 It is now time for question period the leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition Mr. Speaker my question is for the Premier Mr. Speaker out of respect for the Legislature will the Premier immediately halt all the hydro vanity ads until the Speaker has Ruled on the case for contempt. Will the Premier please answer? Government House Leader? Sorry Speaker again this matter is as you know is Before you this this matter has been referred to you And speaker and and so of course we we await a ruling speaker on this side of on this side of the government We are focused in making sure that we bring meaningful relief to the people of Ontario that we reduce their hydro rates by 25% That's what the government is doing. It's a very important policy Obviously the opposition is only engaged in distraction because speaker they have no plan They are actually really confused and given they have no plan They're relying on on procedural tactics denying opportunity for Ontarians to have access to important information That will ensure that they know exactly the kind of stuff that the provincial government is taking and that is to reduce their Hydro rates by 25% Mr. Speaker again to the Premier the issue here is about ads paid for by taxpayers that are used For partisan purposes yesterday the minister said the following I am very pleased to rise and talk about when we're going to be bringing forward the legislation This spring to enact the liberal hydro scheme clearly the legislation is coming forward And the minister is making a mockery of this legislature and its members as he runs self-congratulatory ads paid for by taxpayers mr. Speaker will the Premier stop her reelection Campaigning and using taxpayer resources to do it We're getting close Member opposite is confused. I think he still things that he's sitting in the Harper government where they ran Action plan speaker on this side of the house This government has taken some very concrete measure and making sure that we are one of the strongest piece of legislation when it comes to government Government advertising speaker speaker our government has strengthened legislation to provide a clear definition of partisan advertising Requiring the government to submit a preliminary version of the ad to the auditor general for review and Reinforced rules around government advertising during general elections speaker under our legislation The government ad can't include the name the voice or image of a member of the executive council or a member of the assembly Including the name or logo of a party or directly and dead defying criticize a recognized party a member of the assembly the members opposite Of course remember the good old Harris days where they were able to do that speaker We have passed legislation and that will not be allowed in Final supplementary Mr. Speaker again to the Premier the minister quotes the and references the auditor general the auditor generals powers have been stripped And she has said on the record last Friday that she wouldn't have supported these they simply a pat on the back So mr. Speaker I will continue the Minister of Energy said they will spend under one million on both radio ads and social media ads But there will be more to come so the question everyone asks how much more how many millions is this government gonna spend of hard-earned Taxpayer dollars for their own partisan purposes. So mr. Speaker my question is to the Premier Do you really think it's right to use taxpayer dollars? Before I Before I continue Before I continue I'm going to make an observation and then we'll deal with it accordingly When someone is asking a question I'm hearing heckling from the same side when somebody is answering I'm hearing heckling from the same side, and that's not appropriate either way when I'm trying to bring Decorum to the place and it doesn't do anything but elevate the problem. So That said I would ask me also remind the leader that you speak to the chair, please directly Thank you very much speaker speaker the Ontario government has a response Someone decides that they're going to test me. So I'm tested the member from the peon Carlton is warned We are now in warnings Carry on a government has a responsibility to inform Ontarians to make sure that we raise awareness and communicate The member from Leeds Grendel is warned I think it's because it's important that we communicate important vital information to Ontarians We know that people's hydro bills has been a serious concern for Ontarians It is important speaker that they know what the government plan is and speaker we have a plan We are going to be cutting the hydroelectricity raised by 25 percent. What Ontarians is asking is the official opposition What is your plan? The reason the opposition speaker is so worked up about a procedural matter is because they have no The member from Chatham Kent Essex is warned the member from Oxford is warned finish, please once me Speaker their plan is a blank piece of paper and that's what Ontarians are asking and they have no information on that Mr. Speaker my question is for the Premier since I can't get an answer on the taxpayer funded liberal election ads I'm going to ask another question and that is I'm going to read a quote from Mark Nantes the president of the Canadian Vehicle manufacturers association and he said the Ontario government appears to do nothing to address the climate of investment Uncertainty related to what has been their number one request to deal with electricity rates that can be as high as two to three times higher in Ontario in competing auto jurisdictions these Manufacturer leaders says the government has done nothing when it comes to hydro mr. Speaker Is this government going to risk the jobs of over a hundred and twenty four thousand people employed in auto manufacturing in Ontario? Thank you The Minister of Municipal Affairs is warned Premier Thank you very much. Mr. Speaker, and I know that the Minister of Energy is going to want to comment on On this question in the supplementary, but but mr. Speaker I want to just say that the record amounts of Investment that we have seen in the auto industry over the last six months mr. Speaker really speak to the reality that the Auto sector in Ontario is extremely important It's extremely strong and mr. Speaker. We are going to continue to support it We are going to continue to work with with the auto sector and not just the not just the the Plants mr. Speaker but the supply chain making sure that making sure that that supply chain is in place and that it's strong Making sure that we have the highly educated workforce that we need to be innovating in the auto sector mr. Speaker You know the whole issue around automated vehicles and artificial intelligence. That's very much the cutting-edge That's that's the the frontier of the auto sector That's why we're investing in those technologies mr. Speaker and we are doing very well in terms of North American investment in the auto sector Mr. Speaker again to the premier the premier says that the government's helping the auto sector But the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers Association says their number one request about protecting these jobs in Ontario is being ignored So the facts seem to be very different than what the premier is suggesting now Let me ask another question mr. Speaker the liberal caucus Q&A that was given out to liberal members before their hydro scheme Question 29 said will this rate decrease apply to curling drinks hospitals and schools and mr. Speaker? You know the answer is no there's not going to be really mr. Speaker Why won't this scheme keep curling clubs and hockey rinks open? We're seeing the small towns across Ontario they can barely keep these rinks these recreational services open hospitals are struggling public Institutions are struggling because of the liberal hydro crisis So my question to the premier is when can we expect relief for hockey rinks curling rinks When can we expect relief for hospitals and schools? Thank you. They're struggling of these hydro increases Mr. Speaker, you know I understand I understand the intensity behind the question that's coming from the leader of the Opposition because mr. Speaker in fact we have a plan that is going to reduce people's electricity bills across the province We understand that electricity bills have been a burden for people mr. Speaker and we are taking action Mr. Speaker the the leader of the opposition seems to suggest that he supports our plan But he thinks that we should do more mr. Speaker and that's that's fine We're going to continue to work with municipalities will continue to work with people across the province with businesses the minister of Energy is well aware mr. Speaker that there are there are groups who are still How's this going to work for us, but mr. Speaker the reality is people in Ontario will see a 25 Reduction in their home electricity bills come the summer mr. Speaker That's something that I hope the leader of the opposition is tacitly saying he's supporting Mr. Speaker mr. Speaker again to the premier the premier says that we should that I said we should do more well I absolutely agree. We need to do more by not paying the hydro one CEO four million dollars a year We need to do more by stop signing these ridiculous green energy contracts 1100 more proceeded when we don't need it In Ohio, New York this government's continuing to charge on terms to give energy away, and we're spilling water power I want them to stop that absolutely. We have to do more Our small businesses can't afford it our seniors can't afford it This isn't enough This is a bandage on a bullet wound that this government created They're borrowing money to pay for their own mistakes and Ontario's have had enough of this So my question is my question for the premier is when do we have real relief? When can we see these contracts stopped being signed? Thank you. We see relief Minister of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs is warned and there's a couple others here that I Was looking at it wasn't quite sure who took away my poker face But it'll still happen Premier managing Thank you, mr. Speaker very pleased to rise and talk about our plan that is going to help every family every small business And every farm in this province, mr. Speaker and while they stand up and yell and shake their fists, mr. Speaker They actually have no plan Absolutely no plan, mr The member from Prince Edward Hastings is named to be clear To be clear The member might not have known but he was very close to being expelled That kind of action shall not be tolerated in this house That goes for anybody That's disrespectful, and I won't tolerate it Minister So I know it's a very touchy subject for the mr. Speaker, but they have no plan The member even stood up to the media and laughed when asked his where was his plan He said in the policy department, mr. Speaker our mr. Speaker our plan bringing forward 25 Remember for Bruce gray on sound is warranted you have a wrap up Thank you, mr. Speaker our plan will deliver results for Ontario families businesses and farms They don't have one we have one mr. Speaker and it's working Question the leader of the third party. Thank you so much speaker. My question is for the premier hospitals all across Ontario have been facing huge hydro bill increases on top of liberal budget freezes and cuts Last week it was revealed that the sue area hospital and sue st. Marie Saw nearly a million dollar increase to its hydro bills in just four short years Since she won't release her plan Can the premier tell sue residents who are now facing cuts to frontline health care if her 40 billion dollar borrowing scheme Will help the sue area hospital Minister of energy Thank you, mr. Speaker and I know the member from the leader from the third party is talking about the sue area hospital So let's be clear about what the sue area hospital had to do after their media announcement The sue area hospital said that they have not made decisions directly tied to increases in electricity rates And that increases have not resulted in layoffs, mr. Speaker and let's also talk about hospitals. They're also eligible, mr. Speaker For a range of programs like the save on energy audit and retrofit Initiatives to help lower their bills by becoming more energy efficient. For example Sudbury health sciences north got more than $275,000 For help in energy efficiency upgrades And now they're saving over $500,000 each year in energy cost, mr. Speaker and on top of that Their fair hydro plan will also help hospitals see a modest reduction between two and four percent as well, mr Thank you supplementary Here it's not just northern hospitals that are suffering right here in toronto access to information documents show That the mount sinai health system saw a 45 percent increase in hydro bills between 2010 and 2015 That's nearly 1.5 Million dollar speaker that is not going to support frontline health care If she refuses to release the details of her phantom plan speaker Can the premier at least tell mount mount sinai health system if she plans to help them out with some relief minister of health and long-term care minister of health long-term care Well, mr. Speaker We did Sinai health care system out Last year by giving them as an additional 7 million dollars to the budget last year A 2.1 percent increase in their operating budget, mr. Speaker, and I think You know it bears repeating. I know that my colleague the minister of energy Quoted from the ceo of the sue hospital But I think it's really important that we revisit that because the leader of the third party has a tendency Mr. Speaker to Visit visit hospitals without having those important conversations First with the board with the ceo and the hospital after her visit to sue saint barie The hospital was forced to go out publicly on the record and say that while elect Transfer costs have risen over the past five years. Those increases have not resulted in any layoffs at that hospital If the premier won't tell the sue area hospital or the mount sinai health system If they're going to see some relief under the phantom plan Perhaps she could enlighten the university health network, which has seen its hydro bills go up by over Six million dollars in six years or how about toronto east general hospital speaker, which saw a 67 percent increase in six years speaker The premier needs to show ontarians that she is serious about real relief and not just buying some support For the liberal party ahead of the next election. Will she release the details of her plan? Mr Well, mr. Speaker, I'm happy to inform the legislature and the public that last year we provided an increase to university health network Of their operating budget of nine point five million dollars. Mr. Speaker and And I need to go back to sue saint marie Mr. Speaker because it's a tremendous hospital providing excellent care to the individuals that rely on it And so the sue hospital the second part of their public declaration and no we did not ask them to do this They felt compelled because of the misinformation that had been provided The sue hospital said that quote it has not made decisions directly tied to the increase in electricity rates And that there are no planned layoffs of frontline staff at sue hospital Wow New question the leader of the third party is that also for the premier speaker I have to say it's sad that hospitals that get a little bit of money after years of freezes Are having to use that to fill a hole in their budgets that the liberal hydro plan has left them with speaker That's a remuner's heard the facts from sue saint marie from toronto. Perhaps that's not enough Let's try london at london health sciences, which is made up of several Sites access to information documents reveal that hydro consumption Dropped by 13 percent over the same six-year period that hydro bills went up by 29 percent Does the premier not understand how this would worry londoners who depend on good quality care at their hospitals Well, mr. Speaker we could go on all day because i'm happy to report that for london health sciences center We increased their operating budget last year by over 17 million dollars So you've got your list. I've got my list and i'm happy to continue to report mr. Speaker that the investments that we've made The investments that they go to the games with the hospital budgets was close to three percent It includes all of the hospitals that the member opposite that the leader of the third party is referencing And i have to say mr. Speaker in the three years that almost that i've been minister of health I have not had a single hospital board or ceo come to me and say that The component of their budget that roughly one percent that goes towards electricity has been a burden to them Thank you Windsor regional hospitals met campus saw a 49 percent increase in their hydro bills In the five years between 2011 and 2016 What does the premier have to say to the people in windsor speaker who know That not only is she lining the pockets of her banker friends with her 40 billion dollar phantom plan But she's also offering hospitals in windsor nothing at all to deal with the problems that they've created in the electricity system I Think i should have provided this list in advance To the member office it because she'd be a little bit more careful in the hospitals that she chooses because again Mr. Speaker windsor regional hospital i'm happy to report That they received more than a three percent increase to their budget and again 9.9 million dollars more to that hospital corporation Last year and we continue to make these important investments investments that routinely and regularly and consistently that party has voted against When we added three hundred and forty five million dollars to the operating budgets of hospitals in the budget last year They voted against those investments when we added an additional hundred and forty million dollars last fall to support those hospitals Those are important. They're critical investments in their efforts that we take very seriously to ensure that our hospitals Are able to manage. They are able to provide the highest quality of care that they do in this I don't know what planet this minister is on we've got hallway patient in anterio that deals with hallway medicine Experiences that each and every day in the province of anterio In hamilton st joe's electricity cost doubled from 3.98 million to 8.15 million an increase of 105 percent between 2010 and 2016 105 percent Maybe the premier can tell us since she won't release the hands of her phantom plan Will that plan actually deal with this rising hydro cost the soaring electricity bills in our hospitals across the province minister Well, mr. Speaker i'm glad i think this is the last supplementary Because i'm embarrassed To report while i'm embarrassed for that the member the leader of the third party because i think it's appropriate that this be the last supplementary on this for now Finished minister Well, i'm happy to listen to the facts mr. Speaker So hamilton health sciences corporation. I'm pleased to report to the legislature that last year We provided an increase of 3.6 percent to that corporation 29.4 million More dollars For my question is to the premier last week i visited sun tech greenhouses with owner bob michel bob's a good man He is a proud farmer and he is known in ottawa for his little miracles in manatech But between the liberal green energy tax the No, no, no, no, no starts but The leader of the third party is warned Please finish the hst the new carbon tax the liberal green energy tax and all the waste in energy from cancelled gas plants To power lines to nowhere mean that bob's cucumbers and his tomatoes are 30 more expensive than his america than his mexican counterparts He couldn't even run his lights this past winter to grow his beef steak tomatoes liberal energy policy is doing It's best to put bob out of business and what does he hear from the liberal government? He hears from the pa of the minister of energy who says it's humidity not energy prices that are forcing greenhouses down south Bob and every other greenhouse grower in ontario deserves an answer from this government Will they phase in the burden of the carbon trade and will they ensure that these are these first member to sit when i stand Mr. Thank you, mr. Speaker and i do want to thank the member for that question because the greenhouse growers Throughout the province are an important part of our Our economy mr. Speaker. I know the minister of agriculture does great work with them as well and we met with them Several times mr. Speaker to talk about what are the programs that are out there? Mr. Speaker that actually helped our greenhouse growers and mr. Speaker the greenhouse growers were thrilled mr. Speaker They were thrilled with the fact that we actually introduced the ici program and dropped it from three megawatts Mr. Speaker to one megawatts mr. Speaker because many of those greenhouse growers They actually can now apply and qualify for the ici program mr. Speaker, which will allow them Allow the greenhouse growers and any other business that is part of the ici program drop their bills by up to one Third mr. Speaker and that is significant many for many of these greenhouse growers Right across the province and many of those companies as well that can benefit from the ici program And you know what mr. Speaker the ontario fair hydro plan drop that even further from one megawatt to 500 kilowatts So more businesses can apply That's simply not true. That's that's a counter to everything that bob mitchell told me I met with white foster of north gore greens He owns the largest grain elevator operation in eastern ontario and fernando materials of carleton mushrooms What you're telling me today is simply not true like suntech all of them produce quality food They employ dozens if not hundreds of people But the liberal energy policies of this government over the past decade are continuing to hurt them The liberal pa to energy was clearly told by jim demina president ceo of red sun farms last week humidity That's not a deal breaker the cost of energy is a deal breaker Will the premier stop handing out glossy flyers self congratulating yourself and actually do something for the grain growers of this province There's two issues in what just happened the second time I have to tell the member when I stand you sit If that's the case you may be costing your party a question because I can skip a rotation if it continues number two You were dangerously close to making an accusation that is not permissible in an own parliamentary I would remind the members all members that you cannot do Indirectly what you cannot do director Minister thank you, mr. Speaker I know they don't like to hear the fact that the ici program actually lowers bills by a third But that is true, mr. Speaker and there are thousands of businesses that are actually taking this government up and doing just that But mr. Speaker the opposition is overlooking some green examples of greenhouses that are choosing to base their future Right here in ontario, mr. Speaker. I'm particularly pleased with the recent announcement that green Hell produces plan to invest up to 100 million mr. Speaker to develop yeah 100 million dollars To develop a hundred acre greenhouse in chatham kent adding up to 300 jobs in this province, mr. Speaker That is just one example of many mr. Speaker and we're continuing through the minister of economic development and growth Through the great work of the minister of agriculture And through the great work and leadership of this premier to make sure that we continue to build this province up and make us the most competitive in north america Thank you, mr. Speaker my question is for the premier Private clinics have been operating under this government knows for years Speaker when wealthy people can pay thousands of dollars to jump the queue Everyone else waits longer for their care It hurts seniors. It hurts patient. It hurts families and it violates the principle as the canada health act The health minister says that he has been monitoring these private clinic He says he's been watching them very closely and I thank him for that. I think it's important work Will the premier release the record of these investigation of private clinic or will she keep them secret? Health long-term care. Well, mr. Speaker. I'm I'm glad I'm happy to have this question again today And I'm happy to reiterate on behalf of this government our absolute Commitment to Medicare to universal health care to the canada health act And the work that we do that I do on a daily basis to ensure that the principles behind those important Acts and pieces of legislation that they are upheld in this province And as I mentioned yesterday, it was our government. It was not a previous government It was our government in 2004 that first And substantially and emphatically put in place measures to Ensure that those principles were upheld introducing legislation in 2004 that made it illegal for any person or entity to charge or accept Any benefit for an insurance service in addition to the amount that is paid By ohip and I'm happy to go into more details in the supplementary. Mr. Speaker. Thank you So we all remember that the question is will you release the records? Speaker we know that cutting wait times for every family every seniors and every patient But instead the liberal government is telling people to pay up or wait longer Today we have private clinics charging thousands of dollars to allow people to jump the queue We have for-profit company charging up to a hundred dollars for telemedicine appointment We have people in pain who feel that they have no choice but to pay up because they cannot Suffer the wait time any longer for the care that they need The premier can do the right thing For all of those people the right thing for republic health care She can release those records of the monitoring of private clinics in ontario Premier will you do the right thing? Well, mr. Speaker ontario has the And i'm referencing these because they were referenced by the member opposite yesterday Her concern about wait times and again today ontario has the shortest wait time in the country for a cat scan ontario has the shortest wait time in the country for an ultrasound ontario has the shortest wait time in the country for an mri ontario the wait time for a pet scan is in the order of four to five days Working days mr. Speaker and that time is actually going to likely get even quicker for the residents of sudbury Once in a year's time. They have a fully operational pet scanner at their local hospital, mr. Speaker But it is important that we monitor and ensure that those principles i described earlier are upheld and in 2004 We also made it illegal for any person to pay charge or receive payment to receive special or expedited access To the medicare system. Mr. Speaker. Thank you Your question members from the fumbling point you have Thank you speaker speaker. My question is the minister of education Minister we know the importance of ensuring students receive the best possible education We are illustrating that this is a top priority by making important investments in our education system Our students consistently rank among the best in national international student achievement results And 71 of elementary students are meeting or exceeding the provincial standard in reading writing and math Up by 17 percent 17 percentage points since 2003 minister we all know that How committed our governments to helping our kids become lifelong learners because the claim of because the claim is the opposition Like for example like building new schools in my writing from porgo cobra prime crammy and brighton Through you to the minister. Can you tell us more about the investment? We made in our schools and how it's been We've benefitting our students Thank you speaker and i want to say thank you to the member from north humberland quinty west for this question The member has been a terrific advocate for his community and i've had the pleasure of speaking with him on educational issues Mr. Speaker on this side of the house We know and understand the importance of a high quality well-rounded education for ontario students And this is why since 2003 we've increased education funding to 22.9 billion dollars and increase of 59 percent We've also increased her pupil funding by more than four thousand five hundred dollars to eleven thousand seven hundred and nine dollars An increase of 63 percent Despite declining enrollment after inheriting an education system and disrepair ontario is now an international leader in education Because of our investments. Mr. Speaker. We also have more students graduating today than at any other Thank you supplementary Well, thank you minister We are extremely proud to hear how our investments are helping students achieve their best in the classroom I know the importance of supporting school boards In ensuring the funding goes to programs and services that directly benefit students over the past several years I know that there is a lot of claims about our investments and commitment to our schools Can the minister please provide the house with examples how our investment are helping schools across ontario Thank you minister. Mr. Speaker I want to say thanks again to the member from north humberland quinty west for his question And i'm happy to provide examples of how we are continuing to support our education system And this includes the nearly 810 new schools and more than 780 additions and renovations Mr. Speaker I was disappointed last week that the member from hamilton east stony creek stood in this house and made accusations with no evidence This creates more division in our communities not solutions Although the member from hamilton east stony creek corrected his record while blaming his leader's office I would like to remind the house that in hamilton east stony creek We've invested in eight new and improved schools to build a new st. Gabriel catholic elementary school 11.6 million to build a new east east school 14.4 million to build a new summit park school 925 thousand dollars to build in addition to cardinal newman The minister of health and long-term care Speaker last week the member for bruce grayow and sound and i toured meford hospital Where the community is very concerned about the possible loss of surgical services with the closure of their single operating room The minister's failure to properly fund rural hospitals Is forcing the closure of operating rooms not only in meford, but also in mark dill and south hampton If the government removes surgery at meford hospital Facility could become nothing more than an ambulatory care center or worse mr. Speaker it could close Speaker what is the minister going to do to prevent the removal of surgical services at meford hospital And other rural hospitals like it Thank you mr. Speaker i appreciate the question of my staff and the ministry are working With uh with meford as well as the larger corporation to look specifically at this issue And i have to say i appreciate it i saw the newspaper article of the visit that the opposition members Made and it uh it alerted me further to some of the discussion that was going on Of course no decisions have been made nothing has been approved by the lin This hasn't been mandated by the lin nor has it been mandated by the ministry It has to be approved by the lin has to be approved by the ministry So we're always looking at ways that we can Accommodate local realities and the challenges that might be faced by particularly small Community hospitals like the community hospital that i was born into mr. Speaker i appreciate Deeply just how important hospitals like meford hospital are to the local community for a whole variety of reasons We're working closely to see what we can do in this case. Thank you supplementary the member from bruce gray Thank you very much. We speak to the minister of health long-term care Minister gray breeze health services is held up as a model of amalgamated community hospitals And yet despite its best efforts is struggling to deliver patient care because of your waste and mismanagement The closure of surgical sites in any rural community means people will be forced to travel out of town to get care I trust i don't have to remind you the transportation is almost non-existent in rural entero So how are all those constituents especially low-income families and seniors supposed to get there and back home? Minister your government's callous waste and mismanagement is potentially going to harm the people of meford area Will you commit today not just talk about will you commit today to fixing the funding formula? So hospitals like meford's can continue to provide care close to home in the future and save all this angst in the in the community Thank you Mr. Speaker I'm working hard and the ministry of health is working hard with our Small towns with local community hospitals to help them address the unique challenges that they might be facing The member opposite only needs to talk to his colleague a couple of chairs Beside him to to understand fully what we were able to do in lemington where that hospital was considering closing its obstetrics Ward mr. Speaker and we were able to get involved and reverse that decision And I would hazard a guess that they're obstetrics ward and the midwives that have been brought into that It's probably a stronger service than that hospital in that community has seen a long long time Or in quinty health care in the hospital in in brockville, mr Mr. Speaker where we have worked hard to Not brockville Trenton and the member the member has reminded me of his hard work to be able to ensure that services remain Lastly, I'll just ask the member opposite. I hope he'll join me when shortly We do have the ground breaking for his brand new hospital in markham. Mr. Speaker Thank you To the minister of health and long-term care Last week I had a town hall on long-term care in my riding One of my constituents told me she was forced to take her father out of the hospital And he's been living in a hospital bed in her living room minister She has missed so much work. She isn't sure she has a job to go back to And she is currently unable to pay her mortgage and her hydro bills because her father needs daily care Minister you have failed my constituents and I want to know exactly what are you doing for the 26,500 seniors And their families who are languishing on waiting lists waiting for a long-term care back Thank you Thank you minister. Oh, mr. Speaker I appreciate this question as well. And I know that I I'm not familiar with this specific case I'm happy to discuss it. However with the member opposite. Should she Wish that but mr. Speaker our investments in in long-term care and not just long-term care because it's important that we look at this Holistically hospital investments for those that require that home care investments as well We've increased the home care budget a year after year I think we're in the fourth year now of a five percent increase in that budget But we've built since coming into office 10,000 new long-term care beds, mr. Speaker We've redeveloped already or in the process of redeveloping 13,000 well on our way to our commitment of 30,000 beds redeveloped by 20 25, mr. Speaker But there are challenges and often when you drill down to the individual case and when we are made aware Sometimes we have the ability working with all our stakeholders and partners to make a difference Thank you supplementary Minister the growing demand for long-term care beds has not just come up out of the blue Experts have warned this government for more than 10 decades Now there are 26,500 seniors and their families caught up in cycles of stress Poverty and loss of dignity The same experts have also told you that the wait list will double in six years to 50,000 people Minister you have failed to act Will you commit to ensuring that every senior has access to a long-term care bed when they need it? Thank you, mr. Speaker So among the more than 10,000 long-term care beds that we've added since coming into office, mr. Speaker Include 192 new beds at the homewood corporation in london 160 new beds at people care in london, mr. Speaker 192 new beds at henley place limited in london, mr. Speaker 32 beds at chateau gardens in london and we are also well on our way to redeveloping many many beds In london as well at In excess of 500 easily shadow gardens extend to care versus care dearness home mccormick home McGarrow place kensington village All located in the london region mr. Speaker probably in london itself Certainly, we are making significant investments including the members own riding and And city mr. Speaker New person the member from kinsen in the island. Thank you, mr. Speaker I'm happy to stand in this house to recognize that today is international day for the elimination of racial discrimination and direct minister, please Approximately one year ago the anti-racism directorate was established The minister was appointed by our premier with a mandate to address racism in all its forms with a focus on systemic racism Speaker regrettably systemic racism is still very deeply entrenched in our day-to-day lives We have seen it in many of our communities such as the vandalism in the mosque in kinsen and the islands a couple of years ago Racism continues to negatively impact people in our province every single day This is unacceptable and must be addressed It is important that our government acknowledge systemic racism and take action to achieve equitable outcomes for all Minister, can you please outline the steps that our government has taken to combat systemic racism in ontario? Thank you, mr. Speaker I want to thank the member for the question and especially on this important day Mr. Speaker systemic racism is real and it creates unfair outcomes for people here in the province of ontario Mr. Speaker I had the opportunity to travel across this great province and I spoke to many people I spoke to them about the painful realities of racism And I want to take a moment to thank the people that came out because I know those conversations were tough and they were very painful And it wasn't an easy thing for people to do Many of these conversations were frustrating and they were difficult, but mr. Speaker We listen to people's stories. We listen to ideas And we've taken those ideas and we've brought a strategy forward that I think we all could be proud of Mr. Speaker on march 7th Our government introduced a better way forward a three-year strategic plan to fight anti to fight racism here in the province of ontario And to really build a anti-racism approach to the way the government does things and i'm very proud to be here today to talk about that strategy Mr. Speaker and thank you to the minister for that response and your work in our communities I'm proud to see that our government has put forward a plan to address systemic racism This is much needed and I know that there will be many constituents in my riding of kinks in the islands who appreciate and support this work Speaker, we know that communities face deep histories and legacies of marginalization That continue to shape outcomes today research shows that some populations Particularly indigenous people face systemic racism and disproportionately worse socio economic outcomes compared to others We know for example that black and indigenous people are over represented in the child welfare and justice systems Minister, can you tell us how this plan will come out of racism in our public institutions? Thank you again for the question Mr. Speaker, I want to acknowledge the minister of education the attorney general the minister of community safety and correctional services The minister responsible for indigenous relations and reconciliations and many other ministers and members On this side of the house for being there and to build help to build this plan We're taking a whole a whole of government approach to build a plan that will fight Racial disparities here in the province of ontario and the anti-racism directorate will partner with ministries to pilot and collect disaggregated data In child welfare justice and in education So, mr. Speaker, we have a three-year plan and that strategic plan includes An attempts to reduce disparities and Disproportionalities affecting indigenous and racialized people In government policies programs and services. It also looks to ensure sustainability and accountability increase education and public awareness Is systemic racism and work collectively with communities to eliminate systemic racism. Thank you question the member from Do a member from Leeds for Involves Speaker for 47 years swans variety was a landmark in the village of Athens Swan survived a major fire and lasted through the terms of eight premiers But not the ninth On friday a heartbroken owner Karen swan turned out the lights for the last time It wasn't a lack of customers that spelled the end for swans It was the crippling cost of hydro culminating in last month's $7,000 bill The premier diminishes the hydro crisis and energy poverty she created by calling it a mistake Speaker what does the premier have to say to karen swan who just paid for this mistake with her family business? Again, I don't I don't know the circumstances around this business What I do know is that there are small businesses all over the province, mr. Speaker who are going to see a 25 percent reduction this summer We know we know that it's not just Individuals or families in their homes who have been carrying a burden mr. Speaker and and as as we have said have been asked to pay for upgrades to a system that had been neglected My resolve still exists That's just a simple reminder and if it continues we'll move right along Finish please have been asked to pay for improvements in the system Mr. Speaker that will last for many many years which is why we're spreading the cost of those over a longer period of time Mr. Speaker again, I don't know the specific circumstances around this business, but we we understand very clearly that businesses Small businesses mom and pop businesses In towns around the province Back to the premier speaker for years the premier ignored our warnings that unaffordable hydro rates were destroying our communities Now when her political future is at stake. She suddenly claims to care They shamelessly spend taxpayer dollars on ads designed to portray themselves as heroes in a disaster They created But if she stops patting herself on the back and looks around She'll see that no one's buying it Ontarians will never forget this premier did nothing as hydro rates soared Business closed and families were forced from their homes Speaker will the premier admit that it was her failed leadership on the hydro crisis that cost Karen swan Everything she had Thank you, uh, mr. Speaker and I know the uh, honorable member used the word disaster and that was the electricity grid That they left for us. Mr. Speaker. They left the province and the electricity grid in a disaster, mr. Speaker We had rolling brownouts on a regular basis a blackout, mr. Speaker So we acted this government this party acted and made sure that we rebuilt the system, mr. Speaker Rebuilt generation rebuilt transmission rebuilt distribution, mr. Speaker That was needed to ensure that all businesses in this province that all families in this province were able to keep the Lights on mr. Speaker and now now mr. Speaker We're making sure that we're reducing those bills by 25 percent Mr. Speaker for small businesses for farms and for families right across the province and let's not forget 40 to 50 percent reduction for those folks in hydro one customer Thank you very much mr. Speaker my questions to the premier premier I have a situation that proves that privatization is a disaster Your government went and privatized the delivery of internet services in long distance in northeastern Ontario when you privatize on terra Now what happens? I get phone calls from constituents like bill waitresson and timmons Who ended up losing his on terra service that had very high speed internet up and down so that he can do what he had to do He was forced to go to the private sector with bell to purchase internet service The cost went up by 50 percent And his service went down with lower bandwidth will you finally admit that privatization of public services is a bad thing? Very much I want to thank the member for the question What what I know about the file is simply this speaker in october 2014 the province and the board completed the sale of on terra to bell alliance Which is now bell canada the reality is that over the past decade on terra was not able to generate sufficient revenues to To cover its operating and capital expenses speaker the the government had external financial experts Look at on tc's books and evaluate the cost of keeping on terra in public hands They found that keeping on terra was going to cost about 148 million in the long term And that by selling it we could actually save speaker 96 million dollars the cost to the on tc Of continuing to own on terra was greater than the short-term cost Associated with the sales speaker and I look forward to providing more information in the supplementary Minister what hogwash on terra was set up for the reason that there isn't a large enough market For the private sector to deliver the service needed So that's why the Ontario government stepped in with on terra so that people in places like timmins And people in iraqa falls and other communities are able to get the internet Instead you decided to leave them to the avails of the market Which the market is not large enough and now we're forced to pay more to get less service So will you find the admit privatizing on terra was a mistake? You minister there's been tremendous changes in the telecom industry And it no longer made sense for on tc to run a telecom company whose services are being provided more efficiently by private sector companies The sale of on terra is part of the government's strategic path forward We've committed 15 million dollar investment that will be matched dollar for dollar by bell And will result in a 30 million dollar update to fiber network systems and tower and system upgrades While there were short-term costs associated with the sale of on terra the costs of continued ownership Thank you Finish please. Thank you speaker. Well, there were short-term costs associated with the sale the costs of continued ownership Outweighed the short-term costs of the sale proceeds from the sale include 6 million in cash And an estimated 9 million in long-term revenue to the on tc through a fiber license agreement with bell. Thank you Thank you, speaker. My question is for the minister of advanced education and skills development Well, we've been seeing phenomenal reviews of come from away a musical that made its debut on broadway this month after being showcased here in toronto The musical tells a story of canadiens helping stranded american travelers in the aftermath of the 9 11 terrorist attacks Speaker the show actually got its start here in ontario with a collaboration of charidan college Speaker could the minister please tell us more about this musical and how charidan Was involved in bringing it to broadway The minister of education advanced skills and minister responsible digital government to have this question and this opportunity To highlight an extraordinary success from one of our colleges speaker last week I was delighted to be uh in new york city See come from away on broadway speakers The member said it's how the people of gander newfoundland came together to support people from all over the world As they landed there after 9 11 It's received fantastic critical acclaim A-listers are going to see it Maybe none more Famous speaker that our very own minister of labor kevin flinn attending of as well speaker It is heartwarming. It is compelling It's a show set in canada written by canadiens irine sankhoff and david hind It was born and brought to life right here in ontario through the charidan college musical theater project speaker I'm delighted to talk more than my supplementary Thank you speaker and i'd like to thank the minister for her answer And I think we're all quite envious of our labor minister for taking in the show We're going to ask them all about it We should note that charidan works with the canadian musical theater project as a kind of musical theater incubator Canadian and international writers and composers can bring their new musicals to life Through workshops and stage greetings working with a cast of students Speaker could the minister please tell us more on how students are involved in the creation of musicals like come from away Thank you minister. Thank you speaker since 2011 the canadian musical theater project Has worked at workshop 12 musicals this way led by michael rumanoff students are involved from the very beginning Helping shape these pieces of art through each new stage of development And this is exactly the kind of hands-on experiential learning We want all students to have whether they're in engineering whether they're in early childhood education or performance arts Colleges have been leaders in integrating this type of high impact opportunity For students right into their learning next week or next month. We'll be celebrating college's week A celebration of the 50th anniversary of ontario's public college system And there is a lot to celebrate come from away in one example speaker Where colleges are making our lives here better in ontario and also bringing us pride on the world stage Question the minister Well, thank you very much, uh, mr. Speaker my question this morning is to the premier Last week I held my second rural and small town poverty and jobs roundtable One of the major topics at this meeting was the soaring hydro costs and how devastating they've been to people in small towns Speaker I don't need to tell the premier of ontario that electricity rates have more than doubled in recent years Driving people into energy poverty Yet no action was taken until her popularity in the polls plummeted And even then her first step was to use taxpayers money to create congratulatory ads Speaker will the premier explain why it is more important to put out a series of partisan political ads Than it is to actually fix the hydro crisis that her government has created Thank you, mr. Speaker very pleased to rise and talk about the ontario fair hydro plan Which actually addresses the specific issues concerned by many Families that live in the rural or northern parts of our province, mr. Speaker and because of that, mr. Speaker We acted and so the triple rp is going to be increased mr. Speaker Significantly for many of those customers who are our two customers or our one customers, mr. Speaker They're actually going to see not just 25 percent mr. Speaker like every other family and small business and farm in the province They're actually going to see between 40 and 50 reductions, mr. Speaker For those folks that are in rural and in northern parts of the province and so mr. Speaker We're going to make sure that the triple rp is enhanced We're making sure that distribution rates are fair for those folks that are in those parts of our province, mr. Speaker And we will continue to bring forward other programs like the affordability fund that will also help those folks In in that part of the province mr. Speaker. Thank you very much Thank you, speaker and back to the premier One of the many attendees at my recent round table was pastor brian horriban of the first baptist church in wallisburg Pastor horriban stated that ontario's soaring electricity prices are emptying the charitable coffers of churches That are being tapped by parishioners Unable to pay their power bills or afford groceries another story of heat or eat here in liberal ontario Speaker does the premier think it's fair for people to rely on churches to cover basic necessities Like heat hydro and groceries in their communities Or does she simply not care about the people living in small towns in rural ontario who are stuck paying their bills She doesn't answer minister of poverty and housing Minister of housing responsible for poverty reduction Well, thank you speaker and delighted to be able to follow up On discussion around poverty in ontario and I think it shows the leadership of this government in establishing a ministry That focuses on ontario's poverty reduction strategy I want to let you know that Yesterday we tabled with the legislature our our poverty reduction strategy report Mr. Speaker that that announces we've had a 20 percent reduction in child poverty in this province So I think that shows great leadership right across Right across mr. Speaker. There's so much more that this province is doing when it comes to poverty reduction in general whether it be things like the free tuition for students for the basic income pilot that we're offering The the energy costs with with some of the strategies that we're we're undertaking by and large mr. Speaker We're focused on Thank you. New question to member from Niagara Falls Thank you, mr. Speaker. My question is to the premier a local business border sir City casting from Fort Erie Contacted our office regarding a recent hydro bill. It was $12,000. Yes $12,000 This local business actually only used around 1,000 in electricity But between global adjustment charges Delivery charges and hst the bill is $12,000 Well, I appreciate that there is an 8 discount to help business in ontario Unfortunately, this business does not qualify for that reduction Because of their kilowatts per hour usage. They don't qualify mr. Speaker. I believe this is unfair The liberal government should be concerned that businesses in Niagara and across Ontario are going to have to close because of these policies So I asked the premier will you commit to taking immediate action to help small and medium sized businesses in Ontario with their crushing hydro bills By stopping the sale of hydro one and taking real action to lower hydro bills Thank you, mr. Speaker. It's very important to note that The ICI program mr. Speaker actually helps all businesses within You know under a megawatt of power usage, mr. Speaker with reducing their bills by up to a third And I don't know the specifics of that individual business And I'd be more than happy to talk with the honorable member about that to find out what programs They do qualify for mr. Speaker because there are many many programs that are out there, mr. Speaker I was at a great company in brand mr. Speaker called hematite. We were there giving them an award They saved $200,000 mr. Speaker by changing their lights mr. Speaker, but you know what they were unaware of the ICI program So we're working with them to actually help them save a third on their bills mr. Speaker And the way we've dropped this mr. Speaker the way we've reduced this from one megawatt of 500 kilowatts Thousands of more small businesses and medium-sized enterprises will qualify for the ICI that's great news for business in this province, mr. Speaker Time for question period is over a member from london fanshaw at a point of order Yes, speaker. I'd like to correct my record rather than 10 decades. It's only 10 years, but it feels like 10 decades Members are always allowed to correct their record without editorial The member from ajax pickering on a point of order Speaker with your indulgence I would like to on behalf of all three parties invite everyone here today to a special Down syndrome association of ontario in room committee room 228 And that will be underway three minutes ago and we'll be going for an hour and a half The member the minister of health long-term care at a point of order Here I apologize when I was responding to the question on Hospital operating budgets. I referenced Hamilton health sciences. I had intended in fact reference st. Joseph's health care system That received a 15 million dollar increase in operations last year Absolutely never too late to have someone Asked to stop there are no deferred votes. This house stands recessed till 3 p.m. This afternoon