 Now time for Question Period, the leader of Her Majesty's loyal opposition. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. It took hundreds and thousands of families with children with autism to convince this government that autism doesn't end at five. Unfortunately, right now the government seems to have forgotten that autism doesn't end at school either. The sad reality is that families who don't have the time that are stretched then have to come to Queen's Park to protest. So my question is, after 14 years, after 14 long years, why can't this government finally support these families with children with autism? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Well, first of all, let me say to the Ontario Autism Coalition, welcome. Many of the people who are here today are people, Mr. Speaker, I've worked with for many years from the time I was Minister of Education and before actually, Mr. Speaker, when I was a school trustee. And I know that there are many issues that we have worked together on over the years. We have, as you know, Mr. Speaker, we have put $500 million into autism services to create 16,000 new spaces and to reduce wait times, Mr. Speaker, because we knew that there were young kids languishing on a waitlist, not getting service when they needed it, Mr. Speaker, and not getting the appropriate service there for. So, Mr. Speaker, we've done that, but we know that there's more work to be done in the classroom. And, Mr. Speaker, this issue of how to deliver services in the classroom and make sure that they have the right service in the right place, that's why we've put a pilot project in place, Mr. Speaker. This is a discussion that's been going on. Mr. Speaker, again to the Premier, the Premier may say they're working with Ontario Autism Coalition, but they've just given you a failing grade. They've said the support isn't adequate. Today, the Ontario Autism Coalition released the results of an important survey. They asked parents or school-aged children with autism about their experiences, about the support they're getting from this government. 40% said that their child's potential placements were not thoroughly explained to them. 57% indicated they did not feel they had a choice when it came to their child's placement. 72%, Mr. Speaker, felt their child does not receive the support at the level they need at school. That's astonishing. That's three out of four children saying they don't get the support they need from this government. So it's nice to say you're listening. It's nice to say you're working with Ontario Autism Coalition, but their results, this survey says it's not good enough. So, Mr. Speaker, when can we get more than listening? When can we get more than saying you're going to work with them? When can we get results and real support for these families and these children? Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I'd like to take this opportunity to thank parents, to thank the Ontario Autism Coalition for everyone who's here at the legislature today that have worked with us as a government to better position young people for success here in the province of Ontario. Mr. Speaker, we've been working tirelessly to put in a new system in place. We committed to putting in a new place, an implementation of a new plan in the fall of this year and full implementation of the plan in the spring. Mr. Speaker, we have a track record here in the legislature when it comes to supporting young people. Unlike the member opposite, the leader of the opposition, when you look at his track record, when it comes to supporting young people, I would say he gets a failure. He has not, he has not, he's had the opportunity, he's had the opportunity to support families, to support children and I'll talk a bit about his record in my supplemental. Mr. Speaker, again to the Premier. This isn't the opposition survey results, this isn't a partisan pitch, this is the Ontario Autism Coalition. And so rather than attack others, I would like the Premier herself to answer the substance of these concerns. And not only are they saying three quarters of students don't get the help in the school they need, another fact in the report read that 75% of parents indicated that in the last year they had advocated for their child to receive support from an EA. Of those requests, 54% have been refused. The support's not there. And I know the convenient answer at Queen's Park is to attack others. But the reality, Mr. Speaker, they've been in government for 14 years. They've had the opportunity to support children with autism. So directly to the Premier, Mr. Speaker. Question. This report is disappointing. What will the Premier promise us today she's going to do to support these children and support these families? Thank you. Minister? Mr. Speaker, here in Ontario we have the best resources that are being placed to support families with children with autism. The member knows opposite. We dedicate an additional half a billion dollars to support young people here in the province. We have committed to regulating the sector to make sure that young people are getting the best services possible. We are the government that have moved towards direct funding. Mr. Speaker, today there's an announcement made of $5 million investment to further support ABA training within schools. Mr. Speaker, when the member opposite had an opportunity to vote for a national strategy for autism as a federal member, he voted against it. When he had an opportunity to stand up and support families with Bill 89 that supports young people by raising age of protection they were nowhere to be seen. What are you doing to support young people here in the province of Ontario? I'd like to know your record. Mr. Speaker, please. It's coming. New question. The Leader of the Opposition. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. Since I can't get an answer on the government's cuts to autism services let's try something different Mr. Speaker. We just received copies of the long-term energy plan and I can't find on what page includes the section on giving mega contracts to Liberal donors. We know that the Auditor General said we overpaid by $9.2 billion on renewable energy. Of these mega contracts that companies got they donated $1.3 million to the Ontario Liberal Party. So was the section on giving mega contracts to Liberal friends and insiders, was that section double-deleted for the Premier? Please enlighten us. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Very pleased to talk about the long-term energy plan that's talking about a plan that we've brought forward that's reducing rates for this people in this province by 25% Mr. Speaker. This is the second plan that we have launched in like the last six months Mr. Speaker and I know we're still waiting for one but you know when we're talking about the benefits of this plan it's actually bringing fairness and choice and innovation Mr. Speaker. Innovation that's going to actually see rate payers both large and small see their bills reduced Mr. Speaker. See more jobs created in an innovative sector that's already created over 40,000 jobs. This plan Mr. Speaker is bringing forward prosperity for our province making sure that we can continue to keep our GHGs closed working with the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change to meet our Climate Change Action Plan goals. This plan Mr. Speaker is something that Ontarians should be proud of. Thank you Mr. Speaker. This long-term energy plan confirms what we've said all along after the next election the Liberal Electricity Borrowing Scheme gets wiped out but this $40 billion Borrowing Scheme is going to cost rate payers an extra $4 billion long-term because it was never ever intended to be an electricity plan Mr. Speaker this is a re-election plan for Kathleen Wynn and the Liberals in Ontario. Speaker the unfair hydro plan is yet another bad deal I'm going to remind the member that titles or writings are to be used in this house carry on. Speaker the unfair hydro plan is another bad deal for Ontario that's going to drive up electricity costs even further. How much more does this Minister think Ontario rate payers can afford on their electricity bills? Thank you Mr. Speaker so when we look at the electricity price outlook Mr. Speaker we brought down rates Mr. Speaker by 25% that is actually clear right as day Mr. Speaker that rates are down 25% then they come down a little bit more in 2018 and they're held to the cost of inflation for the three years after that Mr. Speaker then as we said just moments ago Mr. Speaker when we were talking about the long-term energy plan and talking about it to the media and to the people of Ontario we're going to continue to take costs out of the system. We have examples of doing that Mr. Speaker besides the 25% from the fair hydro plan we actually didn't build nuclear cutting up billions of costs we didn't actually bring forward the LRP too reducing billions of costs Mr. Speaker we renegotiated the Samsung agreement that's what you do Mr. Speaker is you find out ways to reduce costs when you have plans on that side of the house they don't have a plan and they don't have a clue either Final supplement Speaker it took this government it took this government almost a year to come up with this long-term energy plan it was supposed to come out in December here we are in late October and we get a plan that really doesn't remove any costs from the system this is a 40 billion dollar borrowing scheme and the Liberals even managed to break a basic law of economics today demand is going to stay the same supply is going to stay the same prices however will shoot to new record highs after the next election and that's even after they cook the books to make it a little smaller the member will withdraw withdraw you may finish only in liberal Ontario is this even possible Mr. Speaker we're into warnings Speaker everybody can see through this 40 billion dollar borrowing scam they have to stop fudging the numbers when are they going to get serious about taking costs and if it happens again I'll warn it and if you'd like to talk to me and have a debate about it I'll get you named Minister thank you Mr. Speaker very clearly Mr. Speaker the opposition has no idea on what to do with this file all they can do Mr. Speaker is stand up and complain this is a plan that is bringing fairness and choice it is bringing a member from Niagara Westplan this is a plan that is bringing forward choice Mr. Speaker it's bringing forward fairness and it's a real plan a realistic plan that the people of Ontario can actually look at and help them understand where the electricity system where the energy system is going Mr. Speaker on the other side they haven't brought a thing forward Mr. Speaker not one thing that would actually do anything to lower rates but only increase rates we've brought forward the 25% reduction through the fair hydro plan we've taken costs out of the system we'll continue to roll up our sleeves and do more for the people of Ontario through this plan my question is to the Premier yesterday the long-term care association confirmed that the Minister of Health has been denying for three days that their long-term care homes in Toronto are looking to relocate out of the city whether or not these homes have filed the paperwork with the ministry they have expressed their desire to relocate and they've done it publicly will the Minister of Health now confirm if he will or will not let any of these homes shut down or relocate out of Toronto Mr. Speaker I know the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care has been wanting to comment but let's just be clear that it is this is a societal concern that we all work with to provide care for elderly people particularly frail elderly who may need to be in a long-term care home Mr. Speaker or who may still want to stay at home and need those services in their place of residence Mr. Speaker it is exactly what we are doing as a government we are working with all of the providers working with seniors advocacy groups Mr. Speaker to make sure that we put in place what people need it is absolutely part of that discussion Mr. Speaker that beds are being upgraded across the province there is money that's going into long-term care Mr. Speaker to make sure that those beds are upgraded and you want to make sure that there are not just those beds upgraded but there are new beds in communities around the province Mr. Speaker so until there is a normal proposal we're talking about thank you Mr. Speaker I'm trying what's happening publicly is not working with the people of the city of Toronto report notes that even the city's Toronto staff acknowledges the possibilities of homes closing or leaving city staff said quote there is a significant risk in future years of long-term care homes closing or moving out of the city end quote with the wait list for care with the possibility of losing 1800 spaces in Toronto what is this liberal government's plan to make sure every senior who needs care has a spot in long-term care home Mr. Speaker by the member opposite is exactly the challenge that we are working on we understand that there are risks we understand that there are risks in the aging population Mr. Speaker many many of us with our parents Mr. Speaker to make sure that they have the care that they need we understand that solving the challenge that the member opposite has laid out is the responsibility I would suggest of all of us it is certainly the responsibility of our government we are working with the long-term care association Mr. Speaker we are working with providers to make sure that the scenario that the member opposite hypothetically has put forward does not happen Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker this liberal government is the epitome of the queen of the Nile the redevelopment issues with these homes in Toronto are not just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to problems in the long-term care system seniors are facing months of long wait lists just to get a bed and when they finally do they have to often face issues with safety and security under staffing conditions that do not allow them the care and support they deserve and when they finally get a place they don't even have the peace of mind of staying in the city where they get their long-term care bed for far too long this government has been ignoring this growing crisis what is the premier's plan to take care of our seniors our grandparents and parents because so far she hasn't had one you see her face you see her face premier minister of health and long-term care well once again mr. Speaker the NDP is sowing the seeds of anxiety and fear and I feel awful for those residents of the 20 long-term care homes we have not I need to reassure them I feel compelled to because of this narrative that they're trying to create that not a single home in Toronto has applied to us to move their beds or their homes outside of Toronto mr. Speaker in fact I met with the mayor of the city of Toronto yesterday and we both remarked on how the number of beds for long-term care in Toronto this year has actually increased mr. Speaker and we're working with our partners I appreciate the fact that the Ontario long-term care association they released their report yesterday I believe mr. Speaker and I've gone through it and there are some very good ideas within that we're working closely with all our partners unlike the NDP who simply want to sow the fear and anxiety among Ontario thank you the member from Toronto Danforth thank you speaker my question to the premier this morning the premier released her long-term energy plan but the people of Ontario don't need a fancy report about what the premier and her liberal government are planning for their hydro bills we already know they're going to skyrocket the plan confirms it in black and white 10 years from now people will be paying 42 percent more every single month just to keep the lights on the premier's 40 billion dollar borrowing scheme has seen to that even when households use less power her long-term energy plans say they'll pay still more can the premier tell us why she's sticking to her 40 billion dollar borrowing scheme when her own long-term energy plan tells us that Ontarians will pay more because of it thank you Mr. Speaker I'm very pleased to talk about the long-term energy plan the 25 percent reduction that people are getting now mr. Speaker and we're going to continue to see costs coming out of the system to lower that for our families and for our businesses even more mr. Speaker I know the third party continues to make their numbers up mr. Speaker and elevate what they're seeing as borrowing plans they know that those numbers are actually a lot lower than that mr. Speaker it shows it directly in the long-term energy plan but let's talk about some of the facts that this long-term energy plan is doing mr. Speaker we're making sure that we're bringing for lower costs for all businesses for all families for all farms that's being done through the fair hydro plan we've already pulled costs out of the system not having to build new nukes mr. Speaker not having to bring forward large renewable procurement the second round of it and renegotiating the Samsung contract are just three examples that we can use of how we've taken costs out of the system I'm looking forward to talking about market renewal in the supplementary thank you again to the premier speaker hydro rates have gone up 300 percent under the liberals they've gone up 50 percent under this premier's watch alone and now we know that in the next 10 years people's bills will go from an already high average 127 bucks a month to an outrageous 181 dollars per month the premier's first two energy plans had no mention of her plan to sell off hydro one a disastrous decision and this long-term plan is nothing more than a political document that sugarcoats more bad news for Ontario rate payers the premier didn't tell us she privatized hydro one people said no to privatization and she did it anyway she let us down what makes the premier think that the people of Ontario give her any credibility on this file thank you thank you mr. Speaker the only thing that this premier has done is brought rates down mr. Speaker brought them down by 25 percent unlike mr. Speaker what that party would propose to do which is to nationalize hydro one spend tens of billions of dollars doing so mr. Speaker and not saving a single penny on anyone's bills you want to talk about hydro one mr. Speaker let's talk about the money that we've used that we've been able to to take and build infrastructure with mr. Speaker thanks to the broadening of the ownership of hydro one 13.5 billion dollars in the GTA go regional rail express that's increasing transit mr. Speaker I always thought the NDP supported more transit I guess they don't mr. Speaker 5.3 billion dollars in the Eglinton cross down LRT tripling the Ontario community infrastructure fund to 300 billion dollars 1.4 billion in the here Ontario LRT in Mississauga one billion in Ottawa's LRT of course the broadening and the expansion of highway 69 mr. Speaker making sure that northern Ontario sees its access to this one. Thank you Mr. Speaker again to the premier hydro bills of skyrocketed under this premier and nothing in her long-term energy plan is going to change that the people of Ontario don't need to hear anymore about stretch goals from the Liberal government right now families are being forced to choose between paying their hydro bills and paying for their groceries and all the premier seems to care about is spending an extra four billion dollars on an accounting trick to hide the impact of her 40 billion dollar borrowing scheme I guess we all have our priority speaker why is the premier's priority her re-election and not the people of this province thank you you see any please thank you minister thank you mr. Speaker the fair hydro plan took into consideration every single person in this province and brought forward their priority for them unlike their so-called pie in the sky plan mr. Speaker that didn't even clue talking about reductions for first nations or talking about low-income individuals let's look at page 23 of the long-term energy plan where it talks about distribution rate protection the triple rp program lowers the distribution rates paid by rural and remote customers who face higher distribution costs compared to other areas mr. Speaker I think we all need to be aware of the importance of distribution for people that live in the rural and northern parts of our province again something that they didn't even address mr. Speaker when it comes to a party that's actually bringing something for the people of Ontario it's this government not the two opposition parties that one doesn't have a plan one makes it up as it goes along we're actually bringing forward real change in the future we've spoken with corrections officers nurses and other frontline correction staff across the province and mr. Speaker this is what I have heard jails are overcrowded cell block violence is a constant problem inmates are held in maximum security without access to rehabilitation programs assault song corrections officers and staff have more than double doubled in seven years I actually met one correctional officer in jail but we have correctional officers here today to say it's not fine it's not adequate so mr. Speaker my question to the premier is when are they going to get serious about the crisis in corrections thank you very much mr. Speaker I know the minister of safety and correctional services will want to speak to the supplementary but I want to just take an opportunity to say mr. Speaker that quite to the contrary of what the leader of the government has said we believe that the work that is done by the people who are in the gallery today is very hard work it's very important work mr. Speaker and I would say that for decades has not actually received the attention that it needed to that is a nonpartisan comment mr. Speaker I think governments of all stripes have not paid attention to corrections in the way that we should mr. Speaker I think there's a lot of work to do is already giving us advice mr. Speaker on some of the directions that we should take but I just want the people in this gallery to know that we understand that there is a lot to be done that there is their investments that need to be made and there are there's attention to the working conditions of the people in our corrections institute that need to be taken Mr. Speaker again to the premier well the premier recognizes there's a crisis then fix it at the premier recognizes a problem we need action they've been in office for 14 years and they're having this awakening now that there's a crisis it needs investment it needs real there's a sense of urgency here and it's not just the crisis in corrections in Ontario's probation and process is a joke mr. Speaker often the only contact between a criminal and a probation officer happens when the defender visits the probation office we saw that shocking global TV expose so there's a broader crisis in corrections and what I want to know from the premier does she think it's acceptable when we're talking about dangerous violent criminals and sex offenders who are on the loose without supervision how do they justify this neglect it was a year ago we had that global TV expose and we still don't see action so my question very specifically to the premier is this what are they going to get serious about the inadequate resources in the process thank you premier industry of community safety and correction services where do you begin I'll begin with saying thank you thank you to the men and women who works every day in our institution in our community but let's take a look at what the party opposite did in Ontario's correction system when they were the member from Chattankhan Essex is warned the minister of transportation is warned finish please they looked at privatizing at privatization our correction system and I have to say visiting 8 institutions over the past 10 months this is what I hear in our institutions and you know what it was a failed privatization experiments in one of our gel it was negotiated in bad faith with the public sector which resulted in strikes just in case it doesn't know in our gel and inserting riots all over Mr. Speaker they let a system in need of infrastructure investment decay beyond time is not very good member from Oxford member from Dufferin Callaghan is warned wrap up please we would think that the leader of the opposition would learn from the countless of mistake his party made in Ontario's correction system but take a gel as a need for our conservative member from Hamilton moment thank you very much Mr. Speaker my question is for the premier parents of children with autism and developmental disabilities are here once again to fight for the services that their children desperately need when the government announced they knew it would put added pressure on to our school system a system already struggling to cope with decades of chronic underfunding and cuts begun by the conservatives and continued to 14 years of liberal governments particularly to special education but nothing nothing has been done to prepare for that and children with autism yet again are paying the price will the government to a comprehensive autism strategy that ensures children with autism get the services they need in an inclusive classroom setting thank you thank you speaker it's such an honor to rise in this house today and I just want to welcome all of the family members the students who are here today the educators who are here today on behalf of the 20,000 students with autism in our school system I know how hard the Ontario Autism Coalition has been working Mr. Speaker I know that I've been working with them along with the minister responsible for children and new services and Mr. Speaker we're very committed as a government to providing for the appropriate supports in our schools for students who have autism it's something that we know is needed and we've been doing that work Mr. Speaker in fact I just recently announced that we are beginning our pilot program that will see applied behavior therapists being able to come right into schools to ease the transition and to create a more seamless and integrated day for students who have autism Mr. Speaker of course there is more work that we need to do and that is exactly what we're doing to provide better supplementary, remember from London West again to the Premier Speaker almost one year later this Liberal government has failed to deliver on its promise to create an education accessibility standard and has failed to provide the special education resources needed by students with autism the chronic underfunding of special education that was started by the Conservatives has continued under the Liberals instead of increasing special education funding to actually meet the needs of students this Liberal government has cut special education budgets even more leading to an ongoing shortage of EAs, developmental service workers and other specialized staff in schools. Speaker it's not ABA training for EAs that is just needed it's more trained EAs. Will the Premier move forward immediately to develop an education accessibility standard and will she commit to an inclusive autism strategy in schools that addresses the educational as well as therapeutic needs of students with autism. Minister So Mr. Speaker Thank you, Minister So Mr. Speaker the third party is asking for areas to improve education in Ontario that we are doing right now Mr. Speaker we have in fact trained 30,000 principals teachers, education workers and applied behavior therapy. What we've just announced Mr. Speaker is in addition to that specific customized Finish please. customized training for education assistants who work with students with autism. Mr. Speaker as it relates to accessibility standards in our schools that is something that we are already doing the Premier has committed to that we're working on that Mr. Speaker the minister responsible for that. Mr. Speaker our government has provided a 76% increase to students who need special education services in our schools and Thank you. Thank you, Speaker my question is to the Minister of Energy constituents in my riding of Kitchener Center often asked me about electricity prices many of them have come to me in recent months and have mentioned that their hydro bills have gone down the fair hydro plan lowered bills by an average of 25% for residential consumers and up to 500,000 small businesses and farms. I've also heard how they're benefiting from expanded programs such as the Ontario electricity support program and there is the rural and remote ratepayers protection program while the fair hydro plan keeps increases to inflation for four-year speaker the minister of the long-term cost to our system would be addressed in the 2017 long-term energy plan so speaker I'd like to ask the minister now that the long-term energy plan has been released question please explain how he's taking additional costs out of the system to keep prices low. Thank you Mr. Energy Thank you Mr. Speaker and I want to thank the member from Kitchener Center for the question and of course for all the hard work that she does to stay out in Kitchener for on behalf of her constituents. You know Mr. Speaker our long-term energy plan delivering fairness and choice outlines additional work we will be undertaking to make our electricity system more cost-effective and efficient and that's continuing to prioritize affordability Mr. Speaker for all Ontario ratepayers. Our government has a history of effectively streamlining operations and taking costs out of the system we deferred the cost of new nuclear renegotiated the Samsung agreement we actually you know reduce the targets for renewable generation Mr. Speaker and these are tangible examples of how we've taken billions billions of dollars off of the electricity bills for ratepayers in this province. In 2010 the long-term energy plan projected that in 2020 the average residential bill would be more than 200 bucks Mr. Speaker today's plan it now projects in 2020 it will be below 130 that's a $70 savings for people in Ontario. Thank you supplementary for the minister for that answer and he's right to point out that we've already done a lot in reducing costs he mentioned renegotiating Samsung agreements that save people in Ontario. Member from Prince Edward Hastings is warned carry on. So as I was saying Speaker renegotiating the Samsung agreement save people in Ontario $3.7 billion reducing feed and tear prices saved $1.9 billion suspending large renewable procurement saved $3.8 billion and deferring the construction costs of new nuclear reactors at Darlington that will say families $15 billion additionally Speaker the Ontario energy board has a very strong record of not giving utility companies all that they ask for. So Speaker when you add this all up there are real savings but unlike the members of the government our government is also focused on a realistic plan for the future could the minister please tell us more on how he is going to be reducing electricity costs in the future minister. Thanks Speaker thanks again for the question our government acknowledged that we did the right thing by ensuring we had a clean and green energy supply how we went about implementing those policies led to suboptimal outcomes Mr Speaker therefore we took an in-depth look the ISO is already hard at work on renewing our market mechanisms to create a more efficient and transparent system for procuring electricity generation market renewal is a major pillar of our 2017 long-term energy plan Mr Speaker and it sets out to fix the foundation of our electricity system and take the technology neutral approach to new procurements through an incremental capacity auction that means that anytime we need to secure new supply resources we will choose the most cost effective option. Independent analysis suggests that about five billion dollars in savings in system savings Mr Speaker would result from implementing market renewal in Ontario and it's through this mechanism we will continue to drive costs down in the future for Ontario ratepayers Mr Speaker both large and small. Thank you new question the member for you. Thank you and good morning Speaker my question is for the Premier the gas plant trial of two former liberal aides heard testimony yesterday that was described as quote a bombshell IT expert Rolf get testified that the province's chief information officer David nickel didn't seek access just to some computers in the Premier's office during her transition he wanted broad and extraordinary access to all the computers in the Premier's office gets testimony contradicts the version given by nickels earlier at trial and in sworn appearance at the justice policy hearings Mr. Nickel to this day remains the province's chief information officer Speaker to the Premier should Ontarians be worried that our data is still at risk thank you Mr. General Thank you very much Speaker I just want to remind the member again we have to be very careful this matter is very much as we know is before the courts and we have to respect that process Speaker our government takes our record keeping obligations very seriously we are committed to being open accountable and transparent and we promise to open up the government completely and we have done so in an unprecedented degree the privacy commissioner have credited the government for improving record keeping across the government we send a directive to all political staff we have developed mandatory training programs we have appointed chiefs of staffs accountable for record keeping we have improved archiving requirements and we have passed the accountability act which prohibits the willful deletion of records and creates a penalty for doing so thank you supplementary back to the Premier Mr. General I was asked for sweeping elevated rights that allowed the wiping of data off all computers in the Premier's office he left a quote erroneous impression with the secretary of cabinet which led him to be granted that access Speaker there are still people here today working in liberal offices who admitted deleting files this was deliberately thwart the public's right to information continuing with this pattern today the energy minister still hasn't turned over all his emails due to the auditor general now we see the credibility of the chief information officer is in doubt Speaker to the Premier why should anyone believe a word you say with your history of dodge deny and delay I want to remind all members please address your comments to the chair Attorney General Speaker I just I just want to say to the member should be very careful in how he is trying to apply a set of proceedings that taking place in a court of law as we speak to the Premier of the day today Speaker the case relates to the Premier of the province of Ontario it does not deal with the current Premier he knows the member needs to be very careful as he when he uses the term Premier and poses his commentary in this this house Speaker let me be very clear this Premier the current Premier of Ontario have taken unprecedented steps in making sure that the government is transparent and Speaker the information and the Privacy Commissioner has credited the government for improving record keeping and as I mentioned earlier in my question we have taken specific steps to ensure that there is accurate record keeping in the government New question to the member from Essence Thank you Speaker my question is to the Premier Speaker today we're joined by some of the 5000 dedicated correction and probation and parole professionals that are here today in the gallery thank you keeping our community safe Speaker they're here to keep the Liberal government to its word last year the Liberal government spent 50 million dollars to prevent a strike in our provinces jails that never happened you essentially created a crisis on top of an ongoing crisis 50 million dollars later Speaker and this Liberal government made a promise to recognize that frontline correctional staff are essential and valued members of our public service yet despite these promises to hire new staff the daily staffing compliment has not increased at all Speaker what will the Premier tell correctional services professionals today in the thousands that they represent about what they should expect about how they're valued and essential to solving the crisis and correction Thank you The initial community safety and correctional services Thank you very much Mr. Speaker I thank the member for the question because he again gives me an opportunity to thank our wonderful correctional staff who are here and across Ontario for all their hard work and education we had a very productive meeting this morning and I look forward actually to continuing these important discussion as I said Mr. Speaker I visited 8 jails 8 of our institutions in the past 10 months as Minister and I've seen the high caliber of the individuals who actually works in our correctional facilities and I also attended Mr. Speaker I had the great privilege of attending the latest graduation of our correctional officers in Hamilton 211 new recruits coming to our workforce every day in our institutions and oh man are they eager to start working and taking care and caring for our inmates you know our government is committed to the transformation of our correction system and we will continue to work with frontline staff Mr. Speaker and our correction partner to ensure lasting change thank you supplementary Speaker what these professionals need and deserve is not more platitudes from the government they need action today Speaker Speaker understaffing overcrowding broken and badly planned facilities procured from private sector deals mothballed nursing stations and only in the case of the southwest attention center 17 nurses of a complement of 21 that they need to operate that facility 50 million dollars to avoid a strike one report and nearly daily headlines about jail deaths violence and this government has is no closer to addressing the problem Speaker I have heard that those that are closest to the problem are the closest to the solution is this minister as committed today to listen to the frontline staff in our corrections and community safety system the people that deal with it every day as she was to throwing 50 million dollars to the wind hoping that the problem would go away you see it please you see it please thank you minister thank you Mr. Speaker definitely we are listening to our frontline staff and Mr. Speaker are there issues within our system yes this government is not shying away and certainly as a minister I'm not shying away from that but this is exactly why we are implementing the greatest change to corrections in generations Mr. Speaker Mr. Howard Sapers has fully recognized our firm commitment to correctional reform and will continue to work closely with our frontline staff and other partners as this government brings forward real change whether it's through enhanced mental health training to all staff 27 our 7 days a week nursing or exploring option to shift the oversight and provision of health care services to the ministry of health and long-term care are or through new correctional legislation this fall to further cement and our correctional reform Mr. Speaker we are committed to working with our frontline staff I committed to this and we will continue new question Mr. Speaker thank you good morning minister of children and youth services as you will know Ontario's child welfare system strives to make childhood for those in care fair equitable just and compassionate nevertheless we do see an overrepresentation a disproportionately higher number of indigenous children in care that includes Métis first nations and the Inuit I believe all members of this house have signed a treaty with the Grand Council my question is will the minister share details of this agreement with the Grand Council Treaty 3 thank you I want to thank the member from Etobicoke North for the question Mr. Speaker over the summer I was in Canora and I had the opportunity to sit down with the Grand Council Treaty 3 and we signed an agreement that would strengthen the relationship between Ontario and Grand Council Treaty 3 Mr. Speaker this was an historic agreement it was the first time that any government in this country has begun the negotiations to acknowledge the rightful jurisdiction of child and family well-being services to a community this agreement reaffirms our commitment to work together to improve outcomes and opportunities for Anishinaabe children and youth in Treaty 3 territory we're doing this through the implementation the co-implementation I should say Mr. Speaker with the indigenous children youth strategy a key part of Ontario's response to the truth and reconciliation commissions called to actions together with our indigenous partners we focus on the outcomes and opportunities of children, youth and families here in Ontario Thank you minister I think all of us appreciate that working under the leadership of Premier Nguyen that you're working on different initiatives in the child welfare sector as part of our province's commitment to collaboration and moving to a fairer, more equitable, more just and more compassionate system I believe that the collaborative work being done on Ontario's indigenous children youth strategy is extremely important and I ask the minister can you say further what measures our government has already taken Thank you Mr. Speaker and again thank you to the member for the question as an initial investment in the strategy we're addressing the link between violence against indigenous women and the overrepresentation of indigenous children youth in the child welfare and youth justice system through the family well-being program we're providing $80 million over three years to address the issue at a minimum 220 family well-being workers are being hired to deliver culturally grounded and community-based programming indigenous communities have identified how family well-being workers are doing this programming as well they've identified how workers need to deliver more safe places where women, children and youth can receive and access culturally appropriate services and support through programs like this we can ensure that indigenous communities across Ontario leading programs that best suit their needs Mr. Speaker Thank you New question Thank you Mr. Speaker My question My question is for the minister of health and long-term care The Aboriginal cultural security program for health care professionals is excellent I believe that this training will help us to build a health care system that is more appropriate with respect to culture for the aboriginals of the province Why is this program not available in French? Thank you Mr. Speaker Thank you Mr. Speaker and I agree with the member opposite that this is a critically important initiative that this government has undertaken in fact we are demonstrating leadership across the country to provide that culturally safe and cultural competency training for our frontline health care workers and our administrators across this province In fact over 8,000 health care workers and administrators have already completed this training Of course it's a program that we developed in close cooperation with our partners First Nations communities themselves and First Nations leadership and we continue to advance and develop and roll out this program and I'm happy to speak with the member opposite in terms of how we can ensure that it's available for a complement of health care workers across this province I think the minister might take into consideration that some First Nations members speak French and that many health care professionals that work with First Nations also speak French When will the minister of health correct his mistake when will he respect the French language services act and make sure that this program is available in French Thank you Mr. Speaker the member opposite and I are absolutely aligned that this is a program that needs to be available to all health care workers across this province including in French for those that is their first language or prefer to receive instruction in French I know that this is a program that we funded and announced earlier this year so it is a program despite the fact that we've already trained 8,000 frontline health care workers and administrators it is still a program which we are continuing to expand as we roll it out across the province but we have the same intent and commitment as the member from the third party Thank you Mr. President My question is for the minister of civic affairs and immigration Muslim community has added much richness to Ontario's cultural fabric indeed the member for Ottawa myself had the opportunity to visit with the AFR community last weekend and we saw firsthand how rich their culture was and we know as well that the Muslim community has contributed enormously in medicine in literature, in math, in science in law as well this October is the first Islamic Heritage Month in Ontario last year all three parties agreed to pass this legislation proclaiming October as Islamic Heritage Month can the minister explain how the legislation provides Ontarian the opportunity to celebrate important contribution of Canadian practicing the Muslim faith Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Thank you Mr. Speaker I'd like to thank the member from Ottawa for her question diversity has always played an important part in Ontario's culture in heritage our province is home to more than 600,000 Muslims some recent immigrants others with deep roots in Ontario in my writing of Yorksha Weston I have the distinct honour to represent and serve a vibrant Muslim community alongside Amed Hussain Canada's first ever minister of Somali descent Mr. Speaker in celebrating Islamic Heritage Month the province of Ontario recognizes the significant contributions Muslims have made and continue to make to Ontario's cultural and social fabric and prosperity Mr. Speaker earlier this week that contribution was celebrated as the premier hosted an Islamic Heritage Month reception with community leaders in Mississauga Thank you I'd like to thank the minister for her response I want to be committed to educating Ontarians about the history heritage and culture of Canadian or the Muslim faith but we know this continues to be systemic racism in this system and we know because we see it every day that although we have made progress on diversity and inclusion there's still a lot work to do indeed I think this afternoon I will be speaking to increasing to support new marginalized group and last year I had the privilege of putting forward a motion condemning all forms of Islamophobia Mr. Speaker I'd really like the minister to tell us what the government is doing to address systemic racism including Islamophobia across the province Thank you minister Once again Mr. Speaker I would like to thank the member from Ottawa Venier for her question and her advocacy Islamic Heritage Month is not only an opportunity to educate future generations about Ontario's rich history but also to tackle Islamophobia Recognizing that systemic racism continues to create barriers that lead to unfair outcomes for racialized and indigenous people in Ontario are premier appointed the Honourable Michael Koto as the minister responsible for anti-racism The directorate aims to increase public awareness of racism in order to create a more inclusive province and applies an anti-racism lens in developing, implementing and evaluating government policies programs and services Mr. Speaker our government is committed to a society where everyone can live free of the fear of racism, hate speech and violence Thank you new question Thank you Mr. Speaker My question is the minister of finance It's now clear that this government is continuing its all out attack on horse racing in this province First the government suddenly cancels the slots at race tracks program that helped to support the industry for years a decision that led to the loss of thousands of rural jobs and the deaths of thousands of horses Now for the second year in a row core the downs in my riding was denied an application for regional racing dates This is a rural race track trying to make things work despite this government's attack on the industry but they still get shot down How does the minister expect tracks like core the downs to succeed when they have both hands tied behind their backs Thank you Mr. Speaker I appreciate the question because we are very concerned about the horse racing industry and its sustainability over the long term to provide for $100 million more to support the horse racing deliberately and specifically and certainly the member of opposite makes reference to the Ontario racing commissions decisions and we are going to be meeting with them I know my colleague the minister of business will also be in touch and respect to how to provide and persuade and support the industry further but horse racing in our province is one of the most vibrant we are continuing to support them as we must to support the industry and support the horse Thank you Mr. Speaker Mr. Will it was one of the most vibrant in North America and it isn't now Last month the government's special advisor on horse racing resigned calling on the government to continue to fight for the smaller regional tracks as they are the development ground of horses, drivers and owners that are important to their communities and are a vital part of the ongoing success of the industry unfortunately this government is busy doing the exact opposite they say one thing on this file and do another the rule of affairs minister pretends to be concerned about the crisis situation affecting court the downs while at the same time allowing the government and its agencies to quietly kill this race track it is this government that caused the current crisis to fix the mistakes they have made will the minister finally present a real plan to support this industry Minister of agriculture food and rural affairs is warned let me finish please Will the minister finally present a real plan to support this industry or is he happy just to watch the horses racing die on his horse Mr. Speaker let me be very very clear the minister of rural affairs a minister of small business has been advocating and fighting for the horse racing industry for some time now we are very proud of this man for all that he has done and proud of his previous who stood and fought for the industry recognizing that it was lacking transparency the funding wasn't going to where it needed to be it was going to make shots in the united states Mr. Speaker I'm not done the minister of agriculture food and rural affairs is come to order there are several members here that could be named as well this is very disappointing you may finish Mr. Speaker we are providing supports for the horse racing industry managed by the horse racing industry and it's them that matter to us Mr. Speaker the members opposite are making claims that would have continued to allow for transparency and lack of controls the horse racing industry is providing the controls we are providing support on an ongoing basis thank you Mr. Speaker member from Kitchener Waterloo thank you very much Mr. Speaker my question is to the premier earlier this month fly GTA airlines announced that starting November 6th will be offering flights from Toronto's Billy Bishop airport to Kitchener Waterloo the 18 minute flight will cost $130 one way for everyday commuters spending $60 per day for timely transportation is unreasonable effective transportation between Toronto and Waterloo region should not just be for the wealthy residents of Kitchener Waterloo have been waiting on this government to provide them with all day two-way go four years first it was promised in five years that was the infamous bullet train promise now we have been told to wait until 2024 this government's lack of serious movement on transit means that we have two options we spend hours on the 401 in traffic or we catch an infrequent slow inconsistent go train in fact on his way to Toronto our own mayor of Kitchener spent two-and-a-half hours on the 401 when will this government fully commit and honour your promise to deliver two-way transportation Mr. Transportation I thank the member for her question there must be a lot of confusion in the NDP caucus about this I don't know why speaker over the last number of years our premier our members from Waterloo region like the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry and the member from Kitchener Centre have pushed very hard speaker and shown decisive leadership to make sure that we do deliver by 2024 on our commitment for go regional express rail speaker and just a few days ago the premier was in Waterloo to talk about a very exciting project the NDP was in south breasted Ontario it was completely unclear whether or not she supported moving forward with high speed rail we're going to deliver go regional express rail we're going to deliver high speed rail speaker and we're going to ignore the NDP like the people of this province have consistently for more than a decade thanks very much I was remiss in introducing some friends who are in the gallery so I just you're indulges I want to welcome Akash Hoffer who's the chief executive officer of Parley and Vito veterans health centre in Ottawa and two members of our board Chris Burchard and Michael Jaffrey they're visiting Queen Spikes so we welcome them thank you Minister the minister for the status of women thank you speaker I also would like to introduce someone that is here today I have a constituent of mine here today with the correctional officers here today is Chad Oldfield from Maplehurst Correctional Complex welcome him and other officers from Milton here to Queen's Park thank you we have a deferred vote on the motion of closure for the motion of second reading of bill 160 an act to amend repeal an act various acts in the interest of strengthening quality accountability for patients calling the members this will be a five minute bell all members please take your seats October 4th 2017 Mr. Chan moved second reading of bill 160 an act to amend repeal an act various acts in the interest of strengthening quality of patients Mr. Ballard has moved that the question be now put all those in favor Mr. Ballard's motion please rise one at a time be recognized by the clerk Mr. Knacken Mr. Bratley Mr. Bratley Mr. Dalluca Mr. Dalluca Mr. Sandals Mr. Sousa Mr. Sousa Ms. Wynn Ms. Wynn Mr. Matthews Mr. Hoss Mr. Hoss Mr. Shirelli Mr. Shirelli Mr. Shirelli Mr. McCharles Mr. McCharles Mr. McMeek Mr. McMeek Mr. Dakar Mr. Dakar Mr. Kohl Mr. Kohl Mr. Brardinetti Mr. Brardinetti Mr. Delaney Mr. Delaney Mr. Dillon Mr. Dillon Mr. Ballard Mr. Ballard Mr. Kohl Mr. and Mr Pippin Mr. Ccoddion Mr. Dixon Mr. Dixon Mr. shapes Mr. Crag Mr. Michari Mr. Magarrion Mr. Morrow Mr. Jassid Mr. Zimmer Mr. Zimmer Mr. Zimmer Mr. Zimmer Mr. Zimmer mr. Zimmer mr. Zimmer Mr. Zimmer mr. Zimmer mr. Mr. Mr. Mr. Mr. Mr. Ms. Ogo, Ms. Koala, Ms. Kulani, Ms. Mollie, Ms. Martin, Ms. Pots, Mr. Pots, Ms. Renaldi, Ms. Renio, Ms. Renio, Ms. Andorosie, and Am DeRosie. All those opposed, please rise. One and a half. You're recognized by the court. Mr. Arnaud? Mr. Arnaud? Mr. Arnaud? Mr. Arnaud? Mr. Arnaud? Ms. McLeod? Ms. McLeod? Ms. Jones? Ms. Jones? Mr. Brown? Mr. Brown? Mr. Brown? Mr. Brown? Mr. Fadeli? Ms. Fadeli? Mr. Yacobuski? Mr. Yacobuski? Mr Martoz. Mr Pettipis. Mr Pettipis. Mr Coe. Mr Goe. Mr Choe. Mr Choe. Mr Vandal. Mr Vankathan. Mr Vandal Jelena. Mr T Sun homes. Mr Tabbins. Mr Tabbin. It's sat here. It's sat here. It's taylor. It's taylor. It'sxter N00shaar. It's armstrong. It's armstrong. It's armstrong. It's fight. It's fight. It's forester. It's forster. It's for'ster. It's your monta. This is grad school. This is grade school. various acts in interest of strengthening quality and accountability for patients. Is it a pleasure to house the motion carried? I heard a no. All those in favor of the motion please say aye. All those opposed please say nay. In my opinion the ayes have it. Calling the members this will be a five minute bill. It's inappropriate. Mr. Chan has moved second reading of bill 160 an act to amend repeal and act various acts in interest of strengthening quality and accountability for patients. All those in favor of please rise and be recognized by the clerk. The ayes are 69, the nays are 13. The ayes being 69, the nays being 13, they declare the motion carried. The bill be ordered for third reading. Minister of Health, long-term care. Thank you. I apologize, Mr. Speaker. I'd ask that the bill be referred to the Standing Committee on General Government. There being no further deferred votes, this House stands recess until 1pm this afternoon.