 No further introductions. It's therefore time for Question Period, the member from Elgin, Middlesex, London. Thank you very much, Speaker. Speaker, my questions to the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. Speaker, Victoria Vignu posted a moving video this week about her struggle. She has cystic fibrosis in Victoria Needs or Cambie. Mr. Speaker, why won't this government fund the medicine Victoria needs? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And of course, we empathize with those patients with cystic fibrosis, and we know that they and their families certainly struggle with the debilitating effects of this disease, and we know that they hope that each new drug that may be available could be promising for their particular case. So we certainly empathize with these families and these individuals, and we are committed to finding solutions. But of course, we have taken the politics out of drug funding. We rely on experts to determine which drugs are funded, and we rely on the best medical evidence available. So as with all new drugs, we need to know how it will provide patients with better health outcomes. We need to study potential side effects that could be harmful. And we therefore rely on experts and on the best medical advice available to determine which drugs are funded. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Supplementary. Mr. Speaker, thank you back to the Minister. Victoria said the Premier won't take a meeting. She has also said the Premier won't take a call. She has also said the Premier won't even answer her emails. Unbelievable. Mr. Speaker, why is the Premier ignoring Victoria and the life-saving medication she needs? Why, Mr. Minister? Well, as I have said, Mr. Speaker, we have taken the politics out of this particular area when we're dealing with new drugs and their potential to help Ontarians. So we do know that Orkambi will be reviewed again under the National Common Drug Review Process in the coming months. I've been assured that this will happen in July to see if the experts find enough evidence of clinical effectiveness to recommend it for public funding. And so in the meantime, we will continue to provide the care that individuals need to provide cystic fibrosis patients with the current best available treatments because we know that that kind of care has been shown to improve their condition and their quality of life. So as I have said, all drugs go through a Pan-Canadian Expert Committee, which undertakes a thorough evaluation based on the best available evidence. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Final supplementary? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Pan-Canadian Review Committee has dropped the ball and has created such a bureaucratic process that kids cannot access the medications. They need life-saving medications. Mr. Speaker, back to the Minister. Why is the Premier letting Victoria suffer and fight for every breath she takes? As Jerry Agar has said today, is the Premier okay with letting Victoria die? I would like to emphasize that we care for all Ontarians and provide the best available health care in this province. The fact of the matter is the Canadian Drug Expert Committee did review Orkambi in 2016 for patients aged 12 years and older. And the review raised concerns about Orkambi's lack of clinical effectiveness so the drug was not recommended for public funding. We know countries such as England, Scotland and Australia also do not provide public coverage for this drug. The manufacturer was encouraged to resubmit Orkambi to the common drug review if they had new evidence of clinical effectiveness. And we know that they did make a resubmission to the CDR in February and the Canadian Drug Expert Committee will be reviewing it again in July. We're constantly working to fund more evidence-based medicines. And so we have, through the years included, as an example, Kaleidiko, a life-saving cystic fibrosis drug. This was an example where we took the politics out of this process and approved a drug. Thank you. New question to the member from the Dublin Caledon. Thank you. Premier, both the Auditor General and the Financial Accountability Officer have released reports in the past weeks showing the Liberal government has misrepresented the true state of the province's finances. And they aren't quibbling over pennies. The Financial Accountability Officer... Excuse me. I'm going to ask the member to really kind of guard her words on what she's saying. And she was borderline, unparliamentary. And if it comes again, I'm going to ask her to withdraw. And we aren't quibbling over pennies, Speaker. The Financial Accountability Officer is reporting the 2018 deficit to be more than $12 billion. That's twice what the Finance Minister is projecting. The Liberal government has called this an accounting dispute. I believe the Auditor and the Financial Accountability Officer, when will the government come clean and amend their deficit forecast for 2018? Good question. Thank you. After you, Premier. Speaker, the Minister of Finance. Minister of Finance. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the question. I also appreciate the work done by the FEO and the Auditor General. They both reaffirm that we have taken a very cautious and reasonable approach in our assumptions going forward. The FEO has reinforced and reinforced that some of the progressive measures that we put on will have a profound positive impact on our society as well. The Auditor General has cited two issues, and the FEO has assumed them in his estimates going forward. Both of these two issues, which are the pension assets that are jointly sponsored by the government, as well as the Fair Hydro Plan that enables us to reduce rates by 25 percent on the rate payer base, are being disputed by the Auditor and professional accountants, both internally and externally. We recognize that dispute, but we're not going to weigh into it. What we're going to do is continue to foster investments that grow our economy and support the people of Ontario. Thank you. Supplementary. What is the point of having an Auditor General and a financial accountability officer if you don't listen to them? When the Liberal government, Ontario's debt was $139 billion. In less than 15 years, we've watched Ontario's debt balloon to over $300 billion. If we stay on the Liberal path of deficit spending, Ontario's debt to GDP already at 40 percent will exceed 45 percent. It's twice Bob Ray's legacy. Again, I ask the Minister, will you finally admit that the Auditor General and the Financial Accountability Officer are right and amend your financial numbers to reflect this year's deficit will be over $12 billion? Thank you. I'd like the member from Guelph to relax. Minister of Finance. I'm a speaker. The member opposite is now disputing the integrity of our civil service and professional accounts internally that have signed off on these measures. The member is now also disputing the chair of the Canadian Standards on Accounting Principles that has also provided an opinion on the matter, saying that the very pension assets that the Auditor is now disputing is the very same assets that she audited and approved only years ago and happened for the past 20 years, even when the Conservatives were in power. Furthermore, the issues around the Fair Hydro Plan, around regulated accounting, is in fact permissible even today in this government in other areas, as well as other parts of Canada and the United States. So we have taken their advice. We've made a policy decision to provide supports for the people of Ontario, and we've been very open and disclosed. In fact, investors around the world are investing in these very measures. OPG, which cites that debt very clearly on their books, is has a clean audit and it's approved by our Auditor as well. Thank you. Nothing is hidden. We're just proceeding as necessary. Thank you. Final supplementary. Spin it all you want, Minister. The financial accountability officer and the Auditor General don't believe you, and neither do we. The FAO report said that the government's spending plan will add $70 billion to the province's net debt, increasing it to almost $400 billion in 2021. Unbelievable. FAO Chief Economist David West said at a basic level that government's current spending levels are unsustainable, unsustainable. But that's not the only word people have used to describe the books. Deterioration, dangerous precedence, unlikely assumptions, unreliable, distorted, bogus. That's just a small selection of the words used. That is your legacy. Do the right thing. Update your deficit numbers to reflect the $12 billion deficit. Thank you, Minister. Here's our legacy, Mr. Speaker. We lead Canada, Europe, the United States, and the economic road. We've balanced the budget. We have a $600 million surplus, the lowest unemployment in two decades. We have the top destination foreign direct investment, and Canada's doing well. And our public accounts, which is the actual results of the year, have proven that we've balanced the budget and have a surplus, Mr. Speaker. And DBRS, I know you have affirmed our AA rating. And DBRS says it's stable, Mr. Speaker. And the FAO has made projections every year. And each time this government exceeded targets, and we are now doing better than we've ever done, and we're continuing to make more affordable for the people of Ontario. Here, here. Can you see it, please? Can you see it, please? Okay. The member from Central Gray and the president of the Treasury Board are warned. I know. Thank you. New question? The member from Toronto Gantt Court. Thank you, Speaker. My question to the acting premier. The Ontario government used to fund 50% of transit net operating costs in a successful funding formula that ensured high-quality service. This funding was cut by the conservatives and it stayed cut under the Liberals. Municipalities and transit advocates, like TTC riders, have repeatedly asked for this funding to be restored. Why has the premier repeatedly refused? Thank you. Speaker, Minister of Economic Development and growth on behalf of Minister of Transportation. Thanks very much, Speaker. I thank the member for his question. I know he and others in the NDP caucus have raised this a number of times over the last couple of years. But they failed to comprehend in the way they asked their question, Speaker, is though that this government is investing more in public transit infrastructure in the City of Toronto and across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area and in every community across Ontario that has public transit, more so than any other government in Ontario history, Speaker. And in fact, just a number of months ago, we started to double the amount of gas tax money that the communities that are supporting public transit themselves locally receive, Speaker, over the next couple of years that gas tax funding to specifically support expanding public transit and support public transit service in those communities will double, Speaker. This is a significant step forward with respect to supporting those communities in their transit needs while at the same time, Speaker, we continue to invest in the infrastructure and I'll be delighted to provide more details on that in the follow-up answers. Thank you. Supplementary. Well, you think, Speaker, from that response that everything has dealt with. But in fact, subways in Toronto are filled to crush capacity. Bus routes have been cut and service on remaining routes keeps getting less frequent and reliable. Meanwhile, fares are going up while services are getting to be worse. No wonder so many people think that their only option is the car. But the Premier has the ability to change this. She can restore the province's traditional 50% funding for net transit operating costs and improve service not in 10 or 20 years, but today. Why won't she? Well, Speaker, as I as I mentioned in my my initial answer to the to the first question that came from the NDP caucus on this, here are just some of the things that our government's invested in, specifically in the 416, specifically in Toronto as it relates to public transit. So for example, $3.7 billion for Go Regional Express Rail here in Toronto alone, which will help to support and enable smart track $5.3 billion to build the Eglinton Crosstown LRT single largest public transit project in Ontario history, almost $2 billion to continue to expand rapid transit in wonderful Scarborough Speaker, $974 million from the Move Ontario Trust for the Toronto York Spadina Subway Extension, which opened in Vaughan last December Speaker, $456 million to build out the Union Pearson Express and specifically to the gas tax funding I alluded to earlier, $2.1 billion since 2004 for the City of Toronto alone to help support transit operation Speaker. And I look forward to talking about more of the good news we've delivered to the people of Toronto for transit in the final answer. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Final supplementary. Thank you Speaker and again to the Acting Premier. That answer is why people are so cynical about public transit. The Premier will run publicly funded ads boasting about how much he cares about transit riders. But on the buses, on the subways and on the streetcars, transit riders know the truth. Services gotten worse while fares have become more expensive. The Premier can change this. She can restore public confidence in transit. She can improve transit service today. She can restore provincial funding for transit operations as the NDP has committed. Why won't she? Minister? And Speaker, I mentioned a second ago that there's more. So, for example, here in the city of Toronto, our government investing $416 million to support the purchase of brand new streetcars. Starting in early 2019, Speaker, all go transit trips within Toronto specifically will only cost presto card users $3 per trip, Speaker, which means for the very people the member from Toronto, Danforth, pretends to represent and speak for, we're making their transit more affordable. That's what our government's doing, Speaker. And just this morning, just this morning, maybe the member didn't know this, the Premier and the Minister of Transportation joined with Meritory and others to sign an MOU to commit provincial funding to the downtown relief line to the Young North subway extension to more transit in Scarborough, Speaker, to the water from all your busy talkers. You see it, please? You see it, please? Thank you. Start the talk. New question. The member from London Fanshop. This is the acting Premier. The NDP hears frequently from Ontario families who are concerned about long-term care. Even frontline healthcare workers have also been sounding alarm bells. They work hard every day to take care of residents, but when you're short staffed, you just can't do it all. We learned today that the families of two patients have filed class action claims against two private for-profit long-term care providers. The claims are horrendous. Bed sores so deep that bone was exposed. Maygets crawling inside untreated skin wounds. How is it possible that such things are happening to our seniors in Ontario? Minister of Health and Long-term Care. Minister of Health, Long-term Care. Well, thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And I want to ensure the families and individuals living in long-term care facilities that I, as the Minister of Health and Long-term Care, our government takes the responsibility to ensure residents in each and every long-term care home are safe and that they're living securely with dignity and getting the type of care that they deserve. Clearly, I cannot comment on the issues of various legal matters. There are cases before the courts, but our government, I think, has demonstrated our commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being through a very rigorous inspection system and regulatory framework that we are continuously working to improve. Currently, as I'm sure every member knows, we have a very strong inspection system. Thank you, Mr. National. Please, supplement. Speaker, this is not a one-off scenario. These problems are pervasive, said the lawyer, leading both lawsuits. We are alleging that there is a systemic negligence going on, that there is failure to deliver the kind of care that has been promised, she said. Systemic negligence. Just imagine how it must feel for an Ontario family to entrust their elderly mothers, fathers, or grandparents to long-term care system with such pervasive problems. Why has the Premier and this Liberal government stubbornly refused to conduct a full commission of inquiry into long-term care as the NDP has repeatedly proposed? Thank you. Mr. Speaker, we have increased our oversight through the strengthening quality and accountability for Patients Act. It was passed last December to ensure all operators are addressing concerns promptly. This includes new enforcement tools, surprise inspections. There are financial penalties that we've introduced and even provincial offences for operators who repeatedly do not comply with the requirements of the Act. We've also introduced a website. It's very easily accessible. I've certainly consulted it myself, where you can look up on each and every home here in Ontario. Each long-term care home, their performance, results of inspections, and so families and individuals can ensure themselves of the safety that they will receive from a particular home. I will have more to say in the supplementary. Thank you. Final supplementary. We also learned today that an 88-year-old Hamilton mother who was badly injured at her long-term care home, and there is speculation it may have been as a result of an assault. Her daughter found her with a black eye and later a goose egg on her forehead and bruises down her body. The daughter said, if a child had those injuries, something would be done immediately. But because people in those nursing homes are old, no one fights for their protection. That was her quote. When will this government protect seniors and conduct a full commission of inquiry into long-term care so we can find and fix the problems in long-term care and look after our seniors? Thank you. Minister? Mr. Speaker, we have every confidence that we have an inspection system that is working well, that is working to improve our system, work with operators across the province. But we know that there is more to do because as our population is aging and living with even more complex conditions, the needs are increasingly complex. And so this is why in our 2018 budget we are investing $300 million over three years to increase staffing in long-term care homes. This means that every long-term care home, all 628 in this province, will benefit from an additional registered nurse. It will ensure that every home in the province has staff with specialized training in behavioral supports for residents with cognitive impairments. It means an additional 15 million hours of nursing, personal support, and therapeutic care for our loved ones living in long-term care. We will continue with our program ensuring our seniors are living in safety and security in long-term care homes in this province. Thank you. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, a question to the member for Renfrew Nipisi. Thank you very much, Speaker. My question is to the acting premier. Speaker, the Liberals disastrous energy policy has forced many Ontarians to make a choice between heating and eating. Skyrocketing energy bills have put them in a most precarious position. The Liberals answer was to ban winter disconnections, which amounts to no more than a stay of execution. But winter is over, Speaker, and we find that thousands are now facing disconnections this spring. If hundreds of struggling families in Sudbury and thousands across Ontario couldn't afford to pay their hydrobills in the winter, what makes the government think they will be able to pay the bill plus the arrears in the spring? What is the acting premier saying to those families now that the wolf is at the door? Thank you very much, Speaker. Speaker, last winter, as you know, our government passed legislation that granted the province's independent energy regulator the power to end all winter disconnections and protect Ontarians because no one, Speaker, should ever be put at risk of disconnection in the winter. Our priority is to make sure families and businesses have access to clean, reliable and affordable electricity. Speaker, while the ban of winter disconnections ended on April the 30th, there are a number of government programs designed to help reduce the cost of electricity bills for vulnerable consumers. We encourage all customers to contact the local utility about qualifying for programs that are in place to help. For example, Speaker, our government expanded the electricity support programs such as the Ontario electricity support program and the rural and remote rate protection plan, which provides support to low-income customers and those customers with the highest delivery rates. These customers, Speaker, are seeing savings of over 40 to 50 percent of their electricity bills. Speaker, these are important programs that are available in addition to 45 percent off of a free hydro plant. Supplementary. Speaker, it is the disastrous energy policies of this government that led to the skyrocketing hydro prices and the skyrocketing number of people that were subject to winter disconnections in the first place. They had to act because of their mistakes in the energy policy. Signing exorbitant contracts under the Green Energy Act with liberal friends that the auditor general herself said were far in excess of the market value for electricity. Why would the liberals now suggest that someone who cannot pay their bill in January can pay it in May, including re-rears? Speaker, won't the acting and Premier simply admit that their energies have been a disaster in this problem, in this province, and that their government is not fit for re-election. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Acting premier. Speaker, we have worked extremely hard to develop an electoral system that is clean, accessible, and reliable. Speaker, and Ontarians should be very proud that in our province we do not burn dirty coal to produce electricity like the way conservatives used to do and actually ran again and again to continue to burn dirty coal. Speaker, that is bad for our health. It's bad for our environment. Speaker, we have taken steps to ensure that our electoral system is clean. But, Speaker, we have not stopped there. We have also ensured that there is a 25% reduction in all electricity bills across the province. What was the response of the conservatives? They voted against that program when we introduced programs like Ontario Electricity Program. They voted against that program as well, Speaker. Thank you. I'll let that one go. New question. The member from Nickel Belt. Merci Monsieur Prisda. My question will be for the Minister of Children and Youth. Minister, my office has been approached by many parents including Mrs. Julia Ritchie and her little girl, June. June was diagnosed with severe autism in October of 2017 when she was 30 months old. She has been on the waitlist for treatment since that date. The family was originally told that it would take about six months. Well, the six months have come and gone and they are now facing a 2.5 to 3 year long waitlist. Can the Minister explain where children with autism in Sudbury and Nickel Belt can find the faster, more effective autism services this government promised over two years ago? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I'd like to thank the member for the question. The member knows that this government has invested more money into autism services than any government in this country. In fact, Mr. Speaker, I would say that we've invested more resources than any government in North America. In fact, Mr. Speaker, we know that our contribution to autism is actually creating more space. 16,000 more spaces will be created in Ontario over the next few years and we are seeing change. I went to the opening of Erin Oaks and I spoke to parents specifically about the changes that are taking place. And I met a young family there, the young girl who got into a program a year ago and was nonverbal. And because of the program, now she is speaking. We're seeing the changes on the ground. Mr. Speaker, it's the NDP that has said that they would rip up the entire program if they were put into position of power. Speaker, we don't see on the ground any evidence of those investment in Nickel Belt or Sudbury. The kids are still waiting a very long time. Mrs. Richie could not wait the 18 months for an assessment. So the family paid privately in the home in the hope that June would be seen faster. The child and community resource in Sudbury is presently admitting children into treatment that were put on the waitlist in October of 2015. This is more than two and a half years ago. This is a lifetime for the 800 children on the waitlist in Sudbury. Can the minister explain what action he will take so that Little June and the 800 other kids on the waitlist get the treatment that they need in a timely fashion? Mr. Speaker, if the member opposite wants to see evidence he just needs to go and talk to the people of Ontario. We've gone right across the province. We've held town halls. We've spoken to people. It's the NDP that says they'll do two things. Number one, they'll rip the program apart and start new, which is a shame because parents like where we're at today. The other thing the NDP is committed to doing is not supporting direct funding. We have made a significant change in the sense that for the first time in the history of Ontario direct funding will be applied to parents so they can have the choice. It's about building confidence and choice in the system. And not to mention the conservatives. We know where their leader stands because he doesn't believe the kids should be sitting be living on the streets with them. Thank you, Speaker. And my question is for the Minister of Environment and Climate Change. Speaker, back in 2003 our urban communities were sprawling at a dangerous rate. Every year tens of thousands of acres of farmland, wildland and wetlands, including ravines and rivers were being encroached by new development. Ontario's were rightfully concerned for economic and environmental reasons. The great majority of people including residents from my riding of Davenport agree that to keep our communities livable we cannot pave over every square inch of farmland and wetlands in Ontario. That's why we promised them we would take action. And we did. Speaker, can the Minister please explain to the House how we are taking further action to protect the green belt? Thank you. Minister of the Environment and Climate Change. Well, thank you, Speaker. And thank you to the member from Davenport for that very important question. You know, as the Premier said yesterday, Speaker, we're committed to expanding the green belt to protect even more of our natural environment from development. Speaker, we're expanding and protecting the green belt so our kids and grandkids never have to worry about being able to enjoy or access nature. You know, Speaker, meanwhile, Doug Ford, he made a private deal to develop the green belt to help rich developers get even richer. Doug Ford has confessed on tape to having already talked to some of the biggest developers in the country and offered to give them green belt lands. Now Doug Ford and the PCs are backing away from that decision, but you know, they can't be trusted to protect our green belt lands, Mr. Speaker. We can't take a chance, Speaker. Once the green belt is gone, the green belt is gone. Speaker, our government created the green belt to ensure that Ontario has protected green land and clean drinking water for generations to come, we're committed to protecting it. Thank you, Speaker, and I want to thank the minister for that answer. Speaker, our government created the largest permanent green belt anywhere in the world that protects nearly 2 million acres of valuable land and water. And last year, we expanded the green belt. We protected an additional 10,000 hectares. That's equivalent of almost 20,000 new football fields that has been protected. And residents from across Davenport sent me emails to thank our Premier and thank our government for this. Our new expansion includes 21 new urban river valleys and wetlands that connect to Lake Ontario. We've also extended green belt-like protections for natural heritage, water and agriculture to the entire greater golden horseshoe area. This further ensures that sensitive lands are protected for generations to come without constraining development. Meanwhile, Doug Ford and the PCs have flip-flopped on the issue, proving they're willing to say anything to get elected. Question? Speaker, can the minister please explain to the House how we're continuing to protect the green belt for the people of Ontario? Thank you. Madam, sir. Good question. Well, thank you, Speaker. And thank you again to the member from Davenport for another very important question. Speaker, it's clear than ever that Doug Ford cannot be trusted to protect the green belt or the environment. If his secret deal with developers hadn't been exposed, does anyone believe he would have backed off? It makes you wonder, Speaker. What other promises have been made in private? To whom? And in exchange for what? Paving the green belt, selling cannabis in corner stores, ending rent control. These are the promises that Doug Ford makes when he thinks voters aren't around to hear him. That's the real Doug Ford, Speaker. He's not backing down. He's backing off. But if he gets elected, watch out. We know who Doug Ford is and we know who he will stand up for. And, Speaker, it is not the little guy. I'm sure you are. New question. The member from Halliburton, Crackle, L.A. Scott. One out of every eight Canadian women is being diagnosed with breast cancer and 30 percent of all breast cancers become metastatic. Luckily, there are treatments available that help to keep the disease under control and help these women live better, longer lives. Unfortunately, negotiations to get these medications covered by our health care system can go on for over a year without any updates. Patients in desperate need of these drugs are being left in the dark waiting. The cancer does not wait, Mr. Speaker. Last year, the ministry said that an announcement to make the process more accountable to patients would be forthcoming. When can we finally expect the announcement from this minister? Thank you, Minister. Health long term care. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And certainly we know that there is great progress made in the treatment of breast cancer and our government has obviously been very active in this particular area with the Ontario breast screening program and obviously new and enhanced treatments for patients. In terms of cancer drugs in general, I would remind the member opposite that we have an evidence based system here in Ontario. We believe that clearly we need medical expertise in terms of effectiveness, side effects and of course we're part of a national program as well to analyse new and emerging treatments and drugs. And so we take this responsibility very seriously. We have taken the politics out of these decisions and we will continue to do so. We believe in obviously ensuring that we do a thorough analysis and we make our choices based on evidence. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Supplementary. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Back to the minister In similar jurisdictions we see more transparency and more timely benchmarks in the negotiation process which helps government prepare recommendations to pharmaceutical companies. For example, if the price of a drug is too high or it doesn't meet certain conditions the negotiators know what needs to change and they get back to the table quickly. Last October I tabled a petition launched by Rethink Breast Cancer that has since received over 10,000 signatures calling on Ontario to take the lead in fixing this process. So once again my question to the minister on behalf of the signatories the Breast Cancer patients and their families is what have you done to make the negotiation process accountable and when are you going to put proper deadlines in place so that Ontario cancer patients get the treatments that they need. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. And as I've said several times in this house we will continue to analyze data. We will obviously encourage all the experts that are involved in the processes whether at the national level or here in Ontario to do their work in an expeditious fashion when it comes to negotiations obviously we will be part of the national system in terms of bulk purchasing which will have the potential obviously to drive costs down. We're on top of the situation Mr. Speaker. We are working very, very hard in this regard and I think overall the member opposite and I share the need to move as fast as we can and in the best interests of Ontarians. We're working all the time in the public interest Mr. Speaker. Thank you. New question to members from Toronto Danforth. Thank you, Speaker. Speaker, my question to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change Dufferin aggregates is applying to expand a permit to take water in the Waverly uplands. This is a critical groundwater recharge area for the Alliston aquifer. The application is for a huge expansion of the area and depth of excavation. Local residents including the local First Nations are opposed to this in the vicinity of what would have been the area of Site 41 an exceptional source of groundwater that was the site of an extensive and ultimately successful fight to protect some of the cleanest groundwater anywhere in Canada. What steps will you take minister to protect this exceptionally clean groundwater? Well, thank you Speaker and thank you to the member opposite for what is a very important question. You know, when it comes to protecting the environment and protecting our groundwater sources we do take that exceptionally serious. Our job, our primary job Speaker is to protect the environment and protect human health. I know that any time an application comes before my ministry to expand or a change in the terms of use whether it be landfill or aggregates or virtually anything else there is a very rigorous process that our ministry puts the applicant through. We first set a very rigorous terms of reference and then we ensure when the applicant comes back that they have met the terms of reference in terms of the information that they have provided us. So Speaker when it comes to this particular project you can be assured that our ministry is carefully reviewing all of the information that it's been provided and we will make sure that the health of the environment the health of humans is protected. Speaker again to the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change the fight to protect groundwater seems to be never ending in Ontario. No sooner are we done with one fight as we were with the mega quarry at Melanchthon than we're confronted with another. Ontario needs a comprehensive groundwater strategy that will protect our groundwater now and for a long time to come. Will the minister put this application on hold until the people of this province have a chance to comprehensively address the whole question of protecting our precious groundwater. Thank you Minister. Well thank you Speaker and again a good follow-up to the question you know Speaker it touches on a couple of things you know we know we know that there is there is real public concern about the taking of groundwater for bottling purposes for example and with that in mind our government put in a moratorium we put a pause on new permits on expanding the amount of water being taken from groundwater sources. We also increased the fee to those companies that were taking groundwater for bottling purposes and with that funding Speaker we've been engaged in doing some real science so that we can make science-based decisions moving forward when it comes to when it comes to groundwater sources you know but I want to touch Speaker for a second I want to touch for a second about groundwater sources because where I come from Speaker in my writing where I come from in my writing we sit right on top the Oak Ridge is Moraine Speaker which is part of the green belt you may have heard me speak about that in the house just a few minutes ago the Oak Ridge is Serene the Oak Ridge is Moraine is the rain barrel of multiple water sources feeding Southern Ontario so I've grown up very concerned about this Thank you Your question member from Beaches East York Well thank you Speaker my question is to the Minister of Research Innovation and Science Now we all know that climate change is a real threat and it's a problem that must be tackled now. And that is why our government has made fighting climate change a priority with our cap and trade program that puts a price on carbon and through the nearly two billion we raise annually we have helped build the fastest growing clean sec tech sector in Canada if not North America with 18.8 billion in revenue 5,000 companies and 130,000 employees in fact since 2003 our government has committed over 740 million to more than 1,600 research and commercialization projects and I understand that clean tech and Ontario is a diverse sector that includes energy infrastructure non-carbon question and storage so Speaker will the Minister inform the members of this House how these investments have contributed to creating an innovative clean tech sector Thank you Minister of Research Innovation and Science Thank you Mr. Speaker and I want to thank the member from East York Beaches for his advocacy on science and technology Mr. Speaker on May the 2nd I was pleased to speak about the successful recipients of Ontario's low-carbon innovation fund through the technology demonstration stream we are supporting 10 projects one of which uses artificial intelligence to manage energy storage systems in high-rise buildings we are also supporting 12 projects through the technology validation stream including a project to increase wind turbine efficiency and the project that will help absorb atmospheric greenhouse gases Mr. Speaker I am very pleased to speak about our government's investments and the work of our researchers, entrepreneurs and the companies in their efforts to create cleaner Ontario Thank you Mr. Speaker Well thank you Speaker thanks to the minister as a doctoral fellow in physics this is ideally the right person to be reading leading these programs now it is remarkable to see this government's investments that are helping drive fantastic ideas into game-changing technologies that will improve the quality of life for every Ontario now we know the PCE party as part of their flypoint strategy they call this corporate welfare and these all these programs will be cut speaker but we know that these investments are part of Ontario's comprehensive climate change action plan a plan that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 15 percent below 1990 levels by the year 2020 and right in front of our own eyes we are watching Ontario's clean tech companies invent innovative ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change they are leaders in creating jobs and focused on creating a whole clean tech sector part of our carbon-free future speaker question so minister speaker through you to the minister what is our government doing to ensure the successful clean tech companies have the ability to grow and meet global demand for innovative technologies minister thank you Mr Speaker and I thank you again to the member for that very good question Mr Speaker on Tuesday I was excited to announce that Ontario will invest 20 million dollars in the innovation growth fund managed by Yelton partners and a 35 million dollar investments commitments to emerald technology ventures these investments Mr Speaker are through the Ontario Capital Growth Corporation which is the venture capital agency of the government of Ontario these funds Mr Speaker will help take firms get the capital they need to grow their businesses and create good jobs in the province of Ontario and to make Ontario companies clean tech leaders they will create jobs and to foster a safer environment for our people Mr Speaker fighting climate change and the saving the green belt are not just priorities this is our duty Mr Speaker to protect our people and our land thank you thank you no question to the member Mel to the minister on that thank you Mr Speaker speaker my questions to the minister health and long-term care Speaker special needs services medically complex children and their families are in a state of chaos the Ontario special needs strategy calls for the shifting of these services from one ministry to another which has created additional red tape putting at risk hundreds of Ontario families that will not be able to access the care they need this will completely destabilize the way services are provided in fact this decision was so rushed the government received 325 questions from providers about how this is going to unfold my question is the minister why did the government decide to do this without consulting with providers and parents or taking the time to necessarily think through the implications of this decision to move the services to another ministry good question good question minister health long-term care well thank you Mr Speaker and we're certainly very proud of our special needs strategy it was initiated obviously by members of our government and we there was a full and very detailed consultation in terms of looking at the needs of children with these complex medical conditions I know in my own writing of Oak Ridge is Markham that we're serviced by the Simcoe York Children's Treatment Center they do exceptional work but there certainly is a feeling that some coordination with the ministry of health is necessary in a number of different ways in terms of the implementation of the strategy this is a process that is ongoing there has been considerable recent conversations with home care Ontario on this subject and I'll have more to say in the supplementary good thank you thank you thank you Mr Speaker back to the minister Speaker existing electronic communications and referral systems that are crucial to service delivery are being scrapped with the promise of recreating other systems from scratch therefore in the meantime the bureaucrats are going to revert to faxes paper-based records and manual data entry in the interim this will take away time from frontline service providers who have to deliver the service to special needs children and will impact the quality of care Speaker will the minister postpone this process until the necessary planning and consultation has taken place do the honorable thing minister minister minister minister minister minister minister of children and youth services thank you very much Mr Speaker we as a government recognize that families caring for children with and youth with special needs face unique challenges as a government Mr Speaker we're determined to make sure that we can provide the support they need so they can participate at home at school and in the community and that's why in our 2018 budget Mr Speaker which I hope the opposition will be supporting we announced over 250 million in funding to support children with special needs in our schools Mr Speaker we're a government that believes that we need to invest into young people because there are best our most valuable resources as a society we need to make sure that they have the skills and the ability to go forward and live productive lives unlike the conservatives when they're in power where they cut 22 percent for anyone with any form of disability it's shameful and I and they and they need to take their share of strategy thank you and ask the member from Whitby Oshawa to come to order thank you no question the member from Tim and James Bay Mr. Siebel Kuhn Mr. Schindberg he's not thank you Mr. Speaker my question is to the minister of health in long-term care someone we all know very well Claire Siebel Siebel she had to have a second a knee surgery in the month of March when it comes to the services that she was offered at home when she would turn home she decided for a second surgery that she decided that the services were in place in order for her to become to stay at home but what's the problem here is not only that she wasn't offered the services that she needed here this is a quote from the local Lynn no there are too many files and too many people are being offered services currently this is absolutely unacceptable thank you very much Mr. Speaker and certainly our home care services are some that we're very proud of we intend to make them as seamless as possible in transition post-surgery to the home and this has been a subject of a great deal of study by individual lins to ensure that the service is available on discharge and that it's appropriate for the needs of the actual patient and of course this is why in our 2018 budget we're investing some 650 million dollars in home care over the next three years 230 million dollars in this year alone and very and a lot of this funding is going to go for more personal support so we're funding some additional 1400 full-time positions there will be more nursing visits more therapy visits and overall we know there's more work to do and we are doing it thank you Mr. Speaker in supplementary Madam Minister it's been your government's been in place for the last 15 years and then when people call the local linn they're being told that there are too many services that's not an improvement to the service that's doing less with less so the question that I'm asking you here today is this acceptable that someone such as Madam Shabu returns home and she doesn't have the services necessary and that she can't be safe in her home instead of having her being a hospital context much Mr. Speaker since we've been in power in the last 15 years we have more than doubled funding for home care and so of course we take this particular area very very seriously we know people are living longer which is a good thing sometimes with more complex conditions we are dedicated to ensuring people have the appropriate care in their homes and we are taking a multifaceted approach I would say a very comprehensive approach we know there's a need for more personal support workers across this province so we're working with our colleges in terms of the training and making it an entry-level position that will expand further in the future in their career path we're increasing the training for PSWs we're making more of them available we will continue to work in this regard Mr. Speaker and we'll work with our lins to ensure that the appropriate supports are there thank you Mr. Speaker thank you your question the member thank you Mr. Speaker thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the Minister of Transportation priority to invest in a wide range of transit and transportation options and of course I know that first hand because one of the most the newest rapid transit project for example is the billion dollar custom designed Finch West LRT in my own community of Etobicoke north with eight stop speaker speaker this will increase go service across the network and we're expanding highways and of course providing more efficient transportation all around time spent commuting speakers you will appreciate means time taken away from family friends and our day to day lives that's why of course we need to make the right investments to get people to their destinations faster and more efficient manner speaker it's about getting shovels in the ground to deliver on those investments my question speaker is this can the Minister please provide an update on our progress to improve commute times across the region but specifically for people living in my community of Etobicoke north and beyond thank you Minister transportation speaker and I want to thank the member from Etobicoke north for his ongoing commitment to tackling congestion which is one of the greatest challenges we face in this region so I was so pleased to be in Vaughan an absolutely beautiful morning to announce that we now have shovels in the ground on our highway 427 extension I couldn't imagine a better person to make this milestone announcement than with our former minister of transportation the MPP for Vaughan the minister of economic development and growth for this project the highway will be extended by 6.6 kilometers from highway 7 to major Mackenzie drive and widened to eight lanes from Finch Avenue to highway 7 this is a 616 million dollar investment that'll help people get moving businesses in Etobicoke York region and Peel region will continue to move it's all part of our governments trying to support people in their everyday lives by helping you spend less time in your car more time with the people who matter most and I look forward to giving more details in the supplementary thank you supplementary thank you speaker to the minister as well as for commitment I have to say speaker with the eight stops as I said custom design from Humber college to Islington some of my colleagues are wishing that kind of transportation infrastructure was in their own writing I'm detecting a little bit of stop envy speaker I know that commuters in York region Peel and those coming from further south in Tobicoke this these sorts of investment make it easier for us to participate in events see our family and free up time from commuting speaker while our governments made record investments in transit some of course are still concerned about the impact that longer highways and commutes can have on our environment speaker at the same time we have to rely on that highway network for our transportation needs I of course agree that we need to make the right choices in the right places speaker can the minister please explain how the four to seven extension in my own writing beyond is part of a balanced plan to reduce congestion while also helping to shift people away from the commuting patterns by car minister thank you very much speaker I want to again thank the member from Etobicoke north and he's absolutely correct this is an important balance that we really need to strike the health of our region is depending on it in York region for example we've continued to build up transit options including the opening of the new line one subway extension to Vaughn and introducing all day service during the week and new weekend service on the berry go line but we also know many commuters still rely on their cars for a variety of reasons and that's why projects like the six hundred and sixteen million dollar highway four twenty seven extension is so important but also why we need to be making the right choices when we're planning these projects to that end I'm pleased to say that the high occupancy tool lanes will also be installed on highway four twenty seven in both directions for a total length of approximately 15 and a half kilometers these lanes are important they encourage people to carpool help manage congestion and provide more options to travelers speaker having shovels in the ground on this critical highway extension will support thousands of jobs on an annual basis and an incredible step forward thank you your question the member from Farnhill children and youth services in 2016 twenty two privacy breaches were reported to the ministry of children and youth services with regards to child welfare cases this past February two CAS agencies were victims of ransomware attacks in both cases thousands of dollars were paid out to cyber criminals the government was warned that cyber security must be a priority for children's aid societies and that funding had to be allocated to protect sensitive information Mr. Speaker this minister mandated CAS agencies to upload their data to see pin which puts them at risk of security breaches will the minister tell us what police agencies were brought into investigate the hacking of Ontario's residents sensitive information question thank you thank you very much Mr. Speaker and thank you to the member opposite for the question Mr. Speaker we brought forward the most comprehensive piece of legislation for child protection in the history of this province this time the member from Dufferin Caledon will come to order carry on Mr. Speaker this piece of legislation did a lot to change the way in which child protection is delivered in the province including the way in which we collect and the way in which we hold these organizations accountable Mr. Speaker the party opposite decided to vote against the bill 89 which included very comprehensive instances of information and in the supplemental supplemental I'd like to talk a bit about bill 89 and why the conservatives voted against that supplementary again to the minister the ministry is on record promising that CPIN has an IT audit log on file for each case to monitor who is accessing the file Jane Kovarnikova president of the child welfare pact recently asked the ministry welfare agency for the login data of who was accessing her file the response from a CPIN manager at the ministry was at searches on records are actually not tracked since data breaches are obviously occurring and this minister has failed to monitor the whole mess will the minister tell us if families have been notified that he may have allowed their private information to be exposed and I'd appreciate an answer thank you Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker in bill 89 it actually lays out which was proclaimed this week without the support obviously of the conservatives the NDP did support the bill but in that bill it raised the age of protection strengthens the right of young people commits to addressing systemic racism it commits to culturally appropriate services for first nations and it looks at ways to hold CAS as accountable Mr. Speaker the party opposite voted against it why? because one of their candidates Tanya Granik Allen walked into their caucus and told them that the life coalition would not support it because of the gender identity piece that party should be ashamed of their position when it comes to protecting our children here in the province of Ontario you see it at first? it would be a shame that we ended the way in which it's headed thank you new question the member from Kitchener Waterloo very much Mr. Speaker my question is to the acting premier Kitchener Ontario has the second highest child care costs in Ontario the first being of course Toronto finding quality affordable child care is a game changer for women the CCPA survey which studied gender inequality in the country and in this province found that nearly half of all involuntary female part-time workers are in a part-time job because they can only find part-time child care finding affordable quality child care in Toronto in Kitchener in Hamilton in Mississauga it's like winning the lottery if you can find a space that is quality and that is affordable and for women to try to re-enter the workforce or return to school and better their lives and better their community there are no options even with this government if you find a space and you qualify for a subsidy the two do not match up in this province so what I say to this government after 15 years of failing families of failing children of failing women why should anybody believe you when you talk about child care in this budget or in any other budget thank you all right and it's a responsible for many years child care and education thank you Mr. Speaker and I'm really pleased to rise and answer this question Mr. Speaker because there's so much we're doing and I really don't know where to start but let me just start with this first of all let's just talk about what we are doing right now when it comes to ensuring that we are building a solid foundation so absolutely when it comes to our child care we are investing 2.2 billion dollars over three years that will provide free child care for preschoolers that will save families an average of $17,000 a year that's in addition to what we're doing already when it comes to full-day kindergarten but let me just talk a little bit about the NDP platform Mr. Speaker their platform Mr. Speaker their platform really does not make sense it's not fully cost it out it doesn't build a workforce it doesn't increase spaces really it just makes a lot of promises so here is what we're doing we're already on track to create 100,000 more spaces because we know we'll need those spaces in order to be able to deliver free preschool child care we're also building a workforce and we are doing everything we can to create a new wage grid Thank you Minister of Labor on a point of order Mr. Speaker on a point of order I wasn't here at the start I didn't get to introduce a great individual that's joined us here today Bob Farkas is from Oakville he's finished 90 races raising charities at each one of them Speaker and he even repelled down to 12 story building to raise money for the Easter Seals and Kitchener it's Bob Farkas Minister of Transportation on a point of order Thank you Speaker I want to welcome the family of Paige Madeleine Buss here their aunt and uncle are visiting today from the great riding of Dawn Valley West Lisa Mavara and Gary Mavara her aunt and uncle please welcome them to Queens Park Thank you and welcome a member from Kingston and the islands on a point of order I would like to extend another warm welcome to the to question period today Danella Olson who is a lead developer with the IT department thank you and welcome to question period welcome we have a deferred vote on the motion of second reading of bill 53 and an act respecting establishing a minimum government contract wages calling the members this will be a five minute bill all members please take your seats on April 24th 2018 Mr. Flynn moves second reading of bill 53 an act respecting establishing a minimum government contract wages all those in favor please rise one at a time be recognized by the partners Mr. Flynn Mr. Flynn Mr. Nacky Mr. Nacky Mr. Bradley Mr. Bradley Mr. Douduka Mr. Douduka Mr. McMahon Mr. McMahon Mr. Sousa Mr. Sousa Mr. Nidoo Harris Mr. Nidoo Harris Mr. Jassi Mr. Jassi Mr. Chan Mr. Chan Mr. McCharles Mr. McCharles Mr. Dugas Mr. Dugas Mr. Sandals Mr. Sandals Mr. Gravel Mr. Gravel Mr. Gravel Mr. Ballard Hamle Long Mr. Merlody Mr. Merlody Mrs. Hunter Mr. Hunter Mr. Cotto Mr. Côtel Mr. Leo Mr. Leo Mrs. Albinese Mr. Albany Mr. Rinaldo Mr. Rinaldy Mr. Cole Mr. Cole Mr. Barnetti Mr. Barnetti Mr. Delaney Mr. Delaney Mr. Delay Mr. Dommerle Mr. Dommerle Mr. Runeal Mr. Runeal Mr. Milch Mr. Milch Mr. Zimmer Mr. Zimmer Mrs. McGary Mr. McGary Mrs. Moley Mr. Mahler Mr. Mile Mando Rosie Mr. Kauder Mr. Dixie Mr. Vantam, and I'm jelly, I'm jelly. Miss Fife, Miss Fife. Mr. Tabas, Mr. Tabas. Miss Chamanta, Miss Chamanta. Miss Sattler, Miss Sattler. Mr. Natascha, Miss Taylor, Miss Taylor. Mr. Hatfield. Mr. Hatfield. All those polls please rise one at a time to be recognized by the clerk. The ayes are 68, the nays are zero. He's not watching, this is not a recommendation. The ayes being 68, the nays being zero. Decare of the motion carried. Second reading. The bill does the unlectured due, poursier de loi. Pursuant to the order of the House dated May 2nd, 2018, the bill is ordered for third reading. We have a deferred vote on the motion to third reading of Bill 6, an act to enact the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services Act 2018, and the Correctional Services and Reintegration Act 2018 to make related amendments to other acts to repeal an act and to revoke a regulation. Calling the members, this will be a five minute bill. On April 13th, 2018, Miss Albanese moved third reading of Bill 6, an act to enact the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services Act 2018 and the Correctional Services and Reintegration Act 2018 to make related amendments to other acts to repeal an act and to revoke a regulation. All those in favor, please rise one at a time to be recognized by the clerk. Madam LaLong. Madam LaLong. Mr. McMan. Mr. McMan. Mr. Bradley. Mr. Del Duca. Mr. Del Duca. Mr. McMan. Mr. McMan. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Yorick. Mr. Yorick. Mr. Walker. Mr. Ostra. Mr. Ostra. Mr. Ko. Mr. Ko. Mr. Cho. Mr. Cho. The ayes are 56, the nays are 13. The ayes being 56, the nays being 13. I declare the motion carried. In the bill, Tuasim Lecture du Projet de Loire. Be it resolved that the bill do now pass and be entitled as in the motion. The more further preferred votes this House stands, recess until 1 p.m. this afternoon.