 I'm for question period the leader of Her Majesty's Royal Opposition. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. Years of liberal scandal, waste and mismanagement have seen this government attack frontline workers across the province. Health care, home care, hospitals and over the last few years now schools. The Liberals are fast-tracking school closures and there is currently potentially 600 schools on the chopping block. Students from I-Roddy and Simcoe North who currently go to schools in Honey Harbor are at risk. Both schools, Catholic and public in Honey Harbor, are slated to close. That means some students will be sent over an hour away on a bus to Midland. This is after the Liberals already closed schools in Wabashane and Port McNichol. Mr. Speaker, this government is attacking rural schools and sending children on hour-long bus rides. What happened to the community hub the Liberals promised? Mr. Speaker, when will the Premier and when will this Liberal government stop their attack on rural schools? Thank you. Order. It does sound to me I'm going to keep a very close watch and hear what's going on. If it sounds to me like we're going to move down a road like we did last week, I will be the first to come up and say we're going to go to warnings. Premier. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker and Mr. Speaker. I'm happy to take the question but before I do I want to congratulate both newly elected MPPs. Sam Osterhoff for Niagara West Grandbrook and Natalie Rosé for Ottawa Bannier. We look forward to welcoming them both to Queen's Park. Mr. Speaker, you know I know that decisions around school closures, school consolidations are some of the most difficult that school boards have to make Mr. Speaker. And they require consultation with the community including parents and in fact Mr. Speaker quite contrary to what the leader of the opposition and his colleagues are saying we've actually worked to change the funding formula so that that process would be more rational and so that it would actually be slowed down Mr. Speaker. In 2015-16 we'll provide approximately $3.7 billion in funding to rural schools and since 2002 the per pupil funding has increased by 64% Mr. Speaker across the province. Thank you Mr. Speaker again to the Premier. Both Honey Harbour Public School and our Lady of Mercy Catholic School close will be a huge blow to the entire Honey Harbour community. As a past trustee who wrote me today stated, quote, closing both schools in Honey Harbour will not only destroy the social fabric of the Honey Harbour community but also the economic engine and well-being of the service providers, close quote. This afternoon I will table petitions containing over 1,000 signatures asking for your government's help to find a solution that will best serve children and families of the area. This includes the potential for co-location at a single school site. Mr. Speaker will the Premier commit to finding a solution that will help keep a primary school open in the town of Honey Harbour? Mr. Speaker let me just say and I want to speak specifically to the issues around co-location and cooperation because that is a very important aspect of this. There have been situations in this province Mr. Speaker since before the time that I was Minister of Education and beyond where there have been solutions if boards work together and found a way to co-locate schools then there could have been a school remain open in a community. Sometimes that's hard to do and I would encourage all MPPs in this house to work with their all the co-located school boards and the municipalities Mr. Speaker because the reality is for the first time in Ontario's history we do have a community hub project working across government Mr. Speaker that's the first time that there has been an explicit recognition that community hubs are important but it means that everyone in the community needs to work together and MPPs can really be a very important part of that Mr. Speaker. Final supplement. Thank you and good morning Speaker my question is for the Premier our vast north covers two thirds of all of Ontario there are rural schools spread far and wide a school with 50 or 80 students is the norm but when you put these schools under a review they can never match up with the made in south rules and regulations our northern schools are small because of the very nature of where they're located many towns of four or five thousand have a hundred kilometres between them and the nearest community these schools will simply not fit into the government's mould I urge the Premier to follow the steps of our leader Patrick Brown who has come to the north and seen what northern communities are like will the Premier give northern schools the immediate attention they deserve No Mr. Speaker when I was the Minister of Education I visited a school in Sioux Narrows I think there were 16 students there Mr. Speaker I made the argument that we keep that school open Mr. Speaker I'm not going to take lessons from the party office and on schools Mr. Speaker since 2012-2013 we've increased the annual funding for rural boards by a hundred and ninety all members finish please $199 million which is 5.7% Mr. Speaker that's in the face of declining enrollment so we're going to continue to work with boards we understand that there are reviews happening across the province Mr. Speaker and we look to the boards and the local communities to work together to find those solutions Mr. Speaker but we also have to recognize that students need to have the best learning environments possible where they can get the programs that they need in every corner of the province Mr. Speaker Your question to the member from the lead screen Thanks Mr. Speaker my question is to the Premier Mr. Speaker I've written the Minister of Education calling for a moratorium on school closures while we find long term answers to ensure rural schools can continue to learn close to home I was shocked that she told me those solutions won't be found at Queens Park it's unacceptable for your minister to sit on the sidelines and leave the future of rural education to a process rigged against these communities the member from the resigned from the accommodation review committee in my riding because she called it highly flawed and undemocratic none of it inspires confidence she said Michelle and others have exposed this process as a smoke and mirrors farce Speaker will the Premier put an end to these charades by implementing a moratorium on school closures before it's too late Mr. Speaker I know that the party opposite does not have a history of believing in or supporting school boards I actually believe in school boards I think that school boards play an important role so you know we know Mr. Speaker that there are examples of school consolidations where there have been two small schools the member from Leeds Grandville come to order in two small schools that have been consolidated Mr. Speaker and a new school has been built and I believe that Garfield Dunlop at one point was singing the praises of just such a consolidation Mr. Speaker those are the kinds of decisions that local school boards need to make to continue to increase funding in the face of declining enrollment but Mr. Speaker school boards have to be respected to go through a process with communities to make the best decisions for kids in their communities Thank you The member from Bruce Gray Owen Sound come to order The member from Beaches East York come to order New question The member from Lannark Fronten Mr. Speaker again to the Premier it's time for the Premier to take ownership of yet another of her mistakes up to 40 schools are slated to close in my right and alone school closures are not the cause but a symptom of communities in decline and that is the true liberal legacy the decline of small town and rural Ontario Speaker the Premier's policies the Premier's economic actions the Premier's restrictive land use regulations and skyrocketing hydro rates have suffocated growth and prosperity in rural Ontario now in my right and alone up to 40 community schools are on the chopping block Speaker when will this liberal government release that fatal grip that they have and allow rural Ontario to breathe prosper and grow again Thank you Premier Minister of Education Minister of Education Thank you Speaker Speaker we know that schools play a very important role in the social fabric of our communities and in fact Mr. Speaker that is why when it comes to rural school boards our government has clearly shown that it understands the needs in rural communities in 2015-16 we provided approximately $3.7 billion in funding towards rural schools in fact Mr. Speaker that is reflected in our grants for students needs to ensure that rural communities have that additional support that they need since 2002 we've increased per pupil funding by $4,753 64% Mr. Speaker and Mr. Speaker I've talked to the chair of the Upper Canada School Board and Mr. Speaker they understand that the status quo is not an option that they have to look at their schools from a local perspective and what the needs are today and for the future and that's exactly what they're doing Thank you final supplementary member Thank you Mr. Speaker to the premier the closure of many schools across rural Ontario due to this ministry's ill-conceived funding policies will rip the heart out of many rural communities if the current review continues under the flawed guidelines set in 2015 20 schools in SC&G students will have less time to spend with their families fewer opportunities to participate in extracurricular activities close to home less sleep and more stress due to overcrowding in the few schools that remain how hard is it to see that this is a bad deal for students the ministry strives for higher results but these schools are already exceeding provincial standards will the premier listen to the people of rural Ontario impose a moratorium on the flawed pupil accommodation reviews sit down with school boards, municipalities and residents to hammer out sustainable rural education strategy that preserves their community's access to high quality primary and secondary education close to home minister Mr. Speaker, we're doing just that we are listening to the needs of local communities through the elected school board trustees Mr. Speaker that's why there is an accommodation review process that is underway to allow an opportunity for the school boards to consult with municipalities with parents, with students in terms of how to make this decision we understand Mr. Speaker that it is a difficult decision that school boards have to make but Mr. Speaker it doesn't mean that they don't need to make the decision what's important is that this is an opportunity for people to provide good input so that they can make the best decision possible and Mr. Speaker we're supporting the changes and the transformations that needs to occur we have a school consolidation fund that allows schools to combine so that they can actually deliver better and more structured programs for students so that students achievement learning is considered as well thank you Mr. Speaker thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the Premier on Friday Mayor John Henry of Oshawa spoke out on the alarming high increase in his city's hydro bills over the past year Mayor Henry said that Oshawa paid just over $151,000 in one month to light the city streets in 2015 and in 2016 the same month cost more than $221,000 that's an increase of $70,000 in one year now I know the Premier told Liberal Party members this weekend that high electricity prices were her mistake does the Premier finally understand Speaker that her wrong-headed sell-off of hydro one is a mistake and is hurting families, businesses and municipalities like Oshawa and will she put an end to it now thank you very much Mr. Speaker well I think the leader of the third party is going to answer the question and I believe that the leader is talking specifically about municipal costs the Mayor's cost as I said as I have said many times in this house and I said on the weekend we recognize that there is an issue that there is a burden that has been put on people across the province in terms of electricity cost we're working to take those costs out of the system and off people's bills so Mr. Speaker I just need to say in the case of municipalities in specific we have since we've been in office been taking costs that were previously downloaded onto the municipal tax base we've been taking those costs off that tax base to the tune of over $2.5 billion which provides relief for municipalities across the province thank you well Speaker it's one thing to admit you've made a mistake and it's quite another to actually fix that mistake families who have to choose between paying huge hydro bills or putting food on the table businesses that have to lay off staff just to keep the lights on or municipalities that have seen their hydro cross nearly double in a year they are not interested in empty platitudes from this Premier they want action will the Premier finally right the wrong of her hydro one sell off and show the people of Ontario that she can put the people of Ontario ahead of her well connected friends Mr. Speaker as I again as I have said we recognize that there are there are challenges there's a burden that people are confronting which is why we have been making changes we've taken the debt retirement charge off bills Mr. Speaker created the Ontario electricity support program Mr. Speaker we've put off new generating projects which take costs out of the system Mr. Speaker and beginning January 1st we're taking the provincial portion of the HST 8% off people's bills Mr. Speaker in addition to that to go back to the municipal example Barry for example is saving $2 million a year by switching to LED lighting so Mr. Speaker there is a variety of things that we are doing Mr. Speaker I have said that we need to do more and I am committed to doing more Mr. Speaker thank you Mr. Speaker Mayor Henry said that high hydro bills are costing his community jobs he said that a year ago GM moved production of the Camaro from Oshawa to Michigan where he said they get cheaper Ontario power in Michigan Speaker whether or not the Premier can admit it her wrong-headed sell off is hampering business hampering business from starting up or expanding or sometimes just keeping afloat that affects everyone who lives there Speaker and the same thing is happening in communities across the province if high hydro prices are the Premier's mistake when will she begin to fix the problem and stop any further sell off of hydro thank you Mr. Speaker thank you Mr. Speaker I am very pleased to stand and rise and answer this question Mr. Speaker because municipalities are the ones that are seeing many of the benefits of the broadening of the sale of hydro one for example in my riding of Sudbury we are seeing the expansion of Mealy Drive I know the Minister of Transportation has been making announcements in Hamilton and throughout the province on investments Mr. Speaker that we are making in municipalities that are benefiting those communities and creating jobs the ICI program for example just last year we had 80 new participants 6 auto part manufacturers and Guelph 2 food processing plants in Brampton 10 assorted manufacturing plants in the York region a textile plant in Woodstock a printing plant in Owen Sound a building products manufacturer in Burlington Mr. Speaker I don't have enough time to talk about all of the new businesses that have signed up to the ICI program and with the changes that we made Mr. Speaker over a thousand new businesses will be able to sign up that is great news for the province Mr. Speaker Good question, the leader of the third party Thank you Mr. Speaker my next question is also for the Premier Today in the gallery there are parents from small towns and rural areas who are asking the Premier to save their children's schools schools in Lively, in Owen Sound and the village of Longsue are on the chopping block nearly 40 schools throughout rural Ontario are slated for closure and students already have less access to music and health programs compared to students in larger centres now this government is going to make it even harder for these students to participate in extracurriculars forcing them to attend schools outside their hometown and spend hours on a bus commuting each day when will the Premier recognize the importance of rural schools and actually provide these schools the resources they need to stay open Thank you very much Mr. Speaker and I welcome all of the families who are here who are concerned about their local schools I completely understand that Mr. Speaker and that's exactly why since we have been in office we have increased funding to rural schools even though there has been a reduction in enrollment because we recognize how important those schools are but to the leader of the third party it is the very reason for the review of schools that sometimes there is an inability for school boards to deliver the exact programs that the leader of the third party was talking about those music programs those art programs Mr. Speaker there needs to be a review to make sure that where there are some very small schools where there can be consolidations where kids are not getting the very best learning environment that the boards work to make sure that they are doing well with the boards but the boards know their communities best and they need to make those decisions the boards need the help of the provincial government to be able to provide the services and the education that everyone just bricks and mortar there are actually parks and playgrounds often the historical and cultural hub of a community but last year this government rewrote the book on school closures we even included a loophole speaker that allows the school to be closed within two months with no meaningful public input when will this premier stop forcing this closure of rural and community schools and immediately rewrite the guidelines to give communities a voice in the process thank you Minister of Education thank you Speaker and Mr. Speaker I'm not sure where the leader of the third party is getting her information from but right now the school boards are actually going through a consultation process an accommodation review process they're actually talking to their local communities because Mr. Speaker the status quo is not sustainable they know that some decisions do need to be made these are difficult decisions and it's important that a conversation occur between the school boards and the rural community and Mr. Speaker that is exactly what is happening but I want to speak to the question of support for our local schools in rural areas because Mr. Speaker since 2012-2013 we've increased the annual grants for student needs funding for rural boards by over $199 million a 5.79% increase and these increases take into consideration the unique needs that are in rural communities that provide the good quality programs that every child deserves Mr. Speaker final supplementary Speaker for all the claims that the premier and her minister make about investing in education parents, students and educational workers just aren't buying it today rural Ontario parents are at the doorstep of Queen's Park to say enough is enough the geographic circumstance grant has been cut by $10 million in the past two years this is money used to keep our rural schools open Speaker New Democrats know that where a child lives should not determine the quality of education or supports that they receive we know communities students, parents should all have a say in the future of their schools will the premier actually listen in fact when will this premier actually listen to parents and education workers who are rallying to save their schools today and take action to keep small and rural schools open Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker we are listening to the concerns raised by parents I just met with a group of parents and members of the community this morning and I will join the premier in welcoming parents who are here because it's important Mr. Speaker that locally elected communities have the responsibility of deciding where and how they provide education services to students of the board including making the tough decisions around school closures or consolidations Mr. Speaker we are assisting in that by providing the necessary funding and supports to allow that process to occur and Mr. Speaker I just want to say that it would be financially irresponsible if nothing was done Mr. Speaker effective programs to all students and we must have these difficult conversations and I want you to know Mr. Speaker that conversations are occurring they're occurring with local municipalities with parents with students and the boards will have that decision that they need to make Thank you very much Mr. Speaker my questions to the premier schools are a community's cultural asset they drive local economies closing them removes recreational space eliminates opportunities for all businesses and working parents to vulnerable populations the community impact is huge it also creates complex fiscal and social problems problems that future generations will have to somehow fix sadly this is a gritty reality this government hid from public debate when they rewrote the accommodation review guidelines the premier surely understands she needs to open her eyes to solutions I want to know will she avoid another mistake will she stand with the people and be part of a solution by imposing a moratorium and fixing these arbitrary guidelines and reinstate the community impact component here here thank you Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker before I enter politics I focus my time on building communities and I understand that in order for that to occur you have to have conversations you have to have collaboration and you have to have people working together and Mr. Speaker through the accommodation review process the school boards have a defined in which to do that and that is exactly what they are doing Mr. Speaker I want to quote a trustee from the blue water district school board who talks about accommodation reviews are happening right across the province for exactly the same reason that they are happening in our area fewer students, too many schools change is never easy the challenge is to make sure that the buildings that are closed are the right ones and that the decisions made are in the best interest of the students under our care Mr. Speaker clearly the trustees of these local boards understand decisions are not made at Queen's Park about school consolidations they are made at the local level thank you Mr. Speaker back to the premier the premier's lack of passion for action especially as a former trustee and minister of education is appalling school closing is a problem in need of a solution it's short-sighted because frankly we in rural and rural need schools to survive everyone needs schools to survive concerned parents, community leaders, business owners they are all at Queen's Park because they want the premier to work on a solution it's a premier's time to decide will she avoid another mistake like the hydro fiasco and stand with the people before it's too late or will she shrug as communities brace for potentially 600 school closures Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker I understand that these are very tough decisions for boards to make Mr. Speaker and that's why the decision to close a school when it's under capacity is far from an easy one and a decision that must be made by trustees at the local level for the future of their community member from beaches east York is warned member from Bruce Gray Owen Sound second time member from Prince Edward Hastings come to order finish please Mr. Speaker and Mr. Speaker deserve to attend the best schools possible in our province and parents and students and the community at large deserve to be heard during this accommodation review process and that is exactly what is happening these decisions are not happening here at Queen's Park they are happening through the conversation that local trustees are having with their local communities in the best interest of their students Mr. Speaker Thank you Mr. Speaker Premier today the TTC is meeting to discuss another round of fair increases in service cuts that will in fact hurt transit riders it's hard to see how the TTC can maintain ridership when transit keeps getting more expensive and service keeps getting more uncomfortable less reliable and less convenient the TTC used to be the envy of North America back when the provincial government provided 50% funding for TTC operations the Tories cut the funding and it stayed cut under the liberals what will the Premier do to ensure that the TTC remains in fact the better way Thank you Premier Minister of Transportation Thanks very much Speaker I want to thank the member from Parkdale High Park for her question this morning Speaker that member would know every member in the legislature would know that our government has made a significant investment to transit in the City of Toronto and right across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area Speaker a couple of things to keep in mind for example since 2004 the provincial government has provided almost 2 billion almost 1.8 billion dollars in gas tax funding specifically to the City of Toronto and in this current year Speaker 1.7 billion dollars there is a long list of projects that we provide support to Speaker that are so crucial to making sure that the people of Toronto and the people of the entire region have the transit network that they so richly deserve Speaker and I'm sure in the follow up question I'll have the opportunity to go through some of those crucial projects Thanks very much Thank you Mr. Speaker Back to the Premier which has been unreliable and extremely expensive she just downloaded transit costs onto Toronto that her government had originally agreed to pay she has ripped up long standing transit plans bringing more chaos and waste and TTC riders are paying the price since she became Premier the cost of a metro pass has risen twice as fast as inflation while service is worse she is downloading more costs onto TTC riders what will the Premier do to make transit affordable and convenient for Toronto riders Thanks very much Speaker I think the most important thing for that member and all members in the House to do Speaker is to take a look at the whole picture over the last two years and currently Speaker here is a list of the projects by our Premier and by the Ontario Government so for example Speaker $3.7 billion for GO Regional Express Rail specifically in the 401-6 Speaker $450 million to deliver the Union Pearson Express on time and on budget $416 million from the province to support the purchase of 200 new street cars approximately $8 billion for the Toronto LRT Plant Speaker including the Crosstown and the Finch I mentioned the $1.75 billion in gas tax funding $172 million for the revitalization of Union Station $150 million to Metrolinx to support the planning of the Regional Relief Line Speaker and the list goes on from there. Our Premier and our Government will continue to invest in transit in Toronto and right across this region Thank you Thank you Speaker My question is for the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change The Minister was in Marrakesh recently around the globe at the 2016 United Nations Climate Conference Ontario's participation at the annual conference demonstrates our commitment to tackling the consequences of climate change working alongside neighbouring jurisdictions our Government has engaged in both the dialogue and actions needed to protect our environment but Speaker with the recent results of the US Presidential Election there are concerns on how this influence the discourse on climate change we've relied on partnerships to take on the battle against climate change it's allowed us to become innovators in the green economy Speaker could the Minister please inform the House on the steps that our Government is taking to continue building on partnerships that will help benefit Ontario's environment and the economy Thank you Thank you Mr Speaker and I thank the member both for advocacy climate change and her understanding of the opportunities of a low carbon economy and for the question this was a very important conference because it was really the first conference to start working on implementing the Paris Agreement and for Ontario the next few months is important we launch our first auction in March at the same time when we launch this in March China launches its carbon market meaning that 60% of the world's economy will be covered by cap and trade carbon markets we worked very hard with California with Germany, the United Kingdom Japan, South Korea on setting the rules for trading carbon allowances and reductions for looking at the relationships between the carbon economy and trade and these things called ITMOs internationally traded transferable mitigation outcomes which are the mechanisms by which Ontario will buy well, GHC reductions Thank you I'd like to thank the minister and I'd like to thank him for his advocacy and leadership on this file a linked carbon economy is certainly going to help leverage Ontario's working relationship with other jurisdictions it also acknowledges the shared responsibility that we all have in the battle against climate change our commitment to this battle was underscored when our government phased out coal-fired plants standing by our promise to power this province through clean energy sources more recently Ontario's commitment was illustrated when our members move forward to recognize the objectives that were laid out in the 2015 Paris Agreement we hope that our efforts are going to be mirrored by our partners across North America and abroad Speaker could the minister please explain to the House what these transformative measures are for the people of Ontario Thank you minister Mr. Thanks very much Mr. Speaker, again thanks to the member for the question as you can imagine one of the hot topics in Morocco was the United States given the election and it was fascinating for many of us how motivated everyone else in the world was to get on with implementing Paris and what was particularly interesting from Simcoe North would know this because he had a front seat for this in Canada we had ten years where the federal government would not allow the words climate change to even be used at federal provincial tables subsidized fossil fuels and opposed any carbon pricing mechanisms and at the same time provinces, Nova Scotia, Ontario New Brunswick British Columbia and Quebec closed coal plants introduced cap and trade in North America with California and saw some of the largest reductions in the world our partnerships with the U.S. States suggest that's about to happen in the United States through the same process Thank you, any questions? The 2009 Green Energy Act stripped away local autonomy from communities across Ontario and we all know how that has negatively impacted Ontarians as well as their hydro bills now speaker the premier is continuing to thumb her nose at communities by just this spring ripping the community impact of school closures out of the arc review process and as a result speaker this premier is choosing to make another mistake by ignoring the negative community impacts that will occur when she rips the heart out of communities like in Paisley and Chesley by closing their schools Speaker will the premier commit today to a moratorium on school closures and to fixing these arbitrary guidelines Thank you speaker speaker I think that it's important to recognize that the pupil accommodation review guidelines is really giving our school boards our local school boards a tool so that they can engage in conversation with the local community when a tough decision like closing or consolidating a school has to be made and you know Mr. Speaker I went through this process in my own community and yes the conversations were difficult but what happened at the end of the day is that our students were able to actually move to other locations that had better programming because we were able to provide take those investments in those member ask the question and provide a more diverse set of options for students in terms of their programming so this is all about ensuring that we make the right sets of investments so that our students can get the best learning outcomes possible Mr. Speaker and in order to do that a decision has to be made locally supplementary the member from Holmen back to the premier strong rural communities need strong schools to remain destinations for business and families closing rural schools can have a dramatic impact on rural areas for schools off in the heart of the community and the economic impact of closing a school in a rural area should always be considered yet the Ministry of Education as we understand is quietly removed the last two criteria of the parts process that looks at value to community value to the local economy people in Ontario have lost their democratic right to have a say in the decisions that affect not only the education of children but the survival of the schools and the health of their communities premier there are alternatives to closing schools will the premier explain to this house why she turned her back on our rural economies and our rural communities Mr. Speaker I just want to give an example funding for school boards in the eastern region has increased by 1.4 billion dollars since 2003 Mr. Speaker that's an 80% increase and Mr. Speaker taking lessons from a party where in 2014 the plan for education was to cut 2,000 teaching positions and 5,000 early childhood educator jobs and 10,000 support staff Mr. Speaker the PCs campaigned on a plan to fire teachers and I quote will it mean fewer teachers it does it will mean fewer teachers in our system and this was from the leader of that party Mr. Speaker the PCs cuts to education meant that at least 22,000 jobs would be lost in education and that's not good for students Mr. Speaker good question remember from the Hamilton moment thank you Speaker my question is to the premier workers at the Peel Children's Aid Society have been on strike for nine weeks as they try to get the employer to understand that workload caps are necessary so that vulnerable children get the care they need the employer has been filling the gap with an adequate replacement staff I have raised these concerns with both the Minister of Children and the Minister of Labor but the Peel CAS refuses to reach an agreement with workers how long does the premier plan on letting this continue thank you thank you Mr. Speaker I want to thank the member for the question I know that she's a strong advocate for her community and also for children here in the province of Ontario Mr. Speaker as labour negotiations are a matter between the employer and the employee the member knows that it would be completely inappropriate for me to comment on the specifics of that process but what I can tell you Mr. Speaker is that we want to make sure as the minister responsible for children here in the province of Ontario we want to make sure that there's a plan in place that will ensure that young people in care are being protected and that they're provided with the opportunities they need to make sure that they're safe while this process goes on we're hopeful that the union and the employer will do all they can a conclusion that would be favourable for children in care and I know that the minister of labour and the supplemental will want a comment on the process thank you I received a letter from a child in the care of the PLCAS she is 14 years old and has been in care since she found her mother's dead body in September this youth is in desperate need of care counselling and support support PLCAS has not been able to provide she waited hours for a PLCAS supervisor who never came to pick her up her school social worker has tried to reach out to the CAS but has had no response children should be at the centre of all decisions when will this government start putting vulnerable children first Mr. Speaker thank you Mr. Speaker I just want to say to the member opposite again I appreciate her question I appreciate her role as the critic to this ministry but she knows that we have been doing everything we possibly can when it comes to protection of children here in the province of Ontario to make sure that we build a pathway that allows for young people to find protected homes and guardians and place them back into families we are changing the way we are doing things when it comes to child protection the province of Ontario I think we need the member opposite and all members of the legislature to work with us to make sure that children are set up for success in this particular case I would suggest to the member opposite if there is concerns that come forward individual concerns from people in her community across the province of Ontario if she talks to me directly we can make sure that those particular concerns are addressed thank you my question is to the minister of government and consumer services minister I hold on monthly seniors advisory group meeting in my riding of Etobicoke center and when I started having those meetings I started to hear about the issues you would expect I heard about healthcare, I heard about transportation I heard about pocketbook issues but I also began hearing from seniors who were victims or knew someone who had been the victim of a door to door sale scam where sales people use coercive aggressive or misleading tactics to entice people to sign contracts to take advantage of them right at their very door steps right in their very own home it is beyond reprehensible to me that some organizations have a business model based on taking advantage of vulnerable people and we have to take action to protect Ontarians minister earlier this month I had the privilege of joining you and the member from Trinity Spadina to talk about the changes through the putting consumers first act one of the proposed changes in the legislation is to ban unsolicited door to door sales of certain home appliances such as water heaters furnaces, air conditioners and water filters minister could you inform the house how these changes will protect vulnerable consumers thank you minister I want to say thank you to the member from Etobicoke center for the question but particularly is initiative in this long standing consumer protection issue we've heard Ontarians concerns regarding door to door sales and are now acting upon them the proposed legislation will prohibit unsolicited door to door sales of some products and services such as those the member just mentioned Mr. Speaker should these rules be violated the contract would then be void this means that consumers would no longer have to pay for the product and if they choose would be able to keep it as well it's time we better protect consumers at their front door and in their homes Mr. Speaker our government is dedicated to providing people's hard earned money which is why we are moving forward with the proposed changes good answer supplementary thank you minister for providing those details and this is really exciting news I really thank you for your work on this important issue you know thousands of my constituents at the public health center have been approached by unscrupulous door to door sales people they dupe them into contracts that are more expensive than industry standards that have harsh cancellation fees and provide inferior products and services that don't work or that don't perform as advertised I cannot tell you how many seniors I have spoken to who now have to pay money they should have never had to spend for a furnace and air conditioner or another product that they never even needed while this is an issue that cuts across all ages and backgrounds it's alarming to me to see how often they target seniors who are unacceptable the changes you described will certainly help protect Ontarians from these practices and minister could you provide further detail regarding your plan to protect consumers from aggressive door to door sales thank you minister thank you again to the member and I have to say for his great advocacy on this role particularly for our seniors in Ontario Mr. Speaker if the proposed legislation is passed my ministry will further analyze areas of consumer complaints to determine which products and services will be affected by the ban it's also important to balance consumer protection with fairness to businesses that use good practice and operate with consumer protection law in mind the proposed legislation will still allow customer initiated contracts and Mr. Speaker consumers would be granted a 10 day cooling off period for any contract signed in their own home this allow people to carefully consider and be confident with any giving purchase and Mr. Speaker our goal is to help Ontarians make informed choices in a fair and safe marketplace thank you yes thanks Speaker my question is to the Premier Speaker parents of children attending St. Agatha Catholic School got a surprise on the last day of school in June with board notices indicating they were being thrown into another accommodation review process surprised because not only did the notice cause speculation as to what happened to the recommendation of the last ARC review for a new school in the area but even more so because that review only concluded two years ago turns out that while parents awaited news on the new school request the ministry was busy changing the rules of the game scrapping the once in a five year period rule to allow accommodation review to be approved if you don't succeed just change the rules and try again will the Premier explain if giving boards the tools to rapidly rid themselves of rule schools was part of the ministry plan all along Mr. Speaker you know I understand that this is a challenging issue for communities which is why Mr. Speaker we have continued to increase schools even though most of the boards in the province Mr. Speaker have seen declining enrollment but Mr. Speaker again I say to the member opposite I understand that that party does not recognize the responsibility of school boards to have local decision making authority but we believe that it's important that school boards have the opportunity to work with their communities Mr. Speaker to make decisions for example around consolidation of schools so that kids can get better programming and better access to staff Mr. Speaker but those decisions need to be local and so the process that is in place allows for that consultation I know it's not easy Mr. Speaker as a school board trustee I've watched this happen in rural and in urban settings Mr. Speaker I know it's a challenge but the school boards need to have that authority Mr. Speaker Thank you Mr. Speaker back to the speaker the premier is insisting that any closures will be local decisions but that is only part of the story and now the rest of the story the province is cutting funding and leaving local officials no options Jim Costello Lampton Kent District School Board Director of Education said and I quote until the ministry changed the funding formula in April of 2015 we were able to survive but then he went on to say and I quote a lot of that funding has been changed and drastically reduced so now we have an economic reality that is unavoidable and we have to take action so speaker to the premier why does this government refuse to properly fund rural schools Thank you speaker I want to thank the members for their question it's important to know that we have increased funding to rural schools Mr. Speaker by 3.7 billion dollars so the funding is not being cut Mr. Speaker funding I want to just mention that funding for Kitchener schools has increased by 79% since 2003 Mr. Speaker by 551.6 million dollars in fact Mr. Speaker we have built seven new schools Baden public schools Sir Adam Beck public school Heron Heights Williamsburg public school J.W.Gerth Jean Stackel public school and John Sweeney Catholic elementary school Mr. Speaker funding for school boards in the southwest region has increased by 1.2 billion dollars since 2003 that is a 53% increase that is the rest of the story Mr. Speaker the per pupil funding has increased by 4,300 million dollars so Mr. Speaker we want to fund kids in classrooms not empty spaces and that's what we're focusing on new question members from Nickel Belt My question is for the minister of education today residents from Sudbury and Nickel Belt are at Queen's Park they made the long journey down here to protest the consolidation and closure of 12 schools I have seen this movie before and it does not end well it ends with four year old kids having to be on a bus for three and a half hours a day when the roads are good and longer than this in the winter it ends with community being gutted and unable to attract young families with kids it ends with grocery stores and businesses closing the possible closure of Levac Dowling Chemsford and Lively School minister of big urban schools at the expense of smaller rural and northern schools minister will you put a moratorium on any more school closure until the review of your funding formula and the effect it has on northern and rural schools Mr. Speaker we've had a review of our accommodation review process and that has happened Mr. Speaker and it's important that we respect the role of the local trustees Mr. Speaker these decisions are not being made at Queens Park they are being made by the locally elected school board trustee in consultation with parents with students with municipalities and with their local communities Mr. Speaker and we need to allow that process to unfold and Mr. Speaker since the question regarding the funding for rural schools it's important to note that since 2013 we've increased the annual grants for students needs funding for rural school boards by over $199 million and this is despite declining enrollments Mr. Speaker so there is more money that is being invested in students in classrooms than in empty classrooms Mr. Speaker that is not something that we want to sustain we want that funding to go towards our children's education Mr. Speaker have you supplementary I have gone to see the ministers at least four time about this review she promised follow-up but none came I hand deliver her a letter from three municipal councillor wanting to meet with her but no response I handed her financial analysis showing great discrepancy and still no follow-up meanwhile the kids in my riding in Geneva Lake will have to be on the bus for three and a half hour minimum if Lavak endowling school closes it's hard to imagine how can a four and a five year old learn after they spend so long on the bus it's hard to leave and come home from school in the dark when you can't participate in school sport and activities because you spend so much time on a bus minister I ask you again will you put a moratorium on any school closure until the full effect are known for the community and your funding formula is reviewed Mr. Speaker knows that yes we've had conversations and I am engaged with her in the discussion that is underway and with members of her community but Mr. Speaker these decisions have not been made these decisions are in a process Mr. Speaker and that process requires input which is exactly what is happening it would be financially irresponsible Mr. Speaker to do nothing in the face of declining enrollment and they need to provide those valuable dollars in education for programming for students Mr. Speaker so it's important that municipalities have input that parents have input that students have input to these decisions and that is exactly what is happening through the accommodation review process that is in place Mr. Speaker and we have helped school boards to pursue consolidations by providing $750 million for school consolidation funds so that they can make decisions locally Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker my question is for the Minister of International Trade our government's decision to turn international trade into a stand alone ministry has been well received in the business community including my riding of Kingston and the islands this past week the minister of agriculture food and rural affairs returned from yet another successful trade mission to India a growing hub for domestic and financial markets collaboration between these two ministries is integral to the agri-food industry as a long-term pillar of our province's economy I know that the minister has worked tirelessly to bolster the services available to Ontario's companies so that they may be well positioned to enter markets like India and be at an extra advantage Speaker could the minister please provide the house with an update on the results of his most recent trip to India and expand upon the growth opportunities available to Ontario's businesses for international trade Thank you Sikha and I want to thank the honourable member for asking Sikha as minister responsible for international trade I have had the privilege of participating in nine international trade missions so far however this mission was the first of his kind focusing on one of Ontario's great strengths the agri-food industry I'm proud to say that the demand for Ontario agricultural goods on the international market is at an unprecedented level our government along with our delegates was successful in the signing of four agreements between big parties India is an important market for Ontario and we look forward to continuing to foster prosperous trade and investment relationship promote collaboration and encourage future deals First of all this mission will serve to encourage more of Ontario's small and medium sized enterprises to scale up and venture into the world Thank you Mr. Speaker it's fantastic to hear of these results and I know the minister as well as the minister of agriculture food and rural affairs have worked hard to ensure that our relationship with India remains strong and translates into equitable trade deals Mr. Speaker our side of the House understands that in order to give our small and medium sized enterprises a chance to compete on the global stage we must provide supports that is why I was so excited to hear the services provide introductions to exporting and in market support for Ontario businesses that are looking to expand in an ever changing global sphere it is comforting to know that Ontario businesses will be giving an opportunity to enter the marketplace informed and prepared Mr. Speaker could the minister kindly expand on the effects services and programs have had on the investments that were made during his trade mission in India Thank you minister Thank you again for the question Mr. Speaker our ministry understand that the key to any successful transmission start with identifying and building market awareness Mr. Speaker our government's investment in stationing in market trade development representatives in places like New Delhi have provided a world of contacts and knowledge that plays our promise and its businesses at an advantage it is this on the ground approach that allow our government to secure investments from companies like Geoconstat Geoconstat are the leader in providing solutions for safe and sustainable underground construction has seen the potential in our economy to grow and invest in both the Mississauga and Timon region but also companies like PayTM a company had 150 million clients a large mobile payment and commerce platform firm they opened PayTM lab in Toronto Thank you Mr. Speaker my question today is for the Premier families across my hand like and many others schools like and many others schools like these are the heart of our communities and critical to ensuring a way of life can continue Speaker rumors are swirling about closures in my riding it is almost impossible to get reliable information about what schools will be next on the chopping reconducted, often with poor community consultation, creating further insecurity and anxiety for families. Speaker, does the Premier think that the students of Lampton-Kent Middlesex should have access to public education in their own community, and will she take steps to give certainty to students and families about the future of their schools in Lampton-Kent Middlesex? Thank you, Speaker, and Mr. Speaker, I've heard a lot from parents today, and I know that there are questions that they have, and I'm listening to those questions, and I'll definitely take back what I've heard, and I know that parents are making their way to Queen's Park to voice their concerns about an issue that is close to everyone's heart, and that is the future of their student, and how are we going to provide those necessary supports? Now, what I want to say is that we invest more in rural schools today than we have ever before, Mr. Speaker, that this process that we have for the Accommodation Review enables more student dollars to stay in classrooms where there are students and be up front with those student programs so that they can have a better experience in their local schools, Mr. Speaker, and every community, Mr. Speaker, is unique. Every community has different needs, and that is why we have the role of the locally elected school board trustees and the board to make those decisions on behalf of their local schools. Member for Thumbelina and Quinty West on a point of order? I'm not sure if that's a point of order, but I'd like to welcome Wendy Giroux from Beautiful Port Hope. Welcome. Member from Stormont Dundas, I'll come to Gary on a point of order. Thank you, Speaker. Just some people who came in late today. The President is from Williamstown. The student is from Starland District High School, lower in the gallery, but it's inside. Both members are correct. It's not a point of order. I beg to inform the House that pursuant to standing order 71C, the chief whip of the third party, the member from Tamisk Meek-Hokron, has filed with the clerk a reasoned amendment to the motion of second reading of Bill 70, an act to implement budget measures and to enact and amend various statutes. The order for second reading of Bill 70 may therefore not be called today. There are no deferred votes, therefore this House stands recessed until 1 p.m. this afternoon.