 It is now time for Question Period, the leader of Her Majesty's Royal Opposition. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Premier. Premier, last Thursday the Standing Committee on Public Accounts tabled its report on the scandal-plagued orange air ambulance service. It was the unanimous finding of the committee that Minister Matthews was not diligent in pursuing red flags pointing to serious problems at Orange. Premier, how can you give the Minister the position of the President of the Treasury Board when she has a proven track record of mismanagement and failed oversight? Thank you, Premier. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. So I understand, as you've said, that the report was tabled further to a motion or following up on a motion that was led by our Liberal members. That's a great step. I'm glad that the report has been tabled, Mr. Speaker. And I'm also very glad that there are measures that we believe must be taken that are included in the legislation that is now in the Accountability Act, Mr. Speaker. Measures that the former Minister of Health was very clear, needed to be put in place in order to make sure that the oversight that's necessary at Orange is in place, Mr. Speaker. And so I hope that, given the concern that is being expressed by the leader of the opposition, that he and his colleague will work very quickly with us to get that legislation passed and get those measures in place, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, supplementary. Premier, in 2012, your current Minister of Health's Director of Communications wrote that staff shortages delayed responses to save money, poorly designed interiors in brand new helicopters, and a money trail that disappeared in a complex web of for-profit spin-offs were among the litany of problems. In addition, on May 4, 2011, the Ontario Air Transport Association sent a five-page letter to the current Deputy Premier, Ms. Matthews, detailing major issues at Orange Ambulance, such as conflicts of interest and deficiencies with the medical quality assurance programs. Premier, maybe you can shed some light. Why did the Deputy Premier take no action at that time? Well, Mr. Speaker, that's actually not the case. The former Minister did take action. And in fact, Mr. Speaker, it's why there is legislation in front of this House, legislation that would provide greater oversight, Mr. Speaker, and would deal with many of the outstanding issues. The fact is there are many changes that have been made at Orange, and I know the Minister of Health will want to speak to those. But the other fact is, Mr. Speaker, we have legislation before this House. There is a bill that includes the oversight measures that need to be put in place, Mr. Speaker. That legislation has already received some debate. I hope that the Leader of the Opposition and his colleagues will work with us to get that piece of legislation passed so that those measures can be put in place, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Final supplementary. Well, Mr. Speaker, as the former Minister of Health, I can tell you you don't need new legislation to perform your duty and oversight for the people of Ontario. She had all the authority she needed, Mr. Speaker. The Premier of the Million Dollar Lawsuits against Orange, and there were several, for delay in transport and poor patient care in the years 2007, 2010 and 2011, also should have been red flags for the former Health Minister. The current Deputy Premier did not take action as former Health Minister until 2012, and that was in December of 2012, by which point patients in Ontario had died or suffered amputations because of Orange's negligence. Let me remind you that the Minister was first appointed Minister of Health in October of 2009. Premier patients have been put at risk because of your Minister's failure to do her job and protect Canadians. Will you show real leadership, take responsibility for those patients' deaths, and demand the Deputy Premier's resignation? Thank you. Minister of Health. Minister of Health. Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have to say that I welcome the report from the Standing Committee on Public Accounts on Orange, and Mr. Speaker, our government as well as Orange have taken many steps to restore the public's confidence in the province's air ambulance service by ensuring that it's accountable. It puts patients first, Mr. Speaker, and respects public doctors. Of the 67 concerns mentioned in the report that was tabled last week, 31 of them, Mr. Speaker, require action. Of those 31 that require action, the Ministry has acted upon or is acting upon 28 of those 31 already, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. New question? A member from Bruce Curry on Sound. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Premier of the Orange Air Ambulance Fiasco could have been prevented if your former Minister of Health took action, but we all know she did not. Her failure to acknowledge concerns that were brought to her attention numerous times sadly resolved the death of four dedicated true members. Not only did the Minister ignore letters from those concerned, but she intentionally chose not to be open and transparent after the crash. Regarding the OPP investigation into the crash, the All-Party Committee wrote, and I quote, the Minister missed an important opportunity to make a public statement regarding the findings in the interest of promoting transparency. Premier, we've known all along that your government's openness and transparency is suspect, so here's your opportunity to prove your commitment. Your Minister failed in her role to protect and challenge and then intentionally kept quiet about it. If you really believe in openness and transparency, you'll do something about it. Will you ask your Treasury Board's Minister's resignation? There you are. Mr. Speaker, I reject the premise of the question, Mr. Speaker. The fact is... Minister of Aboriginal Affairs, I don't need the help. Carry on. Member Opposite knows full well that there were massive changes made at the Orange Organization. He also knows that there is action that is underway right now. Mr. Speaker, action has been taken by the Ministry of Health. And remember, we know that there's a piece of legislation before this House that would make further changes to improve oversight at Orange. That bill has been before this House, Mr. Speaker. It needs to be passed. And I hope that, given the concern emanating from across the floor, they will work with us to get that legislation passed. Thank you very much. Remember, from Redmond, Nixon, Kent, Brooklyn, we'll come to order. Supplementary. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, to the Premier. What you've rejected is openness and transparency to the people of Ontario. Premier, after the fatal crash, a man named Richard Jackson testified before committee. Mr. Jackson is the director of the Air Ambulance Program Oversight Branch, which obviously failed to do its job. Despite this, he testified to the committee that provincial organizations do not require increased oversight or even the existing level of oversight given to Orange. The All Party Committee strongly disagreed with Mr. Jackson's statement. In fact, Premier, the All Party Committee wrote that the problems with Orange and again, I quote, could be attributed primarily to the absence of due diligence and oversight on the part of the Ministry of Health and long-term care. It's obvious that both your Minister of Health and her senior staff don't see any issue with what they've done or, egregiously, didn't do. Premier, we show Ontario your sorry and ask for your Treasury Board Minister's resignation. Let's just check the facts here. There has been a piece of legislation before this House since 2012, Mr. Speaker, in an attempt to make further changes because, as I said, there were already changes. There have already been changes made at Orange to improve oversight to change the personnel, Mr. Speaker. But there's been a piece of legislation since 2012 before this House, Mr. Speaker. It is once again before us. The opposition has stalled at committee for more than a year, Mr. Speaker, has not allowed the legislation to go forward. So, I say to the members opposite, given their concern, given the anxiety that is emanating from the other side, I hope that they will change their current trajectory. They will work with us to get that legislation passed and make sure that these final provisions can be put in place. Thank you, Speaker. Again, to the Premier. It's obvious you won't make the right decision and ask for your former Minister of Health's resignation. So, let me spell this out for you again. The report written by members of all parties clearly establishes a pattern of serious negligence. Your minister failed time and again to do her job. Well, you want to talk about trust, openness and transparency. This pattern clearly invokes the exact opposite. Given the clear pattern of negligence exposed in this report and 17 charges laid by the Federal Ministry of Labor against Orange and thus your government, you would have thought the minister would do the honorable thing and step down. Instead, your government has shown that it will not be accountable to the people of Ontario. Premier, this isn't just dollars and cents we were talking about today. It is mistakes your minister made and contributed to the deaths of four Ontarians. Premier, I will ask you again, will you demand the President of the Treasury Board's resignation? I don't think she will. Premier. Minister of Health. Minister of Health, long-term care. Mr. Speaker, it's important. Can you see it, please? Can you see it, please? Thank you. Minister of Health, long-term care. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's important to understand that Orange is well into a new chapter, Mr. Speaker. It's putting the care of patients first. In fact, it transports almost 18,000 patients in a single year. These are the changes. We've made patient care its number one priority. We have a new performance agreement in place, Mr. Speaker, with Orange, a new conflict of interest policy, a patient advocate, Denise Polgar, who works with patients to resolve their concerns. Orange is now subject to freedom of information, Mr. Speaker. And of course, as the Premier has mentioned, for two years, we've had legislation in front of this house to pass, which will make further positive changes to Orange. We look forward to the cooperation of the party opposite. Thank you. A new question. The Leader of the Third Party. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. On August 22nd, Ed Clark, the Premier, Ministers Matthews and Sousa, the Chiefs of Staff to Ministers Shirelli and Dugud were joined by the Premier's Chief of Staff, Principal Secretary, and five top Deputy Ministers. Speaker, of this August group, whose idea was it to privatize local hydro utilities? So, Premier. So, Mr. Speaker, this exercise of looking at the assets that are owned by the people of Ontario and making sure that they are working for the people of Ontario, and that, in fact, we can invest in the assets that we need now in 2014 and going forward, we ran on this, Mr. Speaker. We made it very clear that optimizing assets and making sure that we could invest in the transit and transportation infrastructure that's needed was a priority for us, Mr. Speaker. And that is exactly what we're following through on. That's the work that Ed Clark has done with his team. He has given us some recommendations, Mr. Speaker, and guarding the public interest but making sure that we have the ability to invest in infrastructure going forward, Mr. Speaker. That has been a cornerstone of our economic policy. It's what we ran on. And it's what we're doing, Mr. Speaker. Thank you so much. Mr. Speaker, we know that the Premier, along with senior advisers, were meeting with Ed Clark early in 2014. And in fact, it looks like the Premier was planning to privatize local hydro utilities a full four months before the budget came down. Now, that sort of privatization will drive up bills across Ontario. So why did the Premier wait until after the budget and after the election to talk publicly, specifically about her real plan to privatize local hydro utilities? So Mr. Speaker, let's just be clear. Despite what the NDP are saying, we asked the council to retain the government's long-term ownership of these assets. And in fact, what Ed Clark has said, he said on October 17th, and I quote, we recommend keeping all three companies, OPG, Hydro One, and the LCBO. So in fact, there is not a sell-off of these companies as the NDP would like people to believe. But the fact is, Mr. Speaker, the leader of the third party is so trapped in her ideology that she is not able to see she is not able to see the responsible path forward. In fact, she has not supported the investment in transit. She has not supported the investment in infrastructure, Mr. Speaker, and so all she can do is stand and criticize a path forward that we ran on and we are now implementing, Mr. Speaker. Do you see it, please? Do you see it, please? Final supplementary. The people of Ontario that are trapped in sky-high with her privatization adviser a full nine months ago, they were Minister of Aboriginal Affairs will come to order. and Deputy Ministers. But the Premier kept those plans secret, and she still won't say what occurred in those meetings. Is this the sort of openness and transparency, that we can expect from this Premier? So Mr. Speaker, the premise of this question is that somehow it would be irresponsible for a Premier or a leader to begin to think about the issues that he or she wanted to run on or the issues that would be contained in a budget sometime before those issues. In fact, the premise of this question says just make it up on the back of a napkin. That's actually the way to do planning. Mr. Speaker, indeed, I have been clear that we were going to look at our assets. It is included in our budget, Mr. Speaker, and the leader of the third party can look it up in the budget on page 20, our Liberal Plan, page 4. We were very clear in our budget and in the plan that we brought to the people of Ontario that we were going to look at these assets. We were going to have experts look at the assets and make sure that they were operating, that they were optimized so that we could invest in infrastructure. That's what we're doing, Mr. Speaker. The question didn't tell the people she was planning to privatize hydro. My next question, Speaker, is to the Premier. New Democrats have uncovered records showing that the Premier's privatization advisor, Ed Clark, has been hiring a number of consultants. Our question is a clear one, Speaker, and it's a simple one. Who are those consultants that are telling the government that they should be selling our public assets? So, Mr. Speaker, Ed Clark is working with a team of people. That is absolutely true, including Francis Lankin. He is working with people who understand the value of the assets and understand how to make sure that they're optimized, Mr. Speaker. And he is speaking to experts. That is exactly true. He is talking to people who understand in the financial world how to make sure that we make the best decisions possible. That's the responsible thing to do, Mr. Speaker. It would be irresponsible for these to be political decisions. These are decisions that need to be made based on the evidence and based on the advice from people who have the expertise. Ed Clark has gathered the people, gathered the advice that he needs in order to advise us in the most responsible way. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, on March 29, 2004, a member stood up in this house and said, quote, consultants were expensive and have questionable value to the taxpayers of Ontario, unquote. Now, that same member, the current Premier, is paying consultants to help sell off our public assets. How much public money, Speaker, has been paid to consultants to help privatize our local hydro utilities? Thank you. Mr. Speaker, you know, you take just about any sentence out of context, and you can do anything you want with it. The fact is, we have reduced the number of consultants to government in an ongoing way, Mr. Speaker. That generic statement about consultants, yeah, I think it's very important that we only ask consultants to work with us when we don't have the expertise in the house. And in fact, the previous government had gotten rid of so many people in government, Mr. Speaker, that it was necessary to bring that expertise in. We have done that, Mr. Speaker, and we have reduced the number of external consultants. But when there is a specific question that needs to be addressed and when there is a time-limited issue that needs to be dealt with, it is entirely reasonable that there be people who are experts who give advice on that. That's what's happening here, so that we can have the best advice and make sure that the assets that will continue to be owned by the people of Ontario work for them to the best advantage. Mr. Speaker, whether it's e-health, IT consulting, paying Don Drummond $1,500 a day for his austerity plan, or paying Metrolinx consultant-speaker to create both his Twitter accounts, this government has a pretty dismal record when it comes to this. And now, the Premier, who says she wants to lead the most transparent government in all of Canada, is refusing to say who has been hired to privatize hydro and how much they're being paid. Now, why is the Premier more interested, Mr. Speaker, to find that you're going to be one of a few consultants than in being honest with the Ontarians who she works for? Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, we're interested in a briefing from Mr. Clark on what he, the work he's been doing. I'm sure we could arrange that, and I think he has provided, I think he has provided information to the opposition parties, but we would be happy to set that up again and let the leader of the third party get that information. But let's not forget what we're talking about here, Mr. Speaker. What we're talking about is now and in the future, just as people in this legislature decades ago invested in infrastructure that we needed for today. So we are going to continue this work, Mr. Speaker. We are going to invest in transportation infrastructure, including transit, because if we don't do that, Mr. Speaker, then our children and grandchildren will not have the infrastructure that they need. We must make that investment from the hell of her before the next floor. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Premier, for the last several days we've heard disturbing stories in the media surrounding CVC radio host, Gian Gomeschi. In particular that his co-workers raised concerns with their superiors about Mr. Gomeschi's alleged behaviour towards them, and that those concerns were not acted upon. That media attention is now bringing to light that the work place have not been taken seriously in Ontario. Premier, will you agree to striking an all-party select committee to study sexual harassment in the workplace, and how women and men can be made to feel safer at work in Ontario? So Mr. Speaker, and I thank the member opposite for the question, and this is obviously a very serious and disturbing issue. I have already asked my staff this morning to give a briefing on exactly what the procedures are, and I know that the Minister responsible for women's issues is prepared to speak to this as well. I just want to say that this is an issue that affects every single one of us. It affects all of us in all of our work situations across society, quite frankly, and it affects every single one of us in the sense that we all have to be vigilant and not pretend that somehow this issue has been resolved because it's 2014 and we have moved on. It's very real. What has happened over the last week has made it clear that it's very real, and we have to continue to be vigilant in every way that we can in all parts of our lives. Thank you. Back to you Premier, the question in the workplace is not confined to just the CBC. Just this past July, my colleague, the member from Dufferin-Callenden and critic for the Attorney General brought to light the issue about an assistant Crown Attorney in Peel Region. Rather than investigate a workplace harassment complaint made against that Crown Attorney, your Attorney General allowed him to resign and gave him a one-year salary bonus of over $180,000. He also allowed him to resign in your own government under your watch. So again, Premier, will you agree to striking the All-Party Select Committee to study sexual harassment in the workplace to provide effective recommendations to combat the serious issue facing women and men in the workplace? Mr. Speaker, I am open to considering what we collectively can do going forward. As I say, I think this is an issue that is with us. It's extremely important. It's, you know, it starts right with kids in school and how do we make sure that we educate our children so that they are aware of what's appropriate, what's not appropriate, and how do we then set up the structures to make sure that people are kept safe? So I am open to doing whatever it is we need to do going forward, Mr. Speaker. I'm not going to commit to a specific process at this moment. I want staff to pull together the information that we need to know in terms of what we should be doing going forward, but I'm open to having a conversation with the opposition parties about what we might do collectively. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Premier. On Thursday, New Democrats moved a motion in the Gas Plans Committee so that we would ensure that Peter Feist could come and testify about the wiping of computers in the Premier's office. Every liberal member of the committee voted against hearing from Peter Feist the man who the police alleged used military grade software to wipe computers in the Premier's office. They also voted against hearing from Laura Miller, the deputy chief of staff who apparently brought him in. Ontarians looking for answers just had the door slammed in their eyes. The police, why is this government only content to promise accountability and transparency, but never actually deliver on it? Thank you, Premier. Thank you very much, Speaker. Thank the member opposite for asking the question. I remind the member opposite in his own question. He talked about a police allegation, which means, Speaker, police is being working on this issue. We should let the OPP conduct an investigation during the committee hearings when OPP commissioner, former commissioner Chris Lewis came and the detective who's been working on this case, Mr. Andrew DeWall, they both said, Speaker, that the Parliamentary Committee should not be interfering in a live police investigation. We should respect the OPP's authority and let them finish their work. Thank you. Thank you. Supplementary. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. The Liberals voted on Friday to continue to barricade the truth from coming forward in regards to the gas plan scandals. The members of Durham, Scarborough Southwest, Mississauga Streetsville, Halton and Beaches East York voted to protect Laura Miller and Peter Feist. They voted to protect Liberal insiders. They voted to deny Ontario's answers about the veil of secrecy around the $1.1 billion gas plan scandal. Liberals wiped computers in the Premier's office to whitewash the gas plan scandal. Now Liberal members are protecting the insiders who did the wiping. Why is this government again? I ask the question, only content to promise accountability and transparency but never actually deliver on it. Mr. Speaker, let's examine the facts here. For three years, committees of the last parliament have been looking into this particular matter. Over 90 witnesses have appeared before the committee and have been examined by the committee. 145 hours of testimony has been presented and over 400,000 documents have been considered by the committee. Speaker, it is time to start the report writing. In fact, even the members of the third party, the member from Brambley Gold Martin himself, back in April, few days before the election was called, had put forward a motion speaker in the Justice Committee that the committee should start the process of report writing. Speaker, we're happy to see that the members of the committee have decided to work on the report. It is time that we get recommendations from the committee on the things that they've been able to analyze during the investigation. Thank you. Thank you. A new question. The member from Kitchener Centre. My question is for the Premier in her role as the Intergovernmental Affairs Minister. Welcome back. Premier, I had the chance to sit in your chair last week while you were away and we'll say the view is very different from down there. Trade missions are a key part of developing our economy here in Ontario. According to the Conference Board of Canada every $100 million increased in exports creates about 1,000 new jobs. So developing relationships with foreign governments and businesses can certainly help us to grow our economy and China is a very key player. Last year our goods to China increased an astounding 10%. That is $2.2 billion. So Speaker can the Premier please inform this House of the success of this trade mission and what it means for jobs and the economy here in Ontario? Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs thank you very much Mr Speaker and I was very pleased to have the opportunity to travel with the Minister of Economic Development Employment and Infrastructure and the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration and International Trade to China Mr Speaker. Because it's so important that we have a partnership with this new economy which is China Mr Speaker. We also traveled with 60 businesses and organizations so this is about government facilitating the connections between businesses here and businesses in China Mr Speaker and in order to do that we needed to make that contact. So what happened was our mission attracted Mr Speaker new investments that will create new jobs and this is a two way street Mr Speaker. This is about investment in Ontario and it's about partnerships with businesses in China. So I'm pleased to tell the House that Ontario attracted about a billion dollars in new investment by Chinese companies. Warnings if you want. Supplementary. Thanks Mr Speaker. I'd like to thank the premier for that answer and for all her efforts to bring jobs to the province of Ontario. I was very excited to learn as many other people were in my riding of Kitchener Centre that we are going to be getting a new steel nail manufacturing plant in our community. That's about 80 jobs so that is really great news. I know that there are other communities that are also going to... The member from Hamilton East Stony Creek will come to order and in the next voice I'll probably ask him to get to a seat so I can admonish him even further and the Minister of Energy will come to order as well. Finish please. So Mr Speaker I mentioned the new plant coming to Kitchener. There are other communities that are also going to benefit from this trade mission. The premier offers some other details on other success stories from her trade mission in China. Question? Thank you. Minister of Citizenship Immigration International Trade. Minister of Citizenship International Trade. Thank you, thank you for the question. It's really a great trade mission speaker. It's great because it is very very successful. The successful mission reinforces the strength of Ontario's company and Ontario brand globally. Speaker I want to tell the House about some of the trade deals that were signed during the mission. Huawei allows a major expansion to its Ontario operation value at 210 million that will create 325 jobs including 250 positions for engineers and researchers and at least certify new marketing sales and support positions. Speaker Yihu North America Corporation offers 100 million investment to establish a new trading centre in Stouffield. The first phase of the project is expected to create 800 jobs. Speaker this investment Thank you. Thank you, speaker. My question is for the minister of long-term health and care. Health care. Try that again. My question is to the minister of health and long-term care. Minister, I have asked you previously to reverse the central west CCAC's decision to limit the number of new patients it helps due to its supposed lack of funds. What I find is interesting is while the central west CCAC continues to claim they don't have enough money, their CEO was given another $24,000 increase in her salary in 2013 which brings it up to wait for it $267 a year. Minister, why is frontline care consistently prioritized below executive care at the central west CCAC? Thank you, minister. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I appreciate the question. It gives me an opportunity to talk about the investments that we're making in through our lens to our CCACs to increase our investments on that important area of home and community care. Mr. Speaker, this year alone we've increased in home and community care including to the southwest Linn by $260 million, Mr. Speaker, and that number actually is going to increase to $750 million by 2017. So we understand that it's important Member from Renfrew, Nipissing, Pembroke is warned. Finish, please. So I know the member opposite understands that we have a formula as well as we look to our lens that have that local and mental expertise to make sure that our CCACs are receiving the funding that they require based on need and the services that they provide. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think it's time for you to start asking some questions about where those investments are going because clearly they're not going the right place at the Central West CCAC. My office continues to receive regular complaints about Central West CCAC's failure to provide access to personal workers. In one example, an 87-year-old man who suffered a severe heart attack has been refused access to a PSW. Instead, his daughter was expected to care for him, but she too has physical ailments that limit her capacity to care for her dad. You have allowed CEO salaries to continue to increase while ignoring the core services of frontline care. Minister, I asked you this in July and you ignored me. I'll ask you a game today. Cover the frontline services over executive pay at the Central West CCAC. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Actually, I apologize. I meant to say Central West CCAC in the first response. For this entire government, the issue of executive compensation within the broads public sector, including our CCAC's, is an issue of importance and great concern. In fact, reintroduce legislation that, if passed, will actually address the specific issue that the member opposite has spoken to. I also expect Mr Speaker to recognise that they are spending taxpayer dollars and they need to spend those dollars effectively and efficiently, and that includes issues concerning compensation. In fact, in terms of looking at our CCACs, I've struck a table to look at home and community care. I expect that early in the new year I'm going to have the results of recommendations coming back from that table to provide further guidance on how to approach this important sector. Thank you. New question? A member from Necklebelt. Thank you Mr Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Health and Long-Turk Care. People in Ontario expect their health care system to help them, not to make them sick. But this government risky experiment in offloading surgery to private clinics has failed to live up to that standard. Patients like Anne Levac and Tracy Martin have contracted life-threatening infection at unsafe private clinics, while Ontarians were left in the dark about those infectious outbreaks. And now, more alarm bells are ringing before fully one in seven private clinics is failing to comply with safety standards. One in seven, Speaker. This is completely unacceptable. How can the Minister allow more private clinics to set up shop when so many of them are putting patients' health care in danger? Thank you Mr Speaker. I appreciate the question. Mr Speaker, my top job is to ensure the protection and the safety and health and well-being of Ontarians. And that is a job that I, and a responsibility that I take extremely seriously. And to that end, it's important that Ontarians not only have the confidence that they need in all elements of our health care system, but they also have the information required to make those informed decisions. And Mr Speaker, when this issue first came up several weeks ago, I asked, in fact, I've asked for all regulatory colleges, many of which, and the CPSO for example is the one that has oversight currently of our independent health facilities. I've asked them to report back to me all of the regulatory colleges on measures that they're going to put in place in terms of increasing transparency and accountability of the services of those entities that they have oversight for. And Mr Speaker, specifically, I've asked that transparency is a priority objective in each of their business plans. And I've asked them to disclose more information. And in fact, Mr Speaker, I've also asked the Health Quality Ontario. Yes, supplementary. Mr Speaker, well the facts are, 44 clinics have fallen short of basic standard in the last three years. But under this liberal government, patient safety takes a back seat to full throttle expansions of private clinics. The number of private clinics has skyrocketed, Speaker. 31% increase in the last three years, even though Ontario does not presently have the layers of oversight, transparency and reporting needed to safeguard the public. And even though at least 20 patients have contracted serious infections at these clinics, it's time to put a stop to this liberal fail experiment and put Ontario safety first. Will the minister agree to immediately declare a moratorium on new private clinics in Ontario? Thank you, Mr Speaker. And in addition to asking our colleges to, those that have inspection programs to proactively and publicly disclose full, detailed, useful information with respect to each of the inspections that they conduct, I've also asked for Health Quality Ontario to do a review of our independent health facilities and how we can actually further establish a mechanism of accountability to give confidence to Ontarians on the issue that the member opposite has just mentioned. And I know, Mr Speaker, that the opposition agrees with my approach because just several weeks ago, the member opposite called these actions that the government is taking, quote, a huge, huge victory. And she also stated that she's very happy with the step that he, meaning myself, has taken. And with this letter addressed to all of the colleges, I expect movement. Thank you, Mr Speaker. Mr Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services. Mr Speaker, my writing of Halton is one of the fastest growing areas in the country, and we have a lot of young families living in the region. Keeping Halton residents safe is something that is very important to me. Lately, the people of my community and people in communities across the province are concerned about the threat of carbon monoxide gas. Carbon monoxide is a threat to our families and loved ones because it is odorless and colourless and is a silent killer. More than 50 people die in Canada from carbon monoxide poisoning each year. On average, 11 of those are in Ontario. But, Mr Speaker, the real tragedy is that each and every one of these deaths is preventable. As the Minister charged with the safety and security of Ontarians, fighting this silent killer is part of your responsibility. Question. Mr Speaker, through you to the Minister, can you please tell us what steps you have taken to help protect our friends and our family from the threat of carbon monoxide? Thank you very much, Speaker. I thank the member from Halton for raising such important issue and asking this question today. Speaker, as the member mentioned, carbon monoxide gas is a silent killer that continues to claim too many lives in our province. And that is why, Speaker, our government is very much committed to working with all MPPs and stakeholders and partners to ensure that no more Ontarians lose their lives to carbon monoxide poisoning. Special Speaker, I would like to acknowledge the hard work done by the MPP from Oxford in bringing forward his bill, 77, that was passed unanimously in this legislature. Speaker, that bill came into effect on October the 15th, making it mandatory for all homes in Ontario to have carbon monoxide alarms. Installing a carbon monoxide detector speaker in your home is perhaps one of the simplest and most effective way to alert you and your family to the presence of this lethal gas. I encourage everybody to do so. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you, Minister, for your action on this important issue. I would also like to acknowledge the efforts of the member from Oxford on this. I am certain that making CO alarms mandatory in homes will help save lives in my community and across Ontario. In fact, just recently, the Milton Fire Department received a donation from Union Gas to help buy smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors for families who don't have the equipment already. The work of our government on protecting Ontarians is never complete, and there is always more action to be taken. Minister, my community and all Ontarians need more information about your action on this issue beyond this legislation. Mr. Speaker, through you to the Minister, can you please provide more details on how you plan to protect Ontarians from the dangers of carbon monoxide? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. The law requires that carbon monoxide alarms be installed in the service rooms and near all sleeping areas in multi-residential buildings. It also introduces annual testing, battery replacement and other requirements to ensure that carbon monoxide alarms in these residences are in good working order. But, Mr. Speaker, introducing new rules are just not enough. We need to ensure that each and every Ontarian understands the importance of having a working carbon monoxide alarm in their home. And that's why, Speaker, this week is the first-ever carbon monoxide awareness week in our history as a result of the legislation that was put forward by MPP from Oxford. So, Speaker, we need to take this week as an opportunity and every single day to spread the word about the dangers of carbon monoxide and the necessity of a detector in our home. And I encourage each and one of all members here today and through the members, their constituents in encouraging members of our community to purchase a carbon monoxide alarm and install it in their home today. Thank you. Question, the member of Prince Edward Hastings. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Welcome back. My question is to the Minister responsible for the Pan Am Games. Minister, six weeks ago you sat in the Estimates Committee and you said this about Tim Horton Stadium in Hamilton. This is eight or nine months prior to the Games and it's operational. But Tim Horton Stadium in Hamilton had to miss a Pan Am Test Event just this past weekend. It was the University Women's Soccer Championship because the venue still isn't ready. We're hearing now it may be ready for the Tycat's final home game, a full two months after the Labor Day drop dead date. Minister, since this project has never been on time, how about some accountability from that side of the house? Who's being held responsible for yet another deadline missed at Tim Horton Stadium in Hamilton? Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to start by saying the changes to the construction timeline will not have any effect on the Pan Am Parapan Am Games next year in Hamilton in 2015. I'd like to remind the member opposite that through our investment the City of Hamilton is receiving a brand new 22,000 seat stadium and this is a $146 million investment and we're happy in this house to be part of that initiative to leverage these games in order to build a strong stadium, strong support in the City of Hamilton. And the Tycat's have actually played, I believe, seven games there and they're undefeated currently. So the people of Hamilton for the great work and Mr. Speaker, I have a bit more to talk about the infrastructure and supplemental. Speaker, the fact of the matter is the minister has said the venue would be ready and clearly the venue is not ready. They've had to move events from their time and time again and no one has been held accountable on that side of the house. Minister, the list of problems at Tim Horton Stadium includes electrical work, elevators, landscaping, and airbrush box. It goes on and on. There's all kinds of problems there. Please finish. Thank you. Let's move on from Tim Horton Stadium in Hamilton. Let's move on to the velodrome in Milton because it's not ready either and it had test functions that were canceled earlier this fall as well. They were supposed to have an event there and it's behind schedule too. Minister, you've repeatedly told us the venues will be on time and on budget. Nobody believes that anymore. Well, now they're missing events that are actually in those schedules that you've been talking about who ultimately is going to be held responsible. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you for the question. I just want to I want to thank the people of Hamilton for their support for the Pan Am and Para Pan Am Games and in fact, Mr. Speaker, this morning I found out that of all of Ontario, Hamilton is volunteering the most people for the Pan Am Games. People who have signed up for Hamilton. I want to thank the people of Hamilton for their investment in these games. They're excited about 146 million dollar investment. They're excited for the Pan Am and Para Pan Am Games and they're excited because their team is undefeated currently in that new stadium. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The member from Canora Rainier River. Thank you, Speaker, to the Premier. Ford Francis was devastated when their local mill idled in 2012. Now there is renewed hope given that a local or that a company is looking to purchase the mill. Getting the mill up and running could mean 200 direct and 1000 spin-off jobs as well as a 100 million dollar annual injection into the economy. But Xperia, the company ready to buy the mill and create jobs, keeps running up up against major challenges that the town of Ford Francis is confident that this government can solve. In a recent letter to the town of Ford Francis, the Premier wrote that she, quote, recognizes the benefits that such a deal could bring, unquote, and that her government is, quote, committed to the forest industry and to preserving and creating jobs in northern Ontario, unquote. My question is, what is the Premier ready to do to help the town of Ford Francis and ensure that we can get this mill up and going? Thank you. Minister of Natural Resources. Minister of Natural Resources. Speaker, thank you very much, and I want to thank the member for the question. Like many in northwestern Ontario, I will say I was very excited when the negotiations began between the owner of the mill and the potential purchaser of the mill. And I would say that I allowed myself to get a little bit more optimistic than I might generally in situations like this. We need to remember that the mill is a privately owned facility. There are multiple components to whether or not a deal could get done. And at the end of the day, at least to this point, and we're still hopeful that things can get back on track and restart, but at least up till this point, Speaker, the two parties have decided that they are not going to move forward with the mill or to the negotiation in the cell. I would say, though, to the town of Ford Francis, and I did call Mayor Avis immediately upon finding out about this, had a great conversation with him. We do understand that Mayor Avis and the town of Ford Francis will continue to work towards a deal and do anything they can, and we're there to support them very much in that effort in any way that we can. Thank you. Thank you, Speaker. Back to the Premier. The cross route forest is one of the most productive forests in Ontario, but the forest is in the hands of a company that won't guarantee the prospective buyer Xperia a cost competitive, the cost competitive fiber it needs to run the mill. The town of Ford Francis has asked for a seat at the table to ensure that its local forest can create jobs in Ford Francis as part of an enhanced sustainable forestry license, but the Minister has slammed the door. With the stroke of a pen, this government can ensure that Ford Francis has a role in managing its own forest so that there is enough fiber to keep people working. Will the Premier listen to the town of Ford Francis and First Nation communities and instruct her Minister of Natural Resources to approve the enhanced sustainable forestry license for the town of Ford Francis? Speaker, I think it's important to note that the system of forest tenure that we're operating under currently now in the province of Ontario was a system that was brought in by the NDP in 1994, and we've made a significant commitment to move away from that system with tenure modernization. There are four priority ESFLs in the province of Ontario currently being worked on right now, but it's important, Speaker, to say that even if there was tenure modernization in place, even if there was an ESFL in this particular case, it's only one piece of the components necessary to get a deal done. At the end of the day, the mill is still privately owned. It's not in bankruptcy. So at the end of the day, even if the ESFL discussions had begun some time ago, that is in no way a guarantee that a deal could have been done here. I will say, Speaker, we're interested in working with the town in any way we can. We understand the impact of this mill to that community and all of Northwestern Ontario, and we'll continue to do whatever we can to try and enhance the opportunities around that. Thank you. New question? New question? The member from Simcoe North. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My question today is for the Minister of Education. Minister, the ombudsman in his scathing report says there are 800,000 children in independent childcare in Ontario up to the age of 12. The Ministry of Education reports they have 292,000 licensed spots in Ontario, covering children up to 12 years of age as well. These spots are full, and tens of thousands of children are on subsidized wait lists. According to a survey by the Child Care Providers Resort Network, 40% of independent childcare providers will close their doors if fill 10 passes with the proposed racial restrictions. That is 320,000 spaces, Mr. Minister. The bill is an even bigger disaster than we originally calculated. Minister, are you really going to push this disastrous bill through this House without proper consultation across this province? Yes. I think I need to comment on selective use of the ombudsman, because if you actually look at the breadth of the ombudsman's report, what he's saying is we need to make changes to the way childcare supervision works in Ontario, and we need to make it quickly. That in fact that what we need to do is make sure that our inspectors actually have the authority that when people break the rules, that they have the authority defined, and in particular that they have the authority to close those child cares down. Yes, we do think, we agree with the ombudsman, that it is our urgent that we pass bill 10 and implement his recommendations. Thank you. Supplementary? Well, Mr. Speaker, the ombudsman clearly indicated that this Ministry of Education did not do its job. And Minister, the average cost of licensed care is $140 per month more for child care, independent child care providers than for licensed ones. With the loss of a possible 320,000 spaces, that will cost young families in Ontario an average of $44.8 million more per month. That's per month. And that's if there was even a remote chance of a licensed daycare spot that you brag about. And it's not including the loss of income for roughly 60,000 independent child care providers who don't mind being regulated or licensed or have a registry. If I'm wrong on these numbers, can you enlighten this house with the numbers that you actually have and you're going to pass this bill on? That's what I'd like to see, the real true numbers given to this house and not pass through some fast committee that's going to be time allocated and really dumped on all the young people and all the people who provide child care. Yes, I believe that if you read the Ombudsman report carefully, what you would find is that he said that there are over 800,000 children who are either not in licensed care or not in the care of their mothers included in that 800,000 or the people who go to who don't have child care at all. So all those 11 and 12 year olds who are home alone, all those kids who go to grandma's house, all those kids who have a nanny, all those kids who have a babysitter. So in fact, the number that you're using to do your calculations on which is 800,000 kids in unlicensed child care is factually incorrect. So your calculations don't work. But let's go back to the real issue here, Speaker. The real issue is that regardless of whether children are in a licensed center, licensed home care or unlicensed home care, it is our responsibility as a government to keep kids safe. That's why we don't care. New question, the member from Sudbury. Thank you, Speaker. Through you to the Premier. Premier, in my right of Sudbury, LaSalle Boulevard is a commercial main street used by residents. But it's also the only direct route available for the heavy slurry trucks traveling between the source and the smelter in Falconbridge. The extension of Maley Drive would provide these massive, massive trucks an alternative route heating road user safety and taking into account the maintenance of road infrastructure. The city has attempted to get the federal and provincial governments to pay one-third of the project costs. During the election campaign, your government promised $26.7 million for this project. But this is not even one-third of the $120 million projected cost of the Maley Drive extension. So Premier, through you, Speaker, will your government commit funding, funding the full one-third total cost of the Maley Drive extension? Thank you. We're working on that, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, though. I appreciate the question. I know this is an issue that the city of Sudbury has identified as a priority and we're going to continue to work with municipalities, Mr. Speaker, on their priorities. We understand the significance of this. It's a fairly significant ask, but, Mr. Speaker, we have a number of programs now that we've rolled out with municipalities. The key is, Mr. Speaker, we're rolling out these programs, as you would know, from our ABLE commitment on the basis of the way municipalities want us to deal with these programs, Mr. Speaker. In other words, we're looking at half of the programs being a formula-based approach, and the other half, Mr. Speaker, as we get up in asset management issues, being the other kind of traditional approach. Mr. Speaker, we're going to continue to work with City of Sudbury and other municipalities to ensure that their needs are met. Thank you, supplementary. Thank you, Speaker, through you and your right minister. The project is very important to the City of Greater Sudbury for over 20 years, and as well to my colleague from Nickelbelt. Premier Minister, during the election, your government promised the people of Sudbury the money was available for the Mealy Drive extension, but no money has actually been set aside. The funds your government speaks of are conditional on matching federal funding. The federal government, if the federal government doesn't pay its share, the province will pay nothing either. Will your government commit to funding the Mealy Drive extension unconditional federal government funding and come through for the people of Greater Sudbury? Thank you, minister. The member is correct. I mean, the commitment that we made in 2014 budget was conditional on federal funding, and Mr. Speaker, the federal government's got to do their share. The fact of the matter is, when you look at the infrastructure investments we're making, $130 billion over 10 years, the federal government's commitment across the entire country, not just in Ontario, including investments in their own buildings, is $70 billion. Mr. Speaker, that's a far cry from where their investment should be. So yes, Mr. Speaker, we'll be calling on the federal government to pay their share when it comes to projects like this and projects right across the province, whether that's transit, whether that's roads, whether that's bridges, whether that's water, wastewater projects, Mr. Speaker, we need a federal government in this country that's committed to building infrastructure. We don't have that right now. Thank you. New question? The member from Scarborough Agent Club. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport. I was very pleased last week to hear from the minister that his ministry is promoting sports, recreation, active living, priority neighbourhoods. The minister announced continued support for after-school program, the program that helps children and youth who regain to maintain active, develop healthy, active living, gain confidence and achieve more in school. Given the current statistics on childhood obesity as a former member of the Healthy Kids panel, I believe the recent announced by the minister investing $13.5 million support the many of the recommendations by the Healthy Kids panel. I'm also very pleased that we are partnering with over 130 organizations, including my riding of Scarborough Agent Corps, the Agent Corps Community Social Services. These organizations will deliver after-school program to over 400 locations. Through you to the minister, can he please share with the members of the House on the expanded after-school program and how it will help with my riding of Scarborough Agent Corps? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to thank the member from Scarborough Agent Corps for her work on promoting Healthy Choices, not only in the legislature here but as a nurse and as a former school board trustee of the Toronto District School Board. Her question gives me an opportunity to talk about this incredible program. My ministry announced last week that we'll be investing $13.5 million into the after-school program and this program will support children and youth who will be making Healthy Choices through positive activities. And I'd like to thank the service providers who helped deliver this program, Mr. Speaker, to over 400 locations across this province and it includes over 21,000 young people who actively participate in these programs. Program activities include sports, arts, personal health and wellness and education, and nutrition instruction. And are diverted to non-profit organizations throughout the province and we're very proud of the work that these organizations do, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank the minister for his comments about this fantastic after-school program. And I know as a former school board trustee the importance of these programs to reaching out to students after school but also during the school time. I heard the after-school program will incorporate the Pan Am Games as well as the Kids and Play resource of PPA Kids website. I'm happy the program will allow kids to learn about the games next summer through the interactive activities like who is patchy activities to learn about the mascot of the game as well as identifying the flags of participating countries as well as creating their own Pan Am Flag activities. Speaker, through you to the minister, can he please share with the House some other programs or plans for this program after school but also how to keep our kids healthy, active. Thank you, minister. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, I'd like to thank the member for the question. Mr. Speaker, we've been funding this program, the after-school program, since 2009. We're quite proud of the investment we've been able to do because we know when young people go to these programs they have a safe place to learn together, to do their homework, to learn about great nutritional food and great nutritional food choices, to take part in physical activity. But most importantly, Mr. Speaker, to have some fun. Thank you. The member from Simcoe North on a point of order. Yes, please. My colleagues have told me I've said this wrong but I want to track myself on the supplementary to the minister. What I meant to say was the average cost of licensed care is $140 per month per child, more than independent child care providers. Thank you. As all members know that that is a point of order to correct one's record and I thank the member for bringing forward properly the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care on a point of order. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Better late than never. I believe you find that we have unanimous consent that all members be permitted to wear today Ontario Lung Association Pins in recognition of long months. The Minister of Health and Long-Term Care seeking unanimous consent to wear the ribbon. Do we agree? Agree. The Associate Minister of Finance on a point of order. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to welcome to this house Joe Baker, Dean, as well as Michelle Kane, Chair of the School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culture at Centennial College, as well as students from Willow Park Junior Public School who are touring the house today. Okay. The member from Bramley-Glorum Moulton on a point of order. Mr. Speaker, my question, I mentioned that the members from Durham, Scarborough Southwest, Mississauga, Stroud, Streetsville, Halton, Beaches East Miller voted on Friday. I'd like to correct that to say Thursday. It's actually Thursday that happened. Thank you. Again, correcting your record is a point of order. There are no further points of order and there are no deferred votes. This house stands adjourned until 1 p.m. this afternoon.