 It is now time for oral questions. I recognize the leader of the official opposition. My first question is to the Premier. The federal government announced their intention to legalize cannabis over three years ago. There's only one province in Canada not ready. When will the government have legislation in place to regulate its sale and distribution? Premier. For you, Mr. Speaker, matter of fact, Ontario is one of the only provinces that are ready. They handled well over 38,000 orders last night. I give all the kudos to the great team that we have here and the Ontario cannabis store. They did a great job. Matter of fact, the leader of the opposition asked to know they stayed up all night working to fulfill the orders, and I'm very, very proud of them. Here, here. Thank you. Well, I'll remind the Premier that legislation has yet not passed and it became legal at midnight last night, Speaker. Municipalities, local police, educators have been looking to this government for a plan to deal with this huge change. And the government had all summer to prepare, but instead of preparing, this government spent the summer debating how many wards Toronto City Council should have. Why didn't the Premier make getting cannabis legalization right a priority? Well, I just have to remind the leader of the opposition through you, Mr. Speaker. It was the federal government that dumped this on our shoulders, dumped it on the country, didn't give the police the tools they needed. They didn't give the police the tools they needed, as I addressed yesterday with the OPP. Our job is to make sure we protect the children, protect neighborhoods, keep it away from schools, keep it away from parks and hospitals. We gave the authority to the municipalities, if they don't want anyone smoking marijuana, cannabis in their area, they'll vote against it. And they can literally make it impossible for anyone to smoke cannabis in their area if they opted out. Here, here. Final supplementary. Well, Speaker, in setting this issue, this Premier dumped on Toronto all summer. Instead of prioritizing this issue, this significant for a change this significant, Speaker, the government could have made it a top priority. Instead, we have a government scrambling to pass laws for a substance that is already legal, launching an education campaign hours before people can legally light up. And a Premier here says you can smoke in parks while his Attorney General says that you can. He says you can't, but she says you can. The Premier wants to blame everybody but himself. Why did he not make this his priority? Premier? Already. Law. Through you, Mr. Speaker, I missed the first part of the rebuttal from the Leader of the Opposition. But the legislation is passing today. We did a great job once again. And our number one priority is to make sure our children are safe, make sure we keep it away from schools, make sure we let the municipalities decide if they're going to even sell it, where they can smoke cannabis. That's what I'm proud of. I'm proud of our great team down here and the Ontario Cannabis Store. They did a great job. Next question, Leader of the Opposition. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My next question is also for the Premier. You know, Ontario's police have been working around the clock to prepare for the legalization of cannabis. On behalf of all of my NDP members in this caucus and the official opposition, I want to commend them for working so hard for doing that. And in fact, they say they're ready. However, yesterday the Premier said they're not ready. Which is it? Through you, Mr. Speaker, I'm glad the Leader of the Opposition and our whole team have a different outlook about the police than they did during the election. They had a big sign roaring around after the police. They're police haters. That's what the NDP are. They don't like our police. My supporter. I'm now asked the Premier to withdraw. Withdraw? Supplementary. Again, Mr. Speaker. Back to the Premier's Speaker. What we're hearing from police is that the real confusion has been caused by a government that still doesn't have legislation in place. The Premier spent his summer holding weeks of debate even through the night, as we all recall, Speaker, to fight his old enemies from his old job at Toronto City Hall. But the legislation needed to deal with this major change is being rushed through with almost no public hearings whatsoever. And it still isn't ready. Why is this not his priority, Speaker? Come here. Where is it for three days? Well, through you, Mr. Speaker, I've traveled across the province, talked to almost every police department in the province, OPP, Toronto, Peel, York, so on and so forth. I can tell you, they support our government more than they've ever supported any government. I love what we're doing. They love they finally have a friendly voice down at Queen's Park rather than being attacked by the NDP constantly, being attacked by the Liberals, throwing out Bill 175, attacking the police. We stand shoulder to shoulder with all law enforcement across this province. Members, take your seats. Well, sticks and stones, Premier. People expect their government to have laws and a plan in place to keep their children safe and protect people's rights. Instead, they see Liberals in Ottawa and Tories at Queen's Park playing the blame game. This Premier wants to blame everyone but himself. We've known for three years that this was coming. Why is this Premier of all Premier Speaker still scrambling to get ready? Through you, Mr. Speaker. Oh, boy, because you guys are a bunch of jokers. That's why I'm smiling. Anyway, through you, Mr. Speaker. Through the resistance, chaos. Through you, Mr. Speaker. Again, I will repeat what I've kept saying over and over again. Our priority, our priority is to make sure our children are safe. Our priority is to make sure we give the powers to the municipalities to make a decision either often or opt out. And again, we stand shoulder to shoulder with our police. Unlike the NDP, they don't stand shoulder to shoulder with our police. They want to attack our police. I can tell you our police are informed. Our police are ready and we will do everything we can to make sure this is a smooth transition. Question to the Leader of the Opposition. So I'm going to go to the Minister of Community Safety Speaker and maybe he won't throw the same sticks and stones as the Premier likes to throw. Can the Minister tell us, as of right now, at this very moment in time what law police are enforcing in this province with regard to marijuana use? Minister of Community Safety and Professional Services. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thanks for the question. First of all, our police are ready to go. We've invested time and energy into ensuring that they're able to do their jobs and they are able to do their jobs. Our ministry is committed to making sure that we work with the police to make sure that they have the tools to do what they need to do. And our top priority has been, from the beginning, not three years ago but less than 120 days ago, to ensure that they had the tools that they needed to be able to do their jobs. And we're confident, we are confident, that they are able to do their jobs effectively. Speaker, you know, the police say that they're ready. The minister says that they're ready. The Premier doesn't think that they're ready. It's really pretty confusing out there. And it becomes worse when last night a memo was sent to chiefs of police across Ontario stating that as of right now, the law of the land is still the liberal legislation. This is causing even more confusion than what the Premier is causing. Police are doing their best to prepare for this significant change and as I've said, we're very grateful for the hard work that they've done but this government is raising more questions than it answers. What law are police supposed to be enforcing as of right this moment, Speaker? Minister. Mr. Speaker, we have been very clear that our priority as a government is to ensure that our children are safe, that our streets are safe and that we remove illegal sales of marijuana. And that is what our police are doing. They have the tools, they are doing their jobs and we fully support them because this government, unlike the opposition, has made public safety a priority and supporting the police forces that enforce our laws. That's what we've done, that's what we're doing and we're going to continue to support the police. Next question, the member for Etobicoke Lakeshore. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services. Mr. Speaker, there continues to be another number of concerns in my writing of Etobicoke Lakeshore and from Ontarians across the province regarding the ability to keep our communities and streets safe after the federal liberal government decided to rush through with the legalization of cannabis. Speaker, there are simply many Ontarians, including many families who are concerned about what the legalization of cannabis will look like in Ontario. Minister, can you please explain to the members of this legislature what your ministry is doing to ensure our communities can remain safe now that the federal government has legalized cannabis. Mr. Community Safety and Correctional Services. Thank you and thank you to the member of Etobicoke Lakeshore for that question. Mr. Speaker, as we all know, the federal government's legalization of cannabis is now in effect. Many Ontarians and their families will look to the hardworking and dedicated members of our police services to help keep the community safe. Our government remains committed to tackling organized crime in this province and we will ensure that our police services have the necessary tools to shut down the illegal cannabis market in the province. The men and women of our police services are the ones who will be taking the risks that are necessary for keeping the great people of this province safe. These brave men and women didn't ask for this challenge. They have the challenge and they're dealing with the challenge that was put forward to them by the federal government. I can assure you though, however, and all members of the legislature that our government or the people will do everything in our power to ensure our floodlight officers have the tools they need to be able to provide the services to the province. Speaker, I thank the minister for his response. Our dedicated front line and emergency responders work very hard, putting their lives on the line day in and day out to keep our cities and streets safe. I know the minister will continue to work with our government's policing partners so Ontario's communities can remain safe. Speaker, with the federal government having rushed the legalization of cannabis, Ontarians deserve to feel confident in their own safety and safety of their families. Ontarians need to know that our government is listening and taking action to combat the legal cannabis market. Could the minister please update the members of this legislature on how our government for the people is ensuring that this province takes a responsible and safe approach to the sale of cannabis? Mr. I want to begin by recognizing and thanking our premier, the Attorney General, the Minister of Transportation and the Minister of Finance for the incredible job they've done in such a short period of time. Our government's top priority remains protecting Ontario families, their children and ensuring road safety and combating the illegal cannabis market. As of today, Mr. Speaker, the only legal place to buy cannabis in Ontario is through the online Ontario Cannabis Store website. Starting today, Mr. Speaker, the numerous illegal dispensaries that are operating in many parts of the province will remain illegal. I want to ensure all members of this legislature that our government for the people will be working closely with the men and women of the province to ensure that illegal cannabis markets are closed. Thank you very much. Question to the member for Hamilton West and Castro Dundas. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question this morning is for the Minister of Finance. Yesterday, the Financial Accountability Office declared that this government's cancellation of the cap and trade would result in the loss of $3 billion over the next four years. Can the Finance Minister please tell us how this shortfall will impact the $15 billion deficit that the Campbell report recently discovered? Minister of Finance. Minister of Energy. Sorry, Minister of Environment. Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. Oh, I'm excited. Mr. Speaker, through you to the member and thank you for the question, it is something to hear the party opposite talk about the deficit, to talk about accountability. The fact that we're even aware there's a $15 billion deficit is because the government made it clear to the people of Ontario that we were going to be transparent and we were going to make sure that that was understood to the state of the province's finances. But to the question, we made a promise to the people of Ontario that we would get rid of the regressive job-killing cap and trade program. Clearly that was going to reduce revenues to the government. We think that's a good thing because it puts money back into taxpayers' pockets. $264 a year for every family. We're proud of that. That's a commitment we made. That's a commitment we'll keep. Supplementary. Mr. Speaker, any savings this government's claims it will achieve in cancelling this program will be more than negatively impacted by the cancellation, by the substantial loss in revenue that this cap and trade would have generated for this province. So I ask the Finance Minister, up front. Government ventures come to order. Please tell on Terriots. What is it to do to make up for this $3 billion hole in the budget this budget has created? Please come to order. Minister. Mr. Speaker, through you to the member. Mr. Speaker, there's just a difference between our point of view. That's all. We don't believe that every dollar the government gets is a dollar that is best spent. We think the dollars that are best spent are in taxpayers' pockets. The people of under Terrio understood that. That's why they put our government into the position it's in. That's why we're the government. Because they know they can spend their dollars better. We will address climate change. We will bring forward a climate plan, a balanced plan that deals with the issues. But it will not be done at the expense of average Ontario families. $264 may not be a lot of money to you. It's a lot of money to average Ontario families. We're going to give it to you. Please take your seats. Order. Restart the clock. Next question, the member for Brampton West. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Finance. We have been hearing a lot about fairness in the auto insurance system. It is clear action should have been taken a long time ago to support drivers in Ontario. While it's unfortunate, the Liberals did nothing more than offer empty promises. It's encouraging now to see the work being done in our caucus. The private members bill introduced on Monday by the member from Milton moves us forward in developing an auto insurance system that is fair and serves the needs of drivers across Ontario. Could the minister please explain the importance of combating rate discrimination in Ontario's auto insurance industry? Minister for that. Thank you, Speaker. And thank you to the member from Brampton West for the question. Let's be clear. Rate discrimination is simply unfair. A good driver in Toronto should not have to pay more for insurance than a good driver anywhere else in the province. This is about fairness. This is about building an insurance system that works for drivers. This is about taking action the Liberals backed by the NDP never did do. I look forward to working with the member from Milton and other stakeholders across the industry to bring more fairness finally to the auto insurance system. Over 10 million drivers in Ontario are counting on us, Speaker. They've been ignored far too long. It's about time someone started working for the people. Start the clock. Supplementary. Thank you, Speaker. And thank you, Minister. As a longtime advocate for lower auto insurance premiums, I'm proud to stand with the government that is finally taking action for the people of Brampton and Ontario. Rate discrimination is an unfair practice that we must take action against. I'm pleased the member from Milton's private member's bill seeks to, if passed, address this issue across the entire province. Ontario's drivers deserve more fairness in their system. They deserve an auto insurance system that works for them. Moving forward, we must continue to build a robust auto insurance system that serves the needs of drivers. Could the minister please reiterate our government's commitment as we develop improvements to our auto insurance system? Minister. Thank you, Speaker. Our government is committed to developing a system that puts the drivers first. We are committed to fairness in rate setting. We are committed to ending discriminatory practices. And we are committed to taking action where the Liberals never did. The Liberal NDP failed attempt to provide relief on auto insurance is broken beyond repair. We must look for thoughtful ideas across the entire regulatory system in order to find improvements. Thoughtful ideas, like those found in the plan put forward by the member from Milton yesterday. His legislation, if passed, will bring more fairness to the system, allowing the auto insurance system to better serve drivers. Drivers across Ontario are grateful for his leadership on this file. Start the clock. Next question, the member for Brampton East. Mr Speaker, my question to the Minister of Finance. Ending postal code discrimination in auto insurance rates has been a long-standing priority of the NDP. That's why I introduced my bill to end unfair practice of postal code discrimination that is hurting my community at Brampton and communities across the GTA. I am committed to ending this practice. The NDP is committed to ending this practice. But the government is only playing lip service to this very important issue. Mr Speaker, if the government was truly serious about ending postal code discrimination in auto insurance, then why didn't the government put forward legislation instead of putting forward private members' bill? Mr Speaker, it's clear, it's very clear, in fact it's crystal clear that the liberal NDP system of failed stretch goals on auto insurance is absolutely broken. And the member from Brampton East, I would say, welcome to the party, better late than never, but it's not even better late. It's not good. The member from Brampton East wants the GTA to be considered a single geographic area when insurance companies set their rate. However, this will only serve to increase insurance costs across the entire GTA. In fact, the member's plan would cause rates to rise and many have his own caucus, colleagues' own writings. I wonder if you even caucused your own caucus on your idea before you rushed it in yesterday. On the other hand, our member from Milton got it absolutely right. He took time to consult with and to listen and to develop a plan that will deliver... Supplementary. Mr Speaker, yesterday I tabled a bill that it passed will not only end postcode discrimination auto insurance but will also hold insurance companies to account. Drivers in areas like Brampton, Scarborough and Janet Finch will no longer be gouged for the rates that they pay and insurance companies will no longer be allowed to offer or renew discriminatory insurance contracts. But standing the way of this, Mr Speaker, is a government that in July approved a 9% increase in auto insurance rates for drivers. How can the government, in good conscience, say that they're trying to bring down rates on one hand and then increase rates on the other? Minister? Thank you, Mr Speaker. Well, I realize the member did file a bill yesterday, so not only is he literally a day late, he's many, many, many dollars short, Speaker. His bill will serve to increase insurance costs across the entire GTA, something that he and the Liberal Party know very well. In the deal that they concocted back in 2013, Speaker, in order to pass the Liberal budget, the NDP supported this, and, Speaker, none of it has ever happened. It was a stretch goal to use the Premier's words, backed up by the NDP party, Speaker. So we will not be taking any lessons, especially a day late and a few dollars short from that member. Question, the member for Don Dolly West. Mr Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Education. Mr Speaker, I had an opportunity to meet with the Ontario Public School Boards Association representatives this morning, and I know the Minister has had a chance to meet with some of them. And first, I just want to do a shout out to the people in Ontario who are running for school trustee on Monday. I wish them luck, and everybody needs to go out and vote for their school trustee. I have a feeling, if I had a crystal ball, I have a feeling trustees are going to be really important over the next few years. Mr Speaker, I want to just ask, there is a group that is called the Partnership Table, Mr Speaker, that has been in existence for many years. It is school board representatives, parent representatives, teachers, support staff, caretakers staff, Mr Speaker, all of whom have input into legislation, have input into budget priorities, on an ongoing basis. I want to ask the Minister of Education, Mr Speaker, what the Partnership Table has met since the new government has been elected. Minister of Education. Well, thank you very much, Mr Speaker, and I appreciate the question, but I think we have to make sure that we understand what we inherited. When that member opposite was a trustee, she destroyed the school board So, Mr Speaker, the bottom line to all of this is we are being very thoughtful in how we move forward and work with our partners in a thoughtful way and we're encouraging everyone, and I might say, Mr Speaker, I'm going to use this opportunity to remind all the partners that the member referenced to participate in our consultation. We're off to a great start, Mr Speaker, and I encourage everyone that wants to have their voice heard at this time in terms of making a difference in the path forward to clean up the mess that we inherited. Get involved for the parents.ca. Supplementary. Mr Speaker, so I'll take that as a no. Mr Speaker, I know that there is a consultation, an online consultation on cell phones in classrooms and on math curriculum and on the health and physical education curriculum, but, Mr Speaker, what we are hearing is that many, many initiatives have stopped, so the curriculum writing on social studies, First Nations curriculum, Mr Speaker, the equity and inclusive education policies, those discussions, Mr Speaker, so there are a lot of initiatives that have stopped. My concern, Mr Speaker, is that the partnership table was a place for all of the representatives within the education sector who were tapped into their communities, whether it was trustees or whether it was education workers or whether it was parents, Mr Speaker, to come together and talk to the government and talk to the speaker. So the partnership table was part of a broader consultation in the lead-up to example, for example, Mr Speaker, to the fall economic statement or the budget. I would ask the Minister of Education what is the plan for a broad consultation with all of those partnerships, partners, and whether the partnership table will be part of that in the lead-up to the fall economic... Minister. Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. Our number one priority is making sure that all of us that we inherited. Need I remind them that EQAO results last week and their math scores of their students, their children in the schools that this liberal... previous liberal government was responsible for have failed dismally with EQAO and so we're going to fix that as well. That's what we're talking about and that's what we're wanting to hear from every single person in this province about through our consultation and I'm really pleased to share with you, Speaker, that we're hearing from thousands of people that are taking time to submit written submissions on job skills, on life skills, on testing, on STEM, on health and physical education, on making a better path for students because they know over the last 15 years our students went completely off the rail. Thank you. Start the clock. Next question, the member for Flamborough. My question today is for the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services. With recreational cannabis being legalized today there have been numerous concerns regarding the federal government's approved roadside tests to ensure that Ontario's streets remain safe for those who choose to drive while impaired. Speaker, the Premier wrote a letter to the federal government yesterday stating that the federal government has left the hard-working men and women of our police services the necessary tools and support they need to reliably test for impaired driving. Too bad. With cannabis now legalized by the federal government can the Minister please explain to the members of this legislature how this government will keep our community safe from those who drive while impaired? Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services. Flamborough for that question. Mr. Speaker, I want to assure the members of this legislature that we're committed to working with our policing partners to ensure they have the necessary tools and resources to enforce the federal legislation the legalization of cannabis. One of our government's top priorities remains protecting our children ensuring road safety and combating illegal cannabis sales in the province. The fact remains that the federal government had three years to act and failed to do the work required to ensure our communities and streets could remain safe after the legalization of cannabis. In fact, the federal government has only approved one device for use for roadside cannabis testing one that makes it completely impractical to operate in a police cruiser. In addition, this device has a number of problems associated with it including numerous reported failures when utilized in temperatures below zero. Our government will continue to work to ensure Thank you. Thank you. Supplementary. While the lack of action from the federal liberal government is concerning, I know that my constituents in Flamborough, Glenbrook are comforted knowing that our government for the people is taking impaired driving seriously. Sadly, we know that people are willing to risk the lives of others and make the choice to get behind the wheel while they are under the influence. The federal liberal government continues to be unprepared what proactive measures is this government taking to make sure that our roads stay safe and that those who break the law are punished. Great question. Minister. Minister of Transportation. Well, thank you very much Speaker and I thank my colleague from Flamborough, Glenbrook for the question. Our ministry, our government is taking a two pronged approach. Earlier this year we instituted a zero tolerance policy for young and novice drivers and commercial drivers when it comes to the presence of drugs in their system. We've also launched a very comprehensive public education campaign so that we can educate the public on the dangers of driving while under the influence of cannabis. It is one thing we want to make absolutely clear to the people out there. There are many exceptions but we want to make one thing absolutely clear impaired is impaired impaired is impaired whether it by alcohol or drugs and our ministry is making sure that we have educated the people a two pronged approach because we want our highways to be safe it's our number one priority. Thank you very much. My question is to the minister of education the ministry of education's parents reaching out grants very important support to school councils for projects that engage with parents who may experience barriers to participation in their child's education. Now with the school term nearing the halfway mark school councils are in the dark about the status of their planned events and some have been told the funding is under review can the minister tell us why her government is delaying approval of the parents reaching out grants for 2018-19. Well thank you very much for that question and speaker through you to the member opposite I want to remind everyone in this house that we are keeping a promise we made during the election and that is we're respecting parents and I think the first step in respecting parents is being responsible with their precious tax dollars and so while we're embarking on this consultation which has far surpassed that dismal 1638 responses the former liberal government generated we are actually listening to parents and so as we embark on a new path forward for Ontario education curriculum we've hit the pause button in some instances because we want to make sure we're getting our investments right so to those of the parents who are listening today I suggest to them we want to hear from you we want to hear your priorities we want to hear your concerns and go to the fortheparents.ca and participate in this very unique supplementary the minister that through you Mr. Speaker to the minister this is a very straightforward question about a program that parents and communities are concerned about right now and it sounds to me actually like the priority or the first step as you said for your government is actually to cut funding for parent councils focused on math skills to workshops on raising emotionally healthy kids the parents reaching out grants have served to connect parents with their school communities some of these programs have already registered hundreds of parents and the school councils have applied in good faith following the ministry's process now they could be left with nothing yet another example of this government changing the rules in the middle of the game can the minister explain why this parent engagement funding is being withheld from parents to be involved in their kids education or is the for the parents just another empty slogan please take their seats minister well speaker I have every confidence that that narrative that member on the opposite side of the house is trying to create it's not going to stick at all because again when we start hearing from our parents that we're on the right track that there are being heard and that they're convinced that we're respecting hard-earned precious tax dollars until this consultation is finished and I would think that that member opposite would be well advised instead of creating turmoil encourage her people to get involved in the consultation start the clock next question the member for Perry Salma my question is for the minister of environment conservation and parks the minister of government has been clear we are opposed to any tax that will impact the hard-working people of Ontario by threatening to impose their carbon tax the federal liberal government highlighted their lack of concern for Ontarians the former provincial liberal governments regressive job killing cap and trade carbon tax caused hydro bills to spike and gas prices to rise the NDP on several occasions extended the liberal cap and trade carbon tax making it clear that they do not intend on making life easier for Ontarians either with the release of the FAO's financial review of the cancellation of the cap and trade can the minister explain to us how our government under the leadership of premier ford question will benefit Ontarians by cancelling the cap and trade carbon tax through you to the member leadership of premier ford throughout the campaign we were very clear we were going to get rid of cap and trade and we were going to fight the carbon tax we were going to do that because we believe there are more effective ways to protect our environment but we were going to do that as well because we want to put money back into the pockets of Ontario families the FAO report that the member references made it clear yesterday $264 per family a $1.3 billion we see this as good the opposition sees this as a lost revenue to the government we see this as found revenue to families Mr. Speaker our premier has made it clear we are going to do everything we can to make life more affordable Ontario this is just one step and we are going to make sure it gets done Speaker through you back to the minister of environment conservation at parks it's clear that on this side of the house we truly do have the people of Ontario to make a very good decision the FAO report highlights some great benefits for Ontarians however it also highlights the negative impacts that the federal backstop will have my constituents are worried should the Trudeau carbon tax be imposed in Ontario it will have a profound impact Ontarians cannot afford a carbon tax Ontarians are tired of paying inflated hydro bills and gas prices and small business businesses are struggling can the minister of environment describe how our government will fight the Trudeau carbon tax Mr. Speaker through you to the member for months on end the opposition in Ottawa has risen in the house and asked questions about the Trudeau carbon tax they've been faced with non-answers redacted documents some have said a carbon tax cover up how much is the Trudeau carbon tax going to cost Mr. Speaker we got an answer we got an answer from the FAO $648 a year Mr. Speaker in four short years $648 a year that's the price of four hydro bills too much for Ontario families too much for Canadian families that's why with the leadership of our premier other premiers are coming together six now to talk about alternatives to talk about killing the Trudeau carbon tax to fight this regressive job start the clock next question member for Kitchener's Centre thank you Mr. Speaker my question is to the premier Werner Gingrich is a senior in Kitchener's Centre Werner lives with compression on the spine and unfortunately a surgery resulted in serious nerve damage in 2017 she was assessed to receive two hours of basic home care each day she relies on this care to shower different items and prepare for her days without it she's trapped in her apartment inconsistent scheduling and changes to scheduled PSW appointments leave Werner's life in a state of chaos since 2017 Werner has had over 250 personal support workers assist with her personal care this is virtually there is virtually no continuity of care and seniors like Werner are suffering what measures will this government take breaking stories like Werner's aren't the norm Premier Mr. Tourism Culture and Sport thank you the example you raised today is one that frankly all of us have heard the inconsistency that we see in the healthcare that is provided particularly as it relates to home care is a real issue for our government and we've made some commitments to try to fix that system we're 110 days in I trust that you will give us the time to make this happen and make it right because we can't rush decisions we can't keep doing the same thing over and over and expect different results we are doing this carefully in a measured way our Minister of Health is more qualified to do this than anyone else I can imagine as a former patient advocate we want to do it right so we need the time to make sure that that happens supplementary back to the Premier this past summer Werner received notice that her daily care time was going to be further reduced to only half an hour in the morning Werner and her children advocated against this initial time reduction yet the private company recently ordered another assessment to see if they could reduce her care further again the occupational therapist determined that Werner needs the daily hour and a half of personal care Werner needs these exercises so that she can become more independent does the Premier think it's right for a private company to prevent Werner from getting the care she needs by overriding the recommendations of healthcare professionals I trust that as an MPP you are actively engaged with conversations with the CCAC I know in my own constituency office and I'm sure in many of ours we spend a lot of our time making sure that the people who need the service are getting it it is inappropriate for decisions to be made and to pit private and public is wrong because the point is the CCACs are making the decisions about how much care is needed and when that will happen I would encourage you and if you need some help with that we're happy to help with the CCAC directly and make sure that those cuts are not happening because they certainly are not happening from this government next question a member for Glen Gary Prescott Russell thank you Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker, the question is for the Minister of Government and Consumer Services yesterday the Canadian Union of Postal Workers informed Canada Post that rotating strikes will begin on October 22nd if a new agreement cannot be reached many Ontarians rely on Canada Post each and every day to receive important government services, programs and documentation from social assistance programs to birth and death certificates these services are vital to the people of Ontario while the federal government battles with the postal workers can the Minister of Government and Consumer Services please update the legislature on our government's plan should a postal strike occur Minister of Government and Consumer Services thanks Mr. Speaker and thanks to my honourable colleague for the question this morning our government recognises that Canada Post strike could cause inconveniences for many Ontarians we hope that the federal government can reach a deal with the Canadian postal workers but in the meantime I want to assure the people of Ontario that we are ready we've been working collaboratively government-wide to minimise the impact on critical government services and programs we've launched Ontario.ca slash mail that's Ontario.ca slash mail to provide information to the people of Ontario a contingency plan is ready should alternative delivery processes be deemed necessary we also recognise that many Ontarians still receive social assistance and other government payments through Canada Post and we encourage those that are receiving checks via Canada Post to sign up for direct deposit if they haven't done so already please get their access to critical Ontario government thank you supplementary Mr. Speaker and thank you to the minister for his response I'm happy to hear that our government planned ahead for this possibility and has a clear plan in place to ensure the people of Ontario can still access their services I'm sure many of us are also wondering how this potential postal strike will affect the Ontario Cannabis Store given the federal government's decision to legalise cannabis in this country with today being the first day Ontarians are able to order cannabis from the OCS online store many will have questions about how their product will reach their doors could the minister please explain how the Ontario Cannabis Store could navigate a potential strike by Canada Post and how Ontario customers could be able to have their cannabis orders fulfilled Minister of Finance Minister of Finance Thank you Speaker and thank you to the member from Glen Gary Prescott Russell for the question Ontario will be ready in the event of Canada Post service disruptions we have made our expectations clear to the Ontario Cannabis Store they must be ready to continue delivery service in the event of a work stoppage at Canada Post the Ontario Cannabis Store has been evaluating options whether cannabis delivery can continue in the event of a Canada Post strike the OCS has indicated that they have a clear plan and they will be prepared with an alternate delivery process should it be needed however in the meantime we hope the federal government can come to an agreement with the postal workers Thank you next question the member for Nickel Belt Thank you Mr. Speaker of the environment and parks Denome from Hanmer in my riding have paid the deposit on a valid contract signed way before the June 19 deadline to change their windows as they try to decrease their heating costs they expected $5,000 rebate from the green on program in Sudbury contractors are racing flat out to complete as many contracts as possible before the October 31st deadline these contractors don't have time to drive the extra 40-50 minutes an hour to come to Nickel Belt because there is so much work to be done in town Will the minister please agree to extend the deadline so my constituents are not at a disadvantage to get the green on rebate simply because they live in rural northern Ontario Mr. the environment conservation thank you Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker through you the member and thank you very much for the question and I appreciate the situation of your constituents but when this government was elected it was elected on a basis of eliminating the cap and trade program the responsible thing to do with the elimination of the cap and trade program was to wind down the program in a very transparent way and that is what we've done yesterday the FAO confirmed that our estimates around the wrap wind up of that program were largely accurate in the window program the government set a date of the end of the month in terms of the end of eligibility for that program we did so so that people who have been participating would have the time to carry it out but we did so in a very transparent way because we need to bring an end to this program because we brought an end to the funding for this program Thank you Supplementary Mr. Speaker this arbitrary deadline is in effect discriminating against rural and northern citizens the denomies are not the only one affected Madame Yvonne Saint-Denis from Red Deer Lake Road Catherine and Richard Gagne are facing financial loss so is Sheila Renton contractors can work like two or three jobs together when they work in the city so they are rescheduling my constituents for after the deadline many of my constituents are on the verge of losing thousands of dollars dollars they don't have so it looks like this PC government is actually taking money out of the pockets of rural and northern residents will the minister change the deadline so rural and northern residents don't end up losing big time Mr. Speaker through you to the member this government is in the business of putting money in people's pockets that's why we got rid of the cap and trade program that's why we're fighting the Trudeau carbon tax when it comes to northern and rural Ontario we've taken steps like the expansion of natural gas and others because we understand for the first time the people of rural and northern Ontario in a very long time are seeing a government that understands the issues and they're being responded to by the minister's responsible Mr. Speaker we made a commitment to responsibly wind down this program we are responsibly winding it down thank you next question the member for Sault Ste. Marie thank you very much Mr. Speaker my question today is for the minister of municipal affairs and housing I know that our government for the people is very excited that this is local government week this is because we all know that our local governments play a vital role in helping Ontarians like the previous liberal government who failed municipalities downloading costs on them and making it harder for them to work on a day-to-day basis we value our local partners and appreciate all they do for the people across Ontario I'm particularly proud of the work being done by the city councillors and my writing of Sault Ste. Marie their efforts are vital in providing the key services my constituents need Minister can you please explain why it is important to have a week like this dedicated to celebrating Ontario's local governments Mr. Minister of Affairs thanks Speaker and I want to thank the member for Sault Ste. Marie for that excellent question as the member said local governments provide the really the closest level of government to the people and they provide such essential services you know just to name a few you have to look at the amount of community centres things like libraries the fact that local governments are instilled with making sure the garbage is picked up and the snow is removed from the streets they provide such a simple essential services and local government week gives a wonderful opportunity for us to teach children and students about the different levels of government we give them the opportunity to understand what local governments do and how they differ between the provincial level of government and the federal level of government this local government week is even more exciting as Ontarians go to the polls next week to vote for representatives at the local level and in the supplementary speaker I'll talk more about how we're working with our local government supplementary thank you Speaker about the importance of local governments and their critical role in the lives of Ontarians our government is clearly committed to listening to Ontario's municipalities and working with them at the association of municipalities of Ontario conference this past August we had a tremendous turnout from cabinet and caucus members who held productive meetings with our municipal partners we also watched you minister as you demonstrated our government's commitment to strong working relationships and by working with AEMO by signing a new memorandum of understanding Speaker would the minister please explain how we are working with local governments to help them deliver better services and address issues like reducing red tape and building more housing Mr. Member for the question the member is absolutely correct this year at the association of municipalities of Ontario conference the AEMO conference our government had a record number of meetings with our municipal partners sum 540 he's also correct that I signed the memorandum of understanding the MOU one year before the renewal date and I have to tell you we're continuing our work with AEMO we're going back to monthly MOU meetings to listen to their concerns and to proactively work on the issues Lastly Speaker I think it's very important during local government week I want to take this opportunity to wish everyone running for municipal office our sincere best wishes we want to thank them for putting their names forward on the ballot and you know what Speaker I have to tell you I look forward on to dealing with all those newly elected councils in Ontario's 444 municipalities after October 27th start the clock next question the member for University of Rosedale will be asked to write a letter of appreciation Rylee Peterson travels for three hours in the TTC from a home in western to school every day she could be studying but instead she's stuck in an overcrowded bus commuters like Rylee were looking forward to faster and cheaper commutes starting in January when transit riders could pay a new low fare of $3 to ride the Go in the Union Pearson Express in Toronto because it was funded by Ontario's climate plan a plan that will cost $3 billion to cancel so that premier can give favours to big polluters a plan that funded cheaper transit fares so people like Rylee could speed up their commute times and pay less will the minister tackle congestion by moving forward with a $3 fare program for Go in the Union Pearson Express in Toronto Thank you Well thank you very much Speaker and I thank the member for the question and as she knows we have made it crystal clear on many occasions in this chamber how committed we are in the Doug Ford PC government to making the transit experience better and more efficient and more enjoyable for people all across the GTHA and in fact all across this great province of Ontario the issue of the cap and trade I mean we also made a commitment in our campaign to cancel that liberal cash grab and return that money to the people of Ontario $1.9 billion a year being taken out of the pockets of the people in the province of Ontario we're giving it back but I want to assure the member that we are absolutely committed to continuing our job of making transit better all across this province Toronto is a world class city with a world class transit problem our region has the longest commute times in North America and transit fares are now the highest in Canada instead of improving congestion by giving commuters fast and affordable transit this government is taking us from bad to worse I'm going to ask the question again are you going to move forward with our fair program for Go and Union Pearson Express starting January in Toronto well I thank the member for that question again I also want to remind her that we have a world class hockey team in this city as well when we're prepared to make an announcement on any fair adjustments for Go or the TTC we will let you I will let the member know that we're in the process of examining all of the item in this province to see just what kind of mess and how big a mess the previous Liberal government left us and also to re-evaluate all of those promises that they made at a last ditch effort to try to get re-elected earlier this year but we're examining everything right across the board and I can assure the member when we're ready to make an announcement on transit fairs across this province she'll be one of the first to know next question member for Bruce Gray on sound my question is to the government house leader I'm proud of our work our government has done over its first 100 days the constituents in my riding appreciate all the work being done for them and for Interions all across this great province I know our government has done a lot to protect our communities and keep Interions safe and reform the legislature and why it was so important to move quickly to deliver real results for the people of Ontario what a great government house leader two days in a row we've got an excellent question from the government whip and I'm pleased to answer it you know as I was going door to door over the constituency week and people were thinking about turkey dinner over Thanksgiving they were thankful that in the first 100 days that they didn't have a government like the previous one that wasted their money they didn't have a government like the previous Liberal government that rose gas prices hydro rates taxes across the province and took money out of their pockets they were thankful about that they were thankful that they had a government that respected their tax dollars that was trying to put more money back in their pockets they were thankful they were thankful speaker that they had a government that was making key investments in transportation all day go trains in healthcare over 6,000 long term care beds Mr. Speaker it's the time we have for question period this afternoon I'm prepared to listen to the point of privilege by the member for Flamborough Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker I'm rising on a point of privilege to address an incident which occurred at the end of debate yesterday it's my understanding as a new member that in order for a point of privilege to be found a certain criteria have to be met having provided you with notice this morning as well as the opposition and government house leaders as laid out in standing order 21C I'm now going to articulate how the member from Hamilton centre breached my privileges as a member with her conduct on the floor of the house yesterday the first criteria is timeliness standing order 8A states that the house adjourns at 6pm on Tuesdays accepting the last 8 days of a sitting which is on or about the time the incident occurred as a result this morning's proceedings were my first opportunity to bring this to your attention and I delivered notice to the necessary offices this morning in accordance with the standing orders regarding the incident in question at the conclusion of debate during the division vows yesterday the member from Hamilton centre crossed the chamber and initiated unwanted and intentional physical contact with me at the time I was sitting on this side of the house engaged in a conversation with a fellow member in my notice submitted this morning I referenced two parliamentary authorities on the subject I would now like to reference two more Erskine May states on page 262 members and others have been punished for such molestation occurring within the precincts of the house whether by assault, insulting or abusive language to molest members on account of their conduct in parliament is also a contempt it was this rule which was enforced by Speaker Regan in the Federal House on May 18, 2016 when the Speaker found that the Prime Minister had committed a similar breach with regard to unwanted and deliberate physical contact of the former member for Leeds Granville Thousand Islands that's because Marlowe and Mopiti the Federal House of Commons guide for procedure states members are entitled to go about their parliamentary business undisturbed the assaulting, menacing and insulting of any member on the floor of the house or while he is coming or going to or from the house or on account of his behavior during a proceeding in parliament is a violation of the rights of parliament Speaker Peter found a similar breach occurred in this legislature on May 4, 2010 where he stated and I quote this brings me to the nub that is the right of members of this legislative assembly to attend to their parliamentary duties without interference or obstruction I note that the House of Commons procedure and practice states the following in circumstances where members claim to be physically obstructed, impeded, interfered with or intimidated in the performance of their parliamentary functions the Speaker is apt to find that a prima facia of privilege has occurred Speaker a number of members witness the events which occurred yesterday afternoon too many in fact for this not to be worthy of further examination by the House and for this reason I would ask you to find a prima facia case for breach of privilege in this matter Please take your seats Do any other members that wish to participate in the discussion on this point of privilege? Member for Tillings Mr Speaker, the antics displayed by the government members yesterday and trying to block the chamber of the cameras in the chamber from televising the speech from my leader on a very important healthcare issue facing Bramptonians was absolutely inappropriate disrespectful and beneath the dignity of this House this point of order has no merit so let's move on to the important issues that are facing Ontario families Mr Speaker I'll consider the matter that's been raised and I'll report back to the House in due course I understand that there are some members who want to introduce guests Member for Parkdale High Park Thank you Speaker, my guests arrive a little bit late so I'd like to welcome them to the legislature I have my brother, my sister-in-law and her sister, thank you Thank you Mr Speaker I'd like to introduce in the public gallery some of them have just left Margaret Rao and Liz Adamson from Climate Fast and my friend a good friend from Teachers College James Netsinger who brought his grade four class from Thornton Cliff Park Public School today Thank you Thank you to inform the House the pursuant to Standing Order 98C a change has been made to the order of precedence on the ballot list for private members public business such that Mr Tabins assumes ballot item number 25 and Mr Bantoff assumes ballot item number 40 this House stands in recess until 3pm this afternoon