 It is therefore now time for a question period, the Leader of Her Majesty's Law and Opposition. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. Thanks to the Financial Accountability Office, we now know that Ontario does not have a balanced budget. The books were cooked for an election illusion. The FAO said the Liberals won't. I'm sorry, but that phrase can't be used to please withdraw. Withdraw. Carry on. The FAO said the Liberals won't be able, I quote, to balance the budget without significant fiscal policy adjustments. I repeat, significant fiscal policy adjustments. What does that mean for a Liberal? It means either hidden new taxes or frontline service cuts. So, Mr. Speaker, my question to the Premier, given what the FAO has clearly said, what will it be? Is it going to be new taxes or is it going to be cuts to frontline service? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I really appreciate the work of the Financial Accountability Officer. The member from Leeds-Grenwell will withdraw. The person that continues that trend. It's unparliamentary and I won't accept it. Premier. I was pleased, Mr. Speaker, that his economic forecasts are broadly in line with ours, showing strong economic momentum in 2017 and 2018 and confirming strong job gains. His analysis is also in line with the major Canadian banks and financial institutions, and they also predict Ontario will continue to lead Canada in economic growth. Mr. Speaker, that is very good news for the people of Ontario. Our unemployment rate is at the lowest that it's been in 16 years. Great news and has been below the national average for the last two years, Mr. Speaker. So, I thank the FAO for his report and, Mr. Speaker, we've got a good strong outlook, and he agrees with that. Mr. Speaker, I get to the Premier, and I get the Premier's talking point, is to thank the FAO, and that may sound good, but the reality is the FAO is calling this government's budget a charade, a sham. Look at what has actually been said. The FAO is projecting continued Ontario budget deficits over the next five years. I quote, 2017-18, the FAO projects a deficit due to more taxes and a $3 billion boost from one-time non-tax revenues. Ontarians will not be fooled. The FAO is saying your numbers do not add up. Ontario does not have a balanced budget. This is a significant deficit. And if I'm supposed to believe the FAO or this Liberal government, I'm with the FAO. The non-partisan legislative oversight is calling the government out. Will you do the right thing? Will the Premier admit we still have a huge deficit in Ontario? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the question from the member opposite, recognizing that the FAO has also revised his numbers from the spring to the fall, increasing the economic growth that the province of Ontario has been having, recognizing that trends are improving over time. The FAO makes reference to that, Mr. Speaker. And independent forecasters have also assessed it. And we have actually taken their projections, tapered it down in order to be prudent in our projections going forward. But what's really important, Mr. Speaker, is the actual numbers. And actual numbers year over year have always exceeded our budget and our targets. This coming year, we project a deficit of $4.5 billion. It's now down to $1.5 billion and improving, Mr. ... It's going to calm down. Final supplementary. Mr. Speaker, again to the Premier. The Minister of Finance is saying the only thing that counts is the actual numbers. Well, the FAO is saying we have a deficit well beyond $5 billion. So how is it possible that we've got a Premier and a Minister of Finance who have the dossier to say to the people of Ontario, we have a balanced budget when we don't? The non-partisan legislative oversight is saying your numbers do not add up. I want to make sure the government tells the truth to Ontario's. Is the FAO correct that your numbers do not add up? Is the FAO correct that we don't have a deficit? Thank you, Minister of Finance. The FAO is correct that Ontario's economy is improving. The FAO is correct that we are trending downward. The FAO is correct that our debt to GDP ... Inches away from warnings. Answers will be heard by me. Finish, please. And those are projections by the FAO, which we actually do appreciate. In fact, we appreciate others in their inputs so that we can then taper and ... Member from Durham, come to order. Thanks to him, we're in warnings. Speaker, we've put forward a budget and it's a living document. We always overcome challenges as they proceed and we take those efforts. But what the member opposite is doing, Mr. Speaker, is he voting against pharmacare for children. He's voting against increased funding for hospitals. He's voting for increased funding for schools. He's voting for the elimination of free tuition for our students, Mr. Speaker. He's voting against the very measures that improves our economy to enable us to come to bound. Thank you. Yeah, both of you. New question. Later in the up. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. Since I can't get an answer on the budget deficit, I'm going to ask the Premier something directly. We've heard other government ministers try to give their spin on this, but I want to hear directly from the Premier. What does $120,000 giant rubber ducky have to do with Canada's 150th anniversary? Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport. Thank you, Speaker. You know, I'm happy to take this question. I want to thank the member opposite. You know, when we say yes to festivals like we did with the Waterfront Toronto Festival at $121,000, Speaker, we did so confident it would leverage the kind of results this festival has led to in the past number of years, including $6 million in tourism spend, Speaker, and we think that's a great return on investment. I don't know about the member's office, but we absolutely agree that that's the case. And so what? A member from Kitchener Conestoga is warned that I'm going to get tighter. Finish, please. Thank you, Speaker. We have faith, Speaker, unlike the party opposite in local tourism operators. We have faith in their ability to make good decision about what is going to leverage tourism opportunities in their part of the province. Thank you. And what's going to make it fun? Thank you. Mr. Speaker, again to the Premier. Now I ask the question to the Premier, and I want the Premier on the record. I understand why the Premier is embarrassed that her government spent $121,000 on a giant rubber ducky. But if the Premier is actually... President Treasury Board and the member from Barrie are warned. Carry on. If the Premier can actually defend this, she's not going to send someone else out to defend it. She will say here in the House that her government is okay with spending $121,000 that we don't have. Remember, we're in deficit. $121,000 we don't have on a giant rubber ducky. Can the Premier stay here today that she supports it? And if she won't, why won't she? These arguments hold water, and the Leader of the Opposition knows it. And here's what else we know, Speaker, that again, when we have faith and confidence in these local organisers, they know what works. $121,000 that we are leveraging in this festival, Speaker, is now being leveraged among six municipalities, Speaker. And that's really important, because you know what? The member opposite says it's shameful. You know what's shameful? That the party opposite doesn't understand the importance of local tourism investments. It's interesting to say and was quoted as saying that these activities are not only an important part of life in our towns and villages, but provide a real boost to our local tourism economy. Thank you. Ministers, to be reminded that when I stand you sit, I have a final supplementary. Mr. Speaker, I'd have more empathy for the Premier if she said we made a mistake. We shouldn't have spent $121,000 on a giant rubber ducky when the province is in deficit. The reality is we have homeless men and women on our streets, children can't get funding for autism, nurses are being fired, and yet this government thinks it's good value of taxpayer funds to spend $121,000 on the giant rubber ducky. I understand the Premier staff are probably telling her don't get clipped on this, have someone else defend this ugly government policy. But once again, a third time to the Premier, will you defend your decision to sign off on $121,000 for a giant rubber ducky? Yes or no? Brooke is warned. A member from Trinity Spadina is warned. The Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation is warned. Minister? You know, Speaker, I know that the leader... The member from Timmins James Bay is warned. Who's next? Try it from this place. Carry on. Thank you, Speaker. You know, I know that the leader of the opposition doesn't want to talk about the increase in minimum wage or the labour reforms that we're proposing on this side of the House, Speaker. I know that he doesn't like getting in the puck, Mr. Speaker, and he's put it over to me and I'm quite happy to take it and here's why. Because not only is this festival in Toronto going to bring tourists from around the world to Toronto, and that's why the City of Toronto gave $75,000 to this festival, but it's because five other municipalities across our province said yes to and what did they say yes to? They told us that they want to take this stock around the province, Speaker, and it's going to the leader of the opposition's writing. So is he going to call local... Member from Etobicoke North is Warren. New question. The Member from Toronto, Danforth. Thank you, Speaker. Speaker to the Premier. This session, the Premier has done nothing but plow ahead with their own agenda to try and save herself and her party before the next election. Take hydro, for example. The Premier went ahead with their wrong-headed hydro-one sell-off, even though 80% of Ontarians are against it. Does the Premier think she knows more than 80% of Ontarians? Mr Speaker, you know, I've had the opportunity over the last couple of days to talk about specifically the changes that we are making to labour laws and employment standards, Mr Speaker, and to the minimum wage. And all of that, Mr Speaker, is part of a plan. It's part of the reality that government, in my opinion, exists to help people. It exists to do things that we cannot do alone. Government exists to make society more fair. So whether that's free tuition for students who will see that this fall, over 200,000 students will go to college and university. They will get free or better than free tuition, Mr Speaker. Whether it is cutting people's electricity bills, whether it's building 100,000 new childcare spaces, Mr Speaker, or whether it's raising the minimum wage and making sure that part-time and full-time workers are paid the same, Mr Speaker. All of that is about a fair Ontario. That's what we've been doing this session, Mr Speaker. I'm not surprised the Premier doesn't want to talk about hydro-one. Under this Liberal government, hydro rates have gone up by a staggering 300%. Under this Premier alone, rates have gone up 50%. Instead of doing something to fix the mess that she's helped create in our hydro system, the Premier signed Ontario families and businesses onto a $45 billion borrowing scheme that will cause our hydro bills to soar even higher. What does the Premier have to say to the people who will be hurt by her scheme? Mr Speaker, I know him quite well, but I know that he is committed to, for example, building transit, Mr Speaker. I know that he believes in infrastructure building. I also know that he recognizes that over many years, because he knows a lot about the electricity system in Ontario, over many years, government after government did not make the investments in the electricity system in Ontario that were needed. The system was degraded by the time we came into office in 2003 under the previous Premier, Mr Speaker. There had to be investments in order to upgrade the system. We made those investments, Mr Speaker, and we are paying now for those in this generation, and we believe that it is more fair to pay for those investments over a longer period of time. That's what we're doing in order that people can see some relief right now, and they will see that relief come this summer, Mr Speaker. Well, Mr Speaker, indeed, I do know the system, and privatization is damaging the hydro, and in this problem, damaging it. The Premier didn't even give the people of Ontario or the opposition for that matter reasonable time to have their say about her hydro scheme. She's ramming it through the House in a little over two weeks. Two weeks for legislation that will affect our lives for three decades to come. Why does the Premier insist on limiting public input and opposition debate on her hydro scheme? What is she afraid of? Mr Speaker, there has been an enormous debate and discussion around this province about the cost of electricity. The member opposite knows that we're moving forward to give people relief by this summer, Mr Speaker, because we know that that will help people and it will help small businesses on main streets all over the province. Mr Speaker, they will see a reduction in their electricity costs and people in more rural and remote communities will see up to a 40 to 50% reduction, Mr Speaker. I believe that it was an important decision to move ahead, Mr Speaker. I also know that the broadening of the ownership of hydro 1, Mr Speaker, was part of our plan to invest in the people of this province, invest in infrastructure. We were not, as the member opposite is, I believe, Mr Speaker, constrained by an ideology that says that never work with the private sector, do not trust the private sector, Mr Speaker. I believe that the way society works is that government, private sector, civil society works together to improve a lot of lives of the people of Ontario. One question to the member from Toronto, Danforth. Well, I don't consider a 30 minutes debate to be adequate time. Again, to the Premier. After months of heartbreaking story, after heartbreaking story, the Premier still doesn't get that families are at a tipping point. They can't afford more of her hydro rate heights. So why does the Premier insist on pushing ahead with a plan that even the nonpartisan financial accountability officer says will end up costing Ontarians more on their hydro bills in the long run? More in their hydro bills. Why? Mr Speaker, you know the cutting of the electricity bills across the province is part of a broader recognition, Mr Speaker, that we're living in a very uncertain global economy. Ontario's doing very well as both the Minister of Finance and the FAO have identified, Mr Speaker, the economy is growing, but not everybody is sharing in that growth and that wealth evenly. And so, cutting electricity bills, making sure that young people have access to post-secondary education, building childcare spaces, raising the minimum wage, making sure that people have the resources that they need to look after themselves and their families. All of that is about building a fairer Ontario, Mr Speaker. And I know that the member opposite understands that, and he knows exactly why we're taking these measures. Mr Speaker. You seated, please. You seated, please. Supplementary. Again to the Premier, it's not just that she doesn't want to sell off Hydro One, or that she's ramming her borrowing scheme through this house. The Premier is also using the power of her office to advertise that scheme to Ontarians by forcing utility companies to include her Liberal Party messaging in people's hydro bills. Will the Premier admit that she is just using these political inserts to save her own skin before the next election? Thank you. Mr Speaker, one of the things that has concerned me and has concerned us is that not everyone who's eligible for the Ontario electricity support program, actually have applied for it and know about it. So we're doing everything we can to make sure that people know about that program, Mr Speaker, so that they can get a 50% reduction, Mr Speaker. And so we are making sure that that can happen. I know that the member opposite knows that people in the province need relief. It's quite astonishing to me, Mr Speaker, that I expect that he and his colleagues will be voting against that relief, Mr Speaker. I think that there's been enough discussion and they've talked to enough people as we have to know that people need relief, they need it now, and in fact the member opposite brought forward a plan with his party that actually would not have given people relief, certainly not in the short term, and maybe not ever. We're bringing relief to people, they're voting against it, Mr Speaker. We know that people in the province need this relief right now. Thank you, Speaker, again to the Premier. And we are voting against soaring hydro bills. Make no mistake. Make no mistake. The Premier is focused on nothing but her own political fortunes this session. She's barreled ahead with a massively unpopular sell-off of Hydro One. She's allowed to go to the skyrocket. She's ramming through a $45 billion borrowing scheme that the FAO says will do nothing but drive hydro bills even higher. And she's forcing private companies to do some sneaky political maneuvering for her in their bills. Why does the Premier get that she can't win an election or improve her poll numbers by continuing to make decisions that sell out the people of this province? Appreciate it, please. Thank you. Thank you, Mr Speaker. I'm very pleased that it's this Premier and this government that's bringing forward a plan that's going to be reducing bills for people right across the province by 25%, Mr Speaker. But let me quote Ontario Regional Chief Isidore Day. The elimination of the delivery charge will assist our citizens by reducing energy poverty in our communities. It also represents recognition for the use of the government and the expansion of the provincial energy grid. Today's commitment by the Ontario government is commendable and allows a path forward for the greater quality of life for First Nations in Ontario. That is what they are voting against, Mr Speaker. Let me quote Ava Hill. Each one of our community members will benefit from Ontario's fair hydro plan. This is a step towards reconciliation and recognition of our inherent rights as treaty holders. That is what we are voting against, Mr Speaker. We are making a difference for every family in this province. That is what the opposition is voting against today, Mr Speaker. Member from Hamilton Mountain is warned. No question. Member from Nippison. Good morning, Speaker. My question is for the Premier. The headline on the Financial Accountability Officers Release this morning says it all. Quote, FAO expects a deterioration of Ontario's budget deficit. Despite the government announcing a so-called balanced budget, the FAO confirms this is only by using one-time revenue from the sale of Hydro 1. He confirmed this is also due to using revenue from the one-time sale of buildings such as the OPG headquarters across the street. Speaker, what business in Canada would be allowed to pull the wool over their investors' eyes? In the real world, people have gone to jail for pulling a stunt like that. So I ask the Premier will you fess up to the taxpayers and provide the real state of Ontario? I was listening very carefully to the question, and I'm concerned that there are some implications in it and it will not go any further off that line. And he knows what he's talking about. Premier. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you to the question because it does give us an opportunity to reinforce the tremendous growth in Ontario's economy. Outpacing Canada. The Member wants to test it. I will. The Member will withdraw. Because of these initiatives and efforts, we put forward a budget that not only is it balanced, it's balanced this year, next year and we've outperformed yet again even last year. And those are actual numbers Mr. Speaker, but the Member opposite is asking a question. I will accept the challenge. The Member from Renfrew Nipissing, Pembroke has warned someone else is very close. Carry on. But I say the Member opposite is asking these questions because he and his party are uncomfortable with supporting our most vulnerable workers by increasing minimum wage. He even had the audacity to say the minimum wage is not worth that. Thank you. The choice supplementary. Thank you, Speaker. Back to the Premier. We know the government only announced a balanced budget through these one-time sales. They're going to run out of things to sell next year. So the financial accountability officer said the budget deficit will continue to deteriorate quote without additional government measures. We saw the government trying to balance the budget on the backs of frontline healthcare workers. They fired 1600 nurses. We saw the government trying to balance the budget on the backs of students. The Liberals have closed more schools than any other government in the history of Ontario. So my question is to the Premier. Which group is she going to target next to continue this charade of balanced budgets? Great question. So Mr. Speaker, we're always looking at our economic policy. We're always putting forward fiscal plans that enable us to grow our economy. We are of course looking at assets that are unproductive and repurpose them to reinvest making even greater contributions to our economy. And that is exactly what is happening. And part of that contribution is to increase support for our healthcare by 11.5 billion dollars which that member opposite is voting against. He's voting against an additional 9.5 billion dollars more into our education. He's voting against pharmacare, free medicine for all young people under the age of 25 Mr. Speaker, and he's voting against free tuition for our students. He's voting against the very measures that enable our economy to succeed. And as I said before, he's distracting from the issues around minimum wage and that is what affects the people of this province. We are talking about a plan for the people of Ontario for today and tomorrow. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question to the Premier. Niagara Health serves tens of thousands of families. Some of who are with us here in the gallery today they made that long trek on the QAW for three hours on a bus to be here, along with the Ontario Health Coalition, Natalie Mara and Sue Hutt. They brought over 2,500 letters that I will deliver actually to the Premier and the Health Minister after question period from community members asking the government to stop the proposal to close hospitals in our riding. The Liberal government has a proposal in place to close more hospitals in South Niagara in Welland and Port Cobra all based on a non-validated report issued in 2012 by Kevin Smith that experts describe as lacking in total evidence and reference. And without any formal consultation with families in my community and this restructuring will be unprecedented in Ontario. Will the Minister explain to my friends that are here in the gallery today and those watching at home why the Liberal government refuses to put a stop to this short cited proposal? Minister of Health and Long-Term Care of Health and Long-Term Care Thank you Mr. Speaker and I want to first welcome and acknowledge the members of the Ontario Health Coalition who are here this morning and other community members and leaders from Welland in the Welland area that have made that trip here today to advocate on behalf of health care in Ontario and in their region Mr. Speaker and I want to begin and I'll have more to say on the supplementary but I want to begin by saying that that party voted against our budget which allocated 9 billion more dollars in capital infrastructure for hospitals including a dedicated brand new hospital in Niagara for the Niagara region Mr. Speaker and it was the hard work not of that member opposite but the member from St. Catherine's from the local Niagara Mayor Mayor Diodati and many other local leaders that worked so hard over the years to get us to the place where we are today to be able to make that financial commitment to build a brand new hospital for the Niagara region. Well unfortunately it's not cited in South Niagara which is actually where the hospitals are closing we know that Niagara has one of the highest populations of seniors in the province many of whom live on very low incomes worse the region has the lowest second lowest number of long-term care beds in the province and studies from the Niagara region show that the growth is actually going to be in South Niagara so while Niagara Falls deserves a new hospital and needs one Welland and Port Coburn and Wayne Fleet also deserve to have a hospital for their residents and closing the hospital will have devastating impacts on not only economic development in the south end of Niagara but on the people who live in our community so we'll ask again will the minister listen to the experts and to the message brought from the constituents of my riding today I put an immediate stop to the closure of the Welland and Port Coburn hospitals. Thank you Minister. So Mr. Speaker the member opposite knows that I've spoken with her about the hospitals in the region including the Welland hospital that she is most preoccupied with I've met with Mayor Campion as well Mr. Speaker I've met with other community leaders other mayors in the region about Welland Hospital she knows that I have been absolutely open and flexible to the future of the hospital in fact I have instructed my officials to demonstrate that flexibility I grew up and not very far from Welland I understand the importance of that community hospital to the community and I will do everything I can to work with my ministry and with the community to keep Welland open that is my commitment that is what we have been working towards the member opposite knows that I'm glad that the members in the gallery also understand that we are working and we are working with the Linn the mayor, the community everybody to find the right solution You're pushing the member from Trinity Spadina Thank you Speaker my question is to the Minister of Transportation Speaker residency my writing of Trinity Spadina have different options to get to work and around the city in my mind the most convenient way is to bike and I know that many in my community who want to choose cycling but feel that the necessary infrastructure isn't there to allow for them to ride around safely Speaker I'm aware that on Monday the Minister of Transportation was with the minister of tourism culture and sports to make a very important announcement about our government's commitment to cycling with the minister please provide the member of this house was more information on how exactly we're making Ontario a better and safer place to ride a bike Thank you Minister of Transportation Well thanks very much Speaker of course I want to begin by thanking the member from Trinity Spadina for his question and for his tireless advocacy on behalf of his community This past Monday I was very happy to stand alongside the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport as we made a very important announcement regarding the future of cycling here in Ontario Speaker you'll know that we're going to be building more bike lanes and other cycling infrastructure to support commuter cycling infrastructure in our province and Speaker on Monday we were pleased to announce specifically that as part of this commitment will be providing eligible municipalities from across the province with funding through the Ontario municipal commuter cycling program this funding will go directly to municipalities so that they can build more bike lanes and also create our new cycling web hub that will provide a single point of access for all things cycling here in Ontario we'll keep making these critical investments because our government knows that investing in cycling infrastructure makes for a safer more comfortable ride and that's exactly what helps encourage Ontario Thank you supplementary Thank you Speaker and I want to thank the Minister on behalf of the cycling community in my riding as the Minister mentioned by helping make it easier for people to choose their bike to get around both for recreation and to get to school and work as a part on cyclist I know that there is nothing better than right along a trail discovering new towns and regions and spending time outdoor with kids or even something simple as as simple as riding your bike to work in the morning it is no secret that cycling in Ontario is experiencing rapid growth and as many more people realize that this is a fun and healthy form of transportation Minister through the Speaker to you can you tell us more other incentives happening around the bike months Thank you Minister Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport Thank you Mr Speaker and I want to thank the member for the question and for his advocacy he likely has more cyclist per square meter in his riding than any riding in the country so he really knows how to look after them and I appreciate his advocacy so very pleased Speaker to rise in the house and talk about this announcement because I had a great time on Monday with my colleague the Minister of Transportation announcing what is Speaker the largest investment in cycling infrastructure in the history of our province, a significant investment that is going to contribute to the extensive trails across our province and the infrastructure. We are also responding to the growing needs expressed by municipalities Speaker and this in turn really is all about cycling tourism as well which we know grows local economies our cycling tourism plan tour by bike was something I was pleased to announce earlier this year so Speaker our government is clearly committed to investing in cycling making it easier and safer for people to ride, responding to the needs of municipalities and working hard to make it easier for people to ride. Thank you. My question is to the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services. Correctional nurses face a difficult dual task of protecting the health and well being of inmates while also protecting themselves. They face plenty of verbal assaults as well as being spat at and having feces thrown at them. The good work they do is not possible if they are not safe. Dawn Goodenough a nurse and steward with local 234 at Maplehurst Correctional complex said that one of our most urgent needs is finding alternatives to segregation. Mental health is a huge concern right now. To simply say that we can't segregate without viable alternatives in place will only lead to more violence. Thank you. How does this government plan to address increased violence in our jails or will they simply leave the hands of our Correctional nurses hand cuffed? Thank you. Well Mr. Speaker, I think the member actually opposite for his question because I have the pleasure this morning of meeting with our Correctional nurses but also in the past few months during my visit into our institution meeting them and talking with them about some of the challenges that they are experiencing and at first I want to say thank you and thank them for their education and all their hard work that they do in often difficult and dangerous condition Mr. Speaker. Every day and no better than anyone the challenges and the opportunities that exist in our community are committed to giving them the tools and the support they need to do their job to the best of their greatest ability. So through our ongoing transformation Mr. Speaker we are committed of reaching our share goal which is to ensure the best possible outcome. Thank you. Supplementary. Thank you. Minister actions speak louder on the crisis and community corrections due to a lack of resources for overwork, probation and parole officers. Ontario's new corrections minister stated that she was unaware of the fact that home visits were not being done. The Attorney General was even more reckless stating that these concerns were and I quote manufactured by the opposition. But the fact is Speaker staff have highlighted these issues several times in past and were ignored by this ministry. On Sunday a Sudbury man who was issued a lifetime weapons ban and probation order was arrested after attacking a bus driver with a knife. So Speaker to the minister why is the rest of the province more concerned with clear issues and community corrections than this government. Thank you. So Mr. Speaker our government takes the safety of our community very serious and very seriously. I want to put some facts for the opposite member in term of the recidivism has dropped significantly. The crime right has declined over by 30%. And I have to say with a lot of pride that we are currently in the biggest transformation of our justice system in generation. And I look at the member opposite asking questions and I remember their failed Mike Harris hero. When I go to the jail I'm reminded about what they've done to our correctional service. Well I would say privatizing but let's not forget cutting services, cutting our correctional staff in there. We are actually rebuilding a system that has been around for several years unfortunately. So Mr. Speaker I am very happy of the great work that our parole information officer I have met with their executive and I'm going to continue engaging to find a solution. The question from member from London West. Thank you speaker. My question is to the premier. Speaker I have been raising my opinion on this. Liberal government has done is make things worse. Two months ago I shared the story of a constituent forced to lie for a week in a hospital hallway waiting for a mental health bed. Last week another constituent David Warren spent more than three days in the ER waiting for his wife to be transferred to the mental health unit after she had been ordered to go to the hospital for the treatment she required. Does the premier think it is acceptable that Londoners have to leave their community to access the emergency care they so urgently need? Thank you Mr. Speaker and we continue to make investments in mental health and addiction services across this province including in London and it was this government just a couple of months ago that we have been funding for the operations of the crisis centre which provides a critically important resource for individuals in London who are facing those mental health challenges Mr. Speaker. We have also fairly substantially increased the budget of London health sciences itself 16 million more dollars to their operating budget this year in addition to the funds provided to them last year which enables them to deal with some of those challenges that they're facing whether that's in the ER whether it's bed capacity Mr. Speaker but we're working on all fronts we're working with the hospital we're working with the crisis centre we're working with the community to find other measures that can be taken to provide that high quality care. Again to the premier when my office spoke to the chief staff at the hospital acknowledged that long waits in the ER only worsened the condition of mental health patients they said that the system had failed David's wife one of the things that could help is London's proposed mental health diversion project which could divert as many as 3000 people a year from the hospital ed to the community based crisis centre five times I have asked this government to make sure that the project remains stalled in fact London middle sex chief Neil Roberts who is here today has become so frustrated that he is temporarily withdrawn EMS participation from the project does the premier agree that her government is failing families like David's and will she commit to implementing London's much needed mental health project now. Can you say that please? Minister. Well and of course I acknowledged Neil at the beginning of question period and I'm glad that he is here with us on this issue and Neil himself and other paramedics and EMS providers they understand the law in the province where they are required to if they receive an individual whether it's mental health or physical health situation they're required by law to deliver that individual to a hospital environment there was a solution that was suggested to the crisis centre where they could strengthen the relationship between the hospital and the crisis centre run by CMAHA that would have permitted almost overnight for that solution that the member opposite is looking for to happen however notwithstanding the rejection of that solution which exists in Ottawa and in Sudbury and works quite well we are working on with all partners EMS the London Health Sciences CMAHA I wish we were working with the member opposite I know she's raised six times I am prepared to work with her if she'll work with me. Thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the Minister of Labour. Yesterday the minister alongside the Premier announced the government's exciting response to the changing workplaces review. We heard that the workplace of today legislation was first created to protect workers. Our economy is strong and it is growing it is outperforming other jurisdictions our unemployment rate is the lowest it has been in 16 years but not everyone is feeling the benefits of our strong economy. People are worried about falling behind even as they work so hard to get ahead I have heard from constituents and community groups in my riding of Davenport that they are struggling with their families on part-time contract or minimum wage work. Our workers want stability in their jobs and to avoid tough decisions on whether they should earn a wage for the day care of themselves or their families Speaker can the minister please tell us more about the government's proposed measures to help safeguard employees and create fairer and better workplaces. I'll tell you how proud I am to stand today and to answer that question from the member from Davenport. I'm so happy to stand today in the House on this really important issue Speaker when we launched the changing workplaces review two years ago we did so on the understanding Speaker that workplaces have changed the workplace that a lot of us entities young people simply have changed the legislation needed to change with it and we know Speaker the responsible change can ensure that every hardworking person in Ontario has a chance to reach their full potential. Speaker Ontario's got a tradition of fairness and decency in our workplaces they've got to continue to be the defining values whether it's wage equality that lifts people out of poverty, paid sick days Speaker that will allow working parents to take better care of themselves and their children, leaves that allow Ontarians to take care of themselves, the loved ones Speaker increased enforcement Speaker of this government Speaker to one of the best written reports I've seen in the history of Ontario. Thank you Mr Speaker and thank you to the minister for his answers I am thrilled to hear about these proposed changes Minister you already know that we need to move forward in order to give people a fair chance in today's workplace a few years back our government ended the minimum wage freeze that the previous progressive government had brought in we put together a plan and a system that raised the minimum wage by 70% since 2003 as a result of those changes full-time minimum wage earners in the province are currently making $2,392 per year more than they did three years ago the minister as I have written and spoken to you in the past you know that I believe all Ontarians should have a fair and livable wage of $2,000 an hour yesterday you and the premier announced that we are going further to support our minimum wage earners I know that these proposed measures are going to greatly improve the lives of the hardworking people in my riding of Davenport can the minister please tell us more about the proposed changes to minimum wage Minister Speaker there's no member in this house that is advocated or being involved more than the member for Davenport she stood up for her constituent speaker in a way that is unlike many others hardworking Ontarians really deserve to be paid that decent wage everybody's got to have the right to be able to provide their families with the necessities of daily life Speaker what we propose to do is increase Ontario's general minimum wage to $14 per hour on January 1st of 2018 and then to $15 an hour on January 1st of 2019 Speaker that's going to ensure that workers across this province are paid fairly for their work it's going to help them get ahead it's going to help them share in the economic prosperity of this province it's going to support higher consumer spending higher wages Speaker support strong business that's because employers don't create customers create the wealth the spending is where it's going to I can't wait to hear the response from the other parties thank you your question to members from the middle of London my question is minister of health and long term care speaker today a large number of well in area residents are here today to voice their concern over the liberal government's plan to close their hospital the hospital services that are needed over excuse me the hospital services treat over 100,000 well in area residents however those governments fiscal mismanagement the healthcare system has come rationed because of the rationing nurses have been fired access to services cut and now the liberal government is planning to close hospitals across the province Speaker area mayors have concerns about that the replacement of their hospital will make it very difficult to recruit doctors Speaker will the minister reconsider the closure listen to the residents here and across the province and speak the well in hospital open minister of health long term care thank you Mr. Speaker I'm really grateful for the opportunity to address the well in hospital for a second time this morning and to do it in the context as I referenced in my previous answer of an unprecedented capital investment in our hospitals 20 billion dollars over the next decade we added 9 billion in this budget alone that party of course voted against and one of the specific items referenced in that budget was a new Niagara hospital for the regional hospital and we have many regional hospitals around this province a brand new Niagara hospital which will serve that entire community including the community that member opposite has expressed concern for I believe for the first time and Mr. Speaker that brand new hospital is the result of the hard work of individuals like the coalition that's here today and their fight for well and other hospitals in that region which is critically important and I admire them for that and I respect them for that so we will be working together I'm happy to talk specifically about well in the supplementary thank you supplementary and I'm from Niagara West Lambert Mr. Speaker seniors and families in my writing are also hurting because of liberal mismanagement of health care now they're afraid that the minister is going to close the well in hospital closing this hospital would mean that it would take an hour to reach an emergency room one elderly family is very concerned because they have no public transit and do not know how they will be able to receive the care they need and visit their loved ones in hospital so speaker my question is simple and it's to the minister why must you make seniors and families pay for the waste and mismanagement of this liberal government well thank you Mr. Speaker and perhaps the member opposite can check that answered from about 40 minutes ago when I specifically and I think emphatically expressed my commitment to do everything I could to keep well in hospital open I've met with the local mayor I've met with the mayors throughout the region including Mayor Campion Mr. Speaker I've met with the certainly the NDP party that has for some time to their credit unlike the PCs who have addressed this as a concern of the communities involved and Mr. Speaker I will work with the community and with the Linn and the local leadership to see what solution is best for that community and as I said before we have made no decision there has been no decision made in terms of the future of the well in hospital we are building a brand new hospital for the Niagara region we've given them a 26 million dollar planning grant we're going to continue with the capital investment that commitment is in the budget a budget that that member voted against your question the member from Kanora Rainey River thank you speaker my question is to the premier two days ago we learned that the government's plan for cleaning up the Wabagoon river is to offload this responsibility onto somebody else the Ontario government intends to make Domtar responsible for cleaning up the mercury even though decades ago the Ontario government formally declared that Domtar is not responsible for cleaning up the mercury this is a cynical ploy to delay action on cleaning up the mercury that is poisoning people of grassy narrows and wabs among first nations will the premier stop these stalling tactics and get to work on cleaning up the Wabagoon river thank you thank you Mr. Speaker I know that the minister of the environment and climate change is going to want to speak to the supplementary Mr. Speaker just let me be very very clear we are committed to cleaning up the grassy narrows water system Mr. Speaker we've made a commitment to that there is work that has begun already Mr. Speaker as part of that there is a commitment and I made this commitment when we were meeting with folks from the community with the chief Mr. Speaker and with the scientist John Rudd who has been part of these discussions Mr. Speaker and with David Suzuki yes we are calling on Domtar to take responsibility Mr. Speaker but that is not going to stop us from moving ahead and cleaning up the water in the grassy narrows community Mr. Speaker that is not in any way going to stop us from doing that cleaning up the premier is well aware that Ontario's superior court has ruled that it is illegal to offload their responsibility she doesn't care that what she is doing is illegal she knows that she will lose this latest court battle her goal is not to win her goal is to delay all the while families in grassy narrows and wabs among are literally dying of mercury poisoning will the premier listen to her conscience stop this pointless delay and get to work cleaning up the mercury once and for all we are doing what that party didn't do in government we are enforcing the law Mr. Speaker we are holding companies who pollute when there is additional sources and if your government had done it we wouldn't be having this discussion if the party opposite had enforced the law we wouldn't be having it the member is confused between the remediation of the river Mr. Speaker she should listen the remediation of the river we are moving the science from two years to one year fast tracking it that money is going the remediation of the river is doing but if you think we shouldn't hold corporations to account we are enforcing the law you are demanding we don't enforce the law do you say it in place member from Windsor to come see knows better no question member from Etobicoke center thanks very much Speaker Mike question is to the minister of seniors affairs minister my riding of Etobicoke center is home to one of the largest populations of seniors in Ontario and that's why issues that affect seniors are one of my priorities that's why I hold a monthly seniors advisory group that a consultation on the dementia strategy why I've been an advocate for funding for our local hospitals like Etobicoke general and Trillium and why this week I introduced a bill that would ban telemarketing sales harassing phone calls that many of our seniors receive and are concerned about minister last week the 2016 Canadian census confirmed that the number of seniors in Canada is still growing in fact in Ontario the seniors population is projected to double over the next 25 years to 4 million people first time there are now more Ontarians over the age of 65 than there are children under the age of 15 so minister my question to you is can you update us on what you're doing as a government and what is in our budget to help seniors in Ontario minister seniors affairs thank you Speaker I want to begin by thanking the member from Etobicoke center for the important question but more importantly Speaker for the advocacy work he does on behalf of seniors in his riding I've had the opportunity to first hand see him in action with the seniors advisory committee and I just have to say he does an outstanding job the challenge I have Mr. Speaker is that we're doing so much for seniors that I'm afraid I will run out of time but I'm going to try and give you a flavour as part of our budget the government is providing 8 million dollars over the next three years to support the creation of 40 new elderly person centers soon to be renamed as the seniors active living center Mr. Speaker this is going to increase the number of these EPCs from about 360 to 400 we're also committing about 11 million dollars over three years to provide further funding for the very popular seniors community grant program that's already helped over a quarter of a million seniors in just three years I could go on Mr. Speaker thank you supplementary thank you Mr. Speaker I know those investments that you talk about will make a difference we want seniors living happy healthy active lives and some of these investments will certainly assist in that actually since you mentioned it as we speak I'm actually working with a group in my community who's working on trying to establish a community hub so we can deliver those services that seniors need in their community in an accessible way so thank you very much for that now I know in addition to the things in the budget there are other things that we are doing I know you said there's a lot you wanted to talk about so minister could you expand a little bit on the things that we're doing for seniors in this province thank you Mr. Speaker I'm so glad for the opportunity of this supplementary so I can continue to talk about what our government is doing for seniors for instance Mr. Speaker Ontario is increasing the healthcare investments by 11.5 billion over the next three years to increase access to care reduce wait times and enhance patient experience including Mr. Speaker a brand new hospital an expansion of the hospital in my riding in my city of Mississauga by 350 beds and recently I was with minister Hoskins at Baycrest where we announced an additional 100 million dollars Mr. Speaker over three years for dementia this will include funding to expand province wide access to community programs and other investments to enhance access to care and finally Mr. Speaker Ontario's helping seniors cover the cost of public transit with the proposed Ontario seniors public transit tax credit thank you Mr. Speaker thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the minister of health and long-term care almost 15 years ago the Romano report identified an inverse care law for rural and remote communities it says people in rural communities have poor health status and greater needs for primary health care yet they are not as well served and have more difficulty accessing health services than people in urban areas does the minister accept this fact and if so will he reject any proposal to take long-term care beds out of rural Ontario where many homes have already have long waiting lists and does the minister agree that the so-called bed ratios don't tell the full story minister of health and long-term care well Mr. Speaker I think there are so many parts to that and so many questions I was asked I'm not sure if it's wise for me to I think I'll say yes to the first part which was the evidence the science in terms of disparities that exist which are well acknowledged and the social determinants of health that are often behind that in fact there's an HQO report about that situation in the northern part of this province but the other pieces I'm just not sure how I should declare myself maybe he'll be more specific in the supplementary but certainly it points to the importance of the investment that we made this year that that party regrettably voted against of a 3.1% increase to the operating budget of our hospitals Mr. Speaker to an 11 billion dollar cumulative increase in our health care budget for the next three years significant investment as well in long-term care including important elements like the food allocation Mr. Speaker and I'm curious to the supplementary where this might be going thank you supplementary thank you Speaker Hillside Manor near Searingville is slated to close this government is considering a proposal to move as many as 50 long-term care beds to London to happen to Hillside's remaining 40 beds if London needs more beds give them more beds but don't drag us down to the lowest common denominator at my constituency office the phones are ringing emails are pouring in municipalities are writing letters and passing resolutions they are totally opposed to this bed transfer and they want to be heard will this government listen well thank you and I appreciate the clarity from the member opposite because I recall I know that he's written to be on the subject of Hillside Manor and he knows as a result of that exchange that no decision has been made Mr. Speaker with regards to the balance or the allocation or any potential moving of licenses or long-term care beds including for Hillside what has begun as is required under the law Mr. Speaker we look to redevelop 30,000 long-term care beds across this province to provide greater support and greater care that it's required that long-term home operators that they consult with the community in fact I explicitly asked which is likely how the member found out that the long-term care operator specifically consult with the local members of provincial parliament as well as other leadership local leaders that have been taken is that appropriate community consultation no decisions have been taken I beg to inform the House that the following document was tabled report on the economic and fiscal outlook spring 2017 in the financial accountability office of Ontario we have a deferred vote on the motion of second reading of bill 134 an act to implement 2017 budgets calling the members this will be a five minute bell members please take the bill Mr. Speaker it's a very nice bill that was in 2017 Mr. Zimmer moved second reading of bill 134 all those in favour please rise 1 on time be recognized by the clerk Mr. Sousa Mr. Sousa Mr. Nackvie Mr. Braden Mr. D'Alduca Mr. D'Alduca Mr. Sandals Ms. Wynn Ms. Wynn Ms. Matthew Mr. Massey Mr. Hoskins Mr. Sherelli Mr. Sherelli Mr. Dugan Mr. Dugan Mr. Cotso, Ms. Hunter, Mr. Leo, Mr. Flynn, Mr. Tebow, Madam Lalong, Mr. Cardwese, Mr. Dixon, Mr. Dixon, Ms. Mangat, Mr. Crack, Ms. Dahmer, Ms. McGarrie, Ms. Tomorrow, Ms. Jassett, Mr. Zimmer, Ms. Albanese, Ms. McMahon, Ms. McBowler, Ms. Nidoo Harris, Ms. Wall, Ms. Fraser, Mr. Anderson, Mr. Anderson, Mr. Baker, Ms. Dodon, Ms. Hogarth, Ms. Kuala, Ms. Kuala, Ms. Molly, Ms. Martin, Mr. Milton, Mr. Miltcher, Mr. Paws, Mr. Rinaldi, Mr. Rinaldi, Ms. Verneal, Madam Dorosa, Mr. Vanton, Mr. Bisson, Mr. Tavis, Mr. Miller Hamilton, East Stony Creek, Ms. Sattler, Ms. Taylor, Mr. Natascha, Ms. Angelina, Ms. Fife, Ms. Forster, Ms. Campbell, Mr. Hatfield, Mr. Gates, Ms. French, All those opposed, please rise one at a time and be recognized by the clerk. Mr. Fadal, Mr. Arnott, Mr. Hardiman, Mr. McLeod, Mr. Wilson, Mr. Jones, Mr. Brown, Mr. Clark, Mr. Yakibusi, Mr. Miller-Perry Sound, Ms. Oaks, Mr. McNaught, Ms. Thompson, Ms. Monroe, Mr. Eurich, Mr. Smith, Mr. Bailey, Mr. Oosterhoff, Mr. Walker, Mr. Harris, Mr. Nichols, Ms. Marteau, Mr. McDonnell, Mr. Patepis, Mr. Coe, Mr. Cho, Mr. McClaren. The ayes are 67, the nays are 26. The ayes being 67, the nays being 26, I declare the motion carried. Second meeting of the bill, does the elect to approve the law. Shall the bill be ordered for third reading? The minister of finance. Just standing committee on finance and economic affairs, Mr. Speaker. So shall it be. We have a deferred vote of the motion of third reading of bill 132, an act to enact the Hunt Fair Hydro Plan Act 2017 to make amendments to the Electricity Act 1998 and Ontario Energy Board Act 1998. Calling the members, this will be a five minute bill. Earlier today, Ms. McCharles moved third reading of bill 132, an act to enact the Ontario Fair Hydro Plan Act 2017 to make amendments to the Electricity Act 1998 and the Ontario Energy Board Act 1998. All those in favour, please rise one at a time to be recognized by the President. Mr. Tiva. Mr. Matthew. Mr. Bradley. Mr. Del Ducat. Mr. Del Ducat. Ms. Sanders. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Ms. Nguyen. Ms. Nguyen. Ms. Mathias. Mr. Matthews. Mr. Hoskins. Mr. Hoskins. Mr. Shirelli. Mr. Shirelli. Mr. Dugan. Mr. Dugan. Ms. McCharles. Ms. McCharles. Mr. McMeekin. Mr. McMeekin. Mr. Takkar. Mr. Takkar. Mr. Cole. Mr. Cole. Mr. Flynn. Ms. Madame Lelotte. Madame Lelotte. Mr. Cardi. Mr. Dixon. Mr. Dixon. Ms. Mangat. Mr. Crack. Mr. Crack. Ms. Darmelot. Ms. McGarry. Ms. McGarry. Mr. Murray. Mr. Murray. Ms. Jassen. Ms. Jassen. Mr. Zimmer. Mr. Zimmer. Ms. Albanation. Ms. Albanation. Ms. McMahon. Ms. McMahon. Mr. Baller. Mr. Baller. Ms. Nydo Hex. Ms. Nydo Hex. Ms. Walla. Ms. Walla. Mr. Frazier. All those opposed, please rise when I type your recommended letter title. Mr. McDonnell, Mr. Pettipese, Mr. Coe, Mr. Cho, Mr. McClaren, Mr. Vantock, Mr. Miller, Mr. Hamilton, Mr. Stony Creek, Mr. Taylor, Mr. Nattishak, Mr. Angelina, Mr. Vice, Mr. Forster, Mr. Campel, Mr. Hatfield, Mr. Gates, Mr. French, Mr. McClaren. The ayes are 53, the nays are 41. The ayes are 54, the nays are 41. I declare the motion carried. We have resolved that the building now passed and be entitled as in the motion. Point of order, the member from Leeds, Granville. Thanks, Speaker. I want to acknowledge, although they're not in the chamber, they're just outside the chamber, they've just arrived. I want to acknowledge that here today is his worship, Mayor Dave Henderson of Brockville, Bob Castleman, the Chief Administrative Officer and the new Economic Development Officer, Rob Nolan. I want to thank Minister Dugud and Minister Mathews for having meetings with them today regarding the closure of Procter & Gamble. Very good. We are not sure that the third vote for self-scan is recessed until 3 p.m. this afternoon.