 It is therefore time for question period the leader of her majesty's royal opposition Thank you, and good morning speaker to the premier PC leader Doug Ford and the entire Ontario PC family were all moved by the Events of yesterday Our thoughts are with the victims the families and those affected at young and Finch here in Toronto We want to thank the brave first responders Speaker we want to thank the brave first responders and the EMS teams who continue to work tirelessly on our behalf Mr. Speaker would the premier like to share her sentiments with the house? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and I know that Everyone in this house joins with the families and the victims families of the victims friends of the victims And all of the people who are affected by this and I I would say mr. Speaker We all are let me just read the update that I that I gave to the the media this morning I said this morning mr. Speaker that as the city wakes up There are families a family and friends of this horrible tragedy and the victims themselves who have survived whose lives will never be the same Our hearts reach out to them and we desperately want to give them some comfort as Mayor Tory said last night That desire to comfort can perhaps help us all in Toronto and beyond to be a bit kinder A bit more gentle with each other today and in the days to come in my role as premier It is my responsibility to ensure that any provincial resources that are needed to cope with the ongoing Investigation and security measures that they are available and I want to report to Torontonians and Ontarians that that is happening I was briefed again first thing this morning our provincial security officials continue to work hand-in-hand with federal and municipal officials the OPP is in constant touch with the RCMP and the Toronto Police service officials who are involved and And and who are involved in the ongoing investigation The the people who are involved in the identification of victims put extra teams on duty last night to move that Processing along to help families get information sooner and to help ease those painful hours of waiting I spent the afternoon yesterday with Mayor Tory in North York I have nothing but the deepest admiration for the Toronto Police officers firefighters Paramedics who respond They responded so professionally so compassionately to the tragedy that unfolded These are brave highly skilled men and women who desire our heartfelt thanks I also had the opportunity to spend some time last night at Sunnybrook Hospital the hospital that received the largest number of victims Again, we want to thank every one of the paramedics the nurses the doctors and all of the health personnel who responded So professionally and so well CEO Andy Smith Emphasized the sad reality that his team is prepared for a situation like this because they practice and train for such a day Hoping it will never come But when it did and calls were made to off-duty nurses and personnel to come in personnel to come in They were already on their way. They knew exactly what had to happen So thank you to each of the professionals each of the neighbors and passers-by who helped an injured person Thank you to each and every person who lent a hand I heard a question on radio this morning about whether our city our province our country will be changed because of this senseless Act of violence the lives of the families and friends of the victims are changed forever But our collective job now is to find a way to grieve to acknowledge that pain and stand with those who have lost so much And then to make sure that the life of this vibrant good city and province goes on We are capable of deep compassion and understanding in Toronto in Ontario and in Canada And we will be called upon to summon all of that In each circumstances it is my decision that when the third party comes for their first question I will allocate Give some time for them to make a comment as well And I would come back to the minute to the leader to offer him an opportunity if he so chooses To say a few words and then we'll move into question period as we have to Leader well, thank you speaker. I think we've First of all, I want to thank the Premier for that update. I think that was a thorough and respectful update We Genuinely Appreciate the work of the first responders and the EMS teams that are out there There are many questions that will be answered over the coming days and we look forward the Premier to continued updates as as the province and as the Municipality learns them and so our thoughts our hearts ache for the families and for the victim speaker. Thank you The host leader of the third part well, mr. Speaker these type of things are never things that we think are going to happen in our backyard But unfortunately we do find out that we live in the world and the world Unfortunately things Unfold in ways that are not pleasant for many who are directly affected in it and not affected directly I think there's a couple of things in the Premier I think some did up well is that our police forces and the way that they acted yesterday Makes us all proud That the reaction was in order to calm the situation down and to do what was right one was coming to apprehend the individual And I think we can all be proud of that because I think it speaks volumes to the training that we do to our police To the ambulance people to the to the paramedics to the fire department and everybody else who showed up again Kudos, I think the Premier summed it up quite well along with the the leader of the conservative party here in the legislature They acted totally professionally, but the other thing that I think we are all impressed with is how the public reacted Those people that were there on the sidewalk those people that were there on the streets. They were there Doing what they could in order to be able to make things better and to try to administer for a state In fact a good friend of mine David sword happened to be on site when it happened I found out after we haven't talked about it yet because he's still going through probably some of that trauma But I want to let you know that Andrew Horvath and new Democrats stand tall and proud with our Police forces forces and emergency services and what they've done and with the citizens of this province Andrea is actually on site there this morning. I thought she would go and Pay respects directly on site So our party along with our leader our Congratulations go out to those who were in fact those that were on site and we grieve for the families quite frankly that have been So so devastated by what happened yesterday. Thank you I appreciate all the comments and your latitude for to allow me to to make sure that we all have Word to say I will now then return to the leader of the opposition for his supplementary question and recognize that This place is unique and we need to ask some questions of the government and that will take place supplementary Well, thank you speaker. I'll now speak in my role as the interim leader of the official opposition and continue our duties in that In that respect so back to the premier Premier Ontario ratepayers and taxpayers want answers Mr. Speaker when did the premier become aware that hydro one gave their CEO a six million dollar salary and a ten million dollar Thank you, mr. Speaker please to rise and to respond to the question put by the The leader within the house some from the conservatives Mr.. Speaker when it comes to the executive salaries at hydro one We recognize that these are high compared to the vast majority of Ontario salaries, mr. Speaker, and we'll continue to remain committed to Work with hydro one on their regulation accountability and and their transparency mr. Speaker Through our government's involvement as a as a majority shareholder mr. Mr. Speaker and and I know mr. Speaker We will continue to Work with hydro one because mr. Speaker we have seen a change in that company The executive team has found a hundred and fourteen million dollars in savings mr. Speaker and entered You know a voluntary winter disconnection program before we had as a house had to implement that so mr. Speaker Well, we'll continue to monitor. Thank you Thank you speaker back mr. Speaker back to the premier mr. Speaker does the premier approve of both the hydro one CEO's six million dollar salary and His ten million dollar severance Thank You mr. Speaker when it comes to Costs mr. Speaker The board the Ontario energy board that is mr. Speaker they they set rates So by talking about firing the CEO of hydro one mr. Speaker that doesn't take anything off of anyone's bills So the board mr. Speaker is the energy sector's independent regulator with a mandate to protect ratepayers And that's how it's going to continue to deliver on that mandate For instance mr. Speaker last Last fall the Ontario energy board capped the portion of executive compensation Hydro one electricity customers are required to fund at ten percent of base salaries Saving ratepayers thirty million dollars over this year and next mr. So mr. Speaker the Ontario energy board will continue to monitor We'll continue to work with hydro one to help them become a better company mr. Thank you New questions, sorry new question the leader of the opposite Thank You mr. Speaker my question is to the Minister of Energy in speaking about the auditor generals comments on the liberal Hydro scheme the Minister of Energy had the following to say quote our plan has been approved By her peers at some of Canada's top accounting firms KPMG E&Y and Deloitte The auditor general has said that's not true Mr.. Speaker did the accounting firms Mentioned approve the plan Speaker So what we have here are two world-class accounting firms And I will outline what they had to say in statements about rate-regulated accounting within the public sector accounting standards mr. Speaker So KPMG said on the basis of our extensive research Deliberations and an opinion from another major accounting firm We believe that the accounting policies adopted by the independent electricity system operator Are in accordance with the Canadian public sector accounting standards Deloitte mr. Speaker they stated Concluded that any regulatory assets and liabilities Recognized through the appropriate application of these policies would meet the criteria for recognition Under the Canadian public sector accounting standards mr. Speaker Additionally Ernst and young answer is opg's financial auditor and is consulted on this mr. Speaker on an ongoing basis Thank you supplementary Well Thank You mr. Speaker back to the Minister of Energy. It's interesting He uses those phrases which have nothing to do what we're with with with what we're talking about speaker in regards to KPMG Ernst and young and Deloitte the auditor general has said quote The sum of all the work the minister was just speaking about does not Equate to approval of the accounting of the hydro scheme. So mr. Speaker to the minister is the auditor general correct Thank You mr. Speaker once again I don't believe I need to reiterate and read reread what the accounting firms have said because I know the honorable member Had just heard those mr. Speaker, but they do talk about and I will say again as KPMG said These policies these accounting policies are in accordance with canadian public sector accounting standards Deloitte meet the criteria for recognition under the canadian public sector accounting standards mr. Speaker And I and I know mr. Speaker we've said this before and I'll say it again It was a policy choice made by this government We made this policy choice to ensure that we continue to have a clean reliable and an affordable electricity system For the ratepayers of today and the ratepayers tomorrow because mr. Speaker The fair hydro plan keeps the cost of borrowing within the rate base Not on the tax base because that's the logical thing to do mr. Speaker and how it's been done in the past final supplementary Well, thank you, mr. Speaker back to the minister of energy the minister has said quote Of course, we've worked with KPMG. We've worked with Ernst and young. We've worked with Deloitte Quote all of them agree that the accounting standards are accurate Except mr. Speaker the auditor general has said that's not true They didn't approve the books. So mr. Speaker will the minister of energy come clean I'll reiterate once again, mr. Speaker. Here's what KPMG said mr. Speaker in a public statement That on their basis of extensive research deliberations and the opinion from another major accounting firm KPMG stated we believe that the accounting policies adopted by the independent electricity system operator Are in accordance with the canadian public sector accounting standards Mr. Speaker and the policies and the implementation of this process for the fair hydro plan Were designed mr. Speaker and extensively Reviewed by senior bureaucratic officials from my ministry, mr. Speaker the ministry of energy the ministry of finance The treasury board secretary the office of the provincial controller cabinet office, mr. Speaker answer the ontario financial authority the iso opg and we work with those third party executives accounting firms mr. Speaker We will continue to look at and monitor and implementation options to ensure that due diligence was completed mr. Speaker New question the leader of the third party Thank you, speaker Speaker I want to Start by saying I regret that I wasn't here to hear the comments from the premier and from the parliamentary leader of the official opposition nor my colleague joe bison I was at the memorial at young street in finch and I just want to say that It was a very emotional scene and all I can say to everyone here is I believe that together we need to mourn and we need to seek justice and then we need to help each other heal so that's I'm going to start my question by asking the premier this The premier is underfunded hospitals every single year She's been in that office and I want to ask if she's surprised that after years of underfunding That it's created such a crisis in hallway medicine in our province Well, mr. Speaker and I am I appreciate that the leader of the third party was at the Was at the memorial. I'll be heading up shortly mr. Speaker But she she wasn't here when I said How excellent how excellent the service in in our hospitals is mr. Speaker And I I was speaking about the response of the doctors and the nurses and all of the personnel At sunnybrook mr. Speaker specifically, but I can speak for hospitals across this province that have have Responded to needs in their communities mr. Speaker year after year month after month and we have supported them mr. Speaker We have worked with them We have increased the number of nurses increased the number of doctors Increased the funding and we recognize mr. Speaker that there is more to be done Which is why on top of the 500 million dollars in last year's budget There's 822 million dollars that will go directly to hospitals mr. Speaker Supplementary well, speaker after 15 years Ontario has the fewest number of hospital beds per capita in the entire country since 2015 the premier has fired 1600 nurses as bad as it is Doug Ford says that he would cut four percent from everything that would mean 32,000 nurses over four years If firing 1600 nurses means that this means that this crisis has occurred Imagine how bad hospital overcrowding would be with Doug Ford firing 32,000 nurses Will the premier admit finally that she has created this crisis? Mr. Speaker, I know I I assume that underlying the question from the leader of the third party Is that she doesn't believe that our health care system functions well She doesn't believe mr. Speaker that when people go to a hospital or they go to a doctor or a nurse practitioner To a clinic or they go to a community health center Of which we have built dozens across the province mr. Speaker that she doesn't believe that people get good care And I would say the leader of the third party that is absolutely not true People in this province know that they can count on their health care system, mr. Speaker They know that their hospital their clinic led by a nurse practitioner their community health center, mr Speaker, they know that they are going to provide they're going to receive excellent excellent care, mr Speaker, they know that because we have supported the health care system and we will continue to do that The final supplementary What the premier forgot to talk about is hallway medicine speaker the crisis that she's created Incerned the new democrats are talking about You know the good news is people don't have to choose between the liberals who created this crisis by underfunding Healthcare and the conservatives who would make it worse by cutting even further and privatizing our health care system A premier uh as premier. I will fund hospitals properly speaker. I've made that commitment We will end hallway medicine new democrats have made that commitment That the liberal government is responsible for ontario's crisis in hallway medicine. Why can't she just admit it? Thank you Premier of health and long-term care minister of health long-term care Well, thank you very much mr. Speaker and as the premier has said we have continued our investments Every year I want to address the issue of nurses in our health care system because The leader of a third party did refer to some imaginary cuts In this regard since our government took office in 2003 more than 30,000 nurses have begun work in ontario That is a 27 and even just so recently there are 1200 more nurses employed in ontario To last year these are substantial increases year over year And in fact there are almost 10,000 more nurses working since 2013 These are the facts mr. Speaker for increasing our wonderful excellent nursing staff As well as so many of the components New question the leader of the third party. Thank you, mr. Speaker. My next question is uh also to the premier Hallway medicine has reached such a crisis that london health sciences has had to develop a new quote hallway transfer protocol a hallway Transfer protocol the vice president of london health sciences says theirs quote is not the only hospital affected by gridlock We're seeing more and more of this because our system is stretched from a capacity perspective and quote Now is the premier still denying that there is a hallway medicine crisis in the province of ontario Mr. Speaker, i'm not going to deny that there is a need for Continued and increased funding mr. Speaker in our health care system There is an aging demographic mr. Speaker particularly in areas of growth There are real concerns about uh about the need for more support Which is exactly why we're investing another an additional 822 million dollars in uh in hospitals directly mr. Speaker That's a an overall 4.6 percent increase And that's in addition to the 3.2 percent increase that we put in place last year mr. Speaker It will increase capacity. It will decrease wait times It will improve access to care for families uh in ontario, but mr. Speaker In addition to that we are investing in home care We are investing in mental health mr. Speaker. We are expanding oh hit plus two cover seniors mr. Speaker We recognize that there has been a transformation in health care that people want care at home Which is why we have been investing in home care We will continue to do that as well as invest in hot supplementary Well speaker there was a real need for funding and a real need for support for the 10 years that this premier frowns budgets or increase fund below the inflation area than two speaker for years The ntp has been telling the stories of everyday people who have found themselves in a hospital hallway or a bathroom speaker or a lounge room or tv room The staff do their very very best speaker, but the lights are always on in those places people have no Privacy's privacy and the resources that they need are simply not there in london It won't just be hallways the new protocol will see people put anywhere that isn't in front of an exit A stairwell or near a hazardous item question. This is ontario in 2018 Minister of indigenous relations and reconciliation is warned i'll take care of it The minister of indigenous affairs and reconciliation is named minister of the environment and entered in Climate change is warned The leader may finish her question Is the premier still denying that there is a crisis in hallway medicine in ontario Mr. Speaker, I think I think it's clear that feelings are running high today and I think we all Can acknowledge that and mr. Speaker I'll just say again to the leader of the third party that we have consistently increased funding to hospitals We have also mr. Speaker year over year Increased funding to home care, mr. Speaker and other parts of the health care system that need to be in place because people are asking for Care in different ways, mr. Speaker. I think that what What? The minister of indigenous relations was responding to mr. Speaker was at a time when we know That our health care professionals are among the best in the world We all need to be supporting them. We need to be recognizing them for the excellent excellent professionals that they are You say it please final supplementary Speaker four years of freezes zero increases That's exactly what this premier did and she can paint it in any term she wants, but the facts are the case A zero increase doesn't mean that they increase the hospital budgets It means that they froze them for four years speaker duck Ford said he'll privatize everywhere Including in our health care system the conservatives would cut and privatize and the liberals have given us the hallway medicine crisis That we have right now, so we can't trust them to fix it But there is hope on the way because I have a plan to fix hallway medicine to provide hospitals with stable funding 2,000 beds immediately. Why can't this premier just admit? Admit that she's created a hallway medicine crisis in the province of First of all the uh the allegation that the leader of the third party is making is just not true Mr. Speaker, we have increased funding to hospitals year over year. Mr. Speaker I recognize that there is a need for an increased investment. That's why there's a 4.6 increase in our budget mr. Speaker 822 million But I would say to the leader of the third party that As the premier of this province as the government it is our responsibility to look at the entire health care system Mr. Speaker to look at all of the different parts of the health care system And to make sure that we respond to the the evolution of people's needs in the province. Mr. Speaker We have an aging demographic people have said we want to be at home. We want more home care We want health care delivered differently. That is what we have done. Mr. Speaker as we have continued to hire more nurses More doctors and increased funding to hospitals, mr. Speaker The question remember from leeds friend. Well my question for the premier Speaker it's been a month and a half since the premier spoke briefly with opponents of the ed 19 mega dump in my riding Media reported that she would speak to me and get my views in the dump, which is actually quite strange because I've been very clear no mega dump should be built in my riding with 20 year old approvals She has an honor commitment, but I just got one question for today Does she agree with me the area residents the township of edwardsburg cardinal? The mohawk council of aquasocny grand chief benedict that it's wrong to open a mega dump with 20 year old environmental approvals Yes, sir. Good question Sure the environment and climate change Well, thank you speaker and thank you for the important question about about the dump and I know I know this is a very a very sensitive a very sensitive issue and I understand that Where dumps are placed how dumps are located how big they are Can be a very sensitive, you know no one Granted no one is happy if They're having a dump placed in their community But I will say speaker that we we do take the placement of these dumps quite seriously the landfills quite seriously And we go through a very rigorous monitoring and evaluation process before Permissions are given around any of Any of these landfill sites and speaker I'll speak more about other efforts that this government is making to deal with waste Supplementary Speaker I can't this is the same minister speaker who mocked my constituents legitimate concerns By telling me in this house that one person's garbage is another person's treasure I can assure you minister that this garbage is no treasure to those forced to live with it When the premier was in my riding she told opponents that they have a compelling argument no kidding Her own ministry of environment and climate change says no dump in ontario has ever opened with such stale dated permits They told me that dumps usually proceed within one to eight years of getting a permit Edie 19's have been sitting on the shelf for over 20 years speaker Finally my question will you join me today and take a stand and pledge that no mega dump will go in this site Without a full environmental assessment Consultation with the mohawks of aquasocene and a willing host declaration Well speaker I think the uh, I think the member opposite Needs to understand a little bit more about The government's circular economy act about our our waste free Ontario act quite frankly, but I won't talk about that right now. I will say that ed 19 It remains valid under a number of conditions only if the proposed landfill is to be constructed as it was originally cited and designed and While the current environmental assessments and compliance approvals are still valid The ministry speaker is going to require a new assessment if changes are made to the project in regards to expansion monitoring or leachate collection Under the under the environmental assessment act speaker The the ministry requires a new assessment of the county's proposed an expansion of the service area of that project Thank you New question the member from Toronto Danforth. Thank you speaker speaker my question to the acting premier Recently, we learned how five tenants living at 795 college street in Toronto were forced from their apartments So the landlord could complete renovations The landlord ignored the tenants right to reoccupy the units after the renovations were completed and instead Rented the apartments out to new tenants at three times the rent It's called a renovation Last year the premier had an opportunity to support mvp amendments to bill 124 That would have closed loopholes that allow unethical landlords to use renovations To force out tenants so they can jack up the rent Why didn't the premier support these amendments? Mr. Of housing Thank you, mr. Speaker, and I want to thank the member for Toronto Danforth for the question In fact, mr. Speaker our government made substantial changes to expand rent control to all Ontario tenants Previously about a quarter million Ontario tenants did not enjoy the protection of rent control We brought that change in as part of our fair housing plan, mr. Speaker We wanted to make sure that tenants receive the protection that they require We expanded the rent control system. We recently brought in the standard lease which takes effect as of April 30th In a few days time and that will also be give more protection to all Ontario tenants And make it clear what landlords obligations are and what tenants rights are and i'm happy to address more of This issue and the supplementary mr. Speaker. Thank you supplementary. Well, you didn't protect these tenants Back to the acting premier landlords are still using pressure tactics To push tenants out so they can raise the rent to whatever level they want In february tenants in parkdale claimed that their landlord neglected basic repairs, but then Installed upscale amenities that the low-income tenants were supposed to pay for with above guideline increases These tenants were basically being forced to either finance the gentrification of their own units or face Renoviction instead they decided to go on a rent strike Why must tenants go on a rent strike to keep their homes safe properly maintained and affordable why? Thank you, mr. Speaker I i'm not able to speak to specific cases Which might be before the landlord tenant tribunal, but mr. Speaker We do have a strong residential tenancies act that does have enforcement measures When a landlord breaks the law and I know in some of these cases the rental enforcement unit of the ministry of housing Is investigating and if there are charges That are warranted they would be late following a proper investigation. Mr. Speaker If the landlord attempts to Have expenses put on and above the guideline increase the landlord tenant Tribunal can stop that can mandate that only proper expenses Are passed on to tenants and where there's a situation where the landlord tries to illegally evict tenants There are remedies to protect tenants mr. Speaker. Thank you New question The member from lambton can't My question this morning is to the minister of finance Many people in this province rely on natural gas to heat their homes and run their major appliances When the liberals and NDP brought in the cap and trade carbon tax They made life expensive for millions of people in Ontario Mr. Speaker in 2017 The cost of cap and trade on natural gas bills was on average an extra 80 dollars and 50 cents per year But shockingly mr. Speaker in 2020 According to the long-term forecast commissioned by the interior energy board it could cost an extra Three hundred and thirty six dollars per year Mr. Speaker that's an increase of three hundred and seventeen percent Speaker how much is this liberal government government prepared to make families pay for natural gas? Thank you Acting premier Oh, sorry minister finance. Sorry, mr. Speaker. I appreciate the question I will use a supplementary to one of my colleagues, but let's be clear We're talking about a cap and trade system a wholesale product that it's enabling us to provide up to two billion dollars more To reinvest in new economies and a new green energy program that enables us to build our economy and and increase our gdp And furthermore mr. Speaker, we are As you could tell i'm in the mood And i'll use it Mr. Speaker we're now increasing natural gas into those communities that do not have that opportunity And that only happens because we do have a program in place to enable those capital infrastructure programs That the proposition would vote against mr. Speaker They're cutting back on the things that matter to ontario's including the expansion of natural gas to all communities across the province And furthermore a new economy and greater growth in our in our province. Thank you, mr. Speaker Well, mr. Speaker back to the minister of finance when the liberals and ndps brought in the cap and trade carbon tax They knew it was going to hit families where it hurt from keeping their car on the road to keeping their home heated through winter It makes everything in the province more expensive Not only is the cap and trade carbon tax hidden on natural gas bills It also has hst on top of it Mr. Speaker is this government willing to hike the carbon tax on natural gas from $80 and 50 cents per year to $336 per year Thank you, mr. Speaker and pleased to rise and talk about Cap and trade mr. Speaker and of course The decision that was talked about earlier for us When we we talked about consumers bills, mr. Speaker So cap and trade mr. Speaker and the decision on how to present that on consumers bill bills was made by the ontario energy board Mr. Speaker and that's an independent arms length regulator for the province's energy sector And it did so mr. Speaker based off of extensive consultations with consumers Utilities and environmental stakeholders Including over 40 written submissions The member from leads, uh, sorry the member from prince erud hastings, you're trying to hide behind him and you were behaving yourself I will admit that The member from prince erud hastings is warned Thank you, mr. Speaker in their decision The ontario energy board highlighted that cap and trade costs are part of Doing the business of delivering natural gas and homes and businesses Mr. Speaker and to quote the board and the oep's view Separating out cap and trade related costs as a line item on the bill is Is inconsistent with the manner in which all other ongoing costs are operating the utility are reflected on Thank you new question to member from windsor west Thank you, speaker my questions to the acting premier the caesars windsor casino labor dispute is nearly three weeks long 2,300 workers members of uniform local 444 are ready to negotiate They've been ready since day one But it takes two to bargain speaker and caesars management hasn't shown they are willing Or anything but a willing partner in this negotiation process In fact, they just cancelled all programming at the at the casino today up until may 19th This isn't just any business speaker casinos in ontario operate in partnership with the olg a division of this liberal government These 2,300 workers make the hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue that the casino takes in possible They deserve respect and a partner in the negotiation process Not someone that won't engage in bargaining speaker Will the premier direct caesars management to live up to its response abilities and get back to the bargaining table Thank you speaker and thank you to the member for their question about windsor's The the caesar strike speaker province of ontario. I've said this over and over again We've got one of the best dispute resolution record speaker in north america When people are collectively bargaining in this province in about 98% of the cases speaker We reach a collective agreement without having to resort to a strike to a lockout speaker and that's something we should be proud of Member from kitchen or wadalu is warned Finish please Thank you speaker Currently in caesars. We've got just over 2,000 employee speaker. They're a member of uh uniform 444 They've been on strikes speaker since april the 6th at the time of the strike deadline They did reach a tentative agreement speaker. That's not ratified by the members. I'll follow up in the supplementary speaker Here's supplementary All right, right or the minister of labor It actually takes two parties at the bargaining table and caesars is not bargaining Asking the premier to interfere with collective bargaining We are asking her to make sure that management as caesars windsor comes to the table in good faith That's all Caesars windsor management hasn't even reached out to uniform to schedule dates They are not willing to talk to the frontline workers who provide the services that make caesars windsor profitable in the first place The premier needs to know that losses to windsor's economy are estimated to be in the millions and climbing Speaker workers can't bargain with themselves. They need a partner who is also committed to reaching a fair deal Caesars unwillingness to come to the table isn't just on them It's on the premier because she's responsible for olg and all government-owned casinos When will the premier do the right thing and make sure that caesars management gets back to bargaining? Thank you speaker and thank you to the member for the supplementary speaker In this case as i said, we have an excellent record of dispute resolution in this province Some of the best arbitrators in the country Some of the best mediators in the country and we bring them into situations like this speaker We offer them to the parties In this case an agreement was reached at the table speaker The agreement was sent to the membership the membership did not ratify its speaker as a result of that on april the 18th We had our mediators back into the situation speaker. I agree with the member It's a responsibility of the employer and the union to make every effort to resolve their differences At the bargaining table speaker. I don't know how the member is asking me as a minister of labor to interfere in this dispute speaker We don't do that. We provide assistance The best deal speaker are those that are reached at the bargaining table We urge both sides to return to the table and strike a deal speaker New question the member for man castor dundas flamberl old west ale Thank you very much. Mr. Speaker my questions for the minister of housing Speaker in our 2017 budget this government committed To creating more fairness across ontario part of that commitment was the introduction of the basic income pilot This pilot aims aims to determine how a basic income can expand Opportunities and job prospects while providing greater security for people living on low incomes The pilot was launched in four sites including my home riding of hamilton and studies Both a randomized control trial and a saturation trial I've been happy to see the early and positive Results our innovative basic income pilot is also receiving international recognition The basic income pilot was recently chosen as a finalist for fast companies annual best question ideas award Could the minister please update the house on the status of the basic income program? Thank you, mr. Speaker, and I want to thank the member for the question and his lifelong advocacy for social justice So miss mr. Speaker on the first anniversary of launching the basic income pilot I'm pleased to announce that it is fully subscribed 4,000 people are now receiving payments from the three-year pilot 2,000 people have been placed in the control group which provide the pilots evaluators with crucial data on vital outcomes Participants in the study are telling us already how it's transforming their lives being able to pay the rent by groceries By new clothes and helping them get back to school It's helping them turn their lives around Ontario's basic income pilot is part of the government's Plan to build everyone up in this province whether it's increasing the minimum wage providing more housing Medicare or other health. It's important that we support our people The bi is showing that our government invests in care As opposed to a government that would cut benefits for our terrians and call it efficiency Thank you, speaker and thank you to the minister for that answer Speaker, I know that my constituents In hamilton and the surrounding region enrolled in the project are already beginning to see The difference that a basic income is making on their lives Elana is from hamilton And is on the pilot she and several other participants are in the legislature today to commemorate The one-year anniversary of the launch of this government's basic income pilot This group and many others are preparing to share their basic income experiences At the upcoming north american basic income congress to be held in my beloved hamilton this may We're looking forward to hearing their stories and perspectives Speaker, I'm proud on this side of the house that we continue to look for innovative ways to support low-income Ontarians question. Can the minister please tell this house what the next steps are for the basic income program Minister of community and social services Like to thank the member for the question and also Welcome the advocates and supporters that are here today joining us in the legislature Mr. Speaker, we're going to continue to evaluate and test How the basic income can support vulnerable workers improve health education and housing outcomes for people On low income however, mr. Speaker our government understands that more needs to be done To support all low income Ontarians and that's why in our 2018 budget our government announced historic investments To social services. Mr. Speaker 2.3 billion dollars over the next three years will increase social assistant rates Change earning exemptions and eliminate ineffective rules. I'm finally happy that the ndp Has a plan to invest in social assistance But the real threat to social assistance in the province of ontario is the conservatives who in the last administration cut social assistance Thank you New question the member from oxford very much. Mr. Speaker. My question is to the minister of municipal affairs Currently only the ministry of environment is required to approve the location of a landfill Municipalities aren't given a say despite the significant impact land spills have on their communities From atis valcote to sarnia councils are passing resolutions demanding the right to have authority over landfills Does the minister of municipal affairs believe that municipalities should have the authority over options taken in their community Thank you Environment and climate change speaker during the environment climate change Well, thanks speaker and thank you to the member opposite for his advocacy around this issue, you know And we are we're taking his bill under under careful review Um, our first priority is speaker to keep waste out of landfill um through Existing waste diversion efforts. We're keeping approximately three million tons of waste out of landfills every year And through our waste-free ontariox speaker Which i regret to say the member opposite to voted against we're committed to doing even more Our new model is going to shift more of the burden of reducing and reusing waste to producers We expect this shift is going to save municipalities across ontario about 120 million dollars a year Still speaker we recognize that That we have to have solutions in place for waste that can't be diverted. Thank you supplementary Thank you. Thank you very much. Mr. Speaker and back to the minister of municipal affairs I recently introduced the bill 16 respecting municipal authority over landfill It's an act to give municipalities the respect they deserve and give them a say over the location of landfills and ensure that they are willing hosts Mr. Speaker, it's about respecting municipal authority in their communities Will the minister support my bill giving municipalities the authority and to have a say Or will he continue to deny him that right and I'd like the minister of municipal affairs to answer the question as this is a municipal issue Minister well, thank you speaker, you know, and I I seem to recall from my time on a municipal council that there's nothing in the act that prevents the municipality around this issue right now But I will leave that to to the member opposite to to debate, you know I can tell you those speaker from this portfolio the ministry of environment and climate change any decision regarding landfill requires Independent nonpartisan staff With the ministry of environment to consult widely Through a thorough Consultation with the public with stakeholders with indigenous communities Municipalities and others and through this consultation speaker ministry officials are they're able to identify And find solutions for any potential negative effects of proposals before decisions are made so speaker We remain very committed to working with municipalities and communities to ensure that all projects are protected Of both the environment and public health. Thank you new question the member from timid's james bay My question is to the minister of health minister The community of atta wapis can on the james bay like many other communities that are without road had their electricity generated for years By way of diesel generators Unfortunately an atta wapis cat like other communities, but in this case atta wapis cat There was a major diesel spill over a period of years that contaminated ground underneath what is now the daycare center What is now the hospital? What is now the ambulance garage? Nurses residents and other buildings in around the vast site vast site being where the tanks used to be There was an allocation made by your ministry to clean this up of about 1.6 million dollars Ministry of energy was the other ones because hydro one had to pay part of the bill But when we cleaned the spill at the hospital because of another spill We utilized that money to pay for it My question to you is have we made a new reallocation of funds in order to get this project back on track and clean Up the vast site Thank you, mr. Speaker and thank you to the member for this question and i'm not familiar with the particular circumstances of this Uh, uh, particular event that happened at some point in the past Um, I will certainly commit to the member that I will look into it in in more depth But I would like to say mr. Speaker that our government is absolutely committed Uh to the health of our first nations communities and I think we've demonstrated This type of commitment with the signature last year the former minister of health Made uh an agreement with the nishinabi aski nation and health canada Outlining a path to transforming the health care system for our first nations. Uh, this is a health care facility I certainly will look into the circumstances And uh provide the member with a further response in the near future. Thank you But to be clear minister your ministry had made the allocation So the responsibility has already been accepted by moh because Much of where the spill is happens to be on moh property under waha, which is the hospital So the community is concerned when I was there the other day meeting with them They were concerned that everything is sort of grounded to a halt after we utilize that money to clean the spill that happened later on Under the under the waha hospital in atawapiscat So what we need is a commitment to make sure that the dollars that are supposed to be allocated for the cleanup Which were in five years ago worth about 1.6 So it'll obviously be more than that today Is reallocated so that the community can do the cleanup and make sure that kids and daycare centers Nurses and nursing residents ambulance attendants and ambulances and people in the hospital are not at any risk And the community is cleaned up I certainly will look into the situation and get back to the member but I think it is a good opportunity to talk to some of Recently announced new initiatives We are providing funding directly to each of the 133 first nations communities in ontario to strengthen access to culturally appropriate home and community care services And in this case if there is some interruption, obviously we wish those Vital services to be continued and we are creating 60 new or expanded indigenous govern and community driven interprofessional primary care teams across ontario Providing culturally safe primary health care services and programs to some over 70,000 indigenous peoples. I visited some fly-in communities myself. I understand the issues on the ground I will certainly look into this particular situation. Thank you Thank you speaker my questions for the minister advanced education skills development Speaker as you'll appreciate ontario's economy is growing well-paying jobs are being created daily We leave the g7 and economic growth. And as you'll know, we have the lowest unemployment rate in two decades And of course speaker that kind of economic growth will be accompanied by demographic growth in many of our communities And by the way, I'd like to thank the minister for presenting herself at west humber collegiate in etobicoke north for recent educational announcement Speaker Brampton is one such vibrant city. The second fastest growing community in canada youth population expected to grow by 20 percent by 2035 Much to offer in the city of brampton light strong economy stable marketplace growing transit system And of course an inclusive community spirit speaker. I'd like to ask the minister Could she explain in detail more of the access to education initiatives that her ministry is Executing for young people Thank you minister of advanced Education, thank you speaker and I want to thank the very dedicated and hardworking member of etobicoke north for this question Mr. Speaker, we know that We have great communities and a great education system We have a classroom of students here today and it's important that we give them hope for the future Our government recognized that brampton is a city that Is really at the heart a great city and that is why mr. Speaker that with the leadership of our premier We made a commitment to the people of peel region. We promised that we would build a university campus We asked universities and colleges in ontario to partner so that they could bring this vision to brampton Mr. Speaker, i'm proud to stand in this house today to say that we have delivered on this commitment Last week the member from brampton west the member from mississauga brampton south the member from brampton spring dale and i were pleased to announce That ryerson university Together with shared in college will develop a campus that is focused on the people of brampton. Thank you supplementary Thank you, speaker. I of course i'm Completely aware of how the people in peal are thrilled by this new announcement courtesy of ryerson and shared in and of course Folks in brampton want to stay in their community. They've been calling for a local option for education And our government has delivered and speaker I want to again salute the minister for initiatives and Education in this knowledge-based economy and the government broadly whether we're talking about full day kindergarten teaching computer coding in In grade school increased graduation rates or by the way the 235,000 Young folks and others who have now availing themselves of the free tuition for two and four year college and university My question speaker is this would the minister please outline more details about this educational investment in peal region Thank you minister Thank you speaker and thank you again to the member from entobico north and uh I want to thank all of them our caucus members from the brampton and peal region for championing this initiative Speaker our government is ensuring that brampton continues on its path to innovation Because brampton is in the middle of canada's innovation super corridor We want people to learn be trained and to stay in their communities and with our programs like free tuition that we're offering Through the new osap. We're making college and universities more accessible to more families Our focus is to create a talent pipeline in this community for science technology engineering and arts As well as mathematics for students Enhancing and and already talented and innovative region through a focus on steam That is why speaker our government announced an investment of 90 million dollars to support this opportunity for the people of brampton And speaker tens of thousands of smart companies are already doing business in the region by building this campus businesses Will have a steady supply of current student Thank you Question the member from land art front athletics and addington. Thank you speaker to the attorney general The attorney general is charged with providing advice to the cabinet and protecting the integrity of the crown In the past few weeks the premier has been campaigning on the public dime at last count It was 39 different events across the province and for that the premier is under investigation Will the attorney general advise cabinet and the premier to end this pernicious practice Of current campaigning on the on the taxpayer dime Thank you Attorney general. Thank you very much speaker. First of all, I would just highlight to the member opposite. Premier is under no investigation whatsoever uh, the members opposite has have filed a Spurious complaint To elections in terry on elections in terry, of course looks at all matters that are that are brought forward towards them And they they issue a a template response as they have done so in this particular instance but speaker i am just I'm just uh, you know Continue to notice how the members opposite the duck four team does not want the premier to talk about The plan for caring opportunity her plan to build ontario up her plan to create opportunity for hardworking ontarians A plan that will ensure that we we expand oh hip plus from children that are up to 25 years old All the uh to us to our seniors that are 65 and older a plan that will ensure that we increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour starting sir before 2019 A plan that is going to build more long-term care beds and put much needed investment in a healthcare system Supplement to the attorney general the writing is on the wall for this tired Uncaring and scandalous government and a line-by-line audit will expose in detail The many suspected sketchy practices But the premier continues to bend the rules and uses taxpayer money to campaign across the province Will the attorney general advise and instruct all of cabinet not to delete emails or shred important documents That would obstruct or frustrate the chief electoral officer's investigation into these pernicious practices Speaker the people of ontario wants to know what is duck fort is hiding Why does he does not want the media to to follow him and to make sure that they get to ask him the important question Why why why does he die? Why doesn't he answer questions to the media when post to him because speaker duck fort has an agenda of cuts cuts and cuts A wrap-up sentence please duck fort wants to cut taxes for large wealthy businesses Duck fort will cut minimum wage for hardworking people duck fort will cut services like health care agency He wants to just cut cut and cut speaker. Thank you The uh, it's never too late the member from lannock fronach lexon annington is warned The minister of infrastructure is warned the member from leeds granville is warned And that carries over to this afternoon We have a deferred vote on the motion to second reading of bill 31 an act to implement budget measures into an act And amend various statutes calling the members. This will be a five-minute bill All members, please take your seats I wouldn't ask that if i were you On On april 10 2018, mr. Susan moves second reading of bill 31 an act to implement budget measures into an act in the men Various statutes all those in favor, please rise one on time be recognized by the quick mr. Susie Mr. Nack Mr. Bradley mr. Del Ducat Mr. Del Ducat Ms. Mcman Ms. Naidu Harris Ms. Jassack Mr. Shurelli Mr. Shurelli Mr. Chan Ms. Mccharles Mr. McCharles Mr. Mcmaken Mr. Mcொon Mr. Takar Mr. Srta-car Mr. Dugan Mr. Dugan Mr. Sandoz Mr. Sandels Ms. Matthews Ms. Mathies Mr. Gravel Mr. Gravel Mr. Ballart Mr. Ballard Madame LaLonde Madame LaLond Mr. Meriti Mr. Immende Ms. Hunter Ms. Hunter Mr Coteau Mr. Coteau Mr. Leal Mr. Flandt Mr.Flenn Mr. Tebow Mr. Tebow Mrs. Albenazi Mrs. Albeny Mrs. Arnaoudi Mr. Reynaldi Mr. Re Gerald Mr. Cole, Mr. Burardinetti, Mr. Delaney, Mr. Dhillon, Mr. Dhillon, Ms. Domrela, Ms. Domrela, Ms. Verneel, Mr. Milchin, Mr. Milchin, Mrs. McGarry, Mr. Morrow, Ms. Mollie, Ms. Mollie, Mr. Manderosier, Mr. Codrie, Ms. Mangas, Mr. Crack, Ms. Wall, Mr. Fraser, Mr. Anderson, Mr. Baker, Mr. Don, Mr. Don, Ms. Hogarth, Ms. Kuala, Ms. Martins, Mr. Potts, Mr. Boddie. All those opposed please rise one at a time, your next member. Mr. Piperdeller. Mr. Piperdeller. Mr. Hardim. Mr. Hardim. Ms. McLeod. Ms. McLeod. Mr. Wilson. Ms. Jones. Ms. Jones. Mr. Clark. Mr. Clark. Mr. Smith. Mr. Smith. Mr. Michal. Mr. Smith. Mr. Maccabuski. Mr. Maccabuski. Mr. Hillyard. Mr. Hillyard. Mr. Miller, Paris and Muskoka. Mr. Miller, Paris and Muskoka. Mr. Macnaughton. Mr. Macnaughton. Ms. Scott. Mr. McDonnell, Mr. Pettipis, Mr. Cove, Mr. Vanton, Mr. Bisson, Ms. Horvath, Madame Géline, Ms. Fife, Mr. Tavis, Ms. Schumanta, Ms. Sattler, Mr. Nannishak, Ms. Taylor, Ms. Forster, Mr. Hatfield, Ms. Gretzky, Mr. Gates, Ms. French, Mr. McLaren, Mr. McLaren. The ayes are 49, the nays are 38. The ayes being 49, the nays being 38. I declare the motion carried. Second reading of the bill. The suits of the order of the House, dated April 23, 2018, the bill is referred to the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs. There are no further deferred votes. This House stands recessed until 3 p.m. this afternoon.