 It's therefore time for Question Period. The Leader of Her Majesty's Law and Opposition. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. Did the Premier order the Minister of Energy and Hydro 1 to keep the Ombudsman's departure a secret? Oh! No, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Supplementary? Mr. Speaker, back to the Premier. Hydro 1 is a company for notorious, notorious for terrible customer service. The former Ombudsman ended their investigation into Hydro 1 after 10,000 complaints. 10,000 complaints. And how do the Liberals respond to this? They want to get rid of oversight. They take away oversight that was under the purview of the Ombudsman office and replace it with an office that is a shell of itself. And now what is unbelievable, the Liberals want to keep secret that the shell of an office they created for oversight, that Ombudsman is now gone. So here you have Hydro where we know there's 10s of thousands of complaints and this government wants no oversight. How can they allow this to happen? Can we please get a justification from the Premier why they believe it's appropriate to have no oversight on Hydro? Thank you. Thank you. Minister of Energy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Very pleased to rise and talk about the continued work that the Ombudsman office is doing at Hydro 1. You know, Mr. Speaker, they're doing some great work addressing the issues and the complaints that are coming forward from the millions of customers that Hydro 1 has, Mr. Speaker. Ombudsperson Fiona Crane did an excellent job with Hydro 1, Mr. Speaker. Contributing to the company's ongoing transition to a better-run customer-focused company and she recently accepted a new position at another organization and has stepped down from that as their role as Ombudsperson and a search is underway for an appropriate replacement. In the meantime, staff member Sophie Petrullo. The member from Depeh and Carlton and the Minister of Infrastructure are not helpful to the debate. Come to order. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In the meantime, staff member Sophie Petrullo has been named the interim Ombudsperson, Mr. Speaker. And she'll continue to do the work of the Ombudsperson for Hydro 1, Mr. Speaker and will continue to work forward on a Hydro plan that works for everyone in this province. Supplementary, the member from Leeds, Grenville. Thanks, Mr. Speaker, back to the Premier Speaker. It's more than a coincidence that just as Hydro, the Hydro scheme ad blitz hits the airwaves that the Hydro 1 Ombudsman is MIA. The former Ombudsman used to hold town hall meetings where customers could speak publicly about the nightmare high rates and inaccurate bills continue to cause. But that doesn't fit the government's narrative. In my riding, instead of a town hall, Hydro 1 is planning an open house that sounds more like an opportunity to spin for this government. Speaker, will the Premier order Hydro 1 to stop wasting money on these traveling roadshows to promote the government scheme and get back to the public meetings that actually fix the problem? Can you see, please? I'm concerned about the safety of the member from Oxford. I'm hoping he's not hurting his hand. Minister? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So Hydro 1 goes out to talk to their customers and the opposition doesn't like it, Mr. Speaker. It just, it makes no sense. They have no plan for Hydro. It's been 42 days since the leader of the opposition said they'd have a plan for how to deal with electricity and they do nothing, Mr. Speaker. Hydro 1 has an acting Ombudsman. I'm getting the impression warnings are coming. That's not helpful. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Ombudsman office continues to operate as normal, Mr. Speaker, with a full staffing compliment while the search for a... Okay, we're there. The member from Leeds, Greenville, come to order. You ask the question. Last time I'll stand without doing warnings. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So as I mentioned, the Ombuds office continues to operate as normal with a full compliment of staff while the search for a new Ombudsman continues, Mr. Speaker. You know, we have full faith that they'll continue to operate with an Ombudsman in the acting role and with a full contingent office to address all the concerns, Mr. Speaker. And a supplementary? Leader of the opposition? I'm sorry. You are. Second one. New question. Leader of the opposition. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. There is no monopoly on a good idea no matter where that idea originates. Too often in this legislature, you see parties oppose initiatives simply because another party proposed it. The federal leader of the opposition, Ron Ambrose, and the member for Haliburton, Corridor Lake's Brock, have led the charge for mandatory sexual assault training for judges. This is a good idea. Even the Liberal member for Davenport has put forward a similar suggestion and supports mandatory sexual assault training for judges. And I applaud her for that support. Unfortunately, we now are hearing from the Attorney General that he does not support that initiative from the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services that they don't support that training. The reality is, Mr. Speaker, everyone here knows this is a necessary step. This is a good idea. It shouldn't matter that an opposition member raised a good idea. This is about sexual assault victims. This is a right step. And my question, Mr. Speaker, is to the Premier, will you support this great initiative from the member of Haliburton, Corridor Lake's Brock? Thank you. Premier. Well, Mr. Speaker, you know, this is an issue of not whether we support or not because I know, for example, that the Attorney General and our caucus absolutely supports everyone having the training they need, Mr. Speaker, to be able to, in a responsible, sensitive and compassionate way, deal with issues of sexual assault, Mr. Speaker. The issue is the actual jurisdiction and the purview that government has over training of individuals in the judiciary, Mr. Speaker. And I know that the Attorney General will speak to that. But this is not a matter of whether or not, in our opinion, something should happen, Mr. Speaker. This is about actually the mechanism for making it and having it better. Thank you. Supplementing the members from Haliburton, Corridor Lake's Brock. Mr. Speaker, back to the Premier, mandatory sexual assault training won't threaten the judicial independence. What it will do is give women more confidence in our justice system. So sexual assault survivors must feel comfortable coming forward. And Mr. Speaker, mandatory training is what needs to happen. So why won't the Premier call for mandatory sexual assault training for judges in Ontario? You can do it. Thank you. Well, thank you very much, Speaker. This is a very important issue. And I, first of all, stand here very proud of my Premier and our government for taking the charge and taking the lead on putting an end to sexual violence and harassment from our province. Speaker, we are a leader in the country. And that charge has been led by the Premier herself. It's never okay campaign, Speaker, has been held now around the world as one of the most progressive and proactive strategies to deal with issues around sexual violence and harassment. It is focused on providing support for victims. It is focused on, most importantly, changing the attitudes of people around our province and mostly around the country when it comes to putting an end to sexual violence and harassment. And I look forward to speaking in the supplementary speaker as to the roles of the judiciary as well in that. Supplementary. Well, Mr. Speaker, back to the Premier. We don't need blind partisanship on this. The federal government received a report called Taking Action to End Violence Against Young Women and Girls in Canada. That report details the importance of improving training in the field of sexual assault law for the Canadian judiciary. And it's important that we do the same on the provincial level. But liberals at all levels stall. Mr. Speaker, it's time for liberals provincially and federally to wake up to the reality that we need to do more. Will the Premier give the Prime Minister a call? Get on the same page. Support mandatory sexual assault training for the judiciary. Will you do that? Thank you. Speaker, this is not a partisan issue. The member is right to that point. However, she continues to make this into a partisan issue. Speaker, this is... The member from Leeds Granville is warned. We're on warnings. Speaker, this is an issue of respecting our constitution. This is an issue of respecting the judicial independence that is key and the cornerstone of our democracy. I don't think, Speaker, anybody in this house or across our province or the country would say that politicians somehow should interfere in the manner in which a judiciary... The member from the Pee in Carlton is warned. Somebody else just missed one. Mr. Speaker, it's clearly within the scope of the judiciary to determine the training that they set themselves recently at a parliamentary committee in Ottawa. That's exactly what the judiciary presented as well. I'm in conversations with the Chief Justice. I know she takes this matter seriously and we look forward to the action from the judiciary. New question. The member from Bramley, Gore-Moulton. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Question is to the Premier. The NDP recently received a letter from Leigh Ann O'Hanion from Burlington. In January, Lynn got a hydro-buffer trailer in Berks Falls with nearly a $500 delivery charge. She wrote to us because she was concerned that she received at the same time the delivery charge for her home in Burlington was just $135. Out-of-control rural delivery charges mean that Lynn could lose her trailer, the place where she spent time with her partner to relax in the summer. Why has the Premier done nothing to address the outrageous delivery charges, the outrageous prices when it comes to hydro bills, and why is she leaving people like Lynn wondering if she can keep her trailer? Mr. Speaker, well, I know the Minister of Energy is going to want to comment in the supplementary, but I hope that when the member opposite got the letter from Lynn, he responded to her and let her know that she will see a 25% reduction come summer, Mr. Speaker. The 17% on top of the 8% that she already has. And I don't know the specifics, but I imagine from the location of her home, Mr. Speaker, of the trailer that she may also be eligible for up to a 40% or 50% reduction, Mr. Speaker, because the distribution charges will be reduced. So, Mr. Speaker, I hope that the member opposite, and if he didn't have all that information, we would certainly be happy to provide it to him so that he could get back to this constituent and give her the good news about the reductions that she's going to see, Mr. Speaker. Supplementary. Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Transport Museum in Kingsville has also reached out to the NDP specifically through my colleague, the member from Essex. The museum is facing bills so high that staff don't know if they can keep the museum afloat. They're not sure if they can keep a community museum afloat. They cannot hire the needed staff. They can't grow their children's education program, and they're putting exhibition design and capital projects on hold because they don't have the resources. The museum needs help now, not months from now, not years from now. They need help now. Why has the Premier done nothing? Minister of Energy? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So now that organization can actually call their local utility and get one of the many programs through the Save On Energy program, Mr. Speaker, that will actually help them save their money now, Mr. Speaker. But on top of that, on top of the many programs that we already have and in place that help thousands of businesses across the province, we're also bringing forward Ontario's Fair Hydro Plan. Our Fair Hydro Plan will help many businesses, 500,000 of them, small businesses and farms in this province, Mr. Speaker, actually see 25% reduction or more, Mr. Speaker. And on top of that, if these businesses are larger, Mr. Speaker, they can qualify for the ICI program. But when it comes to our museums, Mr. Speaker, there are numerous programs in place that will help them, Mr. Speaker. We have done that before the Fair Hydro Plan. And when you take that into consideration, Mr. Speaker, many of these places will actually see significant reductions in their meal come summer. I'll supplementary. Mr. Speaker, families like Linn's, small community museums, hospitals, municipalities, Ontarians. Everyone is waiting for the Premier to actually act. PR, press releases, paid government ads are not a plan. They are a desperate attempt to salvage the Premier's dismal approval numbers. That's all they are. Why is the Premier prioritizing her political career over the people of Ontario? Thank you. Can you say that, please? Thank you. Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Families, individuals, small businesses, farms, large manufacturing, greenhouse growers, Mr. Speaker. They will all be seeing significant reductions on their electricity bill by summer, Mr. Speaker. We have made sure that everyone is going to see significant relief. That's going to last, Mr. Speaker, to ensure that they can plan. On that side of the House, Mr. Speaker, we've got one party that has no plan, that has no idea on what to do with electricity, and another one that makes a pamphlet that actually relies on some pie in the sky, negotiations with some determined committee, someday to be determined, that is, Mr. Speaker. And I know this expert panel hasn't really reported back anything yet, Mr. Speaker, and they also want to have negotiations with the federal government. Well, when he's touring around Ottawa, Mr. Speaker, maybe he can have a conversation with them and see if they'll actually help, Mr. Speaker. The next question is to the Premier. Another day has passed and the 1991 rent control loophole remains open. While the Premier was out politicking yesterday, it was another day on which tenants throughout the GTA age may have received another devastating rent hike. When will the Premier knock off the political games and close once and for all the 1991 rent control loophole that leaves renters in this province unprotected? We absolutely share the concerns of the member opposite about housing affordability generally in the GTA and beyond, quite frankly, Mr. Speaker. We know that it's important that people find a place to live that they are able to find an affordable place to live, but there's no simple answer to this, Mr. Speaker. And so we have been working to put together a package of options because there are many different issues at play here. There are issues around housing affordability, Mr. Speaker, in terms of being able to buy homes. There are issues around rental affordability, Mr. Speaker. There are issues around supply in order for units and homes to be built, Mr. Speaker, and there are issues around the regional demand for housing, Mr. Speaker. So we are looking at all of those issues. There is a lot of advice that's coming at our ministers and at our government and we'll be bringing forward a package very soon, Mr. Speaker. Supplementary. Mr. Speaker, instead of getting your picture taken, the Premier could have been in the House passing the NDP. As a reminder, the member does not make reference to someone's attendance in the House, but he may continue with the question. Now, you've given me a choice as to whether or not I want to take that or leave it. Mr. Speaker, instead of prioritizing pictures, the government could prioritize passing bills like the NDP private members bill that would immediately protect people from facing unfair rent pipes. By saying that she's doing one thing and then doing something, not doing it, she's signaling that now is the time to increase rents. And people and tenants are rightfully scared, Mr. Speaker. They're scared. How can she continue to delay and do photo ops when the people of Ontario need action now? Thank you. So, Mr. Speaker, if the member opposite is referring to yesterday when we were opening a new urgent care center in Peel, Mr. Speaker, at Peel Memorial held with GTHA mayors, and yes, Mr. Speaker, the media and took a picture of the meeting at the very beginning of the meeting and then left, Mr. Speaker, and we had a very important conversation. So if the member opposite is referring to either of those instances, Mr. Speaker, then I just want him to know that the work that we are doing is extremely important to get to the right answer. It's very important that I talk to the people who are on the front line, whether it's from the home building industry, Mr. Speaker, I also met with yesterday, or whether it's the mayors, Mr. Speaker, we need to hear what's going on on the ground so we can come up with the right path. Can you say it, please? Start the clock. Final supplementary. Mr. Speaker, the premier's meeting with the mayors was a desperate attempt to get a good headline. But you know what would have gotten her a good headline? Taking immediate action to close the 1991 rent control. Stop the clock. The minister community and community safety and corrections is warned. Carry on. You know, the premier could have gotten a good headline if she immediately closed the 1991 rent control loophole. That would get you a good headline. That would actually help real people in Toronto, the GTHA, and across the province. When will the premier stop stalling and close the loophole and protect all renters in this province? Thank you. Cabinet House Leader? Cabinet House Leader. Well, Mr. Speaker, I can tell you how hard this premier is working every day in and out to make sure that life is affordable for people of Ontario. Speaker, I like the member opposite. She's not taking time off to do photo shoots for the GQ magazine. No photo shoots for fashion shows. Nor she's modeling in this province, Speaker. She is working hard every single day to make Ontario move forward, to ensure that people of Ontario have opportunities to be prosperous, Mr. Speaker. It takes a lot of nerve from the member opposite who appears on GQs to talk about photo-op, Speaker. He might be careful asking the premier about issues that are important to Ontario every single day where she's working hard. Conceded, please? Order, please? New question. Member from Nipissing. Thank you, and good morning, Speaker. My question is for the premier. Yesterday, Speaker, the government hit a new low. Instead of acknowledging the growing debt burden, they opted to keep their heads buried in the sand and ignore reality. Our Leader Patrick Brown put forward a motion to immediately begin paying down the debt. But the government voted against our motion. They clearly demonstrated that they would rather spend more money servicing a growing debt than spend it on essential programs people rely on. Their lack of commitment to pay down the debt is both troubling and reckless. Will the premier take our party's advice and the advice of the Auditor General and provide a long-term plan to get their debt under control now? President of the Treasury Board? President of the Treasury Board. Well, and of course, as we all know, we are going to be balancing the budget again this year. So we have actually some news about this year's budget that the member opposite would be really interesting because the borrowing for the year we've just come out of, the 16-17 year, will be our smallest borrowing program since the beginning of the recession. And we've actually borrowed $2.6 billion less in 2016-17 than was indicated in the budget. So in fact, we are beating our targets. One of the other things we've been able to do is to beat our target on the payments for interest. So we have a lot of very good news about managing debt that you just choose to ignore. Thank you. Supplementary. Thank you, Speaker. Back to the premier. That answer, by the way, is 180 degrees opposite of the advice of the Auditor General. Under this government, the people of Ontario have been subjected to crisis after crisis. Families are facing a hydro crisis, a housing crisis, and a growing debt crisis. Our party brought forward five critical budget asks to get this province back on track. Take action on the growing debt. End the hydro crisis. Address the housing crisis. Make cap-and-trade revenue neutral and save our schools. Speaker, does the premier agree with our recommendations or does she agree with presenting an artificial balance of the budget? Thank you. Yes, thank you. And, you know, we made a very conscious decision at the beginning of the recession about how we were going to manage the economy. We made a conscious decision that we were going to continue to invest in education, that we were going to continue to invest in health care, that we were going to continue to invest in the infrastructure that this province needs to move forward, that we were going to invest in job growth, that we were going to invest in the future of the people of Ontario, despite a global recession. That's the decision that we made. You know, there were a whole bunch of recommendations at the Standing Committee on Finance and Public Affairs made by the opposition party. Do you know how many of those were about education? 43 recommendations. One was about education. Do you know how many about health care? Zero, speak. Thank you. New question, the member from Nickelbelt. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the premier. Speaker, our hospitals have been pushed to the breaking point by this premier. Hamilton Health Sciences is taking care of 138 more patients every single day than they have beds for. Their occupancy rate has soared to 114 percent. Of course, surgery had to be canceled and people are waiting longers in the ER. And in the last three months, Speaker, there has been 36 times when there's either just one or no ambulance at all for all of the emergency in Hamilton. When will this premier own up to the crisis that she's creating in our hospital? And when will she do something to fix it? Thank you. Mr. Health Minister, can you hear me? Mr. Health Minister, can you hear me? Well, Mr. Speaker, we recognize that some of our hospitals face challenges as we go forward, Mr. Speaker. And that's why last year we allocated nearly half a billion dollars. And, Mr. Speaker, for our hospitals and for operating costs, allow them to address those challenges wherever they might be. And, Mr. Speaker, that included 29 million new dollars for Hamilton Health Sciences. For example, it included for St. Joseph's in Hamilton, 15 million dollars additional. Carry on. So, and I should mention that that was a more than 3 percent increase for Hamilton Health Sciences last year alone. We're working on an ongoing basis with all of our hospitals to ensure that they, and we have a program called Pay for Results in ERs to address capacity issues there. We've got issues as well, or we're working with them on ALC challenges that they might face. I'm happy to speak in more detail in the supplement. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, this government has been living in denial, like completely out of touch. Freezing hospital budgets for four years straight, pushing healthcare to the breaking point. St. Joseph in Hamilton has been overcrowded since January. We're now in April. Brampton Civic has been in gridlock, and the Premier New Urgent Care Centre won't fix the overcrowding. In London, we're seeing horror stories, Speaker. People who need mental health care waiting for seven days, nights and days on stretcher, in hallways with the lights on 24-7, because there are no beds to care for those people. Why is this Premier failing the people of Ontario who need care and failing to fix the overcrowding in our hospital? Thank you. Appreciate it, please. Thank you. Minister. Mr. Speaker, it's important that Ontarians know that the vast majority of hospitals in this province operate at significantly less than 100% capacity routinely. Mr. Speaker, we have increased the number of acute beds in Ontario since 2013 alone by 600 new additional beds. We're making the largest infrastructure investments in hospitals in this province's history right now with new hospitals like Humber River Hospital and Oakville Hospital and many others and expansions like at Joe Brandt. Many, many examples of expansions in hospitals. And what we're not going to do, Mr. Speaker, we're going to make sure we continue to invest. We're not going to do like that party did when they were in government, when they closed 24% of the acute hospital beds in this province, where they closed 13% of the mental health beds in this province. We continue to invest. We continue to fund, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. New question. The member from Bramford Springdale. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Labor. Before I came into politics, I was often asked what the government was doing to strengthen protections for workers, in particular temporary workers. This was an issue that I wanted to explore after becoming the MPP for Bramford Springdale. My constituents cared deeply about the employment standards and believed that everyone who works in Ontario deserves a fair chance. That's why I was proud to have introduced a private member's bill on temporary health agencies to highlight some of the changes that I would like to see come from the changing workplace's review. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister of Labor please share with the House some of the things that our government is doing to help temporary workers in the province? Thank you, Minister of Labor. Thank you, Speaker, and thank you to the member for a question. And I want to thank her for the advocacy she does for ordinary working Ontarians that live in her writing, Speaker. Speaker, we've been making great strides for temporary workers in the province of Ontario. We put in place a number of safeguards for employees of temporary health agencies. It empowers them to assert their rights. It protects them from illegal fees, stronger workplaces for a stronger economy act, which was passed by this House in 2014, added even more protection, Speaker. And this legislation makes Ontario the first province and one of the few jurisdictions in the world anywhere, Speaker, that specifically addresses temporary health agency employment in legislation, Speaker. We're very proud of that, but we haven't stopped there. Our government's making sure temporary health agency assignment employees have the same rights as all other rights under the Employment Standards Act, Occupational Health and Safety, and Labor Legislation, Speaker. Very good. Supplementary. I want to thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the minister for his answer. As the minister is aware, the House will vote on a motion from the third party today that piggybacks on much of the work that we're already doing. In fact, I highlighted many of the same points in my own PMB this past year. I was also disappointed last week when they called the Changing Workplaces Review a waste of time and made no mention of the Employment Standards Act. Unfortunately, they're not acknowledging that we have been taking improvements for temporary workers seriously and have introduced many changes that will not only help my constituents but also people who work right across this province. Can the minister please share with the House with the importance of the review and why our plan to help precarious workers make sense? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Speaker. And thank you to the member again for an excellent supplementary. Speaker, the goal of the Changing Workplaces Review is to make sure that all workers in Ontario feel they have the protective law. Changing Workplaces Review is a key part of that. After all, why wouldn't we want to hear from expert special advisors on this issue who've been studying this issue for some time? The reality is, Speaker, we know the fundamental change is needed and the incomplete plans that are coming forward from the opposition parties simply miss the mark, Speaker. We've made significant changes. We're doing a very comprehensive review. Private members' bills that I'm hearing will do nothing to create a sustainable framework where everybody can share in the success of this great province. Speaker, no person in Ontario should ever feel underappreciated, undervalued. No person should feel they can't get ahead. The Changing Workplaces Review, Speaker, is going to help us get there. New question, the member from Dufferin Callahan. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. My constituent, Laurie Leckie, contacted me after her daughter, Jamie Lee, was forced to wait in a hallway for five days because there was no hospital bed for her at Brampton Civic. From the Brampton Guardian, Laurie's daughter said, quote, I spent five days in a hospital, afraid, in pain, and staring at a white partition wall as I anxiously awaited answers. Laurie wants you to explain why her daughter had no hospital bed for five days. Thank you. Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I, you know, I have to say that I was distraught when I learned of this particular individual and in a very vulnerable state in which she had to endure at one of our hospitals, Mr. Speaker, and it's important that all of us that have a role to play in providing that highest quality care remember specifically that we're dealing with individuals, individuals in an extremely vulnerable state, and we need to do everything we can to ensure their safety, that they're taken care of in a compassionate way. And Mr. Speaker, I, as an adult of that, am looking very carefully and specifically in terms of measures that we can and should take that hopefully this situation doesn't happen. Thank you. Minister, I'm sure that Laurie and Jamie Lee appreciate your sympathy, but you are the Minister of Health. You have an opportunity to fix this issue. It's not new. We just heard about it in Hamilton. It's happening in Brampton. It's happening all over Ontario. Please do something. It's unfair to people like Jamie Lee. It's an example of hallway medicine, no privacy, no beds, just another justification. There is no way it's acceptable that someone has to lay in a hallway for five days without a bed in the province of Ontario. When will the Minister ensure that our loved ones get a bed when they need one? Well, Mr. Speaker, and I was asked this question yesterday by the media and I was asked at the brand new Peel Memorial Health and Wellness Centre that the Premier and I opened yesterday, which has a vast array of services available to individuals of the Brampton and neighbouring communities, including an urgent care centre which is drawing away some of the patients that previously would have gone to Brampton Civic, which is the hospital that the individual, that the member opposite referenced. It has dieticians, chiropractors, day surgery, cataract surgery, dialysis, many, many services in this brand new facility which has been so well received and appreciated by the community. And it's measures like that, Mr. Speaker, which will draw individuals in the community to the appropriate resource and reduce the overcrowding that the member opposite mentioned. Thank you. New question from the member of the province, James Bay. Well, the question is to the Premier. Premier, you would know that last week on behalf of our constituents on the James Bay, I raised the issue of air orange shutting down the helicopter base in Moussinee. I was told by Orange by a subsequent phone call that they had consulted with chiefs and other communities such as Moussinee and everybody was fine. That is not the case. I've talked to Kiseshwan. I've talked to Fort Albany. I've talked to the Mayor of Moussinee. I've talked to the deputy chief in Mouss factory. I've talked to the Mashkegawak deputy chief. Nobody's on side. The question here is the people living on the James Bay are no different than anywhere else in this province. Why would we allow that base to shut down when we don't do it anywhere else when it comes to servicing helicopters? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Your health and long-term care. Mr. Health, long-term care. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the advocacy by the member opposite on this issue and I appreciate actually the opportunity to collaborate. We've had a number of conversations and I'm pleased to hear as well and I'm aware of that Orange reached out to him as well because they specifically wanted to discuss the issue with him and explain what was being anticipated in terms of the necessary and necessary for a whole variety of reasons, particularly safety reasons when we're thinking of Moussinee. I think we all recognize just how vitally important that is. So they had an opportunity to have that discussion. As I've mentioned to the member opposite as well that my goal is to ensure that the services in Moussinee and those that depend on the orange services that come out of Moussinee are of the highest quality as well. This maintenance is necessary for the safety of the pilots and the paramedics and others as well as the passengers and patients. But we're looking to see what we might be able to do in terms of finding a replacement helicopter during that period of time. Thank you supplementary. I heard you correctly. I think you just said that you're looking for a replacement helicopter and if that is the case and that's what we do the people of Moussinee and the people of the James Babel say thank you but I got to make the point again. When you have we have helicopter bases in Sudbury. We have them in Thunder Bay, Kenora Toronto and Moussinee. None of the other bases are shut down. We're able to shift equipment around to make sure that those bases continue to operate at the time the equipment is out for maintenance. It is not acceptable that we shut down that helicopter base in Moussinee. Utilizing the ambulance boat is good sometimes but due to tides, due to winds, due to weather there's all kinds of times that you cannot use that ambulance boat and we're putting people at risk not to say what that helicopter does when it comes to emergency extraction out of cash and other places when things happen. So I ask you again on behalf of the people of Moussinee and the James Babel will we put in a replacement helicopter during the time that that machine is out for servicing? Thank you. Thank you Mr. Speaker. And as a member of reference that the vast majority of transports that take place out of Moussinee are involved in the first instance the Marine transport to make that hop to the island where the hospital is located and the majority of transports on James Bay and the surrounding area take place by fixed wing as well but there is an important role for the orange helicopter at times and I know that the member opposite will agree with me that if and in fact it's my commitment if there is a safe way and this is about safety of passengers safety of the paramedics of the pilots in and around Moussinee if there is a safe way that we can keep rotor wing service throughout the summer the two months when this maintenance is due to take place we will make sure it happens. Thank you. Your question? The member from Trinity Spadato. Thank you Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Government Consumer Services Minister over the last decade more and more people in Toronto have chosen to live in high-rises in fact over 40% of homeowners over the age of 65 living high-rises every day family especially seniors and children and people with mobility restrictions find themselves trapped because their buildings elevator are out of order and often remain that way for a long time this morning at the press conference Mr. Gonzalez a gentleman in the wheelchair told us that he missed his blood transfusion appointment because of elevator outage that is why Speaker I have introduced Bill 109 a reliable elevator act which if passed would ensure future buildings will have enough elevator capacity and both of their elevators are repaired within the specific deadline Speaker can the Minister share her perspective on the importance of creating a stronger connection for the growing population to come together? Thank you. And I'd like to thank the member from Trinity Spadina for this question and introducing a very important piece of legislation on elevator availability. Fantastic work. Service elevators can be a great source of frustration for tenants and condo owners is especially concerning as we've heard for elderly persons or people with disabilities who have no alternative or other means of getting from floor to floor for people who rely on elevator speaker to get in and out of their buildings disruptions slow repair times can not only create barriers to daily activities they may also pose health and safety risks currently the technical standard safety authority does have a mandate to ensure elevator safety however does not have set out time frames which an out of service elevator must be returned to operation so I agree it is the right time to start looking at how can we ensure greater reliability and availability of elevators Thank you. Supplementary. Thank you Speaker and I want to thank the Minister for her answer. As our province continues to grow upwards and buildings are frequently reaching 70 plus story range access to elevators for Ontarians that own or rent condominiums is not just a convenience reliable elevators are essential not too long ago residents of 79 storey aura building on Yonge Street were trapped on their floor unless they took the stairs while some of the tower elevators have since been repaired weeks later there are many many many elevators remain out of service Speaker Bill 109 is a direct answer to changing to the changing needs of Ontario's residents and tenants and offer them increased consumer protection will the Minister support creating greater protection for Ontarians by strengthen the rules and regulation present to elevators. Thank you Minister. So again I couldn't be in a stronger agreement speaker with this bill to make changes that reflect the way we can enhance consumer protection for renters and owners and this issue is important to me not only as a Minister of Government and Consumer Services that oversees a TSSA but as a Minister responsible for accessibility recognizing barriers disproportionately impact people with disabilities under our Accessibilities for Ontarians with Disabilities Act all organizations including multi-story residential buildings in Ontario are required to post a notice of disruption for an out-of-service elevator and prepare a document outlining the steps it would take to accommodate persons with disabilities in the event of a temporary disruption. I know more can be done and that's why I'm really looking forward to the debate this afternoon on this bill and again I want to thank and congratulate the members. Thank you. Mr. Speaker my question my question is to the Minister responsible for accessibility I recently met with the Joint Accessibility Advisory Committee of Niagara as well as hosting my own round table in Grimsby to learn more about the obstacles faced by 1.85 million Ontarians with a disability this allowed me to hear from Alexander Stanovic a student with hearing challenges who faces great obstacles in high school after being assigned a poorly educated interpreter who failed to interpret the course properly the Premier agreed to establish an education accessibility standard last December however four months have gone by and an education standards committee still does not exist how much longer will persons with disabilities like Alexandra have to wait for this government to take action. So first I want to thank the members so much for hosting that round table I think it's fantastic when any member of the legislature can engage with their communities we know also that every municipality Ontario has an accessibility advisory committee so I think it is so important that we listen to what the issues are listen to what barriers still exist and bring those forward but I'm also very proud of our legislation in fact this year 2017 is the first year where all organizations have to start reporting on their accessibility plans and their progress and speaker we know that the legislation is important but it's also about changing attitudes and removing barriers I'll be very happy to speak in the supplementary about the new education standard that will be developing answer to complement the other standards that already exist thank you supplementary Mr. Speaker that answer let down over a third of a million students in elementary secondary and post-secondary study these students have been waiting for equal opportunities for 11 years since the accessibility for Ontarians with the Disabilities Act was passed in this legislature it is letting down students such as Alexandra who have faced unnecessary obstacles in education because of this government's failure to act students are losing hope that educational barriers will be removed through the establishment of standards did you forget about the premier's promise or is this just another one of your government's stretch goals there thank you well speaker it's an important question but it's also important that the member knows that we already do remove barriers in schools whether it's elementary or post-secondary education we have obligations in place for the education sector under our standards and the policies be in place the educators are trained on programs that libraries other services are providing accessible format these all help our students but we know there's more to be done and that's why the premier announced education standard in December of last year she made that a public commitment speaker and we are working I am working with my colleague ministers in education and advanced education skills development to get that standard going to strike an SDC a standards development as we've done recently with healthcare and we know that improving enhancing inclusion accessibility for students is an important thing and we'll continue to work hard on this thank you can you question the member for Windsor to come see speaker my question is for the minister of municipal affairs good morning minister speaker last September my writing had record rainfalls in a short period of time storm still was overflowed thousands of homes flooded 110 millimeters of rain in five hours 190 over 48 hours more than what we would normally get in two months speaker the minister came to see the damage first hand the minister promised financial help from the provincial disaster relief fund it's been six months yet only 36 people have received relief payments but their file is still open speaker when can the rest of my constituents receive the relief they were promised thank you minister thank you to the member for the question and I know the minister of agriculture food and rural affairs will want to weigh in on this supplementary speaker the member is right I was in southern Ontario within a very short period of time after the flood occurred I met with Mayor Bain and Lake Shore Billkins and Windsor and Mayor McNamara and to come see we visited a number of the home owners who were affected by the flood speaker I can tell you that very quickly the program was activated in fact on October 3rd 2016 we activated the program the deadline for applications was January 31st 2017 one of the significant changes speaker that I want to mention that we brought to the program under my predecessor Ted Mcmeakin was that no longer our local municipalities were required to fund raise as was the case under the old old program that's significant and another change that was brought in that I want to share with the legislature that is very significant unlike every other province in the country sir sewer backup is the result of heavy flooding and insurance is usually the default mechanism low income people are now eligible to apply in Ontario for coverage where there's been sewage back and there's been a lot of flooding in the country and there's been a lot of flooding and a lot of people who are applying for disaster relief have been denied I heard from a constituent this morning that is still waiting for her phone calls to be returned the provisions of the disaster relief fund were established in the last century climate change is here it's a reality this liberal government has put a lot of money into the disaster relief fund when will the minister update the disaster relief plan some more homeowners will be protected in storm events of this magnitude minister of agriculture food and rural affairs minister of agriculture food and rural affairs I have the opportunity to be a beautiful picked in Ontario to announce a number of projects in the neighborhood of $806,000 to prepare the damage that occurred in that flood back in September I was particularly interested when I looked at the damage in wards one and two in the town of Tocuzzi were within a very short period of time 2.7 billion litres of water surged through the towns of pumps and eventually overwhelmed the system. Mr. Speaker what we're encouraging now is to move from disaster management to disaster prevention we will ask our municipalities to separate the rain water from their treatment water to make sure that the system is over that's why we're giving $806,000 to the town of Tocuzzi thank you question thank you Mr. President my question is for Mr. Speaker my question is for Mr.ąć. Mr. Speaker this is an event supported by the both families Lanson-Reveille So loved, and were loved, and now lie in a French field. They dreamed of their own futures and the futures of their children, the youngest of whom is 18 months old. En tant que députés, que pères, et que... As member, father, and Muslim, I understand how important it is to fight against Islamophobia. ...what our province is doing to address this latest round of racism. Thank you. Minister, responsible. Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to thank the member from the Tobacco North for the question. And I'd like to thank the Imam and our other guests here for joining us here in the Legislature. It is a true privilege to have you here today. Mr. Speaker, the tragedy that took place in Quebec reminds us all that Islamophobia is real here in the province of Ontario, and it's a problem right across this country. Ontario is home to 61% of all Muslims in Canada. And, Mr. Speaker, we are home to 90% of Muslims who are racialized. And here in the city of Toronto, 5% of our population is Muslim. This is the largest population in all of Canada, and including the United States. A better way forward on Ontario's three-year anti-racism strategic plan includes specific initiatives to address Islamophobia. The anti-racism director is engaging with community organizations and researching better ways to understand the causes and impacts of Islamophobia so we can move forward on future initiatives. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Minister Coteau, for your ongoing work, and thank you, Premier Nguyen, for your leadership on this and many other fronts of intolerance. Over the past few days, Speaker, I've been heartened to hear members from all parties, all three parties, deliberate and respond to Bill 114, an act to provide for anti-racism measures. The content of the proposed legislation is substantive and has opened up an important and, indeed, essential conversation in our legislature. I note that the bill proposes the collection of key data and anti-racism impact assessment framework and proactive methods to apply an anti-racism perspective to government decision-making. Mr. Minister, can you share with the House how Bill 114 contributes to the future of the province? The scope of Bill 114, an act to provide anti-racism measures, is unprecedented in Canada. Through the strategic plan in Bill 114, we're working to ensure that Ontario remains a place of inclusion where everyone feels safe and has the ability to fully contribute to society. This bill ensures that government is held accountable and that the anti-racism work we are doing today continues for future generations. Mr. Speaker, I was so inspired by the words of the Imam joining us here today when he said, let's go forward, let's go from today to be a real society, united, the same way we are united today in our sorrow and in our pain. Let us start today to be united in our dreams, our hopes and our plans for the future. Thank you again for being here and joining us in the legislature today. Thank you. Thank you. Any questions to members from Oxford? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Housing. After I called for an expert housing affordability panel, the minister claimed that he had a housing affordability team, but it seems no one has heard about that team. Can the minister tell us who is on the team and what they have actually done thus far? Who's on the team? Minister of Housing. Thank you, Speaker. I know everyone on this side of the house is on that team. We will continue to answer the call, Speaker, to provide more affordable housing across the province. And as we heard yesterday, as we met with our municipal partners, affordable housing is a very complex issue. It requires a close coordination with our municipal partners, with builders and with members of my ministry and other ministries. And that's who we've turned to, Mr. Speaker. We've put together between the Minister of Municipal Affairs and myself have put together a team of senior people within our ministries to look at some of the issues that have been raised by both municipalities and builders and environmentalists just to make sure we get our solutions right. So, Mr. Speaker, the most important thing that we're doing is continuing our consultations with municipal leaders, with our builders, with other stakeholders in the field to make sure we get our solutions right. Thank you. Supplementary. Well, Speaker and Minister, the housing crisis has developed under this government. Under your watch, this team of insiders has done nothing to stop it. This team has piled cost after cost on new housing without any realisation what the impact will be. It's time to consult with the people who actually understand the housing sector. We proposed a housing affordability panel with clear goals, broad membership and short timelines. Since the minister's team doesn't seem to have any of that, will he simply agree to support our panel so we can actually address the challenges of affordable housing affordability in the province of Unperiod? Thank you. Minister? Well, certainly what I will agree with Mr. Speaker is that there is a growing concern right across the GTHA and beyond about the impact of the booming housing market. You know, Speaker, I absolutely understand that Ontarians are worried about affording homes in this region and they want the peace of mind knowing that they'll have an affordable place to call home. The fact is, Speaker, we have been working on this in a number of areas and I will say, Speaker, that it's nice that finally the member opposite and his party have joined the conversation to talk about affordable housing, right? I can tell you, Speaker, and the question that I would put back to them is that they have been late to this game. We have been working on this game. We're talking to the renters. We're talking to municipalities. We have legislation coming forward. We're getting it right. Thank you. Time for question period is over. I have a rather sad announcement to make. I have to say it. This is the last day for our wonderful pages. I thank them for all of the hard work that they've done and I want to appreciate the fact that they've done such a good job for us. We might start a new program that's basically a survey of the pages to ask them who their favorite MPP is. I'm not sure how that would work out. There are no deferred votes. This house stands recessed until one. Sorry, Port-A-Morten. Just in the last second, the member from Aguinton-Lords. I just wanted to, since it's passed over in Easter, I've invited all the pages to share some Moises World Famous Cheesecake in room 212 after question period. As I normally do, I want to wish all of you a happy Easter and some time with your family during the break and to repeat myself over and over again. Thank you for all the hard work that you do every single day. Thank you. This house stands recessed until one.