 It is now time for Question Period, the leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Apprenticeship. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. I'll save the government the trouble of touting the $1.8 billion they state the Hydro-1 sale IPO made. Private investors jumped at this hot stock because it was a fire sale. You wouldn't see people rushing to buy the stock unless they thought they were getting a steal. A steal that will be on the backs of Ontario's families who can barely afford their energy bills as it is. The fire sale isn't going to pay for infrastructure. The infrastructure of $130 billion was already funded in 2014. It's all spin. Distract the public by saying it's for infrastructure. In reality, it's to pay for scandal and waste. So Mr. Speaker, my question for the Premier is which one of your scandals is this fire sale intended to pay for? Well, my understanding is that the leader of the opposition didn't think we were going to be able to realize the amount of money we need for infrastructure now. There's too much money coming in. So, Mr. Speaker, let me just say that we are very pleased that there was a successful IPO for Hydro-1 that's generated almost $3 billion so far from that IPO, Mr. Speaker. That's a very good thing. I'm pleased to see that the IPO was well received by markets and it was well received, Mr. Speaker, because people see the value of the company, Mr. Speaker. What we know is that the benefits from this process will be many for the people of Ontario. The motivation, as the leader of the opposition knows quite well, is that we need to invest in infrastructure in this province if we are going to be globally competitive. There is no question about that, Mr. Speaker. And I will tell you, having been in China talking to companies and officials across the country, Mr. Speaker, I'm even more convinced that we need those investments. I find both sides disruptive enough so that I'll try to get two questions and answers properly supplementary. Mr. Speaker, again to the Premier, broadening ownership, leveraging assets, necessary investments, these are all buzzwords that Liberal ministers have been reading from their talking points. Let's call a spade a spade. It's a wrong-headed, desperate fire sale. What the people of Ontario really want is the government to protect an asset for future generations that has built this great province since 1908. People are tired of playing the government's shell games. That only helps the government's books look better for two years. The government should look beyond the next election and listen to the financial accountability officer. Former Premier Ernie Eves looked at this and walked it away, realizing it hurt the province's long-term future. Mr. Speaker, will the Premier do the right thing, walk away, and protect this important asset for Ontario? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Well, if we're going to go back to the previous government's record, we'll start with the 407, Mr. Speaker. That's where we'll start, because that was the fire sale of all fire sales, Mr. Speaker. And we learned from all the mistakes that were made by that government, Mr. Speaker. So I talked about the investments in infrastructure that are critical. Let me talk about some of the other benefits that will flow from this, Mr. Speaker. What this will do is it will allow for increased investments in those infrastructure initiatives without further raising taxes, without increasing debt, Mr. Speaker, or without recklessly cutting public services. This will be a better-run company, Mr. Speaker. And we haven't talked, I think, enough about that. The fact is that Hydro-1 needs to be an improved company, Mr. Speaker. There are many, many changes that need to take place in that company. That will happen with stronger management, Mr. Speaker, and with the company committed to customer service and performance. Thank you. I will finish in the third. Thank you. Final supplementary. Mr. Speaker, again to the Premier, you need to get out of the Queens Park bubble and listen to what Ontarians are saying on the weekend. Apart working Ontarians about the fire sale. Oh, I've got a quip for you, but I'm just going to pass. Finish, please. Mr. Speaker, this isn't a joke. I was at a rally in Mississauga on the weekend and thousands of residents were concerned about this fire sale. Rallys like this are springing up all over Ontario. Leadership is understanding if you've made a mistake to correct course, not proceed stubbornly, despite evidence suggesting it's wrong. Why does this government have a financial accountability officer if you're not going to listen? Why do you say you value municipalities if you don't take note of their resolutions? The government has sold 15%. You still have time to do the right thing. You still have time to keep majority. Will you do the right thing? Thank you. So, Mr. Speaker, let me just talk about outside the Queens Park bubble. Outside the Queens Park bubble, where I have been for a number of days, Mr. Speaker, people are looking at us and saying, are you going to build infrastructure if I bring my company from China to Ontario? The member from Dufferin, Caledon, and the member from Leeds, Grenville come to order. The member from Prince Edward Hastings come to order. Government House Leader come to order. Member from Renfrew, come to order. Carry on. When I talk to companies in China who want to expand or bring business into Ontario, Mr. Speaker, they want to know that they're going to be able to move their goods across the Greater Toronto-Hamilton area. They want to know, Mr. Speaker, that we are committed to making the investments that are going to allow them to thrive. So that's what's going on outside the Queens Park bubble, Mr. Speaker. The reality is that if we are going to compete in a global economy, if we are going to be able to compete with jurisdictions that are investing in infrastructure that are building, Mr. Speaker, then we have to do the same. That's why we made this decision, Mr. Speaker. New question. The leader of the opposition. Mr. Speaker, again to the Premier. The Hydro One fire sale is causing Ontarioans to be concerned for a number of reasons. One of those is these gold-plated paychecks handed out to the Hydro One executive still don't make sense. I've tried asking about this before Mr. Speaker. Last year, the 61 highest-paid CEOs and presidents in the province made a combined $24 million. That's how much the Liberals are giving just the top four people at Hydro One. The compensation doesn't make sense. And people in Ontario want an explanation. Mr. Speaker, will the Premier take responsibility to rein in this executive compensation that doesn't make sense to anyone in Ontario? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So Mr. Speaker of the opposition is having these conversations with people in Ontario. He's talking to them about a number of other things. I hope he's also talking to them about the infrastructure investments that their municipalities are looking for. That's the first thing. I hope he's also talking about the fact that Ontario remains will be the largest single shareholder in Hydro One, Mr. Speaker, with 40% of the company, Mr. Speaker. And so taxpayers will benefit from an improved company. I hope that he makes it clear to the people of Ontario that that improved company, that stronger management, that focus on performance, that a company that will grow and will be a better company will actually benefit the people of Ontario. I hope he knows those realities, those facts as he has a conversation with the people of Ontario. Mr. Speaker, again to the Premier, and in terms of this being for infrastructure your infrastructure budget hasn't changed. It's still $130 billion. It's not about infrastructure. The CEO of Cancer Care Ontario makes just over $500,000. The Royal Conservatory of Music $450,000 for their CEO. Colleges of Ontario and the Canadian National Institute of the Blind their CEOs make $330,000. Hydro One's CEO you think it's appropriate to make $4 million? It doesn't add up. Mr. Speaker, why does the Premier believe Hydro One executives deserve so much more than these other organizations that are doing so much to create prosperity in Ontario? Thank you Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the question from the opposition isn't sincere. Only because they themselves have for long tried to propose the dismantling of Hydro, Ontario Hydro to what it became. We have now taken the necessary steps to secure the value of Hydro One, a component of that overall conglomerate that they destroyed. We have now done the necessary steps to provide value. We have now done the first IPO which has generated a net of $3 billion for the people of Ontario. Its valuation has now improved as a result. We've taken that money investing into the province by creating new assets. Unlike the member opposite that wants to recklessly sell everything off 100% or provide massive assets across Ontario. We're not doing that. We must have a much better run company as a result of the action that we've taken. Final supplementary. Mr. Speaker, again to the Premier a $4 million salary. The government knows how much money other provincial Hydro executives make. They know how much more money chief executives in this province make. They know Ontario Hydro rates are among the highest in North America. The government knows. They've been getting calls at their constituency offices just like everyone the legislature has. Ontarians shouldn't be put in a position to choose between heating their home and paying their energy bills. Yet the Premier continues to dance around justifying these gold plated paychecks to Hydro One executives. Mr. Speaker, I've asked numerous times. Does the Premier think it's appropriate to pay the Hydro One CEO $4 million? And if you can't justify it can any one of your ministers justify it? Thank you. The question is was it appropriate for us to restructure Hydro One? Was it effective for us to take the necessary steps to increase its value? Absolutely. Is it effective that we reinvest those net gains $3 billion in net gains from this first trot into our into our economy? Absolutely. The member opposite knows that. The member opposite couldn't do that. In fact, what they're suggesting We have definitely put new leadership at Hydro One. We have taken the necessary steps to provide a new board and a new executive and as a result we've increased its valuation and improved the values that Ontarians still have, which is 84% of Hydro One. That company is worth more today than it was last week because of the steps we've taken and we'll continue to provide greater value as we reinvest those funds. Thank you. My question is for the Premier. Ed Clark told the Premier to sell off Hydro One. Even though 185 municipalities want to keep Hydro Public businesses are worried about rates. First Nations weren't consulted and 8 in 10 families want to keep Hydro One Public. The Premier is selling off Hydro One. She's listening to her unelected banker instead of Ontario families. Last week, Ed Clark talked hospitals, universities and colleges and said he wanted to quote link them more closely to the private sector and turn them into exporters. Can the Premier tell Ontarians is this liberal code for saying she's going to be privatizing and selling off health and education services in Ontario? It's quite clear that the leader of the third party and quite frankly the leader of the opposition are not interested in the investments in infrastructure that we know we need to make. They've been quite clear about that. The leader of the third party I think has issues with creating partnerships outside of our borders because that's really what Ed Clark was talking about. I would say to the leader of the third party, we have developed huge expertise in health and education within Ontario as the member knows I was recently in China, I just got back and I want to talk to her about two examples of how we can use that expertise to create partnerships that can benefit people within Ontario and outside of Ontario. I'll give her those examples in my supplementary. Ontarians expect their Premier to set priorities and show judgment. The Premier wasn't elected on a plan to sell Hydro One and here we are. She's putting Mike Harris to shame with her Hydro One sell off and the same unelected banker who wrote the plan to sell Hydro One has now been given carte blanche by this Premier. The Premier can't seem to say no to her unelected banker and he has opened the door now to privatisation in our public hospitals. Hospitals that have already suffered years of cuts and bed closures under this Liberal government. Will this Premier tell Ed Clark to back off our universal public healthcare system? So let's be clear Mr Speaker. The leader of the third party is saying she stands in opposition to partnerships with entities outside of Ontario in the education and health sector. So Mr Speaker she would stand in opposition to the two agreements that I'm going to talk about now. These are agreements Mr Speaker make note that create jobs that actually spur investment and they foster innovation in our province. The first one is between TV Ontario and CBS Consulting Inc of Markham. They're entering into an agreement to provide English language high school courses to Chinese students. That's an investment of $250,000 which will create four jobs. It's a small agreement Mr Speaker but it takes expertise that has been developed here and allows people outside of Ontario to benefit. The second one is an agreement between Sick Kids University and I'll go into the details in the supplement. Mr Speaker earlier this month the Minister of Health gave a speech that mentioned transformation no less than 18 times. Now Ontarians are learning that the man who's driving those changes will be the same un-elected banker that was behind the sell-off of Hydro One. Ed Clark says we need to link our hospitals more closely to the private sector and turn them into exporters. Why is this premier opening the door to privatization in health care? Thank you. Let me again I will just talk about this agreement between Sick Kids and Children's Hospital of Food and University because this is what we're talking about this memorandum of understanding will initiate a multi-year partnership to support neonatology through first advisory services to support the design quality improvement and workflow of a new CHFU neonatal tower secondly the development of education and training programs for physicians, nurses and management to be delivered in both China and Canada and thirdly the possible coordination of joint academic conferences and joint research projects. Mr Speaker this will save Chinese babies lives this will make the quality of professionals and institutions should be providing health care to the people of privatization Mr Speaker I have a very basic question for this premier. Will the premier rule out the selling off of more revenue generating assets here in Ontario? Thank you Innovation in our capacity in Ontario is that of course it is first and foremost to benefit the people of this province but Mr Speaker we live Mr Speaker I just came back from Beijing with our Minister of Economic Development and the Minister of International Trade and in Beijing it is very hard to breathe Mr Speaker the air is so polluted that it's clear that there needs to be a change in those cities the government officials know it Mr Speaker well I can tell you we have technology here in Ontario that we can bring to the world that we can share Mr Speaker innovation that can benefit the people who live in those cities Mr Speaker surely the leader of the third party thinks that that's a good thing for us Mr Speaker Mr Speaker please Mr Speaker Mr Speaker I have asked the premier about her intentions to sell off more revenue generating assets I don't think she heard me the Minister of Finance has refused to rule out selling off more revenue generating assets the President of Treasury Board has refused to rule out selling off more revenue generating assets my finance critic has written to the minister and has had no response speaker now I have written to the premier the premier can clear this up speaker with the one word simple answer will the premier talentarians whether or not more revenue generating assets are going on the auction block Mr Speaker Mr Speaker the leader of the third party knows that what we intended to do was written in our budget we talked about real estate assets Mr Speaker we said that we were going to ask Ed Clark to look at the assets owned by the people of Ontario he has done that Mr Speaker he has given us advice will we continue to work to share our technology and our expertise whether it's in education whether it's in clean tech whether it's in health care will we work to continue to share that with the world will we develop partnerships and will we help companies in Ontario to expand and export across the world whether it's an agri-food or whether it's an energy yes Mr Speaker we will do that because the expertise that has grown here in Ontario is second to none we're proud of it we are going to shock it to the world Mr Speaker so that we can improve the lives of not just people in Ontario but people around the world final supplement this Liberal government has no mandate to sell off hydro one no mandate whatsoever they did not no matter what this Premier says they did not tell Ontarians that that was their intention during the last election campaign now they're leaving the door open to selling off even more to every Ontarian you deserve a government a government that is honest with you about what their intentions are will this Premier do the right thing be honest with the people of Ontario and tell them here and now in this legislature which revenue generating assets are on the auction block now Mr Speaker it was so clear in our budget that even the leader of the third party got it here's what she said just days after the last election and I quote the budget says in black and white that the government is looking at the sale of assets including crown corporations such as Ontario power generation hydro one and the liquor control board of Ontario that's what the leader of the third party said Mr Speaker it was clear that we were looking at assets and leveraging those assets in order to be able to invest in the infrastructure we need for the 21st century now Mr Speaker the leader of the third party can look right in the camera and she can talk solely about hydro one what she's not talking about is that in those same municipalities in every one of those communities there are needs there are needs for roads there are needs for bridges there are needs for upgraded water systems there's needs for transit she's not talking about that Mr Speaker because she has no way of funding that investment we are building on can you say that please new question the member from Chatham can ask thank you very much Mr Speaker my question is to the minister community safety and correctional services after serious questions were raised about the safety of the provinces new Toronto south detention center a memo on confidentiality was issued to all staff from the facilities director advising staff to keep quiet for possibly risk losing their jobs the memo warns that the disclosure of any information may and I quote damage the reputation of the ministry unquote it's clear that the government is more concerned with protecting its image than protecting correctional officers and inmates this memo is an insult to the men and women who risk their lives day in and day out in dangerous conditions they have tried to go through the proper channels and were ignored when they spoke out to an opposition critic the government tried to silence them why is the minister trying to muzzle correctional officers who are only speaking out to protect public safety thank you minister well thank you very much speaker speaker we very much cherish and appreciate the work that our correctional officers and probation and parole officers do in our institutions and across an Ontario every single day speaker their health and safety is a number one priority for myself and our ministry and we're working along with them speaker and I invite the member opposite from both parties to work with us as we transform our correctional system to ensure that we really focus on individuals and we break the cycle of of criminality and speaker Toronto south detention centre plays a very important role as a newer institution in that transformation because it contains innovative programming speaker and healthcare services that improves our capability to rehabilitate offenders to make sure that they are better reintegrated in the community and look forward to speaking to some of those unique features more in the supplementary thank you thank you speaker back to the minister we may know why the ministry wants to strong arm its correctional officers into staying quiet just over a week ago five scathing reports were released about detention centres across the province the findings range from concerning to horrific the common issues where a chronic amount of under staffing which in turn led to an overuse of lockdowns which is inhumane as inmates more hostile leading to more staffing challenges and more lockdowns the troubling reports were given to the government in March but publicly released Mr. Speaker in November so Mr. Speaker what steps has the minister taken in those months to address the crisis in corrections what officers spoke about the reports that we made available to public that was developed by the community advisory boards this government under the previous ministers leadership the current attorney general that we created those community advisory boards so that we can create a link between our communities and our institutions and then we gave those members of community advisory boards access to our institutions so they can give us community's perspective as to how we can improve the conditions in our detention centres and transform those detention centres that is why our government took the stab of making those reports available publicly so that there is more guidance for us to work together in transforming our system it shows our commitment and devotion to ensure that our correctional system is not just a warehousing model of incarceration but actually focuses on individuals so that they can better rehabilitate and reintegrate in our community because we all succeed when those inmates are properly reintegrated thank you speaker my question to the premier on thursday the government issued a press release saying it was getting 2.2 billion from the hydro one sale in a special tax benefit but during estimates I asked about that 2.2 billion and senior public servants said the 2.2 billion isn't cash it's not money that can be spent it's just an accounting entry can the premier explain how how she can spend 2.2 billion on subways when that 2.2 billion isn't in anyone's bank account and doesn't exist as cash thank you thank you Mr. Speaker the member opposite references the fur tax benefit that is accrued to the province in this first 50% share of the Toronto the IPO of which is going to be dedicated to the Trillium Trust a billion dollar dividend was also established just prior to the IPO again also going to the Trillium Trust all of which is being used to support the renovations and the investments that we're making in infrastructure Mr. Speaker thank you supplementary I take non-answer as acknowledgement that there isn't real cash the Hydro 1 sale gets worse every time you look at it Ontarians are losing control of an important asset the non-partisan financial accountability officer says the deal will leave Ontario worse off than it is today we always said that the premiers Hydro 1 sell off with smoke and mirrors what we didn't recognize didn't know was how much smoke would be generated because now they're counting cash that doesn't exist will the premier admit that the 2.2 billion where government claim would go to transit doesn't actually exist as cash and explain how much of the transit plan is based on this kind of bad math Mr. Speaker the net result of Hydro 1 activity is actually a consolidated number that comes into the treasury of which 2.2 billion dollars now is being allocated for deferred tax benefit and it's being reinvested and dedicated to the children trust as well Mr. Speaker an additional billion dollars is being used to pay down debt which is why we're doing the transaction to not only have capital gains to be reinvested into new products new assets but it's also to pay down substantive debt which is in this case a billion dollars with this transaction so Mr. Speaker it is enabling us to increase evaluation of Hydro 1 now to have a much better more efficient, invigorated operation which provides greater value to the shareholders of which is the Ontario public Mr. Speaker and that will enable us now to continue fostering greater returns and being reinvested the FAO noted that very issue and noted that he was not evaluating the after all New question from Newmarket Aurora Well thank you Mr. Speaker Minister of Finance Minister I know our government has made strides in our plan to build Ontario up in my writing of Newmarket Aurora my constituents have noticed our government's progress in fact earlier today I was at the premier a cookie manufacturer in Ontario cookie it up to make an announcement or to help with an announcement about growth there we've made progress in creating an innovative and dynamic business environment building modern public infrastructure such as roads investing in the people of Ontario in their skills and talents and finally we've taken leadership in strengthening retirement income security the minister's last update was in the 2015 budget which was tabled in the spring of last year Mr. Speaker can the minister of finance tell this house when he will be providing us with the latest update on our provinces progress Thank you Mr. Speaker and I would like to thank the member from Newmarket Aurora for the question and as the member said our government prepared and delivered details in the 2015 budget to achieve a strong economic and fiscal plan and I'm happy to announce today that we will provide an update to this plan it will take place on Thursday November 26th in this very house when we table the 2015 fall economic statement the 2015 fall economic statement will not only provide an update on the economic and fiscal situation of the province but we will also report back on the progress we've made toward ensuring greater prosperity for all Ontarians and I'd like to thank the member for the question and I look forward to table the 2015 fall economic statement on November 26th Mr. Speaker Well thank you Mr. Speaker I'd like to thank the minister for that answer I know I'm speaking on behalf of members when I say we're very excited to hear the progress our government has made on our plans to improve everyday lives of Ontarians and I know the fall economic statement generally provides an update on the province's finances however I understand that this statement in particular will be focused on our progress Mr. Speaker could the minister please provide further details of what we can expect to hear about hear about in the fall economic statement Thank you minister Thank you Mr. Speaker again I'd like to thank the member for the question the fall economic statement will provide on the progress of our plan including fostering an innovative business climate strengthening income security building critical public infrastructure and more importantly Mr. Speaker providing investments made to the people of Ontario Ontarians talents and skills this is a time of fundamental change and our government is not only embracing that change we're driving it and the fall economic statement presented November 26th will provide an opportunity to report back on the actions that we've taken and where we will continue to achieve and go for more success for the great people of our great province Mr. Speaker Well Mr. Speaker my question this morning is to the Premier as the Premier knows over half a million people in the province of Ontario are currently unemployed and looking for work this government's high tax and high debt policies are literally chasing jobs out of Ontario two weeks ago I wrote to urge the Premier to join the Minister of the Environment and affirm her support for the proposed Billy Bishop runway extension Mr. Speaker why hasn't the Premier responded to my letter and more importantly why hasn't she stood up for the 2,000 well-paying jobs that this important proposal would create Minister of Transportation Minister of Transportation Thanks very much Speaker of course I thank the member opposite for this question I think that he would know however in this House would know that the matter that's being discussed in the question is actually an issue that's the responsibility to work through or work out between the federal government the City of Toronto and the Toronto Port Authority Speaker but of course this gives me a wonderful opportunity to talk about how important it is that our government continue to proceed with our very ambitious plan to not only build the province up but to support the City of Toronto Speaker since 2003 Speaker has invested billions of dollars in crucial infrastructure to support the City of Toronto Speaker we have a number of projects that this member I believe would know are currently underway for example Speaker the Eglinton Crosstown LRT just a few weeks ago we awarded a 30-year contract to Crosslinks Transit Solutions Speaker to build that transformational transit project Thank you Supplementary Well thank you Speaker Premier In 2013 the Minister of Transportation at that time the Honourable Glenn Murray said and I quote I don't think we ever want to forget what an important economic asset that is and how important that airline is to growing jobs in central Toronto and support for our film and banking industries and that the airport is critical to our economy and it's been a positive addition to the economy Mr. Speaker the proposal to extend the runway well paying jobs in over $250 million in annual economic impact these jobs would help support the Bombardier Downsview Plan in Toronto which recently announced layoffs of 500 people Speaker the Premier is failing Ontario's workers by not advocating for this important project but there is still time we need a willing federal partner Will the Premier commit today to calling her friend Prime Minister Trudeau and urging him to support this important proposal Thank you obviously quite ironic that this member from that particular party would talk about having willing federal partners it's also interesting to me it's also interesting to me that that member from that caucus talks about 2012 or 2013 in my time in this legislature since 2012 year after year and before that point in time members in that caucus from that party have consistently voted against budgets from this government speaker that included funding to support all of the great things that member is talking about with respect to infrastructure with respect to creating a job speaker and I can't understand why that member would stand and ask this question when they voted against the Eglinton Crosstown LRT they voted against funding for Go RER they voted against funding for the Union Pearson Express they voted against funding for Toronto's again the irony is a little bit thick in here today but the people of this province in the city understand exactly where this Premier and our government stand Thanks very much Thank you Mr. Speaker my question is to the Premier in 2009 and 2010 the government including the current Premier voted to support the first two of my five bills to allow municipalities to pass inclusionary zoning bylaws and yet when the government released a long term affordable housing strategy in late 2010 inclusionary zoning was nowhere to be found last year the government voted to support a bill by the Liberal member from Etobicoke Lakeshore which also would allow for inclusionary zoning as yet when the government tabled Bill 73 to amend the planning act again inclusionary zoning was nowhere to be found after six years why hasn't the Premier followed through on her government's repeated pledges to support inclusionary zoning Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Mr. Speaker I want to begin by thanking the member from Parkview High Park Parkdale High Park she's been a relentless advocate on a number of files related to social housing and inclusive zoning I've had several conversations good conversations with her as well as the member from Etobicoke Lakeshore on inclusive zoning and I just want the member opposite to know that we believe it's important that we have a strong housing platform we're working on it we're doing a long term housing strategy and should we provide to employ inclusive zoning and we're looking at it very seriously as the member knows it would be part of that strategy thank you again to the Premier three times over the last six years the Liberal government has voted in this house in support of inclusionary zoning the chief city planner of Toronto says Toronto would have an extra 12,000 affordable housing units today had been allowed to pass an inclusionary zoning bylaw five years ago instead the wait list for affordable housing is now at a record high with over 168,000 Ontario households this is a crisis how much longer will the Premier force Ontarians to wait before she finally honours her government's repeated pledges to support inclusionary zoning well I suspect Mr. Speaker not much longer let me just let me just say Mr. Speaker that we continue to meet with municipalities primary stakeholders who have a number of issues and concerns which we're walking through and also other stakeholders because if you want to do something like this particularly if the goal is that house people need housing you want to do it right so should we do it and I anticipate knowing that we're looking at it very carefully and strategically if and when we do it we'll do it right thank you the member from thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the Minister of Economic Development Employment and Infrastructure on Saturday evening the Minister the member from Trinity Spadina and I returned from a trade mission to China with the Premier during this trip we were able to secure several trade agreements my constituent Scarborough agent caught a well aware of the vital role that trade plays in the Ontario economy China is Ontario's and Canada's second largest trading partners in the world and a long standing productive relationship with China has generated trade jobs and economic growth in both regions in 2014 the two way trade total almost $40 billion as such I'm proud of the government that has targeted strategic connections to continue to add jobs to this province Speaker through you to the Minister can he please provide an update on the trade deals that we secure during the second trade mission to China Minister of Economic Development and Infrastructure thank you Mr. Speaker I want to thank the member for that question but more so for her valuable contribution and that of the member from Trinity Spadina to the success overall of our trip very pleased Mr. Speaker to announce in this legislature that the Premier's mission to China secured over $2.5 billion in agreements which will make this province 1700 jobs in over 100 agreements overall for example Mr. Speaker in the last day in Beijing we were able to secure three trade agreements between Wing on New Group Canada and JD.com China Telecom Group and Cross-Border Wholesale this agreement alone totaled $230 million it's important to note that these companies could have signed agreements with companies and jurisdictions anywhere in the world but Mr. Speaker they chose Ontario and we're proud of that Mr. Speaker thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the Minister for a very important response Ontario's economies must stay competitive in the face of challenging global economic conditions we can only to do this attracting targeted strategic deals which are suitable for our highly skilled workforce one such agreement is the Hydrogenics at Mississauga companies which will produce fuel cell technology for zero public transport buses another example is a part of tech Inc. a Scarborough company that developed a cost-effective 3D foot scanner pressure mapping for diabetic feet and paramedic shoes designed software in matter of minutes and I'm proud Mr. Speaker of our government open ventures for smart forward thinking environmental friendly companies Mr. Speaker can you please provide update to the health and other agreement that we reach in China Mr. Speaker let me share a few more examples of some of the important agreements reached on the Premier's mission to China we help secure an $80 million agreement with China telecom group to import food and Canadian nutritional products to China cross-border city America wholesale will purchase $50 million Canadian produce over the next three years and open 30 new stores in 2016 City Capital announced $100 million investment toward paradise, a new attraction and residential development that I know will be very welcome in Niagara Falls Shenzhen Bowser investment group acquired 80% share of EDI a Toronto based leader in the field of robotics automation with this acquisition the Premier intends to create an additional 200 jobs in Ontario this Premier and this government are determined to open up Ontario's economy to the global economy this resubmission will do thank you Mr. Speaker my question is the Minister of Health and long-term care last week was Family Doctors Week and many Family Doctors are quite concerned about patients access to timely health care services Ontario's are currently without a Family Doctor and these patients are unable to have their health care needs met appropriately Ontario is blessed with dedicated and selfless Family Doctors but they are facing an uphill battle the resources are tapped and they face a growing burden of an aging population requiring complex care while an additional 140,000 patients enter the health care system each year as a result less than half of Ontarians are able to see their primary care provider within 24 hours of getting sick Family Doctors are wondering why the government's response has been to cut $800 million from physician services stop collaborating with OMA and as reported by the media threatened to cut doctors' pay Mr. Speaker will the Minister explain why he targets and blames doctors for his government's failure of health thank you Mr. Speaker I'm proud of the work that our frontline health care workers including our doctors are doing correct the member opposite we have been discussing with the OMA on a regular basis I met with the president just a few weeks ago as well we're prepared to re-enter discussions leading towards an agreement at any time it's the OMA that in fact has refused to come back to the table to continue those negotiations but I remain optimistic I remain optimistic Mr. Speaker because the OMA did agree to co-establish with us a table that looks at the future of physician services in this province Mr. Speaker to look at issues of compensation to look at human resource issues to look at important issues like what health quality Ontario released in the report last week in terms of wait times for Ontarians the sorts of issues which will give confidence to our physicians that we are working together in partnership for a sustainable health care system thank you Mr. Speaker back to the minister the relationship between doctors and the government is all time low this government has twice imposed fee reductions and limited options for practicing family doctors patients are the ones who are suffering to build a sustainable health care system this government must collaborate with frontline health care workers instead we see this government scold doctors into media cut resources for patient care and chase away medical residents and students to other jurisdictions Mr. Speaker can the minister explain to me Mr. Speaker I quite frankly don't know where to begin there's so many problems with what the member opposite has just presented here first of all in terms of his allegation of cuts we're increasing the budget that goes specifically to physician compensation by 1.25% last year this year and next year as well there are no cuts in fact we're increasing and we're increasing to accommodate the changes in demographics and the growth in our population Mr. Speaker but I want to remain optimistic I've reached out to the OMA despite what the member opposite had his position might be in the position of the opposition party I've reached out to the OMA we're always open to continue discussions and negotiations despite a year of negotiations the OMA at this moment in time has refrained from restarting those discussions with us but I'm optimistic those discussions will one day bear fruit thank you Mr. Speaker my question is to the Premier people in my riding of Oshawa depend on the region's auto industry for many families across Ontario including those in Windsor, London, St. Thomas Hamilton, Kitchener, St. Catherine and Oshawa it provides them with a stable paycheck month after month last week the Premier's privatizations are Ed Clark stood up in Toronto and said that the hard working people of Ontario's manufacturing sector have seen what amounts to a quarter of their paycheck cut under Liberal governments he even said that quote low labour costs are part of Mexico's winning formula it's evident that his definition of a quote new day in manufacturing means leaving people behind and lower paying manufacturing jobs that is not what the people of Oshawa or Ontario need or deserve will the Premier commit to standing up for the hard working people in the province's manufacturing sector thank you I know the Minister of economic development and infrastructure is going to want to speak to this but let me say off the top that is exactly what we are doing our strategy has been all along to invest in, to support to work with the auto sector and the manufacturing sector writ large to allow it to become the advanced manufacturing sector that will allow us to compete that's why we've been making investments that's why we've set up the jobs and prosperity fund Mr. Speaker the southwestern Ontario development fund Mr. Speaker that's why we have been making these investments to allow the manufacturing sector to go through this transformation we're not giving up on the auto sector Mr. Speaker we're not giving up on manufacturing we have expertise in Ontario that is wanted all over the world we are going to make sure that we have a modern a modern manufacturing sector in this province and it will include Mr. Speaker Thank you Mr. Speaker the people in my community of Oshawa are all too familiar with the inaction of consecutive liberal governments they have sat on the sidelines while more than 300,000 manufacturing jobs have disappeared in this province and the latest numbers from stats can show that Ontario saw the largest decline in manufacturing sales in September so what is Ed Clark's answer cut job security slash regulations that protect our workers our environment and the quality of our products will the Premier commit to creating an auto strategy that leaves no one behind and creates good paying stable jobs Thank you Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker I've just spent the 19 days of my life out in Japan and China talking about the competitiveness of Ontario's auto sector the fact of the matter is in today's economy we've attracted four and a half billion dollars in 12 months alone to Ontario's auto sector including significant investments from GM who are investing Mr. Speaker with 100 new engineers in their innovation center in GM so we're building the auto sector in today's economy but Mr. Speaker we also want a healthy auto sector in tomorrow's economy that is just around a corner and that's why we're investing in innovation that's why Mr. Speaker we need to be a leader in connected vehicles a leader in artificial intelligence a leader in sensors Mr. Speaker we are we will continue to be so we can build the auto sector jobs of today and tomorrow Mr. Speaker even if the ADP want to live in the past Thank you New question from Ottawa all of you Thank you Mr. Speaker My question is for the minister of training colleges and universities It is imperative that our colleges would help from our government provide students with the necessary skills and training they need to succeed in today's competitive labour market It is equally important that colleges continue to be responsive to the different economic and demographic changes that are taking shape in our province Mr. Speaker I understand that our government in collaborating in new ways with our college partners to support seniors in Ontario Speaker for you to the minister can you please inform the members of the house on our colleges are preparing students to meet the emerging labour market needs in seniors communities across the province Thank you Mr. Speaker I want to say thank you Mr. Speaker our government is committed to supporting a high quality post secondary education for Ontarians Ontarians colleges currently offer a range of specialized programs that serve to fill local labour market needs and prepare our students for the jobs of tomorrow Mr. Speaker my ministry recently approved a new retirement communities management graduate certificate program at Algonquin College This program Mr. Speaker is a strong example of how Ontario colleges are working with their communities and creating innovative programs to meet these emerging needs With over 2 million seniors in Ontario Mr. Speaker I am pleased that this program will enable students to learn and apply management skills in retirement communities across the province of Ontario Our government Mr. Speaker will continue to support our colleges in developing new and innovative programs that will make the lives of Ontarians better Thank you Mr. Speaker Thank you Mr. President I would like to applaud the minister for investing in a strong and qualified labour force that are responsive to the local needs of communities in Ontario particularly in my writing of Ottawa where there is a significant ageing population Speaker the minister responsible for seniors affairs recently announced the launch of a new graduate program in retirement communities management in Ottawa I had the pleasure Mr. Speaker of working in the retirement sector for 15 years and as a former co-owner of a retirement residence in one of the largest and fastest grown regions in Ontario with the demand for larger and new retirement residences this innovative program will be particularly important to me there is numerous challenges and opportunities surrounding safety, health and inclusion that accompany retirement community management and require specific skills Mr. Speaker Can the minister please inform this House on how working together with colleges to introduce program like these will help provide the best air support for seniors in Ontario Minister responsible for seniors Thank you very much Speaker I was delighted to be in Ottawa for the official launch of the new graduate program as a matter of fact as minister I recognize the dynamic opportunity to work with seniors to support seniors in new and innovative ways our government speaker supports this program and supports prospective students Speaker planning to pursue careers in management of retirement communities and improve the lives of Ontario seniors at the same time this new program is specifically designed Speaker to align with the Ontario Retirement Home Act legislation our government created to regulate care and safety standard for seniors in retirement homes Speaker Ontario's booming senior population has spurred an exceptionally high employment for qualified management professionals in this industry we continue to support this initiative by Ontario colleges investments and support for what they are doing for the seniors in Ontario Thank you and good morning Speaker my question is for the minister of Labour there is a sense of chaos and uncertainty at home due to job cuts and work stoppages at major provincial employers I've spoken about the 350 frontline healthcare workers including more than 100 nurses this government has fired at our hospital but now the government has also fired 54 workers at Nipissing University including 22 professors so now the student the Nipissing University students have been without classes for two weeks as a faculty strike wears on but this government has also fired 43 workers at Ontario Northland and now there in a lock out these provincial actions are hurting Nipissing families students seniors and businesses my question is what is the government doing to resolve these disputes nothing Thank you Thank you Speaker and thank you to the honourable member for the question I think the government of Ontario I think is very proud of the record of labour peace that we've enjoyed in the province of Ontario when you compared to other jurisdictions when you look at the number of agreements that are made throughout the province of Ontario and you realise that over 98% of those agreements are reached without a strike without a lock out that's been enjoyed by this province is as a result of the relationships that we've been able to build with both labour and with employers in the province of Ontario we have a record sir that's second to none I think when it comes to labour peace we work with both sides both sides view this government as a government that values the relationship that it has with either we plan to continue we know that the best agreement you can possibly reach is one that's reached between the parties we attempt to facilitate that we've got the best mediators in the country we reach the best agreements in the country back to the minister I'm not sure about labour peace because I'm receiving email on a daily basis from nipissing university students and parents they're concerned the students may not be able to complete their semesters meanwhile workers friends and families are out protesting the hospital cuts every single week and at Ontario northland Unifor's national president became involved and laid this lock out firmly at the feet of the premier and the liberal government despite the fact that as the deputy premier said the government has run out of money they found billions to waste on gas plants, e-health orange and smart meter scandals my question is how long will the minister let these disruptions drag out thank you thank you speaker and thank you again for the supplementary as I said we're proud of the record here in the province of Ontario 98% of the labour contracts in Ontario are settled without any disruption at all the uh when we made the decision to keep four of the five business lines of the ONTC commission in public hands we made it very clear I think to everybody in Ontario that labour is a critical component of transforming the ONTCs for long term relationships because we need to support that case of public ownership agreements have been reached with other bargaining agents as we've moved through that process the ONTC management has table final offers with Unifor I know that Unifor which is a very highly valued integral part of the the labour community in the province is taking a look at those working hard I suspect both groups work together at the table an agreement can be reached in both cases new question the member from to miscommunicate Cochrane thank you speaker my question is to the premier last week management of the Ontario Northland transportation locked up workers at its repair shops across the north Cochrane and North Bay by the Cannondustry Relations Board now they're locked out again after negotiators for the company or the government basically walked away from the table first the government ends train service then they cut back bus routes now they're strong army workers Northerners are getting the feeling that they fought to take ONTC to force the government to take them off the auction block and now it seems they're putting them on the chopping block is this government actually determined to destroy public transportation in northern Ontario I appreciate having the opportunity to speak to you the minister of labour just spoke very well to the same issue the fact is when our government under premier wins leadership made the decision after much consultation with northerners to keep four to five business lines of the ONTC in public hands that was a proud moment and it continues to be a proud moment and we are committed to transforming the ONTC to ensure sustainable employment continued economic growth and a strong transportation effort in northeastern Ontario but it is also important and we made it clear that a critical component of transforming the ONTC for long term sustainability certainly is supporting a continued case for public oil we need to have the labour agreements in place and there have been a lot of plans to bring them optimistic as we respect the collective bargaining process that indeed will continue to carry forward and that hopefully they'll be back to the table and agreements will be put in place subtle reminder when I stand you sit you've got to look over this way every now and then the government how's the way around a point of order we have a point of order but I want to take this opportunity to welcome Tony Ionuchi, Kevin and Nikki Holland who are members of the conference union and visiting Queen's Park today. Thank you. Thank you. I would like to introduce Mr. Bill Ferguson in our gallery. Thank you. No further, there are no deferred votes, the substance resets until 1pm this afternoon.