 It is now time for oral questions. I recognize the Leader of the Official Opposition. Thank you very much, Speaker. My first question is to the Deputy Premier. Is it the Government's plan to plow ahead with an election in Toronto, despite today's decision with Bill 5 still being appealed and the chaos around Toronto's election process certain to continue? Deputy Premier. To the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Thank you very much. Thank you, Speaker. To you, to the Leader of the Opposition, we're pleased that the Court of Appeal has granted this day. This will allow the City Clerk to go forward with a 25-word election that is aligned with federal and provincial boundaries. It's a very positive result for the people of Toronto, and I ask, through you, Speaker, to the Leader of the Opposition. Let's stop the political games. Let's move forward on a effective and efficient city council supplementary. Back to the Deputy Premier. This falls into the category of just because you can doesn't mean you should. After never mentioning it once on the campaign trail, the Premier decided to rewrite the rules for municipal elections that were already underway, throwing municipal elections into chaos and trampling people's basic rights. Now, many doubt at this point in time that free and fair elections can actually be conducted in the City of Toronto, and the courts have yet to give their final determination because now the appeal is state, but the government continues to plow ahead. Is that what constitutes success in Doug Ford's Ontario? Once again, I will ask the Leader of the Opposition to refer to the Premier as the Premier, not by his personal name. Response, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Again, Speaker, through you to the Leader of the Opposition, this is a very positive result for the citizens of Toronto. We can now, on October 22nd, make those important decisions, decisions that our government has talked about numerous times in this House, things like transit and infrastructure and housing. After October 22nd, we look forward to working with Toronto's next Mayor and Council and deliver on those priorities. Well, let's not forget that the appeal has not actually been decided. Many doubt that Toronto can now hold a fair election, or whether it will be legally valid. Canada has a history as a democracy of holding free and fair elections, but the Premier seems happy to rule the dice, proceed with an election and let the chips fall where they may. Is that the sort of history the Deputy Premier wants to make? Minister. Again, Speaker, through you to the Leader of the Opposition. The Court found, and I'm going to read some of the Court's decision. This is the Court's decision. We have concluded that there is a strong likelihood that application judge aired in law and that the Attorney General's appeal to this Court will succeed. It is not in the public interest to permit the impending election to proceed on the basis of a dubious ruling that invalidates legislation through you to the Leader of the Opposition. We are committed to working with the City of Toronto and the Perks Office to have a 25-person council after October 22nd that we can work with. Next question, Leader of the Opposition. Thanks, Mr. Speaker. My next question is also for the Deputy Premier. We know that the Premier has been obsessed with proving that he can do this. He's talked endlessly about his old enemies at his old job at City Hall. He literally barricaded himself inside the legislature in the dead of night while citizens were locked outside. He spent untold sums of fighting in the courts and clipping staff here at all hours, but the question has never been whether he could do it. It was whether he should do it. Did the Deputy Premier really get into public life to help the Premier execute his petty vendettas at all costs? I'm going to ask the member to withdraw. Withdraw, Speaker. Next question, or rather, response. I apologize. Minister of Municipal Affairs in the House. Minister of Municipal Affairs. Again, Speaker, through you to the Leader of the Opposition, she wants to talk about freedom of expression. I'm actually going to quote from the Court decision today where they mentioned that particular fact. Here's the quote. While the change brought about by Bill 5 is undoubtedly frustrating for candidates who started campaigning in May 2018, we are not persuaded that their frustration amounts to a substantial interference with their freedom of expression. Again, Speaker, we have made Bill 5, and now because of the decision today, it will finally allow us to move forward and provide that certainty that our government has always wanted for the October 22nd. A certainty where those 25 wars will cover those municipal councillors, just like they cover provincial politicians in this House or federal politicians. It's the same boundaries. It's going to provide that efficiency. Thank you. Speaker, we've all been sent here to do important work for families, and when we debate, we're supposed to ask the tough questions, whether the policy is effective, whether it will help people, whether it's a good idea. Unfortunately, the standard of this government seems to be can we get away with this? Ontario families are facing challenging times. Does the Deputy Premier think that that's good enough? Again, Speaker, through you to the Leader of the Opposition. I'm going to again quote the Court. The Court said the candidates were and are still free to say what they want to say to the voters. The inconvenience candidates will experience because of the change from 47 to 25 awards does not prevent or impede them from saying what they want to say about the issues arising in the election. Again, Speaker, I want to emphasize to the Leader of the Opposition, let's put aside these political games. Let's work together with that news. Start the clock. Final supplementary. Talks that somehow the Minister thinks Question Period is a political game, Speaker. It's actually our duty to hold the government to account. Families need shorter hospital well-trained, Speaker. They need safe schools and good jobs. They're looking to the government to focus on those priorities and deliver for them. Instead, they see a Premier focused on former enemies and ancient grudges who won't lift a finger to help a working mom on minimum wage, but will move heaven and earth to eliminate the political opponents at City Hall. The Deputy Premier and her fellow All Stars know that this has been a wasteful debate on bad policy. At what point will she and her fellow caucus members tell the Premier to get his priorities straight? Minister. Speaker, to the Leader of the Opposition, again, I'm going to keep reading her these quotes because she needs to understand the importance of what happened this morning. The Ontario Court of Appeals said, given our tentative conclusion that Bill 5 does not suffer from constitution infirmity, we have no hesitation in finding that the balance of convenience favors granting a stay. Speaker, we're here today, and I again commit to the clerk of the City of Toronto. We're going to work with you. We're going to work with you under this ruling this morning to have that 25-council election and to be able to, on October 22nd, I can work with that Mayor and Council on the important issues with Council. Thank you. Next question, the Leader of the Opposition. Thank you, Speaker. My next question is for the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, who needs to know that an appeal is still ongoing. It's just been stayed at this moment. Bill 5 was introduced by the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing on July 30th. But the Minister says that there are... Bill 5 was introduced by the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing on July 30th. But the Ministry says that there are no records of the Minister being told to draft the bill. But I'm guessing it didn't appear by magic. So did the All-Star Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing draft Bill 5? Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Again, Speaker, through you to the Leader of the Opposition. Again, this is just more political games from the Opposition who continually stands up for... I didn't do a freedom of information on the NDP to find out if they ever used the words efficient and effective local government. I think I know there'd be no responsive records to that either. Supplementary. I think Toronto Council wasn't in the throne speech. It wasn't in the PC platform. Not that there was even a PC platform. But someone told government lawyers to draft Bill 5. We asked through FOI whether the Minister was told to do it. And the response was that there was no record of the Minister being told to draft Bill 5. No description of what was to be done. No memo telling the Minister to cancel some regional chairs elections, but not other regional chairs elections. Was the All-Star Minister warming the bench while the bill was being drafted? Again, Speaker, I'm going to use very parliamentary language. I'm not going to talk about her campaign during the last election. I'm going to talk about what the Premier and many of us spoke about every day in the candidate, in the campaign. And that's about reducing the size and power. And the fact of the matter is, Speaker, she can say all she wants. But Bill 5 is going to provide that effective and efficient and streamlined council that on Election Day, the day after the election, we'll be there to work with our government on those important issues. And I'm going to give her a round of applause for the minister of the election. Member for Northumberland, Peterborough South. My question is for the Minister of the Environment. This morning, people across Ontario were elated to wake and receive news of relief at the pumps. On my commute in today, Mr. Speaker, from Northumberland, Peterborough South, I saw motorists lined up on County Road 2 at gas stations all across my riding, Mr. Speaker. They were lined up waiting to fuel, for their fuel. Mr. Speaker, proof isn't exactly what we've been saying. The people of Ontario can't afford paying additional premiums on gas. We all know that under the NDP, we would have been paying a lot more for gas. The people of Ontario, Mr. Speaker, they can't afford a carbon tax. We are tight, times are tight, Mr. Speaker. And the Premier promised relief is on the way. Can the Minister of the Environment please explain to the House how these changes reducing... Thank you. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, through you to the member from Northumberland, Peterborough South, thank you for that question. As the member said, this is something that Doug Ford has been speaking about. He's spoken in this legislature. Many of us in the governing party have talked about the fact that help was on the way and that one of the ways that help was on the way was removing the regressive job-killing cap-and-trade program. One of the first pieces of evidence we said of that would be a reduction in prices at the pump. And, Mr. Speaker, as has been reported in the media now, as all of us has witnessed with the line-ups at the pump, 4.6% reduction in gas prices because of eliminating cap-and-trade. That's action that this government promised a 5.7 cent reduction in diesel prices. That's what this government promised. It made promised cap, Mr. Speaker. The government would be helpful if he called the Premier Premier, not by his personal name. Supplementary. I'd like to thank the minister for his answer. They just don't get it, Mr. Speaker. Not everyone can hop on the TTC. Too many families told me during the election that our commute to take their kids to hockey, to take their kids to soccer, they couldn't afford gas prices. This Premier promise relief is on the way this Premier has delivered, Mr. Speaker. Seeing the line-up at the gas pumps this morning is a true testament to relief the family's need. You're out of touch, you just don't get it. Georgian College Business Professor Norm Smith recognized the work we've done and stated, we're seeing carbon taxes coming off and as a result, you can see gas prices coming down. Can the minister explain to this house what we are doing to ensure Ontarian is doing this government is doing more to ensure that we provide, stay true to our promise that relief is on the way and residents will receive relief in their gas prices? Mr. Speaker, I can understand the frustration in the NDP. I can understand it. They talked about the highest carbon tax in the world. We took action. This government, one of its first acts, was to repeal the regulation and that sent the message to the gas companies, sent the message to the natural gas companies that they could take the pressure off Ontarians. That's why we can now expect to see and we have seen 4.6% reductions in the price of gas, 5.7% reductions in diesel fuel. This will be part of the $260 for every family that we will see a reduction every year. We will start to see natural gas prices come down next month. Mr. Speaker, this is a government taking action. This is a government keeping its promises, money in people's pockets, promise made, promise cared. Thank you. Next question. Member for Toronto, Dan Ford. Thank you, Speaker. Speaker, my question to the Minister of the Infrastructure. There currently exists a $100 million grant program to fund expansion of natural gas into rural areas. Is the Minister cancelling this funding? Mr. infrastructure. Well, thank you very much to the member opposite for this very important question. I'd first like to begin by thanking all those MPPs in all parties here at the Legislature for attending the very successful opening day of the International Applauding Match in Pancro. Furthermore, I'm very proud to say that almost all of the government members, including most members of Cabinet in the Premier, attended the opening night reception and the parade yesterday. So thanks to all my colleagues on the government side. Mr. Speaker, we made a very important campaign commitment to open Ontario up for business and to lower energy costs. This afternoon, I'm pleased to say that it will be tabling the Access to Natural Gas Act. I look forward to talking more about this in the supplementary. Thank you, Speaker. I thought it was a straightforward question. I look forward to seeing if I get an answer in this part. The PC platform says this natural gas expansion program is based on, quote, enabling private sector participation. I don't know what this means since almost all natural gas in Ontario is already delivered by a single private monopoly. But the platform says there will be a $100 million savings, which tells me the natural gas expansion grant is being cancelled. And that means someone else will have to make up the difference. And I'm pretty sure that the private sector is not going to just give away $100 million. It isn't, quote, enabling the private sector participation. Just a fancy way for the minister to say he's cutting his grant program and increasing natural gas prices. Thank you very much again for this question. Mr. Speaker, we'll talk more this afternoon about our details in the Access to Natural Gas Act. But I'm proud to say that this government over the next number of years is going to provide natural gas to almost 80 communities across the province. In the next number of years, we're going to have almost 35,000 new additional natural gas customers across the province. Mr. Speaker, this is one of the greatest things that we can do to expand natural gas to rural and remote communities, to open Ontario up for business, and to lower energy costs for those people living in rural and northern communities in our province. I'd also like to remind the members opposite, Mr. Speaker, that switching to natural gas will save almost $2,500 per year per household. And starting on October 1st, we're going to reduce natural gas bills by $80 a year for families and $285. Let's start the clock. Next question, the member for Mississauga, Aaron Mills. Mr. Speaker, my question is to the minister of the environment. Ontario has made significant progress in reducing emissions, but, Speaker, the people of Ontario have made significant sacrifices to achieve these results. We have been taxed and taxed and taxed. The cap-and-trade carbon tax was just another example of that. It was a hidden tax that was buried in the buses of fuel at the mums. Eliminating this tax and lowering gas prices will put more money in the buckets of mums and dads. Eliminating this tax and lowering gas prices supporting our workers and small business owners in our big cities as well as our small towns. Speaker, this morning, drivers across Ontario woke up to a blizzard surprise. Some relief had arrived. And the minister of the environment updated the House on the progress we are making. Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. Mr. Speaker, I thank the member from Mississaug-Aaron Mills for his question. He's quite right. Ontarians have made a significant contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The carbon footprint in this province is 30% lower than it was in 1990. But, Mr. Speaker, there is still more for us to do, and that's why we will bring forward a plan to this legislature, a plan that will reduce greenhouse gases and have a real plan. But in the meantime, in the meantime, Mr. Speaker, we are fulfilling our promise, a promise that was made to put money back in the pockets of Ontario families. A promise to get rid of the Regressive Job Killing Cap and Trade Program, a promise that is now being realized with that 4.6 cent per litre reduction that's been widely reported. Experts, people like Dan Matigue, a former Liberal MP who now reports on such things confirming that this is the result of this government's action. Money in the pockets, an environment plan that works, a promise made, a promise kept. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the Minister for this answer, still to the Minister of the Environment. This morning, my connoisseurs in Mississauga Erin Mills, on their way to school or to work, were thrilled to see a long overdue drop in prices at the bottom. Our government promised to make life more affordable for Ontario. That help was finally on the way, after consulting with my connoisseurs during the campaign and over the summer. Our government had a clear mandate to get rid of the cap and trade carbon tax. They wanted to keep more of their own hard-earned money in their pockets and not the Liberal cap and trade slash fund. Lowering gas prices, reduced energy costs, cap and trade. Can the Minister of the Environment operate on why these initiatives are so important to Ontarians? Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for their question. This is so important because Ontarians have paid enough. There has been pressure on the average Ontario family for too many years, too many regulations that affect their lives, too much taxation that affects their lives, and that's why this plan is part of a bigger package when it comes to reducing hydro rates, to making natural gas more available and affordable, which we heard about today. When it comes to a whole series of initiatives, including eliminating the aggressive job-killing cap and trade program, to put money back in people's pockets. So while the opposition opposite carps about the fact that this government isn't making a difference for people of Ontario, we are. We are making a difference. We are putting money in their pockets. Four point cents per liter, five point seven for diesel, five for electricity, four point seven for fuel, five for diesel, five for fuel, five for electricity, five for fuel, five for diesel, five for fuel. I thank the member for their question. Mr. Speaker, the next question. Next question, member for Hamilton West They're looking for transparency, so I ask Minister, where is the report? Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and through you to the member opposite, and I want to congratulate the member for her new role as critic for not only the President of the Treasury Board, but my good friend, the Minister of Finance. Mr. Speaker, this government is committed to ensuring accountability and trust when it comes to the public finances. It's time to stop digging and figure out how big the hole is. This is why, Mr. Speaker, our government launched this independent financial commission of inquiry. And this inquiry is only a part of our commitment to the state of the province's finances. It will also contribute to the line-by-line review already underway. I also want to acknowledge the Minister of Finance who has led the charge on this commission of inquiry, and he will have all to say in the coming days to help restore accountability and trust in the debt and deficits of the government of Ontario that we inherited. Here, here. Thank you. Supplementary. So, thank you again to the President of the Treasury Board, but I was looking for an answer about the date. And given that the timeframe to conduct such a large-scale inquiry headed by the former BC Premier, who we know is known for his cut and privatized agenda, and the fact that we already have an independent officer of the legislature whose job it already is to audit government finances, so what does the government expect to learn from the report that it could not have learned from our Auditor General? To the Minister of Finance. Thank you very much. Thank you to the member from Hamilton, West Angcastra Dundas for the question. Our government has received the report of the Independent Financial Commission of Inquiry. We thank Commission Chair Gordon Campbell and members Michael Horgan and Dr. Al Rosen for their diligent work to examine the accounting practices of the previous government and meet the deadlines that we provided to them. We are reviewing the report to ensure the implications of the recommendations are considered in full and we will release the report in its entirety to the public as promised. The public will see the exact same report that we saw. We are committed, Speaker, to restoring accountability and trust in Ontario's finances. Member for Ottawa or Lyon. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm not sure if the Deputy Premier knows, but in the City of Toronto there are 388 boards, agency and commission that requires a city councillor to be able to conduct business. This includes standing committees, the 83 BIAs across the city, the boards and agency as well as intergovernmental organisations like the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. The 25 elected councillor will be required to sit on those boards and fulfill those duties. Does the Deputy Premier think that 25 councillors will be able to conduct business in an accountable manner? Deputy Premier. To the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Mr. Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Thanks very much, Speaker. And through you I want to thank the member for the question. The simple answer is yes. Supplementary. Well, Mr. Speaker, I'm very glad that the answer has been yes, but I'm going to raise another question at this point. So if this is the case, let's talk about what's happening today. The board meeting for the exhibition place that was scheduled for tomorrow has been cancelled because they don't have quorum, not enough city councillors are available. The ongoing labour dispute and exhibition place will not be dealt with and the lock house will not continue independently. They will be the way the new bill, Bill 5, the city could operate. Mr. Speaker, my question is this. Is the government trying to shut down the voice of the people of Toronto? Response. Why is she standing up for all the questions? Again, Speaker, through you to the member. Again, I want to say let's stop the political games. We had a decision just now. Bill 5, our goal has always been to provide efficient and effective government for the citizens of Toronto. We've stated very clearly, we believe that the 25 elected MPPs do a great job in representing those electoral boundaries, those constituencies, if you will. And again, despite the shouts from the opposite benches, I think it was very clear. The Court of Appeal concluded and I quote that there is a strong likelihood that the application judge aired in law and that the Attorney General's appeal to this court will succeed. Further Speaker, that the quote judgment under appeal was probably wrongly decided and that quote, it is not in the public interest to permit the impending election to proceed on the basis of a dubious ruling that invalidates the legislation. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Next question. Member for Simcoe North. I listen with excitement to his earlier answer about family seeing relief at the pumps with the price of fuel going down through the efforts of our government. However, not all are as excited. After all, the Opposition NDP campaign on a promise to keep the cap and trade carbon tax. Many of them even suggested the price of gas was not high enough. The NDP does not see high gas prices as a problem. In fact, they aspire for higher prices. In fact, the member for Ottawa Centre expressed his support through imposing a carbon tax that would increase the price of gas by 30 cents per litre. Since I can't ask him his opinion, my question is to the Minister of the Environment. What will he do to ensure members like that are never in a place to make these kinds of dangerous policy decisions? Mr Speaker, I thank the member for Simcoe North for her question. She works very hard for her constituents, as all members do. Mr Speaker, this government is going to keep its promises. That's how it's going to ensure that the kind of policies that we ran on, the kind of policies that Ontarians expect, like lower gas prices, are the policies that are preserved in Ontario. This morning, when Ontarians woke up, when drivers were going to work and when they lined up because they saw gas was cheaper, that didn't happen by accident. That happened because of a deliberate choice, a deliberate choice made by this government, by this Premier, to make a reduction by getting rid of the regressive jobs that have been going forward. And, Mr Speaker, as I've said, this is just the beginning. Natural gas prices will be dropping. The value for an average family will be $260 a year, Mr Speaker, and the opposition may not think that's a lot of money, but let me tell you, it is a lot of money. We can expect to see continued money back in people's pockets. We continue to see. Thank you. Mr Speaker, I'd like to thank the Minister for his answer. Again to the Minister of the Environment. Speaker, the opposition to NDP isn't the only ones who are upset by cheaper gas prices. The Trudeau Liberals also must not appreciate the fact that people of Ontario are finally seeing how much carbon taxes are actually costing them. The threat of the federal liberal carbon tax continues to hang over the heads of Ontario families. And the federal government is hand in hand with the NDP in their support for higher gas prices. They want both you to pay more for gas and for everything else. We promise we would fight the federal carbon tax with everything we've got. Can the Minister of the Environment update this House as to what he is doing to ensure these lower gas prices are here to stay? Minister. Mr Speaker, the member is correct. Not only does the opposition want higher gas prices, but the federal liberals have committed to imposing a carbon tax on Ontarians, a carbon tax that we ran against, a carbon tax that we said we would stand against. And so Mr Speaker, as I shared with the legislature earlier this week, last Friday we filed a statement of particulars with the Court of Appeal, a statement of particulars that outlines why we see that federal carbon tax as unconstitutional. And I asked the members opposite to consider whether they want to stand with us on behalf of Ontarians. Do they want to stand against the federal liberals or continue their push for higher gas prices? Where do you stand? For Scarborough, Southwest. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Education. Congratulations on your portfolio. I look forward to working with you. Mr Speaker, last month this Conservative government quietly eliminated the for-profit maximum threshold which had limited provincial funding for corporate and for-profit child care operators. Now the forward government has slashed almost 23 million dollars in funding that was supposed to go to low income families to assist with child care costs. In a memo sent to the child care stakeholders last month, the government stated that it had made these decisions, I quote, in response to feedback from partners. Mr Speaker, can the Minister tell us exactly who they consulted before deciding to cut child care subsidies for low income families? Who are these partners? Good question. Mr. Vegetation. Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. And I'm very pleased to stand in this House today and say that we made commitment to parents across Ontario. We promised to respect parents and we're delivering on that promise because, Speaker, we had a previous administration that was choosing who and where parents had to take their children for today care. In rural Ontario, in some instances, parents were having to drive 20 minutes out of their way to turn around and then head back to work. Speaker, it wasn't working. So what we're doing as a PC government is listening to parents across all of Ontario and enabling them to make choices that fit their family and prove to be effective and efficient. Thank you very much. Thank you for your response, but it's unfortunate and disappointing that clearly they didn't consult with any of the low income families. Studies have shown that not-for-profit, they may drown me with their distasteful, disgraceful ways, but they cannot drown the people of Ontario. Studies not-for-profit child care offers higher standards of care and better wages for workers. This is why child care advocates have urged the province to expand not-for-profit child care space. We know that the biggest issue in the child care sector is the lack of affordable, high-quality, safe child care spaces. By removing the for-profit threshold, this government is opening the doors to large-chain providers. By cutting millions of dollars in assistance for low-income families, they're making child care less affordable for those who need it. Ontario needs to move forward, not backward. So can the minister tell us who did the minister cut a deal with in favour of corporate for-profit child care providers? Minister of Education. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And brilliant, truly. What we're doing is expanding daycare choices across Ontario, and we're respecting parents and their need to have choice in how they manage their family. The nanny state of the previous administration was proven not to work. And we're listening to the opposition to come out to my riding out of the bubble of Toronto and see how parents need choice. We cannot allow a continuation of parents to have to drive 25 kilometres out of their way just to turn around to get to work 40 kilometres from there. It's not efficient, it's not effective, and it's not good for Ontario families. I am very pleased to say, Premier Ford and the Ontario PC government are standing by parents, respecting parents, and we're giving them choice. Next question. The member for Flamboral Land Welfare. Question is to the Minister of Infrastructure and Minister, along with many of my colleagues. I can assure you I had a fabulous time at the International Parliament. I have the opportunity to thank the hundreds of volunteers who worked tirelessly to make it such a success. Now, yesterday the Premier's speech made reference to all that our government for the people is doing to assist small rural and northern communities. Would the Minister please elaborate on the legislation he will be introducing later today and how it will help people of rural Ontario. Very good. Minister, then first question. Well, thank you very much for that great question. I'd first like to thank the member for her kind words of hospitality regarding her enjoyment at the International Applying Match. Yesterday, I'm extremely grateful, as I said earlier today, Mr. Speaker, for the opportunity to showcase my riding of Lampton Kent Middlesex, the community of Pancor in the municipality of Chatham Kent, and to bring attention to the rural issues and the rural way of life for those families. Mr. Speaker, later today, I'm extremely honoured to introduce my first piece of legislation as the Minister of Infrastructure entitled the Access to Natural Gas Act. This legislation will propose to facilitate the expansion of access to natural gas by working with the Ontario Energy Board to develop regulations to expand the private sector's participation in community projects. Speaker, we told people and businesses in rural and northern Ontario that we intend to expand natural gas. Ontario is open for business. We're going to lower energy costs. Promises. Thank you. Start the clock. Mr. Speaker, to the Minister, earlier this morning you mentioned that this proposal will allow further expansion of natural gas driven by the private sector. Now, given that the Access to Natural Gas Act proposes to enable further expansion of natural gas projects driven by the private sector, I know that many of my colleagues and people from right across rural and northern communities are keen to hear more about how this program will impact the rural economy and agricultural competitiveness. My question is, how many communities will now be able to access natural gas and how does this program compare to the previous one? Good question. Minister. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the Premier had mentioned at the Plying Match, our new program will allow for 78 communities and 33,000 households to have access to reliable, cost-effective and clean natural gas who previously would depend on electric heat, propane oil and diesel to heat their homes. This will help to make life more affordable for many families and will help to reduce costs for new and existing businesses in Ontario, helping to fulfill a key commitment that our government has made to the people of this province. For example, this program will help rural and agricultural communities by providing farmers with more opportunities to encourage modern technology to grow food and provide support for a booming greenhouse industry. This program will provide more communities with reliable access to clean natural gas in a cost-effective way to minimize the burden on the taxpayer. While the previous Liberal government limited private sector innovation and efficiencies, our government will listen to the real experts, the people of Ontario, and partner with... Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services. Instead of talking about the issues that Ontarians expect their government to tackle, the Premier's top priority has been to interfere in Toronto's democratic elections. Why does the Minister believe Toronto's municipal election is a more urgent priority than reducing child poverty now that Toronto has become the child poverty capital of Canada? Minister of Children, Community and Social Services. Thanks very much, Speaker. I'm finally happy that this new democratic party is actually talking about something else other than a municipal election simply in the City of Toronto. The rest of us live in other place from a nation to change our social assistance program so we can help people get out of poverty and get into jobs where they can and give them more support when they can. But I can tell the member opposite that if she wants to actually help people that we have to build a compassionate society that's the best social safety net. The best way that we can ensure that we have a social program is getting people a job. But I'm delighted for once in the last couple of weeks that this new democratic party is actually talking about something other... Back to the Minister. Every day, poverty is deepening in Ontario. Toronto has become the child poverty capital of Canada. In some Toronto communities over half of all children are living in poverty. Every year, between 90 and 120 of Ontario's most vulnerable children die while under the province's care. This is unacceptable. These are the issues Ontarians expect their government to deal with. But instead, this government has a valuable time and resources to interfere in Toronto's municipal election. Minister, when is the government going to start taking action on the issues and not just cutting social assistance and actually taking action on the issues that actually matter to Ontarians rather than creating chaos? Yes. Minister, children, community and social service. Thanks, Speaker. We took action June 29th and I started immediately with briefings within my ministry to ensure that the one in seven people not just in the city of Toronto because I know for those members of Toronto you think this is all about yourselves but here's the situation right from Ottawa all the way to Canora we're standing up for the people that need our help the most and those one in seven people who are being trapped in a system of abuse and an encyclopedia kept them down is something that I couldn't stomach. That's why in the first few days we put the pause on what the previous government was doing but under compassionate grounds ensured that we had a 1.5% increase across the board on social assistance we set a 100-day target in order to put a new program in place which will be unveiled on November 8th but I will reiterate it's nice to finally see the opposition take something more into the Toronto Politicians Act to this floor. We can actually start talking about the important issues of the day. Start the clock. The member for Sarnia Lampton. My question is the Minister of Infrastructure Minister, when I went door-to-door in my writing one of the biggest concerns that I heard was the issue of skyrocketing hydro-race the fact that people were forced to choose between heating and eating it's a decision that no family or fixed income seniors should ever have to make I'm sure members on both sides of this house are keenly aware that for far too long the previous Liberal government supported by the NDP when it came to the well-being of people in this province especially when it came to energy poverty there were municipalities forced to open up heat banks in the dead of winter because there was no one could afford Ontario's hydro-race the highest rates I might say in North America Minister, in light of this proposed new legislation I'm looking forward to you bringing forward later today can you please tell us how this program intends to lower the cost of heating for people across this great problem Minister of infrastructure Well, thank you Mr. Speaker and I'd like to thank a member from Sarnia-Lampton for a great question I know the member from Sarnia-Lampton has long advocated in this legislation to expand natural grass right across rural and remote communities in Ontario Mr. Speaker, one of our five priorities as a government for the people is lowering hydro bills for the people of this province and that is exactly why we will achieve this through the Access to Natural Gas Act Our proposed legislation will enable the private sector to work with local municipal partners to expand access to reliable cost-effective and clean natural gas for rural, northern and First Nations communities at no cost to the taxpayer Mr. Speaker, this means that 78 communities and 33,000 households will have the ability to access critical energy infrastructure in our great province Supplementary Well, thank you Mr. Speaker and back to the Minister of Infrastructure That's great news Minister and I'm looking forward to the legislation later today but following through on this new legislative commitment truly represents our government for the people commitment to making promises and actually keeping them a concept that is foreign to the former Liberal government The expansion to 78 communities in northern Ontario will greatly assist in providing the much needed energy and financial relief as well as enabling our First Nations community access to cleaner and cheaper energy options Minister, can you tell us how much money does each household expect to save with this new legislation when it's passed? Thank you Mr. Speaker Minister Well Mr. Speaker again to the member of Sergeant Lampton, thanks for that question Mr. Speaker, our government understands that people are facing extremely high energy bills especially if they have to depend on electricity, oil or propane to heat their homes Having access to natural gas makes life more affordable and puts more money back in people's pockets Estimates suggest that by switching to natural gas residential customers and families can save between $800 and $2,500 per year This new initiative in conjunction with our government's commitment to stop cap and trade carbon tax will help put more money in the pockets of families and help provide them with much needed financial relief Our government is committed to the expansion of natural gas infrastructure and services in our province unlike the previous Liberal government who not only banned private sector participation in expanding natural gas but also tried to ban natural gas altogether in Ontario Lastly Mr. Speaker don't forget about the NDP and how they continuously advocate Thank you Next question Member for Waterloo Thank you very much Mr. Speaker My question is for the Deputy Premier In August alone, Ontario lost over 80,000 jobs and there was a troubling increase particularly in youth unemployment Ontario's youth unemployment rate increased last month and is persistently higher as in the country For young people in Niagara West in Durham in Waterloo in Scarborough this is incredibly alarming for youth in this province but instead this government has spent a majority of their time really fixated on Toronto City Council Why does the Deputy Premier believe Toronto's municipal election is more important than creating more jobs and opportunities in this province Deputy Premier To the Minister of Municipal Affairs in Housing I want to thank the member for the question It was very clear during the election that our government was committed to providing an efficient and effective level of government services We talked about reducing the size and cost of government almost every day during the campaign and as well we've put some of our promises into practice as was stated by the President of the Treasury Board and the Minister of Finance we've commissioned the Commission of Inquiry we began the line by line review but today it was particularly important because it really the decision today really validated what we want to council with the citizens of Toronto and I'm pleased to talk about that in a supplementary Thank you very much Mr. Speaker so far the only people who are getting more work in this province are the lawyers fighting this government I know that they can't count on this government for a fair wage but since becoming government there has been no action no plan, no strategy to create more jobs and opportunity for youth in fact they seem very content to double down on precarious part-time contract work particularly for youth in this province all that his priorities are their priorities but not the priorities of the people of this province and that the government is not willing to use their time or resources to help young people in this province reach their potential these are backward priorities Mr. Speaker the people of this province the youth of this province deserve better when is this government going to take action to help our young people build a good life here in the province of Ontario again Mr. Speaker I want to thank the member for the question you know I want to make it very clear about our government's priorities our premier and our minister of economic development job creation and trade are in Washington today to stand up for jobs they're standing up for jobs in the steel industry and automotive and agriculture the premier made it very clear yesterday the international plowing match and rural expo that our government is committed to ensuring that jobs will be created in this province and that's exactly why they're in Washington today standing up for jobs standing up for Ontario working with the federal government that's the difference between our government and your government class thank you very much next question the member for Chatham Kent Leamington thank you very much Mr. Speaker my question is for the minister of agriculture rural affairs yesterday we got to attend the 101st international plowing match in Pancord located in the municipality of Chatham Kent alongside many of our colleagues in the legislature under the previous government rural Ontario was often ignored meeting with so many farming families yesterday was a breath of fresh air and served as a reminder of the hard work done every day by farmers Mr. Speaker through the minister can the minister highlight for us why taking the time to attend the international plowing match was so important for our members and for rural Ontario well delivered minister of agriculture food and rural care thank you very much Mr. Speaker and also thank you to the member for the question and for his warm welcome to the writing of Chatham Kent Leamington yesterday as we attended the plowing match I also want to thank each and every member who took the time to attend and listen to the concerns of our farmers at the international plowing match yesterday as mentioned by the member rural Ontario was often an afterthought for far too long under the previous government by taking the time to meet with the farm families and people in rural Ontario yesterday we got to see some of the hard work that farmers do every day to contribute to our economy it's important for all MPPs to see the hard work and skill goes into growing and providing the best quality food working with our government farming communities will be able to prosper industries and businesses will be open ready to lead and create jobs again in Ontario supplementary thank you again Mr. Speaker and I want to thank the minister for his great response you know it was great to see so many friendly faces and hear from so many people who are supporting our premier and the actions of our government Mr. Speaker the Minister of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs has mentioned before in this legislature that our government is going to help ensure that rural Ontario along with the rest of the province is open for business yesterday the premier announced that we're going to help rural Ontario by expanding access to natural gas so can the minister tell us how natural gas expansion will help rural Ontario become more competitive and make life more affordable for that important question and how we can make life more affordable for Ontarians in order to be a leader of economic growth and job creation businesses need to be competitive under the previous government the private sector was stuck on the sidelines ready to make investments and take the burden off of our taxpayer by working with the private sector and expanding the ability to bring natural gas to rural and remote communities in Ontario we will put more money in people's pockets by reducing the cost of energy and bringing more jobs to the area our government is committed to working with the private sector to change the rural Ontario and to make rural Ontario competitive once again next question remember for Hamilton thank you speaker my question is to the deputy premier the premier we understand is on route to Washington he has said he stands shoulder to shoulder with his federal counterparts on NAFTA renegotiations however speaker Ontario still hasn't responded to the steel tariffs with thousands of jobs in Hamilton hanging in the balance what instructions has the government given to ministry trade officials to respond to the steel and aluminum tariffs deputy premier thank you very much for the question and yes our premier and the minister of economic development are in Washington today to speak with to protect our number one priority Ontario is open for business that means protecting our jobs creating new jobs, supporting businesses and increasing trade and one thing that the premier has noted on several occasions is that we're going to do our part to protect Ontario workers in the automotive steel and agricultural sectors and we're going to stand up to that and we're not going to give up supplementary thank you speaker back to the deputy premier on one hand we have a premier distracted with his own grievances who claims to stand shoulder to shoulder with the federal government in the current trade dispute on the other hand we have a premier who when asked repeatedly has said his support for the US president wouldn't waver and he supports him 100% this is the same president who threatens Ontario's livelihood and the livelihood of hundreds of thousands of Ontarians dependent on steel auto manufacturing which premier will we be seeing in Washington on the part of the premier he has said on many many occasions that he stands shoulder to shoulder with Ontario workers and Ontario businesses and he's going to make the point strongly along with the minister of economic development in Washington that we want to make sure that the automotive, steel and agricultural industries are supported they are the backbone of our economy and we need to stand up for them and make sure that the position of Ontario is understood in the United States which it isn't always understood that as tariffs are imposed by the United States on Ontario they don't understand the negative effect it's going to have on businesses in the United States there's up to 9 million jobs in question in the United States and that is a legitimate role for the premier to play and the minister of economic development to play to say that it goes both ways that we need to protect Ontario's jobs that concludes the time we have available for question period pursuant to standing order 38A the member for Orléans has given notice of her dissatisfaction with the answer to her question given by the minister of municipal affairs and housing concerning the reduction of municipal council point of order I know the member for Perry Sound, Muskoka Thank you Mr. Speaker I would like to welcome Perry Sound John Bocca here to Queen's Park today former chief of Wisconsin First Nation also a former Union of Ontario Indians grant you have ordered the member for Ottawa Orléans Thank you Mr. Speaker I would like to correct my record there's 388 boards and agency in the city but also I would like to recognize my page was here today we have a nice page in Orléans we have a new page from Orléans my name is Martin Lezuc thank you for being here Martin I call on the government the unanimous consent to put forward a motion without notice regarding a late show on northern indigenous education the government house leader is seeking the unanimous consent of the house to have a late show on northern and indigenous education did I get that right to move a motion related to it agreed second thank you I move that not with standing and order 38B the parliamentary assistant for indigenous affairs shall participate in place of the parliamentary assistant the Thank you very much speaker. I'd like to actually welcome all of the pages to Queen's Park that are here But a special little shout out to Victoria Werner McLeod the daughter of MPP McLeod and her husband Joe Be assured that we will be introducing the pages in the in the appropriate manner in due course as well There being no deferred votes this house stands in recess until 3 p.m