 Thank you. It's now time for question period. The leader of Her Majesty's Royal Opposition. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the acting Premier. I met with some amazing nurses and staff when I toured the Brampton Civic Hospital on the weekend. I got to see some of the amazing work they do as I toured the hospital. But as I walked the halls, something stood out to me and it was no fault of the incredible staff at the hospital. I was shocked when I counted 33 beds in the hallways of the hospital. Mr. Speaker, I don't recall anything in the government's radio ads, self-congratulatory vanity ads about keeping patients in the hallway. Mr. Speaker, how can this government let the most vulnerable and sick wait on stretchers in the hallway of our hospitals? Well, thank you very much, Speaker. I just want to remind the Leader of the Opposition that he actually voted against a budget that added $1 billion to health care. Thank you. Carry on, please. He voted against a budget that added $1 billion to health care spending, including a $385 million. The member from Hamilton East Stony Creek come to order. The member from Durham come to order. If you can sit and try to hide somewhere else, I'm still going to get you. Finish, please. Speaker, not only did they vote against a billion more dollars going into health care, they ran on a platform to fire 100,000 people. Many of whom would be people working in health care, Speaker. That's her take. Supplementary. Mr. Speaker, again to the acting Premier, no one is buying the government's spin that they're not cutting health care. Visit any hospital in Ontario and you see nurses fired. You see doctors irate with the government. You can't find a health care worker in the province of Ontario that supports this government. Now let me share with you some stats. The Brampton Civic Hospital sees over 140,000 ER visits per year, but was built for a capacity of 90,000 ER visits per year. Beds in hospital hallways should never be the norm in Ontario, but it's the norm under this Liberal government. The patients of Brampton and Peel region deserve more from their government. Mr. Speaker, will this government commit that the Brampton Civic Hospital will have the reasons they need not to be permanently over 100% capacity? Mr. Speaker, I can't listen to know whether the Leader of the Opposition mentioned when he was at Brampton Civic Hospital whether he voted that he voted against the 8.2 million dollars in new funding to that hospital this year. Did you talk about why you voted against a billion dollars? Did he mention why he voted against a billion dollars addition to health care, Speaker? We're inches away from warnings. We're going to start right away. So let's not get there, please. Finish. There has been a 97% increase in funding to that hospital. That's almost double since we were elected in 2003, Speaker. We have come a long way. Can he trust any lessons that are how to spend health care dollars? Thank you. Mr. Speaker, sometimes I can't believe this government can keep a straight face while saying that they're actually putting money to health care because they're not. Visit any hospital in Ontario. Talk to any nurse. Talk to any physician. And they all say the same thing. This is a government that's cutting, cutting, cutting and hurting patients in the province of Ontario. Now, let's speak about some more facts about the government's cuts to health care in Brampton. You know, because of this government's cut to physicians, there was a multi-specialty clinic in Brampton that just laid off five staff affecting 2,000 patients. There was two family doctors who just announced in Brampton that they have to cut 14 hours of their clinic because of this government's cuts. That affected another 2,000 patients. So, Mr. Speaker, how many more patients in Brampton are going to have to suffer because of this government's heartless cuts to health care? Mr. Speaker, when we took office in 2003, we had the worst wait times in the country. We now have the shortest wait times in the country. Our investments in health care are paying off for patients, Speaker. We have 94% of people now with a family doctor. We have 26,000 more nurses working in Ontario than we did when you were in charge of the system. You compared nurses to rural nurses. And you know, let's just remind ourselves, we're approaching this two-year anniversary. The member from Brampton comes to order. The announcement in Barrie that the Conservative Party would cut 100,000 workers. The opposition, none other than the federal MP at the time, the MP stood by Stephen Harper. Thank you. Good question. Do you know the opposition? Mr. Speaker, since I can't get an answer on the health cuts and the cuts to patients, let's talk about something else. I want to ask the acting Premier about the autism cuts. I want to share with the story of four-year-old Mason who lives in Burlington. He has been waiting for IBI therapy and has a moderate to severe autism. He is nonverbal and has trouble socially. He only eats five foods and none of them have much nutritional value. His family recently received a letter saying he will no longer qualify for IBI from the same group who just weeks ago said he desperately needs that very same treatment. This is what the mum had to say. We already spend thousands of dollars a year on social programs and camps. She said they will have to sell their home in Burlington to provide a fraction of the treatment that Mason needs for IBI. So my question, Mr. Speaker, is how can this government do this? How can this government abandon Mason? Mr. Speaker, that it is kids like Mason that have driven us to make important changes to our autism program. We are adding 16,000 spaces. So 16,000 kids like Mason will have access to the care they need more quickly. We will cut wait times in half. We are making an historic investment in new funding so more kids like Mason can get what they need when they need it. We acknowledge that we're in a transition period. We know that is difficult for families, and that's why we urge families to talk to their service providers about what this means for their individual kids. But 16,000 more kids getting the treatment they need for autism is, I think, something that should be applauded by all in this House. Mr. Speaker, again to that, I'm not sure what alternate universe this government lives in, but to say they're doing it for Mason when they kicked him off the IBI wait list is unbelievable. Let me give you another example, Mr. Speaker. Let me share with you the story of Lila. Her family lives in Etobicoke. Lila was getting close to the top of the list for IBI treatment. Her parents have been dreaming about what this will mean for Lila and how it will change Lila's life. Now they feel like they have waited for nothing as she was just kicked off the wait list. Her family struggles to understand how this liberal government can turn their backs on children. Mr. Speaker, Lila and her family were promised IBI treatment. She deserves IBI treatment. Mr. Speaker, why is this government kicking Lila off the treatment? Speaker, we think Lila should not be on the waiting list. I'll take care of that part. Deputy Premier, thank you. Final supplementary. Mr. Speaker, back to the acting Premier. Since you aren't listening about Lila's story and you kicked her off the wait list for IBI treatment, let me share another story. Let the five-year-old story of Daniel from Richmond Hill, he has severe autism. He can't speak, he can't feed himself, he can't dress himself. Just months ago, after three years of waiting on the IBI wait list with Ken Ark, his family received a letter saying Daniel would soon be getting IBI treatment. In fact, he was on the top of the wait list, the paperwork was about to be completed for this summer. And then Daniel was informed that because he's over five, this government took him off. Took him off the treatment he desperately needed. Mr. Speaker, Daniel's family can't get an answer from this government despite their pleading for an answer. That's me to pose a question to the government. So I will ask the family's question of this government. Daniel's family wants to know what are we supposed to do now? What will happen to our son who can't even get his basic needs met? Deputy Premier. Speaker, on this side of the house, we believe that the status quo when it comes to services for kids with autism is unacceptable. It is not okay that kids spend years on the waiting list. We are investing an additional $333 million so that 16,000 more kids connect the treatment that they so need. We will not sit back as the opposition party wants to defend the status quo. They like the old system. We're moving ahead because we don't think it's okay that kids like Daniel, like Lila, like Mason sit on the wait list. They need to be as good as they can possibly be and that means they need treatment and they need it earlier. Stop the clock. It's much better when you address the chair and the second thing is I don't want conversations going on while the member is trying to answer so the member from Leeds-Grandville will come to order and the member from Dufferin-Caladin will come to order. Do you have a wrap-up sentence? Do you have a wrap-up sentence? We're doing this for the 16,000 more kids. That's why we're spending $333 million more on services. Member from Hamilton Mountain, come to order. New question, the leader of the third party. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Deputy Premier. Dr. Ian Daw, who chaired the government's expert panel on autism, said, and I quote, what the government has funded was not what we recommended. Can the Deputy Premier explain to parents why the Liberal government bothered with an expert panel when it is clear they aren't interested in listening to the experts? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Let me quote from Margaret Spelstra, who is the Executive Director of Autism Ontario. She said, families raising children with autism have been waiting for a long time for this announcement, providing early evidence-based intervention when it matters most. We'll set children with autism on the best path forward. This investment will set the stage for continuous learning for years to come. Autism Speaks Canada says, we applaud the Ontario government for consulting with an expert committee as well as other stakeholders and families. Member from Hamilton Mountain, second time. We're basing this action plan on research and evidence-informed decisions. And Dr. Peter Satsumari, the Chief of the Child and Youth Mental Health Collaboration between CAMH, SICK Kids, and U of T, says, thank you. Supplementary. Just ahead of the government's own expert panel, the Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth called the government's plan, quote, a mugs game and said, quote, don't pretend this is about the child and what they need. It isn't. The advocate said, children have told him, quote, we don't want you fighting over us. We just want you to provide us with what we need. What these children need, Speaker, is the IBI therapy that could change their lives. Will this government give the children what they're asking for? Thank you, Deputy Premier. Good services. Mr. Children and Youth Services. Thank you, Speaker. I'm very pleased to share with the House in response to the question about Dr. Dahl who issued a statement yesterday because he was concerned that certain remarks were taking out of context. And what Dr. Dahl said yesterday, he issued a statement saying he stands firmly behind the recommendations made in the report by the Ontario Clinical Expert Committee on Autism, which lays out a comprehensive strategy for what an autism system should look like. So that is what Dr. Dahl is saying. The member from Welfare and Caledon, second time. We have based this program based on advice from that committee along with other work that's been underway for some time. That report's available online speaker and I've met with a youth advocate on autism. I'm pleased to respond in supplementary. Thank you. Final supplementary. The Liberal government is cutting children off the autism therapy that they need and the experts say will help. The experts say the government decision is wrong. The provincial advocate for children and youth said it's wrong. Parents say it's wrong. Educators say it's wrong. There isn't a single child with autism who will be better off if the government cuts them off IBI therapy when they turn five. Will the Deputy Premier admit that autism does not end at five and give these children the therapies? Thank you. Minister. Thank you Speaker. I want to acknowledge the families who are here and the action groups who are here. I appreciate them being here. I've met with a number of them and may I say too Speaker that in recent meetings they have been extremely helpful in their vice. They've been extremely concrete and how we develop this new program going forward. They know there's an implementation committee being struck, a number of the masks to be on it. That is being considered currently and it's very important that I hear those stories directly from families. It's informing my thinking. It's informing the program going forward and Speaker, the current system is unacceptable. I think we can all agree on that. Speaker, we want to make sure every child who has autism gets the services when they need it for the right duration and that's my commitment to these families here today and all families and children facing autism. Thank you. Do you see it please? New question in the leader of the third party. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. My next question is also for the Deputy Premier. Yesterday I asked the Deputy Premier about hospitals that are overcrowded and why this Liberal government has no policies or standards for hospital occupancy. But yesterday the Deputy Premier, the former Health Minister, denied it was a problem and insisted it's just a quote system in transition. Then she insisted it was irresponsible to build hospital capacity and then she said we are building new hospitals. Will the Deputy Premier actually get her story straight speaker, cut the spin and admit that Liberal cuts rather have left Ontario hospitals in a dangerously overcrowded situation? Thank you Deputy Premier. Well Speaker we are investing 12 billion dollars over the next 10 years to expand and rebuild hospitals. 35 major hospital projects are underway or are being planned. So our commitment is to continue to rebuild and build hospital infrastructure. At the same time Speaker we do recognize that many people in hospital would be better served outside of the hospital and that's why we're expanding our commitment to community-based care. The member from Hamilton East Tony Creek second time. Long term care. The hospitals are a vital part of our healthcare system but when somebody is ready to leave the hospital and receive their care outside the hospital they need to work to make sure that care outside the hospital is available Speaker. Thank you Supplementary. According to the OECD the safe level of occupancy for countries like the UK is 85% but hospitals across Ontario are operating at nearly 120% capacity for months on end. Dr. Samir Sinha who led Ontario's senior strategy has said that when hospitals are at or above 100% capacity quote everyone agrees that's not a safe level to run end quote. But hospitals across the north in Sault Ste. Marie, Thunder Bay and Blind River have been over 100% for months on end. The Sue area hospital Speaker has been above 100% capacity for two whole years. Will the Deputy Premier stop the cuts to Ontario's hospitals? Thank you. Well, Speaker if the leader of the third party actually had read Dr. Samir Sinha's report Living Longer Living Well she would know that his advice to us was to do exactly what we're doing which is to build capacity outside hospitals. The solution is not to build more hospital beds in every community in the province the solution is to provide the support for patients. It's a patient-centered approach that we're taking we're getting people the care they need whether it's in hospital or whether it's at home or in the community or an alternate setting. Speaker to focus simply on hospitals and to say the solution to overcrowding in hospitals is build more hospital beds does not reflect the root problems within the healthcare system. Thank you. Final supplement. Speaker you can't cherry pick the advice. If hospitals shouldn't be operating over a hundred percent they shouldn't be operating over a hundred percent hospitals in the north. Our hospitals in Toronto, Ottawa, Scarborough and Hamilton communities like Belleville, Brantford, Burlington, Dunville and Peterborough more often than not don't have any available beds. This is not a system transition speaker this is a system in total crisis and this liberal government. The leader of the third party what she and her party voted against in the last budget they voted against a one billion dollar increase in healthcare spending that included $345 million increase for hospitals they voted against Deputy Premier they voted against $270 million for home care finish please they voted against $75 million more for hospice care for palliative care in the community they voted against $85 million for community health center speaker we are moving forward we are increasing funding to the healthcare system because patients deserve that speaker no questions from thank you my question is to the Deputy Premier during today's Oppo Day debate we will be calling on your government to restore funding for IBI therapy for children over the age of five thousands of Ontario families autism Ontario the provincial advocate from BGZ York the Ontario Association for Behavioral Analysis the chair of your own expert committee the elementary teachers federation of Ontario the Ontario secondary school teachers federation the Ontario federation of labour the Ontario public school boards association QP, Opsu and now municipalities are all opposing your decision minister how many more experts do have to come forward before you understand removing IBI therapy for kids over five will impact children's ability to communicate with their family succeed in school and thrive in our community thank you Deputy Premier can you tell me why anyone in this legislature would defend the status quo when it comes to services for kids with autism we are adding 16,000 spaces for increasing funding by $333 million and historic investment in improving services for kids with autism getting them off the waitlist and into service so let's hear what Dr Peter Setsmari a world renowned expert in autism is so important to personalize intervention services for kids with children with ASD this funding opportunity is a significant step in that direction early intervention for all but different interventions at different times is an essential step in the right direction Speaker Suzanne Jacobson founder of quick start early intervention for parents spoke and they were heard at the right time individualized, expanded and timely services will be changing we applaud thank you supplementary to members from Wellington Health and Hills last Friday I met in Georgetown with families from our riding who have children with autism spectrum disorder Linda and David Galveo's sons Toby and Luke both have ASD David and Linda are planning to be here later on today their older son Toby began IBI therapy at age six and within 30 days he went from being nonverbal to speaking and even reciting the alphabet their younger son Luke has been on the IBI waitlist for three years and he's now six under the government's plan to ration IBI therapy, Luke would be denied the chance to reach his full potential the same chance that IBI therapy at age six gave to his older brother Toby the government be so heartless as to say to the Galveo family that their older son has a future but their younger son is on his own thank you let me read one more quote and then I know that the minister will want to speak Dr. Wendy Roberts the vice chair of the ASD clinical expert committee and again a world-renowned expert says this announcement is very good news for the ASD community based on scientific evidence the new plan strongly supports the continuum of care for all kids with ASD expanding intervention services to earlier in a child's development which is critical for improved outcomes I am proud and excited to support the new program based on the advice of the expert panel and that's Dr. Wendy Roberts thank you new question the member from Hamilton mountain thank you speaker my question is to the minister of children use services for the third time hundreds of parents of children with autism are once again coming to Queens Park they're here to tell you the government to stop taking away life changing therapy from children that they have been waiting for years parents just want their children to be able to tell them what's wrong when they're in pain parents are saying it's pay now or pay later yes IBI may be expensive but not being proactive will cost this government much much more will the minister acknowledge that her plan will fail a generation of kids on the spectrum thank you speaker we agree with parents and we agree with advocates that autism does not end at age five there is no age cutoff speaker for services in this new program in fact in the new program speaker all children with a diagnosis including those over five will receive better services they'll receive them sooner that are customized to meet individual needs including those who require intensive therapies and interventions speaker there's 40,000 children with autism in this province I recognize that there's a subset of that approximately 2,200 families across the province that will feel some changes during this transition period and that is exactly why we're paying close attention to those individual families to make sure that they get the information they need to make sure they get the support they need and the children have the reach thank you speaker the experts were clear that for IBI to be effective it needs to be for a minimum of a year but $8,000 will cover less than two months of IBI parents will now get to see the potential of their now get to see the potential of their children be ripped away from them that's cruel and it's unfair this government is actually silencing the voices of children by not giving them the therapy that they need to communicate yesterday the city of Pickering and the minister's own writing passed a resolution calling on her to reinstate funding for IBI regardless of the age we hear are calling on her to do the right thing and to make sure that they reinstate the kids for IBI will the minister admit that she's hurting families and reverse her decision to place an age cap on IBI therapy thank you thank you minister so speaker resolutions from municipalities come from councillors not from residents I think that's important to know secondly the member opposite I would like to quote the member opposite thank you speaker and I think it's important to know that the member asking the question said late last year study after study has shown that treatments are generally more effective when they're delivered to children before the age of seven that was the quote from the member late last year but the bigger point speaker is that all autistic children deserve to get the right services at the right intensity at the right time and that was my commitment it's a historic investment speaker of $333 million thank you new question from the public health centre thank you speaker my question is for the attorney general speaker I know that our government is committed to ensuring access to justice for all Ontarians in fact the minister herself I know is very committed to bringing together barriers partners not a legal community to identify barriers and work together to address them reforms to our justice system that ensure simple fast and affordable access to the justice sector services is one of the ways our government is committed to improving the system I was happy to learn of the attorney general's justice round table which engages with vital partners in the justice sector minister could you please speak to this house on the work you are doing at the justice round table thank you attorney general I would like to thank the member for Tobico center for his question we are committed to making the justice system simpler faster and more accessible for all Ontarians our justice round table bring together key justice and community partners to discuss the issue they face and how we can work in new and different ways to resolve them together the justice round table serves as a very important forum to promote communication and collaboration among the ministry and justice system stakeholders I had the pleasure of hosting our latest round table last week and I look forward to discussing the detail in the supplementary thank you mr. Speaker thank you thank you mr. Speaker I'd like to thank the minister for her answer I'm very pleased to hear that the attorney general is talking to our partners in the justice system I'm also very proud to hear that the ministry of the attorney general has created new avenues for family law and criminal law by favoring communication and collaboration in that sector our system takes advantage of the knowledge of experts and I'd like the attorney general to tell us more about what the experts are saying thank you mr. Speaker I would also like to thank again the miss the member for Etobico center this round table focuses on two main topics the ministry has identified key aspects in family law and criminal law and has also gotten different advice from experts we want family law to be more efficient and accessible and our round table on criminal law aims at bringing more people into the system we want to be leaders in this system by bringing change that will improve access to the legal system across Ontario thank you mr. Speaker thank you mr. Speaker my question is for the minister of children and youth services Speaker Aiden Timmons is a 5 year old boy with autism in my riding Aiden's non-verbal and he was on the IBI waiting list for 17 months his dad Sean tells me his dream is to hear Aiden say I love you dad one morning last month Sean found his wife Sonia in tears a letter stating that because Aiden had just turned 5 he was suddenly no longer eligible for IBI the day Sean and Sonia learned that the light at the end of our tunnel was stuffed out was April 2nd World Autism Day that shameful speaker so my question is simple will the minister do the right thing and give Aiden the therapy he needs to find his voice deputy prime minister children youth services as both the premier and I have said in this house on a number of occasions our government is committed to improving the lives of children with autism and the lives of their families and that is exactly why we are addressing this very unsustainable situation we find ourselves in that is exactly why we don't want children to be stranded on wait lists that have been on the IBI wait lists are going into immediate service speaker and they will be supported during that time to the $8,000 payment for services as well as post that all children who have autism no matter where they are in the spectrum deserve the right kind of intensity the right kind of support that is what the new autism program we are getting down to the family levels but you will make sure they are all well supported by their service provider and if that is not happening I want to hear more from families about that supplementary member from naglis blamber I am known for a long time and I don't believe this is you I don't believe that you would count as a policy that would pit kids under 5 and the parents older than 5 and the parents and I think you know in your heart too that the parents don't like that they don't like the notion of having to crawl over some other parents and their kid to get service next to you missus august streets fill he has a constituent his writing named adam and adam is one of those kids and his mom initially adam's treatment was supposed to be in august of 2017 it will be after he turned 5 they looked into the wait list to find out with your new policy the answer received august 2017 it had not changed he would be cut off minister I know in your heart the policy you believe should be judging by the need of the child not the age of the calendar can you make sure adam gets a service before I go to the minister just a reminder please through the chair it's designed that way minister thank you speaker and I want to thank the member from the opposition for what I believe are very sincere words towards me but speaker I need to be very clear I am committed to making positive change for children with autism I am committed to making sure that this investment of $333 million happens notwithstanding that the notwithstanding the third party voted against this investment we are going to keep going because these children deserve to get the support they need whether they are currently in therapy whether they are on a wait list and will be now taken off that wait list and into immediate service I am committed to this program my government is committed to this I am committed to the families here and all families Ontario to make it better for these children with autism thank you thank you thank you very much my question is to the acting premier can the deputy premier tell Ontarians how many experts they consulted before democratic reform and how many public meetings were held before introducing today's reform legislation thank you thank you thank you very much speaker and I am very proud that we will be tabling a piece of legislation that will introduce some very major reforms to the election financing rules in the province of Ontario speaker this proposal is very much inspired by what we are hearing from the public where they want transparency accountability and as a result speaker the proposal that will be tabled today will be banned on corporate union donations it will introduce strict limitations on third party advertising it's going to speaker ensure that there are hard caps on limits for fundraising and many other important features I hope expect speaker and the premier expect that the opposition party especially the NDP will participate in the process to make sure that Ontarians get an opportunity to bring their point of views forward supplementary back to the acting premier after a decade of scandals today's legislation does not address the cynicism or the trust issues that Ontarians have with this government this bill limits non-partisan groups from speaking out about issues like autism, climate change or fair pay but it does give free reign for partisan government advertising then in the words of the AG allow self congratulatory self promotional advertising that will be of little practical use to the citizens paying for it this bill is about helping the liberal party will the deputy premier commit to fixing the bill that they've introduced or will the government be using its legislative majority to ensure that this bill helps the Ontario Liberal Party once again I find it rich coming from the NDP who have done nothing but drag the feet on this process they have done nothing but to offer one for some members it really doesn't matter where you sit I can tell who you are the NDP has failed to offer one substantive thought or idea on this very important issue when we have asked them to come to meetings so we can discuss the substantive aspect they have bycotted I want to give credit to the official opposition for coming to the meeting and engaging in a healthy discussion I want to give credit to the green party speaker who come to a meeting and give substantive ideas NDP nowhere to be seen so before NDP gets on their holy place speaker they should engage in this process let's make sure that we get this matter to the committee so that we can hear from Ontario's across the country I have a question from Northumberland my question is to the minister of natural resources and forestry minister there has been a lot of mention in the news about rabies in the Hamilton area lately my understanding is that these animals have been infected with particular strain of rabies that hasn't been seen in Ontario since 2005 I know that Ontarians might have questions but reemerged that this disease happened in what steps Ontario has taken to mitigate it can the minister share how his ministry and its partners are working to control this outbreak and ensure public awareness of raccoon rabies thank you minister thank you very much I want to thank the member from Northumberland for the question speaker well we can't say for sure speaker how we have ended up in this situation with an outbreak of rabies in Ontario we expect probably that an animal came in on a vehicle like a rail car or something we know we've had a great record in the province for 8 or 10 years since we have had a situation where the ministry has had to deal with a rabies outbreak that is owed in large part to a great program a made in Ontario solution that's been in place for a number of years where the bates some 220,000 now in the springtime we've had a call to deal with this outbreak a made in Ontario solution where the bates are distributed around the border communities in the United States to try and prevent areas that don't have a program from those animals finding their way into Ontario and creating a problem for us we've distributed speaker about 220,000 bates last year the animals basically go into hibernation the bates are less effective over the winter months so we stopped the program in the winter but I've got more to add on that thanks to the minister for his answer it's good to know that his ministry is responding to this outbreak I know the last time there was an outbreak of this nature that our tools were very limited leading to the calling of many raccoons as a preventive measure it was reassuring that we now have tools like this vaccine that can be more broadly and more humanly used to control the spread of this disease can the minister elaborate on his ministry plans to further address this problem thank you minister thank you very much and again I want to thank the member for the opportunity to elaborate speaker as I mentioned in the opening response this is a made in Ontario solution 220,000 bates last year we resumed the bating again on April 1 an additional 500,000 bates with more to come by the time the program is completed we will have distributed somewhere in the order of 1.1 million bates around the province of Ontario hoping to be as effective as we can speaker we're doing everything that we can we want this question today to bring some sort of public awareness around this campaign so that people if they see animals skunks, raccoons, foxes that are acting in an odd manner to make sure they contact their animal services agencies and their municipalities and let them know we believe that the program will take probably speaker at least a couple of years before we can really see if we have had an ability to be effective to the rabies problem in Ontario once more but I want to thank the people on the ground I made an Ontario solution that's been very effective over the last 10 years any questions? my question is for the Minister of Children and Youth Services Kristin from Coburg has a son Carter who has autism and is turning six in August he's smart and capable of learning but he's unable to feed himself with a spoon or a fork unable to dress or bathe himself and is unable to tell his mum if he's in pain or how he feels Carter started IBI therapy in April and the results were amazing he mastered two new skills with just 20 hours of IBI but the therapy will only run for six months not the years that he was promised Carter is proof that IBI is critical even for children five and older but it needs to be consistent Kristin is scared about what will happen without this treatment I'm standing up for her because her own MPP cancelled her meetings three times told her that he wouldn't read anything that she wanted to leave behind Mr. Speaker will the government give families like Kristin and Carter hope for a better future and restore IBI therapy for children? I want to thank the member for the question it's an important one because her question is about children currently getting IBI therapy it's important to clarify those children will continue to get IBI therapy yes they will have a clinical assessment at six months and the course of action will be determined by that clinical assessment speaker so if they need to continue with intensive support that's what they will get and they are not being automatically removed from intensive therapy that is a misconception out there it's important that the opposition get the facts straight it speaks to the need to make sure that we're providing children wherever they are on the spectrum speaker that they get the support they need based on the clinical advice and that they're well supported going forward thank you supplementary to member from Kitchener Conestoga back to the Minister of Children and Youth Services Laura Martin of Conestoga has a seven year old son, Cole who after three years of waiting finally started receiving IBI treatments in January Laura has already begun seeing significant improvements in Cole's self-control and dealing with his aggressiveness and now this Premier is pulling the rug out battling families of children with autism to prevent them the hope for treatment they've waited for so long in the words of his mum, Ms. Martin is ludicrous Speaker, will the Minister do the right thing for Laura Martin, Cole and the families across Ontario will she restore families hope and restore the IBI treatment that her has ripped away from Cole When I meet with families stories like this that motivate me they inspire me to hear about the progress that these children are making and that is what we all want speaker we want to see children with autism spectrum disorder make progress and I welcome those stories it motivates me in terms of our government in terms of the work we do it just reinforces our commitment speaker to make sure all of these children all 40,000 are well supported in this program which will provide more service more money and more individual support to families I welcome these stories from the families here today from the opposition and I encourage the opposition to tell stories with me because it is very important that the voice of families and children continue to be heard New question from London West My question is to the Deputy Premier On Saturday we learned that the London District Distress Centre will close by the end of the year with its crisis response line transferred to the Provincial Agency Connects Ontario That same day Beth joined me and the member from London Fanshawe in London as we listen to patients and health care providers share horror stories about the failure of our health care system and the crisis in mental health speaker telephone crisis support provides a key entry point into a mental health system that is already stretched to the limit too many Londoners in crisis have been turned away from ER or forced to wait days to access emergency mental health services the new 24-7 mental health crisis centre is already at capacity What will the Deputy Premier do to ensure that the community mental health services Londoners need are in place after they call the crisis line Thank you Thank you very much Thank you to the member for London West for this very important question and I know that she genuinely does care about having the right support there for people who are struggling with mental health issues I can assure you that this is a high priority for our government we have invested substantially in mental health services speaker including as she mentioned the new 24-7 crisis centre that is a made in London innovation that I do hope will spread to communities across the province it was the result of everyone in the community coming together and designing a solution that fit the needs of London speaker as she mentioned it's at capacity that tells us that we were on the right track when we funded it but there's more to do obviously and having a place where people can call when they are in distress is an important part of the continual services Thank you Thank you to the member from London London's new 24-7 mental health crisis centre was full almost from the day it opened 60% of those walking in the door are full first time users of mental health supports 60% of people are under the age of 35 clearly the demands for mental health services in London are increasing and will continue to grow what concrete action will the acting premier take to expand access to community based mental health services in London Thank you I do thank the other member from London for this question and again I think we're all on the same page when we say we want the best possible services for people struggling and that's why speaker we've invested substantially in mental health in London we have almost doubled the funding for mental health and addiction services since we were elected we have developed comprehensive strategy that we are implementing there is no question that people facing mental health challenges need and deserve to get the support they need in a timely way and we're making important investments to achieve that goal Thank you Thank you Thank you Mr. President My question is for the minister of labour Mr. Speaker the member of Ottawa centre and I recently attended the start of the heroes are human capital to capital ride in Ottawa this 15 day bike ride event covers 1538 kilometers from the capital of Canada to the capital of the United States the minister was also there and we had a wonderful time working to increase awareness about PTSD and other injuries faced by first responders I know that this government has bill 163 in order to help address PTSD in first responders could the minister provide the house with an update on the government's PTSD awareness initiatives Thank you minister of labour Thank you speaker I'd like to thank the member for that very important question and also for the support for her support and the support of all members of this house on bill 163 I've been hearing from first responders across the province they're talking about reducing stigma they're talking about the launch of the awareness campaign in March we had the radio ads we had the social media I'm happy to tell the house today that our PTSD posters are now being distributed all over the province and they're starting to work speaker they're going to firefighters, police officers paramedics those people in the field that can see this and can come forward and start talking about PTSD we've shared them at the paramedics chiefs conference, partners in prevention conference and I know that members from all parties in this house are sharing them with their own first responders and the heroes of human capital, the capital ride excellent event, bike ride from Ottawa to Washington it's going to help raise awareness about post traumatic stress disorder Mr. Speaker I would like to thank the minister for his answer and as I mentioned we met numerous first responders at the start of the bike ride who were excited that our government passed legislation to help first responders when they need our help the most mental health issues demand the attention of us all and I'm happy that we're working to end the stigma as the minister explained Mr. Speaker I know that our government has also launched a website to another resources to assist with prevention and awareness of PTSD can the minister please provide this house with an update Thank you minister Thank you Speaker and thank you to the member for that supplementary question members of the house will remember when we supported this part of the PTSD strategy was a toolkit so that employers of first responders would have a guide as to how they could deal with prevention plans that toolkit speaker is available at www.firstrespondersfirst.ca I'd urge people to go to the site we continue to update the toolkits on a regular basis the feedback has been incredibly positive the other part we did speaker was that we required employers of first responders to submit their prevention plans to me I'm going to publish those plans publicly so that we can learn from each other speaker the building blocks for an excellent strategy to combat PTSD are underway in the province of Ontario we're going to be asking for prevention plans to be in by April of 2017 Speaker we promised Ontario would be a leader we are a leader now thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the minister of children and youth services the minister says that kids aren't getting kicked off IBI but that's not the reality for the parents in my riding six year old Lawson should have had his IBI assessment six months after treatment started instead the government announced their new policy he had his assessment two and a half months early just two weeks later his mother received the letter about him being kicked off IBI she has been fighting to keep him on ever since Lawson's mother waited six years for her son to be able to call her mom now that Lawson is finally getting the treatment he needs his mother's living with fear that he will lose it an anger at this government that they are taking it away that is the real result of the minister's policy and the reality of the autistic kids will the minister reverse her policy for kids like Lawson that they need and are entitled to I want to thank the member for the question I think we should all agree may I suggest that we are not clinicians we are not the clinical judge of what is appropriate for a child's treatment I leave that expertise to the clinicians and children who are in IBI will continue to get their IBI and then they will have a clinical assessment and then it goes from there what is really important to note is that all children with a diagnosis including those five and over will get better services sooner they are customized to meet individual needs and speaker I am very open as I have said and the premier has said about how the new program looks in terms of the service delivery to the parents and why it is an excellent advice speaker we are taking that under consideration the context of implementation and we will keep listening to parents and advocates thank you thank you minister thank you speaker to the minister of children and youth services Angelo was a nine year old who lives in Ajax Pickering in a letter typed by his mother Angelo talked to the premier about his six year old brother Mateo who waited four years to receive IBI therapy Angelo spoke about his love for his brother and the fact that IBI therapy has made him really happy to go to school Angelo said speaker now he is in IBI he is mastering a lot of stuff he understands when I talk to him he plays with me he dresses himself he answers to his name and looks at me I want my brother to have a good life to be happy like he is now to talk more and not run away so we can go out more and be happy together in his letter he pleaded with the premier to change her mind and IBI funding speaker will the minister cancel the cuts to funding for IBI therapy for those above five years old so that Mateo can continue on the road to become a better minister thank the opposition for the question speaker I think there was reference to autistic child in school and that's a very important part of the program going forward speaker because it is important that every child, every student has access to the support they need in school and at home and that's why there's been 77 million dollars invested in board school board capacity to improve the learning environment for children with ASD I want the same things speakers as mother wants for their child I want them to be successful I want them to be happy I want them to reach their full potential and that's why we're making this historic investment the motion coming forward today from the house speaker with the support of the NDP quite frankly will take us backwards we'll keep kids on weightless I don't want that families don't want that advocates don't want that let's do the best we can thank you thank you Mr. Speaker my question is to the minister children and youth services I'm concerned that the liberal government appears to think they know better better than the clinicians and experts when it comes to services for children with autism not only has the government misrepresented what was in the experts panel recommended the the member will withdraw I withdraw Mr. Speaker not only not only has the government misrepresented what was in the experts panel the member will withdraw I withdraw I withdraw and if it happens again you lose the question they've now called on the former chair telling the truth about government's failure regrettably and unfortunate what is regrettable is that the government is stealing services from children with autism just to save money will the minister immediately rethink this plan thank you minister thank you Speaker I'm not sure how spending $333 million more in addition to the $190 million a year we spend in this program is anything less than investment Speaker I'm not the expert I'm the minister it's my way of information it's never too late to be named finish please Speaker I'll continue to listen to the voices of parents to listen to the voices of experts who are very learned in this field and to listen to the groups that have given us some very concrete some very helpful advice in recent weeks Speaker I'm very appreciative of that their advice will guide our implementation work and we all want the same thing Speaker to help these the members from Kitchener Waterloo want to point out thank you very much Mr Speaker I have a question on the order paper number 658 regarding missing persons legislation it is passed to again one moment please my information that it is not overdue the Minister of Agriculture get some new staff over there well thanks very much Mr Speaker I'd like to introduce the members East Gallery Mr. Lair Davis who is the Director of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture from Brant County welcome thank you the Deputy House Leader my order Mr Speaker I'd like to welcome Kathleen Powell of the St. Catharines Museum well and Canal Center who is with us today thank you we're from Kitchener Waterloo on a point of order thank you very much Mr Speaker I'd like to introduce constituents from my riding Ken McLaughlin and Janet McLaughlin here today on the Oppo Day Motion thank you there being no deferred votes this House stands recess until 3pm this afternoon