 It is now time for a question period, the Leader of Her Majesty's Royal Opposition. Thank you, Speaker. Premier, with some devastating news this morning in London, Ontario, where Kellogg's is now closing down a plant. It's been there for generations. These are 500 well-paying jobs in our province. And sadly, this is the latest of a hemorrhaging of middle class good manufacturing jobs in our province. Premier, I've asked you every day in the legislature when you're going to bring forward a jobs plan to reverse the decline to bring good jobs back to province of Ontario. My simple question is, with three days left in the session, are we going to see a jobs plan from your government? Are you out of ideas? Are we going to see more jobs leave the province of Ontario like Kellogg's? Can you bring forward a jobs plan and bring jobs back to our province? You've got three days left in the session. What are you going to do? Thank you. The member from Prince Everett Hastings will come to order. Premier. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And I certainly agree with the premise of the first part of the Opposition Leader's question. And that is that this is very bad news for the families and for the workers at Kellogg's. And my first concern is for the affected workers, Mr. Speaker, and the impact that this will have on their families and on the broader community. The Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities is closely monitoring the situation, Mr. Speaker, and they will respond quickly to the announced layoffs. As I understand it, they have not been contacted at this point, but they will respond immediately and they will work with the other levels of government, Mr. Speaker, to ensure coordinated services for all of those affected. We'll continue to support growth and expansion, Mr. Speaker, of Ontario's agri-food business. And in the supplementaries, I will talk about some of the investments that have been made and the businesses that are coming to the province. But my first concern is for those affected workers at Kellogg's. Thank you. The supplementary. But Premier. Be careful to pause over there. But Premier, you're the minister of agriculture. You keep seeing food processing jobs disappear. And we can still buy these products. We can still buy Kellogg's special kit, raisin brand. But it's no longer going to be made in Ontario. It's going to be made in the state of Michigan. We saw a high-end catch-up now. We'll be coming out of Ohio instead of the province of Ontario. Our greatest export seems to be manufacturing jobs. I want to turn that around. And I don't doubt that you're going to reach out. You're going to try to help these families. You're going to try with retraining and good for you as a job as Premier. But a bigger goal is actually bring good jobs back to our province of Ontario to stop the hemorrhaging. To make Ontario open for investment. To give some hope, not for an unemployment check or a new course, but a hope for a good, steady, middle-class jobs that can provide for you. Question. That's what we're fighting for. Let me ask you this. There are three days left in the session. Do you have no jobs planned? Will you agree to a PC call to extend the City of Lincoln Center to give you time to bring a job plan to turn this province over? Thank you. The Minister of Health will come to order. The Minister of the Environment will come to order. The Member from Renfrew, Nipissing, Pembroke will come to order. Premier. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And I want to speak about some of the specific support that we've given to Kellogg's over the last few years. The Member from Northumberland will come to order. The Member from Leeds, Grenville will come to order. Net new jobs, Mr. Speaker. 474,700 net new jobs that have been created in this province since June 2009. And since February, Mr. Speaker, 59,200 net new jobs, Mr. Speaker, in Ontario. So I'm happy that I want to come back to the Office of the Board of Canada's projections, which are very good, Mr. Speaker. But I want to talk specifically about Kellogg's... Net and net, middle sex, come to order. 2007 Kellogg's built a 205,000 square feet... Heads, Grenville, come to order. Second time. ...in Belville, Mr. Speaker. And that was an investment of $120 million initially. The Ontario government provided financial support for that initial investment, Mr. Speaker, over $9 million, alone under the advanced manufacturing investment strategy. So, Mr. Speaker, when the leader of the opposition talks about a jobs plan, we've been implementing a jobs plan, Mr. Speaker. Jobs are coming to Ontario. It is very unfortunate that this particular plan is shutting down. But there... Thank you. Final supplementary. Premier, if this is your jobs plan, it's got to be time for you to pack it up and go because we're losing jobs every single week. I'm sure that your plans are to double down adult McGinty's failed energy policies. You're going to drive higher rates further through the roof. You measure your success based on how many bills you get through with more and more red tape. How do we measure our success? How you grow the economy? How many jobs you create in the Ontario? Number one, 500 good, well-paying jobs. 500 private sector union jobs. Joining the ranks of the 100,000 that we've lost already. The only jobs you're creating seem to be government jobs or minimum wage jobs in the private sector. I believe we can do a lot better than this. I believe we can give hope to those who lost hope. The minister of criminal college universities will come to order. Well, you extend the sitting, bring forward a jobs plan. They'll give you at least eight days to give hope to those who are leaving home. You see the police? You see the police? Minister of the environment will come to order. Second time. Premier. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And I think the leader of the opposition knows full well that we offered the opposition the opportunity to support night-sittings, Mr. Speaker. So we could get more legislation, too. They voted against night-sittings, Mr. Speaker. So that offer of a long time. And, Mr. Speaker, I want to draw the leader of the opposition's attention to the Conference Board of Canada report, Mr. Speaker, that came out. And what it says is, it's a very positive report yesterday, Mr. Speaker, Ontario for Teens Economic Growth Rate projected 1.2% in 2013, 2.2% in 2014, projected 2.6% in 2015. The province's economy will add more than 300,000 jobs from 2013 to 2015. And Ontario's exports will benefit from a lower Canadian dollar relative to the U.S. dollar, Mr. Speaker. The work we are doing on this side of the House, the investments that we are making are working, Mr. Speaker. The fact is that it's unfortunate that there is a re-adjustment to tell us it's made a corporate decision, Mr. Speaker, and that will affect the plan in London. And that's very unfortunate. Gladden Ken Middlesex, last time. Finish, please. Do not diminish the pain at all, Mr. Speaker, that those people who are at the Kellogg's plant in London will feel, Mr. Speaker, but it is our responsibility to look at the broader picture. Make sure we give those people the support we will do that, Mr. Speaker. New question. Leader of the opposition. Thanks, back to Peter. I don't doubt that the Premier feels for these people we all do here in the Assembly. They just want a leader with the plan who is going to give them a job, not a UI check. That's all they want, the promise of Ontario. Premier Reference is a conference board of Canada report. What that report actually says is the Americans are recovering. They're going to demand more products. They're highlighting the American recovery. And no wonder because Kellogg's is moving from Ontario to the United States. Caterpillar has moved from Ontario to the United States. John Deere has moved from Ontario to the United States. We have Hennedges Automotive in Welland, Ontario that has picked up and moved to the United States. They blame the high cost of electricity. They blame the tax and regulatory environment. They blame the bill after bill after bill. You're bringing that binds their hands and undermines our competitiveness. Yeah, you're damn right the Americans are growing. They're taking all of our jobs. I want to see jobs in the province of Ontario. Mr. Cedar, please. Thank you. Premier. Mr. Speaker. Well, the premise of the leader of the opposition's question is just not true, Mr. Speaker. The fact is, as Natra is setting up a confectionary food processor in London, Mr. Speaker, a manufacturing facility. Ferrero in Brantford. Royal Cannon in Pus Lynch. Pirados in Mississauga. Maidstone Bakery in Brantford. Dr. Oatker in London, Mr. Speaker. Boldhouse Farms in Wheatley. So, Mr. Speaker, there are food processing plants and we're talking just about that sector. There are food processing plants that are opening and expanding in this province. The fact is that there's a very difficult situation that's taking place right now at Kellogg's. And I do not diminish that in any way. I understand that is a concern. But the fact also is, Mr. Speaker, that Kellogg's has located in Belleville. We have made investments in that plant in Belleville, Mr. Speaker. Kellogg has invested several million dollars in packaging technology in Belleville. Thank you. Supplementary. Premier. They're not relocating from London to Belleville. They're closing down. 550 people out of work. And you tried this Bobby McFerrin spin. Don't worry, be happy. But all of us should worry. And those that have lost their jobs are far from happy. They want to see a leader with a plan to actually get people into good jobs again. To put entrepreneurs back in business. The balancer, I've laid out that plan. My team and I have laid out that plan. No other chemicals, no other project that risks in Sarnia, Ontario to bring a couple hundred jobs a polyethylene plant. They're looking between the states and the province of Ontario. They're seeing energy rates go through the roof. I want those jobs here. I don't want to see any more Kellogg's, any more cats. I don't want to see any more John Deere's, CCL's. Question. I want to see Jobs staying here. We'll give you next week. Will you please come with a plan and stop the bleeding? Premier. Well, the reality is that Ontario is up 179% in job creation since the recession and quickly than U.S. jurisdictions, Mr. Speaker. And the fact is we are making investments in advanced manufacturing. Let's just be clear. The plan that the leader of the opposition is putting forward, Mr. Speaker, is one that would provoke a race to the bottom. When he talks about right to work, what he's talking about is under... The member from Leeds, Grenville, is warned. The minister for rural affairs is warned. Thunder Bay, Attic-Holken, come to order. Complete, please. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. The underpinning of what the leader of the opposition is talking about, Mr. Speaker, is undermining of the gains in job protection that have been made over decades by organized labour. We're not going there, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. The problem with the Premier plan is for people to work for zero. The folks at Kellogg's who had this disastrous news today are going to make zero. Those at Heinz are making zero. Those at Hennig's and Welland are making zero. Those who worked at Extrata in Timmins, now in Quebec, are making zero in the province of Ontario. I could go on all question period. Premier, my point is we need to stop the bleeding. We need to restore hope to this province. We need to say to that young university graduate... She has a future here in the province of Ontario. We need to say to that young trades are getting into being an electrician that they can find hope here in Ontario, not Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Michigan, Indiana. They are eating our lunch. It's time for a new plan. It's time to turn things around. Question. I cleared the deck so you can bring forward a plan. You failed to do so. Will you bring forward a plan before Christmas? If not, steal our plan. We've got one. We can turn this around. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Premier. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Well, I understand that the leader of the opposition is going to keep banging this drum, but the reality is that we are at 474 new jobs, Mr. Speaker, since June 2000. The member from Nipian Carlton last time, the member from Northumberland, you're warned. Carry on. 179% recovery, Mr. Speaker, since the recession. These are not numbers that we're making up. These are objective numbers, Mr. Speaker. So the fact is, there is a recovery. I am very, very disappointed that the people at Kellogg's in London are going through what they're going through. Mr. Speaker, but the fact is, we have to look at the whole picture. We are recovering jobs, and we're going to continue to do that. Thank you. Mr. Speaker. New question. The leader of the third party. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Premier. After years of delay and discussion, the government has once again promised to take steps to rein in public sector CEO compensation. Can the Premier tell us what her CEO pay cap will be and when it may be in place? Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Well, as I have said in the House before, we intended and we are acting on our commitment to review and to put in place ranges which would mean caps on executive compensation, Mr. Speaker. The fact is that the proposal that the leader of the third party put forward did not take into account benefits, Mr. Speaker, did not take into account the full benefit package, the full compensation package. We believe we need to do that. That was a blunt instrument that they brought forward. We need a much more sophisticated and strategic approach, and that's what we're going to put in place, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, supplementary. Speaker, people have heard promises from this government for years, but the same old policies and tired ideas stay in place. As the gas plant scandal, in fact, was heating up last September, the Liberals tried to change the channel and promised to implement a salary cap at twice the pay of the Premier. Now, instead of making it happen, they actually shut down the legislature. And last year, the CEO of Hydro One got a raise of $70,000. That pay hike alone is more than most families make in an entire year. Can the Premier tell us how many five- and six-figure pay hikes we'll see next year, Speaker? Thank you, Premier. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. So what we have said is that we will act on our commitment, which is to introduce legislation to directly control the compensation of senior executives across the broader public service, Mr. Speaker, including hard caps. But in doing that, we need to establish some frameworks, Mr. Speaker, and we need to do the research that would allow us to bring in a piece of legislation that would actually deal with the issue and would not be a blunt instrument that would not take into account full compensation packages, Mr. Speaker. So that is the work that we are going to do. We will introduce the legislation in early 2014. That was our commitment, and we will follow through on it. Thank you, Final Supplementary. In 2010, and again less than a month ago, Liberal MPPs voted against capping CEO salary. But now they claim they're ready to move forward. The record speaks for itself. In 2010, the Liberals voted against capping CEO salaries. In 2012, they promised to cap CEO salaries. In 2013, they voted against capping CEO salaries. Now, with the Auditor General's schedule to release her annual report this afternoon, the Liberals are making another desperate ploy to try and change the channel once again. Why should people believe the Liberals this time, Speaker? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Well, we said we were going to do this and we are following through on that. And I believe that last week when the leader of the third party was talking about her plan, it was very difficult for her to explain what exemptions she would have in place, Mr. Speaker. And to my point about having to have legislation that's strategic and understands the sophistication of the issue and understands that we have to look at whole compensation packages, Mr. Speaker. And we have to look at a range of technical expertise that's needed in various sectors. That's why we need legislation that encompasses all of that and is not a blunt instrument. So, Mr. Speaker, it's true that members of our government have voted against a blunt instrument legislation that would not do that, would not accomplish what the leader of the third party is saying it would. So we are going to act to make sure that the legislation we introduce deals with the complexity of the concerns around those executive compensation packages, the whole packages. That's the work that we're going to do, Mr. Speaker. Any more questions? My next question is for the Premier, thank you, Speaker. This Premier just doesn't seem to get it. People can't make ends meet and at the same time they're watching high hydro rates drive jobs out of the province. We saw it in the Ring of Fire, the Heinz Factory closing in Leamington or today's jarring news out of London about the loss of more than 500 jobs at the Kellogg's plant. People expect their government to take every step possible to curb high hydro bills. Instead, people are watching as CEOs and executives at their power companies get paid hikes that are higher than their annual paychecks. Is the Premier ready to cap public sector CEO salaries and pass the savings on to the people who are paying the bills? Well, Mr. Speaker, we've already said that we're going to introduce legislation to directly control the compensation of senior executives across the broader public sector, including hard caps. So the answer is yes. We've made a commitment to do that and we have said we are going to introduce that legislation to do exactly that. But we are going to do it in such a way, Mr. Speaker, that is going to guarantee that we look at the whole compensation package, Mr. Speaker, that we look at the expertise that is needed in various sectors and that we recognize the complexity of the issue to take a blunt instrument as the leader of the third party has suggested and we couldn't even explain, Mr. Speaker, in terms of what the exemptions would be, does not make sense. That is not good public policy. That is why we did not support it, Mr. Speaker. So we are going to introduce legislation that is actually going to put in place those hard caps in a way that takes into account the full compensation package. Thank you so much, Mr. Speaker. If people work hard and play by the rules, they should be able to get ahead. But as the bills keep going up, people are working harder and harder to make ends meet. Nellie is retired. She wrote to us and I quote, hydro rate increases dramatically affect the lifestyle of seniors who are on fixed pension incomes. We just keep trying to trim back anywhere we can. I try to have the necessities, not luxury items. Even food is getting difficult with the rising prices. Who will be the one to put a stop to all these ongoing increases when one of us make over a lifetime? Does the Premier have an answer for seniors like Nellie? Thanks very much, Mr. Speaker. Well, I think the leader of the third party knows that we have put in place programs to support and give a break to exactly the kind of person that the leader is talking about. People who are on a low income and who are struggling. And we recognize that they need a break on hydro rates and they need support on property taxes and so on, Mr. Speaker. So we have put those programs in place. We also, Mr. Speaker, in terms of the long-term energy plan have worked to take costs out of the system. So the renegotiation of the Samsung deal, the reductions, Mr. Speaker, is a result of not going ahead with new nuclear. We have made those decisions, Mr. Speaker, because we recognize the importance of affordability. The other issue, Mr. Speaker, is the focus on conservation and putting supports in place so that people can conserve because that is the cheapest power, Mr. Speaker, is power that is not used. But, Mr. Speaker, I would ask the leader of the third party what is her plan in terms of energy costs going forward, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. How would she reduce costs? Thank you. Final supplementary. Speaker, people are finding it tougher to balance the household budget. The government is telling people to tighten their belts, but despite all the promises from this government, salaries for top CEOs keep going up. In my quote, my hubby's salary is identical as in 2008. Meanwhile, the cost of hydro skyrockets and the hydro companies run ads and pay executives high huge salaries. Judy wrote, quote, I keep reading about enormous profits and equally high management salaries at hydro. It's no win for the consumer and win-win for the companies and, quote, after 10 years, Speaker of Liberal government, does this Premier really think that people believe her when she said she needs a little more time to study the problem of million-dollar salaries for public sector CEOs? Thank you. Premier? Well, the tone of the leader of the third party's question, notwithstanding, Mr. Speaker, we are introducing legislation in early 2014. I think the leader of the third party knows that we believe that there needs to be a very clear action taken with regard to executive compensation. We are going to do that. But, Mr. Speaker, we are going to do it in a way that takes into account the whole compensation, not just part of the compensation. And as I said, the leader of the third party's plan did not countenance the whole compensation packages and she could not explain when asked what the exemptions were, how to deal with technical expertise. Those are the issues that need to be addressed, Mr. Speaker, because we want to put in place good public policy that's going to guarantee that the work that is done is done in the best way possible but that we have those hard caps in place. That's what our legislation will be. Thank you. New question to members from Halton. Thank you, Speaker. Question to the Minister of Health. Minister, we are again joined in the House today by Kim Fletcher, with whom you'll be familiar. Ms. Fletcher is accompanied by a couple of colleagues who has bells, plasma, plastic, non-Hodgkin subforma and who, like Kim, could not get OHIP coverage for his prescribed drug, Velco. With them also, well, Maddie is not here but she was here this morning. She's too tired to come into the House and she has cystic fibrosis for whom the drug, Coladico, has dramatically increased her lung function and others have joined them. Maddie's here. Minister, Kim and her colleagues are here because Ontario's health care system doesn't work for them. And you have said that health care is about patients first. Will you put these Ontario patients first, Minister? Question. They rely on you to help them. What will you tell them today as their Minister of Health? Will you make it right for them today? Thank you. Minister of Health, I'll answer him. Can you see me, please? Can you see me, please? Thank you. Minister of Health, long-term care. Well, thank you, Speaker. And I welcome the people who we're talking about today and their family members and loved ones here to the House today. I want you to know that we are very, very committed to getting people the drugs they need and the drugs that work for them, Speaker. We have tripled funding for cancer fighting drugs. We've done that because we want people to get the very best shot, Speaker. We do have a process. We have taken the politics out of making decisions around what drugs are funded, Speaker, and we did that for very good reason. We think that it is the experts who should give us advice on what drugs are effective and, Speaker, that is what we do. Thank you. Supplementary, the member from Whitby, Oshawa. November 8th, Roche, the manufacturer of Avastin sent you and the committee to evaluate drugs new information about a study from McGill University Hospital using Avastin to treat brain cancer. The results of the study indicated that Avastin was efficacious in prolonging the lives of patients with glioblastoma multi-form, the cancer affecting Kim Fletcher. Roche has suggested that your government look at reimbursement and funding mechanism, like the evidence building program, and Roche has also indicated a willingness to share the risk. The minister is now December 10th and you and the committee have had over a month to review this information, yet nothing has been done and I understand the committee has not even met. Time is clearly of the essence here. Kim Fletcher deserves an answer. When will she get one? Thank you. Thank you. The work that is done by the committee to evaluate drugs and subcommittees of that committee is founded on the best available evidence. They do review new evidence as it is forward speaker and in fact the Ontario steering committee for cancer drug programs is reviewing the new evidence that Roche has put forward speaker. But I say again we must rely on evidence to make decisions about what drugs work and for what patients. I give a new question. The leader of the third party. Thank you speaker my questions for the premier. Today more than 500 people in London who work at Kellogg's will come to find that their workplace is shutting down. Families aren't just going to be worried about getting their kids presents over the holidays. They'll be wondering about how they're going to pay the bills. The Liberal government insisted that their plan of higher HST, higher hydro rates and no strings attached giveaways would create thousands of jobs. Is the premier ready to admit that the hundreds of families in London to the hundreds of families in London rather that these same old tired ideas simply aren't working speaker? Thank you premier. Well Mr. Speaker I would say to the leader of the third party as I did to the leader of the opposition there are 79% recovery of jobs since the recession and that's 474,700 net new jobs since February alone we have 59,200 net new jobs. So in fact Mr. Speaker jobs are coming to the province. We are recovering Mr. Speaker. I am very, very disappointed and I am concerned about the people at Kellogg's in London obviously Mr. Speaker universities will be working with with the community on the ground to make sure that those workers have the supports that they need Mr. Speaker but we have to look at the whole picture we have to look at what's happening across the province and the fact is that we are recovering Mr. Speaker and there will be, there will be changes that will happen in particular parts of the province. Thank you. Overall Mr. Speaker we need to look at the jobs that are coming. Thank you supplementary. Well Speaker the blows to keep coming under this liberal government if that's the kind of changes the premier is proud of I don't think many people agree with her. Last month it was hundreds of people losing their jobs at Heinz. Now it's hundreds of people losing their jobs at Kellogg's. The liberals have talked about the importance of food processing jobs but that's been all talk speaker and no action. Mr. Speaker training colleges and universities will come to order last time. Real solutions that will work like getting hydro rates under control when they create jobs or rewarding companies when they actually invest in Ontario. Instead families in southwestern Ontario get more studies, more conversation and more job loss. Is the premier going to admit that the liberal status quo is another body blow to southwestern Ontario that is leaving 500 families in London wondering whether they're going to be able to pay the bills. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. Well you know I hear the position of the leader of the third party Mr. Speaker but I don't know if she's aware of the companies that are coming to the province and I went through a list of them. Natra in London Ferrero in Brantford Royal Cannon in Puss Lynch Mr. Speaker Parados in Mississauga Dr. Oatker in London. So Mr. Speaker there are businesses that are expanding and opening and Mr. Speaker to the leader of the third party's first point about electricity prices. I would say to her once again what is her plan to reduce electricity cost Mr. Speaker what is her plan for the diversity of the mix in this province Mr. Speaker what is her plan to deal with communities in the north need to be connected Mr. Speaker. The member from Renfrew Nipissing Pembroke is Warren. New question the member from Vaughan. Thank you very much Speaker. My question today is for the minister of Northern Development and Mines. Last Friday I had the opportunity to travel to Timmins along with Premier Kathleen Wynn and eight of my colleagues to attend the very first Northern Leaders Forum this forum brought together Northern Municipal Aboriginal and community leaders as well as members from our government to discuss ways in which we can continue to drive job creation and economic growth in Northern Ontario Mr. Speaker this truly was a historic forum and I certainly look forward to traveling back to Northern Ontario soon I'm wondering if the minister could please inform the House of how our government will continue to build on the positive momentum generated by the Northern Leaders Forum. Thank you. Minister. Thanks very much Mr. Speaker the member from Vaughan is absolutely right this was an historic forum and I was thrilled so many members of our government were able to attend including Premier Wynn Speaker our government is absolutely committed to working with all of our partners across Northern Ontario to help create a stronger more diverse and sustainable Northern economy and I think it's fair to say that as leaders in our communities we all share responsibility for arriving job creation and business growth across the North so Speaker with the support of Premier Wynn our government is absolutely committed to growing Northern Ontario the economy of Northern Ontario and I was very pleased as minister to commit to holding quarterly meetings with the Aboriginal leadership NOMA and NOMA moving forward these meetings will help build on success of this forum and ensure that Northern Ontario remains in the right track to our prosperity Thank you. Thank you very much Speaker and I thank the minister for that response I can tell in particular that the minister's announcement of the quarterly meetings was certainly well received by everyone in attendance at the forum and at this particular forum we did discuss a variety of issues and today was our growth plan for Northern Ontario our government is committed to working with Northern leaders in order to advance this growth plan in fact this is yet another part of our government strategy to invest in people to invest in modern infrastructure and to support a dynamic and innovative business climate speaker will the minister please provide an update to members of this house regarding how our government is working with Northerners to implement the growth plan for Northern Ontario. This is the release of the growth plan for Northern Ontario we have seen municipalities organizations and Aboriginal communities achieve some amazing things that reflect the strength of the resilience that all Northerners share. We've seen the creation of an independent not-for-profit Northern Policy Institute the opening of a new school of law at Lakegate University new school of architecture at Laurenti University continued investments in programs like the Northern Ontario to build jobs all across the north our Northern Highways program over 500 million dollars to spend this year the Northern Community Investment Redness Program preparing us for the economic opportunities of the north introduction of a new 100 million dollar fund to improve infrastructure in small world and Northern communities speaker there's no question Northern Ontario has its own set of unique opportunities and challenges and our government will continue to invest in people invested in the future. Thank you. Thanks very much speaker my question is also to the premier good morning premier yesterday I had a meeting with a major southwestern Ontario employer in the agri-food sector and the owner and the investors indicated to me that if they don't get their energy prices under control as a result of your mismanagement in that sector they're going to have to leave Ontario with 400 jobs. Let me explain to you speaker what the real issue is here for them it's not necessarily their outdated labour policies it's not necessarily some of their regulatory burdens that are excessive in the province in this case it is the global adjustment in January last year they paid $60,000 for their global adjustment and by September that went up to $50,000 does the premier think it's fair for a business in Ontario to be paying over $1 million to the global adjustment while they're struggling to survive the province of Ontario? Thank you very much and I know the minister of energy will want to comment on the supplementary first of all let me say once again that I am very disappointed at what has happened at Kellogg's and the ministry of training colleges and universities will be working with Mr. Speaker in terms of electricity costs as I have said our long-term energy plan takes costs out of the system Mr. Speaker focuses on conservation and Mr. Speaker the leader of the opposition has acknowledged that he has no idea how he would lower costs Mr. Speaker he has no idea what his plan would be to deal with electricity costs Mr. Speaker he has no idea how he would get costs out of the system and he has no idea what supply makes he would support Mr. Speaker and the opposition party simply opposes everything that we've done in energy the reality is we came into office in 2003 Mr. Speaker we've been cleaning up the energy mess that was left by that party since that day and we will continue to do so Mr. Speaker but 400 employees who pays over a million dollars on the global adjustment alone are the jobs staying in this province Tim Hootack Order please Order please I wouldn't double down Premier Thank you very much Mr. Speaker and we offered the opposition party the opportunity to have night sittings this week Mr. Speaker if there was more that they would like to discuss and they voted that down Mr. Speaker we have had a 179% recovery of jobs Mr. Speaker since the recession we have a long-term energy plan that actually takes costs out of the system Mr. Speaker there is a sustainable predictable plan that the energy sector needs Mr. Speaker and that people in this province need in order to be able to know how their energy supply is going to work over the next number of years Mr. Speaker so in fact we have a plan in place I am very disappointed at what's happening at Kellogg's Mr. Speaker and you know the reality is that we will work with those folks and make sure that they have all the supports that they need and at the same time Mr. Speaker coming to Ontario and we are going to work to make sure that that trend continues thank you very much Mr. Speaker Thank you Mr. Speaker Thank you Mr. Speaker I have a question for the Prime Minister a number of excuses as to why she did not release the forensic audit at Orange then yesterday she says her hands were tied in terms of releasing this information because of an ongoing OPP investigation but the fact is the OPP gave approval for the release of this audit back in May of 2013 telling the Minister of Health that the audit's release would not have an impact on the ongoing OPP investigation will the Premier tell us which story she believes the OPP or her Minister of Health Thank you Speaker and I welcome the opportunity to discuss this Speaker I was the one who it was in my ministry that called for that forensic audit to happen in the first place Speaker I did receive an interim report in February members of the committee have had that interim report for many many months Speaker contained in that interim report was information that for me indicated that there was serious allegations Speaker and that was referred to the Ontario Provincial Police Speaker that was exactly what should have happened that was what happened the interim report which the member opposite has and members of the committee have contained information that led me to directly send that to the OPP that was the right decision Speaker Thank you Supplementary Back to the Premier please Speaker it is unbelievable that two years after learning of the scandal at Orange and the Minister's lack of oversight we are still in covering shameful details time and time again we see a pattern of the Minister of Health failing to do her job of oversight and then refusing to admit that she's made mistake yesterday she claims to have a wider hand in the release of the audit but the fact was that for the last six months the OPP has been saying the exact opposite my question is simple to the Premier does the Premier think that the Minister of Health handling of the Orange file is appropriate and at what point will the Premier say that enough is enough in the men accountability Thank you Minister today again that members of the committee requested two million pages of documents that they received contained in those documents where the forensic audit interim report Speaker they received it not once not twice but three times it's clear that members of the committee are requesting documents and they are not reading that information had they read that they are not knowing exactly why the OPP were called in to address that issue Thank you Thank you Speaker Speaker my question is to the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport Speaker my colleagues opposite have expressed shock and concern over the fact that the Pan Parapan American Games Athletes Village is a separate investment from the operating budget for the games that were announced with the original bid more than four years ago their shock and concern seems frankly out of place in fact major newspapers reported this four years ago and as recent as our 2013 budget states it is not part of the organizing committee's operating budget Mr. Speaker through you to the Minister could he explain what the Athletes Village will bring as a legacy piece to the West Onlands Thank you Speaker from Scarborough Guildwood for asking Speaker the village is part of a broader revitalization of the West Onlands and the Toronto Water Fund linking it with Pan and Parapan American Games accelerates the pace of redevelopment by more than 10 years Speaker it will also open up adjacent provincial owned land in the West Onlands for future following the games the development will become the hub of a new, sustainable makes use pedestrian and bicycle friendly community that includes a new straight night car, a new 82,000 square foot YMCA and market housing affordable housing and social housing units Speaker all these wonderful benefits and legacy will become available when the games are over Thank you Speaker Thank you Speaker I am pleased to hear that our government is focused on building an infrastructure legacy that will serve Ontarians for generations to come As I heard at yesterday's committee this capability to build Athletes Village is potentially exportable for other games internationally However there is concern that despite significant investment in facilities such as Goldring Centre and the former Iverwind Stadium that we will still need to help Toronto's vulnerable and through our government's investment of 600 million affordable housing since 2003 there are still far too many Torontonians who are unsure of where they will sleep tonight Speaker through you to the minister can he tell this house how our government and these games will ensure that Ontario's most vulnerable have access to affordable housing Minister Minister of municipal affairs and housing Minister Her tireless advocacy for our most vulnerable gives me an opportunity to talk about the importance of the Pan Am Games and the legacy they will leave for Toronto After the 10,000 athletes and their team officials leave the province to bring new lives and opportunities to Toronto's most vulnerable this legacy project will bring forward affordable rental housing to 250 Toronto families it will go towards making home ownership easier with 100 new affordable ownership units and this redevelopment will also see the first ever George Brown College residents being built which will provide affordable housing for 500 students our investment will create affordable housing for 5200 jobs for construction it will not only build housing but it will transform the former Don Weston Valley industrial lands into a beautiful sustainable mixed use name a member from Newmark and Aurora Speaker my question is my question is through the minister of health Speaker in response to the public account committee request the minister said we received the reports yesterday equally as disturbing as the results of the actual forensic report was the deputy minister's covering letter in which he goes out of his way to whitewash the minister's contradictory statements about what she read and when first the minister claimed she hadn't read the report then when she realized how incompetent that sound she told us she read an interim report well Speaker now we find that there was never an interim report was this two page briefing document that even the deputy minister referred to as an interim report the interim report has 106 pages this has two why did the minister say she read an interim report when she knows full well thank you minister of health the interim report that I received from the forensic investigation team Speaker the committee has had that for months and months Speaker what's very important to know is that that forensic investigation interim report that the member now agrees he has laid out a very clear case for this whole matter to be referred to the OPP and that's exactly what happened Speaker that was the right decision then and if I had to make the decision again I would make the very same decision the interim report went to the OPP as did the final report thank you supplementary Speaker this is beyond bizarre an interim report two pages and the minister wants us to believe that we'll simply accept that this is an interim report 106 pages was the final report this minister was satisfied to not even look at that and be satisfied with a two page briefing for crying out loud Premier are you going to accept this from your minister of health as competency and accountability and transparency well we don't and what is even works is that the deputy minister is referring to this as well as an interim report why is it that this premier accepts this kind of cover up from her minister and the deputy the member will withdraw I will withdraw Speaker the member opposite and members of the committee and others have that interim report Speaker if he can honestly say if he had been minister and read that two page interim report and not have referred to the OPP I will completely disagree with him there is enough in that report to refer to the OPP I was not going to wait until the final report I thought the OPP should be notified immediately I wish to point out to the member from Newmark and Aurora that was inappropriate new question the member from Deckelbel question for the minister of health and long-term care being in a legal strike position and after working without a contract since April 4500 red cross personal support workers who have been working 4500 red cross personal support workers will be on strike as of tomorrow morning this is not a decision that these dedicated workers take lightly their priority is to deliver the highest quality of care to their patient and striking is the absolute last resort but these PSW have been left with no choice because of the terrible working conditions will the minister finally stop ignoring the pleas of PSW and fix the problems in home care thank you and I know the minister of labor will want to respond in the supplementary what I can say is that our PSWs are extraordinary people they work very very hard every day bringing care to people who need it the most our commitment to PSWs is very strong speaker I spent a morning job shadowing a PSW in Milton not very long ago where I saw first hand the extraordinary work and the extraordinary care that they bring with them every single day I urge both parties to get back to the table to find a settlement speaker but I can tell you my respect my admiration for PSWs is as strong as it could possibly be thank you Mr. Speaker well cock and photo ops comes cheap quality home care needs continuity of care and that means stepping up to finally end the poverty wages that these PSW that these women work under in the past two years PSWs have seen a 7% loss in wages while the CEO of Red Cross sees a 9% raise PSW simply cannot afford to pay the price of the government wrong headed choices as of tomorrow morning tens of thousands of seniors will also start to pay the price of those wrong headed decision enough is enough Mr. Speaker will the minister finally recognize that our home care system cannot function when workers cannot afford to work and do the work they love Mr. Thank you Thank you very much speaker first of all I want to welcome Charlene Stewart the president of SEIU local one and Emmanuel Carvalo executive vice president of SEIU healthcare welcome to Queen's Park speaker we're very much aware of this situation and as I would encourage all parties to make every effort to conclude an agreement speaker I think we know that best agreements are reached through collective bargaining around the bargaining table and our ministry of labor mediator has been involved in the negotiation and has actually have met with the parties nine different times in order to try to reach a deal and there was a tentative deal as you may know and our mediator remains available able to assist at any time so speaker through you I encourage all the parties to be able to resume their conversation and reach an agreement through collective bargaining thank you very much Thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the minister of infrastructure speaker our government has recently introduced the infrastructure for jobs and prosperity act which reinforces the importance of our government continuing to put an emphasis on infrastructure investments and build on the success of the last decade Mr. Speaker I would like to hear about some of the innovative and new aspects this bill will bring to infrastructure planning in Ontario of interest to young workers in my riding of Ottawa south is a new provision in the legislation that would require the use of apprentices on publicly funded infrastructure projects Mr. Speaker would the minister please update the house on the rationale for the future aspect of the bill Minister of infrastructure and transportation Thank you very much Mr. Speaker as you know our annual infrastructure spend in Ontario has grown since 2003 and I want to thank my colleague Minister Trelly for his leadership on this to about 14 billion dollars when my colleague from Ottawa was the minister we are now looking at building on that platform Mr. Speaker to require and develop partnerships with the private sector and labour to have registered apprenticeships attached to each of these projects the premier mentioned that there will be 300,000 new jobs created by 2015 according to the conference board of Canada the Canadian manufacturers and exporters association actually went further Mr. Speaker and said there would be 800,000 skilled jobs available in Ontario by 2016 we will now use our infrastructure to spend Mr. Speaker to get the skills and education training to ensure the skilled workers are there to deal with this incredibly high rate of job creation Supplementary Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the minister this bill will surely go a long way in helping young skilled workers receive great work experience and I am particularly proud that our government has taken such a strong interest in helping more young skilled workers find employment Mr. Speaker encouraging the use of apprentices for young workers into the skilled trades and address our skills shortage however there is some concern and criticism over the bill recently the Toronto Star had a letter to the editor from the consulting engineers of Ontario who had expressed their displeasure that the paper had an article that characterised their profession as one that lacks design knowledge and has a propensity to construct ugly buildings Mr. Speaker well I know that this view is not shared by our government but the minister could address the language in this bill that requires the tech to become involved in the design and construction of infrastructure projects Thank you minister Thank you very much Mr. Speaker Actually I totally agree with my friend from Ottawa South You've heard me give the example of the Prince Edward Viaduct sometimes called the Bloor Viaduct That was a collaboration Mr. Speaker between I would argue one of Ontario's greatest engineers Thomas Taylor and Edmund Burke the Canadian architect not the philosopher and we recognise that when you bring the best of engineering with the best of architects from design you get the most efficient and high design project Mr. Speaker engineers which we cherish and value are written into many of our legislation we're now going to be treating other design professionals to create those kinds of collaborations because we're actually trying to stimulate more professional jobs for engineers and architects as part of our build Mr. Speaker the party opposite was talking about the American system that we should adapt to their system they've created a job creation rate 50% of Ontario's really pathetic and it was President Bush's policies that plundered us into this Mr. Speaker so we take nobody from the opposition we're going to continue to build infrastructure infrastructure Mr. Speaker please do a question to the member from Kitchener my question is to the Premier Premier when the auditor general reported on your reckless green energy policies two years ago we learned that for every so called green job that's created four more jobs are lost elsewhere in the economy in spite of the facts you continue to propose reckless new economic policies now you're ramming Bill 91 through the legislature in an attempt to half a billion dollars in new costs for retailers and manufacturers and now you're doing this even while major contributors to the provinces recycling programs like Heinz and Kellogg's are leaving the province Premier simple question based on your analysis how many jobs will be lost for every so called green job under Bill 91 quick killing job first of all Mr. Speaker I would like to convey to the member and his wonderful wife congratulations on the birth of the new son excellent name excellent choice of name Lincoln Lloyd Harris and I also want to say that he weighed in at six pounds five ounces so that's the good news the bad news is the constant attack of his father on all good things in the environment including Bill 91 I want to say to the member that I want to admit I want to admit some thievery I actually stole a lot of the content of Bill 91 from the paper produced by the member of the opposition I wanted to take credit rather than be very critical and progressive thank you thank you I know Lincoln is actually watching this morning and I know he's pretty upset with that answer so I would like her at the end of the day to answer this question because she'll be responsible for any of the negative impacts of Bill 91 in fact the letter hind sent your government in September should have acted as a wake up call they pleaded with you to study the economic consequences of Bill 91 but you failed to answer because you clearly haven't conducted any economic analysis now they're leaving the province Premier it's time for you to take personally responsible for the actions of your government your environment minister is losing credibility on this file not only with the stakeholders but members of your own caucus so Premier will you bail out the environment minister bail him out pull Bill 91 off the order paper and conduct a proper economic analysis thank you Mr. Speaker I don't think there's anyone in this house who actually believes any company out there is going to make that kind of decision when we're at second reading on an enabling piece of legislation in a minority parliament he would recognize with any of these companies whether the product is produced in Ontario or produced in Ontario there's still the same requirement in terms of the responsibility for the ultimate recycling of those projects so I encourage members to have these people come to committee if we ever get to committee I've encouraged everyone who has any comment at all on this piece of legislation to come to committee to make the representations to propose any amendments that they deem appropriate but I want to say that the heart of the legislation really should be given to my good friend the Member for Kitchener Conestoga Thank you Mr. Speaker my question is to the Premier the Liberal government announced to sell off the ONTC without any consultation or regard for the North 18 months later due to Northerners work in pressure the government was forced to reconsider their plan but in Timmins this past Friday the Premier made it clear that the cancellation in Northlander wasn't an option for reconsideration at that same meeting the Premier resisted a challenge to ride the bus from Cochrane to Toronto and see how hard it is for seniors and those who are asking who are seeking medical help to make Toronto by bus I've had people seniors who helped build this province who were forced to move from my ride in because they couldn't take the bus from Toronto to Toronto is that the Premier's version of 1 Ontario will you consider reinstating passenger rail service for the people of Northeast North North and Development in mind Thank you Mr. Speaker I think the member knows very well how hard we're working to make the right decisions we're letting to the long term sustainability of the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission we've got a ministerial advisory committee in place with people such as Phenom President Alan Spatch and North Bay Mayor Al MacDonald and we're working really hard on focusing on transforming the ONTC so that indeed it will have a long term sustainable future I've got some fine quotes here from the members which reflects the fact that we are focusing on transformation as opposed to divestment we want to make the right decisions the ones that are in the best interest of northerners we recognize how important the ONTC as an economic development tool in northeastern Ontario and we're going to make the best decision to make sure that the ONTC has a bright future and one that's based on the right decisions being made we want to make sure that the ONTC thank you for our no disturbed votes this House stands recessed until 3pm this afternoon