 There being no further introduction to this now time for question period the leader of Her Majesty's Mr. Speaker my question is for the Premier Mr. Speaker the Liberals just won't stop the Cree the Premier claims She's interested in cleaning up the fundraising mess. She created yet last week We learned that Apotex used a by-election loophole to donate nearly ten thousand dollars to the Liberals And what does the Premier do she pops by for a visit at Apotex? You know I would have be alarmed by a few small donations But this is the same company that donated nearly $200,000 to the Liberal Party So mr. Speaker Can the Premier guarantee this house that by taking Apotex money that has never affected a government policy decision? You know I am very much looking forward to a constructive meeting with the leaders of the opposition this afternoon I I'm not going to presuppose what will take place at that meeting mr. Speaker But you know this this whole discussion about the the fundraising rules is Is one that we need to have mr. Speaker? I said last June that it's something that needed to happen I look forward to building on changes that we have already made and I look forward to input from the leaders of the Opposition on legislation that we will bring forward in the spring I think there's a broad consensus that we need to make a transition away from corporate and union donations mr. Speaker and I look forward to the input from the leaders of the opposition on what that transition might look like Mr. Speaker again to the Premier in my question and Apotex has not been answered It's one thing to receive a small donation, but the Liberals received nearly $200,000 from this one company What what what does this get this company? How about $650,000 a year in drug purchases from the Ministry of Health does this not merit a public inquiry? I don't understand why the government is running from the public inquiry if they had nothing to hide So I'll ask again to the Premier has this almost 200k that the Liberal Party has taken Affected a government policy decision related to Apotex, please answer the question. Yes or no Political donations do not buy policy decisions in my government Excuse me The member from Harlem and Norfolk will withdraw Bring it any innuendo or suggestion to the to the opposite mr. Speaker is false. That is that is the fact So I've been always been very clear that the decisions that we make in my office and in my cabinet are made based on Evidence they're based on the best interests of the people of our best of our ability mr. Speaker And I would say to the member opposite again I'm looking forward to our discussion this afternoon. I look forward to their input Mr. Speaker again the premier this is all smoke and it's not fire then the premier would embrace a public inquiry Mr. Speaker there are plenty of drug companies that receive money from the Liberal government So what else may Apotex benefit from well in 2011 the government led by then Health Minister Matthews appealed a court ruling that would allow pharmacies to have their own private labels This would have allowed pharmacies to sell their own drugs for the same price But not the drugs mandated by the province like Apotex at the time the Globe and Mail called the decision to appeal the ruling a Minor mystery they went on to suggest that perhaps the Liberals are looking out for Apotex the largest domestic manufacturer mr. Speaker again to the premier can the Sure us that these donations are not affecting the government's decisions and will she embrace the public inquiry Everybody else Interesting to see the new found interest that the member apparently has in fundraising because I have here a list of his Donations during the leadership campaign. They're absolutely astounding he broke an all-time record He said first of all mr. Speaker that soon as he got here. He was interested in fundraising Thank you The member from Renfrew Nipissing Pembroke come to order The member from Memphis, Inc. Pembroke is now second time now. I'm gonna ask the member to leave his list on his desk I'll be I'll read it from here mr. Speaker An all-time record and fundraising for a leadership candidate Was what was achieved by the leader of the official opposition? Who said when he got here? He was astounded by the fundraising rules And yet he took advantage of those fundraising rules to raise well over 1.6 million dollars New question Leader of the opposition mr. Speaker my question is for the premier Well, this government has been busy attending secret $6,000 fundraising dinners I've been touring hospitals and meeting with frontline workers across this province Just this past weekend. I was in Windsor. I was told first-hand I expect I expect some Civility here and that I'll get it one way or another Finish, please Mr. Speaker, I was told first-hand the impact of this government's mismanagement on health care in Windsor a hundred and twenty Nurses are gone because of this government and twenty million dollars cut to the Windsor regional because of this government The budget promised one thing, but what we're seeing in reality is very very different I can tell you mr. Speaker. I didn't charge a single red cent to meet with nurses in Windsor I wanted to hear their concerns. I wanted to hear their stories. So my question for the premier Mr. Speaker will the premier meet with the nurses at Windsor without charging them $6,000 a place. Thank you Thank you very much. Mr. Speaker. Well, I I think that the leader of the opposition is fully aware that I meet with people all Mr. Speaker from every sector and we're committed on on health care to making sure that people in Ontario have the Right care mr. Speaker that they have it in a timely way and that they have it in the right place and to that end mr. Speaker funding for well for Windsor hospitals has increased by a hundred and twenty four million That's a forty seven percent increase here seven million dollars was provided to help Windsor regional hospital with budget pressures And to help the transition process from a registered nurse to a registered practical nurse model Mr. Speaker and that is work that is going on in other parts of the province and the focus of those funds was to ensure that Reduction of FTE's occurred through attrition and retirement and not through layoffs mr. Speaker. So it's a different model There is a transition answer there is overall in health care a transition going on mr. Speaker And we are working with with the health care sector in every community across the province mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker back to the premier those are talking points to justify a 20 million dollar cut the Windsor regional hospital But I can tell you it's not just St. Joseph's health center in London was forced to cut 49 full-time positions and 12 Transitional care beds just last month life labs announced. They're closing 15 patient service centers The CEO of life lab said because the demand for testing had increased But funding had not patients will struggle to get the testing they need done the government has Has created the situation forcing communities to close clinics doctors offices They have fired nurses and frontline health care workers So my question mr. Speaker is now that the premier has demanded the minister of health not have private High-level fundraising dinners. Will he now have the time to support physicians nurses and stop closing labs? Let me just reinforce that The way we make policy decisions on this side of the house has nothing to do with political donations even though Side of the house would suggest that would suggest that mr. Speaker. It's simply false Finish please the leader of the opposition does not talk about is the rehiring of nurses mr. Speaker He doesn't talk about what's happening in one part of the the sector We've increased the percentage of nurses working full-time by 13.9 percent in our term of government mr. Speaker since 100 more nurses working in nursing in Ontario since we took office mr. Speaker There's been a massive influx of nurses into the system mr. Speaker and we are working with communities around the problems Mr. Speaker back to the premier once again if the premier wasn't petrified of a public inquiry She would welcome this sunshine this spotlight on this topic We all know doctors have been without a contract for two years during that time liberals have unilaterally Unilaterally cut 815 million dollars from physicians further the minister of health won't even meet with physicians So mr. Speaker my question is is it because the doctors didn't ante up to the liberal fundraising cause mr. Speaker How many $6,000 dinners will it take for the premier and the minister of health to actually meet with our physicians? Mr. Speaker the minister of health is very much engaged with the OMA We would like to very much have an opportunity to sit down at the table and to work out a Workout an arrangement with them mr. Speaker, you know the leader of the opposition may not remember But this is the the highest-paid group of physicians in the country. They they earn their they earn their money They have every right to earn earn a good wage mr. Speaker But the reality is that we need that opportunity to Open to that we want to work this out mr. Speaker and the minister of health is engaged with them on a regular basis to try To get that opportunity to have the conversation with them Thank you very much mr. Speaker my questions for the premier a new Democrats fully support the elimination of corporate and union Notations, but we know there are a number of other issues that need to be resolved So later today, I'm going to be reposing to the premier the leader of the opposition as well that this legislature Initiate a transparent independent and non-partisan process to make recommendations on new rules speaker for financing political parties and the electoral process New rules for governing third-party advertising in elections as well Will this premier actually support a process that will be truly transparent independent and non-partisan? Conversations afternoon as I already said to the the leader of the opposition I look forward to meeting with both leaders mr. Speaker. We are going to be bringing legislation forward in the spring We are going to propose that we have an extended period of consultation Mr. Speaker that the Standing Committee that that is working on that piece of legislation Travel the province and there be adequate and ample opportunity for people in this province to have input So we get that legislation right but mr. Speaker I think there is a high degree of agreement that we need to move forward We need to catch up with other jurisdictions that have have already changed the rules mr. Speaker I said last June that we needed to do this I look forward to moving moving ahead with this and I look forward to the conversation this afternoon with the leaders Well speaker when Premier Bill Davis was faced with reforming how Ontario funded elections back in 1970 He asked a tripartisan commission to make recommendations because he said he wanted to create quote an atmosphere Above and beyond public doubt suspicion or cynicism and quote But this premier appears to want to have all the power to make these decisions in her office Why is she push pushing to create a system that's open to doubt suspicion and cynicism? Thank you Well, mr. Speaker quite to the contrary the reason I've asked the leaders of the opposition to come in to have a meeting with me to Talk with them and I understand that they they're very interested in this subject And they have they have input that they can bring from from their benches and beyond mr. Speaker and that we then have a Very full discussion of that legislation in the public realm That's why I will be proposing this afternoon and there are some specific issues in terms of transition into The the ban on corporate union donations some of the timing and what we should how we should manage those I'm looking forward to hearing their input when we meet this afternoon. Mr. Speaker When new financing rules were passed in Ontario in 1975 an election finances commission was created It had representatives nominated by political parties Nonpartisan benches from the Law Society of Upper Canada the chief electoral officer and a chair put forward by the lieutenant governor of the province Speaker it created a system that was stable for almost 25 years then in 1998 an order to eliminate a nonpartisan expert commission came right from the office of Premier Mike Harris the premier has acknowledged that she already is writing the new rules without any consultation Why is she following the example of Mike Harris speaker? Mr. Speaker I am very interested in an open process I'm very interested in moving ahead, but mr. Speaker I believe that there is a fair degree of consensus in terms of the direction that we need to move I also believe that to add process to layer process on top of process to delay the final decisions Make the decisions that have been discussed in public for some time that other jurisdictions have already adopted mr. Speaker We need to take those steps to move expeditiously. I look forward to our meeting this afternoon Also for the premier. Thank you very much when when Mike Harris decided to get rid of this Nonpartisan system by fiat from the premier's office the current member for St. Catherine's called it an anti-democratic strategy hatched in the back rooms of the premier's office and John Gerritsen the former liberal member for Kingston in the island said quote What's happening here is that the governing party that happens to be empowered at any one time is going to have a distinct Advantage above the normal advantages of incumbency and quote former liberal premier Dalton McGinty said quote there are simple rules of fairness You can't change the rules of the games without the consent of all players involved and quote So why is this premier speaker hatching plans in the back rooms of the premier's office instead of through a non partisan process that gets Ontarians to buy in The third party why is she not talking about the substance of the changes that need to happen? Why is she not putting forward ideas about how she thinks the system needs to change mr. Speaker because that actually is the issue Instead of talking about how we can have more process that will actually delay the final decision mr. Speaker Why is the leader of the third party not putting forward her ideas on what the transition should be between? The current system and the changes and banning corporate union donations mr. Speaker. Why is the leader of the third party not talking about? Third party advertising why is she not talking about the kinds of changes that she would like to see those are the subjects that I'm looking forward to having a conversation about Speaker the Toronto Star weighed in at the time as well They said quote the rules governing elections have been changed only when there has been a consensus Among the three parties in the legislature McLean's wrote quote for 25 years election financing bills in Ontario have been tabled with all party consensus But Ontario premier Mike Harris tossed aside that tradition and quote and Richard Brennan who at that time was working for my own Hamilton spectator speaker wrote quote the government broke tradition yesterday by tabling proposed legislation Affecting the election finances act without first getting all party consent. Why does this premier believe that she alone should be writing the rule speaker? I think that there has already begun a broad public discussion I think that there is a fair degree of consensus on where we need to go I have heard I have heard from certainly the leader of the opposition where he thinks he we need to go in terms of Banning corporate union donations. Mr. Speaker. I'd love to hear from the leader of the third party the substance of her ideas I look forward to that conversation this afternoon, Mr. Speaker Where perhaps we will be able to talk about the direction that we should go so we can build some consensus among ourselves and We can then begin that public discussion as a result of the introduction of legislation into which there has been input from all sides of the house Speaker it is definitely time to take big money out of politics It's time to get rid of corporate and union donations But this premier is actually choosing a partisan route that was begun by Mike Harris instead of our proud History of consensus speaker can this premier explain why she's tossing out Decades of tradition and deciding that decisions should be made in the back rooms of the premier's office Mr. Speaker, you know What I what I am doing is I am responding to a moment in time where there are other Jurisdictions that have moved in a particular direction have made changes mr. Speaker that I believe we need to make we are Updating a system that has grown out of date mr. Speaker I said a year ago in June that we needed to make changes. I am looking for input from all sides of the house There's been a public discussion discussion in the last number of weeks that has been precipitated by the media and isn't it's a welcome And important discussion mr. Speaker, so I look forward to hearing from the leaders of the opposition I look forward to the public discussion that will ensue once we bring legislation to the house mr. Speaker and it then goes to committee and Across the province people can have input into how they think that legislation should change the rules under which we all operate Thank you very much My question this morning is for the premier Speaker on Friday an environmental review tribunal granted a stay of construction for the white pines wind turbine Project in Prince Edward County an unwilling host community under the terms of the contract this project has to be finished It's construction and attached to the grid by mid-June of this year if it isn't WPD has defaulted on the terms of their contract and the taxpayers can get out of it without a cost That is unless they get an extension that only the minister of energy can give them So speaker my question is will the minister be granting an extension to WPD or will they have to be operational by June? Mr. Speaker, this is before the environmental review tribunal right now. They have not made a ruling yet They have issued a statement that they will be consulting with both parties to look at the consequences We operate the ERT on the weight of convenience mr. Speaker Which means that they look at harm at both outcomes in making their decisions as there can be an appeal To me and to this government is very important that we as the house protect the integrity of that process and not politicize it So I would suggest that we allow the ERT process to proceed as an independent process And at the right an appropriate point when a pitwood appeals can happen from the ERT But I don't think we should be commenting it on this house until that process Mr. Speaker back to the premier the people of Prince Edward County are watching this government's every move The IESO can uphold the current terms of the contract But if WPD wants an extension they can only get it from the minister of energy They've also WPD contributed $15,000 to the Ontario Liberal Party Most of it since the environmental review process began Speaker my question to the premier is simple Will she require that the IESO Enforce the current terms of the contract which would put WPD in default if they aren't connected by mid june Or has WPD already bought themselves an extension? This is the moment in which I've alerted all members That I will be listening carefully to this and I'm going to ask the member to very If the theme is there to be very cautious of how he intunes any motive And you will need to do some homework on that to ensure that it's not happening Minister thanks. Thanks, mr. Speaker I want to recognize that there are people here in the gallery from the prince Edward Hastings local business and tourism board and I I want to Recognize the efforts that they are taking and to work through a democratic process mr. Speaker On that process mr. Speaker, but I also want to deal with the last point the member made Sorry You're not endearing yourself by repeating what I asked not to be repeated Carry on I want to make one point here, mr. Speaker through this process our job mine and the The member for Hastings prince Edward county is to protect the integrity of this process And I'm very clear it have no difficulty doing that And I find it deeply deeply offensive that someone would suggest in a process in which politicians are not allowed to interfere in He is actually suggesting I interfere in that process, mr The member from prince Edward Hastings will come to order You have one sentence wrap up, please So shame on him, mr. Speaker because it sounds like the pot is calling the kettle black Thank you very much mr. Speaker my questions to the premier For 25 years it was the practice to have consensus among Ontario's political parties Before changing the rules about election campaigns bill davis established a multi-partisan election finances committee in 1975 That included the chief electoral officer and non-partisan members of the legal community to ensure that there was fairness David peterson changed the rules But only after extensive discussions with the other leaders and the same elections commission But when mike harris changed the rules it came straight from the premier's office Is this uh premier going to be following in the footsteps of bill davis and david peterson Or will she keep all of the decision-making power in the premier's office just like mike harris Is just because I think the only person who would be more agitated about me being compared to mike harris is mike harris Mr. Speaker we didn't see I think it's very important that there be a public process I think it's very important that we look for the consensus among all sides of Along the political continuum mr. Speaker, and I think that moving to where other jurisdictions including the the federal government Mr. Speaker a process that began under a liberal government and continued under uh the conservative government that we That we moved to that consensus position that other jurisdictions have taken mr. Speaker I look forward to the conversation with the leaders of the opposition I have said that we will be introducing legislation that has many of the components That other jurisdictions have already adopted mr. Speaker, but I look forward to the the conversation with the leaders of the opposition parties Because there may be some there may be some Issues in terms of transition and so on that that they would like to share with me. Thank you Thank you very much mr. Speaker. I I think it's important for the premier to understand that Ontarians and the most of the people in this house don't think that you're going to get this right on fundraising Ontario's new democrats want to see a process that ensures that the new rules are developed through an independent and transparent And non-partisan process and once passed into law have the broad support of ontarians required to ensure their Legitimacy and the respect will the premier commit to taking this process out of her back rooms And make this non-partisan and transparent process led by consensus among ontario's political parties Asking for is more process that will delay the decision mr. Speaker That is not what we are going to do what we are going to do is we are going to put in place a process Whereby there will be broad input from people across the province mr. Speaker There will be broad public discussion We will extend the hearings mr. Speaker and make sure that there is a longer period for that consultation In the interim mr. Speaker the input that i'm looking for from the leaders of the opposition parties Yes, i'm having a meeting today. I look forward to that But mr. Speaker as we draft the legislation if there is input that they would like to give us We look forward to that and then we will be able to get on with that broad public discussion that I think is necessary Mr. Speaker Member from Davenport My question is to the minister of training colleges and universities Minister the young people in my riding of Davenport often find trouble navigating the barriers to getting involved in the process of finding a job I often hear that they lack the direction and guidance They need to make informed decisions and find good jobs that will contribute to their growth as a professional This is especially the case for young people who face multiple barriers to employment resulting from some combination Of complex challenging life circumstances Minister, I understand that you recently announced the launch of a new summer program aimed at helping young people overcome challenges and barriers to finding suitable meaningful employment Can you please inform the members of the house on how this new program will help our most vulnerable youth access The necessary training and employment services to find meaningful jobs Thank you minister training college universities Thank you, mr. Speaker and I want to thank the member from Davenport for that very good question, mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker early the last week my ministry was pleased to launch a summer component of Ontario's youth job connection program The youth job connection is a key component of our government's youth job strategy I am proud to say that mr. Speaker through this strategy our government's investing an additional 250 million dollars Over two years to help roughly 27,000 of Ontario's students to find part-time and full-time jobs The youth job connection summer program will provide part-time and after-school job opportunities to high school students age 15 to 18 who face challenging in the life Challenging life circumstances and they may need support transitioning between the school and the work Mr. Speaker and this is one of the two new programs Thank you, mr. Speaker Thank you, mr. Speaker and thank you to the minister for the answer Minister when youth face barriers to opportunity based on background or circumstance It is the responsibility of this government to make sure that they have access To the training they need to help them grow their skills and join the workforce It is reassuring to the young people in my writing that the summer component of youth job connections Is now in place to help them gain access to the labour market I understand this program is part of our government's commitment to strengthening Ontario's youth job strategy, which will help support a comprehensive suite of new youth employment programs Many constituents in my writing of Davenport would be happy to know more about another program That launched last week to help young people with fewer barriers access services that are available year round Minister, could you inform myself and the members of the house question youth job link another new program that is now in place To support young people across our province. Thank you minister. Thank you, mr. Speaker again I want to thank the member for that question Mr. Speaker helping youth have all abilities and the backgrounds access The most effective employment and training is part of our government's economic plan to grow The economy and create jobs in this province With that goal in mind this this week last week, Ontario also launched a youth job Youth job link which is helping young people age 15 to 29 Plan their careers prepare for the labour market and connect to job opportunities The youth job link program will be available year round to youth and the students at more than 320 locations across our province It will offer information on career options Help with the resume writing preparing for interviews and assistance to match their skills with employers needs Mr. Speaker with youth job connection summer component as well as youth job link program In place Ontario has the right combination of programs in place to help youth with the broad spectrum of backgrounds abilities and the needs to get training they need to actively participate in our economy Question the members from Leeds. Thank you. Thanks. Thank you. My my questions to the premier The Sudbury by election allowed the liberal party to raise 2.2 million dollars That's just shy of the 2.6 million dollars. They raised in the last general election. Some may ask How could they do that? Well, they had prolific liberal backman jerry law heat jr. Up there in Sudbury A man notorious for making promises in exchange for favors A man who is under investigation and facing corruption charges. Mr. Speaker How many promises did jerry law heat jr. Make in exchange for donations to the liberal party? Interesting my I have a favorite Biblical quotation for the member And it comes from the new testament John 8 verse 7 And I'll paraphrase Let he who is without sin cast the first stone If you and your leader were so interested in reforming fundraising in this province You'd be wondering about that $5,000 person dinner at barbarians and whether you're going to cancel it Or that $10,000 a person dinner at the albany club with an exclusive 10 in the province Or the leader's dinner donors are Courage to pay $25,000 for a victory table 10,000 more than a normal table for an opportunity Answer the caucus member You are living sir your party to I say through the leader and the glass house. I advise you not to throw stones Thank you Supplementary I'm not sure uh speaker if that was an admission of guilt with that dodge and deflection from the leader I'm sure that the member opposite will agree with me. We know jerry law heat jr. Confund rates He once raised $115,000 in a single night for justin trudeau at a swank $1,300 a plate dinner Finish please The jerry law heat jr. Is uh facing corruption charges He alleged promised a job to andrew Olivier in exchange for stepping down How do we know speaker that he didn't make promises as part of those donations in the liberal bioaction in sudbury But you know what the the member opposite likes to make a number of quotes. I'll make a quote today I think the the best indicator of our future behavior is past behavior That's why we on this side of the house are asking for an inquiry. Mr. Speaker does the premier have anything to hide Thank you with the millions of dollars Is everybody house leader Well, thank you very much. Mr. Speaker. I I think if the member would go through the list of donations He would find out that none other than the progress of conservative party has received donations from jerry law heat Did that have any influence on on anything that is done by the conservative party? I always wonder mr. Speaker when I Read about a fundraiser such as the $10,000 a person fundraiser at the albany club I watch carefully the next day or the next house sitting to see what questions are asked in the house Because one might draw the conclusion When one sees who's at that dinner and then listens to the questions in the house or the stance taken by the opposition Remember from leeds granville second time The member from leeds granville is warned Next comment Wrap up, please So one always wonders when uh, there's a fundraiser and the questions come in the house and the stance is taken Whether the people at that fundraiser had any influence on conservative party policy Speaker my question is to the premier Hospitals in london are grappling with another year of deep cuts under this liberal government In the past two weeks, we've learned that st. Joseph's and london health sciences are both cutting the equivalent of 60 full-time positions Budgets for supplies are being cut and 12 Crucial transitional care beds will be shut down this october People in my community want to know why is this premier forcing hospitals in london to cut patient care? Lay off front line staff and shut down even more beds Well, mr. Speaker, uh, I know that the uh, the member opposite when she is in conversation with constituents will remind the uh The constituents that the uh, the budget actually puts a billion more dollars into Health care in this province, mr. Speaker, including $345 million for hospital funding and mr. Speaker You know in terms of in terms of the number of nurses in this province, mr. Speaker in terms of the numbers of doctors There have been thousands more nurses and doctors in this province in our term of government 26,300 more nurses mr. Speaker in this uh in this uh, uh in this province as a result of our policies so mr. Speaker we will continue to support the health care system We will continue to work with uh with individual health care systems and hospitals around the province Including in london mr. Speaker including in london and make sure that people get the health care that they need In a timely manner mr. Speaker Speaker when i'm speaking to constituents, uh, they're reminding me about the health care policies that this liberal government is causing to fail The services of health care Again to the premier hospitals in london have been have revealed just how deep This liberal government is cutting health care st. Joseph has seen effectively a 36.5 million dollar cut to its total budget over the past four years london health sciences says that 2016 17 marks the fifth straight year that funding will not keep up with rising costs And we all know who pays the price for these cuts It's patients who wait longer for care they need It's families who are forced to deal with more worry and more stress And it's the frontline health care workers speaker that don't deserve a pink service government How can this premier once again slash funding to hospitals in london and expect patient health care not to suffer? Thank you Cognized in this budget that there was a need to increase funding to hospitals. That's why mr. Speaker There's a 345 million dollar increase to hospitals in the province I had talked I had talked with CEOs of hospitals, mr. Speaker the minister of health and long-term care had talked with health With hospital CEOs. We understood that there needed to be an increase That's why there's a billion more dollars in health care overall and three hundred and 45 million dollars for hospitals, mr. Speaker You know st. joseph's health care That's the the hamilton st. joseph's health care system. Mr. Speaker received 395 million Dollars mr. Speaker in 2015 16 for base in base funding and that's a 48 percent increase since 2003 mr. Speaker So over that period of time 48 percent increase mr. Speaker and that's just one hospital mr. Speaker across the province There have been increases and this year 345 million dollars in this year's budget Thank you mr. Speaker my question is for the minister of municipal affairs and housing After each municipal election cycle It's regular practice for the ministry to conduct a review of the rules governing municipal elections And last week in the house the minister introduced proposed changes via bill 181 the municipal elections modernization act Mr. Speaker we're all aware that our local communities are critical hubs of democratic activity And an important entry point into ontario's governance system That's why our municipalities and local leaders need to be supported by strong clear and modern rules Mr. Speaker these are important goals through you can the minister explain How these goals are going to be reflected in this bill Mr. Speaker I want to thank the honorable member for his question I'll do certainly the best I can to answer it After each he's correct after each election we do do a consultation And uh this time around we had 3400 submissions From councils citizens staff municipalities And based in turn on that we look closely at changes to campaign finance rules Regulating third party advertising Challenges and barriers to making elections accessible Increasing of course transparency and accountability And allowing more local choice the length of the campaign period And whether municipal election rules are effectively enforced Mr. Speaker if this bill Should be fortunate enough to be passed. There'll be improvements in all those areas and I look forward to the bill moving That's her. Thank you supplementary Thank you, Mr. Speaker and as a former municipal councillor I very much appreciate The changes that have been proposed to make our elections more effective and more transparent But in addition to those goals the minister is Put in place a new Objective and that is to give our municipalities the option to have ranked ballots in the 2018 municipal election Mr. Speaker this is a new frontier in Ontario And this goal has garnered a lot of attention throughout the province and our municipal partners have been asking us Whether we could move forward with these efforts For 2018 for their communities Mr. Speaker can the minister share what his what he and his team have been hearing and working on with respect to rank ballots Thank you minister. Yes, uh, mr. Speaker I could do that the majority of feedback we received During our consultation in fact had to do with ranked ballots Which is why we propose to make that an option for our municipal Municipal partners the sense was in the letters that we received that with voter turnout going down And and seemingly less interest in municipal elections That we needed a way to help engage more voters in the process And also one that would enhance the process itself by having it be more substantive and terms of debate and what have you so We think we've done that in a number of ways ranked ballots being won Of course, it will be optional and Our hope is it would get us away from some of the negative campaigning that so often happens in political arenas So we look forward to continuing to work with communities They deserve the best possible municipal leadership and we think the changes and bill 181 will help assure that Thank you new question Uh, thank you speaker my questions for the premier A year ago the minister of health was asked by christine elliott to expand pulse stroke recovery services for those individuals between the ages of 20 through 64 She referenced the circumstances of a local Durham resident jim mcqueen whose champion changes to the legislation Speaker unless covered by private assurance pulse stroke survivors cannot receive the essential rehabilitation services that are needed for recovery The minister responded at that time speaker my ministry for some time has been working on the precise issue that she has raised Mr. Speaker one year One year after that statement was made in this house Nothing further has been forthcoming to help pulse stroke survivors When will the premier and her government start to satisfy not only the expectation of interior residents But its actual commitments The associate minister of health and long-term care Associate minister of health and long-term care Thank you, mr. Speaker, and I thank the member opposite for the question and his ongoing advocacy And I just wanted to say as we all know minister huskens is Absolutely committed to putting patients first and making sure ontarians get the health care they deserve And that's why mr. Speaker in this budget. We have increased base funding for ontario's hospitals by 345 million including a one percent increase to base funding. This is an investment that'll keep not only hospitals Open across our system, but also ensure that ontarians get the care they deserve But mr. Speaker, you know, we are making investments across the health care sector And let me just give you an example on friday I was up in cochrane only to announce the redevelopment of 69 new beds, mr. Speaker These are the examples of the investments we continue to make in health care. Thank you, mr. Speaker Speaker against the premier Well, the premier now omits that she's been unable to implement this essential reform Because of the inability of her government to adequately manage the health care system Speaker is this not simply further evidence of the systemic problems inherent With the government mired in its own scandal waste and mismanagement Or do post-stroke survivors have to attend six thousand dollar liberal dinners to get their voices, sir Thank you, mr. Speaker I just want to talk a little bit mr. Speaker about some of the rehab services that we have been investing in For example, mr. Speaker With our changes we've doubled the number of publicly funded physiotherapy clinics in ontario in total 200 000 additional seniors will have improved access to high quality physiotherapy by the end of 2014 ccac is Provided in home services to an additional 35 000 clients, mr. Speaker We have set no limits on physiotherapy sessions to ensure that ontarians get the rehab The services that they need mr. Speaker and I can assure this house that the minister when he is back will Be able to speak at length about some of the investments we continue to make mr. Speaker I can assure this house that Our minister and our premier are committed to ensure that ontarians get the services they need and deserve at the right time Thank you, mr. Speaker. Thank you Thank you, speaker my questions for the premier Supervised access sites are a way for families going through often adversarial family matters where children are involved to have a neutral And as the name suggests supervised visit between non Non-custodial parent and their children in hamilton's supervised access has been provided professionally and compassionately for years by the downtown ywca But the y has not received an increase in base funding for eight straight years And has now had to cut back on the hours the days the access speaker that's struggling families desperately need It is so bad that the y has been forced to remove five families now from the waitlist that already stretches into years will Sorry does the premier think it's okay that her government is preventing children from seeing their parents speaker Minister children in your services Thank you, speaker I don't want to thank the member of the third party for her question Of course, it's always the intent on the government side to keep families intact wherever possible to keep families With their children where possible where they can be safe and secure and healthy And if that's not the case the speaker we want to make sure that All of our partners in the sector who are mandated look after children Achieve that objective whether it's a children's aid society a partner agency And i'm very happy to talk to the leader of third party about the specifics of this case recognizing I can't comment on Individual children or their family situation, but our goal remains the same We are resolute in ensuring that children receive their supports and the services that they need To be protected and to reach their full potential. Thank you Thank you Well with all due respect to the minister speaker That's exactly the opposite of what's happening here in hamilton Supervised access isn't even a choice for struggling family speaker. It is a court ordered process It's court ordered Supervised access centers place the focus on children as one hamilton mother actually described it to me The supervised access site at the y helps quote keep families together in a healthy way Which leads to well-adjusted children turning into well-adjusted adults and quote So what does the premier and her minister say to this mother and to all families who are desperate for supervised access For the sake of their families But who can't get it because the government refuses to adequately fund it speaker Thank you minister Thanks again speaker, and uh, I'm open to uh, you know the device of the third party. Obviously we do uh, Respect and uphold court orders when it comes to the care and protection of children in our province And I'll be pleased to speak to her as well as my colleague ministries who provide funding for local community groups and uh At the end of the day speaker. It is about what's best for our children It's about what's best to help them reach their full potential Of course, we'll adhere to we want to recognize and respect the court orders and at the end of the day speaker Each situation often has its own circumstances. So as I said, I'd be happy to hear from the The leader of third party or my critic About the case in general and then we can respond perhaps more specifically to her. Thank you Thank you Thank you, mr. Speaker. My question is for the minister of aboriginal affairs The minister has recently announced a number of investments targeted towards driving economic development and creating jobs in indigenous communities Just last month. I had the opportunity to announce funding for two programs in my riding of kinkson and the islands that provide support for aboriginal students st. Lawrence Colleges project kickstart college and the self identification project at queen's university developed and run by four directions in the aboriginal Student center These investments reflect the government's commitment to work with indigenous partners and indigenous youth to create a better future For everyone in the province Can the minister please elaborate on the steps our government is taking to create economic opportunities for indigenous questions in ontario Thank you minister of aboriginal affairs Thank you. Speaker the ontario government wants to ensure indigenous peoples have the opportunity to succeed and fully participate in the economy Our government is moving forward on many fronts by creating initiatives that are supporting business growth and providing economic development opportunities Jobs and skill sets for aboriginal peoples. That's why we're doing the following four things Three hundred and twenty two thousand dollars for the timmins native friendship center through the aboriginal community grants program A hundred and seventy five thousand dollars to support a new welcome center in aquasoc snake Two hundred thousand dollars for miss weebeek to develop Employment and training opportunities for indigenous peoples here in toronto Four hundred eighty one thousand dollars for gagiga meekum aboriginal employment and training center To attract higher train and retain indigenous apprenticeships in skilled trades. This is good for aboriginal economic development It's good for ontario's economic development Mr. Speaker, it's clear that our government is committed to working with indigenous partners to create good jobs and economic opportunities in indigenous communities Because we all recognize that creating economic opportunities for indigenous peoples strengthens ontario's economy When indigenous people prosper all of ontario prospers I understand that these recent announcements are part of larger initiatives to promote economic development opportunities for indigenous peoples Through initiatives such as the aboriginal economic development fund and aboriginal loan guarantee program Our government is creating stronger more effective partnerships with indigenous communities Mr. Speaker, could the minister please tell us more about how the government is working to ensure that indigenous people have the opportunity To succeed and fully participate in the economy through the aedf Mr. Speaker our government introduced the aboriginal economic development fund in 2014 in the budget It was to help aboriginal businesses communities and organizations create Diversify and collaborate in their economic development So as a result to date ontario has funded 44 projects with indigenous partners through this fund Partnerships like these reflect the government's commitment to work with indigenous partners to create a better future for everyone in the province That is why our government launched the the aboriginal economic development fund to create these initiatives that support economic growth Provide opportunities for jobs and skills for aboriginal people Speaker supporting economic development for indigenous communities through this fund Is just one of the many many steps on ontario's journey of healing and reconciliation with indigenous peoples Thank you very much speaker my question is to the minister of transportation Last month the minister met with me and a delegation from renfrew county to go over the frequently talked about continued twinning of highway 17 While the project will reach shield drive this year the next phase has yet to make it into the ministry's five-year plan The minister knows this project is vital to the economy of renfrew county as a transportation corridor It connects canadian nuclear laboratories and garrison petawawa to the nation's capital and is a major artery for commercial truck traffic Given how crucially important this roadway is Will the minister commit to putting the further twinning of highway 17 into his ministry's five-year plan? Thanks very much speaker i want to thank the member from renfrew nipissing pemberg for not only for his question speaker But also for his advocacy on this issue. He was uh, he was good enough to join Speaker he was good enough to join the municipal representatives that i had the pleasure of meeting with from his community We had a fantastic conversation The ministry both the ministry and myself speaker recognized the importance of this particular Highway project and the impact that potentially that it will have or the impact that it will have as we continue to forlain through the county of renfrew speaker I can assure that member that i will continue to work closely with his community and the ministry understands the importance of this This particular artery artery in eastern ontario and we'll continue to have conversations as we go forward The member should also know i believe he does speaker that the environmental assessments for the next phase is being completed And the ministry will continue to work with his community on this project Thank you speaker i say to the minister we appreciate the work that has been done up till now But we cannot stop the ministers predecessors ask the county the county government to make the case for the continued twinning of 17 And i believe they have made that case over and over again in spades It's now up to the minister He would also know that the federal government has made favorable overtures regarding infrastructure investments Given that this is a trans canada highway I would ask that the minister take advantage of the federal infrastructure commitment and place the highest priority on this project Forlaining will be a boom to renfrew county both economically and socially as well as making the route safer for everyone who travels it Speaker i'll ask the minister again if he will commit to putting the next phase of twinning highway 17 into his ministry's Five-year capital infrastructure plan. Thank you. Thank you minister Thanks, thanks very much speaker. I thank the member opposite for his follow-up question I also want to thank him speaker for acknowledging that we now have a federal government in ottawa that understands the importance Of investing in crucial infrastructure Speaker i i believe that member also knows that in this year in 2015 2016 the ontario liberal government Has committed more than 2.4 billion dollars to expand and rehabilitate roads Bridges highways right across the province of ontario budget 2016 included speaker a number of these crucial projects And not that many days ago. I joined with a number of my colleagues We were down in the community of puslinch where we announced, of course funding support in that community in wellington speaker for The morriston bypass, which i know is of crucial economic importance to that part of our province Speaker as i said in my Initial answer i'll continue to work with that member and with this community to make sure that going forward Perhaps in partnership with the new liberal government in ottawa that will get this done. Thanks very much speaker My question is to the premier premier unfortunately, you would have heard like all ontarians The tragedy that is taking place in atta wapiscat as we speak Unfortunately, this is not the first time that we've seen a rash of suicides on the james bay In fact about five years ago. We had a similar situation going on Myself and pegatano and others from the james bay along with then grand chief stan luded Went to your government and asked for money for pegatano in order to put in place the staff necessary To deal with this on an ongoing long-term basis and your government did it i'll give you some credit But Two years later. You took that money away We got over a million dollars in order to hire staff to be able to do the work That helps prevent these type of things from happening My question to you is if you make a commitment to do something this time We should take the money out once the media has gone away. Thank you Mr. Speaker i'm very worried about and very concerned about what's happening in atta wapiscat and quite frankly in other In other remote northern communities as well The member opposite knows that i've been to atta wapiscat I know that there are there are myriad concerns with Within the community whether it's housing whether it's Whether it's counseling and support as the member opposite has said we've assured chief belgarde that our government is is Convinced and is committed to supporting first nations communities in their times of need and in fact Minister huskens will be traveling to atta wapiscat this week, mr. Speaker But in the interim as we speak there is assistance leaving from From our government's resources to go to atta wapiscat right now So mr. Speaker, we will we will do everything we can to put the supports in place I know that the member opposite knows that the the concerns are multifaceted. There's not a single thing There's not just one thing that has to be done. There are a number of concerns and we'll be working with the community, mr. Speaker Supplementary I agree with you premier. It is a multifaceted response that's needed to a very complex issue And there's not enough time and question period to go through it But I think what I want to know and I think what the people of james bay and atta wapiscat want to know Is that there is a long-term commitment to what is a huge problem in our communities when you have 11 people in one day From age 11 to age 71 Who try to take their life because of the situation in their community? I think people need to know that the response on the part of our provincial and federal government because We're the ones who do social services in those communities with their child and youth services We're the ones that run the hospitals that provide the services in those communities So we need to have an assurance that whatever we do going forward from here is going to be an ongoing and long-term commitment And we're not going to pull it away once the cameras have moved away from the state Well, Mr. Speaker With the with the member opposite and apart from the you know the innuendo at the end that somehow this is about The lights of the cameras. That's that's not at all what this is about. Mr. Speaker This is about long-term sustained support that we are working to put in place across the province Working with the federal government. Mr. Speaker the minister of children youth services will also be going this week Mr. Speaker to make sure that the resources that we are sending the resources that are in place are Adequate where they need to be enhanced we need to figure out how to do that And we have to work in partnership with the first nation and with the with the federal government So I agree with the member opposite. I think he knows that I think he knows that my concern And it's not you know It's not solely in response to the truth and reconciliation commission Although that is that is a new part of the context within which we're working So we will continue to work with the with the umbrella organizations with nann. Mr. Speaker with With the afn button most specifically with the communities each of which has a particular set of concerns And my ministers will be going this week to make sure that we are sending the right resources that can be there To support in the short and the long term. Mr. Speaker Pursue understanding order 38 a the member from prince Edward Hastings has given notice of his dissatisfaction With the answer to his question given by the minister of environment and climate change Concerning the granting of an extension of wpd's Wind turbine project in prince everd county. This matter will be debated tomorrow at 6 p.m Also pursuant to standing order 38 a the member from whitby oswald has given notice of his dissatisfaction with the answer to his question Given by the associate minister of health and long-term care concerning post stroke services This matter will be debated tomorrow at 6 p.m The government house leader on a point of order. Thank you. Speaker. I just want to extend my warm welcome to sprague plato Who is the board chair of parkinson society of ottawa sprague was in the house earlier And I just want to I want to thank him for an amazing community service. He he delivers And I appreciate it. Thank you There are no deferred votes this house stands recess until 1 p.m. This afternoon