 It's now time for a question period. The member from Whitby-Oshawa. Thanks to the Premier. Premier, next week we will be tabling a motion to test whether your government has the confidence of this legislature. Premier, do you believe, after your decision to spend $275 million to save a few liberal seats and after the Auditor-General has informed Ontarians of the blatant abuse of those tax dollars, that your government deserves the confidence of Ontarians? I believe that our government deserves the confidence of the province if we can demonstrate, Mr. Speaker, that we are on a track that is fiscally responsible, that is going to lead to a fairer Ontario, Mr. Speaker, and I think that the budget that is being developed right now in consultation, Mr. Speaker, with people from around the province, the Minister of Finance has talked to people all over Ontario about their concerns. I have spoken with both members, both leaders of the opposition parties, Mr. Speaker, and I believe that the budget that we will bring forward will be even-handed and will be a testament to our aspiration for the people of Ontario. And that, Mr. Speaker, I believe is what people of Ontario can have confidence in. Thank you. Supplementary. Well, Mr. Speaker, I'd say whether a confident government would be happy to have a confidence vote, if that were the case, the escalation of the Mississauga power plant has made a few facts abundantly clear. Not only do you and your Liberal government use tax dollars for purely partisan purposes, but you spend those tax dollars without any regard for the hardworking people of Ontario who actually earn them. The Auditor General has pointed out countless examples. $4.2 million spent for land and water that Ontarians never got back. $41 million spent for undocumented labour costs. The list goes on and on. Premier, do you think it's fair to Ontarians who work hard to keep food on the table and keep the lights on to completely waste over $275 million with absolutely no remorse? Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Well, I have said repeatedly, Mr. Speaker, that I regret that we are in this situation vis-à-vis the relocation of the gas plants, Mr. Speaker. I regret that we didn't have a process, a better process up front, Mr. Speaker, so that a different decision could have been made earlier on that there could have been a different community process, Mr. Speaker, and that we wouldn't have been in this situation, which, by the way, all parties agreed needed to happen that we would relocate the gas plants. I'm going to get started right off the bat. The member from Bruce Gray Owensown come to order and the Minister of the Environment could save his comments while the Premier is answering. It would be very helpful. Carry on. Mr. Speaker, I've been very clear that I regret that we didn't have a different process and that we have had to take on this situation and, Mr. Speaker, had we had a better process up front, we wouldn't be here. But the reality is, Mr. Speaker, I've done exactly what I said I was going to do. I said I was committed to an open and transparent that we would make sure that all the documentation, all the questions that were asked were going to be answered. That's what's happening now, Mr. Speaker. That's what the people of Ontario can have confidence in. Thank you. Final supplementary? Mr. Speaker, with all due respect, an expression of regret doesn't even begin to answer the question. The co-chair of the campaign that decided to spend a few million dollars, hundreds of millions of dollars, to save a few liberal seats. You're now the Premier of a government that defends this decision and doesn't really see anything wrong with it. After the auditor general report has made this reckless spending apparent, don't you think it's time that the people of Ontario should actually have a chance to tell you what they think about this? Two points on that. The people of Ontario and the members in this House will be confronting a budget in the next very short period of time, Mr. Speaker, and they will have an opportunity to express confidence or not in the government. That is the confidence motion, Mr. Speaker, that I think we need to focus on. In terms of the decision to relocate the gas plants, Mr. Speaker, it is very important that the people of Ontario understand that the member who just stood in her place and asked that question was part of a party that campaigned on doing exactly the same action, Mr. Speaker. They would have had to reverse the decision and it was exactly the same. Thank you. New question. The member from Newmarket, Aurora. The member from Newmarket, Aurora. To the Premier, Mr. Speaker, yesterday we heard in the public accounts committee from four former directors of the former Orange Board. They swore in their testimony a particular theme and it was a theme that has run throughout the committee hearings into the Orange scandal and it's a theme that was confirmed by the auditor general. And that theme is this, that the Ministry of Health failed in its oversight of Orange. My question to the Premier is this, given the testimony consistently that the Ministry failed in its oversight, I'd like to know from this Premier what are the consequences in her new Ontario government for ministers and deputies and bureaucrats who don't do their job and how many more oranges are there throughout this government. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I know the Minister of Health will want to comment on the specifics but I just want to say this, Mr. Speaker, that we have said that there needed to be better oversight at Orange. We have said that there needed to be a better regime of oversight, which is why we introduced legislation, Mr. Speaker, to tighten up that oversight, to make sure that the monitoring was in place, to make sure that the rules were much more explicit, Mr. Speaker. That's what the legislation is about. And my expectation, Mr. Speaker. There are a couple of members that are maybe playing hide-and-seek with their seating arrangements, but I will still ask them to go sit in their seats so I can tell them to stop happily. Thank you. The member from Leeds Granville has a comment for me to make. I'm glad that the member will not stop. I'm going to try to deal with this in a calm way. I don't need his comments after I finish admonishing him. Premier. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My hope is that the member opposite and his party will support the legislation that would actually put that increased regime of oversight in place, Mr. Speaker, because I'm assuming that underpinning his question is a concern about the general approach to oversight that government would take. And my hope is then that he will support the legislature that would change the oversight that we've admitted, Mr. Speaker, needed to be tighter. Thank you. Supplementary. Speaker, I've pointed out before that there's a reason that the A was dropped from the spelling of orange, and that's because it stands for accountability. Well, here, Speaker, here, Speaker, is another orange the Premier should know about. The Premier should know that the executive officer of the Ontario Public Drug Programs is required by law to issue an annual report detailing Ontario's public drug program. Well, Speaker, given the track record of her Minister of Health, does it surprise the Premier that there has been no report filed on that program for the last five years? Speaker, this is a three and a half billion dollar program. Orange was 150 million dollars. Wow. What excuse for this glaring lack of accountability will the Premier accept from her Minister of Health this time? Thank you. Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. Well, Speaker, our health care system is an excellent health care system. I think all members of this legislature would agree that Ontario is a great place when it comes to our health care system. I've said before, it is not perfect, but it is excellent, Speaker. We do rely on our health care system for oversight of boards of directors in our hospitals, in various organization speakers. We rely on those board members to do their job. What we heard in testimony yesterday from former board members is that they failed in their responsibility to provide appropriate oversight, Speaker. That's why it's very important that we move ahead with Bill Levin, Speaker, terribly disappointed the members opposite voted against Bill Levin. We need to get Bill Levin passed, so we can finish the job when it comes to correcting the ship at Orange. Thank you. You're here. Final supplementary. My question was about the Minister's oversight. She doesn't even know that that report has been missing for five years. That's why our health care system is in the mess that it's in. I'm asking the Minister one more time, where is the report? Does she even know that the report hasn't been filed for five years? At a time when we're dealing with chemotherapy problems in this province, the Minister stood here and said she didn't know anything about it, claims the federal government. She's going to look into it. Now she wants Bill Levin. It has nothing to do with the question I asked her. I say to the Premier this, given the lack of confidence that the people across this province are showing towards this government, will she respect this place? Will she allow the members of the House to vote on a want of confidence motion that we will be tabling? Thank you. This should help. This has been an interesting series of questions. I'm not quite sure where the member opposite is going with it, but I'll tell you, Speaker, we will be having a vote of confidence in this legislature in coming days. We have a budget that will be before this House Speaker. It's a budget that, as we know, serves to continue to strengthen our health care system by investing more in the services that our seniors and our patients need, more in the community sector, more home care speaker. Those are issues that everyday people in this province are very happy to be seeing this government moving on. Thank you. Thank you very much, Speaker. My question is for the Premier. New Democrats have been clear since the throne speech that if we're going to support a budget, it has to create jobs, it has to strengthen health care, and it has to make life more affordable. We talked to people about how to attain these goals, and we put realistic achievable proposals on the table that can deliver results for people who need them. But that's going to require the Premier to make some pretty serious choices, Speaker. For example, the government is still committed to opening a new tax loophole worth a billion dollars a year, over a billion dollars a year, so that corporations can write out the HST when they entertain their clients. Is the Premier ready to admit that this isn't something that we can afford in this province right now? Thank you, Premier. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and I appreciate the leaders of the third party. I appreciate the issues that she has put on the table. I think that the Minister of Finance has said that he is engaging with the federal government on some of the issues that she has raised. But the overarching reality is, Mr. Speaker, that we have a lot of common ground in terms of the direction that we want to go. So the issues that she has put on the table in terms of home care, in terms of auto insurance, in terms of youth unemployment, Mr. Speaker, those are all areas that we're very concerned about that we are going to move on. And my hope is that we'll be able to find common cause on those issues, because they are issues I believe that should be shared by all of the parties in this House, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Supplementary. Speaker, these are tough times for the government. There's no doubt. But they're also very tough times for the families of Ontario. They want to know why they're going to be asked to pay more and expect less while their government creates a billion dollars' worth of new tax loopholes for some of the biggest corporations in the province. Is the Premier still going to go ahead with letting corporations write off the HST at the same time as she'll be asking people to pay more? Premier. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. So what we're going to go ahead with, as we've talked about in the last few days, is 46,000 people getting more home care, Mr. Speaker. We really believe that that is the kind of issue that's the kind of issue that's the kind of concern that affects people's lives every day. And Mr. Speaker, I understand that there are concerns about the particular financial regime. I know that the Minister of Finance has been in touch with the federal government. There are things that we have control of and there are others that we don't, Mr. Speaker. But we want to have a fair tax regime, obviously. That is work that the Minister of Finance is involved in. But at the same time, Mr. Speaker, we have to continue to do what we can as a province to make people's lives better, to make sure they get the home care that they need, to make sure that they get the physiotherapy that they need, particularly our seniors, which is why we are changing the way that physiotherapy will be delivered. Those are concerns that affect people every single day. Final supplementary. Mr. Speaker, people are making it pretty clear that they want to see some change. For years they've heard Liberals and Conservatives promise that tax cuts for Ontario's largest corporations were going to create jobs in this province, that six-figure pay hikes for CEOs in hospitals would make patients healthier, that bigger profits at insurance companies would trickle down to the drivers of this province. Mr. Speaker, they have not seen the results. Instead, they've been falling further and further and further behind. They want to know why the Premier would hand Ontario's largest corporations a tax break while asking them to pay more and to expect less. Can the Premier explain this, Mr. Speaker? Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the question and the leader of the Opposition Third Party knows all too well that this is not a loophole. This isn't new news. These are restricted input tax credits. Tax credits that were part of our tax plan for jobs and growth in 2009. We're working very closely with the federal government. We introduced this as a meaningful reform to Ontario's tax system. These restrictions were to be phased up by 2015 and will be fully phased up by 2018, all part of a value-added tax system. What's important here is that we continue to find ways to make our companies more productive, ensure that they do get the value that they provide, but at the same time we have to take precautions to ensure that everyone pays their fair share and that the people of Ontario are protected. So we will continue to move forward. We've asked the federal government to work with us to ensure that any situations that are provided, the loopholes that we're looking at, are the ones that are avoiding to pay taxes and they're the ones that we have to go after. And in this case, we will continue to collaborate with the federal ministers. Thank you. Just a reminder to all members, when I stand you sit. Your microphone gets turned off anyway, just to let you know. Well, what's not new news is the Liberal Centauri's favourite corporate tax cuts instead of giving families a break. That's what it's not going to be. My next question is to the Premier. We know over here that Ontario can do better and we put forward some simple, achievable solutions that will take some small steps to get us there. But it's going to require the Premier to make some choices, Speaker. It's time to say that we can't afford another round of corporate tax giveaways or seven figure salaries for CEOs in the public sector. Will the Premier make it clear in the budget that she's not going to ask people to pay more while those that need help the least get yet another break? Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. So I'm going to come at this a different way. I really believe that one of the underlying assumptions of the question from the Leader of the Third Party is that there is a clear distinction between business and ordinary people and that somehow those are opposing ideas. They're not. Ordinary people have jobs, Mr Speaker. The reason we have to introduce a balanced budget and that we have to put initiatives in place to make sure that business and people and the general population do better is that their their fates are interconnected, that people need jobs and business needs to be supported in a way that will allow them to create jobs, Mr Speaker. So we are going to do everything we can to deal with the loopholes that both the Minister of Finance has talked about and the Leader of the Third Party has talked about. But we're also going to put in place job creating conditions and supports for people who need them. Mr Speaker, it's got it's got nothing to do with underlying assumptions. We think it's pretty simple. Ontario families shouldn't be waiting 262 days to get a loved one. The home care that they need is promising. It's because Ontario drivers shouldn't be paying the highest auto insurance rates in the entire country. People shouldn't be stuck in their parents' basements wondering if their career is ever going to start. To addressing these challenges, the government has tons of excuses and all kinds of caveats. But when it comes to finding the money for CEO salary hikes and new tax loopholes worth billions of dollars, it's full steam ahead by the Liberals. Will the Premier get her priorities straight in the upcoming budget? Simple. What we've said is the Leader of the Third Party has asked that we put in place a home care regime that would cost $30 million. We're putting in six times the amount that's transforming the system. We're very clear that in order to make the health care system sustainable, we need more service delivered to the community. We need more service delivered at home. We need house calls for people who need it at home. Doctors going to their homes. So $185 million is what we've said we are prepared to put into home care. They ask for $30 million. We're saying we're going to put in $185 million, Mr. Speaker. I think our priorities are very clear and very straight. You see that, please? You see that, please? Thank you. Final supplementary. Well, Speaker, comfort for the people of Ontario who have watched the health care budget double in this province since this government came to power, and they're still not getting the health care that they deserve. Dear Speaker, we're going to work hard and deliver results for the people who make this province work. That means working hard for real results for them. Not vague promises and future conversations. That means making people a priority, Speaker, not sticking them with the same old status quo. Now, can the Premier tell us whether she'll be moving ahead with more plans for CEO salary hikes and tax breaks for Ontario's healthiest corporations or whether she'll actually put people first in this budget? Premier? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Our budget is going to be about being fiscally responsible because if we are not fiscally responsible, we will not be able to invest in the services that people need. Our budget is going to be about investing in the future, Mr. Speaker, making sure that people who are waiting for home care get that home care more quickly, Mr. Speaker, and that people who are waiting for home care get more support than they are getting right now, Mr. Speaker. Our budget is going to be about tackling the issue of youth unemployment, Mr. Speaker, because I know, and everyone in this house knows, that it's unacceptable that there are young people who are not able to find jobs even though they are qualified. Our budget is going to tackle that issue. Our budget is going to tackle the issue of the fact that auto insurance in Ontario is higher than anywhere else in the country, Mr. Speaker. We're going to tackle that. But we're going to tackle those issues in a way that is practical. We're going to tackle those issues in a way that's doable and that's going to make people's lives better. That's what we've been doing for nine years, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. And we're going to continue and leap ahead on that. Thank you. New question. The member from Nippon City. Thank you, Speaker. My question this morning is for the Premier. Premier, you talk about being open and transparent in the legislature, but that's not what's happening over in the Justice Committee, Premier. I want you to listen to this baffle gab we got from a staffer when I asked a simple question about a $712 million offer. Here's his answer. What I said to you was that I didn't recall having anything to do with it, but if your timeline shows differently, then I would have been involved with the discussions on it. Basically, what he's saying is it wasn't me, but if you have documents to show it was me, then it was me. Speaker, that's to go along with the 65 times in one hour that same witness said I don't know or similar words. 65 times in one hour. Premier, why should we ever believe anything from you and your staff again? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm very interested in this whole concept of transparency in front of the committee, because I had a chance to follow the proceedings this morning and those that did on television who were there will know that this morning was the PCs and the NDP trying desperately to ensure that the leader of the opposition did not appear in front of the committee on Tuesday. So perhaps in the supplementary, the honourable member will be able to stand up and confirm whether the leader of the opposition, Mr. Hudak, will be there. Because, Mr. Speaker, we want to ask about this brochure that I talked about yesterday, the one that reads the only party that will stop the Sherway power plant is the Ontario PC Party. On October 6th, vote Ontario PC. Mr. Speaker, we want to know about his analysis and costing and hear from him, so I hope the honourable member will confirm in the supplementary. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I can tell you that the people of Ontario are absolutely sick and tired of the games that this party is playing. At the Justice Committee today, Chris Breen from TransCanada, the component of the relocated Oakville power plant, he confirmed a number of things for us. First of all, Mr. Speaker, he confirmed today that the former energy minister had absolutely no idea of the cancellation of the Oakville power plant. He told us that it was exclusively the Premier's office that told him about the cancellation, and when he went to a meeting with the minister, the minister was shocked that it had been cancelled. We also heard from him for the first time in two months. Stop the clock. Minister of Training College University has come to order. With no comment. Carry on, please. We heard for the first time from a witness in two months now that the $712 million offer was made to TransCanada, and they did indeed reject it. So, Premier, I say to you, you're cling to this $40 million story when TransCanada rejected for a $712 million. How can we ever believe anything you ever say again? Again, Mr. Speaker, I think it's worth noting the different story of what's happening through the Honourable Member's questions and what's happening in front of committee. The Honourable Member talks about transparency, and yet when we suggested a special meeting of the committee to hear from the Ontario Power Authority, that member voted against it, Mr. Speaker. When the Premier showed up for a late show, that member chose not to participate, and I couldn't help but notice, Mr. Speaker, when I asked in the supplementary if he would indicate whether the Leader of the Opposition would be there Tuesday, he ignored that request, Mr. Speaker. We have some questions for the Leader of the Opposition. We have questions for an individual who made a YouTube video to talk about his opposition to the plan and the fact that if he had become Premier, he would have done the exact same thing, Mr. Speaker. We're looking forward to those discussions on Tuesday, and I hope the Honourable Member will persuade the Leader of the Opposition to be there to answer all those. The member from Essex. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Speaker, it's clearer than ever that the government is more interested in protecting liberal seats than in serious energy planning. In fact, the Liberals ensured that a power plant would go ahead in York Region at the same time as they canceled plants in Oakville in Mississauga. Why did the government cancel power plants where liberal seats were at risk, but passed regulations to ensure that similar projects with similar opposition went ahead in opposition-held writings? We have made the point many times in this House, Mr. Speaker, that there have been many gas plants cited in Ontario. I think 17 of those, 15, were placed, and the process went ahead. And two, Mr. Speaker, the decision was made, agreed to by all of the members in this House, Mr. Speaker, that those locations were not right, and so there were relocations put in place, Mr. Speaker. So I say to the member opposite, we will continue to place energy infrastructure around the province, Mr. Speaker, as is responsible. There needs to be a better process, and these two locations, these two processes demonstrate that there needed to be a better upfront procedure. Mr. Speaker, but we will continue to build energy infrastructure in the province. Thank you, supplementary. Thank you, Speaker. Today, Chris Breen, a representative of TransCanada, said that they found it strange that the government passed regulations to ensure unpopular plants in Northern York went ahead in opposition-held writings, but canceled two unpopular private power plants in liberal writings. It seems strange indeed. Why is this liberal government more interested in protecting seats than listening to Ontarians? Mr. Speaker, what I find strange is that the Honorable Member failed to acknowledge that his party was out campaigning against the Mrs. Saga plant. You know, Mr. Speaker, let's talk about the Justice Committee. Let's talk... I'm Hamilton East on the creek. We'll come to order. Thank you. Let's talk about Greg Roan, a coalition of homeowners for intelligent power, a group of Mrs. Saga that was opposed to the plant. They came in front of the Justice Committee, and this is what they had to say, Mr. Speaker. Yes, the NDP, they were against the plant. The NDP came in and attended our rally. Mr. Speaker, I can go to someone perhaps a bit more famous, Mayor Hazel McCallion of Mrs. Saga. You know what she told the committee? The impression that was certainly given beyond a doubt. I think all parties would have canceled it. There's no question about it. Mr. Speaker, how can the Honourable Member stand in his seat of a party that opposed this plant and asked those types of questions? The simple fact of the matter is, Mr. Speaker, the new Democratic Party was firmly opposed to the Mrs. Saga power plant. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Finance. Minister, Ontario has strong economic fundamentals and has weathered the great global recession. We are stronger than ever, but there is more to be done to ensure our economy continues to create good, high-paying jobs. My constituents of Oak Ridge's Markham are eagerly awaiting the upcoming budget. They are eager to see the new government's plan to balance the budget by 2017-2018. They also value investments in infrastructure and initiatives to transform and renew Ontario's essential public services. Could you please update the House on when you will deliver the budget and speak to some of the themes it will address? Minister of Finance. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the industry member from Oak Ridge of Markham for the question and the tireless efforts to support our constituents. As I formally announced yesterday, the budget will, the Ontario's budget, will be introduced on Thursday, May 2. There will be a budget that speaks to the needs of all Ontarians, wherever they may live. It will establish a clear and concise path to balance by 2017-2018 with detailed measures to achieve that success and the plan. It will also move forward on 60% of Don Drummond's recommendations to build on the success of modernizing Ontario's public service, ensuring a cost-effective and a sustainable manner is preceded. Ontario is already ahead of its deficit reduction targets for the fourth year in a row. And I am pleased to announce this past Monday that our updated projection for the last fiscal year has decreased by $5 billion. Ontario's budget will also commit to building Ontario's strong economic fundamentals, invest in young people, develop public transit and support strong municipal infrastructure. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, through you to the Minister of Finance, I am pleased to hear you plan to introduce a budget that speaks to the needs of all Ontarians. It is important that as part of this new plan, we hear from all Ontarians. Ontario is a diverse province that celebrates our unique backgrounds. As we know, this government has made it a priority to reach all Ontarians and act on the concerns and ideas that are voiced. Could you please tell us how you have consulted with Ontarians from across the province in preparation for the budget? Thank you. Minister? Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to say that Ontario's budget will be among the most widely consulted document table in this House to date. Over the course of this last several months, we have undertaken a wide range of consultations with individuals across the province. In fact, the budget will speak to most of what the members opposite on both parties are also looking for, but more importantly, what the people of Ontario have asked. We have held eight-person town halls in nine cities across the region. During these town halls, we've heard from over 300 groups and individuals have expressed their ideas and concerns. And through digital engagement strategy, we've reached over 600,000 Ontarians and 25 ridings. Mr. Speaker, members of the Standing Committee in Finance and Economic Affairs have also undertaken an array of consultations. I thank them, all members from both sides, as well as members from Oakville Scarborough Agent Court, Miss Suggies Cooksville, Vaughn and Oakville, and as well, all the 150 stakeholders that participated in the five cities. The legislative committee's hard work has been delivered to me in a comprehensive report and all documents and opinions that have been heard. It will be reflected in Ontario's budget. Thank you. New question? Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. Premier, it would seem your government has a case of selective memory when it comes to the cancelled gas plants. Let me give you some examples. Nobody, including two cabinet ministers, can recall a documented 710 million deal with TransCanada. Somehow, your government forgot to include $85 million in your original $190 million costing of the Mississauga gas plant. You apparently couldn't remember anything despite two former energy ministers admitting under oath the Mississauga decision was made by the campaign team that you co-chaired. Apparently, selective memory has never been more convenient. Premier, the people of Ontario should have confidence in the office of the Premier. Will you uphold the honour of the office and give us the total cost of the Oakville plant today? Mr. Speaker, I mean, again, it's one of those where you don't know where to start. First of all, a member from Nipissing has said that he wouldn't believe any figures that we came out with anyway. And so we asked the auditor general to look into it, Mr. Speaker, and that wasn't good enough, the fact that the legislature. So we came forward to the committee yesterday and asked to have a special session with the Ontario Power Authority where they could ask numerous technical questions and get into as much detail as possible. And Mr. Speaker, once again, I wanted to know if there was something wrong with my television. I saw the opposition vote against it and instead, Mr. Speaker, they spent today the NDP and the conservatives trying to work behind the scenes to make sure that the leader of the opposition would not come forward and say, Mr. Speaker, if you want to talk about collective amnesia, it's the fact that the party over there has forgotten that they firmly oppose this gas plan or this election. They would have done exactly the same thing that they had for in government. Premier, I ask about the honour of the office. You send out the second string and say, let them eat cake. Back to you, Premier. Premier, let's be honest. You do know the full cost of the gas plants. The auditor general has testified, Premier, that you have all the information you need. You know the cost now and you knew them then. What's worse than your willful ignorance is that you refuse to take ownership and correct the record following the auditor general's report proving this government low-balled the cost of Mississauga. Premier, this behaviour is insulting to me. It's insulting to the opposition. It's insulting to the people of Ontario. The truth is not a luxury. The Ontario people deserve to have it. Let's stop the deception and give us the totals of the gas plant. The attorney general come to order. The member will withdraw. Government House leader. Mr. Speaker, we have asked the auditor general who is an officer of the legislature to report to the committee. The member speaks about what's happened with the gas plants and what the cost and figures are. Mr. Speaker, as I have noted many times in this legislature his leader and his party oppose the gas plants. Mr. Speaker, they sent out tweets. They sent out press releases. They made YouTube videos. They had robocalls. They passed out pamphlets to the people within their riding. The fact of the matter, Mr. Speaker, is we would like to know about the cost analysis of that party. We would like to know about the types of detailed work and study of that party. Mr. Speaker, if we undertaken it will the same questions so hopefully will be asked by them. Mr. Speaker, I hasten to observe that not a single member is confirmed whether the leader of the opposition will be there next Tuesday despite the machinations of the PC and the NDP. I'm going to mention this again. That when members are answering I'm hearing heckling from the board. I hear some heckling which does not help the matter either. And then I follow up with then it gets between banter between members that have nothing to do with the question or the answer. I'm going to ask the member from Renfrew, not to make comment while I'm speaking. I am getting frustrated with the amount of shall I call it talk back when I'm trying to do the job that I'm doing. So I'm going to ask us to kind of tone it up instead of going to the bottom. New question from the member from Welland. On January the 16th more than 100 people lost their jobs when a U.S. owned Virtus Communications and a company abruptly closed in Fort Erie. Many of those workers are here in the gallery since then they've been fighting to get $2.4 million worth of pension plans, benefits and severance packages that they are owed. But because Virtus Communications filed for bankruptcy protection in the U.S. the federal wage earner protection plan does not apply to them. What does this government, what does the liberal government intend to do for these Ontario workers about this federal situation? Thank you very much Speaker and I thank the member for the question. I share the members' concerns and the frustration of the workers from the Stevensville plant. Anytime someone loses a job speaker, anytime a plant closes it is difficult for the worker, it is extremely difficult for the family and it's a huge concern for the whole community. The federal government speaker has exclusive jurisdiction and insolvencies and we have made our government's position very clear to them. The federal government in action on this issue is unacceptable. It should make no difference whether the bankruptcy happens in Canada or south of the border. These workers deserve fairness speaker and access to the same rise as any other worker in Ontario. Speaker I'd like to thank the member opposite for bringing this issue forward and the member for my calls who have been working with me to ensure that we find some help and some resolution to the plight of the workers from Stevensville. Thank you back to the premier so it's clear that the federal program does not cover these workers in this particular situation. We're talking about 100 workers. Some of them the wife and the husband worked at this company. They gave their lives to this company for some more than 35 years and now they're being short changed 2.4 million dollars in severance in benefits in pension plan contributions. The provincial government is responsible for ensuring that workers get the severance that is rightfully theirs. Premier you have to fix this. You have a responsibility to act. What are you going to do to fix this problem for these workers? Thank you very much speaker. I have to make it very clear I've been working very closely with the leadership, the local union leadership and I welcome them here today. I along with three previous ministers of a Labour Speaker have written to the federal government asking them to broaden the scope of the wage under protection program. My focus speaker is on making sure that this does not happen to another worker in Ontario. Just three weeks into my role as minister speaker I was speaking to the MPP from Niagara Falls on this issue. I want to share with you that this is a special union representative. On March 6 I wrote to the federal minister of Labour Lisa Reed urging the federal government to close this loop. We will continue to work and ensure that the federal government takes concrete actions to protect workers like the workers from Ontario are protected and their rifle severance is protected under protection program. Thank you Mr. Speaker I'm really pleased that I'm able to follow my colleague from the third party on the same subject and Dan who's the president I'm glad that you've taken the time and know some of the members have. This is absolutely disgusting 100 workers, brothers and sisters of mine. An American company that decides to file bankruptcy and then sells their assets to another American company who comes in and closes the plan. I've stood on the picket line with the workers I've been to the media and the real crux of this is that we need to have some changes with the provincial and federal government particularly in the area of the bankruptcy act so that the act says if we're not on the American side it's through you to the minister to combat on some of the things that we've been trying to do not only for these workers but for workers in the future this doesn't happen again I really want to commend the member from Niagara Falls from the moment that I became minister of labor he's been working along with me to find solutions to this very serious problem he's been able to bring the local representatives, being able to bring national representatives so that we talk as cheap in these kind of things because there are 100 lives, 100 families that are involved in this scenario we need to find concrete solutions that's why I've taken action on this from the very first day urging the federal government to step up to the play do the right thing broaden the scope of the wage and the protection program Order Speaker this is obviously difficult on the workers it's difficult on the families it's difficult on the community and I will continue to work along with the member from Niagara Falls so that we can all collectively work and ensure the federal government does the right thing Thank you my supplementary question is to the minister of labor as well you know Mr. Speaker these aren't in my notes it's absolutely disgusting these people take the time to come here and I thank you for doing that and then we sit here and argue back and forth especially I have spent and Dan you know that I've spent time on the demonstrations you've had it's absolutely disgusting when an American company can lay charges against the workers and drag them into court because they say that they have trespassed by demonstrating in front of the plant to let them know I attended the court hearings with them to show my support we're able to accomplish some things put some things on hold this government is and I am trying to find a solution we can echo back and forth that doesn't help to the workers it's not about pensions listen up it's not about pensions stop stop the clock member from Niagara Falls can you please the member order please thank you the member from Niagara Falls will withdraw he has said something on parliamentary I certainly will thank you Mr. Speaker what did you say and I I would ask all the armchair people to kind of let me do my job the member has put his question the minister of labour will answer thank you very much and you can see the passion in the member from Niagara Falls that's the passion he has brought I thank you for his representation for this community I want to give you I want to tell you what I've asked Lisa Ray in my letter to her on March the 6th I specifically have asked her to expand the scope of the wage under protection program beyond bankruptcies and receivership to include all situations when a company closes and fails to pay money owed to its workers in addition speaker I've asked the minister to review the cap on this program and give consideration extending secured credit status to workers who are owed by the nation and severance pay I will continue to address upon the federal minister that these changes be brought forward I ask other parties to call upon their colleagues as well all three parties so these changes can be made thank you very much thank you Mr. Speaker my question is to the minister who thinks he's responsible for the Pan Am Games what does an ink that's that's an example of the things I've been trying to ask us to avoid and that is the race to the bottom instead of the race to the top the member will identify the appropriate minister in the appropriate manner thank you speaker my question is to the minister responsible for Pan Am Games what does an English and philosophy degree contributing multiple thousand dollar donations to the liberal party getting a job from family friend Jean Cretien and volunteering in liberal election campaigns get you Paul Guinest it means a plum patronage appointment as deputy minister responsible for the Pan Am Secretary speaker he must be an excellent friend for sure this liberal love has landed him salary increases totaling 140 percent over the past three years he's making $361,000 on the public dime for a duplicated Pan Am structure minister are you running this file or is the file running you that's here so it's possible for the Pan Am Games speaker I want to thank the honourable member from Barrie for asking the question speaker our government does not set compensation schedule for the Pan Am game TO 2015 does speaker the compensation schedule and structure is well within the standard of the game like other games like other periods Pan Am games Commonwealth games Vancouver Olympic games it is well within the 15 percent threshold of the cost of staging the game seeker allow me to give you another example here seeker when Vancouver Winter Olympic game why smaller than our Pan Am game higher than certain people come game time and we are planned to hire 400 people come game time thank you speaker supplementary speaker and answer the question to be great there's never been a clear case of blatant nepotism in this secretary as deputy minister's appointment I've looked at the other secretary at management appointments to see if these heavy 140 percent increases raises are typical for this duplicate bureaucracy or if it's just something especially liberal about this deputy minister I found that these managers only received 18 percent increases over the same period of time but it gets better none of them had a history of personally pandering to the liberal party of Ontario for mr. I'm sure mr. jane has not performed 120 percent better than his peers even they will tell you that in brown envelopes to our office but so will the fact that there is no justification for this Pan Am duplicate bureaucracy minister do you think it's appropriate that a well established liberal partisan lead this duplicate bureaucracy good question thank you minister thank you speaker thank you much for the question I know the seriously the member opposite he attacks the people who's running the Pan Am game now they're attacking he's attacking the public servant who took out the Pan Am game speaker Toronto 2015 it's a non-profit corporation responsible for the planning organizing and staging of 2015 Pan Pan American game the Pan Pan American game secretary is responsible for providing to win so oversight of game preparation and coordination for win so services they are helping make sure our dollars are spanned efficiently and for maximum impact speaker answer the federal government create their own secretary to oversee their investment in this game speaker the Vancouver and London Olympics also have government secretary to oversee public investment in those games it is the normal thank you your question the member from London fanshop thank you speaker my question is to the premier premier folks in London see a real disconnect between the priorities of this government and their own priorities Londoners hear that this government spent $250 million to cancel a gas plant to help the Liberal party win an election they witness a staggering local unemployment rate of 9.6% more layoffs are expected to frontline workers in London hospitals leading to less service for people my question to the premier why are Londoners being shortchanged while this Liberal government wastes hundreds of millions of dollars to save a couple of seats minister of health long-term care I am very pleased to be able to talk about what is happening in our healthcare system right in London Ontario because it is an example of the significant improvements that are happening in our healthcare system this morning I have the opportunity of sending greetings to a conference of the CCAC the Southwest CCAC no sorry keep going the member from Hamilton East Tony Creek this is the last time the next one is a warning which follows something else and I also want to remind the minister of the environment he is not helping when he provokes Mr. Ville thanks to the investments that we have made in the community care and home care and thanks to the very excellent work that is being done in the community sector the ALC rate the alternate level of care rate at London health sciences centre has dropped an astonishing 71% we are transforming our healthcare system we are shifting resources to the community so I think the member opposite should have a visit and see what our investments are actually doing for people in her community supplementary speaker again to the premier Mr. Speaker over a quarter of a billion dollars was wasted to cancel this gas plant so the Liberals could keep a few seats and what the people in London hear about in terms of support from this government is the south western economic development fund is still not functioning despite the desperate needs for jobs in the region the London Catholic school board will cut 10% of teachers despite a 5% decline in enrollment my question is very simple why is this government ignoring Londoners while working for its own political gain well speaker I simply agree with the member opposite maybe she could look at what we've done for wait times when it comes to cataract surgery Saint Joseph's health centre cataract surgery is 384 days less than it was that's over a year for cataract surgeries we've seen a reduction of wait times for cancer surgery and we all know when people are waiting for cancer surgery that we want to make that wait time we've taken 32 days off that wait time we've reduced CT scan wait times by 56 days and MRI wait times by 135 days speaker these changes are happening because of the strategic investments that are being made in our healthcare system investments that benefit the people that the member opposite represents thank you new question the member from Branson west I have a real question for the wonderful minister responsible for the 2015 Pan Am Games people in my riding people in my riding of Branson west are excited about projects that are under way across the province in preparation for the upcoming games in 2015 I heard recently that the president of the Pan American sports organization visited Ontario as part of a four day tour that included a stop in Toronto's west downlands where the future athletes village will be located the athletes village and other Pan Am venues are certainly a wonderful opportunity to showcase Ontario speaker through you to the minister what else can the government tell us about the facility and the Pan American sports organization recent visit to Ontario thank you minister responsible for Pan Am Games thank you speaker I want to thank the member from Branson west for asking the question I think he's the member who understand and part Pan Am Games speaker I'm proud to call the past president who said last week that Ontario's game in 2015 will be the best ever during the games the athletic village will be home to about 10,000 athletes and team officials and once the games are concluded the village will become a new friendly community that will include 1,000 units for lower income families a new YMCA and George Brown College first student residence speaker this one menu alone is creating over 5,000 jobs for Ontario's economy speaker Ontario is proud to be hosting the games and delivering an exceptional experience for athletes and western stars thank you speaker thank you speaker back to the minister the games will attract as many as 250,000 visitors from all over the world who will stay in our hotels eat in our restaurants and shop in our stores the upcoming games have proven to be a catalyst for economic, social infrastructure and athletic development in Ontario and will leave a legacy of new and improved sport and recreation facilities for years to come speaker through you to the minister what else should we know both the upcoming 2015 Pan Am games and what other exciting news can I share with my constituents thank you minister again for the question it is to be called Ontario 1 the game bid that the federal government is investing 500 million in sport infrastructure to support our promise for that I want to say thank you speaking of infrastructure the CEO of TO 2015 recently on our debt it will be worth the investment saying that the games will stop the nation and so what we are capable of speaker I want to thank everyone who has been working so hard to bring the games to Ontario I'm also happy to inform that we now have 6 desire for the games official mascot submitted from kids across Canada and I encourage all the members to pick up a favorite member by voting on 9 next month May the 5th thank you my question is to the Premier Premier I rise today to address a very important matter the number of northern communities are facing retroactive assessment by the municipal property assessment corporation have threatened to bankrupt a number of our northern communities Fort Francis Espinola and the township of James have all been hit hard with reassessments that have come out of the blue despite significant pressure from these communities your government has remained silent Premier do you agree that these northern communities deserve an answer today on what you are doing to keep them from going bankrupt Minister of municipal affairs and housing Minister of municipal affairs and housing I want to thank the member for the question while I was at the Rome Ogre conference in February and certainly with meetings with AMO they have raised this issue with me and about the potential impacts on municipalities across the province certainly I understand as a former municipal councillor that the impact of any changes to property assessments on municipalities are certainly alarming and although I can't comment on any specific case that is before the assessment review review board I want to assure of municipalities about those assessment changes and my ministers with the Ministry of Finance to evaluate the issues surrounding the assessments of large industrial properties be they mills or other facilities certainly we recognize the importance of the economic viability of small municipalities especially in the north and our ministry is working closely with those municipalities thank you supplementary well again to the Premier with the issues of critical importance to northern communities Dryden, Espinola, Fort Francis the Township of James cannot afford the financial hit they're facing northern mayors are very frustrated with the process especially the retroactive nature of it they feel like they've been blindsided I spoke with Reeve Terry Facette from the Township of James and his frustration was clear after meeting with your minister of municipal affairs and housing writing letters to you the impact recalculation that threatens to bankrupt them the municipality is already forced to spend over a quarter of a million dollars in legal fees that cannot be recovered just to fight this Premier what do you expect these municipalities to do in response to impacts recalculation we recognize that there continues to be a need for an ongoing discussion with our partners particularly those who are experiencing challenging critical circumstances that is why the parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Finance and staff from my ministry municipal affairs and housing will be meeting with representatives from James, Espinola, Dryden, Fort Francis and other municipalities on Monday April 29th to discuss this pressing issue we're committed to that ongoing conversation and to working with the parties to ensure that all communities across this province are able to succeed and prosper thank you new question the member from Manitoula thank you Mr. Speaker my question is to the Premier small municipalities are facing dire situation as a result of the increasing cost of providing clean water and the disappearance of the Ontario Small Water Works Assistance Program Ontario has a network of safeguards and oversight measures to ensure that a tragedy like Walkerton will never happen again out of the Walkerton inquiry Justice O'Connor made recommendations for improving Ontario's drinking water and that these requirements has been shifted to the backs of taxpayers in smaller communities will the Liberal Government commit to finding solutions to help communities with a small user base provide clean water and affordable drinking water thank you Premier Minister of the Environment Mr. Steeke drinking water stop the clock drinking water as you know Minister I'm giving you a chance to talk Minister of the Environment the quality of water in the province is always important whether it's in Northern Ontario or Southern Ontario and I want to assure the member that the Ministry of the Environment and other ministries which have similar responsibilities are doing everything possible to ensure that the quality of drinking water is excellent in this province you will know for instance that yesterday the Premier of this province in fact the the Northern Ontario the marvelous work that was being done there by scientists some of them residing in Northern Ontario some of them from the province of Manitoba world-class operation that the Premier announced yesterday that instead of having that operation closed the Ontario Government was intervening to ensure that that operation would continue and that we would continue to have the experiments to keep the quality of our water the very highest my question again is to the Premier my focus is on small communities small communities across the province face unique challenges with the financial sustainability and affordability of their drinking water system but the last wave of OSWAP applications ended in February 2012 this funding is dependent upon by small municipalities to help alleviate the cost of public drinking water systems the community members of the SAGINAC on Manitoulin Island have been notified of a 41% increase in water rates for the coming year and the township of the North Shore have been facing similar problems for the past 10 years will the government commit to continuing OSWAP funding so that all Ontarians even those in small rural communities have equal affordable access to clean drinking water Minister of Infrastructure Minister of Infrastructure Thank you Mr. Speaker I want to thank the member for raising that we have a number of programs through infrastructure Ontario including a loan program as well as the MEEI program which is 90 million dollars to help municipalities with very small tax bases on basic infrastructure I am quite happy Mr. Speaker to work with the minister of the environment and the member opposite to try and find some funding this is funding for urgent critical issues we can appreciate the concern of communities that need access to drinking water and when they don't have the infrastructure that's sufficient I will make a commitment to meet with the member right away Mr. Speaker and work with him to solve this problem Thank you Mr. Speaker Thank you very much Mr. Speaker I have a point of order I want to correct my record I said that 15 of 17 gas plants were cited since 2003 it's actually 17 of 19 that have been cited Minister of community safety corrections on a point of order Mr. Speaker with your indulgence I would like to introduce a constituent of mine Diane Carney who is here today and she's the mother of Sofia Carney who was a co-captain today Thank you Mr. Speaker with your indulgence as well I'd like to introduce a mentor a great friend and a very respected individual Bud Wildman the prior MPP Another member steals my thunder but thank you we do welcome and I will acknowledge again the member from Davenport Thank you Mr. Speaker I'd like to welcome to the Legislature Ligia Nobrega she's the president of the Cultural Association for April 25th we're commemorating the Carnation Revolution in Portugal she's joined by Carlos Magandino and our special guest from Portugal Thank you Thank you very much Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker I rise on a point of order pursuant to standing order 99 with respect to written questions on the order paper I beg leave to inform the Speaker that the Minister of Agriculture and Food is in breach of the order and has not answered the following order paper question question number three which was filed on February the 27th 2013 the question asked the minister to provide a breakdown of advertising done by the ministry over the last four years and not received the cost of any of the advertising not even the total amount for four years Mr. Speaker I ask you to direct the Minister of Agriculture Member Member you've made your point and I was standing I would ask members to hang on for just a moment because there is a special announcement I have to make after this now one moment please I'll I've checked with the clerk's table and my understanding is questions one through six have been answered ladies to all excuse me to all honourable members I need to announce that this is the last day for our pages I would like us to show our deep appreciation for this wonderful group of people to for votes this House stands adjourned pardon oh sorry yes I did want to say one more thing because somebody did I will get that in a moment somebody did step on it but the Speaker does usually announce when former members are here so Mr. Bud Wildman from Algoma for the 31st to the 36th Parliament we thank the member he's in the west gallery the member from London Fanshawe on a point of order thank you Speaker I'd like to correct my record in my question I said that the cost was 250 million and the correct cost is 275 million the member from Essex on a point of order Mr. Speaker yesterday my member I spoke about 10 year old Kate Blair who is encouraging people to sign up for organ donations I stated that today he's registered 243 people in fact it is 403 people which is an enormous thing there are no deferred votes this House stands adjourned so 1pm this afternoon