 It is now time for a question period, the leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. My question is to the Premier. Premier, in the nine months that you've been Premier of the province of Ontario, we've yet to see any kind of jobs plan to help out the almost one million people who have no job to go to this morning. But in the absence of a jobs plan, you have brought forward 36 different panels for consultation. You have not made the tough decisions to clear the way for job creation. You've not made the difficult but necessary decisions to get spending under control, but you've made a lot of decisions basically to postpone making decisions with 36 different panels. There is clearly a void of leadership in the province of Ontario, so Premier, why is it the only way to get a good job in the province of Ontario to be on another liberal panel? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and I will, in response to the first question from the leader of the opposition, I will just mention, Mr. Speaker. Excuse me. Premier, I'm going to start right away, but I'm going to say both sides because the Minister of Rural Affairs, the Premier is answering, and I can't hear her because of yours. And I would also mention to each of you, just because she stands up, it doesn't mean you start yelling. Carry on, please. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And I would have thought that the leader of the opposition would have been supportive. For example, of a $70.9 million investment in Ford, Mr. Speaker, that will allow Ford to develop a global platform that will allow Mr. Speaker, I would have thought that he would have been very supportive of investing 17.6 million dollars to support business in regions across the province, Mr. Speaker, leveraging $133 million in investments and creating 2,800 jobs, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would have thought that he would have been supportive of that. I also would have thought he'd have been supportive of supporting manufacturing in their attempt to buy new technology and be able to write those costs off, Mr. Speaker. Member from Halton, come to order, please. Thanks, Mr. Speaker. I think the Premier missed you such a point in my question. There's certainly time for consultations, there's certainly time for conversations, but eventually the rubber has to throw. You have to make the tough calls. Member from Peterborough, come to order. There's a difference between your leadership style and mine. When you come to a tough decision, you appoint a panel, I make a decision, and I get things done. So, Premier, one of your... You did increase the size of your cabinet by 23%. You have a very large cabinet compared to historic standards. I think there are 27 different ministers. So, I've got to ask you, if you've appointed 36 different panels, what the heck do your 27 cabinet ministers do all day? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Well, let me just further evidence of our plan. We've already placed 1,500, more than 1,500 young people in jobs as a result of youth. 60,000 new jobs since February have been created, Mr. Speaker. Absolutely. And you know, we're... The Small Businesses Act, but the PCs are actually stalling that piece of legislation, Mr. Speaker. Legislation that would help small business to be able to expand, to be able to hire more people, would help them with their payroll taxes, Mr. Speaker, but the progressive conservatives have apparently not seen fit to support that piece of legislation and to move it forward. So, we do have a plan, Mr. Speaker. We've made a plan... We've got a plan that invests in people, that invests in infrastructure and creates a business environment that brings investment to the province and creates jobs, Mr. Speaker. But we are not going to adopt their plan. We are not going to cut and slash across the board, Mr. Speaker. That's not the way to the future of Ontario. Final supplementary. You know, every decision I make is viewed to the lens of what it'll do to create jobs, what it'll do to grow our economy. I'm proud that we've put a plan on the table that will actually get Ontario first in jobs and last in debt, because right now it's the other way around. I think of the students who are recent University College graduates that thought they'd be making the world by now in the province of Ontario that are back home with mom and dad, that are deep in debt. That's right. And all we've seen from the Liberal government are more studies, more panels. Sir, training colleges and universities come to order. I mean, surely 36 panels in nine months has to be some kind of record. Yeah. Now, I guess all these panels, if you're reporting in time for economic statement. We know the economic statement is coming, and finally that economic statement will be a game changer. We'll finally see the mean level of plan. So, Premier, are all 36 panels reporting before the first week of November, or are you going to kick this can even farther down the road? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I'm happy in the final supplementary on this question to respond to the issue of consultation, because Mr. Speaker, if the party opposite, when they were in government, of which this member was part of that cabinet, if they had consulted Mr. Speaker, if they had talked to anyone about the sale of the 407, if they had talked to any... In case the member from Halton missed it, I spoke to you directly. In case the member from Halton missed it, I spoke to you directly. You were to come to order and not argue with me. And that could end your day here. Finish, please. The party opposite had turned their chairs outwards and talked to the people who understood how cities work, how social assistance works, how the sale of assets works, Mr. Speaker. We would be in this province in a very different position, but the decisions that were made by that government and Mr. Speaker... I guess we now understand what the cabinet ministers do, because the panels did all the work. They've learned to clap once in a while. I wish they'd wish they'd do a job. Your philosophy is described. Do you think your job is to turn the chairs outward? I think it was the phrase you used. I think our job is to create jobs and to grow our economy and get Ontario moving again. You seem to define jobs by how many panels you can construct. Look, it's getting to the point of... It can't all work for the government. ...luticrousness. Premier, I mean you appointed a panel to study taxes for transit, and then you appointed a panel to study your panel. You can't make this stuff up. So let me ask you again. Enough of the panels. 36 has got to be enough by far. Will you actually bring forward a comprehensive plan to grow the economy, create jobs, and table your economic statement? Premier? Of course we're going to table our economic statement, Mr. Speaker. And I look forward to that document. What I do not think is rational is to look at a plan as the PC's would, which would fire 10,000 education workers, Mr. Speaker. The members from Nipi and Carlton come to order. 2,000 healthcare workers in Madrid. As you continue talking, I ask you to come to order the member from Nipi and Carlton. Carry on, please. We would drive wages down with harmful right to work legislation, Mr. Speaker. That's not where we're going to go. What we're doing is creating jobs. We've already placed more than 1,500 young people as a result of the Youth Employment Fund, Mr. Speaker. We're working in regions across the province, Mr. Speaker. We've created more than 60,000 jobs, or 60,000 jobs have been created in the province because we're investing in people. We're investing in infrastructure that the opposition doesn't seem to want to support, Mr. Speaker. But that infrastructure is across the province helping. Thank you. Just before supplementary, the member from Northumberland, Quinti West, come to order, and the member from Lampton, Middlesex, come to order. Carry on. Premier, respectfully, leaders make decisions. They make the hard choices. They don't keep kicking the can down the road. And quite frankly, you can't leave the province of Ontario from behind a panel. It's time to make the calls. And I think it's fair for us to expect after nine and a half months of delay we're going to see that. I imagine the economic statement is going to be a watershed moment for the province. And here's a concern I had. I mean, there was a panel created by your predecessor, the Drummond Commission. Yep. I think Don Drummond, who's a adviser, has done some very good work for the province of Ontario. Do we have everything? No, but an vast majority of the recommendations could have actually moved us towards balance. You've rejected 80% of the Drummond Commission's recommendations. All the tough calls you've tossed down the road, so let me ask you, why do you create all these panels and panels to study panels where you're not going to listen to the recommendations at the end of the day? Is this a recipe for further drift in the province of Ontario? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Well, the leader of the opposition is simply wrong. We have implemented more than 60% of the recommendations that Don Drummond put in place, Mr. Speaker. Don Drummond recommended that we look at the delivery of physiotherapy services. That Don Drummond said we should look at the way horse racing has run in this province, Mr. Speaker. We have made serious decisions, and we have implemented, as I say, more than 60%. And if the leader of the opposition chooses to read the fall economic statement, unlike his choice not to read the budget, he will see, Mr. Speaker, that we are going to continue to refer to Don Drummond and the recommendations that he made. But that is not the only way forward, Mr. Speaker. We must make investments in people and in infrastructure, and we have to talk with business to make sure we create an environment that is going to allow them to thrive, and that's what we're doing, Mr. Speaker. Final supplementary. But, Premier, respectfully, you're talking about moving forward. You can't move forward when you're paralyzed. You can't move forward when you're studying everything to death. You have paralysis by panel over there. 36 for goodness sakes. I want to know why you ran to be Premier and lead the Liberal Party in the first place if you didn't know the direction you wanted to go. Premier, our point is to create an Ontario that leads Canada and North America and the off and on the table to get energy costs under control. Taxes down to tear down the regulatory burden in the province of Ontario to modernize their labor laws that balance the budget. We've laid out a plan. You don't need another panel. The plan is done, and if you're not prepared to lead, then move out of the way because we are. We'll make sure Ontario... Mr. Speaker, please. Thank you, Premier. I've answered this question in a number of ways, and what I have said is that I am not prepared to cut and slash as the leader of the opposition has proposed. But again, Mr. Speaker, I want to look at the underlying assumption, the assumption underlying this question, and that assumption is that it is not worthwhile for government to speak to people who have expertise in sectors across all endeavors, Mr. Speaker, and I believe that that is a very, very dangerous discourse because if, as government, we decide that we have all the knowledge within these ranks that we can just turn our chairs inward and talk to each other, Mr. Speaker, then we will make mistakes. We will make the kinds of mistakes that that government made. New question, leader of the third party. Thank you very much, Speaker. My question is for the Premier. Can the Premier tell us how much public money the government has already spent on now-abandoned plans to build new nuclear plants? Premier. Minister of Energy. Mr. Speaker, at the present time, nuclear is producing just over 50 percent of the energy that we have. The existing long-term energy plan projected down to about 47 percent use. Our projection by cancelling new nuclear construction is that we will still be generating somewhere between 45-47 percent. New nuclear is not required. New nuclear is costing us $15 billion. If the leader of the third party wants to increase rates, wants to put that on the cost base, on the rate base, then that is going to push it up out of sight. Thank you. Well, Speaker, the government has conceded that $180 million so far was spent on their nuclear expansion plan before it was abandoned earlier this month. Does the Premier actually stand by that $180 million figure, Speaker? Mr. Speaker, in preparation for new nuclear, when it was in the existing long-term energy plan, very significant environmental assessments were done. As a matter of fact, environmental assessment was approved for new nuclear. That new nuclear approval, Mr. Speaker, survived for 10 years going into the future. So in subsequent long-term energy plans, if new nuclear is going to be required, Mr. Speaker, they already have a license in place, Mr. Speaker. It is an option on the future when we look at every three-year renewable long-term energy plans. Mr. Speaker, it's the right thing to do. It's us not spending $15 billion when we have surplus electricity to create more electricity. Nuclear will remain, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Final supplementary. I'm going to try again, Speaker. It won't surprise the Premier and the Liberal Party over there to hear that the people of Ontario, the people stuck paying the bill, Speaker, have a hard time believing that this government, they have a hard time believing them when it comes to the cost of electricity decisions. Is the Premier ready to put those numbers to the test? The $180 million that they will admit to that has been spent, and now those plans have been cancelled. Is she prepared? Is that government prepared to put those numbers to an independent review? Mr. Speaker, we have been very transparent with respect to the cost. It is there for everybody to see. Mr. Speaker, it is the right thing not to build new nuclear at this time. It's going to cost $15 billion and we don't need to create that new generation when we have a surplus. Mr. Speaker, moving forward, we're going to be doing refurbishment. Refurbishment will create 15,000 jobs. 15,000 jobs, Mr. Speaker. Moving forward to push rates down. We're not building $15 billion in generation. To move rates down, we've removed $3.7 billion from the Samsung contract. Mr. Speaker, we're doing the right thing for the rate pair. I'm going to remind all members that I continue to insist that you use their titles properly and their writings properly. I'll start to interject even stronger if it continues. I want it stopped. It becomes a spiral down. New question, the leader of the third party. Next question is also for the Premier. Last week, new Democrats wrote to the Auditor General asking that she look at how much money was spent on the Premier's nuclear plans. The Auditor indicated that that wasn't a call that she could make on her own but she made it clear that the Premier could. Yesterday, the Premier said she wanted the government to be more open and transparent. In fact, I think I just heard the Minister of Energy say those very same words, Speaker. Will she call in the Auditor General so that we can get a real sense of how much the government wasted on the latest electricity misadventure in the province of Ontario? The Ministry of Energy has been quite clear that the costs that have been incurred are costs to get information that will be useful going forward, Mr. Speaker. That is not money that has disappeared. That is money that has been spent on getting information, environmental assessments and information that we will use in our forward, Mr. Speaker, in terms of developing a long-term energy plan. I think what's surprising is that the leader of the third party doesn't believe that it's a good thing to make a decision on new nuclear that when we are clear that it is not needed at this time that it would cost $15 billion that that would drive rates up and that we find, I would have thought she thought it was a good idea to find ways to bring those costs out of the system, Mr. Speaker. That's the decision that we've made and if the leader of the third party wants information on how that money was spent, the Ministry of Energy will be happy to provide it, Mr. Speaker. Speaker, Ontario families and businesses are stuck paying the highest electricity prices in this entire country and when they look at their government for help, they see a Liberal Party defending a status quo that isn't working and scrambling to hide the evidence of their mistakes. The Premier wants to be open and transparent will she call in the auditor general to get some answers on this mess? Mr. Speaker, we are doing the opposite of defending the status quo. We've made a decision that actually reverses a path that was not the right path to be on, Mr. Speaker. The leader of the third party talks about increasing energy costs and what we're saying is, yeah, that's not a good thing to spend $15 billion on new nuclear then why would we do that? So we're taking those costs out of the system, Mr. Speaker. I think that it is very clear that there is no plan for an energy future coming from the third party, Mr. Speaker. We have a plan, we have made a decision on new nuclear and if the leader of the third party wants more information on the information that has been gathered up to date, we will get that information for her. Mr. Speaker, the information new Democrats want and the people of Ontario want is how much the Liberals spent on a plan that they've now cancelled. The mess in Ontario is a la beaker. It's costing us jobs. It is draining household budget, Speaker. People who look at the government for some leadership see a tough Liberal party scrambling to hide the facts even while they claim they are open and transparent. Will the Premier take one simple step today and call in the auditor to look at this latest electricity mess? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My understanding is the auditor general act allows the auditor general to determine what she looks into. If the auditor general wants to look at this particular issue, it is entirely up to her to do that. But, Mr. Speaker, the fact is that in energy there has to be planning and the Minister of Energy has made it clear that right now there is no need for us to invest in the the immediate to mid to longer term future in new nuclear. That's $15 billion that does not need to be spent, Mr. Speaker. That the leader of the third party things should be spent even though that would cause rates to go up, Mr. Speaker. What we believe is that finding a way to take costs out if that new nuclear does not need to be built then we should not build it. And I understand, Mr. Speaker, that there are members of the leaders party who agree with this position, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Premier. Premier, you're setting a new panel now on openness and transparency. There's no more than admission of the fact that openness and transparency under your government does not exist. And the fact that you need to do something about it is apparent. But what you're doing is really just stalling the matter. You're trying to confuse the voter. And I think it's high time you gave the voter an opportunity to have a say in this. The only thing standing between you and the exit door is your friends here to the left. And the fact that you won't stand up and give the voters of Ontario an opportunity to have a say. When are you going to give the voters of Ontario an opportunity to have a say? To the question that I think was embedded in that that little diatron. Cobaco Lakeshore would remember the days when it actually was impossible to get the Conservative Cabinet Minister to talk about amalgamation of the City of Toronto, for example. Or to talk about the amalgamation of school boards that really caused havoc across the province, Mr. Speaker. I would think that the member for a Tobaco Lakeshore who was a pretty prominent person in a Tobaco at the time, Mr. Speaker, that he would remember the... The Attorney General will come to order. And the member from the Pean Carlton will come to order, please. Member, the damage that was done by a government that refused to consult, that refused to talk... Do this. The Minister of Rural Affairs will come to order. Last chance. Here you are. To talk to people who knew about the issues on the ground. So I'm not going to apologize, Mr. Speaker, for being a government that understands that talking to people outside the walls of this building is a very important aspect of making good decisions, Mr. Speaker. We will continue to talk to people... I'm glad you're anxious and I want to go to you, but there are people talking while I'm trying to get attention. Supplementary. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, my supplementary is to the Premier again. Premier, this has gone on long enough. There's been 36 panels that you've set up in nine months to review matters. Obviously, you cannot make a decision. Your group can't make a decision. It's time the people of Ontario were given the chance to make a decision. When are you going to do it? You know, Mr. Speaker, it's a little rich coming from that side of the house that wants to talk about transparency, especially from that particular member who last time I checked, Mr. Speaker, opposed the same gas plant that he likes to go on about is right now, Mr. Speaker, involved in a dispute with his former role at City Hall. Mr. Speaker, we have a party opposite, Mr. Speaker, which likes to go on and on and on about what's been going on with the gas plant issue, but still refuses to have its candidates before the committee and talk about the costing that went into its decisions, the decisions that they made very clear and very aggressively, Mr. Speaker, that the only way, the only way the gas plants would ever be cancelled would be if the leader of the opposition became Premier. Mr. Speaker, they went all over the place in the campaign talking about that, Mr. Speaker, and yet they refuse to go in front of the committee and talk about it. Thank you. Do you have a question? I'm in the middle of a sentence. Would you mind? A member from Toronto, Danforth. Thank you, Speaker. My question to the Premier. Premier, today, Liberal members of the Justice Committee spent the morning trying to discredit the auditor's report. I'll be clear. We take the independent auditor at her word. Is the Premier directing committee members to discredit the auditor? I know that the government house leader is going to want to speak to the supplementary, Mr. Speaker, but I want to just be very clear that we accepted the findings of the auditor general. I appreciate her work, Mr. Speaker, and what the questions that are being asked at committee are not being directed by my office. They're not being directed by me. And as I said before, we accepted the findings of the auditor general and I look forward to working with her on other issues, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Premier, given that today the Liberals called one of the civil servants involved in the gas plant negotiations to try and discredit the auditor that Liberals tried to get him to defend costing which undermines the auditor, you have to ask. You have to ask. Even the previous Premier didn't attack the auditor in this way. Why is the Premier launching an unprecedented attack on our independent auditor? Mr. Speaker, it is this Premier that asked the auditor general to look into the Oakville situation and report back to the legislature. Mr. Speaker, the committee is seized with the issue and I think it behooves members on all sides of the House to explore her report, to call forward witnesses and to further examine her analysis that was put forward. And speaking of examining analysis, why Mr. Speaker does that very same member who asked that question, why did he go around opposing the Oakville plant, opposing the Mississauga plant and yet refuses to discuss the costing that the New Democratic Party undertook when it made that commitment. Mr. Speaker, the New Democratic Party was as vocal as the PC Party saying that if they were elected, they would cancel the plan. I think it's time they came clear with the costing and the analysis that they undertook. A member from Mississauga Grant and Mississauga. Thank you, Minister. My question is for the Minister of Finance. Minister, during the constituency week, which was this past week, my office received emails and phone calls from my constituents about the increasing cost of auto insurance. This issue is not a new issue. It has been there for quite some time. Minister, as you know in 2011 and then again in March 2012, I brought my private member's bill that by cracking down on fraud, we can lower the auto insurance rates. Our government brought reforms and created an anti-fraud task force. The rates came down and last week I noticed that rates have come down but that is a modest reduction. My constituents want to see further rate reduction. Can you tell my constituents what our government is doing to reform the auto insurance industry and lower the rates? Mr. Finance. Mr. Speaker, the member from Mississauga, Brampton South is absolutely right. Auto insurance rates in Ontario are too high and thanks to her leadership she's championed this by providing a private member's bill over two years ago on this very issue. I appreciate her tireless commitment and our government's ongoing efforts to bring down auto insurance rates in Ontario. Last week, auto insurance rates were released and for the third consecutive quarter rates came down and it's just the beginning. The stabilization of rates is the direct result of our reforms that were implemented in 2010 and we're on track to see even further reductions. These initiatives have helped ensure that we're fighting not only fraud to get rid of excess costs in the systems but that we're seeing results to reduce those rates. Thank you minister. I agree that rate stabilization is important. Premium costs must be controlled while the reforms that our government has undertaken that have stabilized the rates but still the rates are significantly higher than other jurisdictions and we all know that cars are no longer a luxury it's a necessity. We need to drive to go to work to pick up our kids and families are struggling to keep up with the rising costs. My constituents want to see further reduction and for our government to take a concrete action can you please further speak to our government's ongoing efforts to lower the rates that we announced in budget 2030. Thank you Mr. Speaker and again thank you to the member. Mr. Speaker this is the cost of auto insurance rates in Ontario drivers by an average of 15%. This summer we provided the regulator the authority to require those insurers to file for lower rates. Insurers have already started to file for lower rates with FISCO. Mr. Speaker we're also continuing to tackle fraud. We're taking steps to license medical clinics to fight fraudulent claims and lower costs. Mr. Speaker this is the first result of our actions. With the measures of our government and my colleagues we have put in place what we expect to be a rate reduction of several percentage points and it will be our first step on our path to bring down rates by 15%. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker you like to talk a good game on consultations and listening to people and you've set up these 36 panels but let's look at the history of this panel speaker and I think she needs to listen to what the public wants responses to. She was the chair of the campaign that made the decision to cancel them. She signed the negotiation contract from the cabinet table. That government withheld documents from my colleagues in both sides of this house by trying to get who are trying to get information. They obstructed the information privacy commissioner and now they've created a panel who I'm not sure can close it even more. Now earlier today Surgeon Broego the deputy minister at the Ministry of Environment told us that the government knew all along that it would be $750 million or more to cancel that Oakville plant. So you say you like to talk and listen to people and if that's true why won't you go out to the people and finally get a mandate from them. Government House Leader Mr. Speaker Oakville member wants to talk about history. Let's share some of the favorites here. The people of Oakville have told you they don't want the proposed gas power gas fire power plant and I agree with them. The member from Halden Hansard June 1st 2010 Oakville residents have called on you to change the location of the proposed Oakville power plant. I have listened to the people of Oakville and I agree with them. Member from Halden Hansard September 14th 2010. Minister will you move the Oakville power plant. I'm asking the minister to consider moving this plant. Member from Halden press release September 14th 2010. I was pleased when it was canceled. Member from Halden Hansard October 19th 2010. It was sad that it took so long for the government to listen to the people of Oakville. It was nice to see that decision over. Member from Halden Toronto. Thank you. I'd like to buy an end as no one cares about your rhetoric. I'm asking a serious question. People that she represents that she hasn't sought a mandate for the information from this assembly. I am simply asking will she stand in her place. Will she call an election and will she make sure that the mandate from the people is spoken in this assembly. Thank you. She sounds more like John Baird come to order. Minister Minister of Energy. Minister of Energy. I have a quote from the mayor of Oakville Mayor Rob Burton from a month or two ago and this is an exact quote. On October 5th 2011 on the day before the provincial election in front of the still under construction Mississauga power plant. PC leader Tim Houdak promises to stop the power plant if he wins the election. After only days before warning that he's sure it may cost another $1 billion. Later in 2013 he insists it was irresponsible for the then premier to have cancelled it without knowing what it would cost. Even though it cost far less than Houdak says he thought it would cost when he himself promised in 2011 to cancel. Remember from that anecdote yes. Mr. the premier last year the premier went up to Sudbury to announce that the government had reached a deal with cliffs and that it would create hundreds of mining jobs from the ring of fire. Only a year later it's finally become clear that not only did this government not have a real deal with cliffs but the company is about to pull back because of the mess this government has made of the ring of fire development plans. Why is this government misleading the people of Ontario with this promise of fictitious. The member will withdraw. Oh withdraw. When will this government in fact develop a plan for the ring of fire and implement it? Thank you speaker and I'm pleased to respond to the members question. Certainly I would think that the government is not suggesting that the government intervene in what has become a legal dispute with respect to one of the companies. I know the members not implying that what we are doing though is we're prepared to work with any company who's coming forward to help develop the ring of fire and to create jobs in this area. I have full confidence in Justice Yaikabuchi who is seized with the negotiations on this as well as Bob Ray who is in the area. I know that the Premier and the Minister of Northern Development of Mines have met with the Motawa Tribal Council and the First Nations because they are an integral part of ensuring that this development proceeds and moves forward. We understand that this is a sizable, very significant development in the province of Ontario and it will take some time to get this right and our government is committed to moving this project forward. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, my question again is to the Premier. The ring of fire is a once in a lifetime opportunity for the people of Ontario but it requires transportation electricity prices environmental guidelines and consultation leadership by this government. The Liberal government's lack of action sends a bad message to companies who are willing to invest in Ontario. The question is simple. When will we see a real plan for the ring of fire development that benefits northern communities, First Nations and Ontario? Mr. Speaker, the member is oversimplifying what is a hugely complex issue in the development of northern Ontario and the ring of fire that has the potential to benefit us for decades and decades to come to benefit First Nations communities. We need to get this right. I have every confidence in Justice Aikabuchi and Bob Ray who are leading the negotiations and are very involved in all of the specific details of this proposal. The Minister of Northern Development Minds is committed to working with all parties, the communities. We think there is tremendous potential for the community of Greenstone to play a very significant role in this development to bring new jobs and new opportunities to Ontario. So while the member might have us dismiss what he believes is very simple, this is a complex issue that our government is committed to moving forward and we believe we've got the right people at the time. Thank you. Thank you. I could ask some of the conversations that are going on in between while the answers are being put on the questions being put to stop, please. Member from Ottawa, Erlene's new question. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Health and Long Term Care. Speaker, unfortunately too many of us know loved ones who are currently fighting cancer or who are no longer with us because of it. When we hear of loved ones who are diagnosed with cancer, all we can do is switch them the best and hope that they receive the best treatment possible. Earlier this year we heard disturbing news of chemotherapy under dosing. It was good to know that the Minister took immediate action on this. The appointment of Dr. Jake Thieson to investigate the report on the causes of the under dosing of chemotherapy drugs was a positive step forward. Dr. Thieson's report was released late this summer. Through you, could the Minister tell this House what action has been taken in response to his recommendations? Thank you, Minister. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you to the member from Ottawa, Erlene's for this very important question. No, Ontario should have to go through what the family members and patients who experienced this under dosing went through. Nobody should have to go through that. We need to make sure it does not happen and that's why we appointed Dr. Jake Thieson to give us advice on how to make sure that something like this does not happen again. And yes, Speaker, this was independent advice that we got from a panel speaker. I want to thank Dr. Thieson for his hard work. His recommendations are sound. I endorse them all. Our Ministry established a task force to oversee the implementation of 11 of the 12 recommendations he made, Speaker, and I was pleased to introduce legislation that directly responds to the 12. I will get forward for second reason later today. This legislation, if passed, would empower the Ontario College of Pharmacists to oversee and inspect hospital pharmacies. Thank you, Minister. I'm pleased to hear that we are taking action Dr. Thieson's recommendations. In his report, he recommended the health care system for its fast and appropriate response to this situation. However, we have exposed concerns beyond what's in the proposed legislation, particularly around an apparent gray area and oversight of some drug compounders. Ontarians should always know that they are receiving the best quality health care and they should never have to second-guess the medical services they received. It is important that as a government we continue to address the concerns of Ontarians, including the oversight of some drug compounds. Speaker, could the Minister tell this house what steps she has taken to address these concerns and continue to ensure that as a government we are protecting patients? Thank you, Minister. Speaker, as we learned more about this situation, it became apparent that the company which mixed these drugs was overseen by neither the College of Pharmacists nor Health Canada. So working closely with the college, our government stepped up and moved quickly to approve a regulation extending the college's oversight to large-scale drug compounders. I'm pleased to report, Speaker, that the facilities have now been inspected, all of them have passed, and the inspection reports are posted online. In the long-run, Dr. Teeson has recommended that this situation demands a national solution. I understand that Health Canada is currently considering a nationwide inspection regime for drug compounders. My ministry has cooperated very closely with Health Canada. I look forward to working together with Health Canada as we find ways to further protect patients. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Premier. My question is to the Premier. Premier, you continue to promise that a government under your watch will be more open and transparent, yet on the mining file that's not the case. Since you've been Premier, more information has become available through the media than from the government or the ministry, and what is being done to get the ring of fire moving. We have a negotiator that you appointed. We have the ring of fire secretariat you created. Several ministries with overlapping responsibilities and no real progress on the ground. Premier, now that we have cleared the decks and jobs are waiting to be unlocked in the ring of fire, what are you going to do to make it become a reality? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I want to reinforce what the Minister of Natural Resources said, which is that we have a lot of faith in the folks who are involved in building those relationships and in the negotiation with the First Nations. But I want to be clear, Mr. Speaker, that it is a very complex thing. I don't know if the member opposite is aware of how many First Nations communities are involved, whether he's aware of the need to make sure that the social supports and training supports are in place so that First Nations young people and residents and communities can take part in this economic growth, Mr. Speaker, on whether he understands that there are a number of companies, Mr. Speaker, who have vested interests. So there are a number of moving parts and I can tell you, drawing on my time as Minister of Aboriginal Affairs, that if we do not get this right in the first instance, if we do not build these relationships and make sure the training and supports are in place, then we will not be able to develop the ring of fire, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We're again to the Premier. Well, just yesterday, Premier, more bad news. One of the major players in the ring of fire, Cliff Snatch resources, described the project as being in a tenuous state. And they went on to say, if the company doesn't have a transportation route, it doesn't have a project, close quote. Premier, these are jobs waiting to be unlocked that are being put in jeopardy for this fire. What are you doing to ensure access to the ring of fire? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There are a number of disputes and issues that have arisen, Mr. Speaker, because of, as I said, the complexity of building the infrastructure. And again, if you've ever flown over this part of Ontario, Mr. Speaker, if you've ever spent time, and I had the opportunity this summer to be paddling north on the coast, to a place where the land of the ring of fire begins, Mr. Speaker. It is an intricate environmental landscape, Mr. Speaker. It's laced with water and land, and there are enormous concerns about the watersheds and the environmental issues. And as I say, the ability of the First Nations communities to take part in the economic development and to be partners. We're going to get back to you, Mr. Speaker. We are not going to, we're not going to move ahead until we have all of those issues. Thank you. Good question. Later in the third part. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Premier. When it comes to saving jobs at the Fort Erie race track, the Premier throws around accusations of playing politics. But it's her government who's playing fast and loose with the livelihoods of 600 people at the Fort Erie race track. And the government who's playing fast and loose with the livelihoods of spin-off jobs that depend on horse racing in Niagara. The Premier insists she wants to help rural Ontario, Speaker. When will she stop hiding behind her panel and take ownership of her government's decisions and reconsider the economic consequences of cutting out the Fort Erie race track? Well, thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And I think that the work that's being done is a perfect example of government needing to turn to people who have expertise and have relationships with an industry and are able to give us advice that quite frankly has put us back on a sustainable trajectory for the horse racing industry, Mr. Speaker. I am very pleased that we have made a decision to put $400 million into the horse racing industry over the next few years, Mr. Speaker, to allow the horse racing industry to grow and sell and come to order. The culture and the history of rural Ontario, but it goes way beyond that, Mr. Speaker. There are tens of thousands of jobs and we want to make sure that the horse racing industry is sustainable. The Fort Erie race track has the opportunity to work with the ORC, Mr. Speaker. I have said clearly, horse racing needs to be integrated into the work of the OLG and I look forward to them having a bright future. Supplementary. I am not going to talk about the fall and Niagara and the lake last weekend, but if she would have found her way down to Fort Erie, she could have heard it straight from the horse's mouth, Mr. Speaker. People in Fort Erie are scared of losing their jobs, their savings, their cars, their homes, their kids' tuition, their farms, their everything. Last Tuesday at the track, one couple squeezed my hand and they looked into my eye and they told me that they're going to lose their life's work. Now, the Liberal plan to ram private mega-casinos into cities over Ontario isn't working and it's causing real damage in communities like Fort Erie. Is the Premier ready to admit that she was wrong? Allow the Slots at Race Tracks program to continue and work with the Fort Erie race track so it can keep people working and help the Niagara economy. Thank you, Premier. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I have said repeatedly that there is the opportunity for Fort Erie to work with the ORC, Mr. Speaker, to make sure that there is a future for Fort Erie and it is up to that conversation to come up with a plan to go forward. Mr. Speaker, our responsibility was to look at the whole horse racing industry. My predecessor put in place a group of people who knew the industry, and we have got now a plan that will take us forward, Mr. Speaker. There is no plan coming from the NDP in terms of how to have a transparent sustainable horse racing industry. We have that plan in place. It is going to be possible for race tracks across the province to have a future, as well as the breeders, Mr. Speaker, and that means that there will continue to be jobs and there will continue to be a horse racing industry in Ontario. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport. Libraries are a cornerstone of every community. Strong library systems translate into strong communities as they contribute to the education, literacy and lifelong learning for Ontarians of all ages. Our public libraries help children learn, provides resources for students and assists small businesses and entrepreneurs. Mr. Speaker, as part of the Canadian Library Month, just yesterday, you and I launched the Ontario Public Library Week at the beautiful Cedar Braille Library in my riding of Scarborough-Gildwood. This is an excellent chance for everyone to celebrate the many resources and experiences that our local public libraries provides to our communities. Mr. Speaker, to you to the Minister, can he please explain what our government is doing to promote our libraries across the province? Thank you. Thank you for your question. I want to thank the member for helping me yesterday to take off the Ontario Public Library Week. Speaker, across the province, people gather together at the local libraries to take part in the fun activity planned for Library Week. The theme for this year is Libraries Connect. This is the perfect way to describe the role that libraries play in communities all year around. Libraries are about connecting people to information, services, the world of literature and most of all, connecting people to each other by providing a space for them to come together, interact and share their love of learning Ontario Public Library for over 160,000 annually. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you for that response, Minister. In my diverse community of Scarborough-Gildwood, there is no doubt that the Cedar Brae Library is providing services that are valuable to our community. In fact, they have 11 in-language spoken library areas that are providing that service. These libraries are the hub of our community and our province and it's great to see that our government is proud to support them. As we continue into the digital age where so much information is readily available on the internet it's easy to forget that libraries are still a great source to learn and to provide programming from the wonderful people that run them. Yesterday we could definitely tell that they serve a very important role not only for children but for their parents and for all Ontarians. You are supportive of Ontario libraries and I saw that yesterday. Speaker, through you to the Minister, what is the Ontario government doing to ensure that the funding to our libraries is sustainable? Thank you again for the question. As part of the 2013 Ontario budget our government is strengthening support of the library sector by increasing the base operational funding of its two key library agencies to the southern Ontario library services we are funding $400,000 for a total of $3.1 million and $60,000 for Ontario library service north for a total of $1.56 million. Speaker, this increase will help ensure the stable delivery of programs and services in the library sector. My ministry has also committed to funding an additional $1.8 million per year for each resources in 2013 2014 and 2015 and since 2003, we have committed over $435 million in support of public libraries Thank you, Speaker. Thank you for your question. Member from Durham. My question is to the Premier you've messed up the entire energy file You've cancelled the gas power generation stations in Oakville and Mississauga You've cost Ontario taxpayer and electricity consumers over a billion dollars First you tried to cover up the costs of the cancellation Then you said you were sorry Premier, last week you suddenly cancelled the two nuclear reactors planned for the Darlington generating station This has cost Ontario power generation and the taxpayers of Ontario over $180 million Your decision to curtail this project cost jobs, investment opportunities for Clarington, Durham Region and indeed for Ontario Premier, you apologized for the gas plant fiasco Will you now apologize for the cancellation of the Darlington new bill project Mr. Speaker First of all, nuclear energy is going to continue to be the base load for Ontario It is now over 50% the present long-term energy plan that was adopted in 2010 moves it down to 47% It's going to stay in that range In the meantime Mr. Speaker speaking of refurbishment refurbishing Ontario's nuclear capacity will create almost 25,000 jobs and generate $5 billion of annual economic revenue from our members' community We're going to work with that community We're going to ensure that it's not short any jobs The refurbishment will make up a tremendous amount of that Refurbishment of can-do reactors will allow Darlington to continue operating until 2055 Job security until 2055 It's right to cancel nuclear We don't need the power we ought not to be spending It would be more appropriate if you could simply trust this government over here a new minister particularly The farmer energy minister Chris Bentley visited Durham in June 2012 He described the agreement with Westinghouse and can-do energy as a good first step for Darlington He was quoted in the local media saying these early agreements with OPG were very important steps He said Darlington would provide clean, reliable, cost-effective power for decades into the future With almost 600,000 Ontarians out of work and the provincial debt at over $260 billion Clearly your government has given up on the manufacturing sector in Ontario What a shame On this side of the house, we have not given up I have confidence in the Ontario's energy sector and its highly trained workforce Premier, will you go on the record today clearly committing to at least the refurbishment of the four units at the Darlington Generating Station Can you see her please Thank you, Minister of Energy Mr. Speaker, renewing the reactors at the Darlington and Bruce Nuclear Generating Station This is a quote Renewing the reactors at the Darlington and Bruce Nuclear Generating Station will mean thousands of jobs for Ontario It also means nuclear energy will provide another 25 to 30 years of safe, reliable and affordable power and offset huge amounts of greenhouse gas emissions That's from the Canadian Nuclear Association President, Heather Cleb Mr. Speaker, the nuclear is going to remain the base load for Ontario It's going to be in the mid 40s to 47% Mr. Speaker We are going to save the taxpayers of Ontario an expenditure of $15 billion and help to keep the rates down Mr. Speaker, it's the right decision to make it's the right time to be making that decision Answer, thank you Good question, a member from London Fanshawe Thank you very much, Speaker My questions to the Minister of Education The Ontario Government's process to award school bus contracts is pushing out locally owned operators Larger bus companies virtually have a monopoly by underbidding smaller local companies What's worse, Speaker Bus drivers in the London area are being asked to take a reduction of 18% in pay and take on more work this year by these big companies Why is this Government favouring large companies that are pushing out smaller locally owned ones by underbidding on contracts and forcing their employees to make up the difference Thank you Minister of Education Yes, thank you Thank you very much to the member and I'm pleased to respond to her question I'm actually quite surprised to hear the comments around operators and the wage issue In fact, it was our Government that through the funding model actually in fact when the Premier was the Minister of Education that actually invested additional funding in the transportation model precisely to ensure that school bus drivers received wage increases We also have invested in the transportation funding model to ensure that the increased cost of fuel was recognized So I'm quite surprised to hear the accusation that we're not allowing the funding of wages for school bus drivers at the local level Clearly consortiums have made some local decisions that aren't totally consistent Thank you Supplementary What the bigger picture is as well when we're talking about wages of course of the workers of the bus drivers are upmost and they're being affected because the Government's policy has pushed out the smaller bus companies and the member from Timmins Jane Bay has brought this issue forward and he has alerted the Minister that he's heard that over 30 small bus companies have been pushed out of business because bigger bus companies are underbidding smaller companies and therefore workers are suffering So Speaker there's something very wrong the policy favors the big companies that push out the small business owners Instead of the money going to the London area economy we put in the pocket of the big bus companies who are forcing their employees to work longer hours for less money so they can make larger profits Thank you Minister of Education Thank you Speaker I think what we need to do is take a minute here because there's clearly a question here about the procurement process and I would like to point out that the Auditor General at least the past Auditor General has been quite clear that when there is procurement in the public sector that there must be competitive procurement when in fact our Government expanded the role of the Auditor General to be able to look at school boards and universities and colleges the first thing the Auditor did in each sector was actually go around and look at procurement and what he said about procurement in school board transportation was that it was not open procurement since open procurement competitive procurement has been put in place we actually have seen local operators increase their market share Thank you Thank you New question Thank you Mr. Speaker My question is for the Minister of Environment Last Thursday I kick off the 2013 waste reduction week in my riding of Scarborough Aging Corp by bringing the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario to Sir William Osvald High School Commissioner Miller talked to the students about the waste and promoter variety of waste diversion programs such as composting and recycling Yesterday marks the official day of the waste reduction week which is a nationwide campaign which helped to raise awareness about waste and its environmental and social consequences Since 2001 waste reduction week in Canada has been organized by organizations of the NGO non-profit environment groups and governments from each of Canada's communities and territories Speakers to you to the Minister Can you please explain the significance of waste reduction week and what Ontarians can do to participate in this important event Thank you Mr. Speaker Waste reduction week as members with no aims to inform and engage Canadians about the environmental and social ramifications of wasteful practices that strives to educate engage and empower Canadians to reduce, to reuse and recycle waste Further waste reduction week provides information and ideas to reduce waste in all facets of daily living creating the solutions to the many environmental challenges we face today including climate change water pollution and the preservation of natural resources Depending on whether you're an individual or part of a school, a business municipality, a government organization or non-profit organization Waste reduction week offers different resources for participants to get involved We encourage all Ontarians to do what they can to strengthen this initiative and for members of this house what they could do is pass bill 91 and second reading Bring it to committee Both at the same time the Premier on a point of order On a point of order Mr. Speaker I just want to correct my record in reference to when the government knew the $750 million or more figure I had mistakenly noted that Serge Imbraño was the Deputy Minister of Environment He's indeed the Deputy Minister of Environment He's indeed the Deputy Minister of Environment He's indeed the Deputy Minister of Environment He's indeed the Deputy Minister of Environment He's indeed the Deputy Minister of Energy which I think makes the point even clearer The member has a point of order She can correct her record I thank her for that There are no deferred votes This house stands recessed until 3pm this afternoon