 It is therefore now time for question period the leader of Her Majesty's Mr. Speaker my question is for the minister of agriculture the new chair of the Ontario Processing and vegetable growers is pretty well known around this building She is the old chief of staff to the former minister of agriculture a relative of a former liberal MPP and a well Connected liberal lobbyist the same old same old liberal patronage And it looks like liberal entitlement at its finest It does not send a good message to Ontario farmers Mr. Speaker was the chair appointed because of her liberal connections and Mr. Speaker was it the Premier's office that Drifted that drove this patronage appointment Thank you minister bad culture food rule first mr. Speaker simple answer no Mr.. Speaker seems the Liberals don't want to reconcile their patronage and liberal entitlement So I'll try a different question on behalf of Ontario farmers in over 14 Ontario farmers have seen broken promises after broken promises and one of the best examples of that is the natural gas Expansion they've been waiting and waiting and that promise keeps on coming and frankly the funding for it seems to be diminished year after year So a very direct question to minister of agriculture Will we actually see this natural gas expansion at the amount funded finally honored this year? Minister of municipal affairs come to order And the minister of indigenous relations come to order You're not going to get the last word minister Thank you very much Member from Renfrew Nipissing Pembroke come to order Carry up to the minister of infrastructure who's been a real leader on this file. Thank you While it is appropriate to move to another minister. It's not appropriate to add anything else Thank you Minister of infrastructure We announced the 100 million dollar natural gas grant program We became the first government in Ontario's history to make a significant investment in Was a direct response to what we heard from Ontarians that Residents farmers and small businesses want to reduce their energy costs our government believes that the expansion of natural gas access Particularly in rural and remote communities is an absolute priority We are expanding natural gas access in underserved communities including those in rural and northern Ontario The expansion will help families farmers and small businesses save up to $1,500 in heating costs in each year. Mr. Speaker speaker this one hundred dollar program is Leveraging millions more of investments from the gas utilities in light of significant uptake for this program We are waking hard to win the federal Thank you Mr. Speaker again to the ministry agriculture now the natural gas expansions contingent on the federal government They know how to make up any excuse to not honor their promises Local question on behalf of farmers in Simcoe County the sheet farmers in Simcoe County have been dealing with an increase in predatory Animals particular coyotes. They are a persistent threat the Ontario wildlife and damage Compensation program is supposed to be there to assist them But there are serious concerns about the implementation of this program Farmers are not getting the assistance they need and were promised by this government Mr. Speaker, can I get a commitment as I can't get a commitment on walking away from their patronage or natural gas Economic development order on this program the liberals will ensure the Ontario wildlife damage compensation program We'll actually get farmers the help they were promised In case the case the minister missed it the minister of economic development come to order Minister of infrastructure Minister of Agriculture Mr. Speaker and indeed the compensation program that we have in the province of a terror is very important to our Farming community. We have a trade staff that actually Go to the field to assess the damage that's been done by a predator in fact, mr. Speaker not too long ago I took the opportunity to be in a farm by riding a Peterborough to see a sheep that was Attacked by a fisher to see that the damage that was done by that particular predator I know that particular case the assessor that one comes from the municipality that case Asheville, Norwood Goes in the field assess the damage and to make sure that the farm community is adequately compensated from time to time We continue to monitor the situation to make sure that any farm animal that's been damaged by a predator you get compensated Remember from Prince Edward Hastings come to order and because this is happening We're about inching away from warnings if you would like to do that. We will New question leader of the opposition Mr. Speaker My question is for the president of the Treasury Board as the days go by so does the government abuse of government funded Advertising and frankly, mr. Speaker they not only have abused it They have more than doubled the government ad by for this year It's one thing to use liberal party funds to campaign. It's another thing to use taxpayer dollars So mr. Speaker mr. Speaker my question is very direct to the president of the Treasury Board Will they cancel the five point stop the clock? We're in warnings We are in warnings and if I sit down and it starts I might name Finish please mr. Speaker clearly the auditor generalist says these are partisan ads that would not have been approved by her office The question is this latest five point five million dollar ad by will you do the right thing and cancel these partisan ads? Thank you very much speaker and I want to talk a little bit about the process for for government advertising because there actually is a Bulk media by Which is consolidated at my ministry however the process for approval is a ministry Approaches cabinet office cabinet office makes a maximum allocation Treasury Board actually isn't party to that but the figure that presumably the member is citing the is the the maximum allowable allocation in order for the Ads to ever go to air they have to be approved according to the government advertising act and I would I would answer I would Point out to people that we continue to be the only jurisdiction in Canada. Thank you. That has a government supplementary Mr. Speaker again to the minister five point five million dollars may seem like nothing to a government that was billions But these millions these millions could have been spent on much more worthy purposes helping people with a hydro bill Helping children who need services for autism. There are so many better uses than using taxpayer dollars Partisan ads and so let me ask this very direct question. Does the Treasury Board President believe it's appropriate to use? taxpayer dollars for liberal propaganda because that's exactly what they're doing Are you on the side of taxpayers or are you going to continue to ignore the auditor general do the right thing? Cancel these partisan ads do the right thing make sure it's not President well, I obviously Excuse me Yeah, obviously don't agree that the advertising that we've supported over the year as part as an ad Think of some of the advertising that we have done as a government think of the who will you help campaign? about sexual violence and If you go to that particular Advertising campaign the video was viewed internationally video was viewed by over seven million People in the first ten days alone Eventually generated more than 85 million views of our worldwide But what's really interesting about that ad is that it actually changed public opinion and What we set out to do with that was to change the attitude towards sexual violence And in fact that ad achieved that we don't think that's partisan. We think that's good social Mr. Speaker my question is again to the Minister. I'm talking about a five point five million dollar Hydro-advised and you know the auditor general you you say they're not person the auditor general the non-partisan Legislative oversight has said they are partisan. They would not have passed her office's approval But you took that approval away. So rather than try to distract the public with a different ad campaign be very clear We're talking about these partisan hydro ads Let me give you an example of something that would have been more of a worthy cause the member for Nippee and Carlton Challenge the minister today that we could have used those funds on an opioid awareness. This is a real challenge This is a real crisis. So will you accept the challenge? Remember from a Tobacco North is warned carry on Mr. Speaker will the minister accept the challenge from the member from Nippee and Carlton Do the right thing rather than have these partisan liberal propaganda ads on hydro Of course you use those funds for an opioid awareness campaign Minister well speaker we use government funding for Stop the minister of agriculture food and rural affairs is warning carry on advertising for a variety of reasons including extents of health exam Things think about the campaigns about getting a flu shot think about the campaigns About healthy kids community challenge and quitting smoking. So yes, we do Advertising about health, but we do an advertising about variety of things think about the climate change ads that we did Because unlike the people opposite we actually think that climate change is one of the most serious Problems facing us today as citizens of not just Ontario, but citizens of the world and the that Ad campaign again helped inform the public about the fact that climate change is real. It's not Member from Prince Edward Hastings is warned new question the member from nickel belt Thank You mr. Speaker my question is for the vice premier your Horvath told this house that over the weekend 22 sick people in my hometown of Sudbury Received their medical treatment in hospital hallway TV room patient lounge and a shower room This isn't the first time that the deputy premier in her liberal government has been alerted to the overcrowding crisis in Ontario hospitals What is the deputy premier's plan to fix the crisis in Sudbury? Thank You mr. Speaker well our plan is to continue to invest in health care as we Announced and are now implementing as a result of the spring budget a One billion dollar investment in the health care budget this year mr. Speaker We're investing seven billion new dollars in health care over the course of the next three years and 500 million dollars specifically this year to hospitals on top of an equal amount last year So we're investing in our hospitals ensuring that they have the operating funds necessary to run their institutions property and provide that high quality care But we're also investing specifically in those hospitals that are facing capacity challenges We're working with those hospitals. They're coming forward with proposals with regards to how we can further make available beds for them to To improve the process through which people who require admission are admitted into hospital. Thank you supplementary Thank You speaker the minister knows that the Brampton Civic Hospital has been officially at over capacity every single month of 2017 he also knows that this crisis did not start in 2017 the hospital has been at over capacity for more than two long years Since the minister has known about this crisis for years now What is his plan to fix the mess at Brampton Civic Hospital? Well mr. Speaker the the member opposites figures are simply not true Well Mr.. Speaker so I have in front of me the hospital occupancy rates for every single hospital across this province And I have the because they're delivered quarterly mr. Speaker although we do track them on a daily basis But the most recent quarter from April through July of 2017 Brampton Hospital is at 86 percent capacity So mr. Speaker it's important that we all in this legislature work with the facts I'm happy to provide her with as I have and in fact these are often generally publicly available very soon after I received them myself We're happy to actually work together For those hospitals that are facing specific capacity challenges mr. Speaker final supplementary Speaker the budget short-changed Ontario hospital by $300 million and the minister knows that he knows that because the Ontario Hospital Association Has written has taken the step to write to the minister to tell him just so they've Demended immediate funding in order to avoid an even more acute crisis when the flu season Which is just around the corner will hit us this winter How much funding can hospital accept expect from this government and when can they expect it to deal with the overcrowding crisis? Well, you know, I know what's happening here, mr. Speaker because despite the NDP voting against our budget that included $24 million specifically to address capacity in hospitals and despite the NDP seemingly being Absolutely opposed to the Humber River proposal the Finch site to add More than 150 beds for transitional patients that do not elote who no longer need to be in hospital Now they're going to try to set themselves up as somehow This is their idea and an investment that we made long ago and work that we're currently doing with their hospitals to address Not only capacity, but the potential for surge due to the flu season which is upcoming We've been working with this intimately with the OHA with the hospital system will continue to work and it has nothing to do with Not quite sure Wrap up sentence, please Thank you, mr. Speaker Thank you new question member from nickel belt. Thank you. Mr. President my question. Thank you, mr. Speaker My question is again for the vice-premier in January this year Humber River Hospital in Toronto was forced to admit 94 sick patient in unconventional bed in February it went up to 97 sick patient in March 61 sick patient and in April 68 sick patient were admitted in unconventional bed That's 326 people forced to receive medical treatment in a public hallway with no privacy and no dignity And that's just one hospital speaker When will the minister at least tell us what is his plan to make sure that the sick patient admitted to Humber River Hospital Will actually get a hospital room Our plan mr. Speaker is the one that they oppose our plan is to create at least in excess At least we're considering a proposal from Humber River Hospital and it's and a significant number of other hospitals in the GTA they've come forward with a proposal to address precisely what that party is asking us to do So their proposal is in excess of 150 beds opening up for ALC patients in those hospitals Including Humber River that know they're not acute they no longer need to be in that hospital environment So the plan from Humber River Hospital is to actually bring those people into an appropriate transitional Setting where they can get expert rehabilitation care. I can't for the life of me I mean, this is such a direct question which runs contrary to their expressed opposition there to this proposal They're calling it warehousing. They're calling that site mothbald. They obviously don't like it answer So the actual solution being proposed by Humber River that we're looking at They oppose mr. Speaker. Thank you Thank You speaker Sick kids hospital reach a high capacity last winter of a hundred and seven percent of its acute care beds it Mental health unit reach an astonishing a hundred and thirty six percent capacity Over capacity at the exact same time again. The minister has known about this crisis for years What is the minister's plan to make sure that no sick child? Admitted to sick kids will ever feel the burden of this government neglect of our hospital When will he stop risking the health and lives of those old sick children? Just to balance the bottom line You know mr. Speaker, I'm so disappointed once again in the NDP rhetoric The fact that that members member is suggesting that Ontarians cannot trust the hospital for sick children with the Thousands of frontline healthcare workers the volunteers the administrators who are working day in and day out to provide world class healthcare for the youngest Members of our society This government or me as minister that I'm putting those lives at risk is unbearable for me But it's it's in line with the rhetoric that they're increasingly using which is creating fear mongerings And the fact that they addressed our long-term long-term care assistant as being in chaos The fact that they're talking about mothballing of individuals and facilities the fact that they're opposing every effort that we're making to address The challenges that we face I find unconscionable Those little six children get very good care once they are admitted speaker But this is what the issue is all about the premier is the minister's refusing to listen to the opposition He has refused to listen to the Ontario Hospital Association He says that he cares about the fact But he's been presented with the fact speaker time and time again in this house and by the people of Ontario Only to continue to deny that there is a real crisis of over capacity in our hospital What will it take for this minister to take some real action to take some decisive action and to help Ontario? Families throughout our province who need hospital care and end up admitted into a hallway Mr. Speaker I have lived and worked in many countries in the health care systems And I know that we have one of the best health care systems in the entire world And the thousands upon thousands that are working every day to provide that highest quality care We have one of the best cancer care programs in the entire world bar none I believe in it. I love the health care system that we have in this province. We have to defend it. Mr. Speaker My question is to the Minister of Health and long-term care in July your government gave $1.5 million to support the care rewards app the minister's announcement described care rewards as quote an Innovative health promotion mobile phone app the rewards users for being active eating healthy and quitting smoking With the goal of reducing the risk of chronic diseases now care at rewards is encouraging users to check their credit score Can the minister explain what credit scores have to do with reducing chronic diseases? Well It seems to be the trend this morning mr. Speaker I can't believe it seems we've you know the opposition has reached new debts in Twisting information and vilifying Canadian companies in the interest of scoring cheap political points mr. Speaker I believe it's critical that we support Ontarians by encouraging people to make healthy and active lifestyle choices That's why we partnered with care at rewards. It's an innovative health promotion Mobile phone application rewarding users for being active eating healthy and quitting smoking. We invested care award in care I think that's enough Mr. Speaker carrot has absolutely no Affiliation with aqua facts and if she or her staff had done their research She would understand that this mr. Speaker is the PC party of 2017 and mr. Speaker 14 years in a position has not been kind Members particularly those that have already been reminded that we're in warnings supplementary the arrogance of this Credit scores Put you at risk of identity theft the government But did not do their due diligence to ensure the money was in fact used to encourage healthy living Care rewards is still directing Ontarians today Question service using aqua facts during what is reported to be the largest breach of social insurance numbers in North America Thank you. What steps has the minister taken to ensure that thank you information of care reward you Thank you minister Well, mr. Speaker carrot no more has a relationship with with aqua facts and CIBC has a relationship with aqua facts Mr. Speaker let alone. It's a third party twice removed. So I think members of this house would My lenience is exhausted the member from different Caledon is warned Finish please. Thank you. So carrot awards was actually launched in partnership with the Harper federal government in July of 2015 When Rona Ambrose was Minister of Health care at work for the federal government work with them for an entire year Before they signed its contract in January when Patrick Brown was still a federal member in fact Million dollars was provided by the conservative federal government to care at rewards So mr. Speaker this had its genesis with the federal conservative government But of course the member opposite didn't look into any of that before trying to attack a good Canadian success story without merit the progressive conservative party of Bill Davis is long since gone. I can't see it You won't know when I'm going to say so and if you had to set it one more sentence after I had started you would have been warned The minister knows better. We refer to anybody in this place To their title or their writing. We must elevate our debate New question the member from London Fanshawe My question is to the acting premier Judy Cogden of London waited more than a year for her knee surgery And now she's waiting even longer in pain for her hip surgery replacement Her surgery date last month was canceled due to lack of funding and now Judy likes so many Londoners Will wait two long years for the surgery. She desperately needs London Strathroy and Stratford have the some of the longest wait times in Ontario for hip and knee surgeries And that's just not me saying that the head of the Lynn says quote Our time our wait times are some of the worst in this province When will this government stop squeezing our hospitals and start making sure that patients like Judy don't have to wait years for Surgery that they need now Mr. Speaker Since we came into office our government has invested over almost two billion dollars For more than three million additional procedures to help reduce wait times In fact as a result of that the wait time Alliance report card Continues to give Ontario straight A's in five key service areas including hip replacement surgery and Knee replacement surgery straight A's mr. Speaker now We know that there is variation across the province and that's one of the reasons why this past summer We made available publicly to both health care providers and patients in Ontarians information about wait times for a whole set of procedures Publicly available so individuals can see for example which hospitals have long longer wait times Which hospitals have shorter wait times and they can work with their health care provider That's a decision that suits their particular and unique needs We know that we need to continue to invest in the supplementary. I'll talk about investments in this budget supplementary The crisis in health care in London is a direct result of years of hospital cuts by the Conservatives and the Liberals since 2013 London Health Sciences has been forced to cut a hundred and forty four a hundred and forty one million dollars and At least 488 full-time equivalent jobs have been cut That is the premier's legacy in London now We have the longest wait time and surgeries our hospitals are overcrowded and pleading for dozens of beds of new beds and The acting premier just sits there and makes excuses instead of standing up in health care in her own city When will this government stop cutting health care like the Conservatives and start fixing the damages? The Liberals have done to hospitals across Southwestern, Ontario Mr. Speaker as part of the budget we announced an additional 50 million to improve access and wait times for hospital services including specifically knee and hip surgery in The Southwest Linn this included an additional half million dollars for more hip and knee replacement surgeries But mr. Speaker, it's important that Ontarians understand the situation in the province that according to data from kaihai Ontario continues to beat the national targets for hip and knee surgery wait times and also compared to other jurisdictions It's a hundred and twenty one days across the OECD 86 days in Canada 75 days wait in the UK and only 70 days in Ontario So the wait time similarly for knee replacements in Ontario are half the average of what it is in the OECD That's her absolutely have more work to do. That's precisely why we made the wait time hip and knee investments in this year's Well, thank you speaker and my question is to the Minister of Finance in 2010 speaker this government promised to eliminate the deficit and balance the budget by 2017-18 and this was not very long after the 08-09 recession which had very extremely negative impacts on Countries around the world and Ontario of course speaker was not immune However, rather than slash the programs and services upon which Ontario families rely in order to eliminate the deficit I'm very proud of the fact that our government chose to build Ontario up The investments that we have made in transit schools hospitals education have led people to choose on tarot as their home now More than ever and I for one I'm happy to see that there are more supports for municipalities Ontario cities and towns are now receiving four times the level of support they got in 2003 more than four million Supports so speaker can the minister remind the house how on this side of the house We've been able to invest in the people on tarot for 14 years without taking the slashing cutting as they would do on that side Thank You mr. Speaker, and I thank the member for the question For the past 14 years our government has taken a balanced approach to keep it on tarot at the forefront of a global economy We manage our expenses and transform how we deliver public services making them more efficient and more effective This is the type of financial responsibility that the opposition doesn't understand mr. Speaker by investing in progressive policies We're stimulating growth in our economy make an historic infrastructure investments Putting 20 billion into hospitals 16 billion into schools free tuition for our students and free farmer care for our young people Meanwhile our program expense GDP is lean and lower than pre-recession levels Let me remind you mr. Speaker under the previous PC government Ontario taxpayers were paying 15 cents for every dollar earned just to service the debt now in Ontario We're paying only 8.4 cents and next year it'll be even lower. We've eliminated a deficit We've balanced a budget and that means more money to invest in health care education and other public services that matter Supplementary well, thank you speaker and back to the minister of finance because if you listen speaker to what the people What the opposition are saying they want people to believe that we've made no advancements over the last 14 years They would like people to believe that we have had no improvements in businesses and no Investments in industries like the tech sector in the STEM sector They would want you to Too late member from Nipissing is warned all in case the member needs a reminder. We're in worries Thank You speaker They would want us to believe that Ontarians have not been working hard to grow this economy into one of the strongest in Canada And all of North America and it's hard to rectify That with what the minister of finance had just spoken about how under liberal leadership We have dug on tarot out of the recession how because of this We are now able to make very progressive investments in new policy that will attract foreign investment So speaker can the minister tell us about the great progress that this side of the house has made over the last 14 years To make Ontario the best place to create and grow jobs. Thank you Mr. Speaker Well, thank you very much. Mr. Speaker and I'm very proud to stand up today to say that we've worked tirelessly With our business community in Ontario workers to build Ontario up, Mr. Speaker and to turn our economy into one of the strongest in Canada in North America. Yes, we've weathered that that one of the worst recessions We've seen in recent memory since then we've added 760,000 net new jobs since then mr. Speaker and for the last three years We've been leading the g7 in growth since then mr. Speaker We brought our unemployment rate down to 5.7 percent the lowest in 16 years since then mr. Speaker We've invested three billion dollars in partnerships with businesses Leveraging 27 billion dollars in private sector investment supporting a hundred and seventy thousand jobs and just as importantly mr. Speaker We're now poised to lead in the new global economy mr. Speaker. We've transformed our economy. We're heading in the right direction Very much my question is to the president of the Treasury Board The opioid crisis has been gripping the province for about a year now Cities like Toronto, Ottawa, London and Kitchener are not immune to the spread of deadly opioids that have claimed the lives of 865 Ontarians in 2016 the best way to prevent Ontarians particularly the youth in our province from taking potentially deadly Drugs laced with fentanyl is through greater awareness and better education given the government Bulk media buy or its advertising budget, which has grown in the last year from 25 million to 56 million Will the government commit to dedicating 10% of that to the public fight against opioids? Minister of health Thank You mr. Speaker and I genuinely appreciate the question and I think that we share the same assessment that we have a public health crisis a public health emergency with regards to Opioids in this province and in this country and we need to do everything we can Including education and awareness It is an important tool. It's one of those touch points. It's not the only one But it is an important touch point where we can alert people to the dangers and the risks inherent to both Lisit and illicit drug use and particularly as the member opposite has said with regards to young persons So this the education and awareness component of the opioid crisis is an aspect of our response that we've been working on for quite some time In fact, we're working closely across ministries education higher education for example and others To make sure as we roll out this aspect of our efforts to fight the epidemic That it is also having that intended impact. Thank you supplementary much to minister of health But I'll go back to the president of the Treasury board the government spent five point seven million dollars on ORPP ads after the program was scrapped during the program scrapping You're also slated to spend at least five point five million dollars on the fair hydro plan that the government The auditor called a pat on the back I'm asking basically for five point six million dollars to be dedicated to opioid awareness in a public health and safety campaign That could save lives later today the family of Nick Cody will join me at Queens Park to introduce Nick's law Nick died of a drug overdose after fighting addiction and his parents Steven Natalie believe we need a province wide awareness campaign More money for awareness is just one more tool in the toolkit in the opioid crisis But I believe it is a very important one will the government commit at least five million dollars into advertising and education campaign To tell Ontarians about these deadly drugs Thank you minister Mr. Speaker again, I share the member opposite's concern And the objective as well in terms of the that that that one component education awareness member from Renfrew nipissing Pam brook is warned Carry out please so we need to be sure that we're reaching young persons in school in colleges and universities That we have a campaign that reaches people that go to nightclubs and bars for example where they may come into contact with Tainted drugs the problem that we're facing is an increasing amount of fentanyl that many if not most individuals that consume drugs Are completely unaware of its existence and the risks inherent in that we're funding safe injection injection sites including in the members City of Ottawa. We're funding test strips so you can test for the presence of fentanyl We just released twenty one million dollars out of nearly three hundred million dollar investment over a three-year period Fight the crisis twenty one million to go specifically to harm reduction workers in the front line So they have the tools that they need as well. Thank you new question the member from London west Thank You speaker. My question is to the acting premier speaker Ontario families and education advocates were shocked to discover That this government is welcoming US Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to Ontario DeVos is an outspoken proponent of voucher programs that divert public dollars to private schools and Undermine a strong publicly funded education system with a 15 billion dollar backlog in school maintenance and repair With rising violence in Ontario schools with chronic underfunding of special education Why is this government giving a platform to someone who believes that government should be spending less? Not more on public education A speaker I I am so proud of our education system in Ontario We have actually transformed education over the last 14 years our graduation rate has gone from a shameful 68% to over 86% Speaker it is a remarkable turn around the more we can spread the word about what has happened in education in Ontario The better I actually think that Secretary DeVos has a lot to learn from the Ontario experience I welcome the opportunity to be able to Educate her about how public education can work and can be strong and can benefit students all students I think there is a lot to learn and I'm glad that she has actually taken the opportunity to learn about our education miracle Again to the acting Premier it's not just DeVos's position on school choice and privatization that has people worried She rolled back rules on gender neutral washrooms in schools and watered down college policies on handling sexual assault Public education advocates strongly denounce her views the president of the Ontario teachers Federation wants DeVos to keep her Backward ideas out of Ontario. Why won't this liberal government listen to teachers and take a strong stand against privatization against Trans-exclusion against gender-based violence and retract its invitation to allow DeVos to tour Ontario schools Please Thank you Deputy Minister of Education About location speaker, you know speaker This is a disappointing question coming from the the NDP because when it comes to public education Ontario has one of the best public education systems in the entire world Mr. Speaker when it comes to an achievement and equity Ontario has one of the best public education systems in the entire world. Mr. Speaker Finish, please If secretary DeVos wants to learn about public education, there is no better place in the world education system We have an excellent system and we are proud to tell the secretary and again my patients member from Hamilton East Stony Creek is warned and I think Windsor West is looking not sure New question member from Barrick Thank You mr. Speaker my question is for the Minister of Education Over the last 14 years our government has worked hard to improve the quality of our publicly funded education system That as a teacher and a union leader that we inherited the system that was severely Underfunded in in disrepair However, our government has made historic investments and we continue to build on our proven track record of Supporting student success. I know that we have made many accomplishments during this time and that we have been recognized by the International community for our excellence in education We always want to make sure that our young people are equipped with the supports They need to reach their full potential both inside and outside of the classroom Mr. Question to the Minister after 14 years of progress has our government improved the quality of education? How has our government improved the quality of education? Remember from Niagara, West Glamrock is warned and it doesn't matter where you hide. I'll still find you carry on Mr. Speaker I want to thank the member from Barrick for this question I know how passionate she is about Ontario's public education system And mr. Speaker we are starting Right where it belongs with the investments in our classroom after 14 years We have increased education funding in this province by 66 percent to more than 23 billion dollars each year our historic investments in education are paying off contributing to the high school graduation rate of Mr.. Speaker a historic high 86.5 percent From 68 percent in 2004 over 14 years We've invested more than 17 billion dollars in school infrastructure 820 new schools and Additions and renovations which is part of our plan to create jobs and grow our economy. Let's talk about full-day kindergarten Mr. Speaker Supplementary thank you speaker and thank you to the minister for the response I know just how enthusiastic parents were when sending their children off to school this fall And it's clear just how much families value Ontario's public-funded education system Thanks to our supports and investments our students consistently rank amongst the best in national and international Student achievement outcomes over the last 14 years our plan for our education system is clear We are committed to supporting student achievement equity and well-being for all students in Ontario We've also heard that we are collaborating with education partners to prioritize Student success and well-being Minister, can you please tell us more about our plan to pave pathways to success for all students and to support all? Education workers within our publicly funded education. Thank you minister Thank You speaker I want to say thank you again to the member from Barry and as she well knows the excellence in our education system begins with our Excellent teachers and education workers across this province Mr. Speaker who show up each and every single day on behalf of all of our students And I just want to say thank you to them. Mr. Speaker We have invested in our system of education because we know this is the best investment We can make in the skills and in the talents of our students. Mr. Speaker We've introduced new programs to prepare students for the workplace and for life after graduation The Minister of Agriculture is talking about our specialist high skills major program Including our agriculture program and these specialist high skills major programs, Mr. Speaker are having Extraordinary impact on our students, but we're not stopping there. Mr. invested an additional $190,000,000 over three years to create 40,000 more work-related Integrated programs for students the experience that they Thank you And I have a question for the Minister of Tourism Culture and Sport this past Friday Saturday and Sunday Ontario celebrated Ontario's culture days for 2017 beginning last for the last Friday of September September the annual cultural days weekend features hands-on behind the scenes community engaged activities Inviting the public to contribute to arts and culture across Canada this year The Ontario cultural days fell on the important Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur Unfortunately, and this means that many in Thornhill and the Jewish community across Ontario were unable to participate You know and I'm not talking about just attending I'm talking like actually participating in the events that foster engagement and support for the diverse arts and culture community in Ontario and I'm just wondering if the Minister can explain why there isn't a plan in place to accommodate Special days like Yom Kippur. Thank you Thank you speaker and I want to thank the member opposite for the question and I know how important her faith is to her Speaker and in in and recognition of that I want to say how much I respect her question I do want to point out speaker though that culture days which we celebrate right across Ontario and compass about 200 cultures in Ontario and with a busy calendar season every year Sometimes it's difficult to choose a day that doesn't affect a particular faith and a particular religion I will take this back to my officials having had the question now from the honorable member and and see what we can do to Avoid such duplications in the future But I know that she appreciates that there are hundreds of cultures across Ontario and that sometimes again It's difficult to schedule these kinds of events and celebrations Given that there's one almost every weekend on days that don't impact a particular culture or faith. Thank you. Thank you Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker and again to the minister and I just want to read from a message from Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynn on Yom Kippur where she said just last week that Yom Kippur the day of atonement is the holiest day in the Jewish calendar now I can understand that everybody here can appreciate that there are a lot of Jewish holidays and It's it's a never-ending cycle of holidays in the Jewish community, but Yom Kippur is a little bit different It is the holiest day. We don't need the Premier to tell the community that but maybe But maybe the Premier's words need to ring into some of the ministry staff to understand that We have artists like we lost Leonard Cohen this year Eugene Levy's a famous Canadian actor Even Drake was bar mitzvahed. Mr. Speak for speaker and I would just like to see a little bit of recognition that for the high holidays of Russia Shana and Yom Kippur that events like the culture days can accommodate those special days Thank you speaker again, thank the member opposite for the question You know speaker I want to take this opportunity to wish the Jewish community in Ontario and beyond our very best wishes for the high holiday season which of Course as the member opposite has just mentioned is just behind us now having Jewish members in my own family speaker I'm very proud to as we all are of our Jewish community here in Ontario They're enormous accomplishments in fact speaker in the arts and culture sector. There are many artists who are Jewish So I want to just respond by saying again that we will look at the calendar speaker But I also know that the member opposite appreciates the diverse nature of our province And when it comes to Kathleen win and her support for the arts and culture sector and her support for the various face in this province Nobody can question that commitment Absolutely committed Thank you new question the member from Toronto Danforth Thank You speaker my question to the acting Premier in 2015 Toronto was rocked by the death of Andrew Locu a 45 year old black man in mental health distress in an incident with police Rightly a coroner's inquest was called and earlier this year that inquest made 39 Recommendations that would give the police the training and tools They need to de-escalate situations with racialized populations and those who need to be heard and helped So that incidents such as the death of Andrew Locu may never happen again Today I'm joined by a group of concerned mental health professionals on the front lines of this issue We're calling on this liberal government to act on the coroner's inquest recommendations My question question when will the Premier implement the Locu inquest recommendations? Thank you deputy Premier to the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services Minister Community Safety Correctional Services Thank you very much. Mr. Speaker, and I thank the member for his questions And first I want to express my sincere condolences to the friends and the family of Andrew Locu I know that the police officers are increasingly interacting with vulnerable individuals often with complex mental health issues Mr. Speaker and this is why we need to modernize the police service training Police officers need the necessary tools to diffuse crisis situations and protect both themselves and their communities Through our strategy for safer Ontario We will promote a collaborative partnership between police the public and other sectors such as Education health care and social and this will improve interaction between police and our vulnerable Ontarians mr. Thank you Thank you, Speaker and back to the acting Premier Notwithstanding those assurances the reality is that has been two Years since the tragic death of mr. Locu the jury's in and those recommendations have yet to be Implemented the time of talk and good intentions is over The people of this province don't need another coroner's inquest gathering dust on someone's desk When when will this liberal government act to implement the coroner's inquest recommendations? Into the death of Andrew Locu Thank you You know our government is very committed to make sure that people with mental health issues get access to the service They need mr. Speaker and through the strategy for safer Ontario We will be improving the de-escalation training for all new recruits and existing officers across the province Incorporating use of force and de-escalation into our upcoming legislation to ensure police can fully respond to Individual in crisis we will establish the most appropriate model for police interaction with persons who are in crisis Mr. Speaker my ministry is also working very hard and Digillingly with the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care to provide people with mental health issues with the right care in the right place At the right time and mr. Speaker we will be bringing legislation this fall. Thank you very much Thank You mr. Speaker Do the Minister of Infrastructure I'd like to thank minister sharelli and the Premier for joining me in my riding of Etobicoke North for the latest and greatest Infrastructure development the 400 million dollar expansion of Etobicoke General Hospital 14 years of dedicated liberal leadership such as this speaker has resulted in the largest Infrastructure renewal in Ontario's history under the leadership of this government whether it's hospital schools public transit projects across Ontario and of course these were precisely the projects ignored egregiously by both the PC and the NDP governments at the heart of our 190 billion 13 year plan is a commitment to creating better lives for the people of Ontario in Etobicoke North Whether it's community schools hospital transport infrastructure their developments all around for riding But the opposition is opposed to several step of the way speaker could the minister Please elaborate on Ontario's current infrastructure developments Speaker our government invests an average of 12 billion dollars per year on infrastructure on track for 20 billion dollars next year In their last year in power the Tory spent 1.9 billion They killed transit projects and let social infrastructure rot Our liberal government has been building Ontario up for 14 years We've invested 280 million dollars in broadband connecting tens of thousands to high-speed internet We've carried out a hundred major hospital and children's treatment centered with 35 more underway We were the first Ontario government to invest a hundred million dollars in rural natural gas expansion We tripled to 300 million the annual Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund for smaller communities We are funding nearly 1400 clean water and wastewater project speaker There was no debate to be had of all the parties represented in this house only our has delivered on infrastructure Thank you minister for the flurry of developments in your leadership I know that the investments that we've made over the past 14 years in every corner of this province will benefit today's generation But these will also lay the foundation for a fair and prosperous Ontario for our kids and grandkids Speaker whether we're making infrastructure investments in health care and education and transportation These are of course a top priority for the community that I represent in Etobicoke North from rapid transit to go regional express rail These new transit options as an example will allow people in my community of Etobicoke North to get to work or school And back and forth from home faster than ever before Speaker as an example we have a 1.2 billion dollar Finch LRT Custom designed with eight stops right in your show to go north. I'd like to ask speaker with the minister Please provide more information on what our government continues to do to reverse the chronic underinvestment the legacy of governments opposite So transportation I'd like to have a chance to answer the member from Etobicoke North's question He is absolutely correct speaker since 2003 we have gotten a lot done So for example the Eglinton crosstown LRT, which will open up in 2021 speaker when you think about that It will be more than 20 years since the conservative party killed and filled the Eglinton subway speaker We also know that when the conservatives were lasting government speaker they invested between 10 to 15 times less Per year than we have then in go transit another rapid transit project speaker And of course an oldie but a goodie speaker We can never forget that Mike Harris and the conservatives sold highway 407 speaker now Let's take a look at what our liberal government's done over the last 14 years We've extended the go rail network by nearly 90 kilometers the Toronto York Spadina subway extension is merely weeks away from opening speaker and we have already opened the first Publicly owned highway 407 that'll be going out to the 115 35 and no time speaker Our record is clear and so is the conservative The acting premier Canada's premiers are gathered in Ottawa today with finance minister bill Mourno to discuss a liberal proposal to raise taxes on small businesses We already know that premiers from across Canada are standing up for their small businesses and family farms But so far Ontario's refused to condemn the action of their federal cousins Mr. Speaker will the premier be on the side of our small businesses and family farms or Justin Trudeau's The minister finance mr. Finance thank you mr. Speaker the federal government as everyone knows has proposed changes to close loopholes Used by consulting firms and professionals We need to understand the implication of these changes to small business mr. Speaker To make sure that Ontario continues to grow and thrive Regardless of the federal government's decisions, we will continue to take action to support growth of small business in Ontario We have already lowered mr. Speaker business corporate tax rates from five and a half percent in 2009 to four and a half percent We've eliminated capital tax miss speaker lowering overall tax rates We've accelerated capital cost allowance to enable them to invest and mr. Speaker will continue to work with our small business community To ensure that they are protected and that whatever the federal government does we will continue to support small business and the business community We have five point six percent unemployment and there's more investment in Ontario than anywhere else in Canada We have a deferred vote On a motion for closure motion for second reading of bill 154 an act to cut unnecessary red tape by enacting one new act And making various amendments and repeals calling the members. This will be a five minute belt Please take your seats First, please take your seats on September 25th 2017 Mr. Doogat moved second reading of bill 154 an act to cut unnecessary red tape by enacting one new act and making various amendments and repeals Mr. Chan has moved that the question be now put all those in favor of mr. Chan's motion Please rise one at a time. You're recognized by the park. Mr. Nackley. Mr. Nackley, Mr. Bradley. Mr. Nalduca, Mr. Nalduka, Mr. Sander, Mr. Sousa, Mr. Sousa, Mr. Matthews, Mr. Hoskins, Mr. Hoskins, Mr. Sharelli, Mr. Sharelli, Mr. Dugas, Mr. Dugas, Mr. Charles, Mr. Mcminkan, Mr. Mcminkan, Mr. Tchar, Mr. Tchar, Mr. Kohl, Mr. Kohl, Mr. samples, Mr. Merid Mr. Dillon, Mr. Dillon, Mr. Gravelle, Mr. Gravelle, Mr. Baldr and Mr. Chan, Mr. Chan, Mr. Meridie, Mr. Meridie, Mr. qui'eau. Mr. Quui pinks, Mr. Hunterer, Mr. Lal, Mr. Cleans, Mr. Golly, Mr. Tebow, Am WOO and am the lawn, mr Codgee, Mr. Codgee, Mr. Diximo. Mr IDs man gasmanga, mr Krr, mr. Crack SR América War livro im mega er axory prepare this tomorrow this tomorrow this Mr. Zimmer, Mr. Zimmer, Mrs. Albanese, Mrs. McMan, Mrs. McMan, Mr. Miltjen, Mr. Miltjen, Mr. Wong, Mr. Frazer, Mr. Frasier, Mr. Anderson, Mr. Baker, Mr. Baker, Mr. Dong, Mr. Dong, Ms. Hogarth, Ms. Hogarth, Ms. Kuala, Ms. Kuala, Ms. Molly, Ms. Molly, Ms. Martin, Ms. Martin, Mr. Potts, Mr. Pots, Mr. Rinaldi, Mr. Rinaldi, Ms. Verneel, Ms. Verneel, Mr. Amdarozie. All those opposed, please rise one at a time and be recognized by the court. Mr. Wilson. Mr. Wilson. Mr. Arna. Mr. Arna. Mr. Hardamon. Mr. Hardamon. Mr. McLeod. Mr. McLeod. Mr. McLeod. Ms. Jones. Mr. Jones. Mr. Brown. Mr. Brown. Mr. Clark. Mr. Clark. Mr. Fidele. Mr. Fidele. Mr. Shdistu. Sh Inserte. Dr. Jaco Busche. Dr. Hillier. Mr. Hillier. Mr. Miller Peyress Harmann. Mr. Miller Baby Peress Harmon. Mr. es Koche. Mr. Mc sodden. Mr. McNaughton. Mr. Escot. Mr. Scoot. Mr. Cole, Mr. Choe, Mr. Choe, Mr. Bisson, Mr. Bisson, Mr. Bantow, Mr. Tabbins, Mr. Miller-Hamilton-Estony Creek, Mr. Miller-Hamilton-Estony Creek, Ms. Soutler, Ms. Taylor, Ms. Taylor, Mr. Natashak, Ms. Armstrong, Ms. Armstrong, Ms. Fyfe, Ms. Forrester, Ms. Forrester, Mr. Monta, Mr. Hatfield, Ms. Gretzky, Mr. Gates, Ms. French. The ayes are 52, the nays are 43. The ayes are 52, the nays are 43. I declare the motion carried. Mr. Duget has moved second reading of Bill 154, an act to cut unnecessary red tape by enacting one new act and making various amendments and repeals. Is the pleasure of the House the motion carried? I heard or no. All those in favor, please say aye. All those opposed, please say nay. In my opinion, the ayes have it. Calling the members, this will be a five minute bell. Mr. Duget has moved second reading of Bill 154. An act to cut unnecessary red tape by enacting one new act and making various amendments and repeals. All those in favor, please rise one at a time to be recognized by the clerk. Mr. Duget. Mr. Duget. Mr. Nakhthi. Mr. Bradley. Mr. Bradley. Mr. Deluca. Mr. Deluca. Mr. Sandals. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Matthews. Mr. Hoskins. Mr. Hoskins. Mr. Schrelle. Mr. Schrelle. Mr. Schrelle. Mr. Charles. Mr. McMeekin. Mr. McMeekin. Mr. Tekhar. Mr. Mooredy, Mr. Kotal, Mr. Kotal, Miss Hunter, Mr. Leo, Mr. Flynn, Mr. Tebow, Mr. Tebow, Madam Malon, Madam Mola, Mr. Codrie, Mr. Dixon, Mr. Dixon, Mrs. Menga, Mr. Manga, Mr. Crack, Mr. Crack, Ms. Dahmer, Mrs. Dahmerle, Mrs. McGarry, Mr. Morrill, Ms. Jocic, Ms. Jocic, Mr. Zimmer, Ms. Zimmer, Ms. Albinaise, Ms. McMahon, Ms. McMann, Mr. Knight-u-Harris, Mr. Milchon, Mr. Milchon, Ms. Wong, Ms. Wall, Mr. Frazier, Ms. Anderson, Mr. Anderson, Mr. Baker, Mr. Baker, Mr. Dawng, Ms. Hogan, Ms. Hogan, Mr. Harrow, Mr. Nichols, Mr. Nichols, Mr. Martowe, Mr. McDonnell, Mr. Pettipies, Mr. Cove, Mr. Kose, Mr. Chow, Mr. Chow, Mr. Busson, Mr. Vantop, Mr. Hamilton, Mr. Hammer, Mr. Miller, Mr. Hamilton, Mr. Stoney Creek, Mr. Miller Hamilton, Mr. Stoney Creek, Mr. Sotler, Mr. Taylor, Mr. Nattishak, Mr. Nattishak, Mr. Armstrong, Mr. Anjelina, Mr. Forster, Mr. Monta, Mr. Hatfield, Mr. Hatsky, Mr. Gretzky, Mr. Gates, Mr. French. All those opposed please rise one at a time, you're recognized by the clerk. The ayes are 95, the nays are zero. The ayes being 95, and the nays being zero, I declare the motion carried. Well, to the end of the lecture, just approach it a little while. Shall the bill be referred for third reading, Minister of Economic Development and Growth? Should the bill be referred to the Standing Committee on Justice Policy, Mr. Speaker? So ordered. There are no further deferred votes, this House stands recess until 3pm this afternoon.