 It's time for question here. I turn to the leader of the Majesty's opposition Thank you, and good morning speaker. My question is to the If they let me speaker if they let me my question Thank you speaker to the acting premier Keith Curry the president of Ontario Federation of Agriculture Said quote much of rural Ontario is actually feeling very abandoned quote. Mr. Speaker. Why has this government abandoned rural Ontario? Well, thanks very much Madam Speaker, and I appreciate the Question from the leader of the opposition this morning what I congratulate him Assuming is a new position to hear in the house But let me Let me respond from this perspective When you look at agriculture day in province of Ontario, it is the leading economic driver 37 and a half billion dollars to Ontario's GDP 800,000 Ontarians are employed in this sector each and every day and the foundation of all this is 50,000 family farms in the province of Ontario Wow, if you just take a moment to Tour the back concessions and sit at the kitchen tables. We are seeing Unprecedented expansion in dairy in chicken and eggs In fact, I have a letter sitting on my desk from Brock Mark Brock the former head of the green farmers of Ontario Thanking for our leadership in initiating a national review of business Thank you back to the acting Premier the Ontario Federation of Agriculture added that rural Ontario needs quote infrastructure investments like widespread broadband and access to affordable energy especially natural gas rural Ontario needs quote Increase social infrastructure Including local schools and medical care centers that will attract new businesses It will increase new jobs and will it will attract new residents But this Ontario government has turned their back again on rural Ontario In fact rural Ontario has been abandoned by this liberal government Madam Speaker that must change will the budget increase support for rural Ontario Well, this Madam Speaker it's a little rich coming from this party every time that we have major Initiatives for infrastructure in any of our budgets over the last 15 years and I've had the great privilege of Representing the people from Peter Baratting. These folks over here voted against it So let's let's have a little history here 1999 1998 1999 there was a famous Commission that they put a place called the who-does-what commission and I remember it very well I remember extremely well But most people municipal government renamed that commission to the who got done in commission and who got done in municipalities run across the province of Ontario I remind these folks over there 43 percent of all the roads of bridges were downloaded Thank you, uh, madam speaker and back to the acting premier You know the rules this is not your playground Okay, so for next time I stand up again. There'll be interruptions. Someone will be named. Okay. I'm warped Okay, I've returned to the leadership measures the opposition. Thank you, uh, madam speaker Bob Gordoneer the president of the beef farmers of Ontario and a current liberal candidate says quote Our number one ask with the ontario agricultural sustainability coalition Is to raise the cap for risk management program Speaker he added quote our message to the government has been clear The hundred million dollar cap has compromised the stability And timeliness the program provides It's quote making it less effective and less responsive Ontario must act To support rural Ontario Madam speaker will the will the deputy will the acting premier commit to raising the risk management program cap Madam speaker, I've tried to be as calm as I can here. So it's rather interesting When we proposed a hundred million dollar risk management program They voted against it when they when when their federal cousins were in Ottawa They did not lift one hand for the federal government that time to match the ontario initiative at 60 percent They were nowhere to be found And frankly we're doing a review of rmp in the province of ontario That is going to make a more effective program for the non Supply committee groups here in ontario and in fact it was ontario's leadership alone That has brought about a national review a business risk management program Applauded by the ontario federation of agriculture Applauded by the christian farmers of ontario Applauded by the national farmers unit and applauded on every farmer in the back concessions of ontario Thank you, madam speaker. My question is to the minister of the status of women Today marks the first ever human trafficking awareness day in ontario As you know, this is an issue that I care deeply about Over the past several years. I've traveled across this province meeting with survivors victim services organizations police officers And many others to encourage cooperation and to raise awareness about this horrible crime that targets our children Mostly young girls who on average age are 14 years old and 93 percent are canadian born One of the reactions I keep getting when speaking with parents grandparents and young people is absolute shock At these statistics and the fact that this crime is happening right in our neighborhoods Whether it's in big cities or small towns from canora to timmins or from ottawa to winsor So on this human trafficking awareness day will the government to commit To funding comprehensive province-wide awareness campaign to educate ontarians about how to recognize and fight human sex Thank you, madam speaker. And I thank the member opposite for the question Human trafficking is a devastating crime that violates human rights And I want you to know that we're working very hard to help survivors receive the supports they need and to put them to it Last year we launched ontario strategy to end human trafficking and made an investment of close to 72 million dollars As a part of our human trafficking strategy, we passed the anti-human trafficking act 2017 This act allows for survivors to apply for restraining orders against human traffickers to protect themselves or their children from traffickers It will make it easier for survivors of human trafficking to gain compensation From those who traffic them in order to restore and rebuild their lives And of course it proclaims february 22nd as human trafficking day Kawasaki Thank you, uh, madam speaker Again to the minister, um, thank you for absorbing parts of the bill that we've been fighting for in this side for over two years Saving the girl like no one to be a major hub for human sex trafficking in north america And yet other jurisdictions whether it's manitoba or new york Are way ahead of us when it comes to public awareness initiatives In those jurisdictions, you can't go through an airport or go to a hotel without seeing a poster Informing the public about human sex trafficking and educating passerbys about how to spot potential victims Why is this government? That they cannot find the money to fund advertising That can raise an awareness campaign that could actually help save the lives of human sex trafficking today Instead of finding money to fund self-serving hydro ads Will the government today commit to an awareness campaign that can actually help save the lives of human sex trafficking Thank you, madam speaker Madam speaker, it is unacceptable that people in our society are at the risk of being trafficked And I want you to know that across government. We take this issue very seriously. Here's what we've done so far We have our human trafficking lived experiences roundtable Which will strengthen the province's efforts to end human trafficking through direct engagement input from survivors of trafficking We have enhanced funding by six point six five sixty five To forty seven community a million to forty seven community based service partners delivering the victim crisis assistance program and expanded the victim victim witness assistance program by Seven hundred and sixty seven thousand to hire new specialized human trafficking victim service workers We've expanded the victim quick response program by one point nine three million dollars To allow victims of human trafficking to access new benefits And we are hiring for the new provincial human trafficking prosecution I return back to the member for hallowburn co-author league gas next Thank you. Madam speaker minister. This is a real crisis happening to real people happening to our children So what can be more important than educating the public and our children about this horrible crime of exploitation? The reality is that every elementary school Every high school in ontario is a target for traffickers Elementary school principals in my writing have told me that children are regularly getting text messages Luring them into modeling. What 12 or 14 year old wouldn't be tempted to have such an extremely attractive offer The fact is they can follow the trap of trafficking and as little as 24 hours Education about human sex trafficking needs to be in our schools Madam speaker. Why has the government chosen to ignore the urgent need to educate our kids about human sex trafficking? Like other jurisdictions do Here Thank you, madam speaker You know, we had the opportunity to go right across the province to talk to leaders to advocates about best positioning children Young youth and children here in the province to prevent sex trafficking We brought forward a very comprehensive piece of legislation bill 89 And bill 89 does something that speaks to exactly what that member's talking about It raises the age of protection for child protection But we know that the conservative party here in the province voted against it We know that the member from carleton, mississippi mills told the ottawa community news that there was a caucus meeting where members from Lampton kent middle sex kitchener kinestogic Chatham kent Essex and agar west uh Glam brook insisted that they need to vote against bill 89 because the life coalition told them to do that You should do what's in the best interest of children and stand up for the children and families in this province Recognize the leader of the third party By sharing new democrats concerns with the people of brantford who are dealing with the serious flooding As well as the family and community members in orangeville who are dealing with the tragedy that's unfolding with a missing three-year-old young boy Speaker my question is for the premier or acting premier, I guess Kristen and david ronald are hamilton couple and right now they're spending their sixth the day stuck in costa rica The ronalds were on vacation last week when david had a very serious fall. He went to an emergency Surgery on friday and was ready to be transferred home to hamilton on saturday for further surgeries But he was told that there were no hospital beds available for him david had to have his second surgery as a result in costa rica He and christian are finally able to come home today What is the liberal government's excuse for why this couple spent six days in a foreign country waiting for a hospital bed to open up at home Health and long-term care Thank you, madam speaker. First of all, I uh want to Express my deepest concern For the ronald family as they go through this difficult Crisis and experience it's stressful Anytime a loved one is injured or requires surgery whether that be here or Abroad madam speaker. I know that there's nothing more important to all of us than the health and safety of our loved ones And when it comes to a situation like this The hospital the insurance company and all of us can do better in coordinating that care My staff have confirmed that an average of 10 Intensive care unit beds were available throughout the hamilton iagra lin this past weekend and more than 140 intensive care beds available Across the province. However, we cannot verify whether the insurer Contacted all hospitals in the region. Mr. Madam speaker. What is important? However, now is that we make the full service of ontario's health care system completely available to this family But I need to mention that the lin was not contacted madam speaker My ministry was not contacted with regards to this case And my office was not contacted with regards to this case. Thank you every trends Leader of the third party. Thank you speaker I think it's pretty sad when the minister of health blames an insurance company for the failures of his government and his ministry The ronalds are scared speaker. David is lucky to be alive right now They have been through a lot this past week and the whole time all they wanted was to come home David is in stable condition now But he and christen have been through an ordeal that no ontario family should have to face Is this crisis finally clear to the government? They finally understand the real life effects that years and years of budget cuts and freezes have had at our hospitals And that have on people like david and christen Yeah Madam, madam speaker when it comes to a situation like this as I mentioned the hospital the insurance company All of us can do better in coordinating that care and that includes the ndp Madam speaker who are once again putting politics over patients Yesterday as soon as my office heard about the situation from the media Mr. Madam speaker, we were on the phone working with the lin and local hospitals to find a bed This was all triggered by the hamilton spectator asking following a media release by the third party Until that point the ministry and the lin were unaware of the situation the leader of the ndp had the opportunity to plan an event To to to pull a question period and make a statement in hamilton all before she could notify us And asked for help Four hours after her press conference. My office finally received an email from her asking what we could do to assist this family Hamilton health sciences received a similar contact even later in the day from the member opposite mr Madam speaker my hat as I mentioned my staff confirmed that over 140 icu beds were opened across this province Including 10 in that Madam speaker I have to say I am shocked that the minister of health thinks that I the leader of the third party needs to do his job for him That is ridiculous It's never too early to warn somebody I returned to the leader of third party This minister acknowledges that his ministry has a lack of coordination with their lin I bought a desperate Stituents in my riding and I proudly did my job at us about this particular Situation there are problems rife in our system Danny march on is a londoner and he was badly injured in a downhill skiing accident in callingwood this month He spent 11 days waiting in the hospital in callingwood before a bed opened up in london So that he could be transferred home 11 days in pain. The question is why? Okay, I recognize the minister of health and long term care Thank you, madam speaker. What I find remarkable is she is the local mpp Minister susan first time Okay, I recognize the minister of health and long-term care a party that closed 9645 hospital beds a party that closed 24 of all the acute beds in this province Is not going to give me lessons on how to place a patient in this province, mr. Madam speaker We are now working as hard as humanly possible to ensure that this family is able to avail themselves of the health services No, thanks to that third party Thank you, speaker. I'm glad the minister of health again acknowledged the liberal that was at the helm back in those days Speaker my next question is for the acting premier Yesterday the mpp for nickle belt told this house about leo an elderly man in Sudbury who spent 13 days receiving his medical care in a bathroom at health sciences north His pillow was beside a toilet speaker the premier and her liberal government had had nearly 15 years To fix the problems in our hospitals and instead they have made them worse Why is this liberal government ignoring the crisis that they've helped create in our hospital system? Madam speaker, we know that uh many of our hospitals have had uh capacity challenges Over the last number of months and madam speaker We have worked hard to make sure that they have the resources that they require to Continue to provide that highest quality of care and every single outcome that we're measuring in terms of health comes for patients Is either sustained or is improved over the past years Under this government madam speaker in the case of health sciences north we increased their budget by six million dollars Last year we provided them with more than a dozen additional acute care beds last fall Which was part of 1200 the equivalent of six community hospitals 1200 new acute care beds They were provided right across this province at an investment of 100 million dollars We've just recently renewed that investment almost doubling it madam speaker Into the next fiscal year to ensure that those capacity challenges are are adequately addressed Only an out-of-touch liberal can call somebody having their pillow beside a toilet and improvement in our hospital system Fired six thousand nurses and they closed 28 hospitals. This liberal government has had 15 years speaker 15 years to fix the problems But instead they have followed down the same path with more hospital cuts and budget freezes now conveniently Right before an election. They're saying that they've been investing in hospitals all along This is what makes people extremely cynical about politics speaker Why are the liberals more concerned about their own electoral chances in this upcoming election than they are about the well-being of ontarians Well, madam speaker that party removed 230 drugs from the formulary when they were empowered They closed 24 of the acute care beds in this province They closed 13 percent of the mental health beds in the province 9,645 beds they closed all together. They de-listed Homecare madam speaker in their last budget. They reduced hospital funding by 1 percent I know the leader of the third party would love to blame this on someone who was an ndp With a cabinet with a full government suggesting that that leader now is a liberal A liberal maddie if that's the best she can do to defend their record 1990s, I think it's extroverted. But madam speaker when we look at every single outcome, which is important to ontarians We know over the past Decade plus that those outcomes have improved and that's what's important to ontarians Well, the truth hurts speaker the truth hurts Kristen and david ronald Leo Danny marchand and all of the patients and families all of the other patients and families who have shared how the hospital overcrowding And hallway medicine crisis has affected their lives. They deserve better They deserve better than a government that cuts the services that we all count on When will this premier and her liberal government wake up to the fact that people can see through their political tricks And finally understand that hospital overcrowding is a matter of life and death Madam speaker, that's why we invested half a billion dollars in our hospitals last year Half a billion dollars the previous year madam speaker And when we look at outcomes Mortality rates cancer outcomes avoidable deaths from health outcomes compared to all other provinces compared to other developed Countries ontario outperforms all other provinces and is close to the top of the oe cd The rate of potential years of life lost has improved by 18 percent between 2003 and 2013 We have the lowest rate of potential years of life lost in the entire country We have the best five-year survival rates for prostate breast colorectal Lung cancers in canada madam speaker and our mortality rate is among the best in the world We have the second best survival rate for breast cancer in the oe cd and the list goes on and on We have the shortest wait times across the board of any province or territory in this country Madam speaker, we are the only one of two provinces We're the only one of only two in to actually improve our wait times from 2016 to 2017 We have the shortest wait time from gp to specialist shortest wait times from specialist to treatment Shortest wait times for ct scans mri's ultrasounds radiation oncology general surgery gynecological procedures Thank you Thank you very much madam speaker My questions to the minister health and long-term caret and madam speaker the the issue with mr Ronald and hamilton isn't a one-off Two weeks ago. I dealt with a mr. Clair sea lie from london who was stuck in the dominican republic bleeding internally The country had run out of blood yet. He wasn't allowed to return to ontario for treatment He was stuck because of a catchment issue It took my office two days of intervening to find a bed space for this man But it was it was in fact This government's policy at restricting patients to their catchment here of ontario that restricted him to receiving the care In this province it was government policy that was interfering with this man returning home, mr Madam speaker And in fact that this patients had to call their mpp or the ministry to actually get health care is wrong in this province We have a health care system that should be responsive to the people where they live and not have to defend Or go to the fact to the politicians madam speaker I asked the minister this he has risked the lives who was policy of ontarians who have to seek emergency medical treatment returned to ontario Does he think ministry of health has the correct policy in place today? Well, thank you madam speaker and thank you to the member opposite For giving me the opportunity to explain what the policy is Madam speaker, there is No restriction with regards to any ontarian here or abroad if they're residents of this province if they have health insurance Madam speaker, there is absolutely no restriction to any access to health services Anywhere in the province and to do otherwise Is illegal So the policy is very very clear But but madam speaker It is important that when a patient is out of country first of all It's critically important that they have travel insurance But when an emergency does take place what is required of the insurance company is they contact a doctor Here in this province and that doctor then works to provide the plan of care for that specific patient It's critically important and often miss madam speaker And I can say with experience that that connection either isn't made or it's not strong enough And it's critically important that that ensure you take on the responsibility that they have and the local doctor as well Harness the resources to provide that care I'll return back to the amendment Perhaps the minister needs to look at his policies of the ministry of health and in fact they are limited to catchment areas Madam speaker, you look no further the fact that the government has created this problem because they froze hospital budgets They've cut nursing positions. And in fact what they've done is overburdened our health care system This government refuse to take meaningful action Which has not only overcrowded our health care system, but has strained resources Leading to violence in our health care system and madam speaker I think we can speak to all the rns that are here today Sometime during their job over the last few years They've experienced an increase in violence at their workplace my question to the minister You're failed in fact delivering health care to those ontarians traveling abroad Now you're failing and providing a safe work environment for our ends Will the minister commit to providing a safe working environment for the rns throughout our province Madam speaker, of course, I will in fact We have set up a table which is which is jointly chaired by the minister of labor and myself that contains experts Associations frontline health care workers that is working specifically on this issue to reduce and eradicate Violence against all health care workers across the health care system, but madam speaker. I find it Extraordinary that the member opposite is talking about nurses at all when when they were in power In fact, even just between 1995 and 1998 in three short years They fired 6279 Nurses apart from closing 10,000 hospital beds since we came in to government in 2003 more than 30,000 more Nurses have begun work in this province. That's an increase of 27 percent In fact, the number of nurses employed in nursing in Ontario has now increased for the 13th year There are 1200 more nurses employed in this province compared to just last year. I recognize the member from Thank you, madam speaker my questions to the acting premier In december this liberal government made a secretive backdoor decision to cut the amount of emergency leave days available to automotive workers Under the employment standards act since then I have had countless conversations with my constituents Who are outraged that the liberal government would single them out in this way? I now have almost 1500 signatures on a petition from workers and their families Opposed to this cutback and that's in addition to the thousands of signatures collected by uniform Auto workers are hardworking people balancing physically strenuous jobs with the demands of raising a family They deserve the same rights and protections as every other worker in ontario Will the premier listen to these 1500 ontarians and countless others and immediately remove this unfair regulation The minister of labor speaker Mr labor Speaker, thank you and thank you to the honorable member for the question speaker speaker. We've consulted with industry We've consulted with stakeholders. We've consulted with labor We put in place a personal emergency leave project speaker in the auto sector specifically What it required was that auto sectors employers with more than 50 employees Provide each employee up to seven personal emergency leave days as well as unlimited Time off speaker for the death of a family member and that's on each occasion on the passing of level on speaker It was a specific recommendation of the advisors from the changing workplaces review So what happened on january the first of this year speaker? All ontarians now are covered for personal emergency leave and for sick time in the province of ontario Prior to that speaker it only applied to companies greater than 50 speaker. I'll expand on it in the supplementary Recognize the member from windsor west. Thank you back to the acting premier 1500 signatures collected in a week by from my constituents tens of thousands of more across the province You clearly didn't caught didn't consult with those auto workers The cavalier responses we keep getting on this issue from this liberal government shows just how out of touch they really are When we asked about this regulation back in december, we were told that emergency and bereavement leave for auto workers Is a regulatory burden that is getting in the way of businesses When challenged at a town hall in windsor last week the premier said this was about Fair workplaces and told workers not to worry because the vast majority of auto workers are unionized But mr. Speaker or madam speaker. She knows that is not always the case It's not just workers that assemble vehicles that are impacted I've had calls from my constituents who work at paint plastic and parts suppliers Who don't have the same benefits as workers at the assembly plants and they now have even less Protection under the esa so I ask again Will the premier truly commit to fair workplaces and immediately remove this unfair regulation Thank you speaker Let me reiterate speaker and thank you to the member for this question We're paying as much attention to this as we possibly can and we get the same We get the same input as the third party get speaker What we did on january 1st for the first time in the history of province of ontario speaker All employers in the auto sector are required to make personal emergency leave Available to every employee that worked in that sector that wasn't the case before speaker companies under 50 were excluded from this speaker This has a pilot project status The advisor asked us to put it in place to see how it worked to get To to get feedback through consultation speaker. It's still in a pilot project phase We're we're corresponding with the same folks at the third party as speaker. We're determined to make this fair We're determined to keep ontario's auto sector competitive speaker So if I can close and just say as the labour reforms roll out We're going to continue the dialogue with the stakeholders with the employers with the employees in this regard speaker To make sure we come to the right resolution Thank you member from uh, well, thank you very much speaker And my question is for the minister of community and social services Last year our government passed the anti human trafficking act which proclaimed february 22nd as human trafficking awareness day So as you've heard that means today is ontario's first ever human trafficking awareness day A day to better educate members of the public about human trafficking And ensure that people who require services and supports know how to access them Sadly speaker We know that our province is a major centre for human trafficking with approximately 65 Of all cases across canada taking place in ontario Our government and organizations across the province like wealth wellington women in crisis Work tirelessly to educate our communities and support survivors of human trafficking Speaker can the minister please tell the house more about human trafficking awareness day Well, thank you very much madam speaker and to the member from gulf for the question and her ongoing advocacy with respect to this issue Our government is committed to protecting and supporting survivors of human trafficking And we're working hard to prevent this heinous crime in the future Today on ontario's first ever human trafficking awareness day. We're proud to launch our official human trafficking awareness campaign Raising awareness is of the utmost importance as human trafficking is a crime that is often hidden and vastly under reported It is crucial for everybody, especially young people to learn what human trafficking is and know what services and supports are available So today we're excited to announce ontario's new dedicated confidential human trafficking helpline This helpline will allow people to get information about local human trafficking supports and services available across ontario Together with our community partners. We're using the hashtag no human trafficking to raise awareness of specific signs risk factors And facts about human trafficking Yes, thank you minister It's remarkable how far we've come in our effort and human trafficking Speaker since our investment of 72 million dollars through the anti human trafficking strategy And our recent funding of 19 million dollars to agencies across the province A woman seeking supportive services has more options than ever before When a girl from canora toronto or winsor is looking for counseling services Therapy or a place to stay we have taken action When a woman needs help getting herself out of the vicious cycle of human trafficking She can rely on the victim crisis assistance program Survivors now have immediate access to tattoo removal replacement of government documents and recovery in a trauma informed facility Through the victim quick response program The attorney general has created a new provincial human trafficking prosecution team with specialized grounds But there's more to do can the minister of the status of women Please tell us more about the government's long-term strategy to prevent and address human trafficking Mr. Canary social services to the minister of the status of women. This is status of woman Thank you, madam speaker I'm pleased to rise today as the minister responsible for the status of women to recognize february 22nd As annual human trafficking awareness day Today is one is a day to speak up and raise awareness of the exploitation Faced by young women and girls in ontario today and every day And it's also a day to recognize what's at stake for women and girls in this province Because we must continue to fight the fight against human trafficking We must bring human traffickers to justice and that requires a long-term strategy and action Action that this government has wholeheartedly committed to today and in the future We cannot list a risk losing these justice sector initiatives We cannot risk improving survivors the access to community services and supports We cannot risk madam speaker What we cannot risk madam speaker is billions of dollars in cuts Our government has accomplished so much in two years and it's making a difference in the lives of women and girls In communities throughout ontario. We must continue to pour our hard work and effort into ensuring that everyone can live safely in this Thank you. Thank you next question The members from susan room Thank you, madam speaker to the minister of health and long-term care Recently a w5 documentary aired which expanded upon what i and many others already knew about the present state of the opioid crisis in susan room Statistics reveal that there are five overdoses per day within my community In many circumstances the concentration of the opioid opioids within the street tribes being ingested are unknown The crisis has already claimed the lives of way too many people And with inadequate resources to address the current demand for services The problem is getting much much worse Madam speaker, this crisis cannot be ignored Susanne re needs financial support to help us prevent and treat those suffering from addiction from the inherent risks of opioid use My question is will this government please provide us with the financial support that we desperately need So that we can at least have a chance of preventing the further loss of life within my community Madam speaker, I genuinely appreciate the question from the member opposite representing the sue area And as we both know, I think we all know this opioid crisis in canada in north america in many parts of the world has truly Shocked all of us with regards to its gravity and the Innocent vulnerable lives lost including in susanne marie in the surrounding region We've invested over a three-year period more than 200 million dollars at every level and every aspect of this crisis So that we can Reduce those needless And preventable deaths and eventually provide the necessary supports for all those who are faced with opioid Addiction madam speaker. I'm happy to speak in the supplementary in more detail with respect with respect to the specific Yeah, we turn to the member from susanne marie. Thank you, madam speaker to the minister of finance The frequency and impact of addictions is much more acute in algoma than it is anywhere else Rules you have to return back to the minister of health with the question frequency and impact of addictions in The north is much more in algoma is much more acute than anywhere else in the north Inadequate resources have caused this burden to shift to our emergency department For every 100 patients 59.4 are opiate related And 40 at 1.9 result in hospitalization 12.2 result in death Without help these numbers are expected to grow by 58 percent within the next three years Prior to the documentary I had the opportunity to discuss a solution to this problem with the ceo of our local hospital And a solution would be to bring all services under one roof within the community and provincial To create a level three regional withdrawal management services building The total cost of this project would be 11 million dollars My question madam speakers. Will the minister find this money within the government's 2018 budget? So that's who st. Marie can have a chance of preventing the escalation of the crisis That is causing the lives of many people within my community. Thank you a rejoicing minister of health along the way Madam madam speaker. I'm happy. I will once any proposal is received. I'm happy to review it and give it the most serious consideration We are expanding services across the province in Sault Ste. Marie for example $200,000 for the sue hospital to create a ram clinic rapid access clinic In the algoma sub region and it's a clinic that actually is going to serve as a hub Providing supports via the anterior telemedicine network to the sub region communities $130,000 for sue area hospital to modernize withdrawal management programs to provide 24 hours support in a pathway to the ram $245,000 to north bay regional health center to create a ram clinic in nipissing to miscoming sub region And it's a clinic that will serve as a virtual hub to provide supports again to the surrounding communities $85,000 to north bay for To north bay recovery home to modernize withdrawal management programs in the five sub regions more than $400,000 to south cauldron addiction services to create a ram clinic in the cauldron sub region And $400,000 to health sciences north to enhance their ram clinic Madam speaker These are some of the investments that are so badly needed that investments that we are making part of that $222 million which is the largest spend in this province's history by far specifically to reduce the impact of the crisis and eventually prevent any of those needless deaths Thank you. Thank you. I recognize the member from algomak manager line. Thank you speaker My question is to the minister of finance This morning I invited annie scott and her family to queen's park to present the concerns of 40 property owners and scriber These residents have been have seen the impact assessments skyrocket by an average of 250 with no explanations to compare to the provincial average increase of only 20 percent Mrs. Scott's house has been assessed at almost a $100,000 more than another nearby house twice its size She she says she can no longer afford to live in her home But no one will buy her home because of the high taxes Does the minister understand that the impact assessment processes flawed and will he commit to changing that process? Thank you, madam speaker. I appreciate the question from the member in representing Annie scott and Keith scott her her son as well as their daughter, and I appreciate and recognize the concerns they have We have a property on walkers lake in shriver Assessed by impact as was proposed through the provincial land act so that we provide fair assessments recognizing that it's done in association with the municipalities And and amo who are also on the impact board more importantly this family And their neighbors are assessed in comparison to some of the values of sales that have happened in their respective area But when you look at the unincorporated areas and elsewhere within the region They are higher valued and they have a right to be concerned in terms of what is taking place And we are working with them. I know they have met with impact and some of the officials to try to find resolution I know there's a appeal process which wasn't initiated by them at the time But it's still available to them to try to foster reductions And i'll answer more in regards to my discussions with invisibility in this regard Thank you. Thank you. We turn to the member from algorne manitoulin. Thank you speaker again to the minister In 2016 fire assessments on manitoulin island double with no explanation I can promise you that the income from these farms did not double mr Minister as speculators play havoc with ontario's real estate market MPAC assessments have become more arbitrary Inconsistent and unfair And as the auditor general revealed in her most recent report Property owners can't count on the assessment review board to treat them fairly Families like the scots have asked the premier for help, but she has done nothing When will the premier fix the impact assessment process? So again, mr. Speaker madam speaker The the issue is one that needs to be resolved in respect to this specific issue With the specific families and their neighbors in that respective area As noted the municipality has been engaged. I have met with them in regards to this I know our officials have had numerous discussions with schreiber and with some of the members Who recognize that in order for us to alleviate some of their Concerns there is mitigation that's available by schreiber themselves and the municipality who has control over the mill rates That actually does the taxation to foster some supports in regards to this There's also the appeal process and the while it wasn't used and they didn't take advantage of that opportunity in 2017 We do still have an extension to enable them to foster that appeal But the municipality has tools available to them to mitigate some of these costs They have the ability to target some of these respective nations and they are the ones taxing So unfortunately schreiber is in fact taxed at a higher rate than some of the other municipalities And we recognize and do feel for this family Who are obviously in a case in a situation where their assessments have gone up because evaluations And as a consequence of taxes are going up We have ways to mitigate that and we should foster and support them in that I recognize the member from Etobicoke North Thank you very much My question is for the minister of international trade About NAFTA Minister as you will know in the united states of today Given the random acts of policy making there There is a lot of uncertainty around the north american free trade agreement A particular concern is how Ontario's economy will be materially affected by these cross-border trade negotiations I've met for example stakeholders in my own riding of Etobicoke North Who are wondering what the effect will be on their businesses their workers and their families Ontario understands the key importance of free trade relationships with the united states of america in particular NAFTA unfortunately will also with the uncertainty potentially negatively affect areas such as Windsor and Hamilton and indeed many many different areas across the province And therefore it's particularly important for ontario to be actively engaged so that our interests can be Preserved and they will prosper. So my question is this can the minister Please tell me what steps we as a government are taking to ensure that we will be standing up for ontario's workers and businesses The president of treasury board and the minister of international trade Well, thank you. Thank you, madam speaker, and I want to thank the Honourable member from Etobicoke north for asking Madam speaker, we all know that NAFTA is very important to ontario to ontarians And to ontario jobs speaker I know that people in this province are feeling uncertain as negotiation continue and our government Because this government is prepared for all outcomes Our government is being proactive the premiers as you know have met over 30 us governors And I myself have met for many us legislators senators and other officials In these meetings, we discuss our trade interdependence We support millions of jobs across all of america and mutually strengthen our trade and investment Additionally myself along with mr. Leo and The montreal thank you speaker I'd like to thank the minister of international trade for his dedication and also is criss-crossing the globe in ontario's interest I appreciate Ministers you've just outlined that our government takes the concerns we're nafta very very seriously We know for example that ontario is the economic driver of canada And we must stand by our businesses and workers and their families who have always been a pillar of our province's growth and prosperity In particular a shining light in the ontario economic sector is the auto sector here ontario for example The auto sector directly employs over 100 000 people and indirectly employs hundreds of thousands more Minister you along with colleagues of our government were recently in nafta negotiations in montreal And I realized that you are a strong representative of ontario's auto sector So I'd ask you would you please elaborate for this chamber more about the negotiations concerning this important facet of ontario's economy The minister international trade to minister responsible for economic development and growth to economic development and growth Thank the member from itobicoke north for his question and I think my colleague the minister of international trade For the extraordinary work that he's doing on behalf of our province and our province's economy speaker So the member from itobicoke north is correct while I and the minister of international trade and the minister of agriculture Were at the nafta negotiations in montreal There was a large portion of the discussion that took place relating to ontario's auto sector We know that the auto sector in north america succeeds when all states and provinces and all three nafta countries Work together and it's crucially important to not forget that we are important to the us auto sector as well And we made sure that this message was not forgotten for example speaker Our automotive supply chain is extremely integrated with michigan, ohio, indiana and many other us states on average A vehicle will cross the us ontario border seven times before it finally rolls off the production line and nine million us jobs Are supported by trade between the us and ontario and of course the rest of canada Our government will always stand up for the auto industry and we have shown this commitment Time and time again when the auto sector needed our help during the recession Not everyone in this place speaker chose to support them, but our government certainly did We will continue to fight for our businesses We will continue to fight for our workers speaker because this government is on the side of all ontarians And I look forward to having the opportunity over the next number of days with colleagues Thank you to continue to stand up for ontario Mr. Member from simple trade Thank you. My question is to the attorney general speaker this year the ontario association of landscape architects Celebrates its 50th anniversary, and i'm delighted to see a strong showing from ontario's 1700 landscape architects In the legislature today I know they've been working over the last few years to build a case for the same regulatory status as architects and other professionals And I understand that the attorney general has advised the profession to work within their current title act Rather than offer the public stronger protection with a practice act I further understand that there's significant public harm. It could be done if action isn't taken in this regard So I ask will the minister take a second look at this important public safety issue Or could he at least advise this house What analysis his ministry did to really show the profession that the ministry took the request seriously Thank you very much speaker I want to thank the member opposite For for this question and I was first like to say that we greatly value the contributions The landscape architect architects make in our province Landscape architects use specialized technical related training for grading storm water control erosion control And other matters to help reduce physical safety risk in public spaces Their work speaker is vital to building ontario up I would also like to offer my own personal Congratulations, as well as congratulations on behalf of our government and premier to ontario association of landscape architects for celebrating their 50th anniversary This year. This is a truly remarkable landmark speaker. I will speak I was pleased to speak at the oala agm speaker last year in ottawa and look forward to Continuing building our relationship together. I would also especially like to thank miss Anna budgerfix executive director of oala who is here with us today for her continued hard work on the advancement of the profession speaker Speaker, I believe that oala has has met with other title Protection professions as well and have had productive conversations about the continued development I'll return back to the member from central gray Well, thank you speaker back to the attorney general certainly. We understand minister as you said you advise the Landscape architects to meet with the chartered professional accountants to show how landscape architects could make their current act achieve the same objectives With issues like street safety flooding and climate change impacted by this matter Would now not be the time to take another look at the issue That's what i'm asking on behalf of the association Is the minister not aware that the profession is growing at twice the speed of traditional architecture and needs the government's support For a practice act and so minister will you revisit this issue? Attorney general Speaker, I I want to thank the work that that oala does and the very productive conversations that that my ministry staff And my office staff had with the association Speaker as the member opposite said the association did submit materials for us to support their case when it comes to full practice protection The documents in our view did not provide systemic evidence that restricting the practice of landscape architect architecture To members of the ontario association of landscape architects was necessary to protect the public from harm Protecting the public from harm is a key factor when extending a government sanction professional monopoly Because this type of legislation would impact the ability of some people in ontario to make a living Speaker as for next steps My ministry plans to work with oala oala on reviewing their current act and assessing areas for revision and further professionalization of the work of landscape architecture in particular speaker We hope to work together on the associations bylaw making powers and enhancing their exacting disciplinary process I look forward to continue working with them and further exploring this issue. Thank you I recognize the member for winzer to come see Thank you speaker. My question is for the minister of tourism culture and sport. Good morning Speaker one would think when you have a facility that attracts 15 000 tourists a year This government would do everything in its power to save it and keep it open for visitors A case in point is the canadian club brand heritage center in the old walkerville neighborhood of winzer It was built in 1894 It has a it's a magnificent structure modeled after palaces in in the italy It has a colorful history of prohibition gangsters gunshots and great canadian whiskey Why does this liberal government Continue to wash its hands of helping with the solution so the doors of this superb facility can reopen to the public Minister of finance Thank you, madam speaker and again, I appreciate the member opposite his advocacy in regards to this very issue As noted beam sanitary is the one that ultimately now owns The operations of canadian club brand And harm walker is Producing it in a set of facility Selling some of their brand through that retail operation and the member opposite recognizes the need and the desire For the community to have its heritage at the initial site so as to be able to sell and attract tourism Of course, the new owners have since closed it down and have opted not to proceed They are now trying to work alongside the municipality and this member who's been trying Hard to find a way to do this without setting a precedent that is contrary Respect to retailing of beverage alcohol outside the normal operations. I'll just one more. Thank you I recognize the member from winsick to come say Speaker any micro distiller in ontario can sell its product on site Canadian club whiskey has been made in this distillery for more than a hundred years Why can't the liberals cut the red tape? modernize ontario's regulations And allow canadian club whiskey to be sold where it's made In walkerville ontario and bring back those 15 000 tourists who want to see the facility each year and maybe Just maybe buy a bottle of canadian club on their way out the door Yeah, so I understand the member opposite's concern and we recognize that there is the ability to retail some of these Products at at those micro breweries and some of the other sites where they produce them Problem is it's not being produced in the specific site that's being requested So we're trying to foster a way How do we engage in that ability? Without contravening the very issues that we put in place to protect The distillers and and the industry in terms of retailing these operations But there's more here and that's about tourism and that's what the cultural aspect and the historical significance of this site And I and I agree with this member. We got to find a way to make this work. Thank you Thank you, speaker The minister of transportation Speaker for almost 15 years I've been very proud to represent a riding in southwestern ontario My city of london is the economic hub of this extraordinary region with western university fanciall college financial Institutions a robust manufacturing sector a growing high-tech industry and a booming agri-food sector Speaker, we need to make sure that we are keeping up. That's why I am so proud to unequivocally stand in support of high speed rail to london speaker and beyond Minister would you please provide the members of this house house with an update on what we're doing on high speed rail So transportation Yeah, thank you, speaker And I want to thank the member for london north center for a question and all of her hard work on behalf of our region Speaker, we've been actively moving forward on high speed rail Since announcing the initial 15 million dollars for a comprehensive environmental assessment back in may 2016 Our government has issued a request for bids for the ea terms of reference for the new portion of the corridor That's between kitschner and london and we have announced our plan to create a high speed rail planning advisory board Just last week. I announced that david collinette our former special advisor for hsr will lead the board Mr. Collinette brings the experience that we need for the next phase of this project And together with mr. Collinette's team will continue to move forward on bringing high speed rail to communities across southwestern ontario But the pcs with billions and billions of Dollars of undisclosed cuts in their Platform we know that high speed rail would be off the table and Okay, I recognize the member from ajax pickering Thank you, speaker. I really wish to welcome queen's park this morning a very special nurse from ajax suppeline beyond there Suppliness today is here as part of the 18th annual registered nurse's association of ontario annual Queen's park day and also at the same time i want to welcome this morning the executive director of safe home in durham region larry shanks who is here today to take part in the queen's park human trafficking awareness day in room 247 Thank you. I recognize the member from totemkin essence Thank you very much Speaker it's my pleasure this morning to again welcome to queen's park two Wonderful nurses from the great writing of chat and kinesics like to introduce anita purdy and betty oldershow We're doing a fabulous job on behalf of the rnao back in my writing Member from nick about thank you speaker. I know I introduced the list of nurses and I forgot the most important one The one from satbury so David group all andre goti maria cassa and debora anderson. Sorry. I forgot you guys I recognize the member from hamilton mountain. Thank you very much, madam speaker I would also like to recognize the wonderful nurses that are here from hamilton Representing rnao today. We have arine malinar a new lou big on big onion and bahar karimi Thank you so much for joining us at queen's park today. Thank you The member from london Yes, thank you. Thank you speaker. I would like to welcome akua frempong and brenda hatten Two wonderful nurses from london who I had the privilege of meeting this morning for breakfast as part of rnao on the road Thank you. The member from beaches east york. Well, thank you speaker I too would like to welcome some guests from queen's park for my writing of beaches east york Doris grinspoon as a constituent and we're welcome all the nurses and I know there are six nurses from beaches east york Who I couldn't meet with this morning because I had a conflict, but I welcome them here as well Thank you Thank you. Thank you speaker. I had meetings this morning. I didn't make it to the nurses breakfast Just in case there's anyone here from windsor and assets county. Welcome to queen's park Seeing there's no deferred vote the house will be recess until 1 p.m