 It is now time for Question and Period, the leader of Her Majesty's Royal Office. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Community and Social Services. Minister, we're joined today as my colleague and Deputy Christine Elliott pointed out by families representing the Dundas Living Center. Quiet heroes fighting for children with this developmental disability. We met earlier with Matthew and his folks, Martha and George Fox. Matthew has developmental disabilities. He is a Special Olympian. He is an active volunteer in his community. He is a champion of the McMaster Marauders basketball team of works at McMaster University. We wish we should all applaud Matthew's work in the community. The challenge is, his family has asked for help with supportive housing. We have a motion on the floor of the Legislature for a select committee in the name of Christine Elliott. Minister, we support that motion today to move forward on this important cause. Thank you, Minister of Community and Social Services. Chief of Police? Chief of Police? Thank you, Minister. Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to respond to the lead-off question. That's great. That shows the importance of the issue that the Leader of the Opposition and his member from Whitby Oshawa has brought to this. Speaker, we all have a common goal when it comes to developmental services. And I was proud to support the member opposite's motion for a select committee. She knows that. And I applauded her at the time I continued to applaud her for that. And we'll look forward actually to working on a select committee, Mr. Speaker. I just want to say that the member opposite and the Leader know that the member opposite and I... Thank you. Supplementary? Well, thank you, Speaker. And I know the Minister would agree with this statement that one of the great accomplishments of the latter half of the last century was the de-institutionalization of individuals to see them as our members, our friends, our neighbors, our coworkers, side-by-side as volunteers. One of the great measures of the strengths of society is how they treat their most vulnerable. As a Worry Minister, we stand now 13 years into the new century that in many areas we're failing that test. It gives me and my colleagues, and I know colleagues opposite, great concern when we hear about people that are being re-institutionalized. Those with development disabilities who risk losing their friends, their coworkers losing their jobs and being put into long-term care homes. One of the significant reasons for the select committee to investigate and act is to address that situation. Minister, will we have your support to actually get that select committee going, hit some pavement and bring solutions to these families who are in desperate need? Thank you. Minister? Absolutely, Mr. Speaker. The member opposite had my support when she introduced her motion. I look forward to working with the select committee, but I want to remind the House that the member from... Yes, yes, you do. I would be Oshawa, and I can stand in the House and be as supportive as we want, but it's the... We don't create the select committee, we don't put the venue in place. It's the House leaders that do that, so the... Order. So I'm not party. I'm not party by definition to those discussions, but I have certainly... The member from Renfrew will come to order. Finish, please. I have certainly supported this select committee and have spoken to my House leader about it. So any further specific question would have to be to the minister of government services. Do you have final supplementary? Let me tell you another story we heard today from the folks at the Dundas Living Center. It's a story about Margo and her daughter, Sheila. All of us know the raised children, there's always challenges in raising a kid, and additional challenges and burdens placed on a family with children with developmental disabilities. And we do it out of love, we do it out of compassion. But imagine being Margo, who is legally blind, 82 years of age. Her daughter, Sheila, now 42. The day-to-day struggle is simply helping Sheila have a bath and get her out of the tub for an 82-year-old woman, what I believe is a widow. Surely it is time to act. Surely it's not time to play in legislative games. Surely it's time to move forward with the select committee to bring the best and the brightest before all parties to actually move forward and give the kind of relief to Sheila and Margo that they deserve is untapped. Mr. Speaker, I'll pass this to the minister of government services and our government House leader. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. As a former minister of community and social services myself, I certainly share the concern of the members opposite. I'm also very proud of our government's record. Our most recent budget had $42.5 million more in funding for this sector and I, as I say, as minister, work very closely with it. I know, Mr. Speaker, the honorable member wouldn't want to rewrite history on this. The idea of having a select committee is something that is achieved through a consensus amongst all three parties. And those of us remember last June there were a series of meetings between House leaders where we talked about a potential summer schedule, Mr. Speaker, and there was no consensus on how to move forward. We're now at the start of a new session, Mr. Speaker, and there will be opportunities for House leaders to meet and put this on the agenda. Thank you. Supplementary. I mean, new question. Thank you. The minister of community and social services. Minister, on two occasions, most recently in May of this year, this House has unanimously voted in favor of a select committee to develop a comprehensive strategy for developmental services. To date, however, the committee has not been struck despite the fact that the motion that was adopted by this House would have had an interim report prepared by October 31st of this year. Minister, will you commit today to strike the select committee immediately so it can begin its work? Minister of community and social services. Let me just also join the members opposite in welcoming our friends from Dundas. They are indeed the quiet heroes. Leslie Lieder of the opposition has indicated. Listen, I support the creation of a select committee. The government House leader just indicated that there have been some discussions about that. So I support that. Minister, I'm going to make a comment to ask you just to please listen to the answer. It's a reasonable policy question and I think it deserves attention without the yelling. Please. I don't know how other members of the House spent their summer, but I invested my summer in a six-week intensive tour around the province, the entire province, talking to 173 different groups, many of them from the developmental services area. So I know the angst and I support the member opposite in her call for a select committee and I hope the House leaders get it sorted out. Thank you. Supplementary. Well, supporting the call for a select committee and calling for the committee to be established and commencing its work is quite another issue. The minister will know from his tour that the need in this sector is urgent and growing rapidly. There are over 15,000 people in this province right now who are waiting for appropriate housing. Their parents are frightened and desperate. They have no idea what's going to happen to their children when they're gone. The people who are here from the Dundas Living Centre today and thousands of other parents and other groups across this province are depending on us as legislators to help them. Will you commit today to strike the committee immediately so it can begin its important work? Do you see the peace? Do you see the peace? Thank you. Minister. Mr. Speaker, I think I've answered that question a couple of times already. This year, Mr. Speaker... The member from Bruce Gray, Owen Sound, come to order. The member from Dufferin Callaghan, come to order. This year we are investing as a government more than $1.7 billion in developmental services. And the previous budget allocated an additional $43 million to help with some of the housing issues. The increase in funding to this area since we came to government is some 68%. Wow. So we understand that there are some challenges and I will fulfill my role, Mr. Speaker, as best I can to continue to be an advocate. That is going to require some budgetary adjustments which I'm fully in favor of. And I hope when we get to that point where we have a budget figure that goes opposite will stand in their place and vote for it. They didn't go last time. We increased the funding. Thank you. Final supplementary. Mr. Speaker, the minister and the members of this government cannot continue to hide behind this charade of this being a housing issue. We should do the right thing. In the end, Mr. Speaker, this is a matter of priorities. We have an obligation to take care of our most vulnerable citizens. People like Matthew and thousands of other young people across this province have the right to live in safe, clean homes. Their parents have the right to know that their child is going to be cared for and valued when they're not here anymore. If we can't do that basic work on behalf of the people of Ontario then I think we all have to ask ourselves why are we even here? Minister, will you do the right thing? Thank you. I'm going to... the member of Hulton that does not help. Please, everyone, raise to the top. Minister. Mr. Speaker, I don't disagree with anything the member from Whitney Oshawa said. I think we do have to get on with it. I'd just like to share a quote that from Chris Beasley, the CEO of Community Living Ontario who sent this to me recently. Quote, we have spent many years advocating for an inclusive society. A world where all people are valued and included come to all aspects of community life. We actively supported the plan to close institutions. Leader of the opposition referenced that. And communities across the province celebrated when this occurred. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I approve Bruce Grino and sound, second time. Congregate isolated living should not be an option any longer. Although we certainly understand and appreciate SDI by summer. I'll continue to work on this. I know clearly that the members opposite will and hopefully together we can move it forward. Thank you. Thank you, Speaker. questions for the Acting Premier. Since the House resumed, we've been pushing the government hard to deliver results for Ontario families that deserve good jobs, better health care and affordability in their daily lives. Yesterday, the Premier launched yet another study into new unfair fees. How many more conversations, Speaker, does this government plan to have about this topic? Acting Premier. Much, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday in this legislature, we had a very good debate on public transit and there appears to be a little bit of a gap between that side and this side. We all want public transit, Mr. Speaker. We all recognize the connection between gridlock, the economy and the need for investment, but only one party in this legislature right now, Mr. Speaker, is anteing up the pay for the very important infrastructure that we need to build. So I say to the leader of the third party, we're all for your support for public transit. Mind you, when it gets down to the new and gritty, the NDP have been against just about every public transit project we've brought forward in the last ten years. We're looking forward to your support for public transit, but you've got to be straight with the people of Ontario and tell them how you're going to fund it. See the police supplementary. Well, what everybody recognizes, Speaker, and the Liberals have made it quite clear they think that Ontario families should have to pay up to $1,000 more a year in new taxes and tolls while at the same time they're opening new corporate tax loopholes that will cost families billions and billions of dollars. Now, is this the government's new panel about information or is this government's new panel just about slapping new paint, a new paint job on an unpopular idea, Speaker? Mr. Speaker, we've been building public transit and record amounts over the last ten years. We have plans in the very near future to continue that build, but looking forward into the future, we know that gridlock is a serious issue in the GTA, but Mr. Speaker, right across this province, we need to keep building public transit, but you can't build it for free. You've got to be visionary about this. You've got to get out from under the politics of this issue, Mr. Speaker. Be straight with the people of Ontario. Be honest with the people of Ontario and tell them that look, if we're going to spend $32 billion over the next dozen or so years, we're going to have to find a way to pay for it. That's all we ask from the leader opposite, Mr. Speaker. Be straight up with the people of Ontario. Final supplementary. Stop the clock. Stop the clock. You see it, please? You see it, please? Final supplementary. The member from Trinity, Spadina. Thank you. Well, Speaker, I think what the people want is for their government to be fair with the people of Ontario. Being the chair of her taxes and tolls panel, up to $90,000 for three months' work. That means in three months, she'll make more money than the average Ontario family earns in an entire year. Now, people see the Liberal government asking them to pay more and more as it's telling corporations that they get to pay less and less. And they see the lucrative fees being handed out to people who write a study about a study. Now, does the acting premier really think that that looks fair to the people of Ontario? We should do it. To the Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I know the leader of the third party knows we're in the minority government. The only revenue tool that that party has supported so far wouldn't build you more than about three subway stops. We have a $50 billion major plan. The Ministry of Transportation, if you've been following this and the response to the Metrolinx panel, has generated several new ideas on funding models that we are pursuing aggressively in both ministries of infrastructure, transportation and Metrolinx are working, Mr. Speaker. As you know, we've also had responses from almost every municipality in the region who have also advanced ideas and new ideas for partnerships, which we are also going to include in this. This is not an advisory committee, Mr. Speaker, as much as an implementation committee because right now we have two parties in opposition who don't want to fund transit, don't want to build it. They just want to pass motions. We're over debating it. We're building it, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. New question, the leader of the third party. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My next question is to the acting premier as well. People are looking to this government for real results that will make their lives more affordable and instead they see liberals planning study after study and having hundreds of conversations about plans to make their lives more expensive. And the only people who seem to be getting results from the liberals are consultants and the lucky few who benefit from new corporate tax loopholes. Would the acting premier agree that this isn't fair? Acting premier. Mr. Speaker, what's fair is working to reduce auto insurance rates for Ontario families across this province and we're working on a 50% reduction. What's fair, Mr. Speaker, is working to create jobs for our young people and our youth job strategy, Mr. Speaker, is going to create 30,000 jobs over the next two years for young people across this province. What's fair, Mr. Speaker, is making sure that we have home care available to our parents and our grandparents and we're investing to make sure that that's the case. What's fair, Mr. Speaker, is making sure that people in the GTA and across this province can get to and from work, to and from school in a reasonable amount of time by reducing gridlock and that's why we're the only party in this legislature that's investing in public transit, funding public transit. You ought to get it. We need your support. We need you to tell us how you're going to pay for your plan. Mr. Speaker, people are looking to the government for results that make their lives easier but the government seems to be determined to make life less affordable. Media reports today quote liberal insiders saying that they would like to raise the HST. But that it is politically unsalable. Will the acting premier confirm that hiking the unfair HST is off the table or is the government still hoping that enough conversation will actually make it acceptable? It's becoming increasingly obvious as we go through challenging times as we have to make decisions, Mr. Speaker, to keep building a strong economy and creating jobs that the opposition are going to continue to. I've noticed a rather interesting trend today. Not always the case, but today. When the questions are put, it's quite quiet. As soon as the answer starts, it gets extremely loud and boisterous. I think that I don't need the member from Halden editorializing while I'm speaking either. So I'm asking you all to lower the temperature. Please answer. Mr. Speaker, this is a time for leadership. We have a premier that's standing up for the people of Ontario to ensure that when we make commitments on things like public transit, we're going to fund it. I don't think that's too much to ask. I would think the people of Ontario would want the party opposite and the other party opposite, Mr. Speaker, to be that straight up with them. That if they're going to support things like investments in public transit, if they're going to support the initiatives we're taking to build a strong economy, that they'll also be straight up with the people of Ontario, but how they're going to fund them. Thank you. Final supplementary. Speaker, over the summer, we heard from a lot of people, and they made it clear that they expected us to make their lives affordable and get results for them. That's why we are focused on getting action for drivers, getting action for seniors waiting for home care, getting action for young people who need jobs and fairness so people can actually start rebuilding some trust in their government again. My question, and it's a simple one, Speaker, when is the government going to stop having endless conversations about how to make life less fair and start focusing on real results for the people who sent us here? Mr Speaker, that's exactly what we're doing, is getting real results for the people of Ontario. We're in the process now of putting in place a 15% reduction in auto insurance. Thank you for your support on that. We're in the process, Mr Speaker, of putting together a $295 million strategy to help 30,000 young people find jobs. We would appreciate your support on that too. We're in the process, Mr Speaker, of ensuring that we expand home care across this province so our seniors can stay in their homes longer, Mr Speaker, and we're determined to get that done and we're well on the way. And, Mr Speaker, we're in the process of building reliable roads and a public transit system we can be proud of that will rid us of the gridlock that we have in places like the GTA today, help us create jobs and build a stronger economy. We need your support on that too. We need you as well, though, to fiss up to the fact that we need revenue sources in order to be able to pay for that going forward. New question. New question? The member from the Tobacco Lake Church. Mr Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Transportation. Mr Speaker, Metro has conducted more than 100 meetings, had 12 public roundtables, had a residence reference panel consisting of 36 people that met for four weeks. I find it totally unnecessary that we have to now put another panel in place and the result of this panel, of course, is going to undermine the work that MetroLinks has already done. I'd like to point out also that the City of Toronto Council met on this matter and resoundedly rejected these revenue tools. Now, I don't know what more information you need. The Board of Trade met on this. The Board of Trade had public meetings. The other citizens' group of action had public meetings. The public has met till they're blue in the face on this. It's time for action. It's a lot of conversations. I want to know, is this just another liberal stall? Thank you. Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure. Mr Speaker, they are getting action. We have boarding machines right now drilling all across the GTHA. We have the Viva Bus Service operating. We announce and have the Pulse Service buses. We have 15 major projects. We are in the middle of the biggest build-out of transit in the history of this province. And that's our action, Mr Speaker. Mr Speaker, the member opposite had a very insightful observation yesterday. And I want to commend him on it. He pointed out to this house that when the Tories got elected, the NDP had promised $3 billion of transit investment. The NDP put no money into it. Very similar to today. And the Tories do what we know they do. They filled in the holes and cancelled the project. So here we are, Mr Speaker. A party that promises billions of dollars in transit can't deliver the money and one that only knows how to fill in holes, Mr Speaker. I minister, what I would like to know is that when you instituted the All Day Kindergarten, did you have a panel to show how you're going to pay for that? No. Or is it when you want something, you don't need a panel. But when you want to stall and not do the work, then you put up a panel so you don't have to pay. Minister? That's exactly... Mr Speaker. Mr Speaker, I... Tories don't like our kids. All right, stop talking. I tried one way, now I'll do it the other way. The next person that gets carried away when somebody's trying to answer will be warned. And you know what happens after you're warned. Next time you're out. Minister? Mr Speaker, the member opposite shouldn't allow him golden. You can say many things about Anne, but one thing you can't say is she doesn't get results. She is one of the toughest, most experienced people I know. On this panel, Mr Speaker, are people like Ian Dobson and other people from the private sector and Gordon Chung who are some of the leading experts on value planning and value capture? Mr Speaker, one of the things that we are looking at, Mr Speaker, I know the members opposite from the volume of talking are interested in reading or listening, which is why they are not in government. Mr Speaker. So, Mr Speaker, right now, for example... Okay. New question. The member from London West. My question is for the acting Premier. Simone and Everett Price are a 93-year-old couple in my riding of London West who have been separated over a year by the long-term care system after 67 years of marriage. In March, their daughter, Marilyn Savage, came to Queens Park to plead for their reunification. It wasn't the first time this family reached out to this government for help and it wasn't the first time this government failed to act. Marilyn Savage is here once again today hoping for a better result. Will the government finally respect the principle of spousal reunification in the long-term care act and bring her parents back together? Mr Speaker, I'm delighted, Mr Speaker, to welcome the guests that are here today and I thank them for attending question period. And I want to tell them, Mr Speaker, as our Minister of Health has said time and time again, we are investing in long-term care in record amounts, Mr Speaker. We've provided, in fact, a full transformation within long-term care. There is still more work to do, but this is an area that we've put a considerable amount of attention to because we understand the challenge, Mr Speaker, when a couple is separated and we've all, as members in this legislature, have seen this in our own constituency offices where we've seen these circumstances. So our hearts go out to the couple that are involved in this particular case. I'm sure, Mr Speaker, and I know that the Minister of Health is dedicated to continuing to make improvements and continuing to drive forward on a policy that we've brought a very, very long way in the last few years. Supplementary. I've signed out to the Acting Premier that when this question was asked six months ago, the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care stood in her place, wrung her hands, and passed the buck to the local CCAC even while acknowledging that accommodating the prices is the right thing to do. The CCAC is only following the rules set out by the government, and it is the rules that must change. The emotional impact of this forced separation is taking its toll on this 93-year-old couple. This isn't the way a seven-decade love story is supposed to end in Ontario. Will the government finally show some compassion, respect the spirit of the Long-Term Care Act, and take responsibility for reuniting the prices before it is too late? Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. Be seated, please. Be seated, please. The two, Acting Premier. For one of our first questions, that is a good question, Mr Speaker. I really appreciate you raising it here today. Supposing reunification is incredibly important, and that's why in 2008, we introduced new regulations under Ontario's Long-Term Home Legislation to enable residents in different homes to switch places if the move is mutually desired. We get the highest priority to residents who are seeking to be reunited with a spouse or a partner. And we've also ensured that nobody, Mr Speaker, nobody will be financially penalized for wanting to stay together. By ensuring that rate reduction systems are in place for couples as well. The Minister is quite aware there's still more work to do in this area. I know the Minister is working hard to do all that we can to continue these improvements that we got started, Mr Speaker. We're proud of how far we've come, but certainly, Mr Speaker, I encourage the member to work with the local CCAC and I'll bring this to the attention of the Minister as well. New question? The Member from York South Western. Well, thank you, Mr Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Education. Parents in my writing of York Southwestern and across Ontario take pride in knowing that they are sending their children to some of the safest schools in the world. Minister, you have spoken to this House before about several of the efforts this government has made to make our schools safe. Initiatives such as the Safe Welcome Program and our Accepting Schools Act are just a few examples. These initiatives would not be possible without the dedication of our teachers to their students. However, in extremely rare circumstances, Mr Speaker, there have been issues around teachers, professionalism and interaction with their students. Mr Speaker, in these rare cases, how do we ensure that our students are protected and safe? Thank you, Minister of Education. Thank you, Speaker, and thank you to the member for York Southwestern for her advocacy for school safety. And the member is absolutely correct. We know that the vast majority of our teachers are professionals who care about their students' safety and well-being along with their student achievement. We know that they put their students first. However, last year Justice LaSage released a report that contained 49 recommendations to modernize the Ontario College of Teachers' Investigation and Discipline Practices. Since the release of this report, my ministry has been working very closely with the college to address all of these recommendations, Speaker. I'm pleased that the college has moved quickly and has already begun to implement some of these changes. But in order to fully implement the report, to fully implement all of the recommendations, we need to make legislation changes as well. And yesterday I was pleased to table the Protecting Students Act to do just that. Thank you. Supplementary. Thank you to the minister for that initial response. It is important, it's very important for parents to know and have access to as much information as possible when it concerns their child's safety. In the past, parents have had difficulty accessing information regarding disciplinary decisions made by the college, and often these decisions can take years to be resolved. Mr. Speaker, through you to the minister, how will this legislation ensure that parents have access to this important information and that decisions can be made in a timely way? Minister. Thank you, Speaker. And again, the member raises a couple of absolutely excellent points around transparency and fairness. And they are addressed in the proposed legislation. If passed, the Protecting Students Act would require the college to publish all of the college's discipline committee decisions. Furthermore, the legislation would impose timelines to resolve cases more efficiently. Both of these pieces of the legislation will ensure that parents have easily accessible data and that the overall efficiency of the investigation and discipline process will improve. Furthermore, this proposed legislation will strengthen the authority of the College of Teachers to take action while ensuring the process is open and transparent for everyone involved. That's why it's important that this legislation be passed quickly. And I hope that every member of this House will support the legislation. A new question? A member from Newmark and Aurora. Thank you. Speaker, my question is to the minister of transportation. Speaker, the people of this province are tired of unelected people being appointed to panel after panel to make the important decisions that should be made here. Once again, we have a panel now being appointed by the minister to deal with funding of infrastructure. We have a recommendation for the minister. Will the minister agree to appoint an all-party committee made up of equal membership of all three parties that would be mandated to find the necessary funds to fund our infrastructure needs out of our existing $128 billion budget and the appropriate private sector investments? Will the minister agree to that kind of appointment of parliamentarians, give them a 60-day mandate to find the solution we're looking forward to working with the government to be exactly that? Thank you. Mr. Speaker, right now, this region alone in the Greater Toronto Hamilton area is competing with London. The national government in the UK is putting $24 billion into subways. Our national government in our economic capital is putting less than 1% in that total amount. That's what we're competing with, Mr. Speaker. Liberal governments now have invested over $15 billion currently being invested. Conservative-run governments at the other levels have put zero into the transit. We cannot continue with the horrible McLaughlin Ottawa of our economic capital. Toronto deserves the same support from Canada that London gets from Britain, that Paris gets from France, that New York gets from the Federal Department of Transportation. And we're doing more than our part. 90% of the funding, 4%. Mr. Speaker, thank you. I know you don't want to eye me because you know I'm going to say something, but I'm going to leave it this way. You are on the edge. Supplementary. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to readdress my question to the Minister of Transportation because we agree that the funding challenge is great. The proposal that we're making to the minister and to the government is that we strike an all-party committee of this legislature with equal membership from all three parties that is charged with the responsibility to find the funding necessary for our infrastructure out of our existing $128 billion budget and the appropriate private sector investments so that we don't have to defer that decision to a panel that is simply going to tax people to death in this province. Why will the minister not accept our proposal that parliamentarians be charged with that responsibility, give them 60 days to get the job done? Let's get on with the work. Mr. Speaker, we on this side of the house will be more than glad to consider that kind of option or partnership when the member opposite can find a single conservative politician in Canada or Ontario who will write a check for a subway or an LRT. You can't keep playing politics, Mr. Speaker. You can't talk subways and talk rapid transit and not invest. Mr. Cameron in the United Kingdom understands that for London to compete with Toronto and with Berlin and with Shanghai, the British government has to make sure London's the most mobile centre. When the member opposite can... When the member opposite, Mr. Speaker, when the conservative's opposite can engage the conservative's city hall or in Ottawa and demonstrate where they do control whether to write a check, Mr. Speaker, I will take some comfort in that. But they should start getting on the phones. Mr. Harper's phone number, Speaker, is 613-992-4211, Mr. Speaker. Welcome to some Kitchener Waterloo. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the acting premier. People in Kitchener Waterloo are looking at the headlines and they're concerned about the possibility of layoffs at Blackberry. And they're also concerned about this government's notable silence on job creation. Blackberry has been at the heart of Kitchener Waterloo's growth and its world-class technology centre. Over time, the core of innovative thinkers and engineers have created an ecosystem where small and large tech companies have helped each other grow. When are we going to hear a plan from this government that supports Kitchener Waterloo's growth, whether it's our tech sector, manufacturing, food processing, or other important parts of our local economy? Mr. Speaker, for the member to see a plan that supports all of those sectors, she just asked to open her eyes. We've been working on this for a very long period of time. We have an economic development strategy here, Mr. Speaker. That's created 477,300 net new jobs since the recession. That's not bad. In fact, it's better than most other jurisdictions anywhere in North America and most economies anywhere. But let me say this about the Kitchener Waterloo area, Mr. Speaker, because we're working very closely with the city there. We're working very closely with the business community. We're working very closely with an organization, Mr. Speaker. We have a great deal of respect for community tech to ensure that any displaced workers, Mr. Speaker, as a result of the challenges that they're facing, are assisted. Mr. Speaker, the Tech Jobs Connects program that's been set up there has been doing an excellent job because of the expertise in that area. Something I know the member's proud of, something all Ontarians should be proud of, because, Mr. Speaker, Kitchener Waterloo will get through this. Thank you. Supplementary? Mr. Speaker, people in my writing are concerned about the future of their jobs. They want good jobs, not part-time precarious poverty jobs. Especially, though, because they haven't heard a comprehensive plan that inspires confidence in Ontario's economy. I look forward to a strong future for Blackberry, and I look forward to the growing diversity of our tech sector. When people are concerned about their jobs, they want to know there is a plan to create good jobs. Does the government actually have a jobs plan, or are they waiting for more ideas from New Democrats? Because that certainly can be arranged. Thank you. Thank you for your time. Mr. Speaker, I think the member ought to have a little more confidence in her own community. I mean, when you look at that community, there's over a thousand high tech companies, Mr. Speaker, operating there. Over 30,000 people employed. Yes, Mr. Speaker, we all know that Blackberry is going through challenging times, but we also know, Mr. Speaker, that region is a hub of innovation, a hub of entrepreneurialism. And we, Mr. Speaker, have invested in that region. We've invested in community tech. We've invested in the universities there. We're helping to drive that sense of innovation, that can-do-ism that exists in that community. And we have a member, Mr. Speaker, and our house leader. That's one of the local leaders in that community. He will ensure that we'll continue to work with the business community. We'll continue to work with our stakeholders to ensure that Kitchener Waterloo remains one of the strong areas at growth in our violence. Thank you. The member from the Stronger Region Court. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Labor. Minister, we all know how tough it is to balance work when caring for a full time for your children or your aging parents or both. That is why I'm proud to support Bill 21, the Leaves to Health Families Act, which will provide Ontarians with three different leaves so that they can't be there for their families when they need to be there. Having worked as a nurse, Mr. Speaker, I feel strongly about this bill and it's easy to help stress on the Ontarians. More importantly, my constituent and Scarborough Agent Court strongly support this bill, Mr. Speaker. My office continue to receive petition each week and I've heard from hundreds of residents what they want to see about this bill. Today I have presented the petition to this issue to the House 12 times. Mr. Speaker, what is truly disappointing is the last line of the petition with state quote, the Legislative Assembly to pass and enact during the spring of 2013, Bill 21, the Leaves to Health Families Act. Mr. Speaker, through you to the Minister, can he please remind the House how important is the process bill for all Ontarians? Thank you very much, Speaker, and I want to thank the member of Scarborough Agent Court for her absolutely incredible advocacy on this matter. She's correct. She has actually submitted quite a few petitions and has been speaking quite actively on this very important matter of the Family Care Give or Leave Bill 21. Speaker, this bill is about compassion. It's about building a compassionate Ontario in Ontario where we look after each other and it is this heartening to see that in this Legislature the debate on this bill continues to go on and on. We're literally, I think, running into the 11th hour of debate on this Legislature. I understand all members support the bill. However, we're not sending the matter back to the committee for consideration. Just two days ago, Speaker, I had the opportunity to meet with the representative of the Arts, Armour Society who stressed to me how important it is that this bill gets to the committee so they and other members of the Care Give or Coalition are able to speak to this bill. Thank you. Supplementary. I want to thank the minister for his remarks. I must admit this is frustrating to hear day after day about this bill and also did why support both parties across opposite and also every Ontarians support this bill, Mr Speaker. Those I have spoken to. But we know this bill has been stolen the House time again and I just want to remind the members, Mr Speaker, that we have so many bills in this House. Bill 355, stronger protection for consumers, debated for 18 hours and 39 minutes. Bill 11, air ambulance was debated for 19 hours and 14 minutes. Bill 36, local food acts have been debated for 25 hours and 35 minutes. Mr Speaker, through you to the minister, can he please explain some of the final points of this bill and maybe Mr House. Thank you. With the member from Scarborough Agent Court that there are many other members of this House who have taken a lot of debate, we need to pass this bill. This bill at its core is about building a compaction society. It's about making sure that members of our families are able to look after each other if they're not feeling well. Speaker, through you, I'm asking all the members of the opposition today to think about the Ontarians that are struggling every day to balance their work and family responsibilities and I will like to see how we can work together and let's work together and send this bill for second reading vote and let's send this bill for committee so that we can hear from our communities and pass this bill. Thank you. Thank you, Speaker. My question was for the premier. However, I'll ask the minister of labor. Minister, we've heard the premier talk a lot about the need to restore fairness in Ontario's construction industry. Well, the minister of the industry is going to say that exactly that. By passing this bill, we would save Ontario taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars every year by preserving and restoring the ability of municipalities and school boards to openly tender contracts for large infrastructure projects. To take a stand for taxpayers, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, the mayors and regional representatives of Ontario, the minister of labor. So minister, will you take a stand for Ontario municipalities and taxpayers by voting in favour of the fair and open tenoring act today? Before I go to the minister of labor. The question was put in a way that I do want to use it as a reminder, including some other things I've heard from this site. We do not refer to somebody's presence here one way or the other or try to respect that tradition and stay on track. Minister of Labor. Thank you very much, Speaker. I want to thank the member from Kitchener Conestoga for the question. I thank him for the work he's been doing on this bill. He and I had the opportunity to meet as well. I think he spoke in a couple of times now and I appreciate the work he's doing and I look forward to a very meaningful meeting with him on this bill. Speaker, our government believes in fair and balanced labor relations when bargaining a collective agreement. Parties are free to negotiate terms that restrict the ability of the employer to contract only with unionized contractors. Some public service employers have become bound to province-wide construction industry collective agreements that contain restrictions on contracting out materials that they should not be bound to a province-wide collective agreement. They do have options in the legislation. There is a non-construction employer exemption that exists that municipalities can apply to. Thank you. Supplementary. Let's stand up for your mayors again. Minister, when the Premier was talking about Ontario's construction industry last week, she said, quote, it only makes sense for there to be some fairness in the system. I would like to stand by and allow thousands of qualified contractors to be deprived of their right to work on public infrastructure in the community where they live, work and pay taxes. This labour practice is wrong and you know it. Discriminating against qualified contractors on the basis of who they have chosen to associate with is patently unfair and unacceptable. So Minister, will you stop dividing Ontarians and take action to stop the construction industry today? As I was mentioning earlier, there is a very specific non-construction employer exemption that exists under the Ontario Labour Relations Act and if a municipality or a public entity feels that they are not a construction employer, they can file an application with the Ontario Labour Relations Board. In fact, the member opposite must know that the exemption was actually brought in by then Minister of Labour Jim Flaherty in 1998 and very clearly those criteria and that the exemption was renewed again or refined again in 2000 by the Progressive Conservative Party when they were in government. In fact, Speaker, I find it very interesting that at Hamilton City Council when a debate was taking place on this particular private member's bill that will be debated at Hamilton City Council from Stony Creek and former PC Minister of Labour Brad Clark refused to support the motion. He said what is proposed here is draconian. It will terminate all collective agreements. Thank you. New question. The Leader of the Third Party. Thank you, Speaker. My questions to the Minister of Energy. I was in Thunder Bay last week speaking with municipal leaders, energy and mining experts and the Chamber of Commerce, Liberals promised a conversion, then cancelled it, then promised it again, then cancelled it again. People of Thunder Bay, Speaker, want some certainty. The Premier and the Minister have had enough time to make a decision and now the Northwest deserves an answer. Will this government be converting the Thunder Bay generating station to natural gas? I thank the Leader of the Third Party for their support. Mr Speaker, we have been putting a lot of time and attention and indeed consultation with people from Thunder Bay and the Dryden area. We had some very significant meetings at the AMO conference. We are well into finalizing details on that particular issue. One thing we have done, Mr Speaker, is acknowledged in a recent report that just came out from the Ontario Power and the tremendous requirement for new generation in the Northwest, and that particular report is online, Mr Speaker, and I encourage the Leader of the Third Party to read it. Well, thanks for the advice I've read the report, Speaker. The people of Northwestern Ontario need to know their region has the energy necessary to grow, to create new jobs and to take its place as an important part of that, if there is uncertainty over how they will meet their energy needs going into the next years and decades ahead. When, when, Speaker, can the people in Northwestern Ontario expect this government's decision about the future of the Thunder Bay Generating Station gas conversion? Thank you. Mr Speaker, I'm concerned that the Leader is being only about Thunder Bay and that one particular generating station. There is a very significant challenge in Northwestern Ontario, including North of Dryden, including Thunder Bay, including West of Thunder Bay. We are looking at all of those, Mr Speaker. We will be providing an answer which will include very significant investments in transmission and generation in that part of the province, Mr Speaker. So I would ask the Leader to be a little more patient and be also mindful, Mr Speaker, that any future generating plant in Thunder Bay will be used six hours per year. New question? The member from Ottawa. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Research and Innovation. Our government has continued to help companies in their efforts to commercialize innovative technologies in Ontario because it leads more high skilled jobs and better opportunities for economic growth. Providing the support needed to companies undertaking innovative technologies develops the opportunities to create leading edge globally competitive companies. By supporting great ideas innovative thinking and new tech companies today, we will help create the products, services and jobs that will drive Ontario's economy better. Many of these technologies need to be proven on a small scale before they can be implemented in larger scale real world applications. Mr Speaker, through you to the Minister, what is this government doing to support these companies with promising and innovative technologies? Thank you, Minister of Innovation and Research. Thank you, Mr Speaker. I would like to thank the member from Ottawa for that question. Mr Speaker, our government recognizes the importance of providing financial assistance to innovative companies in order to drive not only in Ontario but in the global market. One of our initiatives is Innovation Demonstration Fund. This fund provides assistance to companies looking to commercialize new green technologies. Today Innovation Demonstration Fund has assisted 41 projects with a total commitment of $96.1 million and helped create, Mr Speaker, over 4100 jobs. Our government also recognizes the importance of investments in early stage innovative companies, Mr Speaker. Another initiative of our government is Investment Accelerative Fund and this fund provides assistance to companies who are in the early stage. Mr Speaker, to date the Investment Accelerative Fund program has made investments in 68 promising Ontario companies and invested $35 million. Thank you. Mr Speaker, I'm pleased to hear that our government is making investments that will help support early stage innovative companies. With high growth companies creating 50-60% of the net new jobs in Ontario, access to capital is critical for start-up in early stage innovative companies. Our government's budget reiterated its commitment to support early stage companies through our $50 million investment in the Ontario Venture Capital Fund too. This fund with the expertise to accelerate the realization of new products, services and ideas will help foster the right climate to attract investment support, innovation, create jobs and grow Ontario's economy. Back to the minister of research and innovation. What else has the government done to support early stage innovative enterprises? Thank you, Mr Speaker. I want to thank again the member from Ottawa for that question. Access to risk capital is the key and critical to the start-up in the early stage companies. That's why our government in 2008 has created Ontario Venture Capital Fund with an investment of $95 million which leveraged actually $150 million from the public sector to form a venture capital fund in the amount of $205 million. That created 1500 jobs. This year Mr. Speaker we committed $50 million to create another venture capital fund in collaboration with our federal government and this fund is going to create $300 billion from the public sector and it will contribute to the economy of this province in the amount of $4.4 billion in the next 12 years. Mr. Speaker, our government supports great ideas, innovative thinking and new technology today in order to grow our economy tomorrow. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Children and Youth Services today. At the Historic Queens Park leaving care hearings almost two years ago I learned a significant problem in child welfare. Youth who find themselves in need for the first time at age 16 or 17 whether they're slip through the cracks or their situation has suddenly changed or denied access to the very support services that are available to their same age peers who are already in the child welfare system. Mr. Speaker, I don't want to mince words here. This is discrimination and it is a contravention of the Canadian Charter and the UN Convention of Rights of the Child. The greater child welfare community has been lobbying for this change for over a decade. Minister, please tell me why has this Liberal government been tolerating this injustice for so many years? Good question. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you for bringing forward the recommendations that came forward to youth who find themselves in need for child welfare and their blueprint. Frankly, our government has been responding to those recommendations and we've been following their advice and we've developed you resources and supports to help new youth. Many of them having been announced this summer in terms of increased supports in terms of mental health workers in our community, in terms of access to post-secondary universities. We are certainly listening to our youth leaving care. We continue to work with the group to move forward to ensure that all our youth are able to succeed in this province. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Lack of service to these youth in need doesn't just impact them. It impacts all of us as a greater Ontario community. Under the current system, these children are erroneously treated as adults. Their limited options include homeless shelters, suing their parents, and forced to go to school. They are not only vulnerable but also vulnerable to the same type of violence that Ontario works. It should come as no surprise that they struggle to stay in school. They are frequently victims of violent crime as well as have elevated rates of incarceration and have more hospitalizations due to high-risk street behaviors. In the developed world, Ontario lags behind all jurisdictions doing the least amount of work to ensure a worldwide crisis. Leaving no child behind requires more than lip service. This systemic error cannot be tolerated any longer. Will you and your caucus see the light and support Bill 88 this afternoon? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the member opposite for their question. I'm glad you're bringing forward the concerns of our youth. My children are in that age group so certainly I have a personal connection to youth and the supports that are available to them so I look forward to the debate this afternoon. The ministry will carefully consider the proposed amendments and how we can improve services to youth. Again, an issue that I've been working quite diligently on since becoming minister. Thank you. The member from Hamilton East going to Crete. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the acting Premier. On April 24th, I asked a question of the Minister of Health on behalf of the Casavitas family. On the first anniversary of their daughter's passing, they were in this legislature still trying to get answers to the very simple questions about what went horribly wrong at SickKids. The minister met with the family but, Speaker, why has this minister done absolutely nothing to respond to the concerns of this family? Mr. Speaker, as always our concern and our thoughts are always with the family in these kind of circumstances. I'm not familiar with this particular situation, Mr. Speaker. I'm sure the Minister of Health having received a question before is I'm sure she would take every measure she can to help the member in any way that she can but, Mr. Speaker, we're working really hard and have been for a number of years to continue to invest in healthcare, Mr. Speaker. Continue to make improvements. We're very determined to transform our healthcare system to ensure that it continues to be sustainable into the future and we've gone from having the lowest wait times in the country, Mr. Speaker, or the highest wait times in the country among them to the lowest, Mr. Speaker, which is something that we can all be proud of but, Mr. Speaker, with regard to this particular issue, I'm sure the minister I'll be happy to pass along to the minister that you asked another question on it. Supplementary. The minister said, and I quote, as I said in the first question I'll be more than happy to meet with the family after question period and I can learn more about this situation and make sure that you get the answers that you deserve. What? Has she done this? Or anything for the family? No. The minister has done absolutely nothing. Yet another broken liberal promise. This time to a grieving family. Speaker, will this minister finally do what she said she would do and get the answers this family deserves while ensuing implementation of Ombudsman oversight? Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the question from the member opposite and commend him for going to bat for his constituents at the same time. This province has never had a health minister, Mr. Speaker, that's been so dedicated to working to ensure that we have the best quality in this province. Mr. Speaker, as I said before, we've gone from some of the highest wait times in the country to a province now, Mr. Speaker, that's seen nationwide as having the lowest wait times. That wasn't easy, Mr. Speaker. It took a lot of investment. It took a lot of work, but I'll certainly ensure, Mr. Speaker, the minister's made aware of the question that the member asked and I'm sure the minister will be happy to get back to the member. The member from Whitby, Oshawa on a point of order. Given the support that I've heard this morning, I wish to seek unanimous consent of this legislature to immediately strike the select committee so that it can begin its work on developmental services. The member from Whitby I would like to put the question first before we make any decisions on anything. The member from Whitby, Oshawa has asked for unanimous consent to strike committee immediately. Do I hear agreement? I heard a no. I am not going to give up on this. There are no deferred votes. Therefore, this house stands recessed until 1 p.m. this afternoon.