 It is now time for oral questions. I recognize the member for Brampton Center. Thank you, and good morning, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Premier. Kalpash Palmer is a 46-year-old father of two. He has worked as a security guard for the last six years. Kalpash says before the new decent work laws, when I had back pain, I couldn't afford to get treatment. We didn't have bargaining protection. Now we do, and the quality of life is better. Speaker, now that the Premier has said that he'll scrap the rules that provide these protections for workers across our province, what does the Premier have to say to workers like Kalpash? Through you, Mr. Speaker, and to the member of Brampton Center, what I have to say to your friend there that came up to you is they can expect, they can expect to hold on to their job instead of losing their job. TD economics came out and said there's going to be 80,000 to 90,000 people that are going to lose their job. I'm guessing already 60,000 people have already lost their jobs. What we can tell your friend and Brampton Center is that their gas prices just dropped down five cents per liter because of the cap and trade. You can tell your friend he's actually going to save $850 because he won't be on the tax roll anymore. They'll have zero tax. You can tell your friend that when he goes to pay his hydro bill, it's going to be down $280. We've saved $750 million a year. You know something, Mr. Speaker? My daughter, my daughter sent over her union gas. Thank you. Thank you. Yeah. Very much, Mr. Speaker. I can appreciate the comments that the Premier is making, but let's hear a little bit more from CalPresh. Before the minimum wage increase, it was very hard to survive. When buying anything, I had to think, is it necessary for me? I can't think of the last time I even bought myself a new T-shirt. Since the Premier has never once spoken with anyone about his plans to tear up the new rules, especially people that would actually benefit from a higher minimum wage or paid sick days or emergency leave, what does the Premier say to CalPish and the 1.7 million workers just like him? Through you, Mr. Speaker, and what the member from Brampton Center did have an opportunity to do, that we had an opportunity, but their leader did, is go around the province and talk to small business owners that laid people off, talk to restaurants, talk to little home hardware that laid people off. Thousands and thousands of businesses across this province, people lost their jobs. Because you can't, I know the opposition doesn't understand economics, but you can automatically in one year increase salaries by 22 percent and then increase them 32 percent. Just imagine if everyone's cost increased by 32 percent. It's not realistic. We're going to create good paying jobs. We're going to make sure that the part-time person gets treated very well. But you have to keep in mind the person that's been working there 15 years. You can't treat a part-time or the same way you treat someone that's been... Thank you. Final supplementary. Mr. Premier, Premier Kalpesh is one of a million Ontario workers who move this province forward every single day. He doesn't get invited to your consultations, but he works hard and plays by the rules. Is it too much to ask that he be allowed to take a sick day without worrying about lost pay and how he's going to cover his bills at the end of the month? Or an emergency day during a family crisis? Or that he earn a $15 minimum wage? Premier, is that too much to ask for workers across this province? Premier. To you, Mr. Speaker, we're going to protect Kalpesh. We're going to protect people like that by, again, lowering their taxes, saving on that green energy scam the millions and millions of dollars that the province wasted. $750 million on the hydro, just $750 million on the hydro alone. We're going to create good paying jobs until Kalpesh doesn't have to stay on minimum wage. He can work his way up the ladder. He can be a manager. I've seen it over and over again in business. Someone might start at a lower level, work their way up the middle manager, manager, and then they could be running the show. That's what democracy is about. That's what free enterprise is about, is giving everyone an opportunity to grow. We live in the greatest country, the greatest province in the world. Start the clock. The member for tonight, Hamilton West and Kester Dundas. Mr. Speaker, and my question is for the Premier. In the city of Hamilton, a code zero is issued when there's only one ambulance available, or in fact, none at all. Can the Premier please tell us how many code zeroes were issued last week in the city of Hamilton? Premier. Minister of Community Safety Services. Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you for the question. We take public safety as a paramount concern in the province. One of the things that we do is ensure that we provide the resources to our frontline officers and the people that provide frontline services to ensure that they have the ability to do their jobs. That's something that we've done, we will continue to do, and we will continue to provide those services and that support to make sure that the frontline responders, all of our frontline responders, have the ability to complete and do their work. Supplementary. The attempt at an answer, but this is about healthcare, not about safety and security. The city of Hamilton in fact experienced five code zero events last week. Thursday's code zero lasted more than two hours, and Hamilton's chief paramedic says it's an issue of hospital flow. Patients are stuck waiting on stretchers for more than two hours while hospitals scramble to find space. Premier, we know this isn't new. Where is the plan to deal with this ongoing crisis? Mr. Speaker, I'm going to refer the matter to the Minister of Tourism. The Minister of Tourism. Thank you. Code zeroes happening in our hospitals throughout the province. We understand that. We also understand that the city of Hamilton is actually responsible for their ambulance services. We will work with those partners. We will ensure that they get the resources they need. But let's be clear. This is not a new problem. This is not just happening this weekend, Speaker. This is a 15-year problem that's going to take some time. We're going to get it right. Start the clock. Final supplementary. Issue for tourism, but I would suggest maybe this government might want to take a tour of some of the hospitals in Ontario. For example, it was at 104% capacity on Thursday. A Thundermaze hospital just reported that they were operating over capacity 94% of the time. These hospitals are saying that repackaging the same old liberal announcements won't get people out of hospital hallways. When are we going to see a plan? I'm not presupposed to try to figure out how the opposite party organizes themselves, but I can assure you that a Doug Ford government works as a team. We are our municipal partners, including the city of Hamilton, to ensure they have the resources they need. But to be clear, this is not a new problem. 50, and this is what you're dealt with. If you'd like to ask why the liberals ignored it for 15 years, go right ahead. But in our first 100 days, we are dealing with the issues that the people of Ontario expect us to deal with, including hallway medicine. Next question, the member for Nickelbelt. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Premier. Hamilton Mayor noted that his community still doesn't know whether they're going to get any of the $90 million search capacity hospital funding announcement. It's a concern that I've heard over and over, from Thunder Bay to Ottawa to Hamilton, and every community's in between. Can the Premier provide any details as to where the $90 million in search capacities for a hospital that he announced? Where are the money going to be spent? Tourism, culture, and sport. Now, when we announced the surge funding, we did it with the cooperation and feedback from the local lins, because we need to make sure that that surge funding is going to the communities that are most in need. I'm actually very proud of the fact that I spent last week in my constituency talking to the people in my writing, and they said, good on you for finally actually doing something before the flu season becomes a problem, and people continue to be treated in all ways. We are proactively trying to deal with that. We've chosen certain areas throughout the province where we already see, through the work of the lins, that there are going to be problems. Historically, there have been problems, and that's why we've chosen the communities that we've had. It's only a first step, but it's an important first step, and it sends the message that we are on the job, and we want to protect this stuff before the flu season is upon us. Supplementary. Back to the Premier. The Premier's $90 million commitment won't stretch very far. Last year, Kathleen Nguyen flu season funding didn't make a dent in hallway medicine. The Premier's plan is $10 million less than last year, while more of our hospitals, over half of them actually, are now operating in over-capacity status every single night. And that's before you consider the impact of healthcare cuts. Does the Premier really think that $90 million to cover the surge linked to the flu season will end hallway medicine, or will improve the situation in our overcrowded hospitals? That we refer to other members not by their given names, but by their writing names or their ministry title. Response. Minister. Please, Speaker, I must correct the member opposite. This is new money. This is very actively getting the resources in place so that hospitals like Bridgepoint, North Bay Regional Healthcare Center, Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences, Pine Villa, Cooksville Care Center, Humber River Hospital can prepare appropriately for the flu season, and so that we can stop treating our parents, our grandparents in hallways and in closets. It's inappropriate. It shouldn't be happening. And last week's announcement was a first step towards that change. Start the clock. Next question. The member for Kitchener Conestoga. My question is to the Minister of Finance. Our government is committed to putting more money back into people's pockets. For the last 15 years, the previous Liberal government took every opportunity to tax the hardworking people of Ontario. The pattern was clear. The Liberals would tax and the Liberals would spend. And the people of Ontario would lose. I'm both happy and relieved our government is putting an end to the Liberals' reckless tax and spend policies. For example, last week, our government announced our intention to halt the beer tax increase. Could the Minister please explain his intention to stop the cost of beer from going up and how this will save the people of Ontario more money? Thank you, Minister of Finance. Thank you, Speaker. And thank you to the member from Kitchener Conestoga for the question. Every year, for the past three years, the Liberals have increased the beer tax on November 1. They took every opportunity to squeeze more money out of the hardworking people across our province, all in an effort to keep up with their reckless spending. Last week, our government announced our intention to put an end to yet another Liberal cash grab. Our plan proposes to stop the $0.03 per litre tax hike on beer on November 1. Instead, we're letting the people of Ontario hold on to more of their hard-earned money. The days of the tax and spend Liberals are over. We're respecting the taxpayer. We're lowering taxes. And we're putting more money in people's pockets every single chance we get, Speaker. Restart the clock. Supplementary. Thank you, Speaker. And thank you to the Minister for his response. I'm thrilled to be part of a government that is putting the people first. An annual beer tax hike that is nothing more than an opportunity for the Liberals to finance their reckless spending and failed policies. It's about time the people of Ontario get relief they deserve. For too long, taxpayer's pockets were treated like a piggy bank. The Liberals were taking whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted. I'm proud our government is doing things differently. I'm proud our government is respecting the taxpayer. The beer tax hike was just another example of the Liberals making life more unaffordable for Ontario families. Could the Minister further explain why the plan to stop the beer tax hike increase is necessary? Minister. Thank you, Speaker. Our proposed plan to stop the beer tax hike is part of our commitment to putting more money in people's pockets. Speaker, we're bringing relief to the people of Ontario every single chance we get. We've introduced legislation to scrap, cap, and trade, which, if passed, would bring further relief at the pump and in families' wallets. We've rolled back increases for driver's license renewal fees. We've cancelled expensive wind and solar projects in order to bring down hydro rates. Every single decision we make and every single dollar we spend is for the people. The beer tax is no different. We will continue to provide way we can and let the hardworking people of Ontario keep more money in their pockets, Speaker. Next question. Start the clock. The member for Essex. Thank you very much, Speaker. Speaker, my question is to the Premier. Speaker, as the Premier knows, Faith Goldie is a neo-Nazi sympathizer who the Premier posed for photos with at an event several weeks ago. Now that photo is being used on campaign advertising to promote Faith Goldie's campaign as Toronto Mayor. Speaker, the people of Ontario want to know, did the Premier give permission for his image to be used in Faith Goldie's campaign advertising? Premier, I thought you wanted to talk about policies. For you, Mr. Speaker, I can tell you, I'm not going down that alley again. I'll tell you where I'm going. I look forward to working with the next Mayor of Toronto. I look forward to working with a reduced size of council and a functional council before to get transit built, to get housing built, to actually save the taxpayers some money. Believe me, I know that game at City Hall, like the back of my hand, Mr. Speaker, and hopefully they're going to get things done once and for all. Supplementary. Thank you, Speaker. Speaker, the advertisement in question is in Chinese and that's especially concerned in giving that other among other hateful things. Faith Goldie has recently stated, quote, that Toronto shouldn't be a suburb of Beijing. She's implying that she has the endorsement of this Premier. And the Premier now again has a chance to clear the air. It shouldn't be this hard, Speaker. It can't be this hard. Will the Premier unequivocally denounce Faith Goldie and apologize for appearing in a photo that is now being used as a de facto endorsement of her death aim from the Premier of this province? Minister of Community and Social Services. Minister of Children and Community and Social Services. But this Premier has disavowed that individual no less than 20 times in this assembly. For Flamborough Glamdwork, please come to order. Minister of Children, Community and Social Services, come to order. Member for Hamilton East, Stony Creek, come to order. Start the clock. The member for Simcoe North. For the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services. Minister, our brave, dedicated and hardworking frontline officers and emergency responders have faced incredible pressure due to constant failures associated with their communications network known as the Public Safety Radio Network. Our dedicated frontline officers and emergency responders deserve to know that our government is listening to them and remains committed to providing them with the tools they need to perform their duties safely and effectively. Ontarians also deserve to know that their government is able to provide them with the level of public safety they expect us to provide them with. To the Minister, can you please update the members of this legislature on the current state of Ontario's Public Safety Radio Network? Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the member of Simcoe North for the question. Mr. Speaker, the Ontario Public Safety Network has been left in a terrible state of disrepair. The last time the network was replaced was back in 1998. The project is long overdue. We're taking real action to ensure that our government can provide the people of this great province with the level of public safety they expect us to provide them with. Due to the current state of the PSRN, any delay in modernizing the system increases the risk to public safety as a result of radio failures. So it's critical that we move forward with this project as soon as possible. The safety of Ontarians will always be our first priority. A mitigation strategy has now been put in place to ensure the current radio network can still be used until the new system is phased in in 2021. Public safety is a top priority, Mr. Speaker, of this government and we will do everything in our power to ensure that the radio network is up and running and working for all Ontarians. Speaker, I want to thank the minister for his response and for working to keep our frontline officers and communities safe. It is unacceptable to hear the previous liberal government ignored such important communications infrastructure for so long. It is very reassuring to hear that our government for the people has moved so quickly to ensure that our frontline officers and emergency personnel are able to better communicate and respond to emergency situations. I'm also pleased to learn that a mitigation strategy has been put in place while the network is being modernized to ensure the safety of families and communities across Ontario. To the minister, could you please tell the members of this legislature how long it will take to modernize the public safety radio network? Minister. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you for that follow-up question. Our government for the people acted as quickly as possible to ensure that the provinces public safety radio network could be replaced and modernized to keep Ontario's communities safe. This project is a massive undertaking. The technology that provides essential public safety radio coverage across the province will be rebuilt by this government. Mr. Speaker, the new network will be a 15-year service agreement to ensure that our network remains up to date and in good repair. In addition, funding has been set aside to improve the existing legacy system during the transition to the new system. Mr. Speaker, our frontline and emergency responders do some of the most dangerous work in the province. They need to have the tools and resources in place to do their jobs. Our government for the people is making sure that they have the necessary tools to be able to do their jobs safely. Thank you. Next question, the member for Orléans. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Ministers of Public Security and Community Safety. The cancellation of certification requirements for firefighters make absolutely no sense. In response to several tragic incidents and recommendations from corners in quest and the request of firefighters mandatory training requirements were put in place. Mandatory training is not just red tape like the conservative likes to refer. It keeps firefighters and the community safe as they serve. In fact, Rob Einman, the President of the Ontario Professional Firefighters Association said that these regulations were necessary to save lives. Mr. Speaker, we have seen what happens when rules to keep people safe are called red tapes by the conservatives. So does the Minister believe that his government's assistance on cutting so-called red tape is worth the lives of Ontario's firefighters? Good question. Minister of Community Safety. Mr. Speaker, listening to the question begs me to ask the question back. What exactly is it that they are trying to do? What we are trying to do as a government is be responsible and ensure that our firefighters are safe. What that means is that we will look at certification but what we are also doing is listening to the Association of Municipalities of Ontario and at their annual conference we heard from them and from other stakeholders including fire chiefs that the certification regulation would create significant challenges for fire services and municipalities in particularly small, rural and northern municipalities with volunteer firefighters. Firefighters and municipalities have expressed concern with the resources and supports that were required to be compliant with the certification requirements and the potential longer term. Thank you. Thank you. Supplementary. So Mr. Speaker, actually I'm happy about the answer that the Minister is saying because actually we were going the former government that was here confirmed to the AMO to every single individual who were consulted for the past 18 months on this at a fire table at expert fire so AMO was there the volunteer firefighter was there the fire chief were there every single individual were sitting at this table and we came to the table saying that we were going to help our most vulnerable, rural and far away community Mr. Speaker so again to the Minister what's the cost of firefighters and I want to remind everyone in Ontario the cost of safety when you go to the barber or to your hairdresser they actually have a minimum requirement of standard so again to the Minister what are you going to do to help firefighters in this province to keep them safe? Minister. Mr. Speaker our government is a responsible government and will work with the firefighters the municipalities and listening to the former liberal caucus talk about the fact that they were going to spend all this money well let me remind you about the $354 billion debt and let me also remind you of the $15 billion deficit that we operate with the reality of the situation is we are listening to the stakeholders we are listening to the fire chiefs and I've had numerous discussions where they've told me and congratulated our government for taking the lid off of a boiling pot we are working with the firefighters and we will give them real results Restart the clock I recognize the member for Toronto Denton Thank you Speaker Speaker my question for the Minister of the Environment Conservation and Parks last week the UN's intergovernmental panel on climate change released its latest report 90 scientists reviewed over 6,000 climate studies to compile the world's most comprehensive understanding of the risks we face from climate change it's conclusion we need to keep the rise in global temperatures to 1.5 degrees if we're to avoid the most catastrophic impacts Ontario once had a plan to mitigate climate change then the Premier ripped up the plan and replaced it with nothing Did the Minister read the conclusions reached by the IPCC and if so how is it acceptable that Ontario no longer has a climate plan Mr Speaker through to the member and I thank him for the question as the member knows this is a 700 page study it is a study that's being reviewed now by the ministry team and like all the other information will be integrated into our plan our planning for a plan that works not the cap and trade carbon tax plan that was rejected by the people of Ontario but a plan that works but Mr Speaker I'll tell you what is really shocking is that the previous government supported 97% by the NDP did not prepare a comprehensive climate review in terms of the impacts on the province of Ontario I was shocked to find that with all of the tension paid to it and supported 97% of the time by the NDP that there's no comprehensive review of how we're going to deal with these impacts Mr Speaker climate change is real our plan will deal with the impacts unlike the previous government Speaker back to the minister the NDP supports climate action that is fair, effective and transparent the minister doesn't seem to support climate action at all Ontario's environment commissioner said and I quote Ontario has got it most of its climate change programs unquote when so much is at stake why is the minister gutting Ontario's climate change action plan without putting forward an alternative plan Mr Speaker through you to the member climate change is real and we are addressing it but we're addressing it with an effective made in Ontario plan Mr Speaker there are two things that are clear first we need to build resilience we need to understand the impacts of climate change because it's happening second we need to deal with reductions in greenhouse gases but reductions that provide a balance a balance between a healthy economy and a healthy environment our made in Ontario plan will bring forward those changes and we'll look forward to the member's comments when the plan is released next question the member for Willowdale thank you Mr Speaker my question is for the wonderful and talented Attorney General we know that the Trudeau government has mandated that recreational cannabis be legal across Canada on October 17th and I know that our government has been hard at work developing a plan that ensures our province is ready for legalization this Wednesday a plan that will protect our children keep our roads and communities safe and combat the illegal market but I also know that many parents and young people in my riding of Willowdale still have questions about what the federal liberal government's legalization of this drug means and what it'll mean for families and their communities I know our government has made many announcements on this topic which have been helpful but I'm wondering if the Attorney General can highlight any further places that people may be able to ask more about the government's plan The Attorney General Mr. Speaker I'd like to thank the member from Willowdale for his question with the federal government's legalization of cannabis only two short days away on October 17th I would like to start by reassuring this chamber and all Ontarians that this province will be ready and young people have questions about the federal government's legalization policy as a mother of four children myself I have thought about how this policy will affect my family and so I know that like so many others I'd like to have as much information as possible about how to navigate these waters which is why I'm happy to share with the House that we have launched a public awareness campaign aimed at informing Ontarians especially parents and young people about the new legal framework for the purchase and consumption of recreational cannabis about the dangers associated with drug impaired driving and highlighting the health risks to consumers and over the coming months we will be rolling out more and more ads that will be accessible and a parent for people where they live and commute Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the minister I know that the parents of my riding will be relieved to know that the government is providing resources that they can turn to when they have questions these are certainly uncharted waters and it's reassuring to know that we have a government that takes this matter and the protection of our young people very seriously Mr. Speaker the minister mentioned the purpose of the public awareness campaign was to highlight the rules around recreational cannabis use in Ontario Can the minister outline how the new plan will better inform families and commuters on how to be safer in our communities and on our roads Attorney General Mr. Speaker I'd be happy to provide the member from Willardale with more information These ads will focus on social responsibility including the serious health and addiction risks of short and long-term cannabis use They will not promote cannabis use Our message will remain simple and clear We will plainly tell Ontarians how our children our communities and our roads will be protected and how we will work to combat the illegal market The deterring effects of our zero tolerance policies will be also amplified through these ads which will work to educate people about the dangers of driving impaired and stiff penalties No matter where or how you hear about our government's plans our commitment to protecting youth keeping our communities and our roads safe and fighting the illegal market will always be paramount I cannot stress this enough Mr. Speaker Ontario is ready for the federal government's finalization of recreation Next question The member for Brampton East My question is to the Minister of Finance Ontarians living in areas like Brampton Scarborough Humber River Black Creek and York Southwestern pay disproportionately higher auto insurance premiums than drivers in any other neighbourhood in the GTA This is simply not okay Ontario families are to pay enough and we must stop auto insurance companies from gouging families merely based on the neighbourhood that they live in Climbing daily expenses from auto insurance to hydro to housing are pushing families past the breaking point We have to do better This is why I will be introducing my private members bill to end post-acord discrimination in auto insurance premiums Will the government support my private members bill or will they side with auto insurance companies over Ontario drivers Thank you to the member from Brampton East for the question It's clear that the liberal NDP system of failed stretch goals on auto insurance is broken We congratulate our PC member from Milton for his work on this file He will be introducing legislation that if passed will eliminate the unfair practice of postal code discrimination with respect to auto insurance rates His proposed initiative speaker is a great way to combat discrimination in our auto insurance system Once the member's legislation is tabled we look forward to working with him and the industry stakeholders to ensure our auto insurance system meets the needs of Ontario's 10 million drivers Speaker he has done this right He consulted with stakeholders right across the province and put forward a great private members bill Thank you supplementary Mr. Speaker Ontario has one of the lowest levels of auto accidents in Canada yet the most expensive auto insurance premiums While the government should be working hard to fix this situation the premier has instead continued with the liberal's policy which has failed drivers for too long and paved the way for a 9% increase in average premiums paid by drivers We need to be moving forward not backwards Will the government support my private members bill and stop allowing premiums to be based on where you live Thank you Speaker The previous liberal government backed by the NDP failed to deliver anything but stretch goals when it came to auto insurance rates Our member from from a Milton's bill Speaker our members from Milton's bill if passed the bill will end the unfair practice of discriminating against drivers simply based on where they live Our government for the people is committed to putting more money in people's pockets and this bill is another step towards doing that and we congratulate the member from Milton Member for Carleton Thank you Mr. Speaker My question is for the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services Minister with the recent tornadoes that affected many families throughout Ottawa region we've heard of the many difficulties faced by our dedicated emergency responders during their response efforts The communications infrastructure that are hardworking frontline officers and emergency personnel rely upon to respond to emergency situations is in a terrible state of disrepair Speaker through you could the minister please explain to all members of this legislature what he is doing to ensure that Ontario's emergency communications infrastructure is improved Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the member from Carleton for the question As you've heard today our government has taken real action to address Ontario's crumbling public safety radio network a system relied upon by many of the province's frontline officers and emergency responders Replacing this outdated and ineffective radio network is critical to all emergency services throughout the province When Ottawa was shaken by the tragic tornadoes our hardworking and dedicated frontline officers and emergency responders were obstructed from performing their duties safely and effectively due to the frequent outages that affected the PSRN on a daily basis In an emergency situation Mr. Speaker regardless of where it is in the province communication between our frontline response emergency responders is a key component to ensuring public safety and to also keep our emergency responders safe Thank you supplementary Mr. Speaker I thank the minister for his response It's reassuring to know that our government for the people under Premier Ford's leadership is taking the necessary steps to ensure that public safety is enhanced and restored throughout the province Our hardworking and dedicated frontline officers and emergency personnel deserve to have the tools they need to keep all of Ontario's communities safe Minister as you know frontline officers and emergency personnel throughout the province rely upon Ontario's public safety radio network There has been constant concern over smaller rural and northern communities like Richmond, Metcalf and Osgood when it comes to having the necessary tools and resources to perform their duties safely and effectively To the minister Could you please explain how modernizing the public safety radio network will help those living in smaller rural and northern communities in my riding of Carlton and across this great province Thank you Minister Thank you for that very good question Let me start off by saying that the Ontario public safety radio network is relied upon by more than 38,000 emergency responders throughout the province It is the largest most complex net in all of North America But it was one of the last ones that has been left to comply with the P-25 standard in North America This modernization project will ensure that are more than 38,000 frontline officers and first responders including OPP officers paramedics hospital staff fire services provincial highway maintenance staff and even the provinces conservation officers can count on communications infrastructure network and equipment they need when they respond to emergencies This project will assist our hardworking frontline officers in an emergency responders throughout the province becoming better equipped to keep our communities and families and businesses safe Thank you Next question The member for Parkdale High Park Thank you Speaker My question is to the Premier A fully equipped medical trailer for overdose prevention in my riding of Parkdale High Park sits unused As the weather worsens volunteers who maintain the overdose prevention site decided last week that they had to close in order to keep the community safe 189 people and counting have died in the 10 weeks since the government started its unnecessary review given the evidence is already very clear Speaker with no sign of a decision will the Premier finally tell the people of Parkdale High Park if the previously approved permanent site can operate safely and openly yes or no Premier Minister of Tourism Minister of Tourism Culture and Sport Thank you The member opposite understands that we requested an extension from the federal government to study the problem and make sure we got it right as the as the speaker knows we received that extension from the federal government we're going to study it we're going to get it right I think it's very important for people to understand any discussion about mental health addictions must include a conversation about opioid crisis Thank you Back to the Premier People are dying while this government dithers three people a day die from preventable overdoses Regardless of whether the Premier is quote dead set and quote against these sites it is a proven harm reduction tool that saves lives I ask again will the Premier allow health professionals already during the work of saving lives to do it safely from community health clinics yes or no Minister No I think the member opposite is frankly just reinforcing the point that we need to get this right this is not a knee-jerk reaction this is not a let's throw money at it I know it's always the NDP solution but frankly there are better ways order need to make sure that the treatment is in place we will study this and we will get it right and we will not be rushed order because you want to make a snap decision Next question the member for Northumberland Peterborough South Mr. Speaker Thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the Minister of Economic Development Job Creation and Trade today marks the beginning of Small Business Week after 15 years of red tape over regulation and excessive taxation I know I speak on behalf of all the small businesses in my community when I say how special this small business week is we know Mr. Speaker businesses are the backbone of Ontario's economy small business owners are hardworking people they get up early they work late they take great risks and create jobs in communities across our great province our government is committed to helping small businesses success succeed create the right conditions and to help them thrive question when small businesses prosper Ontario prosper prospers could the minister please inform the legislature how our government for the people is helping small business owners after 15 years of hardship under the previous liberal government Minister of Economic Development Job Creation Mr. Speaker I thank my honourable colleague for this very important question yes this is a small business week in Ontario and we celebrate the jobs the food that's put on the table by our small businesses the families that have great lives those that come off welfare and work for business and make their way up as the Premier said but you know Mr. Speaker well this week is small business week officially every week is small business week we have over 400,000 small businesses in the province of Ontario and they account for about 90% of the actual businesses in our provinces Ontario's small businesses employing nearly 2 million people and our government is making sure making sure every day that they're able to thrive prosper and employ more Ontarians and we're doing that by scrapping the cap of trade if passed the green energy acts being scrapped if passed we remove the carbon tax from the price of natural gas lowered the gas tax by 4.3 cents with more to come Mr. Speaker committed to lowering corporate tax Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the minister for his response Mr. Speaker our number one priority of this government is ensuring Ontario is open for business it easier in this province to grow a business by cutting red tape and regulatory burdens in fact the PA was just in my writing and held an excellent round table with small businesses on this very day we've heard from businesses across this province that they need relief business resources shouldn't be spent Mr. Speaker on improving and innovating not clearing regulatory hurdles far too many provincial regulations are inflexible inefficient and quite frankly duplicative question or simply out of date Mr. Speaker misaligned with so many jurisdictions across this country and we're paying higher bills for this could the minister of economic development job creation and trade please inform this legislature how our government for the people is Thank you again to my colleague for the question Mr. Speaker our government is taking serious action to reduce the burden of red tape and to send the message that Ontario is indeed open for business my parliamentary assistance Donna Kelly and our parliamentary assistant Mike Parsa Donna's been doing the free trade what's the effect of free trade that after negotiations on our small businesses and all our businesses and PA Mike Parsa's been doing an excellent job as was mentioned in the question listening to businesses so we can cut red tape Mr. Speaker we're not just having these meetings we're going to take the meetings that's what other governments do we're having these meetings so that we will cut red tape not down the center like 50% like so many cut it in half we're going to cut it right off in this province to appoint a special deputy minister to do exactly that to look at the regulatory burden in the province and historically Mr. Speaker we've saved small businesses and all businesses 1.5 miles thank you and the member for Windsor to come see Speaker my question is to the environment minister the former head of the OLG good morning minister Speaker the minister tweeted last week that he's cut a deal in his writing to keep 500 slot machines at Ajax Downs even though a new mega casino was opening up just 10 minutes away in pickering so Speaker what's the deal has the government reintroduced the slots at race tracks program right across the province or just in writings held by the cabinet ministers this is the environment conservation parks to the minister of finance I didn't know minister finance much for the question our government has kept its commitment to bolster the horse racing industry and repair the damage done by the previous liberal government with the support of the NDP Speaker agreements and principle have now been reached to keep slots operating in co-worth the downs and Ajax Downs and to provide additional funding to continue horse racing in Fort Erie and Dresden discussions continue with other race tracks in Ontario Speaker this commitment will directly support the horse racing industry and rural Ontario this is certainly another promise made promise kept well Speaker there's great confusion at co-worth the downs employees were locked out this morning the Premier said on Friday the slots would stay at co-worth the downs even though a new casino was opening up in Peterborough tonight but there seems to be a communications breakdown race track management has told the union if all of the slots aren't opened by tomorrow lay off notices will be issued the OLG and great Canadian gaming apparently aren't doing what the Premier said they were going to do Speaker who's calling the shots in this province the government or private casino operators thank you Speaker our government made a generous offer to all of the race tracks including offering the return of slots to Fort Erie and Dresden these race tracks in those areas made a business decision to take further enhanced funding as opposed to opening their slots Speaker we're committed to supporting horse racing in Ontario and we're listening to the needs of the industry stakeholders something that the member across the aisle should well do you know Speaker it's it's difficult when you deal with the NDP they deal in chaos we deal in confidence Speaker they deal in resistance we deal in question member for Markham Stovill thank you very much Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker my question today is for the Minister community community safety correctional services Minister I know the members for Simcoe North and Carlton have already asked this question but given how important the public safety network is to our frontline officers and our emergency service workers I think it bears asking again Mr. Speaker the system is in a terrible state of disrepair Mr. Speaker and we know how important this is for our frontline workers how important it is to keeping our communities across this province safe Mr. Speaker I wonder if the Minister could once again share with us what his ministry is doing to address this critical problem this critical lack of infrastructure that is so important for the people of Ontario Mr. Speaker thank you and correctional services Mr. Speaker and thank you to the member for that question last week as many of you know Mr. Speaker I was proud to stand alongside the premier of the province and the Minister of Economic Development job creation and trade to announce our government's plans to replace Ontario's crumbling public safety radio network as I stated there hasn't been an update to this network for over 20 years our network is crumbling to the extent that our emergency responders are scouring Kijiji justifying parts to keep their radios in working order this is simply unacceptable our government is taking action to ensure that more than 38,000 of our frontline workers can count on communications infrastructure network and equipment they need when responding to emergencies during the election campaign Mr. Speaker we committed to providing our frontline officers with the tools and resources they require to perform their duty safely and effectively promises made promises act here here supplementary thank you thank you Minister for the answer Mr. Speaker it's shocking really that Liberals both federally and provincially seem to take the safety and security of our province and country so lightly whether it was the decade of darkness for our Canadian Armed Forces that the federal Liberals gave us for 15 years to repair a public safety network and make investments in public safety Mr. Speaker that is completely unacceptable and part of the reason why the people of Ontario elected progressive Conservatives on this side of the house and on that side of the house to make these important changes Mr. Speaker it is absolutely disheartening it's disheartening to hear that our frontline officers and workers have to go out and buy spare parts to keep their radios working Mr. Speaker that's not what the people of Ontario expect and I'm very proud to be part of a government for the people Mr. Speaker that are making investments like this I wonder if the minister could share for the house and for the people of Ontario just why this is such an important investment to make in order to keep our community safe Minister to the minister of municipal affairs Mr. Minister of municipal affairs and how I want to thank the member for the question and I also want to thank our Premier and the minister of community safety and correctional services for their commitment and taking the necessary steps to modernize the province's public safety radio network so I want to thank them for that these upgrades are urgently urgently needed as was seen during the recent recent tornadoes that affected numerous families in the Ottawa region the PSRN is a vital tool used by our our emergency responders it assists with protecting the life safety of the general public and also the workers themselves that's why our government is now taking the necessary steps to modernize and to upgrade the province's public safety radio network so that we can prevent any further challenges faced by emergency responders and our municipal partners again I want to thank the Premier and the minister thank you thank you Mr. Speaker my question is to the minister of environment conservation and parks Mr. Speaker for five years I have stood in this house and said clearly that any long term future for the Fort Erie race track must include the return of slots the community and the town has said the same thing yet on Friday night after five o'clock this conservative government quietly put out a press release that said in a closed door deal the government would not returning the slots to Fort Erie instead instead they're going to give cash or a bio oh shame Mr. Mr. Speaker my question is simple when when did the minister or the Premier consult either an elected representative or the people of the town of Fort Erie on this deal when did you talk conservation and parks minister of finance minister of finance thank you very much for the question we are pleased that the member opposite recognizes finally recognizes the importance of the horse racing industry after the liberal government took it apart but only thanks to the support of the NDP however the member may want to take time to acknowledge the industry's real needs we made a generous offer to return slots to Fort Erie but the race track themselves made a business decision to accept enhanced funding instead we are committed to supporting the horse racing industry in Ontario the member opposite would be wise to listen to his own writing Mr. Speaker let me say very clearly I do not to take any lessons from that member on what to do on the race track in Fort Erie I've been fighting for that track for five years and to make sure we get the slots back that's what I've done and you know that as a member you know that Mr. Speaker back back to the environmental conservation parks for five years I have been clear the future of the Fort Erie race track must include slots and the jobs that would mean a lot of money revenue but also hundreds hundreds of new jobs for the town of Fort Erie jobs that the residents can raise their families on instead this closed door deal has resulted in the trade of dollars instead of slots the mayor the counselor my office didn't agree to this and most importantly the residents of Fort Erie were not even told about this so the people of Fort Erie can know will the minister reexamine this deal ensure that the slots can return to the Fort Erie race track just like the premier just like the premier promised thank you thank you oppositions come to order minister respond thank you very much once again our government has kept its commitment to bolster the horse racing industry and repair the damage done by the previous liberal government of the NDP we made a generous offer to return slots to Fort Erie but the race has come to order business decision to accept the enhanced funding instead this commitment will directly support the horse racing industry and rural communities our government made a generous offer to all of these race tracks including offering the return of slots to Fort Erie and Dresden speaker i'm gonna say it again the NDP deals in chaos we deliver confidence the NDP deals in resistance we will deliver results the period has expired the member for don valley east i just want to take a moment to recognize the students from domino's collegiate who were in the assembly today thank you very much i beg to inform the house that the following document has been tabled the 2016-2017 annual report of the office of the chief electoral officer of ontario there being no deferred votes point of order the member for king bond pardon me mr speaker i also want to recognize students from save raffle the archangel from vaughn who were with us earlier today there being no deferred votes this house is recessed until 1 p.m. this afternoon