 It is now time for oral questions. I recognize the leader of the official opposition. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you, Speaker. My first question is for the Premier. In recent weeks, private, for-profit healthcare providers have been coming forward to declare their interest in being part of the government's healthcare scheme. In London, Ontario, a private clinic owned by the Advanced Medical Group says they're ready and willing to take on surgeries at their private operating room. And in Toronto, a private option clinic calling itself, quote, mom and baby depot says they're excited, I quote, excited to build and be part of an Ontario health team, end quote. Can the Premier tell us, will for-profit corporations like these ones be allowed to be a part of Ontario health teams, yes or no? Through you, Mr. Speaker, I just have a couple of quick comments. You know, we may disagree in this chamber. We may spar back and forth with each other. But I just want to pass on my condolences to the MPP from Essex. His father passed away. And on behalf of the PC caucus, myself, I gave him a call. You know, when it comes to family and politics, we separate family. And then we come back in here and we go back and forth. But I just want to give him all my respects and wish him and family all the best. Supplementary. I want to thank the Premier very much. Of course, the member for Essex lost his father on the weekend and I appreciate very much the Premier's remarks as well as the condolences from the rest of your team, as well as the other members. Very much appreciated. Back to the question, Speaker. The Premier insists that his multi-billion dollar mega health merger isn't opening the door to private health care. But families are finding that pretty hard to believe. To give just one example, the London area private clinic that I mentioned isn't just pushing for more for-profit care. They also hosted the Premier at an event during last spring's election campaign. It seems like a pretty cozy relationship. So again, my question to the Premier is, will for-profit corporations like these be allowed to be a part of Ontario health teams, yes or no? Minister of Health. Minister of Health and long-term care. Well, I think and I extend my condolences to the member from Essex and his family as well. But to the specifics of your question, what we have stated from the very beginning is we are trying to strengthen our public health care system with the introduction of the plan that's contained in Bill 74. That is what it's all about. We want to make sure that people get the connected care that they need and deserve. And we are going to be working with Ontario Health issuing very strict criteria for any organizations that want to band together to become local Ontario health teams. They're going to have to first of all meet the criteria of being able to manage the funds that will be allocated to them. They have to make sure that they maintain the quality of care that will be expected from them. And they also need to continue to involve patients and families in all aspects of designing the care and delivering the care. Thank you. And I'll supplement you. Well, what I was hoping to hear from the minister is that they can do all of that work in a not-for-profit manner, Speaker. That's what we are wanting to hear from this minister and this Premier. But here's what families see. A Premier that's promised no layoffs is already firing nurses, frontline health care workers and other health professionals. Meetings are being held behind closed doors without any public input or accountability. And private for-profit health interests seeking to profit from our health care system already seem to have the Premier on speed dial. So will the Premier do the right thing by the people of this province and be very, very clear? Will for-profit corporations like this be allowed to be a part of Ontario health teams? Yes or no? I refer to the Deputy Premier and Minister of Health and Welfare Care. Well, first of all, I can assure the leader of the official opposition that the people of Ontario will be receiving the care that they expect and deserve. I'm going to bill 74 pass, which I urge you to support, because we are strengthening our public health care system and it will be up to the local organizations to decide how they wish to band together, whether it's wish to form a partnership of joint venture with them. Opposition, come to order. But I can tell you that I have been travelling throughout the province and I have been speaking with groups that are already providing integrated care in Barrie and Bracebridge and North Bay and Arnpire. Across this province, I can tell you that health care providers are excited about having some of the roadblocks taken away that the Ministry of Health has put up over the years and that patients and providers are also very excited about it because they know that we are going to connect care for them and make sure that they get care throughout their entire life. That's not happening right now. That's what we are going to do. Thank you. Stop the call. Next question, the leader of the official opposition. My question is for the Premier. This is a question about the integrity of our electoral process and comments made by the Premier in this Assembly. Last week the Premier raised serious allegations and even threatened to call police concerning what he called illegal fundraising by my party. As it happens, new Democrats on this side of the House have serious concerns of our own about a fundraising event organized by the Progressive Conservative Party. So will the Premier agree that serious concerns like these deserve a thorough investigation? Premier? Through you, Mr. Speaker. We're doing fundraisers all over the province. I was just in Ottawa. Our base is made up of the average common folk going to a $25 a night spaghetti dinner. Unlike the leader of the opposition, Mr. Speaker, unlike the leader of the opposition, that charges $800 and if you go to the fundraising event, you get a reward. A reward? You get to meet the leader of the opposition. I'll tell you, we give rewards too. We give rewards to the people that voted for us in the rest of Ontario by lowering their heating costs, lowering their gas prices, lowering their taxes, creating good paying jobs. That's the reward that people of Ontario get. Please take their seats. Supplementary. Well, I think the Premier is going to be pretty shocked when he finds out they didn't want to be rewarded with the privatization of their health care system. If the people of Ontario, however, are going to have confidence in our democracy, they need to know that all parties are playing by the rules. The Premier made a serious allegation last week. He repeated it just now in the House, and I think it's important that we clear the air. I'm confident that an investigation will clear up any concerns that he has about NDP fundraising, and that's why I'm inviting all parties to join me in asking elections in Ontario to thoroughly investigate all political party fundraising in the province. I have a letter here that I sent to the Premier's office already. I'll ask a page to send it back over to him now. And the question is, will the Premier add his name to this request to the Chief Electoral Officer? Thank you. To the Premier. Premier. Thank you. Through you, Mr. Speaker, our donors are grassroots. Our donors are the $5, $10, $15 donations. Mr. Speaker, I am so proud. We sent out a letter a couple of weeks ago, just a simple one, two, three-line letter. And guess what, Mr. Speaker? We raised $100,000 on five and 10 and $15 donations. That's grassroots. That's standing up for the people. That's who we represent. Final supplementary. Speaker, the Premier made a serious allegation about party fundraising, and we need to clear the air to ensure that his concerns are properly investigated. But the Premier seems reluctant. Perhaps that's because there are also very serious concerns about his party's fundraising. Allegations that lobbyists will lose access if they don't sell tickets to the Premier's dinner. Media locked out while well-connected donors talk shop with the Premier at $1,250 a plate dinners. The Premier insists he has nothing to hide, Speaker, then why won't he put his name on the dotted line and join us in calling for a full and complete investigation by Elections Ontario? Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, you can't help but laugh in the chamber. And you listen to the rhetoric. I just can't believe it. Mr. Speaker, we're focused again on making sure that we take care of the grassroots people. And they don't need access to Doug Ford. They call me on my cell phone. I get hundreds of calls a day. I return their phone calls. I meet these people at these $25 a night spaghetti dinners, and you can tell I haven't missed too many spaghetti dinners, Mr. Speaker. So I love them, and that's how we're going to continue moving forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Next question. You're the opposition. Thank you, Speaker. My next question is also to the Premier, but I must say I'm pretty disappointed that a simple ask for accountability is being denied by this Premier. The Premier and the Minister have claimed that the process that appointed Ron Tavener, OPP Commissioner, was independent. In fact, to quote the Minister, the hiring committee was independent of government. However, the integrity commissioner's report released last Wednesday reveals that the Secretary of Cabinet told the Premier's Chief of Staff, Dean French, in no uncertain terms that the process should not be described as independent and that the word should be dropped altogether. Is the Premier prepared to correct his record, Speaker? Minister of Economic Development. Minister of Economic Development job creation. Thanks, Speaker. Unfortunately, the NDP is going to continue on this line of questioning, which actually has already come to a culmination thanks to the findings of the independent integrity commissioner of the province of Ontario who issued his report last week, which completely, I must say, exonerated the Premier for any involvement in what the NDP and Democracy Watch were alleging. You know Democracy Watch, Mr. Speaker. Democracy Watch has instigated eight different investigations into this government, all of which have been frivolous, all of them. I mean, it's like they're on some kind of political crusade themselves, Mr. Speaker. What I can tell you is that the member opposite, the leader of the opposition, should be respecting the decision of the independent integrity commissioner of Ontario. That's what we're doing here. We thank him for his findings and his report. Supplementary. Well, I think the house leader would remember that the integrity commissioner also recommended a full public inquiry because there are lots of questions not answered by that report. It's confident in Mr. Arsini as he claims to be in the media in this house and in his testimony to the integrity commissioner. It's odd that the Premier and his minister repeatedly continued to call the hiring process independent when Arsini was begging him not to do so. The Premier told the people of Ontario and he told this house that the process was completely independent. Now, we have a lot of witnesses here today in the chamber, so I want the Premier to think carefully before he answers his question. Is he standing by those claims? Or is he ready to admit that he was wrong and clarify his record? Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thanks to the member opposite for the question. It's shameful really that the NDP just won't accept the findings of the integrity commissioner of the province of Ontario. The member opposite has now asked five consecutive questions this morning that have absolutely nothing to do with government policy. And I can understand why, Mr. Speaker, because the government policy that we're introducing here in Ontario is having a positive impact on the people of Ontario. It's tough for them to criticize when we're reducing taxes, getting rid of the cap and trade program. It's tough for them to criticize when Minister Rickford is tackling the electricity mess in Ontario by introducing legislation to take that on. It's tough for them to ask questions about job creation when the Premier's plan has created 95,000 jobs in Ontario. In the last three months, Mr. Speaker, I can understand why the member opposite wants to stay in the gutter because when it comes to policy, we're bringing Ontario back. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We start the clock. Next question. The member for Ottawa West, NAPI. My question is for the Premier. I was pleased to see the Premier and the Minister of Transportation in Ottawa last week to make a very important announcement that our government is providing $1.2 billion for Phase 2 of Ottawa's LRT, the largest infrastructure project in Ottawa's history. Mr. Speaker, this is big news for the people of Ottawa. I know myself, my colleagues from Ottawa, and my constituents are very excited about this announcement. I'm proud to represent the people of Ottawa West, NAPI, and by expanding rail service all the way out to Moody Station and Algonquin College, we're going to make it easier for my constituents to get around our great city and see all that it has to offer. So, Mr. Speaker, can the Premier tell us more about this exciting announcement that he and the Minister of Transportation made in Ottawa last week? Thank you. Premier. Thank you. I want to thank the outstanding member from Ottawa, West NAPI, and Jeremy, your absolute champion. Great guy, great representative. Couldn't ask for a better person. Yes, the member was mentioning we had a great visit up in Ottawa, met Mayor Watson. Mayor Watson is just an incredible mayor. He's doing a fantastic job up there, and we're partnering with the City of Ottawa, putting $1.2 billion into Phase 2 of the LRT. We had our whole team there, Minister of Transportation, other representatives from Ottawa, and I can tell you, Speaker, we're building 44 kilometres of track. Oh, months. Sorry? I'm glad you're responding. Thank you. And through you, Mr. Speaker, I still couldn't hear what you said. Anyway, through you, Mr. Speaker, we are providing transportation to the people of Ottawa, again the largest infrastructure project in Ottawa's history, and I'm so happy we can move 24,000 people an hour. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, through you, thank you to the Premier for that great response and for your kind words. Our government and our Premier are both strong supporters of public transit and making life easier for the people of Ontario. I know that this project will transform the way that the people of Ottawa and our commuters move around our great city. The new LRT will reduce gridlock and help people get to work, school or appointments more quickly and conveniently. However, Mr. Speaker, this is not just good news for public transit users. It's also great news for people who drive because this will reduce congestion on the roads, thereby freeing up time spent at work so that people can be at home with their family and friends. So can the Premier tell us more about Phase 2 of Ottawa's LRT? Premier, thank you. Thank you, Mr. Member. This project will make it a lot easier, a lot easier for nurses to get to the hospital in Ottawa or CHEO. It will make it a lot easier for students to get to Algonquin College up there. My friends, we're going to move 24,000 people an hour. And you know what's the best news of all, Mr. Speaker? It's creating a thousand great-being jobs. Next question, the member for Davenport. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Education. The government's plan to have high school students take the equivalent of an entire semester of coursework online is raising alarms with parents and experts alike. While the data is scarce, what we do know is that far too many students fail to complete these courses because they don't have the supports they need. Questions are swirling. Government's side, come to order. suitability for all types of learners and the overall quality of the educational experience. Can the Minister provide any evidence that shifting 440 hours of in-person learning out of the classroom and online will be good for students? Minister of Education. Well, thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And it's a pleasure to stand today in this House and talk about the amazing ways we're bringing education back in Ontario. We're making education work for you, your sons, our families of our members in this House, our teachers, and every single person who cares about making sure that we correct the mess that the Liberal government, the past administration mired us into. And let's talk about online learning for a second. Do you know there are school boards across this province that lead by example and their students are embracing online learning? It doesn't matter whether it's rural Ontario, northern Ontario, or urban Ontario. Teachers and boards are leading the way. And my question back to the member opposite is why is she so caught up in the past? Why on earth is that member in the past and not embracing the technology for the good it can bring into our classrooms? All I can say to that speaker is shame on her stuff. Thank you. Supplementary to the member for that board. Mr. Speaker, the Minister knows perfectly well this is not about preparing students to use technology or build resiliency. It is about less face-to-face learning, less one-on-one attention because this government is cutting 10,000 teaching jobs and forcing students into mandatory online courses. The government didn't just unilaterally change graduation requirements with the stroke of a pen here. It also signaled that the delivery of e-learning programs would be shifted away from school boards and centralized. Parents don't know who will be delivering these courses, where or how students will take them, or what will happen if students fail to complete the courses. Minister, who will be delivering online courses to Ontario students? Minister. You don't want, Mr. Speaker, honest to goodness and to the people watching, I say please don't get caught up in the rhetoric of this opposition party because it's absolutely nothing but nonsense that they're spewing across Ontario. The fact of the matter is, in my home riding of Curran Bruce Avon Maitland is doing a phenomenal job bringing math into the classroom and supplementing it with online facts and learning. Honest to Pete, there's so many great examples that we can use as best practices. Seriously, Speaker, this party is doing nothing but fear mongering. And to that end, I want to quote the CBC Fat Check from yesterday, where, you know, we've heard this party opposite go on and on and cause fear in parents and teachers alike. But the CBC Fat Check just yesterday said boosting the average secondary size to 28 would see Ontario rank on the lower end of the spectrum across Canada. Innovation erupted. I could not hear the Minister of Education even though she's quite close. I had to stand up and interrupt her. I also come to order. Start the clock. Next question, the member for Berry in a spill. Mr. Speaker, our government for the people has been working hard. Hard to deliver on our campaign promises. We promise to end the liberal culture of waste and that is what we are doing. There's no better example of that than our government's commitment to this promise than the recent announcement made by the Minister of Energy, Northern Development and Mines. Last week, the Minister tabled the Fixing Hydro Mess Act, the start of a reform for electricity system so that it works for the people, not the insiders. Unlike the Liberals, we are actually listening to the people and they told us the system was inefficient and it was not transparent. The Ontario Energy Board was out of date. It was neglected by the previous government for 15 years, 15 long years while the OAB held up key projects, Mr. Speaker. Question. Can the Minister please tell the members of this House about the steps our government is taking to reform the OAB in Bill 87? Good question. Minister of Energy, Northern Development and Mines. Thank you Mr. Speaker. I thank the member from Berry in a spill for outstanding work for constituents and their support on this important piece of legislation. Mr. Speaker, there couldn't be a more important time for us to modernize the Ontario Energy Board. We've heard it from stakeholders across this province, Mr. Speaker. I spoke at the Electricity Distributors Association meeting last night. More than 400 people involved in the business of local distribution companies applauded loudly when we told them that we would be putting an end to thousands of page submissions to the Energy Board for fairly routine regulatory matters, Mr. Speaker. We heard loud and clear from Indigenous communities when the East-West High was announced overriding unforeseen delays installing hundreds of Indigenous people from across Northern Ontario who wanted to get to work on this important project. Mr. Speaker, it sounds like we have some support here. I'm just going to read a quote here from member from Toronto, Danforth. I would say at best the Ontario Energy Board. The regulator is a drowsy chaperone and at worst, they're a glove puppet. Will he stand with us, Mr. Speaker, to clean up the hydro? Thank you. Thank you to the Minister for taking a strong lead on this important file and listening to the people of Ontario. We know that the previous Liberal Government didn't listen. They destroyed our electricity system through their misguided ideological policies that forced families and businesses to pay way more on their hydro bills. Our government has already taken significant action to replace these faulty policies in favour of initiatives that promote a competitive, a low-cost electricity market. Now we're continuing with our plan, Mr. Speaker, to eliminate the waste and unnecessary costs to our electricity system. Can the Minister please elaborate on the steps our government for the people is taking to overhaul the electricity system to make it more efficient and transparent? Minister. Mr. Speaker, what the member is talking about is the last fund cover-up, Mr. Speaker, a hydro-accounting scheme that kept the costs of this program hidden from the people paying the bill, from the people of Ontario, Mr. Speaker. That's why it was so important for our government to replace the global adjustment refinancing structure with a transparent on-bill rebate. Now this transparent structure will save the people of Ontario more than $4 billion in borrowing costs, Mr. Speaker. What does the NDP stand for this matter, Mr. Speaker? Are they against transparency? Are they against the Ontario Energy Board modernization? Are they against conservation programs that are focused on vulnerable families, seniors and Indigenous communities, Mr. Speaker? It's time they stood with us to support this important act. We're hearing it from the people of Ontario. We're hearing it from stakeholders. Get with the times to support this bill, Mr. Speaker. Start the clock. Next question, the member for Hamilton Mountain. This is for the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services. The new Ontario autism program starts in a week and service providers are still being laid off. Child and community resources, which serves a large part of Northern Ontario, have cut 19 staff. We already know that northern and rural communities are underserved and this disastrous new autism program is making it worse. Did the minister anticipate layoffs in northern communities to support this new autism program? Minister of Children, Community and Social Services. Let me be perfectly clear. Any layoffs related to the changes of the Ontario autism program are completely premature and we're encouraging agencies to find a better way. We're going to clear the wait list over the next 18 months with 23,000 more children receiving some support from their Ontario government, which I would expect would mean we would need more service providers to support that. We've also listened to parents by encouraging more use of choice for occupational therapy and speech and language therapy. We've decided to enhance the grace period for those on the existing program to an additional six months. Just yesterday I met with Autism Ontario to prove we are reaching out and we are listing we signed a $750,000 contract with Autism Ontario yesterday so they can continue to work with parents as we navigate through this new system. As a result of this plan, 100% of the children, not 25% of the children with Autism Ontario will receive support from their... ...supplementary. As a result of this plan, families have been put in crisis and we have a complete disaster of our autism program right now in the province because the minister failed to communicate before she put the policy in place. There were not enough trained therapists in Northern Ontario before the changes to the Ontario Autism Program and now there will be even fewer as organizations like Child and Community Resource Centers are forced to make layoffs. The new autism program is making services harder to access for Northern and rural Ontarians. Instead of investing and strengthening autism services this minister has gutted them. Did the minister know that her program would make it harder for children in the north to access services? Minister. Thanks, the member opposite knows we are doubling our investment into the diagnostic hubs so we can clear the 23,000 child waitlist including making sure we have greater investments in Northern Ontario because of the great leadership of our Northern members including the Minister of Finance and including the Minister of Northern Affairs. I will personally assure this member that we have decided to invest more money than any other jurisdiction in North America in terms of autism services that could almost be double between us. Next question, the member for Guelph. Thank you Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. In January an Ontario Supreme Court or Superior Court decision ruled that enforcement of animal welfare laws had to change. In early March the USPCA gave notice that it would no longer enforce these laws as of April 1st. Just six days from now. Yet the government has not announced a plan to cover the gap. The Guelph Humane Society has asked the government for the authority to continue its enforcement efforts until a long term solution is in place. Mr. Speaker will the government commit to protecting animals by allowing humane societies to continue using their expertise to enforce animal cruelty laws until a long term plan is in place? Questions to the Premier. Minister of Health Minister of Health and long term care. Thank you very much for the question. Animal welfare will always be of the utmost importance to our government and we are committed to ensuring that animal welfare continues in the province and both our government and the USPCA have a long history and a shared commitment to protect animals in Ontario. We are actively reviewing the implications of this change to find a solution that works for everyone and as we indicated earlier this year we are actively exploring improvements to the animal welfare regime here in Ontario even before the USPCA's announcement. So we are continuing to work on it to find a solution that's going to continue to protect animals within this province. Supplementary. Mr. Speaker the clock is ticking. Six days and we will not have an enforcement regime in place in Ontario. I've received thousands and thousands of emails about this issue asking for the government to step up and make sure an interim plan is in place. Protections for animals should not be left in limbo. We clearly need stronger laws to protect animals in human care. Mr. Speaker will the government commit today to putting in place a transition plan for the enforcement of animal cruelty laws and start immediate consultations for a permanent plan to bring the investigation and enforcement of animal cruelty laws under public jurisdiction. Minister? Well I thank the member opposite for your interest in and your commitment to animal welfare which we obviously share on this side of the house. We want to make sure that there is a solution that is in place for all animals that's going to work for everyone across the province. We are certainly well aware of the time commitments involved here. We are actively working on this file and we will have more to say in the very short future. The member for Flamborough Flamborough. Thank you Mr. Speaker. The children community and social services. The Toronto Star posted an article over the weekend and the headline was shocking. A 14 year old girl is a sexually mature young woman not a child. Children's services. We are accused in sex abuse suit. As a member of the governing caucus I found it disturbing to read such a thing as I know for certain that this is not a position held by our government or the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party. Can the minister please shed some light on this case? Minister of Children Community and Social Services. Thank you very much Minister. As I read that article I was embarrassed that somebody would represent a Children's Aid Society in Ontario making that statement. Let me tell you what I did. I have a 14 year old daughter she is a child. Any 14 year old child in the care of this province is a child that we must protect. I immediately reached out to my deputy minister to inform her that the position held by me is the minister the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario or the government of Ontario today it is not the position of our premier or this government caucus and as I understand it that lawyer is no longer with the Children's Aid Society of Ontario. Amen. Thank you Mr. Speaker and back to the minister. When I read the story I was confident that our government would not accept the situation. Unfortunately this house is reminded of the failures of our child welfare system far too often. Last fall we heard from Ontario's chief coroner who tabled a report on the death of children in care and we were reminded that indigenous children are disproportionately represented in care. Minister we know this cannot continue. Can you please tell what our government is doing to improve the child welfare system. Minister. The coroner's report that we have spoken about in this assembly was one of the most troubling documents that I have ever written where young girls in the care of the province of Ontario up to 2017 have been trafficked in group homes. So this is not the first time when we see what's happened in Canora that the standards that should be in place have not been met by our child welfare system. That is why we will bring in robust legislation to hold the Children's Aid Societies of this province to a higher standard. These are vulnerable children who deserve our protection not turning a blind eye and not certainly with the defence that the previous defence lawyer brought. We are going to encourage more consultation with our indigenous children as well as those who are black and those who are in custody in care with three new roundtables we recognise that those children are over represented. In addition we will be embedding within my ministry a children's advocate but let me be clear that the government funding to protect a child I expect you to protect a child. Next question the member from London Fanshawe. Speaker my questions to the minister of health and long-term care. Today a new poll revealed that 80% of long-term care workers experience constant daily or weekly occurrences of violence on the job. These statistics are deeply disturbing but unfortunately we all have heard these stories too for years. The violence is a direct result of under staffing in long-term care homes and an increasing needs of residents with dementia or other complex behavioural issues that comes with aging. Speaker what concrete steps is the minister taking to ensure adequate staffing levels in our long-term care homes so that this degree of workplace violence becomes a thing of the past. Minister of health and long-term care I thank the member very much for the question this is a concern I know throughout the province of Ontario but let me be clear our government has a zero tolerance policy when it comes to violence of any kind in the workplace and the health and safety of all Ontarians is a priority for our government and every person who works in a long-term care home should be able to go to work without feeling in danger or feeling that they are under tax from anyone in the home but there are increasing levels of concern here mostly as a result of the increasing levels of dementia for the residents in the long-term care homes with resulting in patient on patient violence and patient on staff violence we are studying this we are looking at solutions to it some of it has to do with finding solutions to dementia we've had a number of interesting proposals that have come forward to us in the ministry of health that can help diminish this kind of behaviour and allow patients to feel more comfortable and to feel less stress in the circumstances and less likely to act out I know the government has announced creating new beds but without supporting those beds with more staff we will not be able to help the prevention of the residents violence that's happening in long-term care so today's poll on long-term care workplace violence is the second report since January to highlight the understaffing and lack of resources in Ontario's long-term care sector action is needed to be taken now the Ontario government must create a long-term care strategy that properly plans for Ontario's aging population and includes a human resource strategy will the minister of health commit to immediately developing a long-term care strategy to fix the problems in long-term care, address workplace violence and support frontline healthcare workers actions that are already being taken but of course more needs to be done and we are already taking a look at health human resources issues across all levels whether it's long-term care homes, hospitals or home care to make sure that we are going to be able to meet the increasing need as we are building more long-term care homes to reach 15,000 so we are working hard on that to make sure that we have the people available there but we also need to make sure that we continue with the training of staff who work in long-term care homes who receive training on dealing with patients with dementia or behavioral issues we're also working with our partners such as the public services health and safety association to make sure that long-term care homes protect their employees so there is a lot of work that is currently being done we want to make sure that everyone can be safe in their workplace and violence Thank you. Next question the member for Don Valley East Well thank you very much Mr. Speaker my question is to the Deputy Premier. I think we can all agree in the legislature that autism the file of autism is a very tough file and there were no easy solutions in this legislature for this government or even previous governments but I've said many times Mr. Speaker that this is not a partisan issue so through you to the Deputy Premier Mr. Speaker does the Deputy Premier think it's appropriate that the Minister of Children and Community Services sent out an email yesterday using autism and families who are in crisis to fundraise for the PC party and does the Deputy Premier think it's appropriate to use a government press release in that email Mr. Speaker the Deputy Premier to the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services The email and question was sent out by the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario and it was sent out because we're proud that we're going to be eliminating the wait list for 23,000 children or three out of four children in the province of Ontario who were denied support by their Ontario government when that member opposite was the minister responsible what we have done is we are going to continue to double the investments in the diagnostic hubs that's also why we are going to provide more choice for parents with their childhood budget including speech and occupational therapy we're also going to continue to consult with families over the next six months as we develop a needs-based and severity test as well as extending those to children the 25% we're currently in service to receive over five weeks ago and we are looking forward to clearing our currently in service to receive additional service over the next six months that's what our plan is about and that's why we're proud of it supplementary well thank you very much Mr. Speaker I don't believe I heard an answer there this is a question about the tone the appropriateness of sending out such a fundraising request the Premier was elected by going out there and telling people that he was going to put more money in the pockets of people and I actually believe that I believe he actually meant it but this new program is doing something different Mr. Speaker it's actually bankrupting families here in Ontario I believe that the changes the minister made in fact put us backwards Mr. Speaker send us backwards and it's not good enough for families so I'm going to ask the question again to the Deputy Premier does the Deputy Premier think it's appropriate to send out a a PC party email asking people to donate money back to the party and within that email Mr. Speaker to embed an actual government press release does the Deputy Premier think that's appropriate it's a simple question it shouldn't have been referred to the Minister of Children, Community and Social Service thanks very much Speaker let me be perfectly clear under the previous Liberal Administration they spent $256 million on autism under the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party that will be over $600 million if they want to talk about being bankrupt they bankrupted our province they bankrupted the Ontario Autism Program and when they left office they were bankrupt of ideas I am standing here today to say that we will clear the waitlist of 23,000 children we will ensure every single child with autism gets a level of support from their Ontario government there will not be an income test there will be lots of choice in how they spend their annual childhood budget including in speech and occupational therapy yesterday I met with Autism Ontario who will be our chief navigator with families and how they work through and navigate through the system and we are going to ensure that those children who are currently in service those 25% of the children that the previous Liberal Administration supported will have an additional grace period of 6 months of the service that they currently have so let me be perfectly clear we're proud of the program we're building, we're proud Order next question from Mark and Stovill Mr. Speaker, our government as you know was elected on a promise to stand up for taxpayers we promised of course during the last election to put more money into the pockets of Ontario families that's why my question to the Minister of Finance is this after 15 years of the Liberal NDP coalition tax and spend policies Mr. Speaker, policies that I believe hurt Ontario families I built on the work done by the member for Milton for insurance policy and introduced my Respecting Property Taxpayers Act 2019 Mr. Speaker, the bill of past will give taxpayers an equal voice on the board of the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation my private member's bill will actually bring taxpayers to the table I wonder if the Minister of Finance could comment on the importance of this initiative the Minister of Finance thank you Speaker to the member from Mark and Stovill for his leadership on this file the Respecting Property Taxpayers Act if passed will make sure that the taxpayer has a greater voice when it comes to property taxes in the province of Ontario the bill proposes moving from four taxpayer representatives to seven on the impact board of directors by doing so the bill if passed would ensure that there is an representation between municipal interests and the interests of the taxpayer the bill shows exactly the kind of initiative we need to see in order to restore respect to the Ontario taxpayers we look forward to debating this bill in the weeks to come and to stand up for the hard working people in the province of Ontario supplementary thank you Mr. Speaker I want to thank the Minister of Finance it's great obviously to see the support that this bill is already getting and I'm confident and I'm hopeful that when the bill makes it to this place for further debate that we will see support from all members of the of the legislature because all members I'm sure would agree that Ontario families deserve better Mr. Speaker I hope we can all work together because taxpayers have asked for this change it's about time as well Mr. Speaker you know after 15 years of liberal NDP coalition tax and spend policies Ontario taxpayers are finally optimistic they're optimistic that they have a government that is focused on putting more money back in their pockets but is also focused on respecting them and their hard work I wonder if the Minister could go further and comment a little bit further on how important this initiative is to property taxpayers across Ontario well thank you again speaker after ignoring the people of Ontario for 15 years the Liberals left behind a disastrous record the Liberals supported by the NDP were spending 40 million dollars a day more than they took in there was no accountability in the tax and spend policies of that government taxpayers had no voice our government is changing that and the member from Markham is changing that through his proposed bill his bill if passed would be yet another way to restore respect for taxpayers and make sure they have their voices heard when it comes to property taxes speaker our government is standing up for the taxpayers and we look forward to debating this bill in the weeks to come thank you speaker thank you next question the member from Parkdale High Park thank you speaker my questions to the minister of health and long-term care we've learned there was a 15% increase in the number of people who died from opioid related deaths in the first six months of 2018 new democrats have called on the government to declare a public health emergency and direct immediate resources where it's needed to combat the growing crisis yet while a record number of people are dying the minister has delayed improving consumption and treatment centre applications and the future of these harm reduction services remains unknown after Sunday will the minister immediately approve and fund all of the existing overdose prevention sites and commit to funding additional sites beyond the arbitrary 21 site cap minister members please take your seats long-term care the opioid issue is an important concern for all of us in the province of Ontario it is a public health emergency and it is something that we have put our attention to the consumption and treatment centres are still already open they have been able to remain open throughout as they transition from overdose prevention sites to consumption and treatment services sites which is what we want to see we want to see people have their lives saved of course but also to get into the treatment services that they want and need so we are the services and the sites are still open we are aware of the March 31st deadline we are working very hard on that we are reviewing those applications and making final decisions and I will have more to say about it in the next few days thank you supplementary back to the minister the federal government has earmarked $1.9 billion in federal dollars for mental health and addictions care if the provincial government agreed to match the funding money that could go towards the worsening opioid crisis and improving mental health and addiction services for Ontarians all 629 opioid related deaths could have been prevented however the bilateral agreement shows that this government isn't spending a dime as part of the agreement in the first term why is the minister leaving $1.9 billion on the table when mental health and addiction services are in a state of crisis and more lives are being lost every day members please take your seats minister there has been a commitment made by the federal government of $1.9 billion which is being matched by the provincial government same amount for a total of $3.8 billion over 10 years to deal with mental health and addiction issues in the province of Ontario we are actively working on it we are working with the federal government and I can say that there have been investments that have been made already that is where you are not correct there have been investments that are being made we are actively in consultations with the federal government and I can say that there have been investments that have been made already across the province many great solutions have appeared but we are putting together a comprehensive and connected mental health and addiction system I look forward to discussing your ideas and the members of your caucus with the members of the other parties to make sure that we get this right because $3.8 billion is a lot of money and we want to make sure that we can put it towards and so on so I look forward to hearing your thoughts on it at another time in a discussion with you thank you very much remember for Kitchener, Conestoga Mr. Speaker my question is to the Minister of Agriculture Food and Rule Affairs many Ontarians he is a good guy many Ontarians are concerned by the federal government's carbon tax and certainly those in the agricultural community are no exception Mr. Speaker it is no secret that carbon tax would increase the cost of putting food on tables across the province when production costs increase less money goes into the pockets of farmers and workers all the while consumers feel the strain in their wallets at the checkout stakeholders across Ontario's agri-food sector have also raised concerns about economic impact job losses, cost of production and they feel that the carbon tax will not help the environment or reduce emissions at all what our government is doing to stand up for farmers and oppose the carbon tax Minister of Agriculture Food and Rule Affairs thank you very much Mr. Speaker and I thank the member from Kitchener, Conestoga for that excellent question it was great to have the Premier and the Minister of the Environment Conservation and Parks join me in my writing for a round table to discuss the job killing federal carbon tax our farmers are already leaders in environmental stewardship we will come again from farmers agribusiness leaders experts in the agriculture sector about the damaging impact of the carbon tax will have on agriculture in Ontario it will stifle growth and innovation and it will cause a significant increasing cost from heating fuels to transportation costs this government has been against the carbon tax of any kind from day one and standing up against the federal carbon tax is just one way we will continue for Ontario's farmers and farm families thank you supplementary thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the Minister for his answer I am proud to be part of government that is working tirelessly to advocate on behalf of Ontario's farmers and farm families farmers in my writing have told me loud and clear Mr. Speaker that this carbon tax is only going to drive up their costs of production and make their businesses less competitive the federal carbon tax is nothing but to keep taxing and spending as they head into an election year this tax will do little to help the environment or reduce carbon emissions I know our government is committed to protecting our environment while also creating jobs and making life more affordable for hard working Ontarians could the Minister please tell the House how our made in Ontario environment plan will balance economic and environmental sustainability Minister to the Minister of Environment Conservation and Parks Mr. Speaker thank you Mr. Minister of the Environment Conservation and Parks thank you Mr. Speaker last week I did have the opportunity to be with the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the Premier down in Oxford Mr. Speaker it was a real pleasure to meet with our agriculture community be in a place where they call him Ernie not Minister and Mr. Speaker farmers and members of our agribusiness community are very concerned about what's going to happen next week they're very concerned about cost and true dose carbon tax five cents a liter Mr. Speaker seven and a half cents on diesel fuel and that just goes up and up from there Mr. Speaker they are worried and they're rightly worried about the cost of food the cost of food that they put on the tables of Ontarians how much is that food going to cost a week from now a month from now a year from now as that carbon tax costs more and more and more Mr. Speaker they know like Ontarians know you don't need a carbon tax to fight climate change we have a made in Ontario plan greenhouse gas emissions and not punish Ontario families and not punish Ontario farmers and Mr. Speaker we're going to make that point every day and every week to make sure Ontarians know next question the member for Algoma Manitoula Mr. Speaker my question is to the Minister of Natural Resources over the last 15 years mills and forestry operations have closed all over Northwestern Ontario that includes at least five in Thunder Bay two in Dryden two in Canora one in Sioux Lookout in one in Fort Francis those closures came with devastating job losses and hurt thousands of families the company wants to use wood from the crossroad forest to bring back forestry jobs to Fort Francis the town contends the company is transferring crown fiber from the crossroad forest to its other operation in Northwestern Ontario contrary to the terms in a sustainable forest license agreement and the forest industry is in crisis again just last week couple weeks ago in Thessalon midway lumber has laid off 30% of their workforce as well will the minister tell the families in Fort Francis Thessalon and across the north that he will ensure that mills and forestry operations have the wood they need to operate and support the hundreds of direct and indirect jobs that depend on them Minister of Natural Resources in Forestry well thank you speaker and I thank the member for his question wood supply is a critical issue for my ministry and all across Ontario and it is one of the things that in the past 15 years the previous government lost sight of the importance of forestry in this province and we are not doing that in fact I've been holding a series of forestry roundtables throughout the province recently I was in Thunder Bay that was the fifth of a series of seven or eight that we will have I want to say to the member the issue of wood fiber for the potential Fort Francis mill and I want to give my credit to my colleague from Canora Rainey River the minister of development and mines for the work that he has been doing working with the town of Fort Francis to try to broker a solution to this the reality is that we must wait until such time as there is a purchase for the for the mill in Fort Francis before we can respond the issue of wood supply for any mill there are mills currently working in the north the cross route forest under the SFL has commitments should a fire sale be finalized we will reopen those discussions thank you very much supplementary the mill sale cannot happen without a wood allocation to it again to the minister let me quote the MPP from Terry who as PC critic asked this question in 2014 to former premier win and I quote the sustainable forest license in the Fort Francis area is controlled by the past operator of the paper mill they're no longer interested in running the mill but continue to control the crown for us the cross route for us don't you think the license to harvest wood or at a minimum an economic supply of fiber from nearby forest should go to the company willing to locate operations and reopen the mill in Fort Francis minister your government controls the wood rights on crown lands it also has the obligation to involve first nations communities and meaningful consultations but as the liberals did before this for government is sitting on their hands instead of taking an action question will the minister ensure that Fort Francis and Thessalon have the wood fiber they need well the issue in Thessalon as the member knows is an issue of negotiations between Thessalon first nation as well it is not simply a matter of wood supply the issue in the Crosswood forest as you know there is a wood allocation that has been made and the wood is being used in other mills should a deal be broker together by someone who is prepared to operate the Fort Francis mill location that is something that we would relook at that allocation but I want to point out very much our government would like nothing more than to see mills operating that have been closed in the north that were closed under the previous government we would love to see them operating and that is why we have embarked on a proper forest strategy to ensure that there is an adequate wood supply we used to harvest 30 million cubic meters of fiber out of Ontario and we are down to about 15 if we can increase that by having a proper forest strategy we can ensure that there are jobs good jobs in the north it is the previous government that saw that dwindle down and saw jobs in the lost we are focusing on jobs creating jobs in the north thank you next question the member for Prairie Sound Muscova minister of natural resources and forestry our government for the people understands how the forestry sector is the economy of Ontario for 15 years the previous government ignored and neglected an industry that is extremely important to communities across rural and northern Ontario I know that the premier and our minister is very hard to make Ontario open for business and open for jobs including forestry I was pleased to hear that businesses from my riding were invited to a round table in north bay earlier this month can the minister inform the house who is being consulted to help build and regrow Ontario's forestry sector minister of natural resources and forestry thank you very much very much speaker and I want to thank the member for Prairie Sound and the tremendous advocacy he has had for his community and the forest industry for over 18 years in December he is right we are making Ontario open for business and open for jobs since November as I said in the previous question we have embarked on forestry round tables throughout the province as we develop a new forestry strategy that puts Ontario's forestry industry at the front not the back like the previous government where they ignored it for 18 years we are putting it back at the front it is a bedrock industry in this province and we are going to treat it as such last Friday I was in thunder bay where I heard many great suggestions about how our government can reduce barriers and promote economic growth in this tremendously important industry while the previous liberal government stifled growth in the forestry sector by prioritizing special interest groups our government for the people and I in my ministry will continue to be open for business and open for jobs we have the question for you today but I recognize the minister of government and consumer services on a point of order thank you very much Mr. Speaker I just want to remind all the members of the spring into side reception being hosted by the entero craft side association between 11 30 and 2 p.m. today down in the legislative dining room in the side bar area thank you Mr. Speaker we have a deferred vote and act with respect to community safety and policing call on the members this will be a five minute bell members please take your seats on March 25 members in their seats on March 25 2019 Ms. Jones moved third rating of bill 68 and act with respect to community safety and policing all those in favor of the motion will please rise one at a time and be recognized by the clerk Mr. Fidelli Mr. Fidelli Mr. Ford Mr. Clark Mr. Yacobusky Mr. Hardim Mr. Barrett Mr. Baley Mr. Fullerton Mr. Cho Scarborough North Mr. Rickford Mr. Miller Mr. Leche Mr. Coe Mr. Gill Mr. Klan Mr. Parsons Mrs. Martin Mr. Sarkari Mr. Ostra Mr. Park Mr. McKenna Mr. Romano Mr. Harris Mrs. Gimari Mrs. Hogar Mr. Joe Willowdown Mr. Puccini Mr. Cramp Mr. Ballem Mr. Rashid Mr. Crawford Mr. Renan Mr. Cazetto Mr. Dunlap Mr. Babber Mr. Pang Mr. Tanigaslaw Mr. Fraser Mr. Coteau Mr. Schreiber Mr. Schreiber Mr. Yard Mr. Tabbins Mr. Singh Branson Mr. Vantah Mr. Horvath Mr. Sattler Mr. Begum Mr. Carpoche Mr. Shemanta Mr. Armstrong Mr. Kernahan Mr. West Mr. Miller Hamilton East Stony Creek Mr. Singh Branson Mr. Taylor Mr. Birch Ms. Bell Ms. Morrison Mr. Harsan Mr. Hassan The Ayes are 70, the Nays are 31 The Ayes being 70 and the Nays being 31 I declare the motion carried This House stands in recess until 3pm