every year going forward will include LGBTQ2 plus families gender identity bullying cyber safety and consent thank you premier minister of health minister of health along-term care well I thank the member very much for the question and as we have indicated all along what we want to do is listen to parents such as the parents that you're speaking about to make sure we hear from everyone so that we have a proper end-to-end consultation that is completely inclusive that hears from everyone we had only a very small sample of parents that participated in the last so-called consultation we wanted to be a thorough consultation that takes into account the views of everyone in Ontario back to the premier Mr. Speaker the parent Andrea wanted these words pass on to everyone here but she actually asked had to ask me and only use her first name for fear that using her full name would lead to further bullying for her child this government is dragging the curriculum back to 1998 and provided no appropriate substitute what this government fails to understand is that an inclusive education is crucial to preparing kids for their lives in and out of the classroom is crucial to affirming the lived experiences of all children and to set them up with the confidence the security deserve and so I asked why does this government refuse to confirm their support for including these life-affirming and life-saving lessons even in the light of demonstrated threat to students' well-being I would say to the member through the Speaker that we are committed to listening to all people in Ontario with respect to the issue of bullying that is not acceptable at all we are working to fight that at all levels schools are outside in society but I'm very sad to hear that this lady was not willing to provide her last name we want people to be able to speak up without fear we want to hear from everyone regardless of their experience we want them to tell us what's happening so that we can deal with it in developing the comprehensive sexed and health education curriculum that we need in Ontario that's why we're starting this fall we've already started our work the minister of education has already started work we want to hear from everyone all parents restart the clock next question the member for Markham Stovill now questions for the minister of economic development job creation and trade earlier this week minister the OECD the organization for economic cooperation development issued a very blunt warning to Canada that it needed to address the issues that the United States have brought forward and particularly stressed tax reform they suggested that if Canada didn't do something about addressing the American changes that we risk being left behind so I wonder minister if you could share with the house what the government is doing to to assess our tax system and to make Ontario truly open for business so that we can address these competitive disadvantages head on good question member for the for the question I think the warning from the OECD needs to be heated by the federal government as well their taxes are very high vis-a-vis our competitors in the United States and our competitors around the world but Ontario as Premier Ford said during the campaign is open for business Mr. Speaker and we're determined to become the economic engine of Canada once again we're going to do that by lowering hydro rates by some 12 percent by cutting red tape there's some 360 thousand regulations that get in the way of our job creators and creating jobs in this province and we're not going to cut the red tape down the middle like previous governments have done we're going to cut her right across a tax that will kill would have killed thousands and thousands of jobs that tax is gone I hope the federal government won't impose a new one on us restart the clock supplementary thank you Mr. Speaker thank you minister for that answer I know a minute hardly gives us enough time to really address what 15 years of liberal mismanagement has done to this economy we've seen this show again and again Mr. Speaker when the Ontario government a conservative government on Ontario lowers taxes its federal counterparts tend to increase taxes thereby taking away those advantages Mr. Speaker so I wonder if the minister since you're doing such a great job in such a short period of time of addressing the economic disadvantages that have been left behind by previous liberal administrations is there more that we can expect over the next four years to get this economy moving so that we can really be a government for the people which is people and make the change Mr. Speaker thank you for the question we're both off script that's all I can tell you I forgot it was a friendly question Mr. Speaker just to continue we we promised during the campaign that we would lower corporate taxes by a full one percent that hasn't been done in years in this province from 11.5 percent to 10.5 percent you know in other things we don't talk about as much and people maybe don't understand but by putting more money in your pocket by lowering gasoline by 10 cents a liter by getting hydro rates under control by lowering taxes for lower and middle-class families that puts money in your pocket that you can go out and buy goods and services services and goods that are made in Ontario and that's how we create jobs that's how conservatives create jobs we don't pick winners and losers like the liberals did and waste billions of taxpayers dollars we get it right we level the playing field so that all of our businesses can be competitive and that we create an economic client for those men in railing that put their money forward restart the clock member for St. Catharines thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the premier the city of St. Catharines is facing an urgent crisis in affordable housing yes shelters are bursting at the seams and people are being forced out on the streets because of skyrocketing rents ridiculous wait lists and low vacancies the average wait time for a one bedroom for a single person between the age of 16 and 54 in St. Catharines is an astonishing 13 years my speaker Mr. Speaker this is unacceptable a safe affordable home is a human's right will this government commit to fund the affordable housing units that St. Catharines desperately needs thank you very much Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker as you've heard our Premier Ford throughout the election this campaign was for the people you are going to see genuine relief for families you're going to see prosperity return to the province of Ontario you're going to see a province that as the minister said earlier is open for business so we are going to scrap the cap and trade and put $260 back in the pockets of every family we are going to lower gasoline by $0.10 a litre Speaker the 20% tax cut for middle families is underway we've got hydro rates that are being reduced 12% Speaker we've got a great plan that's for the people that will bring real relief and put true relief for families in Ontario thank you Mr. Speaker this government campaigned on a promise to develop affordable housing in the GTA let me be clear the affordable housing crisis is not limited to one Toronto and surrounding areas people across this great abundant province are living in fear not knowing where they're going to sleep tonight or tomorrow night I will repeat myself this is unacceptable when will the people of Ontario across the GTA and beyond see action from this government on building affordable housing thank you very much well as I said earlier Speaker this plan from Premier Ford and from our party is a plan that's for the people we will bring genuine relief for the people of Ontario we have support from municipalities that is underway we're scrapping the cap and trade tax that is probably the most single most important issue that's facing the pocketbooks of people today not only will it put $260 back in the pockets of families but Speaker it's going to create jobs and give people an opportunity to find true employment in the province of Ontario that many of them had lost out on because of the cap and trade program that was put in place so when you see that in addition to lower gas lower price at the pumps Speaker along with smaller tax rates reduction of the middle class tax taxes you're going to see absolute true relief for the first time in 15 years families will feel it in their pocketbooks they'll have real genuine relief any member for Etobicoke Center Mr Speaker my question is to the Minister of Tourism Culture and Sport each September the world comes to Toronto for a celebration of the best in Canadian and international cinema they come to the Toronto International Film Festival also known as TIF as you know the lineup of films and programming was released by the festival yesterday this was something that I was personally very excited about when I worked for the City of Toronto as you know TIF is one of the most important events that takes place each year here in the City of Toronto both economically and culturally can the Minister provide us with any information on the government's commitment to TIF and their plans for the 2018 Festival Mr Speaker Mr Speaker Mr Speaker Mr Speaker Mr Speaker member for Etobicoke Center I know that you understand the value of it because frankly Etobicoke is a bit of a hub for our film industry here in Ontario TIF is one of the most prestigious and respected film festivals in the world since 1976 TIF has featured the best in international and Canadian films many that are being screened for the first time this year's lineup includes 21 world premiers seven international premiers eight North American premiers and 11 Canadian premiers our government is proud to support TIF and other film festivals across the province this festival has been an important venue for Canadian filmmakers and an important driver for tourism in Ontario and Toronto thank you thank you Mr Speaker back to the minister I am glad to hear that this government is taking the necessary steps to ensure we are bringing good jobs and more investment both foreign and domestic for the people of this province a strong film industry is not just good for business and the people it employs it is good for communities across Ontario I agree that the Toronto international film festival contributes to building that strong industry can the minister outline how TIF continues to be a major tourism driver for the city of Toronto and the province of Ontario absolutely a tourism driver also an economic driver Ontario is one of the largest film and television production centres in North America TIF highlights Toronto's reputation as a vital international creative centre last year TIF had over 3,000 volunteers donate almost 100,000 hours to TIF earning it the nickname of the friendly festival last year film and television production supported by our province and government contributed 1.6 billion dollars to the provincial economy the seventh year in a row over the 1 billion dollar mark TIF is another example to show that Ontario excels at hosting internationally renowned events attracts tourism across our province and show the global film industry that Ontario is open for business thank you Mr Speaker my question is to the premier Mr Speaker this government claims to be for the people well a major issue in all of care available to the people in Scarborough South West one constituent's mother fell four weeks ago she has dementia and has been in the hospital and then moved to a day programme ever since she needs long-term care she now has to leave the temporary day programme without hope of a long-term bed long-term care is at a crisis point and now it's this government's crisis Mr Speaker with this premier promise that there would be thousands of long-term beds while not increasing spending and without cutting a single frontline job so can he tell us when can this family in Scarborough South West expect relief and how minister oh to help the long-term care thank you very much for the question we are certainly aware that there is a crisis in long-term care across this province in your writing as many others across the province due to 15 years of inaction by the previous government that's why one of our central campaign promises was to build 15,000 more beds in five years 30,000 commitments to the people of Ontario and one that we plan to continue with and make sure that we do it we did it in the previous government we'll do it again this time promise me thank you Mr Speaker and I want to thank the minister for her response but the problem persists this government seems to continue campaigning while we need real action new democrats have been calling for a public inquiry into the tragic long-term care deaths in the wet loffer case that's to be extended look into all the systemic issues with long-term care in the province and as MPP I see these issues all the time another constituent's mother is currently in a nursing home in Scarborough they describe a home full of vulnerable people without relief from the heat as there is no air conditioning the home is privately run by a U.S. giant private health provider called Extended Care Mr Speaker is this the model that the premier is proposing for long-term care in this province more of the same and would the premier tell the people of Scarborough and of this province when these 15,000 care beds will be provided working on the plan for capacity as we speak I have been speaking with the members of the ministry of health about this issue we are working on it now because we realize to provide 15,000 beds in five years is a big commitment and one has to be undertaken immediately so we are certainly doing that with respect to your question about the inquiry that's going on it is proceeding as you know we look forward to hearing the results of that and making whatever changes need to be made as a result we can't comment any further on it because it is not appropriate in this location but we are following it and we will make changes if they're necessary based on the recommendations that are coming forward so we take this we'll take action when we need to go for Brampton South thank you Mr. Speaker my question is to the government health leader and minister of government and consumer services speaker our government brought the house back just 12 days after swearing in of cabinet because there were areas of public interest that required urgent action the people sent us here to get down to work and we've done just that can the minister give the house an update on the progress we've made on our urgent priorities well thank you Mr. Speaker and thanks to the member for Brampton South and can I say that the people of Brampton South made the right decision when they sent back to the legislature Mr. Speaker our government was clear the people of Ontario couldn't afford to wait and that's why our government under the leadership of Premier Ford acted immediately to get down to business and brought in our urgent priorities act we have hit the ground running Mr. Speaker the people of Ontario spoke they wanted us to clean up the hydro mess that's what we're doing on this side of the house we needed to get the kids back in class at York University that's what we're going to do he has been a mess in just a few minutes we'll be able to vote against that and vote for this bill Mr. Speaker I encourage the members to do that restart the clock supplementary back to the minister I thank the minister for the update stop the clock yeah how's it come to work we're on a supplementary question back to the minister I thank the minister for the update during debate we've seen members of the opposition defend the policies of the previous Liberal government on hydro and that's after spending 28 days telling Ontarians how awful they are Speaker can the minister update the house on why bill 2 is so necessary thank you Speaker and thanks again to the member from Brampton South for a great question you know it's shameful that the opposition would defend the mess that the previous Liberal government made of hydro people of Ontario deserve better and that's what this government under the leadership of Premier Ford is going to do that's why we recalled the House early so we could get down to business and tackle some of these issues including putting nine white elephants on the south shore of Prince Edward County that's exactly what the WPD project would be and that's exactly what the members of the official opposition used to rail about in this house day after day they're going to have the opportunity to do something about it in just a couple of minutes time they can vote to support the Urgent Priorities Act in this legislature I encourage them to do that look after the Liberal hydro mess get the kids back in class and get Ontario back out of here Corridor can restart the clock member for Niagara Centre thank you Speaker my question is to the Premier the NDP had been calling on the previous government for years to commit to a firm timeline for the expansion of GO train service to Niagara Niagara was finally promised year round service by 2021 but during the campaign the Premier put the entire expansion into question saying that he would have to review it that would be taking transit in Niagara from bad to worse so I ask will this government commit here and now to the 2021 timeline for GO train expansion into Niagara Minister of Transportation Minister of Transportation thank you very much Speaker and I thank the member from Niagara for the question the Premier has made it clear we're going to expand GO rail throughout this province including all-day two-way service to Bowmanville Kitchener and Niagara the Premier Ford will be known as the transit Premier he recognized the challenge of moving people in this province is one that hamstrings our economy so we're going to make sure that we move people more efficiently and we move goods more efficiently one of the keys to an expanding and a growing and a flourishing economy is our ability to move people along on the daily commute so to the member you can relax we are committed to expanding the GO to Niagara you can count on it Speaker expanding GO train service would have a positive impact on the Niagara economy the expansion will inject 195 million dollars into the Niagara region and the minister didn't answer the question we asked when the expansion will create 2400 new permanent full-time jobs as well as another 1200 full-time jobs during construction it will connect all the people of Niagara with employment opportunities around the GTA and it will connect the residents of the GTA to the region's wineries gaming and horse racing facilities and of course our iconic Niagara Falls so I ask again will this government commit today to the 2021 timeline for expanding GO train service to Niagara thank you minister well speaker and I appreciate the the members commitment to this project but it is no greater than our commitment here in the PC Government under Premier Ford collected on a plan to change what was going wrong in Ontario some of our first acts to get rid of the carbon tax to get rid of cap and trade to fix the mess at Hydro to get the children and the students back to school at New York University so one of the things we're doing right with their first bill here bill two is to get that done but our commitment to expanding transit is as I said yesterday as ironclad as the rails that grow with our partners at GO and Metrolinx and reviewing all of the plans and all of the schedules so we have a comprehensive and a wholesome approach to developing transit here in the GTA and beyond including tonight thank you member for King Vaughan Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker under the leadership of this Premier we are undertaking on a bold plan to grow our economy to create good paying jobs and Mr. Speaker member who's the question referred to thank you Mr. Speaker for the Minister of Finance Mr. Speaker under the leadership of this Premier if I may begin again undertake a bold plan to grow our economy create good paying jobs and Mr. Speaker this is a plan to create hope opportunity and prosperity for every single all Ontario and every single region of this province Mr. Speaker this plan our plan will grow our economy and put our province back on track and this is in sharp contrast to a record under the former new democratic government under Bob Ray and yes Mr. Speaker they can relish in the record of 125,000 people out of work Mr. Speaker a 28% unemployment rate Mr. Speaker the highest marginal personal tax rate in this continent I remember thank you Minister of Finance well thank you very much for the question Speaker this government was elected for the people and we will restore trust in the people of Ontario the previous Liberal Administration businesses had left the province of Ontario two years ago there were 2700 businesses that left they were struggling and many more were seriously thinking about closing or relocating a Doug Ford government is committed to making our business taxes competitive and reducing overall costs for our innovators here in Ontario our plan includes reducing business taxes from 11.5 to 10.5% lowering manufacturing and processing rates by the same amount cutting the small business tax rate by 8.75% lowering hydro rates by 12%. Come on. Speaker we are going to be open for business promises made promises kept Thank you Mr. Speaker back to the Minister of Finance I want to thank him for his leadership and for his commitment to restoring the spirit of entrepreneurship in this province Mr. Speaker we know that our plan will foster growth it will improve our competitiveness it will create value added jobs for our young people Mr. Speaker could the Minister of Finance outline why this government can never go back and why we must move this province forward Thank you Speaker again it's all about restoring trust so the fact that this we have a bonus round question here I do want to talk about Northern Ontario and the employment performance speaker we know that for 15 years my beloved Northern Ontario has been ignored by the previous Liberal government since June of 2009 Northern Ontario has experienced a net loss of 2,000 jobs this government respects the North and will do everything necessary to make life affordable and create good jobs in the North and across Ontario and that means reducing taxes reducing hydro rates and reducing red tape that is stifling job creation we've made very firm commitments in the North Speaker including sharing resource development that helped Northern and Indigenous communities response Speaker we're going to cut aviation fuel tax bring back the passenger rail service in the North we have a deferred vote on the motion for second reading of bill two in act respecting hydro one limited the termination of the white pines wind project and the labour disputes between York University and Canadian union of public employees local three nine zero three call in the members this will be a five minute bill members to take their seats we're in a vote I would ask the members to please take their seats on July the 19th Mr. Rickford moved second reading of bill two all those in favour will please rise one at a time and be recognized by the clerk Mr. Smith Mayor Quinty Mr. Smith Mayor Quinty Mr. Bethlenfollower Mr. Bethlenfollower Mr. Fredelli Mr. Fredelli Mr. Ford Mr. Ford Mr. Elliott Mr. Elliott Mr. Wilson Mr. Wilson Mr. Mulrooney Mr. Mulrooney Mr. McLeod Mr. McLeod Mr. Yacobusky Mr. Yacobusky Mr. Hardiman Mr. Hardiman Mr. Tobola Mr. Tobol Mr. Barrett Mr. Barrett Mrs. Marto Mr. Marto Mr. Nichols Mr. Nichols Mrs. Kucindoba Mr. Kucindoba Mr. Omano Mr. Omano Mr. Harris Mr. Harris Ms. Hougarth Ms. Hougarth Mrs. Kara Hallios Mrs. Kara Hallers Mrs. Fi Mrs. Fi Mr. Cho Will coll Mr. Bonma. Mr. Annan. Mr. Pan. Mr. Sanegasso. Mr. Robbers. Mr. Cusetto. Mr. Beiber. All those opposed to the motion will please rise one at a time. We'll be recognized by the clerk. Ms. Horvath. Ms. Horvath. Ms.lemgellника. Ms. Tavins. Ms. Singh. Ms. Sange. Ms. Vanta. Ms. Shabison. Ms. Salia. Ms. Patton. Ms. Lindo. Ms. Lemaki. Ms. Lindo. Ms. Mamak. Mr. Harden. Mr. Harden. Ms. Monteith Farrell. Ms. Monteith Farrell. Mr. West. Mr. West. Mr. Fraser. Mr. Fraser. Ms. Wynne. Ms. Wynne. Mr. Coteau. Mr. Coteau. Ms. Hunter. Ms. Hunter. Ms. Hunter. Madame Lalonde. Madame Lalonde. Mr. Shreiner. Mr. Shreiner. Madame D'Rosie. Madame D'Rosie. The ayes are 69. The nays are 44. The ayes being 69. The nays being 44. I declare a motion carried. Day to July 24th, 2018, the bill is now ordered for a third reading. The bill is passed until 3 p.m. this afternoon.