 It is now time for all questions. I recognize the leader of the official opposition. Thank you. Speaker, before I get started, on behalf of the, I suspect all MPPs in the legislature, I think it's appropriate to give a warm welcome to the 2,500 13 to 21 year old athletes and their coaches that are here in the GTA this week to participate in the first Special Olympics Ontario Invitational Youth Games. The Special Olympics showcase incredible talent and also incredible values. And so it's great to have these athletes competing. Congratulations to everyone involved in good luck in success in your sport. My question. My question, Speaker, is the is to the premier. Yesterday, the city of Toronto announced that in addition to the $85 million reduction in funding to public health that they're already grappling with, the premier plans to slash yet another $20 million from their budget. The government has opted to surprise them with this round of cuts, just like they did the first ones. Why are municipalities being hit with cut after cut with no warning, no consultation and no apparent plan? Questions to the premier, Minister of Health. Or to the Minister of Health and long-term care. Thank you. Well, thank you very much for the question. But we have already communicated with the city of Toronto that we will be providing them with $114 million for public health for the coming year and that there is no suggestion. There has been no announcement and nothing has come from the Ministry of Health to the city of Toronto to suggest that there's any further changes to that original plan. Whatever was announced yesterday was announced. I have no idea why, but it was not from our office. There is no truth in any suggestion that there is any change to the original announcement that we will provide $114 million for public health to the city of Toronto. Regardless of any changes or whatever else they do, that money will be provided by the Ministry of Health. Here, right here. Supplementary. Well, I think what the minister responded is exactly reflective of the problem we have, Speaker. If the government has a plan for public health, they haven't shared it with the people on the front lines who actually do the work every day. In North Bay, they're wondering whether their brand new health unit will soon be abandoned. Medical officers of health across Ontario are wondering how their local units can be merged without sacrificing the needs of their communities. And every municipality is wondering if there's yet another cut the Ford government is waiting to spring on them. If the government has a plan, why are so many front-line public health providers in the dark about it? Minister? Well, say, Mr. Speaker, I would like to say to the leader of the official opposition that there has been very clear communication with both the city of Toronto and with the Association of Municipalities of Ontario. In fact, a letter went out to them yesterday indicating that with respect to the boundaries and with respect to... The money has already been discussed, but with respect to the boundaries, I understand there have been some suggestions out there that the boundaries have been completed. They have not. They are going to be completed working with the municipalities and working with the city of Toronto through the technical working groups. So that is a discussion that's going to be ongoing, and the local boards of health clearly understand that. Welcome. My own supplementary. Well, from the responses of this minister, I think what everybody clearly understands is she has no plan. It's cut, cut, cut health providers. No reason whatsoever to trust them because they have no plan. Come inside. Come to order. Cuts are announced by the day around here. Schemes are drawn up on the back of napkins with zero consultation. And in the midst of all of this chaos, organizational structures and transitional plans are nowhere to be seen. Instead of plowing ahead with reckless cut speaker and plans to eliminate 25 out of 35 health units, why does not the government reverse these cuts and work with public health units to keep Ontarians healthy and safe and actually contributing to the end of hallway medicine? Stop the clock. We are five minutes into question period. I think the government side would expect and anticipate that the speaker should be paying attention to the questions that are being asked. I need to be able to hear the questions. It's completely out of order and very disrespectful to the whole house. For so many, not all the government members clearly, but a number of government members just screaming across the floor. It's unacceptable behavior. Start the clock. Minister to reply. Thank you very much, Speaker. And again, through you, I would like to say, let's talk about chaos. Let's look at what we inherited last June when we became government. A $15 billion deficit. Healthcare system and chaos, no long-term care beds for people. 33,000 people waiting for a long-term care bed. 1,000 people a day being treated in hospital hallways and storage rooms and wait lists everywhere. No mental health and addictions plan. We have a plan that has been clearly articulated for the peak century, making sure that we can streamline and modernize our public health system is very important. Public health is important and the local public health units are being given enough money to make sure that they can cover all the essentials, vaccinations, school programs, helping people with special needs. They will be able to do that and we look forward to working alongside them through the transition teams to figure out the exact details, but make no mistake, there is a plan and we are following through on that. Restart the clock. Next question, the leader of the opposition. Thank you, Speaker. My next question is to the Premier, but I can assure the minister that chaos is in the mirror for her and her Premier. Yesterday, Toronto Council passed a motion asking the province to reverse cuts to public health, childcare, paramedic and other services. It won the support of every councillor who was not the Premier's nephew. Like municipalities across Ontario, Toronto is warning that they will either have to make deep cuts or issue second Doug Ford tax hike up to $180. I'm going to interrupt the leader of the opposition. We refer to each other by our ministerial title or a right. The member can continue. And or issue a second Ford government tax hike of up to $180 per household. What does the Premier prefer? Premier? Through you, Mr. Speaker. I don't have to be taught any lessons from the leader of the opposition about how the city spends the money. I'll tell you that. I've never seen more wasted money in my entire life because I spent four years down there straightening out the mess of a previous government. All there's been is increases in taxes and spending. The people of Toronto have to look at one thing. Look at their tax bill. Look at their water bill. Look at their garbage bill. The taxes have gone through the roof. When I was in the city of Toronto, we maintain a 0% tax increase the very first year. Found $774 million. Right now, the city of Toronto, Mr. Speaker, when I left, it was a $9.6 billion budget. It's over $13 billion. That's almost a 50% increase in spending. They have to start looking at watering stumps. That's what they're wasting money on. Watering stumps of trees. Having a fleet of cars, $10 million fleet of cars downstairs sitting there. Thank you. Thank you. Well, Speaker, sadly Toronto is not alone. Municipalities across Ontario are facing the exact same challenge. The Region Appeal says that they now face a $45 million shortfall thanks to the Ford government cuts. The Mayor of Ottawa says the city budget has been thrown into a period of chaos. And Toronto says that they're caught between a rock and a rock. The Premier said that he would avoid deep cuts, layoffs and tax heights. I want to repeat that, Speaker. The Premier said he would avoid deep cuts, layoffs and tax heights. Why is he now offering the people of Ontario all three? The Premier? For you, Mr. Speaker, the people of this province elected us to straighten out the financial mess that the Liberals and the NDP put us in. When we came down here, we opened the box found out a $15 billion deficit. We're the largest debt, subsolvering debt in the entire world. The future of the young people up in the stands is at risk. If we don't take care of the budget, look at the finances. We have two choices in this province, Mr. Speaker. We can go with socialism that doesn't work anywhere in the world, continuously spend money, lose 300,000 jobs like the previous administration, or you can find efficiencies in government. You can create 175,000 jobs that we did. It was unprecedented. We're lowering taxes on business, lowering taxes on residents, making sure we lower heating costs, gas costs. That's being responsible. Socialism does not work. An old supplementary. Well, the problem for the Premier, Speaker, is that no matter how many people he blames or how loud he bellows, the people of Ontario just don't believe him anymore. His only ally left at City Hall is his nephew. It seems he can't show his face in public without getting booed. Isn't it time for the Premier now, Speaker, to finally admit that his reckless cuts will in fact make life less affordable and destroy services that families rely on? Government side, come door, Premier to reply. Speaker, they can get personal. They can talk about my nephew. That is the only person down there with a fiscal bone in his body. The only person that cares about the taxpayers, he's a super bright young man that would run circles around each and every one of them. If there's someone taking care of finances, I'd let him take care of my finances over the leader of the opposition because it was up to the leader of the opposition. She's already bankrupt every single person in this province. She'd continue to spend and tax without worrying about anything. If you want to take care of healthcare, if you want to take care of education, we have to drive efficiencies. We found 8% efficiencies through the great work of our team and the finance minister. We're putting money back in the pockets of each and every Ontario resident. But even more importantly, Mr. Speaker, the economy's on fire because we've created the environment. That's right. Apologize to the Premier having to cut him off. I could not hear what he was saying. Restart the clock. The next question, leader of the opposition. Thank you, Speaker. My next question is also to the Premier. Yesterday, the Premier insisted that officials at the Toronto District School Board were lying when they pointed out the reckless classroom cuts in the Ford government budget. Today, the Waterloo Region Catholic Board reports that they too will be facing a steep funding cut despite increased enrollment. And the Thames Valley Board in London says that they're planning to eliminate 300 teaching jobs. Does the Premier think that these school boards are also making reckless, inaccurate claims? The question is to the Premier. Minister of Education. I want to suggest to everyone in this House that they need to tone down the rhetoric because you're doing nothing but creating anxiety and stress for teachers and students and parents alike. Because I want to refer to an article that was in the Woodstock Sentinel Review just today. And it's coming from the Thames Valley School Board. While no teachers are in danger of losing their jobs, they may be just changing their roles, said the School Board Associate Director There are no layoffs as a result of because of these retirements that we talked about right from the get-go speaker. So the fact of the matter is, school board to school board to school board. We're hearing from some from Eastern Ontario that they're choosing not to jump into the game that the party opposite is trying to facilitate. They're not going to make things political. They're going to wait for all the pieces of the puzzle to come together so that they can have a holistic approach to making sure that they have the right balance when it comes to the... Thank you very much. Self-limactic question. Well, Speaker, students and their parents are watching with dismay as teachers get layoff notices and courses disappear. And it's not just Toronto. Government side, come to order. Students at Brampton's intent... Government side will come to order. Or I will start naming you individually and calling you to order individually if necessary, if necessary naming. Start the clock. Leader of the opposition at the floor. Students at Brampton Centennial learned that 30 classes were being cut next school year. Neighboring Mayfield Secondary is losing 42 courses. The Thames Valley Board says that 1,620 different classes will disappear next year across that school board. These cuts are depriving students of opportunities to learn. Why doesn't the Premier have the integrity to at least admit that his cuts have consequences? Minister. I ask right back to the leader of the opposition. Where is her integrity? Because she is continuing to fester and propagate misinformation that is absolutely misleading parents and students. I'm going to ask the minister to withdraw. I'm going to ask the minister to withdraw. You know, Speaker, it's actually disheartening the manner in which this opposition party is conducting themselves. Because when I speak to teachers, they recognize and are explicitly pointing out how friends of the party opposite are playing games. Those friends are creating a lot of chaos and I encourage all school boards from one end of this province to another to do the right thing. Students should not have to suffer because the party opposite and their friends are playing. Do you know the fact of the matter is we're going to be working with school boards to make sure there is no longer wasteful management with our board governance review and we look forward to kicking that off in the very near future. The next question, the member for Eglinton Lawrence. For the Premier, for far too long regular Ontarians were left behind by their government. Fifteen years of liberal mismanagement brought higher taxes, less accountability and less transparency in government. Life in Ontario simply became harder under the former liberal government. Crippling legislation burdened our province with red tape and regulations that held our province back. Thankfully, under the leadership of this Premier our government has moved rapidly forward keeping our promises and bringing real change to the people of Ontario. Speaker, can the Premier discuss a few of the accomplishments our government has achieved since the June election? Premier. I want to thank the fabulous MPP from Eglinton Lawrence. We have more seats in Toronto than any of the other parties so it says a lot about our government. We expanded, on August 17th I went on last couple days ago on our accomplishments and we have such a long list. I'll start off on August 17th. We expanded hospice care in my friends, North Bay riding here we put $2 million in 10 beds and supported the hospice care there. On August 22nd we gave parents a voice with public education. For the first time ever they actually had a voice we heard from 72,000 parents the largest consultation in Ontario's history. We lowered energy cost after the we lowered energy cost after the Liberals and the NDP objected energy cost up to be the highest in North America that people couldn't afford to pay their hydro bills companies couldn't afford to pay their hydro bills. Thank you very much. Supplementary question. Mr. Speaker, regular Ontarians were left high and dry for 15 years under the former Premier Kathleen Wynn and Dalton McGinty. Hardworking families in rural and northern Ontario were not supported by their government. Entrepreneurs and small business owners were not supported by their government and speaker, our students were not supported by their government. The widespread desire for change in our province could not have been more clear when Ontarians headed to the polls last year. A government based on trust accountability and transparency resonated across the province. Mr. Speaker, could the Premier expand further on the policies our government has brought forward to deliver on our promises for the great people of Ontario? Before I ask the Premier to respond remind all members we refer to each other by our ministerial title or our writing however it's applicable. Premier to reply. I want to thank a great member from Megalinton Lawrence once again for the question. On August the 29th we have a long list here. There's no government that's accomplished more than ever. Gave people a voice to decide the future of government services on August 29th on August 30th we committed the upholding free speech on publicly funded universities and colleges. Mr. Speaker, when I travel around universities and colleges a lot of the students came up to me they were sick and tired of the profits and doctorinating their philosophy onto the students wouldn't let them have free speech there's free speech and colleges because of this government. We began building a better regional transit system across Ontario, expanding GO train, expanding the $28.5 billion budget that we put forward for the transit system in the greater Toronto area because the City of Toronto once again talked for four years spent millions of $100 million. Thank you. The next question the member for Essex. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Premier who seems a little bit rattled this morning I want to start by expressing my condolences to the Premier for being booed yesterday in what he said was the first time ever by a gang of about a thousand left-wing soldiers. Stop the call. The member for Mississauga East Cooksville will come to order. Government side will come to order. Start the clock, the member for Essex. I hope he's well enough to answer my question today, the Premier's plan to waste millions of dollars on partisan advertising and forcing businesses to display conservative campaign stickers draws more and more criticism from the left-wing thugs and radicals out there. This morning Speaker the Canadian side comes to order. A notorious Marxist sect and the famously left-wing Toronto son denounced the Premier's plan Speaker is he finally willing to reconsider colossal waste of public money and abandon his wasteful plan. Stop the clock again. Once again I would implore the government members to allow me to hear the questions that are being asked. I can't follow the questions when there's constant yelling from the government side. You'd expect me to enforce the standing orders I think and I can't if you're yelling constantly from the government side at the member who's got the floor and has asked me the question. The Premier to reply. First of all last night was a great opening fabulous opening so many smiles on these kids faces. They were so encouraged they were absolutely so encouraged great great event and I find it ironic coming from the member from Essex but he didn't even bother showing up at least we showed up he didn't even bother showing up and he didn't even lead her opposition the phones in glass houses pretty staggering. I want to remind the member from Essex I've spent my whole life helping children with special needs through Rotary. Mr. Speaker for 23 years I helped through Rotary going to events helping children that's what it's all about it's not about getting into gutter politics and worrying about if you get a cheer boo it's about being there for the kids. It wasn't the kids I can tell you they were happy though we're going to continue supporting the Special Olympics. Order Order Government side come to order supplementary Tree question Speaker it sounds like the folks at the event last night would have wished that the Premier hadn't showed up at all. In fact with his plan the Premier has the government side will come to order. The member for Essex has the floor. Thank you very much Speaker with his plan the Premier has now united virtually everyone in the province against them when the Chamber of Commerce the taxpayers federation and the Toronto Sun say that the Ford government has got it wrong they have truly lost their way instead of trying to defend the indefensible why doesn't the Premier finally admit that this can't be defended forcing businesses to carry Conservative campaign stickers stop wasting taxpayers money and abandon this partisan ad campaign Minister of Finance Referred to the Minister of Finance Well thank you very much the business community the Premier and I were in New York a couple of weeks ago and I'll tell you the business community there as well as the business community in Ontario thrilled with what we're doing $880 million savings from cutting the carbon tax $30 billion saved by freezing minimum wage at $14 and giving the businesses a chance to get caught up $1.4 billion savings by freezing the WSIB $1.4 billion reinvested through the accelerated capital cost $300 million we did not increase the liberal tax back by the NDP 170,000 jobs created as a result of the support I think the business community has spoken very clear open for business and open for jobs We start the clock. The next question the member from Mississauga Mall Thank you Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker my question is regarding public safety and it is for the Solicitor General Mr. Speaker this week there was an amber alert it was issued for a missing boy when a child is missing police and first responders are in a race against time potential nightmare for affected families and community at large this alert system can be a true lifeline Mr. Speaker this is a great way to work together when an amber alert is issued the police and the public work together to share information locate the missing child and bring him or her home safe and sound for public interest and information can the Solicitor General system works and why it is vital for the speedy recovery of our missing children in communities across Ontario Thank you Mr. Speaker Thank you is absolutely right when a child is missing time is of the essence and absolutely critical amber alerts make safe return for these children critical and is frankly a shared priority and responsibility for all of us police and all Ontarians who take the time and effort to increase their vigilance when they receive an amber alert they are doing their part and we need to do our part as citizens amber alerts are issued through the national national ready alert system in Ontario the OPP sends amber alerts at the request of local police services a number of recent amber alerts have led directly to police hundreds of miles away from where they were taken so the fact that amber alerts go province wide is critical to assisting the police I thank them for their service and I really hope that everyone understands the importance of the amber alerts Thank you Supplementary question Thank you Minister Thanks for the amazing explanation of the amber alert system It is important and it works Recent amber alerts have resulted in some complaints We all have heard stories of people calling 9-1-1 to complain their sleep has been disturbed about their TV time has been interrupted These complaints happened again yesterday when the Toronto Police Services tweeted that their communication centres 9-1-1 lines were being used for this purpose Miss Speaker can the Solicitor General share her views regarding people who have used the 9-1-1 number as a complaint hotline while officers were scrambling to find our missing child Thank you Mr Speaker Again Miss Solicitor General This raises a disturbing and frankly unfortunate situation He is absolutely right The 9-1-1 system which I think we can all appreciate is an emergency response system has been used by a very limited number of Ontario residents to complain about amber alerts It's not only inappropriate it's frankly dangerous People who use 9-1-1 as a complaint hotline are using up critical emergency resources and potentially slowing down response times during real emergencies When a child is missing we all have a role to play as members within our community Many children have been located as a direct result of amber alerts Often hundreds of kilometres away from where the child was taken But Speaker it only works if everyone receives them and pays attention to them You don't have to know the child to be vigilant and aware of the information that is shared with these systems Clear, a missing child is an emergency and amber alerts are a tool that our emergency responders use to successfully retrieve these children Please understand and appreciate that 9-1-1 is not a complaint line Thank you Thank you Thank you Speaker My question is to the Premier In the estimates released last week we saw that this government is reducing capital investment into child care by 90 million dollars actually over 90 million dollars this year This represents about 90% cut in child care capital funding this year This is affecting the number of new child care spaces that could have been built under this government Can the Premier explain how cutting capital investment into new child care spaces by 90% will address the shortage of affordable quality child care in Ontario Questions to the Premier Minister of Education Thank you very much Speaker and again we're getting child care back on track in Ontario It's been 15 years of a lack of accountability There was a letter just written to me on May 13th and it came from the Association of Day Care Operators of Ontario and in the letter it said having worked provincially with licensed child care owner operators located in the GTA for more than 30 years ADCO has the understanding that further investigation into how municipalities other Ontario municipalities should be conducted because it may be that there hasn't been enough oversight over the last 15 years and the reason for suggesting this is simple like a number of other Ontario municipalities the City of Toronto has been engaged in practices that we believe are less than optimal if the goal is to expand access to licensed child care make it more affordable for families or optimize provincial dollars allocated for these purposes and we're getting child care back Thank you very much Supplementary question Thank you Speaker I just want to clarify to the Minister my question was about these capital investment cuts for about 93.6 million dollars in case the Minister has no clue about that this huge reduction in capital funding through you Speaker is yet another child care cut for parents to come to terms with so far this government has cut the number of municipalities that receive to support day care subsidies operating costs which is about 6,000 spaces that are at risk now and they're cutting funding that helps keep child care Order the member for Scarborough Southwest has the floor she should be allowed to ask her question without interjections I ask once again the government side to come to order and I'm going to give her some extra time I don't know who said that because I would warn them if I knew start the clock member for Scarborough Southwest Thank you Speaker we're facing a child care crisis and the fact that this government is trying to shut me down from me asking my question it's disrespect I'm going to call the Minister for Government Consumer Services to order I'm going to call the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade to order I'm going to call the member for start the clock start the clock the member can ask her question My question is to this government when is this government going to start listening to parents and actually invest in proper child care Minister of Education may reply In my first response I addressed the mismanagement and operating funds now let's talk about getting child care back on track now let's talk about the investment that we're making we're investing upwards of $2 billion to get child care back on track we're creating 30,000 new spaces 10,000 of which are going to be in schools and Speaker we're doing so much more we're working with our partners we're ensuring daycare finally it's accessible, affordable and flexible for parents we're allowing parents to have access to home care if they work shift work we're making things right in this province previously under the Liberal administration if you had a child in grade one and a child in JK you can drop them off at the Y for a before or after school program now they can do so because we've listened to parents and we're getting it right care is the vastest to make child care affordable accessible and flexible and that's exactly what we're doing no matter what anyone Thank you speaker my question is to the premier last week I traveled to Sudbury for the Phenom conference I was fortunate to meet so many municipal leaders from northeast Ontario many leaders express concern about this government's callous and cruel changes to our healthcare system of particular concern is the downloading of costs to the municipalities with no consultation the government's cuts force the Ontario telemedicine network to let go 15% of its employees last year the OTN conducted 900,000 patient consultations and save nearly $72 million in travel grants the OTN enables greater access to healthcare services in regions where distances are vast think of the vast geography of the north the truth is cuts go deeper in the north why is this government advancing policies that disproportionately disadvantaged northern Ontario many of whom already have difficulties accessing services one of the northern reps says when you cut telehealth this cuts deeper in the north why are you doing that premier I'm going to call the minister of children community and social services to order premier to reply minister of municipal affairs further to the minister of municipal affairs I'm a member for the opportunity to talk about the fact that the minister of tourism culture and sport and I were also at Phnom last week in Sudbury we enjoyed our interaction with municipal officials from the north but you know what the member opposite didn't talk about she didn't talk about her record in government where we were saddled with a $15 billion deficit and after 15 years of waste management and scandal we were elected on June the 7th last year to clean up that business we are protecting what matters most but at the same time we're continuing our dialogue with our municipal partners Phnom meeting was excellent we had a great opportunity to exchange information regarding the priorities of the north but you know make no mistake this member didn't talk about her record when she was up in Sudbury thank you speaker this member was brought up when I was minister I increased funding for mental health services in the north recognizing the unique needs that are in the community I'm glad the minister of tourism and culture was there speaker because the inter library loans also came up and it was a sore point which this loan allows northern and rural libraries to access resources at low cost and it's another casualty that's important it's a small thing speaker but it signals that there is an importance in north south relationships by exchanging of books libraries are one of the easiest most cost effective ways to allow people regardless of their socio-economic backgrounds a chance to learn and to grow education is a right limiting people's access to the knowledge is irresponsible governance does this premier think that taking books away from seniors and kids is an effective way to balance the budget questions been referred to the minister Mr. Ms. Pope Harrison will take no lesson from this member one of her ministers has no man's land so I will take no lessons from her in fact speaker she should talk about her record as minister of education she's closed many many rural schools rural schools in my riding schools all across this province I will take no lesson from that member regarding her lack of standing up for rural municipalities and northern municipalities in terms of education I'll take no lessons from that member in terms of the $15 billion deficit she saddled both myself but also my children and my grandchildren we were elected on June 7 to clean up their mess the independent members will come and start the clock the next question the member for Milton my question is for the minister of finance at a little over a month ago our government unveiled our plan to protect what matters most to our first budget every member of our caucus is proud to stand in this legislature and support the plan we have put forward after 15 years of liberal tax and spend policies we are left footing the bill with nothing to show for it those days are over we are giving $26 billion in relief to interior hard working families individuals and businesses today we are taking another step forward in making that plan a reality as the minister prepares to begin third reading on protecting what matters most act this afternoon could he share the work we are doing to bring relief to interior families thank you speaker and thank you to the member from Milton we have made it clear that we are protecting what matters most and we are putting people first and that is why our budget includes the care tax credit care is designed to give parents not the government control over the choices they make for their children and provides 300,000 families with up to 75% of their eligible child care expenses speaker that is why our budget also introduces a $90 million investment in dental care for 100,000 low income seniors $1.75 billion for a 5 year investment in new long term care beds $1.4 billion investment for school renewals this year alone we are cleaning up the financial mess we inherited from the previous government and we are disappointed the NDP are not supporting the seniors thank you it is a relief to see a government respecting the hard working families and individuals of Ontario putting money back in people's pockets and putting people first our government is also bringing much needed relief to the job creators of our province for far too long businesses have been told they need to do more for the government and they have been burned with higher taxes and unnecessary red tape those days are over as well Ontario is now open for business and open for jobs businesses are growing investments are returning to Ontario and jobs are being created could the minister inform the house on the action our budget takes to bring relief to businesses in Ontario thank you speaker in addition to supporting families and seniors our budget also shows that Ontario is open for business and open for jobs the Ontario job creation investment incentive faster capital investment write-offs encouraging businesses to immediately invest in Ontario and create new jobs we scrapped the liberal cap and trade carbon tax the increase in minimum wage lowered WSIB premiums stopped the $300 million in new liberal taxes that were supported by the NDP speaker we have created the environment where businesses can and will succeed and again that's why 170,000 jobs have been created since Premier Ford was elected our plan is working Ontario is open for business and open for jobs and our results speak for themselves restart the clock thank you speaker my question is to the Premier the Thames Valley district school board released a preliminary review and its cuts to education will mean to students in the London area the associate director of the board said that what it comes down to is and I quote less choice for students the board is projecting 329 fewer teachers over four years which means 1620 secondary school courses will no longer be offered that's a lot of shop classes, technology classes, photography, drama and indigenous studies law, horticulture, arts and music classes gone the kind of programs that excite students that get them to school in the morning will the Premier admit that his cuts to education are taking away opportunities for students and jeopardizing their futures questions to the Premier minister of education thank you very much and you know every day to stand in this house and tell everyone listening and present how we're getting education back on track because no matter what gets said by any of the members in the opposition party they're doing nothing but fear mongering and you know people are getting very tired of it because the fact of the matter is we are excited by what our plan holds given the reaction that we're getting in terms of opportunities we're actually focusing in on matters in terms of ensuring students have the life skills and the job skills we're investing over $2 million over 5 years in financial literacy we are increasing our investment in STEM by $66.5 million we're increasing awareness and exposure to technology and skills trade and apprenticeship programs do you know the fact of the matter is we're increasing our investment if you will in math funding and we're getting indigenous curriculum right once and for all what the official opposition is doing is actually sharing what the school boards are saying school boards are very clear about the impact of the layoffs on students in Thames valley they were also clear that attrition funding will not come close to making up the loss of $17 million in base teacher funding that has been cut the school board is also losing a hundred positions that were funded by the local priorities grant including educational assistance social workers and other education workers who support students with special learning needs cutting supports for students with special needs eliminating 1,620 classes will deny students opportunities to learn new skills explore their interests and achieve a better future does the premier really think that removing special education supports and limiting opportunity will help students succeed the question has been referred to the minister of education members please take their seats speaker you know I'm actually very disappointed in that member opposite because she knows better if she had read the budget she would have seen we're investing in special education I know we are committed to investing over and above what was absolutely off track by the previous ministration we're investing $90 million we're getting special education back on track after so many years of oversight and absolutely disarray so the fact of the matter is I'm disappointed in the member opposite as well because she's cherry picking out of an article she chose not to read this particular quote while no teachers are in danger excuse me of losing their jobs they may be changing roles speaker people are seeing through this thin veil of rhetoric and they're coming to us saying they're tired of the nonsense and the encouragement that we're getting and the support we're getting to get education back on track is phenomenal again we're investing set thank you the next question the member for mississauga streets film is for the solicitor general mr. Speaker we form government on a promise to provide police with the tools resources and supports they need to do their jobs effectively this includes new facilities that are capable to meet the demands of modern police operations after 15 years of liberal neglect our government is making investments to keep our community safe and last fall our government announced a $182 million investment to replace several aging OPP facilities with nine new detachments across the province mr. Speaker could the solicitor general please update the members of the legislature on how these new OPP detachments will improve public safety across Ontario questions to the solicitor general mississauga streets film for her question but more importantly for hosting my friend and colleague the minister of infrastructure and I on Monday where we were able to announce in her riding of mississauga streets fill a groundbreaking for a new OPP detachment that will focus on highway safety this $20 million investment will ensure and Terrians can continue to receive the modern cost efficient and first class road and highway safety services they deserve for over a century OPP have protected law fighting families and citizens across our province as this new building takes place it will be a source of pride for the entire OPP operation as well as the people who rely on them to keep Ontario's busiest highways safe our actions taken together send a clear message that we while we rely on the OPP to have our backs the OPP can be confident and Premier Ford and our government has made a significant contribution to the OPP and our government's commitment to giving our OPP the tools they need to keep our roads safe they do great work Mr. Speaker a $20 million investment is no small feat the previous Liberal Government supported by the opposition NDP left this province with a $15 billion deficit when it comes to critical projects like this it is important that our government gets it right will the Solicitor General please tell us more about how our government is going about this project done in a responsible manner Thank you I would like to refer the supplementary to the Minister of Infrastructure Thank you very much Mr. Speaker and I'd like to thank the member from Mississauga Streetsville for joining us for this important announcement Mr. Speaker this week is police week an opportunity to support our police officers our OPP and all they do to keep our families safe Mr. Speaker I was with the Solicitor General on Monday to do just that I agree with the member with projects like this it's important that we get it right having been left with a fiscal mess by the previous government we're committed to finding smart ways to build infrastructure in the right place and at the right time I'm happy to say Mr. Speaker that this State of the Art facility will be delivered through a public-private partnership through our agency Infrastructure Ontario IO has a proven track record delivering projects on time and on budget Mr. Speaker we're putting people at the centre of every decision that we make and we're keeping our roads safe and supporting their great work done Thank you Next question the member for Brampton East Thank you Speaker my question is an acting Premier the Conservatives budget cuts are expected to cost the pealed region $45 million The Premier talks about making life more affordable yet these cuts are doing the exact opposite by downloading costs the pealed region will be forcing increased property tax by $68 per family while cutting programs and services that families rely on why does this Conservative government believe in both cutting services and raising taxes for Bramptonians The question to the Deputy Premier Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Third to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Thank you Speaker We've made a very clear speaker in every speech that I've given Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing at every consultation that I've had with our municipal partners I've indicated that we were in a financial mess after 15 years of waste, mismanagement and scandal supported 97% by position come to order we needed to take a different fiscal path we asked every one of our partners just like we were looking at every line in every program in every service we asked our partners to do the same so again I find it passing strange that this member would bring this up because we've been extremely clear we have a budget that the Finance Minister has tabled that protects what matters most to Ontarians health and education and we've asked every single organization that we do business to look for efficiencies as well one of the very first bills I put on the table was to look at the city of Toronto and make it more effective and more efficient $25 million that they went ahead and spent on other things thank you supplementary question thanks speaker the people of Brampton were left behind by the last liberal government this conservative government is taking things from bad tours with its cuts to health care and education now the reason appeal is facing cuts to housing, childcare and social assistance on top of it all the Premier's tax hike of $68 per family will make life even more unaffordable Brampton is the ninth largest city in this country and is one of the fastest growing people need investment to ensure that people of Brampton receive the resources and services they deserve not more cuts will the Premier cancel his tax hike reverse these cuts and give appeal region the support that it deserves thanks speaker what the honourable member forgets is the mayor of Brampton who he refers to was once the leader of the opposition and he talked about the importance of reigning in deficits so that we can protect what the programs that matter most to Ontarians his mayor preached the same fiscal restraint when he sat in this legislature as did quite frankly Mayor Tory when he was leader of the opposition so again speaker of the municipal partners 405 out of Ontario's 444 municipalities receive funds in the last fiscal year some $200 million to provide municipal modernization to look at shared service agreements to look at doing things differently trying to provide efficiencies and effective spending you know again we will continue to consult our municipal partners we have a process with both AMO and the City of Toronto we will continue to talk to our partners about how we can work together on making sure that we are an effective and efficient partnership but make no mistake speaker I want to be perfect thank you the member for Brampton West thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the minister of energy, northern development and mines we know the minister represented the people of Ontario by speaking against Bill C69 the senate hearings in Ottawa he stood up for Ontario's nuclear energy sector because it is an integral part of our economy and it's a success story everyone in this province should be proud of our government for the people respects the nuclear industry which is why we extended the life of the pickering generation station we protected those jobs and we are very lucky to have the minister responsible for the energy who champions Ontario's nuclear sector Bill C69 threatens this generating sector of our economy and our government will never stand by while misguided legislation is being proposed can the minister please tell us more about why our government is opposed to Bill C69 good question Mr. Speaker in terms of energy across this country in terms of energy infrastructure in this country Mr. Speaker the member from Brampton West couldn't be more right this is of national concern Mr. Speaker Bill has the potential impact to shut down Mr. Speaker major energy projects across this country in Ontario we will not stand idly by as scaled up nuclear projects are now going to be at risk at this bill major hydro dam projects Mr. Speaker will be at risk as a result of this some of the largest natural gas infrastructure expansions plans that we have in this province will be at risk Mr. Speaker we stand by the newly minted and terrific energy minister from Alberta minister Bronwyn Ear to great women in Saskatchewan and Alberta who stand with us against this for the projects it represents Mr. Speaker that will be at risk in their provinces at risk here in Ontario Mr. Speaker and put the entire country's energy future at risk that's a fact thank you Mr. Speaker and I would like to thank the minister for his answer please can take comfort knowing that our government will not stand by while burdensome regulations are imposed on our industries that will take our country back towards Mr. Speaker It's clear that with bill c69 and trutus carbon tax the federal government is waging a war against the most important industries that create good jobs in Canada and Ontario we believe bill c69 contradicts several of Canada's economic goals and grind to a halt natural resources the country and certainly in Ontario. This is unacceptable for our government. We believe in creating renewed economic opportunities for all the people of this province. Can the minister please highlight why this bill would be so detrimental to Canada and Ontario's economic success? Minister again to reply. I'd be happy to Mr. Speaker but something tells me I don't have to. Listen to what the Canadian manufacturers and exports CEO said this morning. Manufacturers in every region of the country see Bill C 69 as a direct threat to future resource development and the well-being of their essential suppliers and customers. Diane Francis a real call in this Mr. Speaker with the financial post said obviously resource development will stop cold. This is a bill written by economic ignoramuses. This is not legislation. This is sabotage. Mr. Speaker it gets worse. We know the NDP have been in cahoots with the Liberals provincially and federally. The former member of Brampton East Mr. Speaker announced that gas and oil pipelines Mr. Speaker the whole sector is off limits for them Mr. Speaker. Why is the provincial NDP fine? Thank you the next question the member for Ottawa Center. Thank you thank you Speaker I interrupt that Andrews year campaign ad with the question for the Premier. Days ago we learned that the Ottawa public health boundaries will be massively expanded from Kingston all the way to the Quebec border without any additional resources. Speaker covering 29,000 square kilometers and about 1.7 million people. This new public health unit will be forced to do more with less. Dr. Paul Ramiliot a CEO of the Eastern Ontario Health Unit warns and I quote the bigger the health unit the less local ability to taper your needs to your community programs and to the population's needs. Not fear mongering speaker fact mongering by experts. Will the Premier listen to health care experts and put the brakes on this reckless decision? Questions to the Premier. Minister of health. The first Minister of health and long term care. Well thank you Speaker. In fact what we are doing is modernizing the system as we're modernizing our total health system to be able to respond to the crises that are going to occur. We know from time to time but we want to make sure that the local public health units have the resources that they need in order to do their work. In fact we've heard from many of them that the smaller units are having trouble attracting the people with the skills and the experience that they need in order to do their work. With the changes that we are making they will be enabled they will be able to get the people that they need to do the work and they will be able to concentrate on the areas within their specific geographic area while the province upload some of the bigger picture campaigns like anti-smoking campaigns and so on that will allow the local units to be able to tend to their own geographic area and their own response which vary from place to place as the member will know. Supplementary question the member for Kingston the islands. Thank you Speaker and threw you back to the Premier. When public health is done on the cheap it put live it puts lives at risk asking a single public health unit to cover vastly different communities with different needs across a huge geographic area is a recipe for disaster. Kingston Froninac Lenox and Addington Public Health is one of the most effective public health units in the province and I'm sure that the member from Hastings Lenox and Addington would agree I've had meetings with stakeholders in the community they talk about the differences even between Kingston and the rural areas around Kingston Speaker and the different needs they have and and how to serve them. It has led the charge against Lyme disease developing a physician education program and creating a Lyme network for doctors that was adopted nationally. Our health unit is successful and it knows our community and the surrounding area. In what world speaker doesn't make sense to dismantle the organizations that are exceeding expectation. Thank you that public health units are extremely important and we are going to continue to consult with the public health units going forward with respect to the issues that they're facing and the needs that they have but we need to make sure that they're going to be ready to deal with outbreaks of infectious diseases other things that we know are going to happen and we are confident that with the resources they will be receiving from the Ministry of Health and long-term care if they concentrate on their priorities which they are required to do as we are required to focus provincial resources on the things that matter most to people protecting what matters most they will be able to fulfill their critical components like vaccinations programs for children with special needs meals programs programs for expectant mothers and others. I am confident that with the monies they will be receiving the boundaries that will be decided upon in consultation with the units and with municipalities they will be able to do their effective work continuing now and into the future. Please question period for this morning I'm going to remind members that the standing orders provide for five minutes for introduction of guests in the morning before question period and in the afternoon at one o'clock but I've been asked by the member for Niagara Falls to recognize them on a point of order. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker I'd like to welcome a couple guests for my riding Shannon Miller Matthew Miller Tanner Uni Melissa Uni thank you very much for coming and I'm sure you enjoyed question period this morning thank you. Speaker I seek unanimous consent to put forward a motion without notice regarding the late show for the member from Kitchener Center scheduled for tonight Wednesday May 15th 2019. Government House Leader is seeking the unanimous consent of the House to put forward a motion without notice regarding the late show tonight regarding the member for Kitchener Center scheduled for this evening. Agreed? Agreed. Speaker I move that the late show scheduled for Wednesday May 15th 2019 standing in the name of the member for Kitchener Center be moved to Tuesday May 28th 2019. Has moved. At the late show scheduled for Wednesday May 15th 2019 standing in the name of the member for Kitchener Center be moved to Tuesday May 28th 2019. Is it the pleasure of the House of the Motion to Carry? Carried. Carried. We have a deferred vote on the amendment to Government Notice of Motion Number 61 relating to allocation of time on Bill 107, an act to amend the Highway Traffic Act and various other statutes in respect of transportation-related matters. Calling the members, this will be a five-minute bell. Members, to take their seats. On May the 14th, 2019, Mr. Harris moved an amendment to Government Notice of Motion Number 61 relating to allocation of time on Bill 107. All those in favour of Mr. Harris' motion will please rise one at a time and be recognized by the clerk. Mr. Walker. Mr. Walker. Mr. Smith Bay of Quincy. Mr. Smith Bay of Quincy. Mr. Thompson. Mr. Thompson. Mr. Bethan Falls. Mr. Bethan Falls. Mr. Fidelli. Mr. Fidelli. Mr. Ford. Mr. Ford. Ms. Elliott. Ms. Elliott. Ms. Mouroney. Ms. Mouroney. Mr. Barrett. Mr. Barrett. Ms. Marteau. Ms. Marteau. Mr. McDonnell. Mr. McDonnell. Mr. Bailey. Mr. Bailey. Mr. Macnaughton. Mr. McDonnell. Ms. Fullerton. Ms. Fullerton. Ms. Jones. Ms. Jones. Mr. Cho Scarborough-North. Mr. Cho Scarborough-North. Mr. Rickford. Mr. Rickford. Mr. Phillip. Mr. Phillip. Mr. Miller Perry-Selma Mascocas. Mr. Miller Perry-Selma Mascocas. Mr. Lecce. Mr. Lecce. Mr. Koh. Mr. Koh. Mr. Downey. Mr. Downey. Ms. Dunlop, Mr. Kenapathy, Mr. Babikian, Mr. Babur, Mr. Payne, Mr. Tanagathler, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Sabaoui. All those opposed to Mr. Harris' motion will please rise one at a time and be recognized by the board. Mr. Bissau, Madam Jelena, Mr. Tappes, Ms. Singh Brampton-Center, Mr. Vantos, Ms. Horvath, Mr. Natashak, Ms. Fife, Ms. Sattler, Ms. Begum, Ms. Shaw, Mr. Mamakwam, Mr. Yarbrough. Mr. Yard, Ms. Carpoche, Mr. Monta, Ms. Lindo, Ms. Armstrong, Ms. Stiles, Mr. Kernaghan, Mr. West, Mrs. Stevens, Mr. Gates, Ms. French, Mr. Miller-Hamilton-East Stoney Creek, Mr. Singh Brampton-East, Ms. Andrews, Mr. Hatfield, Ms. Taylor, Mr. Birch, Ms. Burns-McGow, Mr. Arthur, Ms. Bell, Mr. Glover, Ms. Morrison, Mr. Ray Kosovic, Ms. Harden, Ms. Monteferell, Mr. Hassan, Mr. Frazer, Ms. Wynne, Ms. Wynne, Ms. Hunter, Mr. Hillier, Mr. Hillier, the ayes are 68, the nays are 43. The ayes being 68 and the nays being 43, I declare the motion carried. Members ready to vote on the main motion as amended. Are you prepared to vote on the main motion as amended? Mr. Hardiman has moved government notice of motion number 61 relating to allocation of time on Bill 107 and act to amend the Highway Traffic Act and various other statutes in respective transportation related matters. Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? The amended motion carry. I heard some noes. All those in favor of the motion will please say aye. I, as opposed, will please say nay. In my opinion, the ayes have it. Call in the members. This will be another five-minute bell. Mr. Hardiman has moved government notice of motion number 61 relating to the allocation of time on Bill 107. All those in favor of the motion as amended will please rise one at a time and be recognized by the clerk. Mr. Walker. Mr. Walker. Mr. Smith-Babe Quincy. Mr. Smith-Babe Quincy. Mr. Thompson. Mr. Thompson. Mr. Ford. Mr. Ford. Mr. Eurone. Mr. McLeod. Mr. McLark. Mr. Yakobasky. Mr. Hardiman. Mr. Tavola. Mr. Barrich. Mr. Marto. Mr. McDonnell. Mr. Spanish B unit. Mr. Macdonald. Ms. Fullerton. Ms. Jones. Ms. Jonah. Mr. Conversian Music. Mr. Dr.FAage. Mr. Tavola. Mr. Barrich. Sirma, Mr. Parsa, Ms. Skelly, Ms. Martin, Ms. Triantiflopoulos, Mr. Ostehoff, Ms. Park, Ms. McKenna, Ms. McKenna, Mr. Nicholls, Ms. Kucendova, Mr. Romano, Mr. Harris, Ms. Gamari, Ms. Hogar, Ms. Carahalius, Ms. Fee, Mr. Cho Willidale, Mr. Crawford, Ms. Kanjan, Mr. Pachini, Mr. Cramp, Ms. Y, Ms. Tangry, Mr. Anand, Mr. Rashid, Mr. Sandu, Mr. Smith, Peterborough Corsair, Mr. Bowman, Mr. Cusetto, Ms. Dunlop, Mr. Kenapathy, Mr. Babikia, Mr. Payne, Mr. Bader, Mr. Payne, Mr. Tanagasler, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Cevalli, Mr. Cevalli. All those opposed to the motion as amended, please rise one at a time and be recognized. Mr. Besson, Madam Jones, Mr. Tabas, Ms. Sting-Brampton-Center, Mr. Vantos, Mr. Horvath, Mr. Natashah, Ms. Fight, Ms. Sattler, Ms. Begum, Ms. Shaw, Mr. Momma Block, Mr. Yard, Ms. Carpoche, Mr. Monta, Ms. Lindo, Ms. Armstrong, Ms. Stiles, Mr. Kernahan, Ms. West, Mr. West, Ms. Steven, Mr. Gates, Ms. French, Mr. Miller Hamilton, East Stony Creek, Mr. Sting-Brampton East, Ms. Andrew, Ms. Der Hatfield, Ms. Taylor, Mr. Birch, Ms. Burns McGow, Mr. Arthur, Ms. Bell, Mr. Glover, Ms. Morrison, Mr. Rikosevich, Mr. Hardin, Ms. Monteferell, Mr. Hassan, Mr. Fraser, Ms. Wynch, Madam LeLonde, Ms. Hunter, Mr. Shreiner, Mr. Hillier. The ayes are 68, the nays are 44. The ayes being 68 and the nays being 44. I declare the motion carried. This House stands in recess until 3 p.m.