 Now it's time for question period, the members from Gornfield at the same time. Thank you very much, Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Energy. Minister, winter is just around the corner, and all across Ontario, residents and small businesses are worried about their ability to pay their hydro bills. A senior living on a fixed income, the member for Glendier, their house electric e-wage, many of them are, doesn't know how they're going to meet the obligation. While air conditioning is not necessarily essential, heating most definitely is. For some, and I get this from people in my riding all the time, their energy bills, their electricity bills are higher than their old age pension. Peak rates now under your plans are 14 cents a kilowatt hour, and that doesn't include all of the added surcharge as a result of your energy policies. Minister, your policies have taken Ontario from one of the lowest cost electricity jurisdictions to one of the highest. Question. Are you going to continue to punish our residents and ratepayers, or, like winter, is a change in energy policy just around the corner as well? Thank you very much. Speaker, the member will know that when our government took over in 2003, we had a deficit of electricity, we had a dirty system, and the system was unreliable. And over the course of the last nine years, Mr. Speaker, I'd ask for order, please. Thank you. And over the course of the last nine years, Mr. Speaker, we rebuilt the system with about $30 billion in transmission and generation costs. We've moved from a deficit of electricity to a surplus, from a dirty system to a clean system. That put pressure on prices, Mr. Speaker. Those price pressures were in our long-term energy plan in 2010, 2013. They were there for everybody to see. We took very significant mitigation measures, Mr. Speaker, which those parties voted against. That includes the Ontario Clean Energy Benefit, the Ontario Energy and Property Tax Credit, saving qualifying individuals up to $906 to $3 per year, and in the supplementaries, Mr. Speaker, we'll talk about the other issues. Thank you, supplementary. Minister, you give with one hand, you take away with the other. That is cold comfort to those seniors who don't know how they're going to pay their bills this winter. Pun intended. Shame on you. You can do better than that. Look, at an estimate this morning, it was clearly pointed out to you that hydro rates all in, all in, in the province of Manitoba, are one-third what they are in Ontario. In British Columbia, one-half. How can you explain to the people living on that fixed income how they can pay that much more in Ontario? It is because of your energy policies, your failed policies. You've decided to choose the most expensive options when replacing coal in the province of Ontario. That has also led to the loss of 300,000 manufacturing jobs and, oh yes, 300,000 manufacturing jobs here across the province of Ontario. Your policies are driving... Order. A member from Bruce, here on Bruce, come to order and the Minister of Finance come to order. And the member from Leeds, Grenville, come to order. And I'm keeping count. Minister, companies like Heinz, Caterpillar, Estrada, they have all cited energy prices as reasons for leaving the province of Ontario. When are you going to get the message? Stop listening to your minions over there and get the message from the people. Mr. Speaker, businesses will come and go in Ontario. The reality is, Mr. Speaker, there's more coming in than are leaving. Very significant. Mr. Speaker, we have the highest rate of investment capital of any jurisdiction in North America. I'm going to get attention, one way or the other. The member from Chatham, Essex, will come to order. Carry on. Mr. Speaker, the member knows well that we have implemented a very significant number of programs to assist businesses to come to Ontario with reduced electricity costs and to stay here. The ICI Industrial Conservation Initiative, Mr. Speaker, which has just been expanded with probably upwards of 300 companies receiving 20% discount on electricity. There are other programs which I'll mention in my next supplementary. We have taken significant steps to mitigate prices because the price pressures came from us investing because of the damage that they did for... See you, please. The final supplementary. Businesses come and go. That's quite an answer. Well, they're going at about a 10-to-1 ratio, Minister. That's not very good in your part. Minister, those companies that are coming here because you're giving them a one-off, they probably appreciate that. But they know that that is at the cost of everybody else in the province of Ontario. Estrada, Caterpillar, Hines, they cite energy costs as a reason for leaving. I have not heard of one single business ever say, we're coming to Ontario because of its energy policy. Not one. They may come here in spite of their energy policy because they know you're giving them a one-off handout. But that's... Minister, last month, the ISO said that the global adjustment, that little understood, little trick of yours, amounted to over $1 billion. Well, that is the cost, the difference between the value of electricity purchased and the amount you've paid to your contractors. The amount you've paid for electricity, the difference between its value and what you paid is $1 billion. That goes on everybody's hydro bill. That is driving people out of this province and that is driving seniors into poverty when will you reverse the policy? Thank you, minister. Mr. Speaker, we have one of the best jobs creation records in this province. That's number one. Number two, Mr. Speaker, there are more businesses coming to here investing money than any other jurisdiction in North America, Mr. Speaker. Ontario's industrial rates compare favorably with other jurisdictions despite what the PCs claim. Industrial rates in Northern Ontario are among the lowest in Canada and lower than 44 American states, Mr. Speaker. Industrial rates in Southern Ontario are lower than in Alberta, Michigan, New Jersey and California and in line with states in New York, Virginia and Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, we have the programs to attract businesses and to create jobs in this province. They have no solutions in any shape whatsoever, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the minister of infrastructure. Minister, you've not been clear whatsoever with the people of Ontario and the value of Mars and that debacle. C.B.R.E. appraised phase two if it was 100% leased at 303 million. We know that it's not fully leased and a building filled with bureaucrats and did not work as much as one filled with research scientists. That's because the rental rates for office base is 44 to 45 dollars per square foot and for research space it's about 60 dollars a foot. Minister, you've placed taxpayers at significant risk. Will you admit to this house if phase two is filled with bureaucrats the value of the building will be 25% less than the appraised value? Thank you. Mr. Speaker, I'm not really sure what the member is referring to when he says this government hasn't been clear when it comes to our way forward on this particular file. We've released 700 pages of documents publicly so the member can have access to them and in fact we've offered to the committee the opportunity to see all of those documents with absolutely no redactions. I think that's being pretty open. I think that's being transparent. We've also identified a path forward in seeking the best experts we can in our economy, Michael Nobrega and Carol Stevenson. As we move forward, Mr. Speaker, they've confirmed that the asset that we have lent money to Mars Phase 2 for is worth more than the investment we've made which means, Mr. Speaker, what the members just said is absolutely incorrect. I think, Mr. Speaker, what's unclear is the ability of the member to understand what a secured loan means. Thank you. Back to the expert panel's response again. Minister, mankind has often wondered if there's intelligent life on Mars. Well, you've proven that there's not a phase 2 or even in your ministry. Minister, let's recap the problem you've created for taxpayers. The value of the building is the length, cost plus the leasing revenue. When the leasing rate drops, so does the revenue. When the revenue drops, so does the value of the building. When you go from charging $60 a square foot to $45 a square foot, the value drops by 25%. Minister, will you admit that you will not be able to recover the 405 million of taxpayers' money you've already sunk into Mars Phase 2? Thank you, Minister. Mr. Speaker, the member may want to insult my intelligence. So, look, I'm just a kid from Scarborough. I don't pretend I'm the smartest guy here, but I think if there is a vote taken in the House, Mr. Speaker, that compares the intelligence quotas of these two members that are exchanging right now, I'm not sure, but I think I might just edge them out in that respect. But, Mr. Speaker, let me say this. I may not, but let me say this. What we're supporting here, Mr. Speaker, is a part of our economy that's extremely important. 50% of our life sciences economy in Canada is located right here in Ontario. In that building, Mr. Speaker, about 10% of the bioscience cluster is there. Mr. Speaker, this government stands by our bioscience cluster. This government's going to continue to make investments that are going to grow innovation in this province. The party opposite may want to, Mr. Speaker, not support those kind of approaches. That's up to them. We're building the next generation economy. We're creating jobs, and we're going to continue to make those important investments. Thank you. Final supplementary. There is no cluster there, except a cluster of bureaucrats minister. Let's recap the story here. There never was a business case. The private sector won't rent there. The banks and the investors won't touch Mars, too. It's like an empty Taj Mahal, but full of bureaucrats, not tourists. ARE got a $65 million bailout. The taxpayer loaned $224 million. Then the taxpayers on the hook for another $106 million in interest costs. And Mars gets a free building that the taxpayer fills up and pays rent on. Minister, your responses have been lubricious at least to this house. And this expert panel, I can't imagine that it was hired for anything other than to camouflage the slippery language that's been going on here. Will their report be transparent about the obvious facts? Or will that expert panel simply shield you from further accountability to this house? Thank you, minister. Mr. Speaker, the members' information is simply incorrect as usual. And I think what I want to do, Mr. Speaker, in responding is to suggest that what is his alternative? What's his party's alternative? Because from what he's saying, that party would have just let Mars face to rot in the ground. Mr. Speaker, that would have been irresponsible. So what we've done, Mr. Speaker, is we've made some important investments to ensure that this project could continue. We've taken the best advice from Michael LaBrega and Carol Stevenson to make sure we're moving forward in a way that's responsible to taxpayers, in a way that's responsible to our commitment, Mr. Speaker, to create jobs in this province. We're looking to further advice, Mr. Speaker, from those individuals, which we should receive very soon. And then we're looking to move forward, Mr. Speaker, on a project that had challenges. But, Mr. Speaker, challenges that we're going to fix to ensure that this project has a positive future. That, Mr. Speaker, is leadership. Thank you. New question. The leader of the third party. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Premier. Yesterday, we learned that the Liberals are on track to fire 10,000 people. Does the Premier really think that now is the time to put out 10,000 pink slips? Thank you. Well, Mr. Speaker, I'm not sure where the leader of the third party has gotten that information, because that's not the case, Mr. Speaker. Maybe she's confusing it with the platform of the Conservatives, but they were going to fire 100,000 people, Mr. Speaker. What we're doing, Mr. Speaker, is we're engaging in negotiations. We believe in the collective bargaining process, and we're going to make sure that we have a good, ongoing relationship with our public sector partners. And, Mr. Speaker, we are going to continue to constrain salaries and benefits, Mr. Speaker, because we know that that is important if we are to remain on our path to balance by 2017-18. New supplementary. Mr. Speaker, this is what the head of the Ontario Public Service Union had to say about the Liberal Plan for Public Service. Quote, it is worse than anything Mike Harris tabled. That's a quote, Mr. Speaker. Now, the first step of this plan could mean 10,000 people get fired. Is the Premier going to, is the Premier really ready to hand out 10,000 pink slips and fire 10,000 Ontarians? Mr. Speaker, you know, what is going on right now is that negotiations are beginning with Opsu. And everything I know about negotiation, Mr. Speaker, is that it is much better for the discussion to be at the table to bargain in the public and to start to make overblown statements about what is or isn't happening is not helpful, Mr. Speaker. When I was in Thunder Bay on the weekend, I had the opportunity to talk to some folks who were expressing their opinion on the driveway when I was leaving the venue, Mr. Speaker. I had the opportunity to speak with some folks who are part of the union. And I made it clear to them that it is our commitment to have a fair negotiating process at the bargaining table, Mr. Speaker, because we want a collective bargaining process that allows for a very good dialogue between the employer and the employee. Thank you. Final supplementary. We may recall that Don Drummond said that the Liberal budget would mean the firing of 100,000 people. Liberals are already privatizing information technology, Speaker. We know that that's the case. People will be fired through that process. And with the holidays around the corner, we now find out that the Liberals are getting ready to hand out 10,000 pink slips to Ontarians. Will the Premier tell Ontarians who exactly she's planning on firing? Well, Mr. Speaker, I am not going to engage in the fantasy that the leader of the third party is throwing around because that is simply not the case. We are engaging in a collective bargaining process that will be fair, Mr. Speaker. That will have integrity at the bargaining table. We are not going to bargain in the media, Mr. Speaker. It is not helpful. And it is certainly not helpful at the very beginning of the process. This is the beginning of the process. We want there to be an open dialogue between the employer and the employee. So that there can be a good, solid, negotiated agreement, Mr. Speaker. And the leader of the third party, I would say with respect, Mr. Speaker, is not advancing that process by her line of questions. Thank you. New question. The leader of the opportunity. This question is also for the Premier. People suffer when services are cut. But the Premier's Minister of Health doesn't believe that cuts are real. He told a reporter he doesn't believe that patient care has suffered in Ontario. Health Quality Ontario, on the other hand, says that one in seven hospital beds are occupied by people who would be better off in their homes or in long-term care. As a result, last week in Sudbury, ER wait times shut up and seven surgeries were cancelled. Now, will the Premier on behalf of the Health Minister, the Deputy Health Leader, who's surgeries were cancelled and set the record straight above all other hospitals and set the record straight about the health care cuts in Ontario? Well, Mr. Speaker, I know that the Minister of Health and long-term care is going to want to speak to the details of our plan. But let me just say that the leader of the third party has identified exactly why it is important for us to continue with the plan that we have in place. Because our plan is transforming the health care system and is providing care for people when they need it. Are we in the middle of a transition, Mr. Speaker? Is it clear that there is more that we have to do? Absolutely. But we're changing the model because, as the leader of the third party herself has said, people want care at home and will be better off if they get care at home in their communities. So that's what we're doing. We're investing in those services and, Mr. Speaker, it is clear that we have to make more investments and it is clear that we have to work with the sector to make sure that people are getting timely care. That's what we're in the process of doing. Thank you. Patient care is suffering in this province but this Liberal government refuses to admit that they're cutting the services that people rely on. Here's a news bulletin for the Premier. In Windsor, Essex and Sarnia daily nursing visits have been cut by 33%. Those are services that people rely on. Healthcare services that are being cut by the Liberal government. PSW services are being rolled back to 2013 levels. But yesterday the minister claimed that these cuts to home care were simply not true. He called them myths and said there were no cuts at all. Speaker, this is outrageous for the minister to deny cuts that patients are actually experiencing. Cuts that have been spelled out in black and white in CCAC's own board minutes. How can the Premier and her minister have the audacity to deny that these cuts to patient care are happening under this Liberal government? Thank you. Mr Speaker, I just want to I want to make it clear that we understand on this side of the house that the transition that we're going through does mean that there are changes to service that people may be experiencing. We are fully cognizant of that and we understand that that is part of the transition process. But Mr Speaker, the leader of the third party would have people believe that somehow we don't have to go through this transition that somehow the aging population and quite frankly the demands that people make on the healthcare system and some of those demands are they want to stay at home. People don't want to move into a long-term care home or into other community situations until they are ready Mr Speaker. So for the leader of the third party that somehow we can just go through this transition that there will be no change in service and that there will be no adjustment that has to be made is just to lead people astray Mr Speaker. It's not the case. We are investing. We invested more last year than we did the year before. We will continue to invest in that transformation. Mr Speaker. The Premier can't have it both ways. She can't answer part one of my questions and say we're putting the money into home care and PSWs and then the second question pretend that I didn't just say that there are major cuts to both PSWs and home care services. Changes equal cuts as far as the Liberals are concerned it looks like. Cuts the healthcare are real. They're happening under this government's watch and they're happening on purpose. Cancelled surgeries in Sudbury. Cutting nursing by a third in Windsor. Chronic gridlock in the Thunder Bay hospital. More than half of sick people can't get in to see their doctor speaker. Seniors waiting 111 days for long-term care and half of the patients in this province that suffer health heart failure are not able to have their necessary one week follow up. Does the Premier agree with her Minister of Health that healthcare cuts are not real and don't affect people? Thank you Mr Speaker and rather than listening to the leader of the third party with regards to her declarations about the state of healthcare I would rather actually refer to Health Quality Ontario's report that just came out last week that actually said it's important to point out that the report states that Ontario's healthcare system is performing better than it was five or ten years ago. These are great indicators that our plan is working Mr Speaker. But it's just not true. We've increased in fact this year alone nearly a quarter of a billion dollars invested in home and community care. We increased the CAC's budget by three million dollars this year compared to last year. In fact the funding to the Erie St. Clair Lynn has doubled Mr Speaker since we came into power ten years ago. So the allegations that the member of the third party is making are absolutely false I think it's important she recognizes that the situation in Ontario is improving healthcare is of the highest quality it can be. Thank you Mr Speaker My question is to the premier Ben Levin from your transition team has been charged with seven counts involving child pornography. Some happening while he was working for you in early 2013. When you learned of these charges what internal investigation was done to ensure no government property was used and or compromised by Mr Levin. Mr Speaker I believe that this is a case that is before the courts and I really cannot comment on any of the details because as I say it is it's a current and active legal file. Supplementary? Premier I didn't ask about the police investigation I asked about your investigation what did you did you when you learned of these seven charges what assurances can you give us that the government resources were not used to distribute your access to child pornography while Ben Levin was on your transition team Mr Speaker this is a case that is before the courts I cannot comment on any of the aspects of the case. Thank you Thank you Speaker my question this morning is for the premier good morning premier in 2012 Mars got a special renovation grant from the city of Toronto worth 23 million dollars over 10 years but one of the conditions of that grant was that 98% of the property had to be used for biomedical research we now know the secret cabinet plan that authorized the first Mars bailout said that more than half the building would be used to staff the Ontario public service so the question for the premier is whether the Liberal government plans to break the deal with the city of Toronto and waste another 23 million dollars on Mars Minister of Employment and Infrastructure Minister of Economic Development Employment and Infrastructure Well thank you Mr Speaker I think the member knows that we have a couple of esteemed individuals Michael Nobrega and Carol Stevenson taking a look at the opportunities forward in terms of the best way to protect the taxpayer investment and the best way to ensure that the innovation agenda and vision of Mars can be continued so we're looking forward to getting those recommendations and I don't want to in any way step all over those recommendations before they come forward but I've been very clear and I think the member would be able to read through my comments here that there has been no momentum whatsoever with regard to the idea of putting bureaucrats to. I've been very clear about that there's no momentum behind that idea but I don't want to prejudge what Michael Nobrega and Carol Stevenson bring forward I want to make sure that and I've told them I want their recommendations completely unfettered as I expect them to be. Thank you supplementary Speaker the agreement with the City of Toronto is clear 98% of the building must be used for biomedical and scientific research if the conditions aren't met the City can take back the 23 million now the Liberal government seems unclear on what they're going to do to keep the grant they need high-tech tenants but they can't find high-tech tenants so they might use Mars for office space but then they would lose the 23 million so which will it be will the Premier keep the building two-thirds empty or will she lose 23 million dollars 23 million dollars Thank you I welcome the member's question and I think I can read through his question that the NDP are in support of continuing to ensure that Mars's vision continues and that phase two in fact as it moves forward take that into consideration Mr. Speaker I think that's valid advice and I expect Mr. Speaker that may well be the advice we receive from Michael Nobrega and Carol Stevenson going forward to that advice certainly Mr. Speaker this government remains committed to Mars's vision certainly we remain committed to ensuring the 51,000 jobs in the bioscience sector can remain to be supported this is an important part Mars is an important part of our innovation agenda so I take the member's question as support and a recommendation for us to continue to invest in Mars's vision going forward and I'll be happy to receive Carol Stevenson going forward Thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the Attorney General Attorney General, certain members of my constituency have expressed an interest in a piece of legislation the Electronic Commerce Act that relates to electronic signatures and real estate transactions as most of us know the purchase of a home is one of the most complex and time consuming transactions a person can make myself as well as some of my constituents would like to know more details regarding this act Attorney General please inform this House how the Electronic Commerce Act is making the sale and purchase of a real estate easier and more efficient for the people of Ontario Attorney General Thank you Mr. Speaker let me say thank you to the member from Brampton Springdale she is right you know the purchase of a home is a big moment in anybody's life and the idea behind the Electronic Commerce Act is to make this process more efficient so Ontario's 2013 amendments to the Electronic Commerce Act will allow people to electronically sign paperwork and email it to their real estate agent the proposed regulation would support the reliability of electronic signature on agreements of purchase and sale of land by stipulating that e-signature must be reliable for the purpose of identifying a person who signs permanent accessible by people who are entitled to view it these amendments are intended to reduce the time needed to complete a deal Thank you very much Mr. Speaker I thank the Attorney General for the answer this is great news for my constituents as the purchase of a home can be a stressful experience any opportunity to make the process more efficient easier for individuals or families should be looked at if we have an individual or family's life I feel as though the protection of our consumers should be paramount my only concern regarding this legislation is that of fraud Speaker through you to the Attorney General could this house be informed on how the Electronic Commerce Act protects consumers from fraud specifically regarding the use of electronic signatures Thank you Attorney General Yes thank you again for this important question the issue of fraud is part of the reason until December 31st lawyers and real estate agents are already required to verify the identity of their clients these rules apply to electronic transaction as well as paper based transaction and remain in effect whatever it is approved for use must be safe, secure and easy to use for consumers and small businesses the real estate industry in Ontario has been requesting this change for some time and we are pleased to be moving forward with it so the deadline for comments is until December 31st 2014 and if people want to comment we welcome their comments Thank you very much Thank you Speaker my question is to the Minister of Transportation yesterday we learned of the Minister of Transportation's 61 million dollar pan-parapan plan it featured lots and lots of encouragement for commuters to examine their commuting options encouraging them to work flexible hours and stockpile supplies after spending 61 million dollars of taxpayers money the minister is asking them to stock up, stay home and off the roads is this the best advice you could come up with Minister of Transportation Well thank you very much Mr. Speaker the member for asking that question it's unfortunate I would think Speaker that he didn't pay attention to all of the elements of the very ambitious and robust plan that we have to deal with transportation issues that will be occurring during the Pan Am Game Speaker as I talked about as Ministry officials talked about yesterday when speaking about this we have a variety of options in front of us that we are presenting to the people of the region to make sure that not only the games are the extraordinary success that they will be Speaker of our region moving the transit first approach the additional temporary HOV lanes that will be made available not just to people associated with the games themselves but to the public at large the fact that we are this many months in advance of the games providing clear communications materials and letting people know what the challenges will be Speaker and I look forward to responding to additional with additional details from supplementary thanks Speaker Supplementary Speaker the wind liberals have had years to get this right and yet we're left with a mixed bag of ingredients that add up to a recipe of traffic chaos not everybody can carpool or bicycle in and flexible hours simply don't exist in some occupations surely the Minister knows that taking out 235 kilometers of current lanes from commuters for HOV adds up to major traffic gridlock rush hours on reduced lanes will mean significant delays that's obvious Speaker the Minister has the studies will he tell us today how long on average rush hour commuters will see their daily drive to work delayed during the games how long Thanks very much Mr. Speaker I thank the member for the supplementary question I think it's it is important to recognize as I said in the response to the initial question it is a very strong plan to make sure that the region continues to move throughout the games themselves I I got pushed the member from Renfrew, Nipissing, Tembrook is warned carry on please Speaker thanks as I was saying a very strong plan that the Ministry of Transportation have developed to make sure that we can keep our region moving during the Pan Am Parapan Am games and also make sure that the games themselves are a success it is important to stress as I did yesterday during the briefing that we have relied on working with most with more than 30 partners on developing this plan that we have actually taken experiences from what's taking place around the world in jurisdictions that have hosted games and I'm a little bit surprised this particular critic would ask this question seeing as how he didn't even show up to yesterday's technical briefing New question Member from Toronto Danforth Thank you Speaker my question to the Minister of Energy Minister as you know radioactive heavy water leaked from a reactor at the Pickering Nuclear Station this past Friday my understanding is that 5 to 10 tons of radioactive heavy water leaked over roughly 2 hour period my understanding is the public was not notified of this leak until Monday of this week why was the public not notified within 24 hours that the leak occurred Minister of Energy Thank the member for the question and we did have some discussions on this this morning at the Estimus Committee Mr. Speaker and we did bring of our own volition Paul Taske who is the Chief Nuclear Officer from OPG to the committee and he was available to answer questions and he answered them extremely well Mr. Speaker he confirmed that we followed all of the protocol and the Canadian Nuclear Commission was notified Safety Commission was notified they have confirmed that all protective protocols were followed to ensure the public safety of the public the employees and Mr. Speaker I have to say that they also their own volition without a requirement to do so sent notices to all the mayors to all the public safety organizations that would have anything involved in the issue Mr. Speaker it was comprehensive and they followed all the principles supplementary Speaker it seems like everyone was informed except the public Minister I think you'd agree that a leak of 5 to 10 tons of radioactive water is no small thing and quite frankly I'm surprised that OPG would wait 3 days to notify the residents of neighboring communities that a leak of this magnitude had occurred nearby will this government change its protocol for notifying neighboring communities so that residents don't have to wait 3 days to learn of a serious leak Mr. Speaker I'll just confirm that OPG followed all the protocols of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission's protocol RD 99.3 states that OPG will communicate in one business day of unplanned events succeeding regulatory limits or offsite effects Mr. Speaker they did they went beyond what they were required to do notifying almost immediately all the public safety officials of all the municipalities in the area and you know I think the member thinks he's got some little technical twist to try to embarrass OPG Mr. Speaker they were outstanding in how they responded there was no danger to individuals the public in any way shape or form it was totally 100% contained and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission has confirmed that after the fact Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker my question is for the Minister of Northern Development and Mines now yesterday we saw some of our colleagues on the other side of the house had for Sudbury to debate their ideas for the north and it's good to see them visiting that part of our province Mr. Speaker the Premier has made it very clear that our government is committed to building Ontario up and this means not only investing in urban areas but also our smaller and wider northern communities as well Minister there are more than 11,000 kilometres of provincial highways in northern Ontario that's about 60% of the entire provincial highway network Mr. Speaker can the Minister please tell this house how our government has invested in transportation infrastructure in northern Ontario Thank you Mr. Speaker I was terrific to see the opposition actually going a member from Timmins James Bay will come to order part of the province they ignored during the the member from Timmins James Bay will come to order and the member from Eglinton Lawrence Thank you finish please Mr. Speaker in fact I would certainly encourage the members of the opposition to visit other parts of the north places like Canora, Red Lake Hearst, Geraldton, Longlack Thunder Bay because this would give them the opportunity to see first hand the investments our government has made in roads, highways and bridges across northern Ontario since 2003 Mr. Speaker our government has approved over 4,000 kilometres of highway not bad 245 bridges hundreds of kilometres of new four lane highway along a bunch of new bridges we've invested more than 5 billion dollars, 5 billion dollars in northern harvests we've got President Thank you supplementary Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the minister for his response it's very encouraging to know that we do have a very balanced and comprehensive plan for Ontario and for improving our transportation network this will of course act as strengthening our economy it's going to create jobs and it improves our quality of life for all Ontarians Mr. Speaker we know that this year we've got $2.2 billion to repair and expand our provincial highways and our bridges for northern Ontario this includes $527 million Mr. Speaker can the minister please share with us the recent investments that we have made to build and fix transportation in northern Ontario Thank you again to the member for Kinder Center because certainly investment in transportation infrastructure is one of the top priorities for northern Ontario let me just tell you a bit about the past construction season in 2013 in northern Ontario we upgraded 499 kilometers of highways and 33 bridges we constructed 58 kilometers of new highway including two new bridges and that of course included the construction of 13 kilometers of new four lane highway of highway 1718 Funder Bay and Nippagon a great project to work on the expansion of Highway 69 south of Sudbury including new interchanges and bridges another remarkably successful year for the northern highways program and I think a real commitment speaker that by continuing to invest in the expansion and the improvement of high level transportation we're helping to support a dynamic business climate in the north and improve the lives of all northerners Thank you Thank you very much Mr. Speaker my question is for the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport this morning Minister are you aware that your ministry has signed off on a report that states that locating wind turbines in Prince Edward County specifically in South Marysburg in Prince Edward County would cause negative effects on several local heritage sites Thank you Mr. Speaker I appreciate the members question I'm not aware of the specific issue but I'd love to sit down with the member and get some more information and provide him with information Thank you Supplementary Thanks very much Speaker this is part of the problem with this government they're acting in silos they don't know what one ministry is doing from one to the other Minister the provincial policy statement from 2014 for your ministry states and I quote significant built heritage resources and significant cultural heritage landscapes shall be preserved and according to your own ministry that includes the steeple at Mount Tabor Playhouse in Milford in Prince Edward County in South Marysburg however the project that would denigrate these sites was posted on to the EBR the environmental Bill of Rights Minister what should I tell my constituents in Prince Edward County that you'll ignore your own policies you'll put people on the Ontario Heritage Act and you'll bend over backwards to help a wind developer before you'll help the people of Prince Edward County Good question Thank you Mr. Speaker what I think you can tell your constituents back home is that you'll book an appointment sit down with me have an exchange and a conversation so you can update us on what's going on and work with us in order to find a solution I would I think as MPPs in this legislature we need to work together to get to the bottom and find solutions and you know my office is accessible so anytime you want to address these issues please come and see me Thank you Mr. Speaker and good morning to you my question is to the Minister of Northern Development of Mines International Mining Giant Cliff's Natural Resources has spent $550 million in the Ring of Fire had a plan to create thousands of jobs can no longer do business with the Ontario Liberals the CEO of Cliff's Natural Resources made headlines last month saying that he had zero hope for the Ring of Fire and that the project was beyond the point of no return last week you went on to say every investment made here was a disaster does the minister concur with Cliff's CEO's assessment that the $60 billion Ring of Fire project is dead Minister of Northern Development of Mines Mr. Speaker thank you very much and I'd like to think that the member opposite would agree with me when I say that that could not be more wrong we are moving forward very very diligently and actively in terms of the Ring of Fire and are working forward on a plan that we are indeed actually implementing may I say this about Cliff's Natural Resources yes indeed they are one of the major companies involved in the Ring of Fire they obviously have some challenges of their own we saw a decision that they made last week related to another one of their operations in another province the fact is there is significant continued industry interest in the Ring of Fire let alone the fact that we are working so closely with the First Nations Metara First Nations and other First Nations organizations to move this project forward we recognize and I think everyone in the house knows how important it is to make sure that there is insured benefits to all the First Nations communities as part of that project in my supplementary I look forward to expanding the plan that we have Supplement Minister in the seven years your government had to develop the Ring of Fire it has failed to come up with a plan that will create jobs build infrastructure and reduce the high price of electricity your government's promise a development board is supposed to include partners in industry and First Nations but besides four bureaucrats sitting at a table playing yuker by themselves we see nothing your government's regional framework agreement with First Nations isn't working when Matawa Chiefs say the government is excluding them from the development corporation board and is not consulting them on mining permits in the Ring of Fire Minister will it be another seven years or more of us asking questions Minister it certainly needs to be noted off the top of my response and indeed the party opposite put nothing in their platform in terms of supporting the Ring of Fire we have a one billion dollar commitment in terms of transportation infrastructure and in relation to the other part of our Stop the clock please remember from the minister of municipal affairs and housing knows better than to something that is not supposed to be put up and I would thank the deputy house leader for providing the material so while we have made an absolute firm commitment of one billion dollars for transportation infrastructure there's been no support on the other side of house and may I say it would certainly be gratified to get support from all sides of the house related to the federal government matching those dollars and we know how important that is in terms of investment confidence as for the Ring of Fire Infrastructure Development Corporation that is focused very specifically on bringing those partners on board that's what we're doing that's what we're actively doing and indeed as I said before the work that we are doing with the first thing is vital we seek your support this support thank you I do want to remind this particular minister that when I stand you sit with with no editorial the new question the member from Etobicoke Nur thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the ministry of labour deserve to receive the compensation that they are due the paycheck that they've earned through their own hard work unfortunately we continue to see certain unfair practices incidents which occur in workplaces across Ontario where people aren't being treated fairly by employers whether it's not receiving vacation pays, scheduled breaks parental leave, minimum wage or other issues workers in this province are concerned that they aren't getting everything they're entitled to my question is this what is the ministry of labour doing to ensure that basic employment standards are upheld and workers in Ontario are getting what they've earned thank you thank you to the member from Etobicoke North for that very important question the Employment Standards Act sets out the minimum requirements that deal with the payment of wages that includes overtime pay vacation pay, public holiday pay minimum wage it also includes pregnancy and parental and personal emergency leave and it also talks about termination and severance we proactively inspect workplaces in various province wide employment standard blitzes we're all committed to enforcing the ESA at the ministry of labour we continue to do all we can because we want to know at the end of a hard day's work that every Ontarian is receiving the paycheck they deserve we've got three schedule province wide proactive blitzes that are focusing on workers who are all too often exploited by their employers sadly speaker their interns, vulnerable and temporary foreign workers, temporary help agencies what these blitzes do speakers help educate employees about the rights that they and every other Ontarian has under the Employment Standards Act thank you minister I am my constituents appreciate your stewardship of these important files but I do flag for you a particular concern something that I hear about in Etobicoke North and I'm sure other of my colleagues do as well many employees fear that their supervisor will react negatively if they question them on their rights entitlements and privileges under the act in many companies staff turnover is high and workers feel lucky to have a position at all and they fear that standing up might cost them their job in other cases many employees just don't know their rights under the ESA at all and they just don't report various infractions because they're unaware of their own rights and privileges and speaker as the minister said there are proactive inspections of various workplaces but how does the ministry attempt to ensure that all employees know their rights under the Employment Standards Act thank you speaker thank you speaker and thank you to the member from Etobicoke North for that fine supplementary because it does get to the heart of the matter in addition to our proactive enforcement blitzes the ministry has got several outreach and education initiatives we're on social media and the idea is to increase employees awareness of employment standards and the right they have and I want to be very very clear on this speaker and all members can help me when they're talking to people around the province of Ontario employees in Ontario need to know it's against the law for employers to take reprisal actions against employees who are simply exercising their rights under the Employment Standards Act earlier this year the ministry ran a know your rights campaign it ran in 90 ethnic newspapers 27 languages and it ran on television speaker in 22 languages as well talked about employment standards labor relations health and safety on the job speaker anybody who's got a question on the rights can call the ministry's working center it's 1-800-531-5551 thank you speaker thank you very much Mr. Speaker my question is for the minister of community and social services time and again your government announces that the children and adults with special needs are a priority even though story after story I hear from parents and people with special needs suggest otherwise in fact the cuts facing the agencies and the people they serve are appalling 62% of service agencies have cut hours of staff 51% cut staff positions 58% are unable to fill open positions for example maternity leave 7% of shutdown programs and 47% are realizing increasing numbers of clients served in programs some who need 24-hour care minister my question today is how much of the 810 million you recently announced is going to the front line good question thank you very much Mr. Speaker and I'm delighted to have this opportunity to speak again about our tremendous investment in developmental service workers that we are totally committed to we know that the type of work that the front line does is invaluable I have been across this province now meeting many of these front line workers their work is extremely valuable and our government has shown this particular commitment to the valuable services that they provide through our budget which as I remember I think we all remember the official opposition voted against and so it is quite clear that our investment will be going to those front line workers we have dedicated a large sum for that very purpose and negotiations are currently underway in terms of its distribution thank you Mr. Speaker back to the Minister of Community and Social Service well Minister last week I met with a number of people and I can tell you without reservation whatsoever that those agencies supporting our most vulnerable citizens do not believe this money is going to the front line they don't want to cut staff programs or hours you are forcing that decision sadly it seems quite harsh that after 11 years your party has allowed 23,000 people to languish on wait lists that means in very real and practical terms our most vulnerable citizens are not having their needs met under your watch again we want your assurance that these cuts will be reversed so how much of that how much minister how much of that 810 million is actually going to the front line services thank you Mr. Speaker it was extremely clear in our budget our government is investing $200 million over three years for front line workers in the lower wage and currently we are working with employers and unions and we're discussing an approach that will ensure a service system for the future and we want obviously to promote labour stability as well as ensuring a qualified workforce we're working with the Ministry of Labour there are a number of tables established as I understand it and we will continue to work to ensure that those front line extremely valuable workers will get the type of increase in salary that we committed to and which they deserve thank you Mr. Speaker thank you my question is to the Minister of Labour the ministry is apparently deeply disappointed about community legal clinics advertising for unpaid article positions due to lack of funding article students have already graduated they must article for a year to become fully licensed lawyers many have families to support and are carrying huge debt loads students who want to gain experience representing disadvantaged and marginalised legal aid clients will not be able to afford to work for free what is the Minister's plan to ensure that article students are not forced to take unpaid work in order to practice law Mr. Speaker thank you Speaker and thank you to the member for that very important question it doesn't matter what your job title or your position is if you perform work for somebody in the province of Ontario you are covered by the Employment Standards Act and you deserve to be paid there is a very narrow exemption that exists Speaker for co-op students, trainees and the self employed the exemption is also for accredited university and college programs to give their students valuable workplace experience while they agree. Now these rules have been on the books for many years and we have been very active in terms of increasing people's awareness the member spoke about my disappointment when I heard this new speaker and I share that disappointment with her as well it is legal currently for student at law to work but it is deeply disappointing when any law officer legal aid clinic or otherwise to pay a student who accepts an articling position especially when it is a 10 month full time job speaker. Thank you supplementary. Thank you Speaker access to justice is fundamental to a functioning democracy it is critical that the justice system includes lawyers who represent the diversity of our province which is why articling positions have always been paid. The rise of unpaid articling positions creates barriers to people from low income and often racialized backgrounds to becoming lawyers. What will the minister do about the current employment standards act exemptions that exclude law students and some other professionals from the minimum wage provisions of the act? Thank you speaker and thank you once again to the member for that excellent supplementary issue I think we all need to turn our attention to. I can tell you what we do speaker at the province of Ontario all articling students of work in the legal services branch of every government of Ontario ministry are paid as they should be speaker so certainly we're setting the example minimum wage laws are very important to employment standards protections they ensure that individuals are not exploited and they're paid for the work they indeed do. Here at the province of Ontario with the ministries as I said speaker we pay each and every one of the articling students the money they're entitled to. In this case what we have speaker before us and what I'm turning my attention to is there currently is a regulatory exemption that predates our government. The ministry will be reaching out to colleagues in the field in the legal field through the other ministries to ensure that we begin a discussion about regulatory exemption as it exists today speaker. Thank you. Member from Kingston in the islands. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Thank you Mr. Speaker. For the minister of natural resources and forestry. Mr. Speaker a number of my constituents are becoming more and more concerned about nuisance animal interactions which seems to increase as the months get colder. In fact I have seen coyotes and while they are a magnificent and beautiful animal they're not exactly what we feel comfortable seeing in our cities and suburbs. We have heard about stories like Anita Greenaway from Barry whose dog was attacked by a coyote in October in the Arda road area and with recent stories about pet owners seeing more coyotes in Mississauga, Burlington Brampton and perhaps less so now than Kingston and the islands constituents wonder what they can do to ensure that they and their pets stay safe. No doubt there are implications with respect to our changing climate which is why these animals are being brought closer to our communities. The Minister of Natural Resources can you please tell us how constituents can help resolve this problem what they can do to ensure the likelihood that they have a negative interaction. Thank you very much and I want to thank the member from Kingston and the islands for the question. In our ministry have seen this issue coming I would say that anyone with an interest in this would have been following the media reports that have been coming forward on a very regular basis over the last several months and I would say you could go back even longer. For the member and her constituents and others who are being affected by this issue there are some very basic things that you can do to keep your family safe things like making sure that your pets are secure, making sure that your garbage is secure, making sure that your barbecue has been cleaned on a regular basis. Speaker I would say as a Northern Ontario member this is an issue that we have been dealing with in a broader way. For a great deal of time I make reference of course to to nuisance bears that have become a very serious issue for people in Northern Ontario over the last number of time. Similar issues that affect the bears wandering into organized municipalities also are affecting communities now in Southern Ontario and in the supplementary I have a little bit more detail that I would like to share with the House. Thank you supplementary. Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry for his response and advice on how to reduce the likelihood of running into a coyote. However many municipalities are wondering what action they can take to reduce the interaction between coyotes and their residents. In fact just last week Burlington, Mississauga and Brampton have invited Coyote Watch Canada to give them advice on how to reduce the interaction following the tragic death of a local dog. Mr. Speaker through you to the Minister could you please explain to this House what municipalities can do to reduce the change of human coyote interactions. Thank you Minister. Thank you Speaker and again I'll thank the member from Kingston and the islands for her question. I would note that in July of 2013 our government changed the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act and what that did Speaker was to allow municipalities to pay hunters or trappers for the removal of coyotes without MNRF permission. Speaker I've had a number of members of our own caucus talking to me about this. It's information that I want to make sure that people are aware of municipalities have the ability to pass bylaws that ensure homeowners properly secure their garbage and other wildlife attractants they have an ability to pass bylaws preventing the feeding of nuisance animals this is completely within the control and the purview of the municipalities in the province of Ontario. I would ask them to ensure they're doing everything to protect people, to protect their pets and to protect their property as I've said we've had great experience on this issue in Northern Ontario for quite some time there is municipalities control and accountability to manage this particular situation I'd ask them to do so. Thank you. The Associate Minister of Finance on a point of order. Thank you Speaker I was delighted this morning to see a very good friend whom I met in my first year of university at the University of Toronto Scarborough campus and she's a teacher here with her class Ms. Karine Gale-David. Thank you. Minister of Government and Consumer Services Thank you Speaker I want to introduce Dr. Ron Common, President of Sioux College and Peter Brolin Jerry the Chair of Sioux College we're in the members gallery they're joining us for College Lobby Day today. Thank you. We have a deferred vote on the amendment to the motion for allocation of time on bill 21 and act to safeguard health care integrity by enhancing the Voluntary Blood Donations Act 2014 and by amending certain statutes with respect to regulation of pharmacies and other matters concerning regulated health professionals calling the members this will be a five minute bell. First please take their seats First take your seats please On November 24th Ms. Matthews moved Government notice of motion number nine a motion to allocation of time on bill 21 Mr. Clark then moved that the motion be amended by adding the following after the second paragraph that the committee be authorized to hold public hearings in following locations Hamilton, Guelph, Ottawa Kitchener, London, Windsor and Sudbury and that the fourth bullet point in the third paragraph be amended by deleting the second that the fourth bullet point in the third paragraph be amended by deleting the word second and substitute eight and that the fourth paragraph be amended by deleting Wednesday December the third 2014 and substituting the first weekend the work first week day following the completion of public hearings and that the fifth paragraph be amended by deleting Thursday December 4th 2014 and substituting the second weekly following the completion of public hearings and that the sixth paragraph be amended by deleting Thursday December 4th 2014 substituting that day and that the Seventh Paragraph be amended by deleting no later than Monday, December 8, 2014, and substituting the first Sessional Day following completion of clause by clause. All those in favor of the amendment, please rise one at a time and be recognized by the Court. Mr. Clark. Mr. Arna. Mr. Arna. Ms. McLeod. Ms. McLeod. Mr. Yakubusky. Mr. Yakubusky. Mr. Dunlop. Mr. Dunlop. Mr. McNaughton. Mr. McNaughton. Ms. Jones. Ms. Jones. Ms. De Jure. Ms. Bailey. Ms. Bailey. Mr. Hilllyer. Mr. Hillio. Mr. Walker. Mr. Walker. Mr. Smith. Mr. Smith. Mr. Harris. Mr. Harris. Mr. Nichol. Ms. Nichols. Ms. Marteau. Mr. Marteau. Mr. McDonnell. Mr. McDonnell. Mr. Petopeese. Mr. Petopees. Ms. Shobmaan Tox. Ms. Harker. Ms. Harker. Ms. Harker. Mr. Vanto. Ms Vandana. Mr. Gates. Mr. Gates. Ms. Gretzky. Ms. Gretzky. Ms. French. Ms. French. All those opposed to the amendment will rise when it is time to be recognized by the church. Mr. Bradley. Mr. Nacke. Mr. Nacke. Mr. Shirelli. Mr. Shirelli. Mr. Nameir. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Ms. Matthews. Mr. Hoskins. Mr. Hoskins. Ms. Sandler. Ms. Sandler. Mr. Takhar. Mr. Bernardinetti. Mr. Bernardinetti. Mr. Dylan . Mr. Dillon. Mr. Quadrie. Mr. Quadrie. Mr. Azzetti. Mr. Gravelle. Mr Gravelle. Mr.ガavelle. Mr. Mc Meakin. Mr. Mc Meakin. Mr. Murray. Mr. Murray. Mr. Murray. Mr. Praytteau. Mr. Flynn. Mr. Flynn. Mr. Zimmer. Mr. Zimmer. Mr. Delaney. Mr. Delaney. Mrs. Obane hace. Mrs. Obaneay. Mr. Krax. Ms. Crasse. Ms. Wong. Ms. Hunter. Ms. Hunter. Mr. Baker. Mr. Balor. Mr. Dons. Mr. Dons. Mrs. Hogan. Mrs. Hogan. Ms. Kwalla. Ms. Kwalla. Madame Lalonde. Madame Lalonde. Ms. Mahle. Ms. Mahle. Mrs. McGary. Mrs. McGary. Ms. McMahon. Ms. McMahon. Mr. Milchin. Mr. Milchin. Mr. Knight Uhera. Mr. Knight Uhera. Mr. Potts. Mr. Pots. Mr. Reynolds. Mr. Reynolds. Mr. Reynolds. Ms. Bernille. The ayes are 37 and the nays are 50. The ayes being 37 and the nays being 50, I declare the amendment lost. Is the House ready for the vote on the main motion? Ms. Matthews has moved government notice motion number nine. Is it the pleasure of the House the motion carried? I heard a no. All those in favor please say aye. All those opposed please say nay. In my opinion the ayes have it. Calling the members this will be a five minute bill. All those in favor the motion will rise 1 at a time be recognized by the clerk. Ms. Matthews. Mr. McLeod. Mr. Bradley. Mr. Sherelly. Ms. Hразke. Mr. Sander. Ms. Sander. Ms. Sander. Mr. Sander. Ms. Sander. Ms. Sander. Ms. Sander. Dr. Sander. Mr. Sander. Dr. Sander. Mr. Sander. Mr. Sander. Ms. Sander. Dr. Sander. Dillion. Dr. Sander. Dr. Sander. Mr. Moriti. Mr. Koto. Mr. Kotou. Mr. Flynn. Mr. Flynn. Mr. Zimmer. Mr. Zimmer. Mr. Delaney. Mr. D'Elene. Ms album Nouzi. Ms album Nouzi. Mr. Krak. Mr. Krak. Ms. Wong. Ms. Wong. Ms. Hunter. Ms. Hunter. Mr. Sergio. Mr. Sergio. Mr. Morro. Mr. Morro. Ms. Jassy. Ms. Jassy. Mr. Del Duecourt. Ms. Del Duecourt. Ms. Dom Relou. Ms. Dom Relou. Mr. Fraser. Mr. Fraser. This is McGarry. This is McMahon. This is McMahon. Mr. Milchin. Mr. Milchin. This is Nidoo Harris. This is Nidoo Harris. Mr. Potts. Mr. Rinaldi. Mr. Rinaldi. Mr. Rinaldi. Mr. Rinaldi. Mr. Rinaldi. All those opposed, please rise one at a time and be recognized by the clerk. Mr. Clark. Mr. Clark. Mr. Arna. Mr. Arna. Ms. McLeod. Ms. McLeod. Mr. Yacobusky. Mr. Yacobusky. Mr. Dunlaw. Mr. Dunlaw. Mr. McNaughton. Ms. Jones. Ms. Jones. Ms. Thompson. Mr. Bayley. Mr. Baile. Mr. Heclamation. Mr. Miller. Mr. Mohamed. Ms. Filli. Mr. Baile. Mr. Hillier. Mr. Gorell. Mr. Walker. Mr. Walker. Mr. Smith. Mr. Smith. Mr. Harris. Mr. Harris. Mr. Nckels. Mr. Nicles. Mrs. Marteau. Ms. Marteau. Mr. McDonnell. Mr. McDonnell. Mr. Natashak, Mr. Armstrong, Mr. Singh, Mr. Singh, Ms. Fife, Ms. Fife, Ms. Forrester, Mr. Manta, Mr. Hatfield, Mr. Hatfield, Mr. Gates, Ms. Gretzky, Ms. Gretzky, Ms. French. The ayes are 50, the nays are 37. The ayes being 50 and the nays being 37, I declare the motion carried. There are no further votes, deferred votes, therefore this House stands recessed until 3 p.m. this afternoon.