 It is now time for question period, the member from Nipissing. Thank you very much. Good morning, Speaker. My question is for the Premier. Good morning, Premier. There's no debate that everyone deserves the ability to retire comfortably. But getting there should not result in the loss of jobs or the closing of small business. Yet that's exactly what your Ontario retirement pension tax is poised to do. Opposing your plan is the top priority of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. I'll be presenting their 3,600 petitions later today. Four out of five of their members oppose your plan. 69% of their members say they will freeze or cut salaries. More than half will reduce employees and 13% will just plain and simply close their doors. Premier, when people have been fired or companies put out of business, what kind of retirement do you imagine for them? Well, thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I thought for a moment there as the member began his question that he had switched his position and that he actually was going to support the Ontario retirement pension plan. Because as the member opposite knows, there is a fair degree of consensus across the country that it would be a very good thing for the Canada Pension Plan to be enhanced. And I'm assuming that the member opposite is not making an argument that the Canada Pension Plan is a bad thing. Because, Mr. Speaker, there are all of our constituents across the province who have benefited from the existence of the Canada Pension Plan and so many thousands of Canadians have had the opportunity to have some security in their retirement because of the Canada Pension Plan. So we have said that it would be a very good thing if the Canada Pension Plan could be enhanced, but Stephen Harper has decided that is not what he is going to do. Minister of Government Services, come to order. Supplementary. Thank you, Speaker Premier. It's policies like your pension tax that hold Ontario back and drive jobs away. As a lifelong entrepreneur, to me it's simple. You get rid of the payroll tax so that small business is encouraged to actually create jobs. There are solutions you could pursue to achieve this goal without hurting small business. Voluntary pooled retirement pensions. Financial literacy in our schools. Those are two examples, Premier. These will help people achieve their retirement goals while having a job long enough to actually get there. Order. Over 50 Chambers of Commerce signed a letter to your government expressing concern over your pension tax. Premier, they're still waiting for an answer. Ontario business is clear. Families are clear. Neither can incur this new tax. Premier, why aren't you listening to them? Well, Mr. Speaker, let me just say first of all that a number of the things that the member opposite has mentioned, we're already on. So I know that the member for Whitby Oshawa knows that I worked with the late Jim Flaherty to make sure that financial literacy was in our curriculum, Mr. Speaker, and it is there. So let me pick up from where I was talking about the Canada Pension Plan. So the Federal Conservatives have decided that the Canada Pension Plan will not be enhanced at this point, Mr. Speaker, even though there is agreement across the country that that is something that needs to be looked at. So we have said because 77% of Ontarians support an increase to pension benefits. Let me just repeat that 77% of Ontarians support an increase to pension benefits. We have made the decision and ran on this, Mr. Speaker, that we would put in place an Ontario Retirement Pension Plan that would come into place in January of 2017. Our final supplementary. Thank you, Premier. If you won't listen to small business or families, perhaps you'll listen to the advice from your very own Ministry of Finance experts. I'd like Paige Steven to provide you, your Finance Minister and the Associate Minister, with copies of your internal document which clearly shows that for every $2 billion in payroll tax, you siphon out of our pockets, you eliminate 18,000 jobs in the province. This confidential advice to Cabinet, which you received, states your pension tax will result in, quote, lower business investment, relocation to other jurisdictions, reduced work effort, and outmigration of the people. Premier, you already know the result of this new tax. Your own people are telling you how harmful this will be to Ontario's economy. Thank you. You say it, Premier. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Well, I think the member opposite knows that there are thousands of Ontarians. In fact, the majority of Ontarians don't have a workplace pension plan, Mr. Speaker, and he knows that the enhancement of the Canada pension plan would be a good thing. And in fact, if the member opposite wants to talk about internal documents, perhaps he'd like to talk about Harper Government's own internal documents about the benefits of expanding pensions. And I quote, in the long run, expanding the CPP would bring economic benefits. Higher savings will lead to higher income in the future and higher consumption possibilities for seniors. So, Mr. Speaker, in fact, the member opposite knows that our timing of bringing in the Ontario Retirement Pension Plan in January 2017 is to coincide with the reduction in EI payments off the payroll, Mr. Speaker, at that time. So we have taken into account, we are talking to small business, but we know, Mr. Speaker, that people in Ontario need this security. In fact, people across the country need this security. Thank you. New question. A member from Nipissie. Thank you. My next question is back to the Premier. Small businesses are staggering under the burden of your skyrocketing energy, your taxes and fees, and unnecessary red tape. You throw all of this at them and then wonder why so many businesses are leaving Ontario. We already have the highest electricity rates in North America, and they're projected to go up a further 42% in the next five years. Your failed renewable plan has us exporting power to Quebec and the United States at a loss of $1 billion in October alone. Premier, that's a whole gas plan scandal in one month. After your pension tax, this is the CFIB's biggest issue. 93% of their members want a leader who will commit to relief and energy. Premier, why can't you be that leader? Thank you, Premier. Well, Mr. Speaker, we just went through an election campaign where we made it clear that our priority was to work in the best interests of people across this province to make sure that we work with businesses to increase jobs. In fact, Mr. Speaker, we have more than 550,000 net new jobs since the recession with Mr. Speaker. The relationship on energy with Quebec, Mr. Speaker, I don't know if the member opposite missed the announcement on Friday, but Mr. Speaker, we have just made really a historic agreement with Quebec to trade energy, Mr. Speaker, in our peak times when we need power. It's a good deal for the people of Ontario, and it's a good deal for the people of Quebec. And in fact, Mr. Speaker, it's a good deal for the people of Canada when provinces are working together. Premier, in addition to your skyrocketing energy rates, you've slapped small business with an unnecessary WSIB premium through Bill 119, requiring family-owned contractors to pay WSIB coverage, even though they already have better private insurance, it's just another tax on small business, independent tradespeople, and contractors. This is cutting directly into their livelihood, and for many it's the straw that breaks their financial back. We all know this is a tax designed to bail out another liberal mess, the $14 billion unfunded liability at WSIB. Premier, will you address the real problem? Will you initiate a formal government task force to resolve the WSIB boondoggle, repeal Bill 119, and stop making small business pay for your mistakes? Minister of Labor. Thank you, Speaker. Well, in fact, Bill 119 improves the unfunded liability, which is something that workers, employers, business people around the province of Ontario have been asking for, and it's precisely the reason that it was brought in, because we believe into taking account the real needs of Ontario's workers and business. Bill 119 is about improving the health and safety in the construction industry itself, and to help business, it's about reducing the underground economic activity that takes place on a regular basis. We listen to the concern of stakeholders. Finish, please. Thank you, Speaker. As I was saying, we did listen to the concern of all stakeholders, and as a result of that, we provided certain exemptions. We've given business had a reasonable period of time to adapt to the bill. We've heard from stakeholders that the underground economy needs to be addressed, and we did speak. Thank you. Final supplementary. Premier, for many small businesses, red tape is imposing a death by 1,000 paper cuts. We had 2,700 fewer small businesses in Ontario last year than the year before. Premier, they're gone. Your red tape is costing Ontario business billions of dollars annually. A recent CFIB report shows red tape is a hidden tax which costs the provincial economy $11 billion each year. Even the smallest of firms spends $6,000 per employee to comply with government regulations. That's money that can't be reinvested in their business. Premier, the Liberal government shut down the Red Tape Commission, established to prevent this. Will you re-establish the Red Tape Commission, support small businesses, and make Ontario first? Thank you. Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Economic Development, Employment, and Infrastructure. Minister. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the member's got to take a look at the facts. 183,000 net new jobs created by small businesses in Ontario since 2008. That's growing, Mr. Speaker. That's good news. And the fact is, Mr. Speaker, small businesses, the Small Business Optimism Index, surged six points in October. It's now up to 70 points among the top in the country. So those small businesses are a lot more optimistic than the member opposite. The member knows we produced regulatory burden by 17%. If he really cares about small businesses, Mr. Speaker, he'd join us in Bill 7, which ensures that we do the single greatest ask of small businesses on the government, Mr. Speaker. And that's coming forward with an annual... That ensures that our government's feed is held to the fire as we work with small businesses to continue to reduce regulatory burden. Excuse me. Excuse me. The member from Renfrew, Nipissing, Kenbrook will come to order. New question. The member from Kitchener, Waterloo. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Premier people are wondering why they should believe anything that this government tells them. The serious trust issues that existed pre-election continue. The Premier's Minister of Health says that cuts to healthcare and home care are a myth. But the provinces CCACs are saying that nursing hours and PSW services are being cut back. You can't deny that. How can the Premier expect people to believe her government when the cuts she denies not only exist but are the lived experiences of people in this province? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And I know that the Minister of Health is going to want to comment on the supplementary. But let me just repeat what I have said a number of times in this House, which is that we continue to put more money into home care, Mr. Speaker, into community care to allow people to get more service and to allow more people to get the service that they need in their homes so that they can stay in their homes and that the care that they get is adequate, Mr. Speaker. The other reality is that we are going through that transition. We are changing the system, Mr. Speaker, so that more people who might have traditionally been in hospital can get the services that they need in their homes. And that means that there are changes happening in communities across the province. But we continue to invest more, Mr. Speaker, and we will continue to invest so that we can move through that transition and people can get the care that they need where they need it. Thank you. Stop on the train. Thank you. Again, to the Premier, Premier, it's not just healthcare, and I don't think that you know where this money is going because it is not going to the front line. And it's happening across your entire government. Speaker, the Premier said that there is not a sell-off of our shared public assets. But Ed Clark has said in black and white that the plan is to sell off Hydro One's distribution business even though it's profitable to privatize local hydro utilities even though they're profitable. And he's opening the door to selling OPG HydroDance even though they're profitable. How can the Premier expect people to believe this government when they are saying they won't sell assets and then they're turning around and proposing the sell-off of those very same assets? Mr. Speaker, I guess there's a loose connection between that supplementary and the initial question. But what I will say is that we ran on both the issues that the member is raising. We said very clearly in our budget and in our platform that we were going to continue to transform the healthcare system. We were going to continue to invest in the care that people need, where they need it. We also said that we were going to ask Ed Clark to look at the assets that are owned by the people of Ontario and we were going to make sure that we were doing everything in our power to make sure that they were optimized, that the value of those assets was optimized. So that we could invest in the assets in the infrastructure and the transportation infrastructure that's needed now in 2014, Mr. Speaker. So Ed Clark and his commission have looked at the assets. He has made recommendations, Mr. Speaker. It's exactly what we said we were going to do and we are going to act on those recommendations. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. There's no disconnection between the questions. The theme is that you say one thing and you do another thing. And premier after all the problems that your government has had in the education sector, you are now proposing cuts to that ministry as well. Speaker, in public, the premier says that there's more money going into school. She just said it. In private, the documents show that half a billion dollars is proposed to be slashed out of the school board's budgets. How can the premier expect anyone to believe her when her government is denying health care cuts, they're denying the fact that they're selling off public assets and they're denying that they are cutting public education budgets in the province of Ontario. Well, thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And I am well aware of the member office's background in education. I know she knows full well that there is more money in education. There continues to be more money in education and she knows that the damage that was done under the previous regime, Mr. Speaker, has been repaired year after year after year under our government and we will continue to do that, Mr. Speaker. But as we said on investments in home care and health care, investments in and the review of our assets, Mr. Speaker, we also said that we're going to work with school boards because we know that there are fewer students in many of our schools, Mr. Speaker. We know that school boards struggle often with the consolidation of schools. We know that there are ways that school boards can work together and we're going to work with school boards to make sure that they're able to do that as we continue to invest in the talent and skills of our children, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. New question from Toto Danforth. Thank you, Speaker. My question to the Premier. Premier, transit riders are demanding that the Union Pearson Express become a true public transit service, not an exclusive service for business travelers. The public has paid half a billion dollars to build the Union Pearson Express. Can the Premier tell transit riders whether it's going to be affordable for ordinary travelers and commuters to use? Mr. Transportation. Mr. Transportation. Thanks very much, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the member from Toto Danforth for that question. I think it's important to recognize that with respect to this particularly wonderful project that our government has been working on, that this is something that is being, that will be fully operating in time for the 2015 Pan Am, Para Pan Am Games. It's a project that is on time, that is on budget, and I know the team at Metrolinx has been working very closely and very hard to determine a fair that will be acceptable in terms of sustainability and also provide the people of Toronto and the people coming to Toronto from around the world with the opportunity to be connected to Union Station for the very first time ever. I look forward to learning more before the end of this year what the exact fair will be, but the exciting thing, Speaker, is to remember that we will, for the first time, have a direct connection between two of our busiest transportation hubs in Pearson Airport and Union Station. Thanks very much, Speaker. Supplementary. Thank you, Speaker, again to the Premier. Ontarians have already paid half a billion dollars for the Union Pearson Express and more costs are coming. The people who are paying for the train should be able to ride it. The government has leaked that there will be a discounted fair, but when the representatives of 40,000 airport workers were promised a public meeting with Metrolinx to talk about the fairs, it never happened. If a deal exists, it took place behind closed doors and didn't include airport workers. So nobody knows if the deal is what airport workers have asked for. Will the Premier ensure that the fairs on the Union Pearson Express are affordable for travellers as well as the 40,000 people who work at Pearson Airport? Minister? Thanks very much, Mr. Speaker. Not quite sure I understand the point that the member office is referencing with respect to a leak by the government regarding this. What I said in my initial answer was that the team at Metrolinx is working very, very hard to make sure that we land in a great spot for everybody across the greater Toronto and Hamilton area and right across the province of Ontario there are ongoing conversations that are taking place. Of course, Speaker, there are a number of members on this side of the House, including the member from New York Southwest and the member from Davenport and others and some of the suggestions from the people that they represent and they've done a wonderful job of doing that, Speaker. It's important to recognize and I would sincerely hope that that member and that caucus would recognize and celebrate the fact that we will for the first time ever in 2015 have that dedicated air rail link that it will be available to people right across the region. It will provide an opportunity for tourists coming to Ontario and to experience all that our province has to offer, Speaker. This is a reason to celebrate. Speaker, the government is waiting to announce fares on December 11th, the day the House rises. A very good day to bury an issue. So I'll ask today, in Vancouver, commuters can get to the airport for $9. In Cleveland and Baltimore, it's $2. In Philadelphia, you can take the train to the airport for $8. Can the Premier tell Ontarians whether she'll ensure that getting to the airport in Toronto is affordable for travellers and airport workers alike? Thanks very much, Mr. Speaker. So again, I'm going to try to respond to this question as I did with the other two. We have to remember that for the first time ever in 2015, when the air rail link, when the Union Pearson Express is operating, it's on time, it's on budget for the first time ever. Two of our busiest transportation hubs in the country will be connected, Union and Pearson. And I find it interesting as well, Speaker, that members from that caucus and some others will often talk about examples of what takes place in other jurisdictions. I would encourage those doing your research to actually look at an apples to apples comparison. The bottom line, though, Speaker, again, is that the team at Metrolinx is working very hard. I expect before the end of this year we will have more information about precisely what the fare is. And I would ask that member to be a little bit more patient, but also to join with us in recognizing that we will have that dedicated air rail link. It will help the workers get into the airport. It will help people right across the region, right across the province, provide tourists with that opportunity to help support our economic development. And it will also support resources and forestry. Minister, your government continues to levy a number of additional fees on hunters and anglers. In a matter of days, your ministry will introduce a service fee to outdoor cards and licenses, an increase of 23% in certain instances. This comes after the ministry reported that the special purpose account, which is funded by license fees and required to be used for conservation of materials, fish and wildlife resources, increased by 31% in 2010-2011. This ministry continues to raise and introduce new fees to hunters and anglers, even though they continue to shirk the responsibilities to maintaining our resources. The Environmental Commissioner states it appears that the Ministry of Natural Resources is walking away for many parts of its job to safeguard wildlife and natural resources. Minister, why should hunters and anglers give you more money to mismanage our resources? Mr. Speaker, thank you. And I thank the member for the question. Maybe in the supplementary he can outline for me exactly what it is, apparently, that we're shirking or what responsibilities we're walking away from. And I'm looking forward to hearing those. What I will say, Speaker, is the decision to raise the fees and the SPA was a decision that was made eight months or a year ago. It does become live on December 1, I believe there will be an increase into the fees. I would say that one of the things that has been slightly misrepresented is that it is one administration fee, it is not a series of fee increases. So if hunters and fishermen when they buy their licenses if they do one purchase for their outdoor card and one purchase for a hunting and fishing license, it will be one fee one time. If they buy them individually it will be a $2 increase each time. But at the bottom line of this is the fact that the SPA supports the programs that are done in the province of Ontario as it always has. There's a shortage of revenue. We have found to meet those programs whole. It doesn't matter when the decision was made, but one new fee is one too many on behalf of hunters and anglers. Minister, it's no wonder that you continually have to tax hunters and anglers due to your government's mismanagement of the resources. How can you expect revenue to grow when you have mismanaged the moose population in Northern Ontario to decrease hunting tags? You have limited fishing licenses in Northern Ontario. Overall, you're charging hunters and anglers more and delivering less. Minister, hunters and anglers want to know the truth. Your ministry has not released the annual report the special purpose account for which you are abasing your fee increases for the last three years. You can't be open and transparent and show where the money has gone. Minister, with the environmental commissioner observing a decrease in your resource management your lack of transparency becomes reporting the state of the special purpose account. How can you expect hunters and anglers in his province just to give you more money? Minister? The member raises a fair point. I can tell him that the annual reports on the special purpose account will be tabled very soon and I do thank him for raising that and I will be happy to bring those into the legislature. The member raised an issue relative to the moose populations in Northwestern Ontario. In fact, we have learned that the moose population and wildlife management units in Northern Ontario are in significant decline because we actually invested money from the very account that the member is now criticizing that we've raised the fees on. We flew an aerial survey that cost about $5 million the money comes from the special purpose account and is that very data from that very account having the money to expend that provided the data speaker for us to now move forward with a very significant moose management project on behalf of the hunters in Northwestern Ontario. I would tell the speaker as a group they are very supportive of the work that we're doing on the moose project and in fact the tourist outfitters have embraced the work that we've done on this project. Thank you. My question is to the Minister of Labour Speaker, I think that all members in this House would agree that first responders such as the firefighters that are visiting us today in the legislature have demonstrated over and over again the enormously important role in protecting our safety and our security. That's why in the opinion of new Democrats there would be no better way for this House to show its gratitude and respect for these first responders than to pass legislation that would directly affect and deal with post traumatic stress disorder and the WSIB. If passed this presumptive legislation would mean that it would be presumed that front line responders suffering from PTSD acquire the illness on the job and therefore are automatically eligible for WSIB benefits. Minister, why won't this government commit immediately to passing PTSD legislation in this House? Thank you very much Speaker and thank you to the Honourable Member for what is a very very important question and let us extend from this side of the House our sincere thanks for the role that first responders play on a daily basis to keep us safe and secure. Thank you Speaker. It was certainly the valuable experience we gained from the round table that was held on stress and mental stress including PTSD by all the first responders that has taken place over the past 18 months and reported to us just recently has certainly provided us with the information we need to move forward is presumptive a part of the solution Speaker. That is yet to be determined but certainly what there is is that simply we need to do more about PTSD. I'll answer I think a little bit more clearly in the supplementary. Thank you Speaker. Thank you Speaker. Post traumatic stress disorder can emerge after exposure to a traumatic event or series of events and may include paranoia nightmares rage flashbacks and panic attacks. PTSD claims now are decided on a case by case basis and appeals can take years to settle this is simply unfair. The brave women and men who are the first responders to a crisis and who guarantee our safety and security shouldn't have to fight the system to prove that their PTSD condition is work related. For years new Democrats have been introducing legislation in this house to make PTSD presumptive including Sherry DeMovo bill bill number two. Standing ovation is fine Mr. Speaker and it definitely is appreciated I'm certain but legislation is what firefighters are asking for. Will this government commit today to passing legislation making PTSD presumptive condition for the purposes of WSIB benefits immediately. Thank you Speaker. It was one of the proudest moments of my day when we announced presumptive coverage for our first responders when it came to cancer coverage to expanding that to a hard end release. It has released its report on the round table on traumatic mental stress it provides insights into the ways that we can deal with this now Speaker as a result of that what we're planning in the early part of 2015 is a summit on work related stress certainly with a major emphasis on PTSD Speaker we want to move forward on this issue we know that all legislatures in this country should be treating this with the seriousness that it deserves Ontario is treating it that way Speaker presumptive coverage may be a part of the solution I've met with a member from Parkdale High Park on this issue personally I commit to moving ahead on this issue. Mr. Speaker my question is to the Associate Minister of Finance. Mr. Speaker earlier this month the minister visited my riding the great city of Burlington to discuss our government's new Ontario retirement pension plan share information on how this plan will cure retirement future for millions of Ontarians and listen to both the concerns and suggestions of stakeholders in my community in that regard I was pleased to participate in this meeting and hear a broad range of perspectives from my constituents including business owners community leaders and young entrepreneurs I know the minister value the feedback she received Mr. Speaker could the minister please inform this house which she has been learning from Ontarians in her meetings and discussions on the ORPP Thank you. Thank you Speaker and I want to thank the hardworking member from Burlington for this question Mr. Speaker since taking on my role as the Associate Minister I've had dozens of meetings with Ontarians about the ORPP what I've learned so far is that this issue of retirement security relates to everyone and the reasons why we're moving forward are crystal clear when families discuss their futures at the dinner table their underlying concern is can I save enough this is particularly true for the middle income group we know why two-thirds of workers in Ontario do not have workplace pension and people are living longer meaning their savings need to stretch further this creates fear and uncertainty for individuals this is concerning because it means tomorrow seniors are at risk of retiring with a lower standard of living for our economy this means slower growth and more people relying on publicly funded social assistance programs our colleagues on the other side of the floor would prefer that we do nothing thank you Speaker I've heard thank you she did please supplementary thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the Minister for that response Mr. Speaker again to the Associate Minister of Finance I'm pleased to hear about the insights Minister that you are gaining from these meetings I know it was very helpful for my constituents to have the opportunity to meet with you to learn more about the Ontario retirement pension plan the opportunity to hear about the plan's framework as it takes shape and they value the chance to share their ideas about how our government should proceed both with respect to the design of the plan and its implementation specifically I know many appreciate the chance to share their perspectives and discuss ways that the ORPP will impact them Mr. Speaker can the Minister please inform the House whether she will be visiting other communities across our province to discuss the ORPP thank you Minister I'm a very hardworking member from Burlington as part of my mandate from the Premier I am reaching out to businesses, industry groups, community associations and everyday people to get their input on the ORPP I want to ensure that we're creating the best plan for the people of Ontario and to do that I'm committed to meeting with and listening to Ontarians across the province last month I began the first part of my tour on the ORPP and to date I've met with Ontarians in Sudbury Burlington, Hamilton and Toronto and just yesterday in Mississauga over the coming weeks I'll be holding meetings in Ottawa, London to name a few in addition Ontarians can write to me by email through the ORPP website to ensure their insights are included in our plan Mr. Speaker I look forward to continuing to listen to the people across the province so we can build the best possible plan for the people of Ontario Thank you Mr. Speaker My question is for the Premier What role does the defeated Liberal candidate in Perth Wellington have in the government Does the Premier think it's appropriate for that individual to be making public announcements of new funding for municipalities when the areas elected MPPs have yet to be officially notified I can tell you that there are many people across this province who have run in elections, have been defeated and then go on to do other things sometimes they go on to work with governments, sometimes they go on to work in municipal governments sometimes they go on to other business but I can tell you that the former candidate in Perth Wellington has been very much a supporter of the policies of this government Mr. Speaker and he is a very strong community advocate for that part of the province Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker To the Premier Speaker Last week in a press release from the Perth Wellington Liberal Association the former candidate announced infrastructure money for local municipalities The press release was misleading and inaccurate It was a liberal press release from the former liberal candidate announcing public money Is that part of the job description for staffers working on the public dime in the office of the Minister of Agriculture If not, what are you or the minister going to do about it Mr. Speaker Thank you There are some things that happen in here that are totally inappropriate Thank you Premier I don't have any information on the specifics of a particular press release What I can say is that I am quite sure that if there was information into a municipality that the municipality had that information and that anyone who wanted to talk about it could talk about it including the member for Perth Wellington had he wanted Wrap up please I've just been handed a copy of the press release which it says Ontario Government invests over $1.3 million across Perth Wellington Mr. Speaker this isn't an announcement this is a statement of something that is happening and as I said I wanted to change his writing Mr. Speaker, I would think that would be a very good thing to inform his writing about the benefits of the public Mr. Winsor-West My questions to the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services Mr. Speaker, we are hitting code blue now that's when there's a critical incident in one of the province's jails and there's an inmate or correctional officer who needs help While Mr. Speaker, they need immediate help Just this week in Hamilton two inmates assaulted by a third in the same cell three to a cell meant for two not enough officers, too many inmates I just toured the Niagara Correctional Facility and it's the same issues there the officers are so fat up they held an information picket Mr. Speaker, when will this minister when will this government dispense with the rhetoric and do something about the deplorable state of this province's jails Thank you Thank you very much Thank the member opposite for the question I appreciate the fact that she's taking the time to visit many detention centres across the province as I am But most importantly, what I'm doing is taking the time to meet with our correctional officers and our correctional staff to thank them for the hard work they do every single day and make sure that we are working together in transforming our correctional system I'm very excited by the opportunity that has been given to me by our Premier in terms of making sure that we have a correctional system speaker that focuses on rehabilitation and reintegration of our inmates in our community and we will get that work done by working with our correctional officers and our staff and we're engaged in very constructive conversations as to what those positive ideas are and I look forward to working with them to make sure that we're making a meaningful difference in our correctional system speaker Supplementary Thank you Mr. Speaker It's not just Niagara It's not just Hamilton When hasn't it been London Mr. Speaker, today marks almost a week-long lockdown at the Elgin Middle Sex Detention Centre because of violence because of overcrowding and understaffing Frankly, it's because of deplorable conditions What are the Minister's immediate plans? Plans today to fix EMDC Minister I think the member opposite knows quite well that I had the opportunity of visiting the Elgin Middle Sex Detention Centre about a month or so ago I spent over three hours turning the facility and making sure that we're working together on solutions to improve the conditions at EMDC as well I think the member also knows that we've already installed 357 additional security cameras new X-ray machines and I've hired 11 additional correctional officers at EMDC not to mention a new mental health nurse Next step speaker is that we will be building a new regional intermittent centre at the same site where EMDC is located the procurement is in the process that is going to help even further in helping with the capacity issues making sure that contraband products are not entering the prison Thank you Thank you My question is to the Minister of Economic Development Employment and Infrastructure My community of Cambridge has many entrepreneurs ranging in all ages These entrepreneurs are the lifeblood of Ontario's next generation economy Their ideas are needed to help keep Ontario on the cutting edge For Ontario's economy to remain competitive in the extremely fierce global marketplace we need to support our entrepreneurs and especially our youth I was very happy to hear the Minister recently announced the Make Your Pitch competition in the high school that he attended in Scarborough My son Liam in grade 12 and his high school friends will want to know more about that as they're planning for their future and entry into the workforce Would the Minister please explain more about the competition to the House that young entrepreneurs gain the skills that they need to succeed Thank you Thank you Mr. Speaker If the member's son Liam is anything like the member, if he enters the contest this is sure a thing to win So there's no question about that whatsoever but the member's right, I was at my former high school a few weeks back and I was given an opportunity to meet some of the young entrepreneurs in that high school and watch a program called Make Your Pitch Program in competition This is an interesting effort and it's part of our effort that the Minister of Education is very engaged in and trying to instill entrepreneurial thinking throughout our education system This is a competition that challenges high school students to pitch their business idea in a two minute video The videos will be evaluated by judges There'll be 20 finalists that will present their ideas to a panel of judges Six winners selected Mr. Speaker It will be provided Reserve Entry into Ontario's very successful summer company program that includes mentoring, training and a grant of up to $3,000 to launch their small businesses We're very excited about this program Supplementary Thank you, through you to the Minister I want to say thank you The information will help and I'll encourage many youth in my Cambridge community to enter the competition and discuss their post-secondary education job market options This is great news, not just for young entrepreneurs in my community but across the province As many of us must hear, my constituents are concerned about youth employment in general I know that our government has introduced many programs and initiatives to help youth enter and succeed in our province's job market and my own kids and their friends are considering these options as they plan their future The youth job strategy introduced in the 2013 budget has shown real success Would the Minister please update the House on our success to combat youth unemployment Thank you, Minister Thank you again for the supplementary Mr. Speaker, it's great news last month Youth employment in Ontario increased by 6,300 jobs That was fantastic news The month before youth employment increased by 12,600 jobs So there's no question when it comes to increasing opportunities for young people The youth unemployment rate also dropped by 2.1% last month That's the largest drop we've seen in a very long time in youth unemployment And since the fall of 2013 more than 23,000 job experience opportunities have been created under our youth job strategy So Mr. Speaker, we're working very, very hard with respect to trying to ensure that young people get job experiences get opportunities to engage in entrepreneurial pursuits We recognize Mr. Speaker that youth unemployment is still too high in Ontario And that's why we're continuing Mr. Speaker to open up those opportunities for experiential learning, job experiences and entrepreneurial opportunities for our youth No question Thank you very much Mr. Speaker My question this morning is for the Minister of Health and long term care Minister for years, your ministry has been cutting back services at Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital Two years ago hundreds of county residents came here to Queens Park to protest to save their hospital when surgical services and delivery room services and other beds at the hospital were threatened 5,000 Prince Edward County residents signed a petition that I delivered to the previous health minister to help save their hospital Last night it was learned that Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital was refused funding for a small and rural hospital because the ministry decided that it was under a half hour drive to Belleville General Hospital Clearly no one from the ministry has ever driven from Picton to Belleville Minister, why is your government continually making health care cuts at Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital Good question Thank you Mr. Speaker I appreciate the question I'm happy to actually sit down and talk with the member opposite to get more details I know that this was a different decision according to the member opposite but Mr. Speaker we have across the board across the province we've dramatically increased our funding to the hospital system in this province despite the fact that we are also moving more and more services into the communities and when it does come to our smaller including our small town and our rural hospitals we are we have a particular special initiative that does focus on them and appreciates and acknowledges the unique needs that they might face in providing those high quality services to the constituents to those in their catchment area but Mr. Speaker and that fund by the way for small and rural hospitals is a 20 million dollar annual fund but again I'm happy to speak with the member opposite with regards to the specifics of this hospital and I hope that he takes me up on that offer Thank you supplementary Thank you Speaker I will indeed minister it's very important that you understand what Prince Edward County is all about is growing senior populations in the province sandbags provincial park is there to track hundreds of thousands of tourists from all over the country and it's well more than a half hour from Belville General as a matter of fact thousands of Prince Edward County residents live more than an hour away from Belville General Hospital so a fully operational hospital in Picton isn't a luxury for the county's future it's actually critical it's a necessity for the county's future it's toggling when you see things like 400 million dollars being spent on an empty office building across the street here at Mars and we don't want to see our Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital continue to empty out at the rate that it has been emptying out over the last several years so minister will your government stop making cuts at Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital and will you reconsider that application for the small and rural hospital funding Thank you and again I'm more than willing to sit down with the member opposite but I would also suggest if he's looking for the government's commitment to hospitals in small and rural parts of this province he need to look no further than his seat mate his seat mate from Bruce Grayo and Sound because the two of us just not that long ago a couple of months ago had the pleasure of announcing the rebuilding of a brand new hospital in Markdale which is an important hospital in this community whether they're in Toronto whether they're in Thunder Bay whether they're in Markdale whether they're in any riding across this province our commitment is equal the member does know at the same time that we are undergoing changes in their funding model so we're focused on quality of care we rely on our lens as well to work with local communities as they are and this instance to make sure that the decisions that are made truly do provide the quality of care the non-trance wherever they reside requires a comprehensive model thank you very much Mr. Speaker my question is to the minister responsible for Pan Parapan Am Games Speaker, honesty about the Pan Parapan Am Games has been in very short supply whether it's conveniently forgetting to include the cost of the athletes village in the cost of the games or the security cost that have gone from 113 million to 206 million to 239 million which the minister won't even reveal the auditor says we've missed opportunities to save money we're behind schedule and the government has underestimated the costs and those costs may well go up when will the minister give us a final cost for the Pan Am Games thank you Mr. Chairman thank you Mr. Speaker thank you Mr. Speaker I'd like to thank the member for the question I'd also like to thank the auditor general for the Pan Am and Parapan Am Games the auditor general confirms that the process to procure private security services and security advisors here in the province of Ontario for these games were transparent and they followed the government procurement policy in fact Mr. Speaker her report directly contradicts the claim that the NDP had months ago when they actually asked for the audit she says that the process followed the government procedure and we're quite proud of her record here in the province of Ontario the auditor had a lot to say about how this government is wasting money again has taken bad steps in terms of how these games should be managed the auditor said a key lesson learned from the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games is the need to carefully plan for and acquire security services as far in advance as possible with only nine months remaining before the games begin, TO 2015 has only just issued a request for proposals for contract asset protection security services nor had TO 2015 completed all the procurements for security equipment she says that falling so far behind is only going to further drive up costs these games were ordered in 2009 they shouldn't have snuck up on anyone with less than a year to go how are we so far behind? so far behind Mr. Speaker I was in Markham on Sunday and I was at the opening of the Markham Aquatic Centre which was well under budget with 3,000 people and in fact Mr. Speaker that Aquatic Centre was in full operation it was a community use and we're seeing the same thing in Scarborough we're seeing the same thing all over the 4 foot kilometre radius that the Pan Am games will be held in that includes 50 municipalities Mr. Speaker time and time again the NDP has criticised these games they've criticised the fact that we've been well under budget when it comes to our infrastructure they've criticised the fact that the Hamilton stadium is under delay in fact Mr. Speaker we know that the Tigercats have been undefeated in that stadium so... time's up new question the member from Halton Thank you Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker my question is for the minister responsible for women's issues Minister there's no question domestic violence is a heart wrenching and disturbing problem every day women and children across our province are forced to leave their homes to flee from situations of abuse this is unacceptable as statistics Canada reports 30% of the victims of domestic violence are women in fact a report from the Canadian Federation of University Women National suggests close to half of all women and young girls will be affected by violence in the course of their lives Minister while Ontario has amongst the lowest rates of domestic violence across Canada we still have a lot to accomplish Minister please tell me what your initiatives are through the directorate that has implemented to raise awareness of domestic violence and to strengthen support for victims Minister of Children and Youth Services and Minister responsible for women's issues Thank you Speaker and thank you to the member for Halton for raising this very serious and important issue of domestic violence and Speaker as a government we have increased funding by 51% it's 2003 for community services to help victims of domestic violence in 2011 the Ontario women's directorate also launched a $15 million four year sexual violence action plan the women's directorate has also implemented numerous initiatives to raise awareness of domestic violence and to strengthen support for victims Speaker we provided training for more than 37,000 frontline professionals and service providers to detect domestic violence and help support victims we started public education campaign speaker and this government is very very committed to the issue of supporting women who face violence it's one of our key priorities and will continue to invest in this regard Thank you Thank you Minister I think this government has demonstrated that it is working hard to support victims of violence in my writing of Halton I know there are agencies that are working tirelessly to support and protect women and children in our communities I took a tour of the Halton women's place and got a first-hand look at the incredible work that they do for victims of domestic violence I was inspired by the accomplishments and the compassion and dedication of the staff there to ensure that the women and children staying there are given a safe and comfortable environment in which to heal in fact we recently raised a flag in Milton to shine a light on this troubling issue while we are making important progress today there is still work to do to improve support for our hardworking frontline workers Minister can you please describe the government's efforts to improve supports to those who provide assistance to those most in need Minister Minister of Community and Social Services Thank you Mr Speaker and the challenging and very important work of supporting women and their children in crisis continues to be a priority for this government this year's total annual investment was over $145 million to the sector currently Ontario funds 207 agencies designed to assist women experiencing violence we fund agencies that provide crucial services like emergency shelter counselling and transition and housing supports more recently announced as part of the 2014 budget our government is dedicating an additional $14.5 million over three years to support the hardworking frontline workers at these agencies that serve the violence against women sector lest we forget Mr Speaker both opposition parties voted against additional investments in violence against women services our government is committed to reducing violence and supporting women until there is no longer a need Thank you My question is for the Minister of Municipal Affairs it concerns the 2013 ice storms and the municipalities that are still without help after almost a year of waiting and endless red tape last week I asked how much money was going to consulting fees that should be going to municipalities the minister didn't answer instead he talked about training sessions to help municipalities fill out paperwork the minister stated all training sessions were done internally by ministry staff but an email from the ministry says that in fact the training sessions are being conducted by the outside firm land link consulting would the minister care to correct his statement well Mr. Speaker landmark is a disaster claims processing firm that's done work in British Columbia and Alberta and elsewhere work that has been very well received and the work they're doing is designed to expedite the claims process we don't have a staff sitting over in the ministry of municipal affairs and housing waiting to respond to the next disaster when disasters hit us we pull together a team to manage our response to that now on the red tape side a member from Renfrew, Nipissing, Pembroke let me say this on red tape the most single most important reason we're being so careful about the accounting and all the specific assets here is because of the federal requirements on the cost-bearing program they have very stringent requirements when you were in government thank you the minister will take a seat and say what I stand that's not my responsibility and I don't need rebuttal supplementary thank you speaker that doesn't explain why the government hired land link consulting in the first place the Alberta government put land link in charge of disaster claims from last year's flood but eight months after the flood many were still waiting for help in response Alberta overhauled their disaster relief system in charge and cut ties to land link Alberta fired land link when they were unable to handle that province's flood claims but here in Ontario the ministers is still making excuses minister how much did we pay the Alberta consultants to come running east straight into the open arms of the Liberals minister well Mr. Speaker we're very aware that municipalities are anxious to support the cost that they incur to keep their communities safe land link was in fact the successful vendor in a competitive procurement process that was open to all bidders across North America they're not consultants they're accountants who are helping to process the specific claims that municipalities need to make and it's largely the member from Renfrew Nipissing Pembroke has warned please finish you know we're being so careful Mr. Speaker about this because the accountability provisions which we normally get asked about on the other side of the house are so stringent with the feds in a previous incarnation a government responded to a similar situation shoveled money out the door without any accountability and when they applied to the feds they were rejected the member from Bruce Gray Orn Sound will come to order new question the member from Tamiskimi Cochrane Mr. Speaker my question is to the premier in 2012 Canadian solar was granted a fit contract in Tamiskimi shores and they subcontracted to another company which then subcontracted to local contractors my area now that project has been sold to TransCanada Energy so Canadian solar made money TransCanada Energy is making money but who didn't make money is the local contractors who are out 21 million dollars I alerted the minister of energy in February with a letter as this was happening why I'm directing this to the premier because my constituents have noticed of late that the premier mentions my letters quite a bit in the legislature so they know that she's aware of this question and they're wondering why she hasn't acted Orel and April Miran wrote the premier letter they're wondering Steve and Jenny Nyechuk are wondering why haven't you acted thank you Mr. Vanquist Ernest your uncle first of all I want to thank the member for the question and I will undertake to look into this issue more carefully back to him but in terms of a general response we have a contracting process a procurement process we award the contracts and those contracts are assignable and throughout the whole program from time to time contracts are transferred from one entity to the other and I certainly will look into this particular issue I certainly would have some concern about the local contractors who have not been paid and I will get back to the member thank you thanks very much I just want to welcome four of my constituents who are here with the young professionals network Orlando Spicer, Lee Sample Christopher Hum and Colin Thane welcome to Queens Park thank you Mr. Speaker I apologize I was welcoming a class during introductions and there are four special groups here today I'd just like to mention if I may Mr. Speaker first of all St. Patrick's Catholic Elementary School under Teacher Michelle Hickley St. Isaac Jogue's Catholic Elementary School in Pickering of course St. Patrick's in Ajax and both our Pickering Firefighters under President Association Colin Arnett and Ajax Firefighters under President Mark Somerville Welcome all of them Minister of the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry on a Point of Order I'd like to correct my record the $2 service fee that I referenced in response to the question from the member from Elegan Middle Sex London will apply to each chargeable product related to hunting and fishing this fee will allow additional funds from the sale of the licenses to go to directly to essential fishing, wildlife management programs Minister of Labor on a Point of Order I wasn't here earlier in the meeting and I would like to welcome to this House the President of the Ontario Firefighters Association and the wonderful Executive Carmen Santoros Thank you Mr. Speaker I know we've been welcoming our first responders here today but I just wanted to thank one of those members not only as a first responder but as a constituent of mine I'd like to welcome Ernie Thorne here to the legislature On that topic I'm going to ask all members that we have tried to design a system that does the introductions at an appropriate time I've been quite lenient in trying to make sure that you have enough time even past the five minute mark in order to introduce all your guests if you know they're coming and they're coming late make mention of them during that time time period so that they can at least be on the record and that you can indicate that you appreciate their presence here these kinds of things are just prolonging the House that we've tried to organize an opportunity for us not to do that I appreciate your best, please I'd appreciate it very much Pursuant to standing order 38A the member for Wellington Hilton Hills has given notice of his dissatisfaction with the answer to his question given by the Premier concerning let me try that has given notice of his dissatisfaction with the answer to his question given by the Premier concerning the announcement in Perth Wellington this matter will be debated today at 6pm we have a deferred vote on the motion on integrity by enhancing the Voluntary Blood Donations Act 2014 and by amending certain statutes with respect to the regulations of pharmacies and other matters concerning regulated health professionals call on the members this will be a five minute bill all members please take their seats take your seats please on November the 5th Mr. Hoskins moved second reading of bill 21 all those in favour please rise one at a time and be recognized by the clerk Mr. Hoskins Mr. Hoskins Mr. Mayor Mr. Sousa Mr. Sousa Mr. Dugas Mr. McCharles Mr. Quinter Mr. Cole Mr. Tkar Mr. Broadnetti Mr. Dillard Mr. Graval Mr. McMeekin Mr. Murray Mr. Chan Mr. Manga Mr. Crack Mr. Wong Mr. Hunter Mr. Sergio Mr. Moro Mr. Jasek Mr. Del Ducca Mr. Fraser Mr. Anderson Mr. Baker Mr. Ballard Mr. Don Mr. Hogarth Mr. Poth Mr. Rinaldi Ms. Zellia Mr. Arna Mr. Hudak Mr. Hardiman Mr. Wilson Mr. Fidelli Mr. Clarke Mr. Dunlock Mr. Johnson Mr. Monroe Mr. Scott Mr. Bailey Mr. Smith Mr. Harris Mr. Nichols Mr. Marteau Mr. Pettipies Mr. Beeson Mr. Banffa Mr. Tabas Ms. Sattler Mr. Natashack Mr. Sing Ms. Forrester Mr. Mantha Mr. Hatfield Mr. Gretzky Mr. French All those opposed, please rise one at a time. Be recognized by the clerk. The ayes are 91. The nays are zero. The ayes being 91. And the nays being zero. I declare the motion carried. Is the election poised or what? Pursuant to the order of the House dated November 25th the bill is ordered referred to the standing committee on social policy. Further defer votes this outstands recess until 3 p.m. this afternoon.