 It is therefore time for question period, the leader of Her Majesty's United Opposition. Well thank you and good morning Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Deputy Premier. We now know that Hydro One has signed a deal to make $50 million worth of payouts to U.S. energy executives. It never stops. The Liberals are once again missing in action as the latest Hydro rip-off occurs. People are struggling to pay their bills. Families are deciding whether to heat or eat. Mr. Speaker, how can the Liberals be prepared to spend $50 million worth of payouts to U.S. energy executives? Thank you. Dr. Kringer, Minister of Energy. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Everything in that question Mr. Speaker is not accurate. Hydro One customers have not paid one penny. Not one penny to U.S. hydro executives at Avista, nor will they in the future Mr. Speaker. Doug Ford doesn't seem to know what he's talking about when it comes to this issue Mr. Speaker, or any issue. And which is troubling from a self-described sound businessman Mr. Speaker. Either that or he's deliberately trying to talk to something that is not accurate for the people of Ontario Mr. Speaker. Regardless Mr. Seeker that is not true. In 2017 alone a U.S. company that Hydro One is purchasing. Avista turned a profit of over $115 million U.S. Mr. Speaker. Salaries and severing payments do not come from Hydro One customers. As the opposition should well know this acquisition of Avista will not cost Ontario customers a dime. In fact Mr. Speaker, this acquisition will benefit Ontario customers, employees and shareholders. And rates in Ontario will not be impacted. Thank you. Supplementary. Well thank you very much back to the Deputy Premier. You know Mr. Speaker they can say all they want but the Liberals read the same documents we read. Where the Avista executives said they will now be able to spread their costs over their new Ontario partners. That's the Ontario red payers Mr. Speaker. Deep and buried in the document is a series of U.S. securities filings where the evidence is absolutely clear. The secret millionaires club at Hydro One would be making $50 million worth of payouts to their U.S. energy executive counterparts. First Hydro One changes their own severances adding in a $10 million poison pill. And now secondly they agree to pay out $50 million to their U.S. coal company. Mr. Speaker are these U.S. energy executives really worth another $50 million? Thank you Mr. Speaker. Once again the question is inaccurate Mr. Speaker. Hydro One customers have not paid one penny to actually U.S. hydro executives at Avista Mr. Speaker. Nor will they in the future. You know in fact Mr. Speaker this acquisition will benefit Ontario customers, employees and shareholders and rates in Ontario will not be impacted by this purchase Mr. Speaker. Similar acquisitions are increasingly common practice for Canadian owned utilities Mr. Speaker. This includes for example both Newfoundland and Labrador's based Fortis the purchase of Michigan based ITC and Edmonton based Epcor utilities purchase of two U.S. water utilities Mr. Speaker. Sadly one thing one of the things that Mr. Ford admitted last week but unreported by his personal media team was that his headline grabbing plan to fire the CEO and board of Hydro One doesn't affect Hydro Rates directly Mr. Speaker and that was said at the Thunder Bay rally Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Final supplementary. Well thank you back to the Deputy Premier. As usual Speaker the Liberals say one thing but in this case the U.S. securities tell us the real truth Speaker. Their filings reveal that the Hydro One management and board have authorized more than 36 million in payouts to the top five managers of their U.S. energy company and an additional 14 million dollars in payouts were authorized to another eight of VISTA executives. This is all part of an arrangement that is explicitly referred to as a golden parachuter. Speaker this is literally a golden parachute. The worst part about this is that at the same time this government is mailing out disconnection notices they are agreeing to a 50 million dollar payout. Mr. Speaker does the Liberal government support this golden parachute? Mr. Speaker he's making it up as he goes along. Hydro One is actually extending the actual disconnection ban Mr. Speaker until further into June Mr. Speaker so they don't even know what to talk about when it comes to Hydro One Mr. Speaker. What they're talking about with a VISTA as well Mr. Speaker is absolutely not true. As I said before and I'll say it again Mr. Speaker Hydro One customers have not paid one penny to U.S. Hydro Executives to add a VISTA Mr. Speaker nor will they in the future. This is common practice with similar acquisitions that have been done with Canadian owned utilities. This includes for example Mr. Speaker when Newfoundland and Labrador based Fortis when they purchased Michigan based ITC and when Edmonton based Epcourt utilities purchased two U.S. water utilities Mr. Speaker will continue to advocate and work on behalf of the people of Ontario. They can continue to make things up as they go along Mr. Speaker. New question the Leader of the Opposition. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker my question is for the Deputy Premier. Service Employees International Union's Working Ontario Women have started running ads attacking the opposition. Mr. Speaker is this their thank you to the Liberals for handing over control of Ontario's home care agency. Thank you very much. Minister of Health and Long term care. Minister of Health long term care. Well thank you very much Mr. Speaker and I'm very pleased to speak to our new agency our plans for a new agency to look after those small number of home care patients with chronic and complex situations that require one on one care with a really trusted PSW. This is a model that has been very successful in a number of jurisdictions and I certainly believe that it's going to add to our spectrum of services for people who do require home care. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Well thank you Mr. Speaker back to the Deputy Premier. Looking at the SEIU backed model used in the U.S. reveals some staggering results. The media stories were extensive. Currently there are lawsuits in each of the states where this model has been adopted. In the end the SEIU was also charged for concealing political contributions. Mr. Speaker are the wow ads SEIU's way of concealing donations to the Liberal Party. So Mr. Speaker as it relates to this type of self-directed care we know that Ontarians want more control and choice over their home care services and that's why we're introducing two new innovative self-directed care models that patients could opt into. Of course this will be entirely voluntary for both clients and for PSWs. One will provide home care clients with the funding to purchase services in their care plan or to choose the people who will provide these services. So again this opportunity for people to have a choice I think is something that the vast majority of people would be very much in favour of and I really find it very difficult to understand the opposition's reluctance in this regard. We're piloting these programs in some three local health integration networks. I have more to say. And the final question. Thank you. Final supplementary. Thank you Speaker. Back to the Deputy Premier. Well the Liberals didn't listen to the people yet again. This SEIU backed home care agency doesn't make any real sense. Providers are against this. Patients are against this. The workers are against this. But the SEIU is in favour of this. I wonder why. So Mr. Speaker will the government order the Minister of Health to cancel this SEIU backed agency as their final, as her final job as minister. That would be very good. Thank you. Minister. Well Mr. Speaker. We are certainly committed to piloting this particular type of program as part of the roster of services for home care patients where they require a particularly close relationship with their personal support worker. And so we did consult widely and after careful consideration and feedback from the sector we made sure that there would be no disruption to the existing system. It will be in parallel to our existing home care system and it will serve a small targeted client population compared to the more generally available services. So these new initiatives will be evaluated for cost effectiveness, meeting patient need and patient outcomes to ensure the program's work for our clients and for PSWs. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Question? The member from Toronto will stand for it. Thank you Speaker. My question to the acting Premier. A few weeks ago the government issued a request for qualifications for the regional express rail project. Once again the government is using costly private financing. The Auditor General said private financing and procurement is vastly more expensive than traditional procurement with no evidence of value for money. But we also learned that the Premier plans to sign a long-term operations contract. When did the people of Ontario vote to hand over the go rail system to a private investor for 30 years? Thank you. Acting Premier? Minister of economic development and growth on behalf of Minister of Transportation. Minister of economic development and growth. Thanks very much Speaker. I know this particular member from the NDP asked a transit question last week and perhaps he's decided to come back with a follow-up because well yes in some respects because perhaps there's sudden interest but also perhaps he didn't like the answer he received last week with respect to the unprecedented amounts that our governments investing in transit speaker and all of my time here in this legislature including a stint for three and a half years as the Minister of Transportation it never failed to amaze me that Ontario's NDP who purport to want to see more transit expansions take place in Toronto and elsewhere would consistently vote against moves by our government to make those unprecedented announcements. Regional express rail speaker is a 13.5 billion dollar transit expansion that this province the likes of which this province has never seen before and I would have thought for a party that suggests that it is progressive from time to time I would have thought that they'd want to support this initiative speaker. It's really clear to me that they don't based on the kinds of questions that they've been asking on this topic just here in the last couple of weeks and I'm looking forward to the next two rounds of this question. Supplementary. Well Speaker I'm not surprised the Minister doesn't want to address the question of privatization. The Liberal government privatized the hydro system and sold off hydro one without a public mandate. This helped the Premier's Bay Street friends and liberal campaign donors but it has hurt Ontario ratepayers and the public. So why is the Premier doing the exact same thing with public transit. Minister. Well Speaker and I can certainly understand why the NDP member from Toronto Danforth wouldn't want to talk about the unprecedented amount that we are investing in public transit. Speaker you know I got to tell you just a few days ago the Premier of our province signed an MOU with the City of Toronto and in budget two thousand and eighteen there was a significant amount of money that was contained in the budget to help deliver on projects that I know constituents in Toronto Danforth want to see built. So for example funding in our budget for the Toronto Relief Line Speaker funding in our budget for the Young Street North subway extension funding in our budget speaker for more transit options in Scarborough. But he asked a question about regional express rail speaker and also Waterfront LRT that's the other project I should mention as well. Speaker he talked about go regional express rail why in the world would Ontario's NDP not want to see two way all day go service with trains running every fifteen minute speaker it's beyond me. I would have thought they'd want to stand and applaud this initiative. Maybe they'll have a chance. Final supplementary. Well thank you speaker and I think it's entirely clear why the minister doesn't want to touch the word privatization because he knows what impact it has. He avoids the question profoundly the Liberals could have modernized Ontario's hydro system without selling it off. Instead they signed inflexible long-term contracts with private financiers locking Ontario rate payers into decades of high prices. Now the premier is doing the same thing with public transit. Locking Ontario riders Ontario riders into a long-term private contract for the go rail network. She's already sold off hydro one with no public mandate added billions in private profits onto Ontario hydro bills just to help her Bay Street friends and the Liberal Party. Why would she make the exact same mistake with public transit. Thank you minister. Well speaker after four years of opposing every single initiative designed initiatives taken by our government to design to expand public transit. It's not at all shocking to me to see that member from the Toronto area from the NDP caucus on the eve of an election campaign trying to make up for a lost time unfortunately speaker. I know people who live in Toronto Danforth and I know they want to see the Toronto relief line built. Our government's helping to build it. I know people who live in Scarborough want to see more transit options speaker. Our government is funding the initiatives that will help provide that transit for them. I know people who live in Willowdale and Richmond Hill and they want to see the Young North Subway extension get bill speaker. That's what we're doing. In addition to that speaker and go regional express rail two way all day go service 15 minutes trains will be electrified expanding to Niagara expanding to Bowmanville making fares more cheaper running the Union Pearson Express at over capacity because it's so popular speaker. Our government opening a subway in Vaughan last December speaker our government has built expanding and plans to do more things. Thank you. Any other government in history I would have thought the end. Thank you. No question the member from Windsor to come see. Speaker my question is to the acting Premier. Good morning. The lack of affordable housing speaker is squeezing young people out of the neighbourhoods where they want to live. Major cities are becoming segregated by income divided into rich and poor. The cooperative housing federation of Canada says that even after signing on to the national housing strategy. Ontario will still need to build an additional 45,000 affordable housing units over 10 years. So why has the Premier committed exactly zero additional dollars to new affordable housing investments for the current fiscal year. Thank you. The minister of housing. The minister of housing. Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the member for the question and I appreciate his long advocacy for affordable housing and that's why I'm puzzled why he isn't congratulating our government on all the steps that we've taken to enhance affordable housing over a number of years. Our investments in affordable housing focusing on those who are chronically homeless and those who are in danger of homeless where we've prevented thousands of people from falling into homelessness and we've brought many homeless people into permanent homes with supporting housing. Our commitment to establishing an inclusionary zoning regime in this province and are delivering on that and giving broad based inclusionary zoning powers to every municipality in this province so they will be able to build more affordable housing Mr. Speaker. Maybe the minister wasn't listening to the question even after signing on to the national housing strategy there will still be a massive gap between the supply of new affordable housing and what is needed. We still need to build an additional 45,000 new affordable homes over 10 years but the premier has provided no additional funding this year for the construction of new affordable housing and if and when money eventually starts flowing under the national housing strategy it will still not be enough. Why has the premier failed to provide a plan to fill this remaining gap. Thank you minister. Well Mr. Speaker indeed I did listen to the question and the member should listen to his own question and that's why the premier is on the main platform speaks to 65,000 units of affordable housing but does not speak to how they're going to pay for it. So our plan does include additional funds through the national housing strategy, $250 million in additional funding in early years. We've secured hundreds of millions of dollars of renewable funding used to be well maintained and Mr. Speaker, through our cap and invest program, we're providing $647 million to social housing providers across this province to retrofit existing housing and ensure it stays open for those families who need it. Mr. Speaker, we are putting our money where our mouth is. We are funding it. The NDP platform is silent on how they will fund their promises. Thank you. Final supplement. Mr. Speaker, the minister should read the platform. The NDP believes that people have the right to a home that is safe and affordable. That's why we have committed to building 65,000 new affordable housing units over 10 years. Why won't the Premier make the same commitment? Mr. Speaker, I'll say once again, I applaud the NDP for coming forward and supporting affordable housing. It's unfortunate they wouldn't support our budgets that provided funding for it, but I have reviewed their platform and they do not speak to how they will fund their promise. But Mr. Speaker, we know that conservatives have no position on affordable housing other than perhaps whatever secret deals that Doug Ford has done with the development industry. Mr. Speaker, we're committed to building affordable housing. We spend over a billion dollars on affordable housing each and every year, and we will continue to do so, and we'll work with our partners and municipalities and the federal government to deliver on more affordable housing, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. New question. The member from Whitby Oswald. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Development. Speaker, the York University strike is now entering its third month, impacting more than 51,000 students, careers, and then many parents supporting them. Speaker, over 7,000 students were expecting to graduate in June. Speaker, this strike has now gone on for over two months. Why? Thank you. Well, Mr. Speaker, this situation is very much at the top of our priority list, Mr. Speaker. We know that the students at York University have been impacted by this strike, and both parties, Mr. Speaker, have been asked to consider consensual arbitration, Mr. Speaker. Will Kaplan introduced his report last Friday. I spoke with both representatives of each side, Mr. Speaker, to recommend that they follow the Commissioner's report, a neutral party, a very experienced mediator arbitrator in this province and in this country has examined the situation, Mr. Speaker, and has concluded that the parties are at an impasse and that the way forward is through consensual arbitration. And that is exactly what we are encouraging them to do and that we are asking them to do, Mr. Speaker, so to bring this to a close. Thank you, Speaker. Back to the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Development. Speaker, in a matter of hours, hours the writ will be dropped and will be in an election. Speaker, more than 51,000 students' careers have been put in hold by this strike and by this government. Why didn't the Liberal government take two months to finally act? Mr. Speaker, you can see the question that has been asked by the PC Party, Mr. Speaker, that there is no respect for collective bargaining process on that side of the House. On this side of the House, Mr. Speaker, we respect the collective bargaining process. We respect the opportunity and the rights of each side to come to an agreement that is the best deal that is had, is at the table, Mr. Speaker. We're doing very well today just to let you know. It requires a compromise on both sides, because if you're thinking about the interests of the students, if you're thinking about the impact that this strike has had on the students, it requires a compromise on both sides. And that's why we are calling on the both parties to enter consensual interest arbitration, to bring this dispute to a close and get students back into the classroom where they belong. New question. The member from Hamilton Mountain. Speaker, my question is to the Acting Premier. In Ontario, we are facing a crisis in child and youth mental health services due to a lack of funding by this government over the past 12 years. We know that 70% of adult mental illness begins in childhood. By the age of 40, half of all Ontarians will struggle with a mental health problem. Yet today in Ontario, kids have to wait up to 18 months for treatment. Will the Acting Premier take immediate action to ensure kids will no longer have to wait for services? Acting Premier. The Minister of Children and Youth Services. Sure, children and youth services. Well, thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And I want to thank the member for the question. The member knows that over the last several years, we've committed to a process called Moving a Mental Health where we've gone out across the province and talked to many different agencies and we've built a whole new system with lead agencies in different regions across the province. There are 33 lead agencies that will exist. I think currently we're at 32. And we're going to move forward in Toronto. We have East Metro Youth Services and what they're doing is really coordinating the services so there's a single point of entry and young people get the services that they need and that they deserve. Two supplementary. Thank you, Speaker. Just this morning, the Canadian Institute for Health Information released its latest data on children and youth with mental health. The numbers are absolutely shocking. In 2006 and 2017, there has been a 72% increase in the number of kids seeking help in hospital ERs and a 79% increase in the number of kids being hospitalized. This is happening because they have nowhere else to turn for help due to this government's failure to properly fund community-based mental health services. When will this government finally provide children with community-based mental health services when and where they need it? Thank you, Minister. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I want to take a minute to recognize Kim Oren from Children's Mental Health Ontario who's here joining us. I want to thank her for her advocacy working hard on behalf of families here in Ontario. Mr. Speaker, what's shocking is the fact that both the Conservatives and the NDP when it comes to their mental health investments actually would result in cuts in the system. What we've done, Mr. Speaker, is we've made a commitment to put $2.1 billion into mental health services over the next four years in comparison to what the Progressive Conservative Party has actually put forward. I believe it's the 1.9. If you look at the history of funding, $1.9 billion over 10 years, and it would actually end up being a cut in the system, it's unacceptable, and we're going to make sure that families get the resources they need when they need it. Thank you. New question. The member from the Tobacco North. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Northern Development. Our government is committed to work with Indigenous communities throughout the province as we embark on the journey towards reconciliation. In the report from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, one of the many important recommendations was to ensure that revenues that the province receives from natural resources are shared with local Indigenous communities from whose lands and resources, of course, were taken. Speaker, last week, the government took an enormous step forward on that journey and announced a resource revenue sharing arrangement with several First Nations communities throughout Northern Ontario. Speaker, my question is this. Can the Minister please give us details about how these arrangements were arrived at and how resource revenue sharing will benefit First Nations communities across the province of Ontario? Thank you. Minister? Thanks so much, Speaker. I want to thank the member from the Tobacco North for that very, very important question, and he's absolutely right. Our government has worked tirelessly for months with communities represented by Grand Council Treaty No. 3, Waban Tribal Council and Meshkegawuk Tribal Council to provide 45 percent of forestry stompage fees and 40 percent of mining tax, and royalties earned from active mines in the traditional territories of our partners. And, Speaker, the communities involved certainly couldn't be more excited to begin sharing the prosperity and wealth that will now be available to them and has been in the past, and we look forward to more people joining. If I can give an example, Ogishida Francis Kavanaugh of Grand Council Treaty 3 said the Anishinaabe nation in Treaty 3 has long awaited to receive and become partners in resource revenue sharing and moving towards acknowledging the treaty, the forestry and mining resource sharing agreement with the province of Ontario is an important step towards more meaningful discussions on reconciliation, economic prosperity and continued improvement in relationship building between the Anishinaabe nation and the Crown. Thank you. Supplementary. Thank you, Speaker. I think all Ontarians appreciate the Minister's leadership on this journey towards reconciliation. And, Speaker, particularly for example, learning about how the Waban Tribal Council believes that this is in fact a culmination of decades worth of work on behalf of the province and, of course, their own leadership. Speaker, as parliamentarians we know that major agreements like these do not happen overnight, and the path to reconciliation isn't begun at a podium, or by the way, on a bumper sticker, and you can't fire your way to reconciliation. Speaker, on this side of the House we know that it takes thoughtful deliberation and respectful cooperation on behalf of all parties involved and willing partners, of course. Speaker, my question is this. Can the Minister please elaborate on the negotiated process and share further how these historic agreements will benefit all Ontarians, and particularly our First Nations communities? Thank you. Minister of Northern Development and Mines. Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry. Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you to my colleague for this very good question. Well, and I'll esteem to continue to do the good work of reconciliation and negotiating these agreements. Speaker, I think the teams of both ministries worked really hard with our partners on the indigenous side to come up with these agreements, which are truly the right step on the path to reconciliation. Indeed, if I want to quote Jason Gauthier, who is the chief of the Misanovii Cree First Nation Muskegowo Council, and I'm going to use his words because they are quite telling. Resource revenue sharing is a step in the right direction toward reconciliation. Our communities are continuing to take steps toward the long-term goal of achieving financial independence and sovereign wealth. We as communities can be ambitious in achieving our goals while retaining our position as the stewards of the land and the first people of Turtle Island. So I think I want to recognize how important this engagement with our First Nations communities was in achieving this process. Indeed, John Batiste also was calling this announcement a step in the right direction. And I'm very proud that on this side of the House, we are committed to reconciliation. Thank you. New question? Member from Algin, Middlesex, London. Thank you very much, Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Children and Youth Services. Speaker, the emotional and financial cost to Ontario families and businesses has skyrocketed due to the lack of funding and support for children and youth mental health services by this government. In fact, Mr. Speaker, according to Ipsos data, 25% of Ontario parents are missing work because they are concerned with their child's mental health. When will this minister take immediate action to help children in Ontario and address the growing crisis in children and youth mental illness in this province? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I mentioned with the earlier question, you know, when you compare the Progressive Conservatives approach, their platform to finding solutions and supporting families when it comes to mental health, their actual investment is much lower than what we're currently investing and far below what we're proposing to invest in the future. Mr. Speaker, $1.9 billion is actually a cut to the system. Over a 10-year period, based on inflation and other factors, it would actually be a cut to the system. And those cuts will result in a lot of people losing their employment and providing services for people. In addition to that, Mr. Speaker, this is the party opposite that is proposing to cut $6 billion from the budget, and we know where that's going to come from. Mr. Speaker, my ministry alone is a $5 billion ministry. What are you going to do? Just get rid of children and youth services? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That response was an insult not only to the children and families of this province, but to Kim Moran, who's here in the House today, who's been an advocate for mental health for years upon years. Fifteen years you've done nothing with children's mental health, and the statistics are showing it. Mr. Speaker, the data released today, it's been a 72% increase, the number of young people going to ERs for mental health concerns. That's up from last year, 69%. Mr. Speaker, it's 79% increase, the number of young people being hospitalized. When all the other data for youth are going down, mental health is going up because this government has ignored it, and it's only because of an election they're deciding to maybe announce to do something about it. It's pathetic. How can the people of this province trust this government any further? It's time for a change. Will the minister commit to actually following through on their plan today? Mr. Speaker, when it comes to this government, we've always stood up for children and families here in the province of Ontario. And do you know what's unacceptable, Mr. Speaker? What's unacceptable is the track record of the party opposite. This is a party when it comes to children and youth services that made massive cuts to the system. In fact, Mr. Speaker, we know when it comes to children and our efforts that we've put forward, for example, to put forward free medicine for children. That party voted against it. When that party was empowered... Finish. Mr. Speaker, when it comes to supporting children, we know it's that party and their leader who clearly said, when speaking about children with autism, they can go to hell. I don't care. The minister will withdraw. New question. A number from Ellen. Thank you, Speaker. My questions to the acting Premier. Sixty youth justice workers in Hamilton, some who have joined us here today, are out on the street locked out by their employer. Despite the fact that Arrow Youth Detention Center houses 16 young offenders, the direct employer is not the Ministry of Community Safety and Corrections, but Banyan Community Services, because the previous Conservative government partially privatized the youth justice system, and the Liberal government has continued to do so. The issues at stake are a demand for concessions in their benefits and a 20% premium on their benefits. These frontline workers average $10,000 a year less than their ministry counterparts. Despite the fact that Banyan CEO was on the sunshine last 150,000 in 2017, we're not talking about widgets. I had a lot of line here, Speaker, but vulnerable youth who've been displaced by this lockout. What is this government going to do to right this ship? Thank you. Acting Premier. Minister of Children and Youth Services. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I want to take a moment to recognize the men and women who work in the youth justice sector here in Ontario for the extraordinary work they do every single day. And Mr. Speaker, in the supplemental, the Minister of Labor will weigh in on a couple of points, but I just want to say that, you know, when we're talking about the success within that sector in regards to, you know, supporting young people, we've seen a 75% decline in any type of interaction with youth facilities. We've seen a 43% drop in youth charges in the province of Ontario, I believe, over the last 10 years. So we're seeing some drastic changes. And those changes come because we have men and women who are dedicated to making sure that young people have opportunities. So again, just on behalf of the government of Ontario, I want to thank every single one of them for the hard work they do every single year. Thank you. Well, Speaker, these workers are not looking for acknowledgement. They're looking for fairness. These justice workers and provincial young offenders, they don't even have workers' safety insurance. That is like shameful, despite the fact that Banyan CEO is on the sunshine list. These youth justice workers, they're willing to bargain, they're ready to go, seeing as this employer's privatized contractor providing services on behalf of the Ministry of Community Safety and Corrections, on behalf of this liberal government speaker, what is the acting Premier, the former Minister of Community Safety and Corrections, after 15 years in power, going to do to improve the situation for these workers? Thank you. Minister? Minister of Labor? Minister of Labor. Thank you, Speaker. Speaker Ontario, as I've said, I've risen in this house on a number of occasions. Ontario's got an excellent track record when it comes to labor relations, Speaker. The collective bargaining process is one that we respect. It results in a settlement 98% of the time, Speaker. 98% of collective agreements are reached by the parties at the table, Speaker. From time to time, Speaker, groups need assistance, they need arbitration, they need things like mediation in order to overcome some hurdles to reach that settlement. Ontario's got some of the best arbitrators, some of the best mediators in the world, Speaker, and they've got an excellent track record, too. I know that we have mediators in with the parties speaking as I speak, and they're involved. What I would urge is for both parties, get back to the table, let's get an agreement reached with the assistance of the MOL mediators, Speaker, and let's get these people back to work. Thank you. Thank you. New question. A member from Barrie? Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Children and Youth Services. Minister, child and youth mental health is so important. We know that many young adults with mental health problems report that their symptoms began in childhood, and I can tell you as an elementary teacher, I have seen it in the schools. This is why it is so important that services are available to children and youth when they need it and where they need it. As the Minister knows, with our government support, the Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre and my riding of Barrie opened their child and mental health wing back in December, which will help over 300 inpatients and 3,000 outpatients every year. Minister, could you share with us what else our government is doing to support the child and youth mental health sector? Thank you. Minister, do you have any resources? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the member for the question and for the great work that she's doing in her community to support families. Again, I'd also like to just take a moment to thank CHMO, who are here today. Our government in this party is committed to historic investments when it comes to mental health, and your advocacy has played an incredible role in getting us to this point. So again, thank you so much. Mr. Speaker, we're going to invest $2.1 billion over the next four years to mental health and addiction, and our goal is to ensure that no matter where someone goes for the first time, when they experience a mental health issue, we want to make sure that they get the care that they need and the care that they deserve. Mr. Speaker, when it comes to the Ministry of Children and Youth Services, we're investing an additional $570 million over the next four years. It's an incredible amount, and Mr. Speaker, just that investment is more than what the Conservatives have put forward over a 10-year period. More supporting local and provincial priorities if needed to access your mic's off. Thank you. Supplementary. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you to the Minister. This commitment will truly improve access to mental health services, go a long way in helping identify and treating mental illness as early as possible. This is what we need to be doing, investing in care, not cuts. This is a commitment that is not being matched by the party's opposite. Minister, can you talk more about why this investment in care is so important to the people of Ontario? Thank you, Minister. Mr. Speaker, this announcement is about care over cuts. It's very clear that the NDP has made a commitment to mental health, but it's actually, I would say, a cut as well. The Conservatives under Doug Ford have just dusted off Patrick Brown's People's Guarantee, and they've brought forward a $1.9 billion investment, which again is not enough money for the system, Mr. Speaker. This represents a $1.2 billion cut in mental health services over the next four years compared to our plan, Mr. Speaker. And we need to make sure that, again, that every young person in this province, when they have a mental health challenge, will be able to go and get the service that they deserve. Thank you. Thank you. New question? The member from Pittsburgh Eastings. Thanks, Mr. Speaker. My question this morning is for the acting Premier. Speaker of the Ontario Liberals' failed and destructive energy policy means that almost 600 people in Sudbury could be on the verge of having their power shut off. They may have banned winter disconnection, Speaker, but years of disastrous electricity policy that's caused hydro bills to go up by 300% means for many Ontarians, for thousands of Ontarians, the bills keep piling up. So, Speaker, why is the Premier continually making the Millionaires' Club at Hydro one bigger when people in Sudbury and other communities across the province are having to choose between paying their grocery bill or paying their electricity bill? Thank you. Thank you, Premier. Minister Bandage, your leaders in energy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It was our government that brought forward last winter our legislation that bans winter disconnections, Mr. Speaker. And we've worked with all utilities to make sure that that happened. And then now, Mr. Speaker, that that ban is ending for many of these utilities. Not all, but for some, Mr. Speaker, that they're continuing to work with individuals to let them know that the programs that are there, Mr. Speaker, the ones that we put in place, the ones that they voted against, Mr. Speaker, that help low income individuals, that help First Nations individuals, Mr. Speaker, that make sure seniors actually can save more money on their electricity bills. Those are the things, Mr. Speaker, that we did to actually help. We rebuilt the system. We made it affordable. We made it clean, Mr. Speaker. And it is reliable. It is something that they actually, Mr. Speaker, voted against continuously. And we will continue to advocate for and work on on behalf of the people of Ontario. Thank you, supplementary. Speaker, the minister gets up and he bellows about all the plans that are in place. But do you know why those plans are necessary, Mr. Speaker? It's because of the disastrous energy policy of this minister and this government over the last 15 years. We have amongst the highest hydro prices in all of North America. That's why they've got to put in this unfair hydro plan, Mr. Speaker. Finish, please. Speaker, the price of electricity under the Ontario Liberal government has increased by 300% in parts of I thought I might be able to get through this. The minister of advanced education come to order. Finish, please. Speaker, if it's so fair, if it's so fair, how come thousands of Ontarians can afford to pay their electricity bills and are about to get cut off? Mr. Speaker, what is the government going to do for those people? Mr. Speaker, we've made sure that we brought forward the fair hydro plan, which I know that they're actually using Mr. Speaker to make sure that because they had no plan, Mr. Speaker. So our plan is so good that they're keeping it, Mr. Speaker. And I understand that. So, you know, Mr. Speaker, we're going to continue to find programs that will work to help people, Mr. Speaker, because under this government, we've never had a blackout that lasted three days. Under that government, Mr. Speaker, they did. You know what, Mr. Speaker, we've made sure we've invested in a system that is now reliable, clean, and affordable, Mr. Speaker. There is no more coal being used in our electricity grid. We are 96% GHG-free, Mr. Speaker. And I know they want to change that. I know they want to change that, Mr. Speaker. Because you know what, Mr. Speaker? They have no plan. They have no ideas. All they do, Mr. Speaker, is meet with developers in the back room and talk about paving things over, rather than thinking about the people of Ontario. Your question, the member from Nickel Belt. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for... Started, I'll finish. The member from Chatham Kent Essex, come to order. And I will go to warnings if I have to. Let's just keep it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Acting Premier. The Registered Nurses Association of Ontario and the Ontario Nurses Association held a joint press conference this morning on the first day of nursing week. Happy nursing week to my colleague. ONA and RNAO came together to draw attention, the public's attention, to a critical issue facing Ontarians. Ontario Hospital have 10,000, yes, 10,000 vacant RN positions. Chief Governor Whit? Not because they cannot recruit more RN, but because our hospital don't have the money to fill the vacant RN position. Their message is clear. Patients are not receiving the care they need. Hospitals are, on average, short staffed by 17%, with occupancy rate well over 100%. Question. Will the Premier admit that it is her government who created this crisis in our hospital system? Thank you. Acting Premier? The Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. The Minister of Health, Long-Term Care. Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. And our government is really proud to have stood alongside nurses since we took office in 2003. And, of course, we want to recognize the contributions of all our nurses in the system. And Happy Nurses Week to the member for Scarbridge in court and the Minister of Transportation. Obviously, we're very aware of the incredibly important work that nurses do in our hospitals and in all sorts of different settings across the province. So we have, since we took office in 2003, more than 30,000 more nurses that have become work in Ontario. Just over the last year, 1,200 more nurses employed in Ontario compared to last year. And we truly recognize how crucial they are to our health care system. And we're continuing to support nurses in many different ways, including supporting education for nurses by committing $4.9 million towards critical care training for our nurses. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, supplementary. Speaker, Ontario has the lowest RN to population ratio in the entire country. And the trend is getting worse, not better. The government has had 15 years to improve this situation. But instead, they have made things worse. This, after the Conservative government laid off 60,000 nurses, close 28 hospitals, 28,000 bed when they were in power. RNAO and ONA state that their research is clear. RN care reduces the incidence of patients' complication like pressure ulcer, pneumonia, cardiac arrest, fall sepsis, infection, medical errors, and the list goes on. Yet, the wind's government decided to give zero-based budget increases to our hospital for four years in a row. The first step in solving a problem, Speaker, is to admit that you have a problem. Does the minister agree that it is her government that has created those problems in our hospitals? Thank you, Minister. Well, Mr. Speaker, we have increased hospital operating budgets year over year. And in particular, in this budget, which I hope the member opposite will join us on this side of the House in supporting, we're making an investment of $822 million for Ontario hospitals that will help our nurses serve their patients even better. And so, of course, we've made an additional investment through our budget of $300 million over three years so that every long-term care home in the province will benefit from an additional registered nurse. We've expanded the scope of practices of nurses as well, and we now have 27 new nurse practitioner-led clinics, which means faster access to family health care for more than 60,000 patients in communities across the province. We truly value the contribution of our nurses, and we will continue to support them through our budget. And I hope the member opposite will vote with us on that budget. Thank you. Any questions for the member from Kingston and the Islands? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the minister responsible for early years and child care. Minister, I know that our government is committed to making sure families have access to high-quality, inclusive, and affordable child care. Under Doug Ford's plan, families will receive a rebate of just $34 per month. This proves how out of touch he is with the needs of families on the ground. In my riding of Kingston and the Islands, I have heard from families that they face challenges when it comes to the affordability of child care, and I want to know what our government is doing to address this. Minister, please tell us what supports will be provided to help families struggling to access affordable, licensed child care. Thank you, Mr. Education, Mr. Minister, responsible for early years and child care. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the member from Kingston and the Islands for this very important question. Mr. Speaker, Doug Ford's child care plan actually winds up to be nothing more than a scheme to cut $1.3 billion out of our child care plan for Ontario families. Think about that, Mr. Speaker. Ontario families have told us they need help when it comes to child care. Instead, Ford's massive cut to our child care commitment will leave families with little support, in fact, just slightly more than a dollar a day. Our plan is for free child care for preschoolers until kindergarten. This major commitment will save Ontario families an estimated $17,000 per child. That's in addition to the $6,500 they will save in kindergarten. Instead, Doug Ford's tax rebate will save families just $34 a month, and they'll have to wait a full year to apply to try to receive it. Speaker, we're building a solid foundation for the workforce, spaces for families. Doug Ford's plan will not reduce fees, not build spaces, and not make child care more affordable. Thank you. New supplementary. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you so much to the minister for that answer. And I have to say what a pleasure it has been to work with you over the course of this past session. Our commitment, our commitment to free child care for preschool-aged children is a historic step in transforming the way child care works in Ontario. I am proud to be part of a government that cares and is committed to providing support for families that need it. Can the minister please expand how our government will be able to introduce such historic change to the child care sector? Thank you. Mr. Speaker, please answer the member's question. Speaker, work is already underway to build more spaces and grow the workforce for this massive commitment, and we have the track record to do it. To offer free preschool child care, there must be enough spaces available for children to access that care. So we are already building 100,000 quality licensed child care spaces over five years. In fact, we're creating more than 34,000 of those spaces right now. But we're not only building spaces, Mr. Speaker. We're also ensuring we have the tens of thousands of early childhood educators we'll need to look after our kids. And beginning in 2020, the wage grid will improve compensation for all ECEs and program staff. This will align wages with those working in full-day kindergarten. Mr. Speaker, it's about fairness and equity. Speaker, by building the spaces, investing in the workforce and providing families with free preschool child care, we're transforming the system. Our plan delivers care, not cuts to child care. Thank you. New question. Remember from Bruce Gray, Owen Salmon. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My question is the acting premier. Your minister of community and social services cut off supports for a 38-year-old woman with Down syndrome when she left Ontario to spend time visiting her brother, who is in the Royal Canadian Air Force. But your government delivered an even bigger disappointment to the family when they returned home to Newstatt in my riding of Bruce Gray, Owen Salmon. Sherry Carn sadly found herself among the thousands of interns with disabilities you waitlisted for passport funding. No one knows when Sherry's funding will arrive. She can be on the waitlist for three years or even longer. Acting premier is waitlisting the best level of care you can give a severely disabled and chair on. I can progress. Minister of community and social services. Mr. Community social services. Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. The member opposite can let his constituent know that help is on the way. In our recent budget proposal, we put forward an increased amount to passport. That means every single person on the waitlist will receive passport funding at a minimum of $5,000. This is a pretty significant step for people in Ontario. Mr. Speaker, it's interesting, you know, coming from the Conservatives who when they were in power, they cut developmental services by 22%. Wow. You know, how can the member stand up and defend a record or an approach by conservative government that attacked the most vulnerable people in our community? Mr. Speaker, they should rethink their strategy when it comes to supporting people with developmental disabilities, because on this side of the house, we believe that every single person should have the opportunity to have some type of funding. Supplementary. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Back to the acting creamer. Terrible answer. Well, Minister, Sherry's parents are very distraught by your government's actions. First, you punish their daughter for spending time with her brother by cutting off her supports, and then you waitlist her for passport funding. But you see the disappointment with your government didn't stop there. On March 28th, your Minister of Children and Youth wrote the family to say, we tabled the 2018 budget. For the first time in the province's history, every eligible adult would get at least $5,000 a year. Ken and Nancy's immediate question was, and this is their words, is this a trick? They called the regional DSO office who knew nothing about your $5,000 token letter which they received. And so they could only draw one conclusion. And again, this is the words of the parents of a child who was waitlisted after many years of having services. Acting Premier, is your government seriously bribing the people on waitlists with $5,000? The member knows better, and he will withdraw. Withdraw. Minister. Hello, Mr. Speaker. It's awful. It's interesting, the member brings up one of our budget's pieces, which is, I think, an important piece. And that $5,000 is something that we're proposing in our budget. And I would just say to the member opposite, he has a choice to make when he's voting on, when he votes on the budget, you're either gonna vote for or against it. Mr. Speaker, again, I just wanna mention that this is the same party that cut 22% out of developmental disabilities and cut over 20% for people on social work, social Ontario work, sorry. Could you imagine a political party in this country cutting over 20% to our most vulnerable people? Should be ashamed of themselves. On this side of the house, we believe in investing in people in Ontario. And let your constituents know that help is on the way. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Any questions? The member from Toronto, Danforth. Thank you, Speaker. Speaker, my question to the Minister of Education. Year after year, francophone children in the East End of Toronto are assimilated in local English schools because their community lacks a French language high school. Anglophones in the East End of Toronto have high schools with sports fields, auditoriums and many amenities. No such high school facility is available to francophone children. Article 23 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms gives francophones in Ontario the right to schools that are equivalent to those of the local English majority. Will the Minister uphold the Charter of Rights to equivalents and ensure that the francophone kids in the East End of Toronto are not treated as second class citizens? Mr. Vice-Chancellor, Mr. Miller. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we recognize the tremendous advantage students have when they speak more than one language. And that's why we are supporting the vitality and sustainability of the francophone community. So, Mr. Speaker, we have increased annual funding for French language boards by 25% since 2013, which is more than $340 million. To me, Mr. Speaker, that says commitment. We also know that in the East of Toronto, families are looking for French education. And so that's why, since 2013, we've provided $208 million in capital funding to CS Viamont. And we also recently announced this year, Mr. Speaker, that we are providing $80 million to support nine capital projects for French language boards. And, Mr. Speaker, I do want to say that the member from Beaches East York has been a strong advocate for these schools. And I want to point out, including more than $16 million to be invested in the Viamont School Board to support the creation of a new French high school in the future of the country. Supplementary. Again, to the Minister of Education. Minister, the only school on offer for francophones in the same neighborhood lacks a sports field, has fewer amenities, and is landlocked on less than an acre of land. On April 30th, Premier Wynn publicly stated that the government must always ensure that support is in place for minority communities that will allow them to have equal success. Given the realities of assimilation and the equivalence requirements of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, given the need for the province to provide leadership to defend those rights, given the Premier's commitment, what will this Minister do to uphold the Charter of Rights of Francophone secondary students in East End, Toronto? Thank you, Minister. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I want to thank the member opposite for this question. Once again, we recently announced this year that we're providing $80 million to support nine capital projects for French language boards, including the $16 million to be invested in Viedmont School Board. But, Mr. Speaker, I just want to point out that the member opposite would have us think that, frankly, students in the French language board are not doing well. But the reality is, Mr. Speaker, that enrollment is increasing. In fact, in 2016-17, over 105,000 students were attending French language schools. And test scores continue to rise. Over 76% of students in French language schools have met or surpassed the provincial standard in reading, writing, and math, and on grade 3 EQAO. For grade 6, tests over 81% of students have consistently met or surpassed the provincial standard. Mr. Speaker, all this to say, those students in the French language board are doing extremely well. I'm very proud of the work of the educators in that system and proud of our investments. Thank you. Great point of order, the Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Sport. Mr. Speaker, very quickly, I want to mention that page. Colin Robinson of Kitchener Center has his grandparents here today. Rose and Doug Robinson, welcome to Queen's Park. Thank you, welcome. There are no deferred votes. This house stands recess until 1 p.m. this afternoon.