 Steve. It is now time for a question period. The member from Lampton, Kent, Middlesex. Thank you very much, Speaker. My question this morning is for the Premier and is regarding the security situation here in our province. Premier of the tragic events yesterday morning in Ottawa shook our country. In the second brutal and violent act this week, we have seen another of Canada's finest, brutally murdered, and we have seen our enemies strike out at the heart of our democracy and of our freedom. Last night, my family, like many others across the province, gave thanks to the ceremonial guard at the tomb of the unknown soldier and all it stands for. We gave thanks to the Sergeant at Arms of the Commons as well. Premier, can you please update our assembly on the efforts you are undertaking to work with all levels of government to ensure the safety and security of Ontario residents? Thank you very much. I just want to reinforce what has already been said and to assure the House that the most important priority for our government and for all the members here is the safety and security of all Ontarians. We send our thoughts and prayers to the family of the Canadian forces reservists from Hamilton who lost his life yesterday and to all of the people who were injured and to their friends and their families. I also want to thank the members on all sides of the House for their unity yesterday and coming together. To the question of what is being done at this point, the Minister of Community Safety and Correction Services has reached out to his counterparts, Minister Stephen Blaney, Chief of Ottawa Police, Cheryl Bordeleau, and to the Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson to offer assistance. We want Ontarians to know that our police and our paramedics and firefighters are trained and are prepared for any eventuality. Thank you so much. Well, thank you very much, Premier. We all hugged our children a little tighter and a little longer last night as we were reminded of the daily risks undertaken by those who serve and by those who wear Her Majesty's uniform. We also know, as Prime Minister Harper said, that Canada will never be intimidated. That a tax like this will do nothing but strengthen our resolve to redouble our efforts. Here at Queen's Park, we are thankful for the help and assistance of the Legislative Security Service, our own Sergeant-at-Arms Dennis Clark, the Ontario Provincial Police, and of course, the Toronto Police Service. Premier, can you please let us know if you are considering changes to strength and security here at Queen's Park as a result of the terrorism we witnessed yesterday in our nation's capital? Just before I speak about the precinct here, I just want to also add that CISIS and the RCMP are sharing information with the OPP and with local police forces and our local forces are working together. One of the most important things that the Minister and I spoke with the RCMP and the OPP about yesterday was the coordination of efforts, and that is ongoing. And it is important that every member in this House know that local police forces are also part of that network. In terms of Queen's Park, I want to take this opportunity to thank our security both within Queen's Park and throughout the whole precinct. The professionalism and dedication is second to none and we are very, very, very grateful. I have every confidence in the abilities of the Legislative Security Service and I certainly will leave it to the security services to make decisions about what provisions need to be made here at Queen's Park. I will offer a little clarity of that. The Premier has corrected its responsibility of the Speaker, as elected by the members to take care of the security within the Legislature. And we are consistently and ongoingly working with the Sergeant-in-Arms and the senior staff to ensure the safety and security of the people, not just the members but the people in this building. And we'll keep you updated. So supplementary, please. Mr. Speaker and back to the Premier, there can be no doubt that yesterday's attack was a direct strike at a democracy and out of freedom. As Canadians, we reject these tactics as cowardly. We pledge to remember and hold dear the life of Corporal Nathan Cerello and we pledge to never be intimidated. Of course, Canada is not immune from these types of attacks, from these types of tactics, from all this type of terror. Yesterday we saw our Premier, the Opposition and the Speaker and all members come together and work together for the good of the people and for the good of our communities. Premier, how do you plan to continue to work with all members to ensure the safety and security of the towns and communities that we represent all across Ontario? Well, Mr. Speaker, I expect and I propose that we continue to work in the nonpartisan way that we have over the last 24 hours. The Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services has briefed Cabinet and members of all three parties on the framework that we have in place to address threats of violence and what we know about the incident. The Minister continues to receive updates on a regular basis. He gets those updates from authorities and he will continue to work across the aisle to provide updates as they become available. And I would just say to members opposite, if you have any questions, if there is anything that you are unsure about, please do not hesitate to speak with the Minister because we will provide information as we can, but we also want you to know that if you have any questions or if there are questions coming from your communities, please let us know about those so that we can share all the information that we have. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and my next question is back to the Premier. Yesterday and of course in the days and weeks ahead, our resolves Canadians to never be intimidated will continually be tested as we seek to balance the need for order and security within our traditions of freedom and open democracy. We all have a renewed appreciation today for the vitality and stability of our country. It is important that we safeguard both the well-being and quality of life of the people of Ontario, and that is why I want to speak to you today in this question about the economy. Economic security is about fostering opportunity and opening trade barriers that are preventing growth and prosperity from taking hold. Ultimately, it's about creating jobs and growing our local economy in our communities. Premier, the people of Ontario want to know what are you doing today to tear down trade barriers, create jobs and ensure Ontario's economic security? Thank you, Premier. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Well, the member opposite will be happy to know that I am leaving for China on a trade mission with the Minister of International Trade and the Minister of Economic Development. That is all about finding ways to work in partnership to look for opportunities to connect businesses here in Ontario with opportunities in China. So that is a major part of our economic strategy. The member opposite will also be pleased to know I think that in my conversations with my colleague, Premier's across the country, we are very intent on removing barriers. I am going to be speaking with Premier Cuyard today and tomorrow in Niagara at the Chamber of Commerce Economic Summit. And we are engaged right now in a conversation about how we can provide more openness between Ontario and Quebec and among provinces across the country. So that is an active conversation among premiers in this country, Mr. Speaker. Well, Premier, you speak about travelling with the delegation to China to meet with friends and partners in Jiangsu province. You are also going to stop and understand in Beijing and Shanghai to talk about how we can increase that relationship. And while I can appreciate your desire for these types of trips, the people of Ontario have far greater concerns right here at home. While you are focused on expensive international missions, provincial premiers all across Canada are moving forward on a Canada-wide free trade zone, something that we discussed in this House back in July. Premier, have you made any real progress on this front since we last spoke? Or are you still refusing to work with Premier Bradwall to get it done? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Well, that's quite a remarkable question given that I was fully a part of the conversation with the Council of the Federation. All of the premiers across the country agree, Mr. Speaker, that this is an issue that we are engaged in and we are looking at the agreement on internal trade. And we are making changes. We are updating it, Mr. Speaker. And, you know, there is a little bit of an undercurrent in the member opposite's question that somehow we haven't done anything. And that echoes what some members of the federal government have said, Mr. Speaker. It's just not true. We are engaged as premiers on making sure that we open up and solve the real problems, the real barriers to trade where they exist. We are not going after phantom barriers, Mr. Speaker. We want it to be a very real process. And so that's the exercise we're engaged in, where there's a real barrier, where there's a real opportunity for improved trade. We are making those changes, Mr. Speaker. Well, thank you, Speaker. Back to the Premier. Premier, while you were focused on your trip to China, within Canada there are significant trade barriers in numerous sectors including energy, labour and procurement. These barriers are costing Ontario residents directly with reduced opportunities, fewer jobs and higher consumer prices and are something we simply cannot afford. Premier, inter-provincial trade makes up a huge percentage of Ontario's economy. Because of that, the people of Ontario are counting on you to take the lead on important opportunities for our workers and employers. In the spirit of working together, what specific actions will you commit to today to move forward with Ontario's participation in the job-creating Canada-wide free trade zone? Mr. Speaker, I take those actions. The member opposite is at least three months behind. Because, Mr. Speaker, I am already working with my colleague, Premier, to make sure that we find the opportunities to work together. I went to Quebec. I met with Premier Cuiard. We talked about opportunities even before we went to the Council of the Federation meeting. So, Mr. Speaker, we are working on breaking down those barriers. And I just want to take on the question about going to China. If the party opposite is going to propose that we as a government never travel internationally, that we never take the opportunity to go to other countries and create new markets, then I would say, Mr. Speaker, they are wrong-headed. They are not looking at the opportunities that exist for Ontario. And I reject that notion. We must connect with other countries. We must turn our chairs outwards. And we must become an exporting nation to other countries around the world. The member from Simcoe North, second time. Thank you. New question. The member from Windsor-West. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Yesterday was a difficult day for Canadians. Over the coming weeks and months, we will all be looking for answers. This isn't a time for partisanship. As Canadians, as Ontarians, and as Parliamentarians, we are part of a big family. I think we owe it to all Ontarians to make sure that their house, the house we are in now, is safe and open. Does the Premier agree that we need to be thoughtful and balanced in the coming days and ensure we keep our proud tradition of openness and access to our legislature alive? Mr. Speaker, I completely agree with that imperative. I think it's extremely open. This is the people's house. And it's very important that we keep the access to this house as open as possible. At the same time, Mr. Speaker, we all have to make sure that we abide by the advice from the Speaker and from the security authorities here in the precinct and beyond. The Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services is working with all levels of security authorities to make sure that we have all the information that's necessary that we will share, as I said, with members of the opposition parties. And Mr. Speaker, we will do everything in our power to make sure that this is a safe place and that it is a functioning place for the people of this province. Thank you, Mr. Secretary. Thank you, Speaker. As an MPP, I am proud to walk the halls of Queen's Park and see everyone from locals to visitors from across the globe visiting our legislature. Of course, we need the legislative precinct to be safe. I believe that people from every corner of our province should feel welcome to come to our legislature whether it's to see question period, visit their MPP, or see the beautiful art on the wall. This place belongs to Ontarians. Does the Premier commit to supporting that tradition that this legislature belongs to Ontarians and that we need to ensure they feel safe and welcome at all times? Community safety and correctional services. Thank you very much, Speaker. And I thank the member opposite for the question. First of all, Speaker, I want to pay my condolences in respect to the family and friends of Corporal Nathan Cirullo. The tragic incident that took place yesterday in Ottawa was in the heart of my community, the community of Ottawa Centre that I have a great privilege of representing. I had a lot of friends and my own staff which were engaged in the incident and locked down at Parliament Hill. So I want to thank all the members for their support yesterday and today and made my job that much a little easier in terms of making sure that we all are safe in our province. Speaker, as you are well aware that the matters around the safety and security in Queen's Park is totally within the purview of yourself as the speaker of this legislature and that of the sergeant and arms. And we of course salute and thank the professionalism and dedication of all the security staff that works at Queen's Park. And we will leave it up to you and the security experts that you rely on to make determination as to the level of security at Queen's Park. Thank you. Speaker, I think we all agree that this is a time for coming together. I want to take a moment on behalf of our caucus to thank our sergeant at arms and our team of professional legislative assembly security. Does the Premier agree that our security protocols will need to be guided by facts and ensure we proceed rationally and calmly? Mr. Speaker, again, thanks to the member for the question. When it comes to, again, safety and the security of the precinct at the legislature, of course, as I mentioned earlier, that is totally within your purview as the elected speaker of this House. And of course, you're working with the sergeant arms will make those determinations relying on the experts opinion. I do want to assure the members of the House that as the Premier mentioned earlier that we have a very well coordinated plans. Working with the federal government, both ceases and RCMP and OPP and our local police services regularly exchange and share information so that we have effective plans in place. And yesterday, as the incident developed, we saw all those plans being fully and properly activated, making sure that information was provided through the federal government to the OPP and through the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services to all local police services. So they know exactly the steps they need to take. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Yesterday in estimates with the Transportation Minister, we learned unfortunately that promises that were made by the Liberal government during the campaign are not actually promises at all regarding transportation to Ontario communities, but simply possibilities. And apparently, the dedicated transit funding that we also heard promises about means a multi-billion dollar transit loophole. We were promised dedicated transit funding, but there's nothing dedicated about it, Mr. Speaker, because there's no legislation and there's no regulation. So if dedicated revenue doesn't actually mean anything is dedicated, how does the Premier define quote-unquote dedicated transit funding? Thank you, Premier. Minister of Transportation. Minister of Transportation. Thanks very much, Secretary. I hope folks will understand. I'm a little bit under the weather this morning, so my voice doesn't sound as it normally does. I think it's unfortunate that the member who's asking us this question today wasn't paying close enough attention to the discussion, the really wonderful discussion that we had at estimates yesterday. I've said many times, both yesterday at committee and in this legislature, we have an ambitious plan to move forward with investing $29 billion over the next decade in crucial public transit and transportation infrastructure. And just yesterday, in fact, the Minister of Finance responded to a question in this House by making it very clear that the funding that needs to be in place for us to deliver these positive results for the people of Ontario is in place by virtue of not only our campaign commitments, but the passage of the budget earlier this year. Speaker, I would ask the member opposite to work with us. I know the people who personally want to see these positive results and we will make it happen. Thanks very much, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Sadly, I was paying attention and I heard that the Niagara Rail project may not happen. That's Scarborough's just a pipe dream that Hamilton may not happen. That's what I heard. They like to claim that they're dedicated to transit, this government, Mr. Speaker, but of course the fact is that transit revenue isn't dedicated at all. So how can the Premier actually expect anyone to take their dedication to transit seriously? Will the Premier, it's a direct question, will the Premier promise Ontarians today and show her commitment to transit by bringing in legislation and regulations that ensure dedicated transit funding actually goes into transit? Thank you, Minister. Thanks very much, Mr. Speaker. I'm really happy to have the chance to answer this question. It's unfortunate again that the member who's posing the question is choosing to hear, I suspect, what she wants to hear around this. When I think the people of her community, the people of the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area and the people of Ontario want us to get past these kinds of games, the semantics, this notion of parsing words, and they actually want to see us deliver results. She asked yesterday a committee speaker whether or not we can trust what we're doing as a government, what we propose to do. What I said back to that member of committee and I will repeat here today is that what I have trust in, Speaker, is the people of Ontario. And on June 12th, they gave this Premier and this government the mandate to invest $29 billion over the next 10 years. I trust them. They've entrusted us and we're going to get the job done. Thank you. Final supplementary. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What the people of Ontario heard was the Liberals promising dedicated transit funding. And the promised Trillium Trust would hold that money. That's what they heard. But there's absolutely no guarantee that even a nickel will make it into the Trillium Trust. Will the Premier, I ask again, promise Ontarians today and show her commitment to transit by bringing in legislation and regulations that ensures dedicated transit funding actually goes into transit? Mr. Speaker, I had the privilege of introducing a budget, not once, but twice. I gave the opportunity for the members opposite to appreciate what it is we're doing. We are putting forward $29 billion. Okay. Thank you. Finish, please. And in the book and the following discussions that we've had since, even with the public who went forward and read this book, probably more so than the opposition by all accounts, we talked about establishing a Trillium Trust, which would be the funnel to forward and put forward all the funds and revenues and excesses that we do from those assets to be put in that trust as well. We've dedicated certain portions of our gas tax to transit. And Mr. Speaker, what is important to note is we are building transit. The Minister of Transportation, this government is taking for, is making the necessary investments. Thank you. And we're funding it through the Trillium Trust and other means. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry. Minister, I'm sure you've been updated on the ongoing dilemma of the Rondo Cottagers Association. Fact, 283 cottage releases expire, December 31st, 2017. Fact, the park was established in 1894 for the purpose of cottaging. In fact, three environmental reports that were completed in 2013 were only publicly published during the RIT period in May of this year. This government minister has displayed a clear pattern of holding documents and releasing them when they will face the lease amount of scrutiny. And lastly, the heritage dock damaged during the harsh winter was disassembled without an engineering report to determine the extent of damage. Locals feel that this could in fact be a sign of things to come and are worried about the park's future. Minister, will you tell us today why these docks were stalled and who gave permission to tear down that dock? Thank you. Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry. Thank you very much and thank you to the member for the question. I know that the issues around Rondo in the broadest context are very important to him. In fact, I think maybe the first question I had as Minister was from the member in the house after I'd been appointed as the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry. I would say to him that it's very similar in some context to the question that was asked yesterday by his colleague around Algonquin Park. Both Rondo and Algonquin are multi-use parks. They have a long history of being multi-use parks. We respect that. We're trying to find our way and migrate our way through these issues. I look forward in the supplementary. I'll provide a bit more detail for the member where we are when it comes to Rondo specifically. But I will say that at this point there is no decision imminent. We have respected the history of multi-use for Rondo and for Algonquin. We had a great chat yesterday with the member about how we've approached the issues related to Algonquin. And hopefully in the supplementary I can provide the member with a bit of comfort as we move forward on the Rondo situation. Thank you. Supplementary. Speaker, Minister, the long-year department delays the RCA report. The more people worry that the 283 cottages will in fact be removed. Former ministers, Cansfield, Geoffrey, Grovel, have stated that the cottages have a right to remain in Rondo. Minister Rosetti had stated that this pressing issue would be cleared up in his watch. But in fairness, an election got in the way. Minister, your predecessors don't want this. The cottagers don't want this. And I sure as heck don't want this. The decision will have to be made under your watch. So Minister, will you agree to meet with me by October 30th to finalize a positive outcome for the Rondo cottagers so they can continue to live in peace and harmony with nature, restore their cottages, and once again stimulate the economy? Thank you. Minister. Speaker, well, thank you once again to the member for the question. I'm happy to meet with the member, but I won't put a timeline on the decision. So if that's the point of the meeting, we'll say no. If you want to meet and have a discussion around issues related to Rondo, I'm happy to do that. Speaker, as the member knows, there were at least two studies that were conducted related to Rondo, both economic and environmental. Those studies were brought in-house. They were reviewed. The issues related to Rondo are considered so important to the government that they not only took in those studies, but then they also asked for a peer review of those studies. We're still analyzing that data. I haven't had the ministry come back to me with information related to the peer review of those two studies. When I get that, I'm happy to share it with the House and at some point, going forward, we'll make a decision and we'll let the member know. But again, in regard to the meeting, happy to sit down. In fact, we live in the same building now. Maybe we don't have to you. Maybe we don't even have certain legislative time. Offer to buy me a beer. We'll get together and we'll talk about Rondo. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good morning to you. My question is to the Premier. Mr. Speaker, Justice Bellangi took great care, two years, $20 million, to consider the full picture of what went wrong that day in June of 2012 that led to the Elliott Lake Mall collapse. Justice Bellangi made numerous recommendations for this government to implement so that this tragedy would never happen again. Lives were forever changed by those events and I agree with Justice Bellangi when he says, the residents of Ontario and Elliott Lake in particular have the right to know the extent to which governments and other public institutions will implement the recommendations and their reasons for any deferral or rejection. So, Minister or Premier, what are you doing to implement Justice Bellangi's recommendations? So, Mr. Speaker, I know that the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing will want to comment on this, but I want to take this opportunity. I haven't had a chance to do this in the House, but to thank Commissioner Bellangi and his team for the very thorough study of the Alval Centre Mall tragedy. My heart goes out to the families of the loved ones of Mrs. Dolores Pritzolo and Ms. Lucy Alwyn. It's a very tragic, tragic situation and we're committed to making sure that events like this won't happen in the future and I say that sincerely to the member opposite. So, what we're doing in the immediate term while we're reviewing the report because we are committed to reviewing the report and looking at next steps, but in the meantime, we're establishing an advisory panel to get recommendations on how to move forward. We're strengthening and clarifying the process of ongoing rescue and recovery efforts and we're reviewing the guidelines that can help first responders to work together. So, that's in the immediate term, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Speaker, some of the recommendations from Justice Bellangi's report include implementing minimal structural maintenance standards for large scale buildings across Ontario and require them to be regularly inspected. Create a publicly accessible database of structural inspections performed by licensed structural engineers. Restore funding to urban search and rescue teams. Enhance their training and ensure they can be quickly dispatched to all parts of the province. Build partnerships with Ontario Mine Rescue, which has 875 trained volunteer rescuers who are all mine employees to assist in future disasters. Minister, when can we expect actions on these recommendations? Remember, the memory of Lucy and Dolores is more than enough motivation to getting it right this time. Thank you. Thanks very much, Mr. Speaker, and thank you for the question. Of course, the events at Elliott Lake were a real tragedy. One that no member of this legislative assembly would ever want to see repeated. The commissioner did a very extensive and very fair report made a number of recommendations, all of which were taking seriously. The Premier mentioned in her response to the first part of the question setting up the advisory committee. We're doing that. I want to remind the member opposite also that the commissioner acknowledged very eloquently, I thought, in his report, that the current system we have in Ontario works very, very well. That it's a model that many other jurisdictions look to for advice and guidance. And I think that speaks well for most of our building officials. We, of course, are going to conduct a comprehensive review. The advisory committee is being set up as the Premier mentioned. Thank you. A new question. A member from the Public Health Centre. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and International Trade. Minister, in my riding of Etobicoke Centre, we have a large number of small and large business owners as well as people who are involved in business. And when I speak with them, they tell me that it's so important that here in Ontario we create an environment where businesses have an opportunity to grow and through that we create employment for all Ontarians across all sectors. Now, one of the most effective ways to do that is through the expansion and strengthening of our trade relationship with the United States. And in fact, I know that the Premier's mandate letter to your ministry emphasizes the government's goal to advance international trade interests. Minister, would you tell us what action is being taken to ensure a beneficial trading relationship with the United States? Good question. Minister. Thank you. Thank you, Speaker. And I want to thank the Honourable Member from Etobicoke Centre for asking. Speaker, last week I was in America. I was in Washington conducting a trade mission. Speaker, this was my first trade mission as Minister responsible for international trade, and I am proud of it. Speaker, I had a great trip. Very fruitful and downright important. It is important because as the Member States, the U.S. is Ontario's largest trading partner. In 2013, Ontario's export to U.S. total, $128 billion, importing $115 billion. Speaker, Ontario trade with the world, U.S. represents 64% of that total. Speaker, this is a big number. We must maintain our close ties with the U.S. We must strengthen our trade with them. It's a win-win situation. It will benefit our economy. It will create jobs. It will benefit the people of Ontario. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I'm sure that the people of Ontario will be pleased to hear the confidence the Minister has in our broader relationship with the United States. And it's encouraging to know that this government understands and values the broader scope and depth of our partnership. I would say, however, that I think the Minister would agree that it's critical that we explore all possible avenues for economic development and growth. In fact, I was recently at a meeting at the Rotary Club of Etobicoke where I met with business people who are giving back to their community and they spoke to me of the work that they're doing abroad in Asia and in Europe through their businesses. So the economic success of Ontario will be gratefully influenced by our ability to expand, negotiate and work with our global trade partners. So Minister, the business community of my riding and I believe of all of Ontario would be interested in hearing what steps are being taken to provide additional opportunities for trade investment outside of the United States. Thank you, Speaker. Speaker, why I was in Washington, I was told that the U.S. had more trade discussions with Mexico than with Canada. When I asked, how is this possible? How does Mexico work with you so often? The response was, because they keep locking on our doors. Speaker, our trade partnership with the U.S. is one that we must work to preserve and strengthen. The Premier's mandate letter was clear when he said we must seek opportunities worldwide. It is our duty to lock on these doors on behalf of all Ontarians. As the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and International Trade, I will work to lock on the door of the United States and the door of the world. This is why I look forward to trade missions like the one to China, the myself, the Premier and the Minister of Economic Development with MPAR on this week. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you. My question is to the Premier. There is a plan by the government to eliminate 140,000 childcare spaces in the province of Ontario. The Association of Daycare Providers said just yesterday, and I quote, that your Liberal Plan would not only do little to prevent illegal daycare centres from operating, it could push many licensed childcare centres into closing. This will amplify the childcare shortages across the province of Ontario, particularly in suburban and rural communities like the ones I represent. I would caution the government against this plan that they've got in place that is being debated this afternoon. So I would ask the Premier if she will pull her plan to eliminate 140,000 childcare spaces across the province and instead consult with childcare operators right across the province. Bring it up. Mr. Education. Mr. Education. Yes, and I'm not sure, but perhaps, and I would understand with all the things that happened yesterday, that perhaps the Minister or that the member opposite missed this. But the ombudsman actually released his report yesterday investigating the Ministry's capacity to deal with unlicensed daycare and how we followed up on complaints. And I would like to say that in fact the ombudsman of this province has made a number of recommendations, 113 recommendations and actually noted in his report that Bill 10, the legislation that we began to lead off on yesterday and are debating this afternoon, that Bill 10 addresses 35 of the recommendations and he exhorted us to get on with dealing with it quickly. Thank you. And passing it quickly. Supplementary. The minister is pretty simple. She's only meeting a third of his recommendations. Above and beyond that speaker, this is the big challenge and something that the minister probably doesn't want out there today, but this is what the ombudsman actually said. It's about a government that put kids at risk through quote, years of bad administration and neglect. That's from him. That means the ministry has failed. He used words like this. He has neglected lack of communication, careless and inconsistent complaint intake practices to describe your ministry. And now, because of the government's lack of reasons, 140,000 child care spaces are at risk in this province. The liberal plan that is before this assembly will do nothing to fix the problem. So if the government is not going to pull the bill, which is a bad bill, which child care operators across the province are saying is a bad bill, will at least the minister commit today to traveling of cross-affected communities right across this province in suburban and rural Ontario. Thank you. Minister. Speaker, exactly what the ombudsman recommended, which was to pass the bill as quickly as possible. That's what I thought, because it actually might want to read what the ombudsman said a little bit more closely. Because he pointed out that we have already addressed 95 of his recommendations. That there are addressed by doing things like creating a dedicated enforcement unit to look at unlicensed state care complaints. That we have put in place searchable websites so parents can get the information about unlicensed home providers. And what I would finally... Stop the clock, please. I'm going to ask the member from Simcoe North to come to order. But I'm going to use what he said as a springboard to my recommendation that I've always used. Please use people's titles and their writings only. It lowers the temperature and I don't want it raised. Please finish. Wrap up. I would like to read to you the ombudsman concluding remark. In the past year, the ministry has made genuine and focused efforts to rise to the challenge of ensuring that Ontario has a proactive, timely, risk-based and effective system for monitoring unlicensed child care operations. That's what ombudsman said. Any questions? Members from separate. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Health. This evening I'll be attending the fifth annual San Bruno dinner to raise funds to bring a PET scanner to our hospital Health Sciences North. I knew Sam personally. He was a business man who spent his final years working to bring this crucial diagnostic device to the north. Our community has carried on Sam's fight to ensure northerners have equitable access to life-saving technology. And together, we've raised almost $500,000. I would love to deliver good news tonight to Sudbury. Will the new minister commit to finally purchasing a PET scanner for northeastern Ontario? Thank you, Minister. Well, thank you for the question, Mr. Speaker. I want to say that I had the privilege of meeting with the Northeast Lynn just a couple of weeks ago. Cabinet was in Sudbury for that meeting and I was able to speak with the health leadership in that community. In fact, in that region to get a better understanding of not just the needs going forward, but also the incredible services that are being provided in Sudbury and elsewhere. And with regards to this specific issue and request, I'm happy to talk to the member opposite more to familiarise myself with precisely what the request entails and where my ministry is at in terms of consideration of that request as well. I'm happy to address the issue more in the supplementary as well. Thank you, supplementary. For over five years, new Democrats have been standing up for Northerners in making a simple straightforward request. We want Northerners to have the same access to life-saving PET scanners as every other Ontario. That's what's fair and that's what's right. Why does the government continue to ignore the needs of northeastern Ontario by refusing to purchase a PET scanner for our community? Thank you, minister. Well, thank you again for the supplementary. Mr. Speaker, I have to say that the services that are being provided, as the member opposite knows, not only in Sudbury but in the region as a whole, are state-of-the-art and something that the north and in fact the whole province can be proud of and with regards to the investments but also the tremendous gathering of healthcare professionals that have been able to provide services that I am confident are as important to the locality but as exceptional as we find in other parts of the province. Again, as I mentioned to the member opposite, I'd be happy to speak more directly with him about the specific request that he mentions so perhaps we could make those arrangements. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Transportation. Last year we experienced one of the toughest winters in recent memory. As the member for New Market Aurora, I and my aching back distinctly remember the challenges that my community faced while contending with the harsh weather. We got medications for everybody. Snow, ice, cold temperatures, day after day, it seems. And that's why I was extremely pleased to hear the Minister of Transportation announced last Thursday about additional oversight and equipment for winter maintenance. This is a strong step toward being prepared for the upcoming winter season and I know that many in my community of New Market Aurora were pleased to hear about the impact of the winter season and many in my community of New Market Aurora were pleased to hear about this great initiative. Mr. Speaker, could the Minister please provide members of the House with further information on last week's announcement? Thank you. Minister of Transportation. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I want to begin by trying to recover my voice and thank the member from New Market Aurora for that very timely question. I also want to thank the member from Northumberland, Cointy West and my parliamentary assistant, the member from Eglinton Lawrence for all of their work and the announcements that we made last week regarding MTO's preparations for the upcoming winter season. The member from New Market is certainly correct. Last year was a difficult winter speaker for people living right across Ontario. That's why we announced last Thursday that the Government of Ontario will be delivering 50 additional pieces of winter maintenance equipment to Southern Ontario. This equipment will help ensure that freeway ramps and shoulders are cleared more quickly, which will help to make our roads even safer for those commuting this harsh winter. And, Speaker, that number of 50 is in addition to the 55 new pieces of equipment that were deployed last year, primarily in Northern Ontario. We're also introducing 20 new inspectors that provide on-the-ground oversight of our contractors during winter storms. I'm confident, Speaker, this will help us to be prepared for this coming winter. I want to thank the Minister for his response. Mr. Speaker, I was pleased to attend the opening of the 13-kilometre extension of Highway 404 from Greenlade, who raven-shoe in East Gwillinbury in September. I was pleased to drive that highway with the member from York Simpco and many others. I don't think that was the member who passed me in that little black Volkswagen. That was another regional member. This great new extension is taking 22,000 cars off the local roads each day. Many of those cars would pass through my riding, so we're very appreciative of that extension. And I'm pleased to know that our government is committed to keeping the highest possible standards for winter maintenance on roads like these. But, Minister, last winter there were a number of concerns raised by people living in Newmarket, Aurora. The government was not getting onto our roads fast enough. The faster the snow is cleared, the safer our roads will be for Ontario drivers. I want to make sure that my constituents will be provided a safe commute when traveling in the winter. Can the Minister please... Minister? Clearly got the gist of the member's question, and I want to thank him for the wonderful leadership that he's showing in Newmarket, Aurora, as a neighbour to all of us who also have the privilege of representing New York region communities. Speaker, I know that there were concerns that were raised last winter regarding the snow not being cleared quickly enough. We have clearly listened to this feedback, and we're working to take proactive measures, some of which I mentioned in my initial answer for the upcoming winter season. There is no doubt, Speaker, that every additional piece of equipment that we have on the roads and the highways, the ramps in the shoulders makes a positive difference. Additional equipment allows our contractor partners to deploy support quickly to where it's needed most, and it ensures that they are able to work with us to clear our highways, our ramps in our shoulders as quickly as possible. This is because the safety of our roads, Speaker, is our number one priority, and we will continue to work with all of our roads, safety partners, all communities across Ontario, and our area maintenance contractors to make sure that our province is adequately prepared for what could be, but we hope won't be, another long and cold winter. Do you have a new question? The member from Northern New York City, London. Good, Speaker. My question's to the Premier. Premier, last session I worked very hard to try to get my private members bill. Ryan's Law passed through committee for the election. Unfortunately, it didn't happen. In July, I reintroduced my bill and it's come up for second reading this afternoon. Premier, Ryan's Law is very important. It would ensure that the one in five children who are asthmatic can attend asthma-friendly schools regardless of where they live in our province. It's my hope, Premier, that we can put aside our part of the ship and work together to ensure that this vital bill is enacted into law as quickly as possible. However, Premier, I know with the majority of government opposition bills tend to get shelved regardless of how vital they are. Premier, will you commit to doing everything you can to ensure the quick path to Ryan's Law? Mr. Betsy. Yes, thank you very much and thank you to the member opposite for his question because we agree that the health and safety of our students is one of our absolutely top priorities and I do want to say that our heart goes out to Ryan Gibbons' family for his tragic loss and to thank you for your advocacy on behalf of children with asthma. I'd also like to thank you because I know that last time before we had the election that your bill not only passed second reading but it got to committee. There were a number of amendments that were made and I want to thank you for when you retabled the bill you've actually captured a number of the amendments that had already been agreed to in committee. So I'm particularly happy to see the language that actually makes it clear that where a child's parents and doctors consent to the child caring and the inhaler that they can do that. But yes, we are supportive. Thank you. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you for the answer, Minister. Premier, I've heard from many families across this province who are children still not able to access inhalers. I'm positive after the last response that the Ryan's Law will pass through second reading. Premier, I would hope going forward though that the bill does not get lost in the committee structure and the House leaders can work together to ensure that Ryan's Law can go through the committee as quick as possible. I'd like to see this bill passed into law by spring so that next September with Asmuth Roader Society are able to have safe environments in the school. Premier, will you ensure that Ryan's Law gets priority as it moves through committee so that we can get it through third reading and into law by spring? Minister. Yes, thank you. And obviously I have no control over conversations between the three House leaders. But what I did want to note is we are supportive of the bill. I do have one area of concern which is that we are seeing bills come up that are specific to a number of different diseases and the feedback that we are getting from educators is it's very difficult when they have a separate law addressing each health problem that a student might present. We've asked a FIA, which is the Ontario Physical and Health Education Educators Association to have a look at the issue and to report back to us on best practice. Because we really do need, I commend you for the great work that you've done with ASMA, but we really do need to find some comprehensive way of pulling together responses to all the different diseases. So I'm also looking forward to the report. Ophia will be presenting in the winter. Mr. Weston, the member from Hamilton Mountain. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Premier, I was a working mom and like every other parent, I cared nothing more than about the safety of my child. So it makes absolutely no sense to me or any other parent that this government could repeatedly fail to look out for the safety of kids in unlicensed daycares. Yesterday, the Ombudsman condemned the Liberals' oversight of the unlicensed care as abysmal, inept, dysfunctional, careless, sloppy and wrong. Why did four children have to die in just seven months at daycare before this government realized it wasn't doing a good job? Mr. Weston. Mr. Weston. Yes, thank you. What I would like to note is that while the Ombudsman quite accurately described some of the problems, what he also noted was that we have already not even waiting for the legislation to be passed, that we actually have taken a number of steps already to implement some of his recommendations. That includes things like setting up a dedicated enforcement unit. One of the remarks that the Ombudsman made was that the people that were responsible, were mainly responsible for licensing, not trained investigators. So we actually have created, hired the people, doing the training to have a dedicated enforcement unit. When we pass Bill 10, they will be able to be much more effective. But we've got that dedicated enforcement unit to respond to complaints in place. Mr. Diplometry. Speaker, once again, I'm going to go back to the Premier. I asked the Ombudsman to conduct this investigation after the tragic death of two-year-old Eva Ravikovich in a dirty, overcrowded, illegal daycare. The government ignored complaints about this daycare until it was too late. And then the government claimed in court that it does not owe a duty of care to 800,000 kids in unlicensed daycares. I think every parent in this province profoundly disagrees. In the light of this scathing report, I'd like to give the Premier another chance to do the right thing. Does the Premier believe her government owes a duty of care to 800,000 kids in unlicensed child care or not? Minister. Yes, thank you very much. And as I said before, the Ombudsman himself has pointed out that we have already addressed 95 of his 113 recommendations. That includes the legislation, Bill 10, which, in fact, now that we've set up the enforcement unit, would actually give them some teeth. If we can get Bill 10 passed, those inspectors would have the power to enter without warrant. The ministry would have the power to have administrative penalties, which in plain English means fines. We would no longer have to go to court. In fact, when somebody violates the rules, we would be able to impose fines of up to $100,000. So for the first time ever, if we can pass Bill 10, we would have the ability to do something about the complaint. So I really hope that the member opposite, who's very passionate about child care, is actually going to help us get the bill passed. Thank you. Any questions? Members of the maintenance and the arts? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Labor. Minister, the home construction industry is a crucial part of Ontario's economy. Thankfully, it is thriving and employs tens of thousands of men and women in good jobs. In my right of England, Lawrence, tens of thousands of homes are under construction every day from high rises to home rebuilds and renovations. But tragically, this summer, a 19-year-old worker from Scarborough by the name of Ryan Pierce lost his life on one of these home construction sites on Brookdale Avenue in my riding while he was working on underpinning a home. Mr. Speaker, through you to the minister, my constituents and people all over Toronto want to know what our government is doing to ensure the safety of construction workers so that more don't die in the job, especially on these home rebuild projects. Question. And how can we prevent further tragedies, the one that befell Ryan Pierce? Minister of Labor. Thank you, Speaker, and thank you to the Honourable Member for that excellent and important question. I know my thoughts with the family and with the colleagues of the person who lost their life in that tragic incident this summer, and I know the thoughts of all members of this House are with them as well. I think we all agree that when Ontarians go to work, they're entitled to come home safely at the end of the day, so workplace safety is the priority of the Ministry of Labor. It's a goal we work to at the Ministry each and every day. We're working hard to ensure that both the employees and the employers in this province know their rights and they're fulfilling their responsibilities. We're prosecuting actively employers that choose to break the law. We're proactively inspecting workplaces. We're ensuring those rules are being followed, and we're working with partners in prevention of future incidents. But we know more needs to be done, particularly in construction, Speaker, to ensure the safety of everyone that works on these sites. And that is why the Premier, in her public recent mandate letter, underlined increased health and safety as a construction as a priority of this government. We're working right now on an action plan. I can address that in the supplementary, perhaps. Thank you. A supplementary to the Minister, through you, Mr. Speaker. Hopefully, this construction safety action plan will help prevent future tragedies like the one that befell this poor 19-year-old kid who is working on his first job, just graduated from high school in Scarborough, first in his class, gets a job, is working underpinning, no training. We don't know what kind of supervision there was. No 19-year-old should have to lose their life on their first job. When I met with Ontario's Chief Action Prevention Officer, George Gretziotis, I was very impressed with his knowledge and his willingness to act. Mr. Minister, what I worry about is not the large-scale construction projects, but the tens of thousands of home renovations and rebuilds which are taking place all over this province. What do we have to ensure the homeowner, the contractors, the workers, and the provincial and city inspectors have the resources to train, inspect, and ensure that workers' safety is taken seriously? How can we make sure everyone involved takes safety seriously, understands that rebuilding and renovating a home is not an easy job? Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Speaker. The member is absolutely right. We need to pay as much attention to the smaller projects as we do to the larger projects in this province, and that's why the construction action plan is going to be developed with system partners from big and small business. We're going to build upon the work that's already underway that better protects workers in our construction sites already. We're working with those partners to develop new mandatory entry-level training that's unique to the construction industry, and we're also introducing new mandatory fall protection training. We've got joint health and safety specific training standards. We'll be introducing for those committees. We're moving forward with some regulatory proposals that are going to enhance both the health and the safety of construction workers specifically because, Speaker, it's this simple. We need to put an end to deadly workplace fatalities. With these safety mechanisms in place on construction sites all over the province, we think we can make a difference in reducing injuries. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. In the Brock Township area of my riding, the Brock Community Health Centre has been left in a holding pattern by the Ministry of Health as it awaits final approval for its permanent location. The paperwork has been filed. The project has been fully endorsed by the Central East Lynn. The money has been put aside, and the community has waited patiently for many, many years for this project to be completed. So, Minister, I ask you today why final approval of Stage 2 of this capital investment project has not been received. Thank you. Minister of Health, Long-Term Care. Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I appreciate the question. In fact, first I want to thank the member from Halliburton, Quartha Lakes, Brock for her advocacy and support for the development on a new site of the Brock CHC Community Health Centre. I know that she's being a strong supporter of this project, and I thank her for that. Certainly, this is a process often for the proponents. It seems unnecessarily long. There are actually measures in place to ensure that steps are followed and the decision is made on a good scientific basis and also from an operational perspective to ensure that the CHC is able to continue in an appropriate way to respond to the needs of the community. And issues such as space and volume and obviously the number of patients that will be seen and staffing are important to that consideration in making that decision. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, as I said, the board of the CHC, the Brock CHC itself, the employees the community have anticipated this project would be done in a reasonable time period. Programs have been located at five interim locations. Three of them have had to be moved from those locations due to health and safety issues. Because of the limitations of those locations, they cannot hire a full complement of resources that have been approved by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and they can't recruit doctors, most importantly of all. This announcement was initially done in 2006, I believe the funding for the permanent facility was done in 2011. And so we're talking 13, 14 years and we seem to be mired down and yes, I appreciate what the Minister has said on the steps, but when you have all the parties that I've mentioned to everyone that is involved saying we've waited a very, very long time, we've given you everything that we have and is necessarily required from the Ministry, we just appreciate final approval as soon as possible. Thank you, Minister. Mr. Speaker, I'm actually optimistic that we can in a relatively short period of time move beyond the Stage 2 process and I know that the Central East Linn has been working very closely with the CHC, with the Brock CHC and I also know that in fact a meeting is scheduled for next Wednesday between the CHC and the Linn and the Capital Branch within the Ministry of Health to hopefully resolve any further outstanding issues and certainly provide that clarity and a timeline to the CHC so we can move forward on this important project. I think we're all in agreement in terms of the importance of this and I know that it has been a significant period of time to get to this point but my commitment to the member opposite is that I am personally involved and I will do what I can to make sure that the correct decisions are made and they're made in as expeditious but responsible manner as possible. A member from Kingston in the Islands on a point of order. Introductions that I would like to bring to the House today. I would like to welcome my father, Ted Kuala, my two daughters, Linnea and Alain Kuala and my partner Chris van der Viver without who I would probably not be standing here today. I would also like to extend a very warm welcome to Googie Giuse, Betty Miracle, Bear Clan, Mohawk Nation, Ty and Denega and Laurel Clouse Johnson, a Mohawk Bear Clan community grandmother, a former VP of the Ontario Native Women's Association and a recipient of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal. I would also like to welcome Brian Bowers. He's a mixed settler and First Nations ancestry. He's a board member of the First Nations Technical Institute in Ty and Denega, Mohawk Territory and a board member of the Naval Marine Archive in Picton. Brian is a former member of the OPP and Kingston City Police. A warm welcome to you all who have come from Kingston today to support my motion on missing and murdered Aboriginal women. Welcome to our visitors. I want to advise all members that the Book of Condolence for Corporal Nathan Churchill is now set up in the main lobby and I appreciate your motion. I know this is a little unorthodox because he left but the speakers will. I've always taken it upon myself to introduce all former members. The East Public Gallery a little while ago was Mr. Rob Milligan, Northumberland, Quinty West in the 40th Parliament and I knew he's doing an honourable thing today. I know deferred votes this House stands recessed until 1pm this afternoon.