 It is therefore time for question period. The member from Huron Group. My question is for the Premier. Speaker, either the Minister of Environment and Climate Change is unable to manage his own staff or he instructs them to circumvent existing rules. According to global news, there is confirmation that between 2006 and 2014, his ministry chose to ignore thousands of noise and health complaints against industrial wind turbines. Just this past April, the minister shared how proud he is of his staff. But Speaker, this is not a record to be proud of. Out of thousands of complaints, more than two thirds were ignored. Speaker, will the Premier instruct this minister to do his job and investigate all of the complaints that he is receiving from industrial wind turbines from every corner of this province, especially those who make the total noise? Mr. Speaker, I know that the Minister of the Environment will want to comment, but I also know, Mr. Speaker, that we take concerns from community members very, very seriously on a full range of issues, including... Mr. Speaker, I've spent an enormous amount of time over the years listening to and talking to people who are concerned about wind turbines, Mr. Speaker. And in fact, when I became the Premier, we changed the rules, Mr. Speaker, about municipal input and the siting of wind turbines, Mr. Speaker. I'm reading the signals and I'm prepared to do with them. I know that the member opposite knows, Mr. Speaker, that under the current rules that municipalities have much more authority to indicate whether they are willing hosts or not, Mr. Speaker. The member from Elgin, Middlesex, London will come to order. The supplementary member from London, Middlesex, London. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Back to the Premier. Speaker, this government is forcing municipalities like Dutton-Dunwich to accept some of the province's largest turbines, and the planned project in Dutton is the Strong Breeze Wind Project. They're forcing them, even though a poll conducted by the municipality showed that 84% of residents strongly opposed the project, as did the municipality. Now we're hearing the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, has ignored thousands of noise complaints. Not only the residents forced to accept wind turbines, they must now know that the Ministry will not help them and ignore all the problems caused by wind turbines. Speaker, this government has already admitted they do not need energy that would be created by the Strong Breeze Project in Dutton-Dunwich. Will the Premier do the right thing? Listen to the municipalities who say no and cancel the Strong Breeze Wind Project in Dutton-Dunwich. Climate Change. First of all, I was not the Minister in that period of time. Second of all, no, I mean, really. First of all. Member from Leeds, Grenville. Carry on, Minister. Mr. Speaker, not only we take these seriously and in the three years since I've been Minister, and I assume in the period before, I have met with numerous people. We're working with the member from here on, Bruce, on the K-2 project. There is extensive testing going on. We are including and adding tonal testing, which is very important. We are expanding our road. I've talked to the folks in the community. They are very concerned. We are working with them. We are not ignoring these things. But it's passing curious to me, Mr. Speaker. They never raise issues about nuclear waste. They never raise issues about coal pollution, about challenges of electric transmission lines. They only attack renewable green energy, Mr. Speaker. They have a sincere obsession with anything that reduces greenhouse gas emissions. This is the party that... Thank you. Final supplementary, the member from Halliburton, North and Lake Sprock. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Back to the Premier. On global news, the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change claimed that industrial wind turbine noise complaints are isolated to one project up in here in Bruce. But these concerns are not isolated. The proposal for Snowy Ridge in a project in my writing was reviewed by a former MOECC employee who pointed out flaws in the project. The employee's assessment was redacted from the appeal process. Two expert noise witness statements were redacted. The concern of three residents were redacted. Yet the minister, and he was the minister at the time, claimed that there were no expert witnesses to support health concerns. Absolutely. The minister claims to take this issue seriously. But how can the minister explain this blatant scheme to redact information and hide the facts? Your employees are even telling you. So, Mr. Speaker, the member from the experimental second time, and we'll discuss warnings later. Finish, please. So, Mr. Speaker, the party opposite whose leader spent years in Ottawa denying climate change, actively undermining the efforts of Quebec, Ontario, attacking carbon prices. It starts up again. I'll go to warnings to those banging their desks to prevent answers. Minister, finish, please. So, the party opposite made the claim for better part of 10 years that wind turbines cause health problems. This government spent a considerable amount of money hiding the leading experts and did medical research as did the federal government and found out that the totality of the opposition party's claims were completely bogus and, like so much, not science-based. The creationist party, the climate denigrant, doesn't like... New question. The member from Dufferin, Caledon. Back to the premier. It's a surprise to me to learn from Global that the minister has failed to investigate noise and health complaints of industrial wind turbines. Liberal ministers have been ignoring homeowners in Dufferin, Caledon for over 10 years. In 2011, I asked the minister environment to help the Whitworth family when their doctor recommended they leave their home because of noise and electrical pollution. In 2013, the Whitworths received a one-sentence email from the minister of environment that said, and I quote, the ministry has closed your file and complaints. Will the premier do the right thing and reopen the Whitworths file? Mr. Speaker, as I said in answer to the first question, I am and have been very concerned about the community reaction to the sighting of wind turbines. I met with many groups over a period of years, Mr. Speaker. I sat with them. I listened to their concerns. I made sure I made sure that... we had studies in place, Mr. Speaker. I made sure that we worked with the federal government as the Health Canada studies were done, Mr. Speaker. We made changes in terms of sighting. Member from Dufferin, Caledon second time. Carry on. Changes in terms of the sighting of wind turbines, Mr. Speaker. We gave more responsibility and more authority to municipalities, so we have made changes, Mr. Speaker, based exactly on the concerns that the members opposite are raising. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, to the premier, her minister is either willfully uninformed of the number of complaints about wind turbine noise filed with his department or deliberately neglectful of his duty. One of my constituents complained about how measurements were improperly conducted in the nation wise wind project. And now I know for a fact that the minister's own account and his constituent office were cc'd in the complaint. He says there were only one complaint, but as reported on global news, there were thousands. People across Ontario deserve answers and a resolution to the complaint. This government recently stated that because of the surplus of power, they were canceling the next round of energy projects. Will the minister be able to stop wind turbine developments until the massive backlog of complaints can be addressed? Again, Mr. Speaker, we have worked to respond to concerns. We have responded to concerns in the municipalities. Mr. Speaker, I take these concerns very seriously and we have worked to address them and we will continue to work with them. Mr. Speaker, I have to ask the question, is it not that this party does not want to talk about the reality that we are making changes in this province, that they are labelling as too much, too soon because they are going to help people, the changes that we are making, as in the development of green renewable energy. This party does not want to talk about a $15 minimum wage. This party does not want to talk about 100,000 child care spaces. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, and the member from the PN Carlton will come to order. Next time I have to stand for this kind of thing, we will go to warnings. Final supplementary. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I got it right. I will go to the next question. I will go to the next question. The government has ignored the thousands of complaints that they have received. This liberal government has not paid attention to the many petitions MPPs have presented regarding this issue, nor have they paid attention to their own communities. Some of the 90 unwilling communities are in several of their writings as well. Just a few weeks ago, this government had the opportunity to reverse their folly when my motion for a moratorium came forward. Respect for local decision making was at hand, but they voted it down. Mr. Speaker, why does the Premier continue to ignore and dismiss everyone's concern? Good question. Well, Mr. Speaker, that's absolutely not the case. You know, I have met with folks in that member's own writing of Binbrook, Mr. Speaker, and heard their... A member from Huron, Bruce, second time, and a member from Bruce, Greco and Sal. I've got a good memory. Carry on. But as I said, Mr. Speaker, I believe that this party really does not want to talk about the concerns of people who believe that having a fair workplace, having a $50 minimum wage is important. Their leader has made it clear that he thinks that is too much too soon, but I would ask, Mr. Speaker, is it too much too soon for the 30% of Ontarians right now who make less than $15 an hour? Is it too much too soon for part-time workers to get paid? Your time is up, Premier. New question. A member from Toronto, Danforth. Thank you, Speaker. Speaker to the Premier. The Premier has shown Ontarians time and time again throughout this session that she simply doesn't get what they're going through. Families are at a tipping point when it comes to things like keeping up with their skyrocketing hydro bills. But instead of helping, the Premier has put herself and her party first by ramming through a borrowing scheme that she knows will cause bills to soar even higher than they are now. When will the Premier apologize for putting her political agenda ahead of the very real struggles of the people of Ontario? Thank you. Premier. Mr. Speaker, our plan for the people of Ontario is to invest in this province to grow the economy, to work with business, Mr. Speaker, to make sure that young people have access to education, excellent education from preschool right through to post-secondary, Mr. Speaker, to make sure that families have access to childcare, to make sure that kids have access to the medication that they need and their families can afford to look after them, Mr. Speaker, to make sure that kids have access to all of the services that they need and families have the support they need, including a reduction in their electricity prices, Mr. Speaker. A reduction that will happen this summer, not in the distant future if a federal government should deign to agree with them as the NDP plan would have, Mr. Speaker. Our plan is to make sure that people have the resources that they need to take and that they are able to take part in the economic growth of this province, Mr. Speaker. That's what our fair workplace plan is about. That's what our fair hydro plan is about. That's what our fair housing plan is about. Thank you. As promised, the member from Prince Edward Hastings is warned. We're now in warnings. Supplementary. Thank you, Speaker. Again, to the Premier. The Premier is focused on bringing up her dismal poll numbers. This became obvious when, even after the financial accountability officer confirmed that our hydro borrowing scheme would mean higher, not lower bills for families and businesses, she rammed it through the House anyway. This plan is not good for everyday Ontarians. It is good for those at the top, though. Why is the Premier more concerned about her wealthy Bay Street friends than she is about the people who voted for her? The Minister of Housing is warned. Premier. Well, Mr. Speaker, it's the last day in the legislature before we go on to the summer portion of our, I'm not going to say break, because I know that everyone in this legislature is going to be working very hard once the House rises. But because it's the last day, Mr. Speaker, I really have to say this. I know that the opposition parties believe that by making a personal attack and raising the issue of my personal polling numbers, that somehow that's going to get under my skin and that's a good political tactic. Here's the news, Flash, Mr. Speaker. I know what the polls say. I understand that, and I am absolutely focused on doing what's in the best interest of the people of this party. Feel free to continue to insult the chair and be disrespectful. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, back to the Premier. That was strangely Nixonian, I have to say, Speaker. Speaker, families and businesses have been telling the Premier for years now that they can't afford more hydro-rape hikes. Yet she has pushed ahead with the sell-off of Hydro-1 and her borrowing scheme, both of which will drive up hydro-rakes. Why is the Premier ignoring what Ontarians are telling her? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So let's talk about what happened in the House yesterday, Mr. Speaker. We voted in a plan that's actually going to reduce everyone's rates by 25% on average. They voted against that, Mr. Speaker. The member from Stormont Dundas, South Hungary, is warned. I may move to name you. This is getting ridiculous. The disrespect you're showing the chair and to each other. Carry on. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When it comes to making sure that you have in place a program to help the most vulnerable in this province, when it comes to lowering rates, Mr. Speaker, both opposition parties voted against it, Mr. Speaker. First Nations. First Nations on reserve individuals who many live in abject poverty, Mr. Speaker. We're reducing their rates. One of the things that they did, Mr. Speaker, they voted against it. We made sure with our plan that we're helping every single family in this province that's something they continue to vote against. Thank you. Your question? The member from Nicolleville. Mr. President, my question is for the Premier. Well, it's not just our electricity system that the Premier's Liberal government has made worse. After years of frozen hospital budget and cut to frontline healthcare staff, the Premier 2017 budget short changes hospitals again, this time by about $300 million short change. Why is the Premier so intent on keeping our hospital chronically underfunded? Mr. Speaker, the member opposite knows that there is a, in our 2017 budget, a 3.1 percent increase to those hospital budgets, those operating budgets across the board, Mr. Speaker, and at least a 2 percent increase for every hospital in the province, Mr. Speaker. On top of that, there's I think it's $9 billion, Mr. Speaker. That will be available for construction and capital costs, Mr. Speaker. So we absolutely recognize the critical work that is done by hospitals. We also recognize that there was a need on top of the more than $450 million that we put in-year funding onto hospital-based funding last year, Mr. Speaker, that there needed to be an increase to hospital operations. We put that in the budget in recognition of those concerns, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Supplementary. Budget freezes and cut to frontline staff leads to overcrowding. It leads to poor quality care. It leads to hallway medicine. Hospitals like the one in Thunder Bay or in St. Marie are in constant state of gridlock. We've seen occupancy rate of 120 percent in acute care units and people receiving treatments in hallways, TV room, shower room, storage area, patient lounge, and the list goes on. The premier constant cuts to health care is hurting people, the very people she is supposed to help. Why does the premier refuse to properly fund our hospitals? Can you serve health and long-term care? Can you serve health and long-term care? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And, you know, when we provide a 5 percent increase to the operating budget of the ICU hospital that you just referenced this year, more than $6 million, when Health Sciences North and Sudbury received an additional $6 million as well this fiscal year, in a budget that provides more than half a billion new dollars to our hospitals to help them address those issues that are most pressing to them. And Mr. Speaker, it boggles my mind when the member opposite would argue so vehemently in support of increasing hospital budgets, yet she would vote against a budget that does exactly that. Mr. Speaker, we have a long list of hospitals that I'm happy to go through which received this year substantial increases in funding. What does hospital underfunding look like? Well let me tell you about Henri Chartres from my writing. What does his stay at HSN look like? His first two days was on a stretcher in ER. Then he was moved to a TV room. What he told me was that it was humiliating, embarrassing, and a demeaning experience that he never wants to have to go through again. Unfortunately, Mr. Chartres is just one of literally hundreds of people from across the province that have suffered the same indignity because of our hospital overcrowding, because of underfunding by this government. When will the Premier stop the cuts and finally invest in people's health and dignity? Well Mr. Speaker, we just did last week in a budget that that member voted against and her party voted against. Mr. Speaker, I know that I think perhaps she's imagining what an NDP government would look like. She might be imagining 1994 when the NDP announced a $53 million cut to 10 of Ontario's psychiatric hospitals representing a 17% cut in those hospitals. She might be remembering the last time that they were in government when they delisted 10% of all the drugs that were provided to Ontarians. By the way, more drugs were delisted by that government than in their meager proposal to add 125 essential drugs in their so-called pharmacare plan. They closed 24% of the acute hospital beds in the province. They closed, as I mentioned, 13% of the mental health beds and they reduced hospital funding in their last year, thankfully, their last year as government. Thank you. Do you have a question for the Minister of Labor? It is Injured Workers Day. This past January the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board made significant changes to its hearing aid program without properly consulting audiologists and WSIB recipients. They have now handpicked only three suppliers. As a result of these changes, workers across the province now have fewer options, which is negatively impacting their quality of life. As a result of on-the-job hearing loss, tens of thousands of workers now require hearing devices in order to maintain a baseline quality of life. The new system does not save money, but outcomes for WSIB recipients are much worse. How can the Minister defend a policy change where no one benefits? Thank you very much to the Honourable Member for what is a very, very important question and one that I turn my attention to because of the same concerns that were being addressed, Speaker. At the Minister of Labor, the WSIB, we're committed to making sure we treat injured workers with the dignity, the respect and the services that they need and they deserve, Speaker. We all know how important it is that Ontario workers who are dealing with the challenges of work-related hearing loss receive the highest quality services and the highest quality equipment, Speaker. I was made aware of some of the concerns that injured workers and the audiologists themselves, Speaker, have with some of the recent changes. I've personally been in touch with the WSIB on this issue and I'm confident that we can find a way to work our way through this with the new changes to make sure we serve injured workers in this province that through no fault of their own find themselves dealing with the challenges of hearing loss, Speaker, with the respect and the dignity they do deserve, Speaker. Thank you. Supplementary. Speaker again to the Minister of Labor and I know the WSIB claims that there is an exemption process, but we've heard of cases where patients' requests are being unfairly delayed if approval comes at all. Moreover, the price cap on hearing aid devices, hearing devices, hearing aid devices remains the same. So the cost of the system is unchanged. Again, it begs the question, why was this change implemented in the first place? A hearing aid is not a one-size-fits-all. Choosing the right hearing aid is a choice for the patients and their hearing health care professionals. That decision should be left to them when there's no cost difference. Speaker, will the Minister of Labor commit to ensuring that WSIB reverses these flawed changes so that workers can choose the device that suits them best? Thank you. Speaker, once again my thanks to the member for the supplementary. Let me tell you, Speaker, after this discussion I've had with the WSIB, the WSIB is working very closely with the hearing aid manufacturers themselves, the Ontario Association of Speech Language Pathologists, with the audiologists, with the clinics across Ontario. Working hard. The workers themselves deserve to be treated with dignity, respect and have a smooth transition that goes along with it. I'm continuing to monitor the situation, continuing to ensure that injured workers are provided with the necessary resources, whether they have exceptional needs, complex needs, Speaker. We can deal with these. But I'll tell you, Speaker, to take lessons from this party on the treatment of injured workers and the way that they're approaching what we're trying to do, Speaker, about helping workers in Ontario, I would love to see them support increases to the minimum wage for the lowest income workers in the province of Ontario that face challenges on a daily basis, paying the rent, buying clothes for their kid, Speaker. Ordinary expenses, too much too soon. Thank you. Please say the place. Please say the place. Good question to the member from Timmins James Bay. My question is to the Premier. Premier, I want to tell you the story of Richard and Theresa Madore from Timmins. Richard unfortunately suffered a stroke some time ago, treated at the Timmins and District Hospital, doing their very best. What happens? The budget gets cut. They get rid of physiotherapy. So Richard loses his physiotherapy, comes to go home. There's not enough services by CCAC to allow him to be able to live at home alone. So his wife has to quit her job in order to care for him because he can't be left alone for long, long periods of time. What makes matters even worse is he's 64 years old. He has no drug plan. He needs medication in order to deal with his medical condition. He gives me a call and he says, why is it Kathleen Nguyen invented a drug plan that doesn't allow me, a person who's 64 years old, to get the medication that I need? So my question is to you, why did you leave people like Richard Madore out of the drug plan where clearly people who are 64 suffering from a stroke need to have their medication costs just like the NDP both? Remind a member to the chair, please. And we use titles and writing names, please. Premier. Minister of Health and Long-term Care. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And, you know, and obviously when any of us hear stories like this were moved, it's and concerned. And it's important that all Ontarians have the supports that they need at that moment, those moments, those times when they truly need that support. We have a strong hospital system, Mr. Speaker. We're increasing the budget this year of Timmins Hospital itself to help it provide those highest quality services. Our CCACs are going through transitions now by merging with our lins so we can bring that care closer together and push the services to the front line where they truly do benefit patients. And when it comes to drugs, and I'm happy to talk about it in the supplementary, Mr. Speaker, we make every effort to provide drugs to those who do need them through a variety of programs, including Trillium, Ontario Works, ODSP, our seniors program. Thank you. We'll talk about that more in the supplementary. Supplementary. Add a choice. Your government had a choice to be able to cover people like Richard, and you chose not to. Not that people under 24 don't need medication as well, but we know the vast majority of people that use medication are over 25 and under 65, and they're not covered. Yes, the Trillium Drug Plan is there, but they have to co-pay. And he has no pension. She had to quit her job in order to be able to stay with them. So they have hardly the income to even pay the co-pay. So my question again to you is very simply this. Why did you exclude people like Richard Madore, who's 64 years old, from being able to get access to the medication they need to have some quality of life as they go through their illness? Thank you. You've seen it, please. You've seen it, please. Thank you. Mr. Speaker. Well, it is true, Mr. Speaker, if you're one of the Ontarians who are lucky enough to be prescribed one of the three, less than 3% of the drugs that are publicly available in this province, that's their proposal. So if you're lucky enough that the drug you've been prescribed by your healthcare provider, and God knows we would not want to limit the ability of physicians and nurse practitioners to prescribe what they believe is the best medication. If you're lucky enough to have one of those 125 out of more than 4,400 drugs, that's their proposal. But the vast majority of Ontarians would not fall into that category. And I know it irks the member and the party opposite when we have people like Steve Morgan who stood up with the leader of the third party when they proposed their pharmacare program who said bravo about ours. Who said that when the histories of pharmacare are written, this will be as seen as a time when a clear principle was laid down by this government. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is the Minister of Economic Development and Growth. Minister, we always hear you're talking about how Ontario economy is in a position of strength. We've been leading the G7 in growth for the past three years and have the lowest unemployment rate in 16 years. You're right. We're doing well today and Ontario is incredibly competitive. This government has almost made efforts to cut red tape by removing 80,000 unnecessary regulation and hosting sector roundtables. But Minister, that's no guarantee we'll be doing well tomorrow. We're part of an aggressively competitive global economy. What is this government doing to ensure our business remain competitive and make Ontario the easiest place in North America to do business tomorrow? Thank you. The Minister of Economic Development and Growth. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The member is absolutely right. We've done a lot to make Ontario one of the easiest places in the world in which to do business. But there's still more that we can do, Mr. Speaker. We're very ambitious in our vision to ensure that we continue to make Ontario the easiest place to do business in the new economy. That's why the Minister of Small Business and myself just last week announced eight new key reforms that are going to help us get there. The first is a measure to reduce future regulatory administration costs for every $1.25 that we incur in a regulation that incurs an administration cost, Mr. Speaker. They'll have to save a $1.25 for any company that incurs that cost. We're taking measures as well to streamline compliance for small business, to align our regulations with other jurisdictions, to recognize that the services have unique compliance initiatives. There's more, Mr. Speaker, and I'll be referring the supplementary to the Minister of Small Business who will continue on with some of these important initiatives. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So my next question is to the Minister of Small Business and being somebody that's been involved in small business all my life, this Minister is very, very important. Minister, it was recently reported that Canada big banks are forecasting that Ontario will lead the country in economic growth this year. We also know that Ontario has created almost 700,000 jobs since the depth of the recession. That has a recovery rate of over 250%. Minister, these are promising figures and we want to make sure that Ontario continues down this path for prosperity. Would you please tell the legislator what initiatives are in place to support this economic growth in Ontario? More specifically, what small business can expect in the coming months and years to come? Minister of Economic Development and Growth? They're responsible for small business, agriculture, and food. Minister of Small Business, and I want to thank the member from North Auburn and Quinty West who knows a lot about a small business. Mr. Speaker, I want to tell you that this year is the 50th anniversary of the Brighton Speedway family for over 30 years. So I'm telling you, Mr. Speaker, I'm telling you, on a sunny Saturday night, the place to be is a Brighton Speedway because the member knows how important small businesses are to the province of Ontario. And just as past Monday, I had the opportunity to be at the Galleria supermarket when we announced that we're cutting fees by $2,000 per year for independent grossings of province of Ontario on their beer and wine sales. The 66% decrease of the cost to do a business in that particular sector of our economy. And we're doing a couple other things. We're looking at ways to increase government procurement for small businesses of the province of Ontario and we're launching, Mr. Speaker, on one stop access to small businesses of the province of Ontario. Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the minister of the environment and climate change. The regulations governing water-taking permits for water-bottling companies were recently posted on the environmental registry. For years, I have maintained that any decisions regarding large-scale water-taking permit applications should be science-based to ensure that our groundwater is preserved and protected for future generations. I also believe that communities should be consulted and that their long-term growth plan should be taken into consideration and that hydrogeological studies should be peer-reviewed. Can the minister assure this House that his new regulations will ensure the long-term sustainability of our groundwater resources? Thank you. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for a very thoughtful question. And from our ongoing conversations, I know he has a very sincere concern about this. He represents a part of the province which is water-stressed and that is particularly in the adjacent neighbourhoods of Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge, where we have groundwater being drawn off. And our concern with these regulations, Mr. Speaker, is the security of groundwater resources which are particularly challenging and where they are being drawn off and also used by municipalities and private water bottlers. These are areas that are most water-stressed and it's exactly for those reasons to protect the security of Ontarian's water supply to clean, reliable water and to protect those. And through the posting period and the review and the science-based teams that are looking at this and our partnership with community leaders and municipalities, we will do exactly what the member is asking. Mr. Speaker, each year an untold number of plastic water bottles are thrown away, ending up in landfills or littering our countryside. And I've said for years that the government needs to provide the necessary leadership and policies to encourage the recycling most Canadian provinces have a deposit or refund program that covers plastic water bottles to encourage recycling. And I've been told that Manitoba will be launching a deposit system soon. The government recently raised the fees charged to water bottling companies by $500 for every million litres of water drawn. I maintain that some of that money should be shared with host municipalities and not just be a cash grab for the government. Will the minister commit to sharing the responsibilities and also put some of it towards improved efforts to recycle all plastic water bottles in the province of Ontario? Thank you. Mr. Speaker, again I'm going to rush to, with quality I agree with the member opposite because I know he and his party supported Bill 151 the circular economy waste free Ontario Act and Icewater Springs for example, the GOTS have 100% recycling recovery using extended producer responsibility which is an economy wide market mechanism that is working very well which your party supported to do exactly that. We are open to a discussion about alternatives as the member suggested but we want to make sure we're not creating a duplicate system and we want to allow industry and environmental groups to work with the extended producer responsibility of which the GOTS and Icewater Springs company are familiar with is a global leader right now in resource recovery. Should this not work we will then have to look at alternatives but I think we should first give a bill that was just passed months ago with chance. Thank you. New question, the member from London West. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Speaker, there is a province wide crisis in mental health that this government continues to ignore. Between 2012 and 2015 Algoma University had to increase its mental health counselling budget by 133% even as enrollment was declining. At Georgian College there was a 211% jump in the number of counselling appointments between 2013 and 16. At the University of Toronto there was a 143% increase in the number of students receiving mental health accommodations between 2009 and 2016. The additional $6 million this year for campus mental health to be shared by 24 colleges and 20 universities is a drop in the bucket compared to the explosion in the need. Speaker, instead of one-offs when will this Liberal government implement comprehensive long-term strategy engaging both campuses and community to deal with this issue? Thank you. Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Development. Minister of Advanced Education and Training. Well, thank you Speaker and thank you for this question because it is a very important one and I can tell you as I travel the province as I meet with student groups the number one issue that I hear about is about mental health. There is no question that demand for mental health services is growing and that's exactly why I voted against sadly included a 60% increase in funding for campus mental health support Speaker. That is a 60% increase because Speaker, we need to be there when students are faced with challenges, when they want some help with their mental health we need to be there. I have to say that I did this announcement with the Minister of Health and Long-term Care Toronto and it was extremely well received. Extremely well received. Thank you Speaker. This week I met with both colleges Ontario and Council of Ontario Universities who told me that this government's lack of action is forcing colleges and universities to become mental health providers as well as educational institutions. Many of the 12,000 children who are waiting in Ontario for mental health services are only able to access supports once they get to post secondary. But without adequate resources on campus many schools feel that they have no choice but to farm out support services to private contractors something McMaster University psychiatrist Dr Catherine Munn says will be a disaster for students. Speaker, we don't expect post secondary institutions to treat physical illness. Why does this liberal government expect them to treat mental illness? Let me repeat. This budget contains a 60% increase. The member from Kitchener Waterloo is warned. A 60% increase in funding that is earmarked for campus mental health but that is not the full extent of the investments that we're making speaker. We're expanding access to psychotherapy services while developing a new province-wide publicly funded psychotherapy program to help people including students living with conditions such as anxiety and depression. We're supporting up to nine integrated youth service hubs to provide young people with walk-in one stop access to mental health which as the member opposite knows will be a youth-focused service for people with mental health addictions as well as other supports under one roof speaker. And free prescription medications for people 25. New question from Kitchener Center. My question is for the Minister of Infrastructure. Every member of this House knows that our province is well into an unprecedented period of infrastructure where building and repairing critical public infrastructure such as schools, hospitals and public transit because we're committed to making life better in Ontario. In my own writing of Kitchener Center just last week I announced $2.3 million to repair sewers and deliver clean water and speaker as I said at the time sewers may not seem that glamorous but they're essential to creating a liveable city and we know that this infrastructure strategy is improving lives not just in my writing but in every writing in this province including every single one represented by members of the opposition. Speaker could the Minister speak to how the benefits of these investments are being felt in communities right across Ontario. Thank you and thank you to the member for the question. I have to start by saying thank you to the leader of the opposition and the leader of the third party. I'm sure they're aware that not one member of their caucus has asked me a question on infrastructure in this place since I became Minister of Infrastructure over two full sessions speaker. Speaker that must be because they think we're doing a terrific job on infrastructure in the province because it's hard to criticize a plan that will deliver at least $53 million in OSIF funding directly to municipalities and PC writings in 2017 and a plan that has delivered a 474 million mental health facility in the opposition leader's writing as well as over $8 million in OSIF and water infrastructure funding to communities in his writing. Speaker our record speaks for itself and the opposition's deafening silence on infrastructure is worth a thousand words. Do you see it in place? Thank you Speaker and thank you to the Minister for his very informative answer. So with these facts and Speaker, facts do matter perhaps the leader of the opposition might stop giving speeches where he's claiming that we aren't getting shovels in the ground. Just come to my community of Kitchener Centre and you will see plenty of shovels in the ground. In the LRT project the Shirley Avenue widening bus storage facility. It's important for every member of this House and every constituent that we represent to have these facts. We're moving forward with our $190 billion infrastructure investment plan. Our economy is responding Speaker to the steps that we're taking making life easier and more affordable. Our unemployment rate is as low as it's been in 16 years and we've added 700,000 net new jobs since the height of the recession. So Speaker could the Minister please share more facts on how he is helping to build Ontario. Thank you Speaker. I'm glad to share some important facts about our infrastructure investments. So here's a fact for the leader of the third party. Our government has procured four major health care projects in Hamilton with almost a billion dollars. All four use the AFP procurement model the NDP detests so much that we're delivered on budget and all but one were delivered on time. Another fact Hamilton is receiving $1 billion towards LRT and up to $33 million this year for water and wastewater infrastructure and our current budget added $30 billion more for critical infrastructure. Both leaders opposite voted against enhanced quality of life for all Ontarians by opposing our budget. So Mr. Speaker the next time those two leaders get a ballot box they should take a good hard look in the mirror and vote for Kathleen Wynn. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker my question is the Minister of Health and Long Term Care. Back in December of 2016 the minister received a proposal from the Ontario Personal Support Workers Association requesting the right to become the provincial governing body of PSWs. The minister would know there are many more PSWs in the health care system today than ever before. This means there's a greater need and role needed for home and community care. It also means there's a big need for proper oversight by governing body to oversee the needs of PSWs and their clients. Mr. Speaker the minister purports to be supportive of a health care system that protects all patients and health care providers. Therefore can he tell this House when we can expect a response or action regarding this proposal. Thank you Mr. Speaker and I appreciate the opportunity to talk about the government investments in our personal support workers and I have to say I have the greatest respect for the thousands upon thousands of personal support workers who work so hard day and night often on very short notice Mr. Speaker and when you talk to people who are receiving care from them wherever that might be it might be in a long term care facility might be in their home. I think alongside nurses the individual the type of health care worker that is so most highly respected by individuals and the ones that they develop that strong respectful challenging times relationship with our PSWs. So we've made investments where we dramatically increase the minimum wage that here in Ontario now it's $16. Mr. Speaker is the minimum it reflects the talents that they bring but we're doing much more with regards to our PSWs and I'll talk about that in a minute. Mr. Speaker perhaps the minister should look at the people in the audience that are here from the PSWs they were shaking their head no. I remind the minister that his government already failed just a year ago when they opened and closed a PSW registry a failure that cost in terms over $5 million with an increasing aging population and our health care services being rationed it's imperative that he takes action and gets this right. The OPSWA's proposal is comprehensive about the legitimacy, trust and oversight things your government you claim your government upholds. Mr. Speaker the minister's response acknowledges the important and expanding rules of our PSWs and our health care system but will he now agree to give them their right to have a say on the future of their professional area. Thank you. Senator please. Thank you. Thank you Mr. Speaker and we are continuing to work on the future of the PSW registry. It is true that I made the decision to close the previous registry in 2016 because I had respect for the profession and I wanted to make sure the registry was a powerful tool for individuals for PSWs to gain employment for employers to find employees and for individuals that rely on PSWs to get that support. So we're working hard on that we've also created a curriculum a standardized curriculum for PSWs we've got a $10 million annual fund for training for PSWs who want to advance their training further Mr. Speaker we contributed an additional $100 million this year alone to enhance home care clients the support to them home care clients one point that translates into $1.3 million more hours $1.3 million more hours of personal support care in home care. So we're working hard on that and we're working hard to provide the funds for the clients of investments that we're making to this important profession. Thank you. New question. To the premier Speaker Josiah bag 14 years old found dead in the McIntyre river in Thunder Bay on May 18th Tammy Kiashe 17 years old found dead in the McIntyre river in Thunder Bay on May 18th she was a nurse of young First Nations people in the river in the last decade there to pursue a public education and health care they can't get in their home communities I named those seven students as well and called on this government to investigate what happened to them a year ago the coroner's inquest made a list of recommendations including for this Liberal government what has been done and I thank the member opposite for that question and as I said to grand chief Fiddler and chief Leonard yesterday on behalf of all of us our condolence to the loss of lives that's been taking place and certainly as the minister responsible we want to make sure and I would say on this side of the house we really would like to address the situation and we are addressing the situation Mr. Speaker we are completely committed to working with our First Nations partners we value the positive relationship we have with indigenous community across our province and at this point the member fully knows that there's a component that because of the ongoing reviews that are taking place I am unable to answer some details but I have full confidence as we know on the OC PC the Ontario Civilian Commission and the office of the independent police review director that will conduct a throughout an affair review supplementary to clarify my question is about action and what this Liberal government has done in fact the jury in the coroner's inquest recommended that all levels of government including this Liberal government should provide the services or funding without delay so I ask again without excuses without passing the buck what has this government provided to the First Nations community to do and where the government should provide the services without delay so I ask again without excuses without passing the buck what has this government done to act on the recommendations into the ongoing deaths in Thunder Bay to the minister of indigenous reconciliation thank you the question is a fair one it's an important one so much of what happens to indigenous youth here in Ontario and particularly with respect to your question in Ontario revolves around the issue of education and education is a responsibility that the federal government and the provincial government share we are looking working with the federal government to facilitate ways in which those children who are sent from for instance the northern remote communities to the southern communities to complete their high school that they can find that education in southern Ontario in a particularly environment and in a protected environment many of the youths that come from northern Ontario to the remotes they're 13 or 14 they find themselves in very difficult circumstances in Thunder Bay and the larger cities we are working to provide a situation in Thunder Bay where they can achieve their education thank you speaker and my question is to the minister of energy we all know that we passed legislation for the government's fair hydro plan which will lower electricity bills by 25% on average across the province this change is going to result in significant and much needed relief for every household in Ontario and I know that my constituents in beaches east york are looking forward to their discounted hydro bills in the coming months however there are other elements and I understand that any low income Ontarians are taking advantage of the Ontario support program which provides an on bill subsidy to those qualifying for the program and I understand that fair hydro plan will be expanding on this program so speaker would the minister please provide a house for details on how the OESP is being expanded for the benefit of low income families and individuals across the province thank you Mr. Speaker and I'd like to thank Mr. Speaker for his hard work on this file for his constituents in beaches east york as well Mr. Speaker unlike the opposition parties our government has made support for vulnerable communities a central pillar of our plan the official opposition well they have no plan Mr. Speaker and the third party forgot to talk about vulnerable Ontario's in their energy plan Mr. Speaker we didn't Mr. Speaker will use existing funds through the program based on our direction Mr. Speaker the on bill rebates offered to recipients have increased by 50% with the maximum credit now $900 a year Mr. Speaker and a special credit for those with unique electricity needs they can see that credit Mr. Speaker up to $1300 the expanded program not only offers higher credits but is also accessible to more people because we have increased the amount of credit Mr. Speaker we heard we acted and we listened supplementary well thank you Speaker and thank you to the minister for the incredible work that he is doing to make electricity affordable for all Ontarians on this side of the house we were so thrilled to see that bill pass and I know that Ontarians are asking because the opposition on the other side of the house what were they thinking how could they be able to do that? Mr. Speaker this is an important support to low income households in my community and I'm proud that our government is demonstrating our commitment by helping these people in expanding the program but expansion the OESP is not the only social initiative which is being taken in the fair hydro plan because while all taxpayers in the province will receive the savings of 25% on average there are other programs so minister please explain to this house what these other programs are and how they will help provide relief on electricity costs Thank you Mr. Speaker I also want to thank the member for that follow up one of the other programs that would be expanded under our fair hydro plan is one designed to lower delivery rates and that's called the triple RP this program provides a subsidy that lowers distribution costs for those in the most areas of our province that's 800,000 families Mr. Speaker that will see a 40 to 50% reduction but I can only assume that the opposition voted against that Mr. Speaker because that 40 to 50% reduction was too much too soon Mr. Speaker just like when you're talking about bringing forward a minimum wage that will help families in this province that's too much too soon Mr. Speaker but what about part-time workers to get paid the same part-time workers Mr. Speaker I know for the official opposition too much too soon Mr. Speaker 100,000 new childcare spaces free tuition Mr. Speaker by now the minister would be well aware of the need for new hospitals in my riding I brought this issue to the government's attention on a number of occasions I've written letters I've made statements I've asked the local health integration networks in my riding have indicated that their top priority are the new hospitals in Collingwood and Alliston to date the government has been very good to listen to our concerns Mr. Speaker but has never really indicated its support for the new hospitals in Alliston and Collingwood so today's litmus test is to see if our hospitals really do have the government support so speaker later this afternoon please will debate my private members resolution that calls on the government to approve the planning grants question by both hospitals so I ask the minister will the government do exactly that thank you minister of health well Mr. Speaker I'm honored to have the last word before the summer break in question period and especially on such an important subject however I do have to say it's slightly ironic because a party that has consistently told the government to spend less this is a question about investing in hospitals and spending more and ironic as well of course because we had nine billion dollars of new capital infrastructure in this year's budget that was just recently passed that that member in that party voted against notwithstanding that the Collingwood in the hospitals are important hospitals to their communities and their important hospitals to this government they have both submitted pre-capital submissions which they've now moved on with the ministry's support and support to stage one we continue to move forward and I think it is positive that we continue to work collaboratively as we move through as all hospitals in this province the various processes and stages are required member from Bruce free on sound Mr. Speaker I'd like to welcome Kenny Burgess and Sabrina Kreiner parents of students from Peninsula Shores district school joined our students here thank you very much I rise on a point of order I'd like to welcome a group from my riding from the settlement assistance and family support services Kingston Road who are here a group of 70 of them are here today with Indira Basu thank you speak very much Mr. Speaker I would like to welcome and thank one of our pages fathers Claire Ladone Dino Ladone has had three pages here at Queen's Park and Claire is the youngest so I'm sure this will be his last visit so welcome to Queen's Park and thank you for everything they speaking up sorry the member from Carlton Mississippi Mills Mr. Speaker it gives me great pleasure to introduce two people in the gallery as guests Queenie you and Tonya Granikallum from parents as first educators excuse me speaking of speaking of introducing pages and pages parents I have some sad news please allow me to let you know that regrettably this is the last day for our pages thanks to the wonderful work absolutely not we do have business to do though we have a deferred vote on government notice motion 34 relating to allocation of time bill 134 an act to implement 2017 budget call on the members this will be a five minute bill all members please take your seats all members on May 31st 2017 Mr. Susan moved government notice motion 34 with age allocation of time on bill 134 an act to implement 2017 budget all those in favor please rise one at a time to be recognized by the clerk Mr. Nack, Mr. Bradley, Mr. Bradley, Mr. Dukas, Mr. Dukas, Mr. Sandals, Mr. Sander, Mr. Sousa, Mr. Sousa, Mr. Sousa, Mr. McNicott, Mr. 502 Mr. Dilan, Mr. delay mrs. this Mr. Dillon, Mr. �اب Pokémon Mr. Malcolm Mr. Smith. Mr. Bailey. Mr. Bailey. Mr. Ostra. Mr. Ostra. Mr. Walker. Mr. Walker. Mr. Harris. Mr. Harris. Mr. Nichols. Mr. Nichols. Mr. Nichols. Mr. Marteau. Mr. Marteau. Mr. McDonnell. Mr. McDonnell. Mr. Pettipies. Mr. Pettipies. Mr. Koe. Mr. Koe. Mr. Koe. Mr. Koe. Mr. Koe. Mr. Koe. Mr. Koe. Mr. Koe. Mr. Koe. Mr. Koe. Mr. Koe. The ayes be 52 the nays being 34 I declare the motion carried we have a deferred vote on the motion for third reading of bill 89 an act to enact the child youth and family services act 2017 to amend and repeal the child and family services act to make related amendments and other acts calling the members this will be a five on May 31st 2017 Mr. Dildo can move third reading of bill 89 an act to enact the child youth and family services act 2017 to amend and repeal the child and family services act to make related members amendments to other acts all those in favor please rise one at a time you recognize Mr. Cotto Mr. Cotto Mr. Matthews Mr. Bradley Mr. Bradley Mr. Del Ducat Mr. Del Ducat Mr. Sander Mr. Sander Mr. Sousa Mr. Sousa Ms. Wynn Ms. Wynn Ms. Matthews Mr. Matthews Mr. Hoskins Mr. Hoskins Mr. Shirelli Mr. Shirelli Mr. Murray Mr. Murray Mr. Chand Mr. Change Mr. Maridi Mr. Maridi Ms. Hunter Mr. Hunter Miser Mr. Di-, all Mr. Clark, Mr. Clark, Mr. Vanellum, Mr. Jacobus, Mr. McDonough, Mr. Thompson, Mr. Barrett, Mr. Monroe, Mr. Eurick, Mr. Smith, Mr. Smith, Mr. Bailey, Mr. Ostra, Mr. Osterholm, Mr. Walker, Mr. Harris, Mr. Harris, Mr. Nicholls, Mr. McDonough, Mr. McDonough, Mr. Pettipies, Mr. Pettipies, Mr. Cove, Mr. McClaren. The ayes are 63, the nays are 23. The ayes being 63, the nays being 23. Declare the motion carried. The reading of the bill, 12th of January, 2nd of February, ten at the lot. The resolve of the building now passed will be entitled to resume the motion. Recognize the government post leader. Thank you, Speaker. Speaker Her. Honour awaits. Pray be seated. May it please Your Honour. The province has, at its present meetings, they have passed certain bills to which, in the name and on behalf of the said legislative assembly, I respectfully request Your Honour's assent. the Senate. The following are the title of the bill to which your honor's dissent is prayed. An act to enact the Child Youth and Family Services Act 2017, to amend and repeal the Child and Family Services Act and to make related amendments to other acts. An act to provide for anti-racism measures. An act to enact the Ontario Fair Hydro Plan Act 2017 and to make amendments to the Electricity Act 1998 and the Ontario Energy Board Act 1998. The Act was adopted in 2017 on the Ontario Plan for electricity and electricity and I defend the Act of 1998 on electricity and the Act of 1998 on the Commission on Ontario Energy. An act to revive 205-3266 Ontario Inc. An act to revive Prosper Legal Management Inc. An act to revive 104-9491 Ontario Inc. An act to revive 564539 Ontario Limited. An act to revive 1476283 Ontario Limited. An act to revive Brazory Chicken Limited. An act to revive Roy Wilson Real Estate Inc. An act respecting the East York Foundation. An act to revive Sierra Cleaning Solutions Inc. An act to revive St. Pola Drugs Inc. An act to revive SKAS Auto Services Inc. An act to revive Millar Wager Holdings Inc. In Her Majesty's Name, Her Honor, the Lieutenant Governor, got the sent to these bills. In Her Majesty's Name, Her Honor, the Lieutenant Governor, sanctioned these legal projects. I just wanted you to sit down. Pray, pray, allow me one comment. Be safe, enjoy your family, enjoy the break, although the break is not just from here. You work hard, you work very hard on the people, on behalf of the people of Ontario. And I know, and I know you deserve credit for all the work that you do for those people that you represent. And I thank you for that honor of allowing me to be your speaker. Therefore, there are no further deferred votes. This House stands recessed until 1pm this afternoon.