 All for introductions. It is now time for question period. The member from Elgin, Middlesex. Well, thank you very much speaker. My question this morning is to the Minister of Education. Would the Minister please remind this house. No, no, no, that's my job, although I appreciate the team effort. I'm going to I'm going to ask that the decorum be where it should be. Serious question. Thank you. Go ahead. Would the Minister please inform this house of the number of parents who currently have children in publicly funded Ontario elementary schools and how many of these parents last November actually completed the online survey commissioned by your ministry regarding changes to the health and physical education curriculum. This has been a really interesting situation speaker because yesterday we had the leader of the interim leader and the PC education critic the sort of official spokespeople on the issue saying that they actually welcomed our new health and physical education leadership candidates who seem to be totally in a different land. I think you better see what people have been saying. This is one of the leadership exchanges. The member from Lampton Kent Middlesex said I've committed to stopping the sex agenda in its tracks. Christine, I need you to join with me at caucus and stand up to Kathleen Winde to start the sex agenda once and for all. That's what he said. Thank you. Supplementary. Speaker, obviously no answer there. I believe I just asked for decorum and I expect it to be maintained. Excuse me. I'll take care of this. Supplementary. Minister, there are millions of parents in Ontario and you refuse to hear from over 99% of them. Not quite a consultative process. In this house should be reminded that on October the 30th this minister said that even these opinions of these very few parents would likely not affect the content of her plan 2015 sex ed curriculum. Minister, now that you have released this proposed curriculum it is clear that thousands of parents have concerns. What are your plans for a true consultative process now that Ontario mums and dads were able to see for themselves what you have planned for their children. And now the rest of the story that you're all waiting for. The member from with the Oshawa said in reply I've been very clear on my position on that Monty. I stand with you. There's no question I stand in the same place that you do. Parents are the ones that should be deciding about sex ed and what their children should or shouldn't be taught. There's no question I am against what they're doing and as we speak I presume Patrick Brown is outside. It's troubling that all three leadership candidates for the Progressive Conservative Party are in disagreement with the current caucus leadership and want to bury a new sex ed curriculum, a new health and physical education curriculum that will protect the health and safety of our children. Thank you, final supplementary. Well, Speaker, back to the minister. In recent days the only concession you've been willing to make to concerned parents that is to those parents who do not share your view of how their children should be raised. Your only concession is being to point out that the Education Act gives parents the right to withdraw their child from particular lessons. In other words, Minister, a highly selective opt out. Minister, are you prepared to extend this opt out principle to local schools? For example, if a local school council votes to opt out of your new sex ed curriculum, would you honor this request of a school council? And I assume if he was Premier, you could vote to opt out of teaching about evolution too. Evolution would be actually a good idea for the Ontario curriculum to disagree with somebody who has a science background. Let's talk about parents. Let's talk to your answer because we actually think that parents should be involved in the conversation. That's why we're creating materials for parents so that parents can talk to their children about it. Thank you. My second question is to the Premier. Premier, last year you tried to dodge the record of the McGinty era by distancing yourself from Dalton's team. These weren't your people. Nothing to do with me, you said. But in recent weeks, some of your people have found themselves in hot water. The Sudbury by-election has resulted in your Deputy Chief of Staff, Pat Cerbera, and one of your liberal fundraisers, Gary Lawhee, Jr., to have allegedly broken anti-browberry laws. The matter is now being referred to federal prosecutors and other police. Premier, can you confirm for this House that you personally hired Pat Cerbera as your Deputy Chief of Staff and that you appointed Gary Lawhee, Jr., to serve as chair of the local police board? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I've answered questions about the Sudbury by-election system situation many times. I will say again, Mr. Speaker, that yes, Pat Cerbera is a member of my staff. The police services board in Sudbury, Mr. Speaker, makes its own decisions. The fact is that I had decided by the end of November that Glenn Tebow was the person who we wanted to have as our candidate in negotiations about keeping the past candidate involved. But it's interesting, Mr. Speaker. The member for Lampton Kent doesn't want to talk about the fact that there is a protest going on outside, Mr. Speaker, about a sex ed curriculum that is going to protect children in this province, in every one of our schools, the publicly funded schools in Ontario, Mr. Speaker. He doesn't want to talk about that because he knows, I think, in his heart that it is the right thing to do and we need to update that curriculum. Thank you. Supplementary again to the Premier. I'm certain the hard-working officers of the OPP are doing their best as they continue this and all of the investigations into your office. I'm certain they'll find all the evidence they can. But with Ms. Cerbera and Mr. Lawhee Jr. still working in Liberal offices and a Premier who insists she believes they did nothing wrong. How can the people of Ontario be sure that your office won't double-delete any evidence? Well, Mr. Speaker, again I have answered the questions I've said that we are we are going to cooperate with the authorities. Of course we'll cooperate with the authorities and I've been very clear, Mr. Speaker, all along that that the decision had been made. I had decided by the end of November that Glenn Tebow was the the person who we wanted to have that I wanted to have as our candidate in Sudbury, Mr. Speaker, and and that the conversations that happened subsequently were about keeping the past candidate involved, Mr. Speaker. But you know I heard I heard the member for St. Catherine's talking about the the Roma Conference, Mr. Speaker. There are people who are here today and who are meeting in in downtown Toronto to talk about issues that I would have thought would have been very important to the member for Lampedon Kent, Mr. Speaker, because the issues around investments in infrastructure, the Ontario Good Roads members, Mr. Speaker, they're very concerned about those investments in all of the communities around the province. That's the work that we are focused on doing, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Final supplementary. Well, Premier, it doesn't end there. Orange gas plants, deleted hard drives, the Sudbury by-election and a prominent member of your own 2013 transition team, your former Deputy Minister of Education, has now admitted to three criminal charges. Premier, in light of the criminal conduct of your own hand-picked advisers, how would you rate the ethical deficiencies of your government compared, say, to the scandals that drove your predecessor out of office? A higher standard of ethics than we got under Dalton McGinty or perhaps just as bad? That was a pretty broad-ranging question. Let me just quote back to the member something that he said yesterday. He said it's not the Premier of Ontario's job, especially Kathleen Nguyen, to tell parents what's age-appropriate for their children. So, Mr. Speaker, let me just ask the member opposite. What is it that especially disqualifies me for the job that I'm doing? Is it that I'm a woman? Is it that I'm a mother? Is it that I have a master's of education, Mr. Speaker? Is it that I was a school council chair? Is it that I was the Minister of Education? What is it exactly that the member opposite thinks disqualifies me from doing the job that I'm doing? I'm still hoping that my request for decorum is maintained. New question. Leader of the third party. Questions for the Premier. On December 12th, Pat Sorbera said on tape to Andrew Olivier and I quote, you've been asked directly by the leader and the Premier to make a decision to allow Glenn to have the opportunity to have, you know, basically the opportunity uncontested. Is that true? Mr. Speaker, again, I have answered these questions many, many times. I had decided by the end of November that Glenn Tebow was the person that I wanted to have as our candidate in Sudbury. Mr. Speaker, it was clear to me that he was going to be a strong voice for Sudbury, Mr. Speaker, and that he was the best candidate for us in that by-election. And the conversations that took place, Mr. Speaker, were about keeping the past candidate involved. Would it have been great if the past candidate had wanted to work with us and had wanted to stay as part of the team? Absolutely. That would have been terrific. But, Mr. Speaker, the conversations that were had with the past candidate were about keeping him involved because, as you know, Mr. Speaker, there are many ways of being involved in the political life of a party beyond being a candidate. And that's what those conversations were about. Supplementary. Speaker, on December 11th, Jerry Lougheed said on tape to Andrew Olivier, I quote, the Premier up to now has always said to me, she's in favor of a nomination race. So I want to make that really clear. She's never said to me, quote, I want to appoint him, unquote. Is that true, Speaker? Mr. Speaker, I made a statement last Friday and I talked about the way candidates become candidates in elections, general elections or by-elections. And I said that, you know, my preference is for nomination races. I have been through a nomination race that was a very difficult experience in the 90s. And I think that when it's possible to have a local nomination race, that's a good thing to do. But in those circumstances where that's not possible, that's not going to happen, Mr. Speaker, and where a decision has been made according to the Constitution of the party, as was the case in the Sudbury by-elect, Mr. Speaker, then I think the honest thing to do is to make that clear, that that decision has been made, that a candidate has been chosen, rather than as in a situation like in Scarborough-Gildwood, Mr. Speaker, with Adam Gianbroni where it wasn't clear at all, it wasn't a real nomination race, Mr. Speaker, and it had to be controlled from the center. I don't think that's the way it should be done. I think we should be up front about what's going on, Mr. Speaker. On December 20th, according to the police transcript, Detective Constable Aaron Thomas asked Mr. Olivier and I quote, okay, and so from that conversation, were you still unsure as to whether they might appoint somebody or whether they were going to go through with the open nomination? And Andrew Olivier said and I quote, that's what Pat had stated. Is that true, Speaker? Mr. Speaker, I will just say again that by the end of November, I had made a decision that Glenn Tebow was going to be our candidate in Sudbury, Mr. Speaker. The conversations that took place were about keeping the past candidate involved. That's why those conversations took place. It's why I had a conversation with Andrew Olivier and I suggested some ways he might be involved, Mr. Speaker, but I had made a decision that Glenn Tebow was going to be our candidate. Next question is for the Premier Speaker. Yesterday the Premier said that she told Andrew Olivier she would appoint her candidate, but on December 20th, Detective Constable Aaron Thomas asked... What about quiet? And I don't appreciate somebody counseling to make more noise. Please continue. On December 20th, Detective Constable Aaron Thomas asked Mr. Olivier, Speaker. He asked him, so she asked him, so after you'd spoken with Pat Cerbera on the phone at that time, did you know whether or not there would be an open nomination, whether there would be other people participating in it? And Andrew Olivier said no. If the Premier claims she was so clear, why did Andrew Olivier at that time think that no decision had yet been made, Speaker? Mr. Speaker, I had a conversation with Andrew Olivier before the conversation that he had with Pat Cerbera. I made it clear to him that I had decided that Glenn Tebow was going to be the candidate, Mr. Speaker. And the fact is that the conversations that took place after that were about keeping the young man involved in the party, Mr. Speaker. That is exactly what happened. And I had made the decision that Glenn Tebow was going to be our candidate by the end of November, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, the Premier claims that she decided to appoint Glenn Tebow in November and she didn't alert the media and she didn't tell me or the interim leader of the PCs. I get that, Speaker. 100%. But she apparently didn't tell her campaign director slash deputy chief of staff. She didn't tell her liberal kingmaker in the local community and she didn't tell Andrew Olivier. All the evidence, Speaker. All the tapes, they all show that the Premier's office was offering Andrew Olivier a job so that the Premier's candidate could have his nomination uncontested. The Premier says that never happened. All the evidence says the Premier's version is not true. Is the Premier's story a little bit hard to believe, Speaker? I think so. Does the Premier have any evidence whatsoever to back up her story? Thank you. Well, Mr. Speaker, the leader of the third party is exactly right. When I went, when I made a meeting with Glenn Tebow in my home that he was the best person for the candidate, might as I have a deep respect for the media, I didn't go to the media that day, Mr. Speaker, because there was a process that needed to unfold, Mr. Speaker. Glenn Tebow was, he was actually, he was changing the party that he was going to be affiliated with, Mr. Speaker, and that was a difficult position for him to make. And he needed to work with his family and make sure that all of those, all of those pieces were in place. So I had made the decision by the end of November, Mr. Speaker. There were conversations to try to keep a young man who obviously would be going through a difficult transition. It's a difficult thing when the leader decides that a different person is going to be the candidate than the past candidate. That was the difficult thing we wanted to keep him involved. That's why those conversations were in place. Final supplementary. Well, Speaker, the reality remains that there's a mountain of evidence showing that Andrew Olivier was offered a job, so the Premier wouldn't have to appoint her hand-picked candidate. There are police interviews and call recordings that any member of the public can hear, Speaker. So my question remains, does the Premier have any evidence at all to back up her story? Well, Mr. Speaker, the member opposite and a number of the members have asked the same question in 16, 20, 25 different ways, but I'm going to answer it in exactly the same way, Mr. Speaker. The fact is I made a decision by the end of November that Glen Tebow was the best candidate for us in the Sudbury by-election. The conversations that took place after that, Mr. Speaker, were about keeping the past candidate involved. That's the reality, Mr. Speaker. That's what those conversations were about. And we have in Glen Tebow a strong voice for Sudbury. I believe, Mr. Speaker, that I was right in that assessment that Glen Tebow is the best. He is the best representative that Sudbury could have at this moment. We are very happy to have him in our caucus. Have you seen him, please? Thank you. New question. The member from Leeds-Ramble. Thanks very much, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Premier. When the Lieutenant Governor read the speech from the throne, he told us that your government will put evidence before ideology and choose partnership over partisanship. Premier, your government is doing neither. As the evidence mounts against you, your Deputy Chief of Staff and your Liberal Operative, you have resorted to ideological and partisan attacks. Premier, last Friday I launched an online petition that called for you to demonstrate integrity. It requests that you demand the resignation of Pat Sorbera and Jerry Lahi Jr. until the allegations are resolved. Premier, when will you demonstrate the integrity that's expected from the Office of Premier? As I said yesterday, I know the Premier very well. I have seen her wrestle with difficult decisions. It's not just my opinion, but it's the opinion of every person who has ever worked with our Premier that integrity is the number one decision. She wrestles with issues. She thinks hard about what is the right way to go forward. The members opposite have given her lots of advice on what to do. The judgment of the Premier, what she feels is right in her heart, is something that I have enormous respect for. This is a woman we are blessed to have leading our progress. My question is back to the Premier. Premier, you said you do politics differently. Your throne speech said that you would be open and transparent. Deputy House, it doesn't mean you'll have open and transparent nominations. The same throne speech said, and I quote, decisions will be made responsibly, openly, and in the best interests of Ontarians. I don't believe it was responsible and open to have Pat Sorbera offer Andrew Olivier jobs or appointments to step aside. Premier, do you believe it was in the best interests of Ontarians to have your Deputy Chief of Staff allegedly bribe a candidate? I really think that these questions have been asked and asked and asked and they've been answered consistently and thoughtfully. Not getting the answers they want Speaker, but they're getting the right answers. So my question really is, we've been back six days. We've had 72 questions. That was at the beginning question period. I think we're up to 78 questions. The only questions you're asking with the remarkable exception of the of the left and middle sex members, Speaker, these are the only questions you're asking. Why are you asking about transit? Why are you asking about our economy? Why are you asking about jobs out there? Why are you asking about kids with disabilities? Why are you focusing on something that you know? Actually is under investigation, Speaker. The Premier has spoken. It's time you asked real questions. Question, the member from Timmins James Bay. Question is coming to the Premier, Speaker. The Premier doesn't seem to be taking bribery allegations very seriously. So let's look at what the people outside the legislature are saying. And I'm going to quote from the Toronto Star. Premier Kathleen Nguyen and her Liberal Party are digging themselves deeper into a political mess. Ontario will be rightly shocked by allegations from Elections Ontario that two party operatives, including her Deputy Chief of Staff, appear to have broken the law. Under these circumstances, both should step aside while the police and investigation is ongoing. That's what the Toronto Star has to say. Is the Premier prepared to fire Gary Logheed and Pat Cibera? Thank you. Premier. Deputy Premier. Deputy Premier. Speaker, as I said earlier, the Premier listens to advice and then she has a conversation with her soul and lands on the right way forward, the principled way forward. I think it's a bit of an ironic speaker or a puzzling, maybe I should say, that the members opposite are pretending that they don't look after their past candidates. They don't try to keep their past candidates involved. I think it's a pretty well-established tradition that people actually might engage. Stop, stop, stop. The member from RIM from Nipissing, Pembroke, please come to order. And also the Minister of the Environment. Let's carry on. So there are many examples of this. Let's go back to 1998, when veteran MPP Floyd Logheed, I'm quoting now from the Hamilton Spectator, veteran MPP Floyd Logheed, the former Democrat Finance Minister is calling it quits, to accept a $120,000 a year government appointment. Now, who was energy minister at that time, none other than the interim leader of the... Thank you. Supplementary. Well, Mr. Speaker, a court would never take with what is in person's soul as evidence in any court case, but nonetheless, it's not just the Toronto Star. The Toronto Suns editorial has had this to say, Sabera is now the subject of two active ongoing investigations into the... Stop the call. Order, please. No extra comments. Please finish. Sabera is now the subject of two active ongoing investigations into the Sudbury by elections. How can she possibly continue as Wynn's deputy chief of staff and campaign director is said by the Toronto Suns editorial? Is the premier going to start listening to the voices outside this legislature and take responsibility as premier and do the right thing and ask Pat Sabera and Mr. Logheed to step aside? Speaker, I have a feeling that we just saw history being made because I don't think the NDP has ever before quoted the Toronto Sun editorial. So now, if they're taking advice from the Toronto Sun, it's a new day in Ontario, Speaker. So I think it's important to go back to why would the premier, why would the premier have chosen Glenn Tebow to be the Liberal Party candidate in the election? Who is this man, Glenn Tebow? And I think I'm sure the member from Nicol Belt knows quite well that he is a man of enormous integrity, Speaker. He is a man who has dedicated his life to improving the lives of the most vulnerable people in Sudbury. Whether it's his working sisters, whether it's his coaching team, Speaker. And he's engaged in helping improve the lives of people with developmental disabilities, kids with autism. He is a very fine man. Thank you. New question. A member from Trinity's Podina. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the minister responsible for senior affairs and it's about government program. Minister, senior plays an active and important role in our province, community and economy. In my own writing of Trinity's Podina, we have a considerable active senior population who continue to impact the community in many positive ways. As we know, Mr. Speaker, there are also various challenges and opportunities associated with growing older and senior have a number of distinct needs our province is working to address. They do. January marks the two year anniversary of Ontario's action plan for seniors. Recently, the minister visited my writing of Trinity's Podina and celebrate this anniversary and provide important update on the action plan. Mr. Speaker, this plan is more than a framework. It's a promise to our seniors and their families. Mr. Speaker, could the minister please elaborate on the Ontario's action plan for seniors and informs the House of the initiatives all government is taking to improve this? Thank you. Minister responsible for senior affairs. Thank you very much, Speaker. Indeed, the minister from Trinity's Podina has a good question. I see it's a very not only supportive but very dedicated and committed advocate for senior senior writing and to our province. It's quite right, Speaker. We are having a very strong shift in our demographic. Ontarians are living longer and we're getting more seniors more than ever before, Speaker. We have a huge shift indeed in our demographic. Presently, we have some over 2 million people over the age of 65. We're going to have 4.2 million in about 20 years. Speaker, by 2016-17, we are going to have more people over the age of 65 than under the age of 14. Facing the challenges myself as minister and the government, Speaker, we said we have to face the challenges. So we have been playing a very action plan for seniors. The latest one which the member has mentioned, the senior community grant program, Speaker. The first year of operation, we reached out to a 179 project. Thank you. Thank you, supplementary. I would like to thank the minister for the response and it's clear that our government is committed to achieving higher quality of life for our seniors. And I am delighted to say that these specific programs have resonated very well in my writing. In my writing, a remarkable project at the Harborfront Community Center titled the Urban Granny's Garden Project received $10,000 from the funding, the senior community grant program. Mr. Speaker, this gardening program foster a sense of belonging and acceptance among seniors in Tunis Padina. Enable them to partner up with youth while addressing food safety and community collaboration. The youth are delighted to have learned and develop these new skills and these seniors are more socially engaged. Mr. Speaker, I was pleased to have the minister to join me in my writing to see firsthand how the great work the senior group is doing in writing question how the funding is putting good use. Mr. Speaker, can the minister provide us with additional information on initiatives our government has created to help improve the lives of seniors in this province? Mr. Speaker, the member from Tunis Padina indeed come up with a good question and we all know that because of the challenge that we are facing with this increasing number of seniors we had to come up quickly with the Ontario seniors plan which is the very comprehensive plan incorporating the age-friendly community planning program the community transportation pilot grant program the community paramedicine program we have the Ontario elderly person center speaker last week we made some changes by increasing the number of languages to the funding away program we now provide information in Urdu, Arabic, Tagalog and Tamil this is from the speaker of another 14 16 languages actually to the guidance program for service to seniors and this is why we want to do more for our seniors we want to make sure that our people our seniors are proud to live in Ontario to grow in Ontario and age in the province of Ontario yes speaker my question is to the premier speaker we all while many of us here know the rules you don't comment directly on the outcome of an ongoing investigation and yet Friday while impugning and maligning members of this legislature the premier couldn't help herself from noting with regard to the eventuality of the charges for your deputy chief of staff Pat Solvera that quote on our review of the matter we don't expect that to happen premier thankfully for the people of Ontario it is not your expectations we are relying on to determine guilt or innocence premier were your comments just completely inappropriate or were they in fact attempting to influence the outcome of an ongoing investigation Mr. Speaker they were an expression of my belief that that we were dealing with allegations that there was an investigation ongoing Mr. Speaker and based on based on what I know about the situation I had I'm not asking my staff members step down that's what I was saying on Friday Mr. Speaker and I was being I was being very clear about the fact that we had made a decision about who the candidate was going to be in Sudbury and that there had been no offer of anything in return for an action Mr. Speaker and that the conversations that had taken place were about trying to keep a young man who had been a candidate involved in the party that's what the statement on Friday was about Mr. Speaker thank you premier your orchestrated strategy changed the channel straight from the old liberal handbook how to stop at nothing to hold power that's why despite your assurance that you wouldn't drag individuals through the mud you did exactly that with a drive-by blanket smear maligning our entire caucus it's also why the member from London North doubled down on your investigation speculation indicating the allegations are baseless Premier an investigation is ongoing it's not up to you or your deputy to predetermine the outcome Premier you told us you'd be different yet you're walking in the same scandal-ridden trail of deceit and diversion that Mr. McGinty followed him right out these doors is this what we can expect from a win liberal government keeping you and your friends in question by buying off seats at any cost I stopped the clock please I'm listening carefully to all of the questions and answers and I'm not happy with that last part but I'm not going to ask you to withdraw other than to just indicate to you it will not be tolerated any further here we go you know there's an investigation going on we are not playing Perry Mason on this side of the house Mr. Speaker the 78 questions that have come if the Deputy Premier's calculation is right the questions that have come from the other side are doing just that right that Mr. Speaker I was making a point on Friday when I said that I stated the fact that there have been members from other parties who have come across to us and have talked to members in this caucus about the fact that they would be willing to step down from their seat in return for an appointment that Mr. Speaker is a fact that has happened I didn't name names because it wasn't about individuals it was about the reality that we said no Mr. Speaker we said no we're not going to do that even though those approaches had been made that's the point I was making I made that point on Friday the member officer that has brought it up in a context that makes me repeat what I said but I was saying it to make a point about the fact that we said no we were not going to do that thank you very much Mr. Speaker my question is to the Premier Mr. Speaker it's not just the Toronto Star it's not just the Toronto Sun the Ottawa Citizen Editorial Board wrote this using public appointments to award loyal services one thing dangling the possibility of appointments while trying to persuade someone to give up their candidacy is quite another and a column in the global mail said quote as it turns out Ms. Wynn is not quite as different from Mr. McGinty as she appeared end quote these quotes are not from question period will the Premier start listening let's again let's just be clear I had made a decision by the end of November that Glenn Tebow was the best person to be our candidate there was no candidacy there was no position that the past candidate held Mr. Speaker the reality is that we were working to try to keep this young man involved he had been our candidate he was not going to be our candidate again and we were working to try to keep him involved he didn't have any position other than past candidate so when I say that there was nothing offered in in exchange for an action Mr. Speaker that's exactly the case because he wasn't in a position he was a past candidate and I had made a decision that Glenn Tebow was going to be our candidate not Andrew Olivier thank you supplementary thank you Mr. Speaker it's not just the star it's not just the sun the citizen global mail there's also the national post and I quote one of the incongruities of elected politics is a cynical assumption that laws are made to be deserved by others Ms. Nguyen reflected this attitude in spades Friday and here's the Waterloo record and then here's what they had to say quote Ontario's governing liberals make the law but they are not above it Premier Kathleen Nguyen Nguyen seems blind to this fact end quote the Premier is not just hearing from the opposition she's hearing from the Toronto Star the Toronto Sun the Ottawa Citizen Globe and Mail the national post and the Waterloo record everyone but the Premier knows the liberals are on the wrong side of this issue will the Premier finally do the right thing and admit some responsibility and fire Pat Sobera and Jerry Lahi Well Speaker again I have to say it's getting a bit boring in here I think there are important questions facing this province Speaker important questions and you're not asking them you know it's it's very clear that the Premier made a decision to uh that that glinty bowl would be our candidate it's very clear that uh that our party actually reached out and tried to have a conversation with the past candidate and if you actually listen to the tape if you actually listen to the tape if you would if it's abundantly clear that Andrew Olivier knew that he was not going to be the candidate from the very beginning of the conversation with Pat Sobera so you know Jerry Kaplan who's a good new Democrat good new Democrat said why why we're making this the biggest deal in the world is beyond me well I tell you Speaker it's beyond me when there are important issues facing the people of Ontario why both opposition parties continue to focus on this is beyond me too thank you new question to member from Barry Mr. Speaker my question is to the ministry of minister of community and social services minister your ministry is pursuing a mandate of transformation for the services it offers people living with disabilities this government has clearly chosen to make individuals with developmentally developmental disabilities a priority by making the significant investment of 810 million dollars over three years in the developmental services sector minister you have said before that this government is working towards having people with disabilities fully included in the fabric of our communities and to be able to live as independently as possible like Taylor Abispor of Barry who now has two jobs and is preparing to move into his own apartment minister can you please tell the house how your ministry is working towards this goal thank you minister of community and social services thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the member for Barry for the question as the member said our government is choosing to invest in Ontario's most vulnerable people and thousands of people are already benefiting from the budget investment last fall I shared with this house my ministry's launch of the developmental services employment and modernization fund this fund is set to deliver 15 million dollars over three years and is part of the 810 million dollar investment strategy this fund is intended to support the ongoing transformation of the developmental services system into one that is more person directed collaborative and efficient and promotes greater inclusion and independence for individuals in this first round of funding that was announced earlier this month the government is supporting 38 projects around Ontario that were selected as best meeting the objective thank you supplementary I have a question Mr. Speaker say supplementary thank you minister this new employment and modernization fund is a strong example of the way that this government is using innovative leaders in the developmental services sector to make tangible difference for people with developmental disabilities and their families in my riding of Barry Simcoe Community Services is one of the 38 successful proposals of this new fund this agency supported by this government has been doing great work for many years to support individuals in their daily life and seek better integration and their communities and economy now with this additional project funding CEO Marion Graves says this agency will be able to expand their pool of prospective employers minister can you please elaborate on what other ways this fund will improve the lives of people across Ontario thank you minister we're moving the developmental services sector to a place that better integrates individuals in their community and economy and transforms the way supports are offered to them first it is clear that those with developmental disabilities are a very diverse group of individuals with varying interests and abilities so that customizing employment initiatives is very important to ensure a successful outcome this means that agencies need to collaborate more closely to help transition individuals to employment opportunities in the community an excellent example of this type of initiative is live work play in Ottawa that I visited along with minister Naqui last Friday we want to make municipal community programs more inclusive and develop a provincial center of excellence on employment we are transforming the developmental services sector so that individuals are now living in the community and have every opportunity to work in their community good question the member from Leedscramble thanks very much as speaker my question is to the premier premier yesterday the minister of community safety and correctional services said that your government would not interfere with the removal of Jerry Lahi Jr from the greater Sudbury police services board the minister said and I quote under regulation 421 97 the members of the police services board code of conduct that it is up to the Ontario civilian police commission to consider whether or not the code of conduct is being complied with or not that's true but are you aware that section 25 subsection one of the police services act allows your minister to request the Ontario civilian police commission to investigate inquire into and report on the conduct of a member of the board premier through your minister will you request that independent body investigate the inappropriate actions of Jerry Lahi Jr thank you thank you general let's see mr mr. Speaker first of all i didn't have the uh the chance to congratulate our uh member Glenn Sibo for a wonderful election in Sudbury so i'm very pleased to we ran a positive campaign and uh the people of Sudbury have spoken and they have elected him so on the question mr. Speaker all police service board member appointed by the province our municipal council are subject to the code of conduct under the police service act and uh i understand that the Sudbury police service board addressed this issue recently and they have voted for Mr. Lahi to retain his position so if it is an important to know that if a board member has breached the code of conduct an investigation by the Ontario civil police commission may be conducted pursuant to section 25 thank you of the PSA thank you very much so we're back back to the premier the police services board code of conduct section 14 subsection one states a board member whose conduct or performance is being investigated or inquired into by the commission under section 25 of the act shall decline to exercise his or her duties as a member of the board for the duration of the investigation this is not an issue of politically interference by the board we have an open investigation by the OPP and a damning report by the chief electoral officer it's time for you to request an independent investigation from the Ontario civilian police commission thus requiring mr. Lohid to step away from the board i'm asking you premier and minister will you ask for that investigation to take place you see it thank you attorney general again mr. Speaker the police service act does not give the minister the authority to remove a board member so it is important to note that if a board member has breached the code of conduct an investigation by the Ontario civil police commission may be conducted pursuant to section 25 of the public service act so the the OCP would decide if an earring into the matter is warranted so that's the process so anybody can report a case to the Ontario civil civilian police commission and so if the member wants to do it it's up to you sir thank you no question the member from nicole belt thank you mr. President the question is very simple the first minister who said mr. Lockheed my question is simple who told mr. Lockheed and mr. O'bara to offer employment to mr. Olivier about this question once again I will say I had a conversation with Andrew Olivier in order for him to remain involved in the party I decided that glanti bull who was the best candidate for our party in Sudbury and I am very happy to have mr. Tebow in my party in our government thank you mr. Chair it is not a coincidence that mr. O'bara and Jerry Lockheed were calling and Andrew Olivier and in the name of the premier they told him he could have anything he wanted as long as he was not a candidate for the liberal party and it is not a coincidence that the three people thought that nominating and candidate had not been done yet so who took the decision to tell Lockheed and O'bara to do what they did mr. Chair I decided that glanti bull was the best candidate for this election the by-election in Sudbury I took this decision I had a conversation with Andrew Olivier so that he would remain involved in our party because I believe that it is the responsibility of a party leader I made the decision we were working to engage Andrew Olivier those that's what the conversations between Pats O'bara and Andrew Olivier were about mr. Speaker thank you no question we remember from Davenport thank you Mr. President my question is for the minister of natural resources and forestry mr. Speaker Ontario's biodiversity and natural heritage contributes substantial ecological and economic benefits to our province yet invasive species threaten our province's biodiversity and can have drastic impacts on our economy one species that is already established in Ontario the zebra mussel clog the intake pipes of municipal water supplies and hydroelectric companies and interfere with the overall enjoyment of our lakes and rivers managing zebra mussels cost between 75 and 91 million dollars each year another invasive species the emerald ash borer is a beetle that has devastating impacts on Ontario's ash trees since 2002 the emerald ash borer has spread across much of southwestern Ontario Sulcite Marie and the Ottawa area this beetle kills approximately 99% of ash trees as it moves through the area and I understand that over 118 actors have already been affected mr. Speaker through you to the minister could he explain how what our government is doing to stop the spread of these species in Ontario Mr. Minister mouth for resources and forestry Speaker thank you and I want to thank the the member from Davenport for for the question Speaker it's important that in Ontario we be as proactive as we possibly can in the past we've been reactive and the member through her question has referenced a couple of examples the zebra mussel costing us $90 million a year in terms of trying to deal with it once it's arrived we know by being proactive we can limit that the emerald ash borer is another great example here in the city of Toronto spending $37 million over the last five years and removing a significant portion of their urban forest canopy we need to try and be more proactive where we can be on these issues Speaker there are examples where we've been successful too since the ballast water restrictions and changes have come into place we don't believe there's been an introduction of another aquatic invasive species into the Great Lakes since 2006 since those changes came into place and in regard to the emerald ash borer simply by heating preheating pallets and they believe the borer the emerald ash borer came in on wooden pallets simply by preheating those pallets before they come over you can deal with it that way that's one of the reasons we've reintroduced the invasive species act we want to be proactive on this file and carry this example Thank you documentary Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the minister of natural resources and forestry for his response and leadership on this important issue Mr. Speaker I am pleased to hear that our government is taking a proactive role in preventing, detecting and rapidly responding to invasive species however often environmentalist landowners industry and hunters and anglers of this province have competing interests when it comes to addressing environmental concerns in Ontario and municipalities are very interested in preventing the spread of invasive species as they are often at the front lines paying the cost when these species invade our communities though I know you have worked with a number of stakeholders to bring this legislation forward my constituents are concerned about the impact this legislation will have on every day on terrians and industry Mr. Speaker through you to the minister could you please explain to the house what our government is doing to work with stakeholders communities and municipalities to prevent invasive species from affecting our environmental and environmental economy Thank you minister Mr. Speaker thank you and once again I want to thank the member from Davenport for the question Speaker last week or the week before I was in Ottawa for a conference primarily centered on dealing with biodiversity in Canada wide there was a federal provincial territorial ministers meeting dealing with biodiversity but a significant part of the conference dealt with the issue related to invasive species Ontario is seen as a leader on this file and one of the requests that Ontario brought to the conference was that we established a federal provincial task force on a move forward basis on a go forward basis to deal with this in a pan-Canadian approach Minister Eglicock was there she was the host and the leader on the conference through her leadership as well as with the support of the other federal provincial and territorial ministers we received agreement we have now established and will establish in very short order a task force dealing specifically with invasive species this will be to the benefit of all of us across Canada of course invasive species no no boundaries speaker thank you my question is for the Premier here's a quote and I begin it is of the utmost importance that we lead responsibly act with integrity manage spending wisely and are accountable for every action we take can you tell me whose words those are Mr. Speaker I imagine I said that I'm just thinking that I said that and certainly if it's not a quote from me it's certainly something that I believe Mr. Speaker and in fact it's why on Friday if we're if we're still talking about the Sudbury by-election which I imagine we are it's why on Friday Mr. Speaker I made a clear statement about when I had made the decision what we were going to do in terms of the ongoing investigation we were going to cooperate with the authorities and I made it clear Mr. Speaker what my actions going forward would be thank you supplementary yes premier the quote is yours in fact I guess the quote is it is found in every mandate letter you wrote to your cabinet ministers unfortunately it seems that the value you place on integrity is dependent on circumstances and is flexible when it's your needs during your latest scandal did it not occur to you that you were asking Jerry Lockheed to break a police services board code of conduct the regulation which states that board members shall refrain from engaging in conduct that would discredit or compromise the integrity of the board or the police force why did you put Mr. Lockheed in a position where he would be breaking this code just speaker this question has been asked many times in many different ways I've answered the question I've made it clear that the conversations that took place were in the context of my having decided who the best candidate was going to be for us and that was Glen Tebow and we were trying to work to keep the past candidate involved that's what the context was Mr. Speaker here here thank you Mr. Speaker thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the premier after asking Mr. Andrew Olivier to step aside so that the premier could nominate her favorite candidate Mr. Berra said to Mr. Olivier that he was the third person who had been asked to step aside so who are those two other persons and what are the offers that were made to them I would like to say once again that I made a decision when I decide that I made the decision that Glen Tebow would be the best candidate for the writing of Sebrey and we had conversations to continue to engage our former candidate in the party we're about suggestions about ways that he could stay involved in the party apart from being a candidate because he was not going to be the candidate Glen Tebow was going to be our candidate Mr. Speaker thank you Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker once again to the premier Ms. Patsar Berra said to Mr. Olivier that it was the third time that the premier contacted people to ask them to withdraw their candidacy so who are these other people who got those cons I said that I had made a decision I do not know who are these other people I know that Patsar Berra had a conversation with Andrew Olivier to engage Andrew in the party going forward because he used to be our candidate these are the facts Speaker well thank you very much Speaker and my question is for the minister of energy who we are able to host in my writing of Cambridge in November talking about energy and the new master servicing agreement that was signed between Bruce Power and Babcock and Wilcox so thank you for coming then Minister it seems that Ontario's electricity system has changed significantly since the independent electricity system operator IESO and the former Ontario power authority were created in 1999 and 2004 respectively in fact I believe that the areas of overlap and duplication between the two agencies have been noted since a report from the agency review panel I understand that the IESO and the former OPA have now merged to form a single entity as of the beginning of this year in 2015 Speaker through you to the minister could the minister please advise the house as to the role and responsibilities of the newly merged independent electricity systems operator thank you very much Minister of Energy Mr. Speaker I thank the member from Cambridge for the question the newly merged independent electricity system operator is responsible for ensuring there's enough power to meet the provinces electricity needs in real time while planning and securing electricity supply for the future it does this Mr. Speaker by balancing the supply and demand of electricity in Ontario and directing its flow across the provinces transmission lines planning for the provinces medium and long-term electricity needs and securing clean sources of supply overseeing the electricity wholesale market and fostering the development of a conservation culture a joint working committee reviewed each organisation to determine where efficiencies could be found while ensuring that the electricity system remains safe and reliable Mr. Speaker the merger which took effect answer first was smooth a seamless Mr. Speaker and it is generating very significant efficiencies the council supplementary thank you minister I think it's helpful for families and businesses in Ontario to know what the new independent electricity systems operator does and what it's responsible for I'm sure it was a complex process to merge the IESO and the OPA I find it reassuring to hear of the joint working committee that work collaboratively collaboratively to review where the efficiencies were being found to ensure that our electricity system remains safe and reliable for all Ontario's including those in my writing of Cambridge I know that you and the ministry of energy staff have been focusing on improving the efficiency in the energy sector and have placed a specific focus of improving efficiency at our energy agency question while there are obvious efficiencies such as the reduction from two boards of directors to one and two CEOs could the minister please advise the house how else the merger of these two agencies will increase efficiency minister this is a question Mr. Speaker I thank the member for the supplementary question the government's priority is to continue building a clean reliable and cost effective electricity system for Ontarians so the merger of the independent electricity system operator the IESO and the former Ontario power authority OPA was implemented to increase operational efficiencies and contain costs and the merger is expected to increase operational efficiency create synergies and contain costs Mr. Speaker by bringing short medium and long-term planning functions together simplifying the electricity sector for industry and consumers and coordinate the flow of electricity between generators and consumers the merger supports our government's commitment to improve agency efficiency reduce costs in the electricity sector and help mitigate costs for rate thank you Mr. Speaker it's very usual that the Speaker announce the visitation of a special guest Mr. Alvin Curling in the West Public Gallery bought me for the record to put down what I normally say so that is the member in the 33rd 34th 35th and 36th parliaments of the riding of Scarborough North and in the 37th and 38th parliaments of the riding of Scarborough Rouge River and in the 38th parliaments our former Speaker thank you very much for doing that it's before we do our vote I have been requested to ask a few more people so point of order from the Premier sorry I did not notice that in the gallery are three of my constituents Paul Robert Margaret Casey and Janet McDougall I just wanted to welcome them and Mr. Speaker I may have said public service act instead of police service act answering the question for the member from Leeds Grandville if I have said that I would like to correct myself thank you point of order to correct your record it's always appropriate Minister of Education point of order I'd like to correct my record too when I reference the heckling about parents should be able to vote on evolution curriculum I shouldn't have named the individual I should have given the riding I should have said the member from Chatham can't ask while one is allowed to correct their record I I do accept that as a point of order but not in the spirit I believe we are supposed to be intending this we have a deferred vote on the motion of second reading of bill 31 calling the members this will be a five minute bell put all members please take their seats all members please take their seats thank you on November the 27th 2014 Mr. Del Ducamo second reading of bill 31 an act to amend the highway 407 east act 2012 and the highway traffic act in respect to various matters and to make a consequential amendment to the provincial offenses act all those in favor of the motion please rise one at a time and be recognized by the clerk Mr. Bradley Mr. Shirelli Mr. Shirelli Madam Mayor Madam Mayor Mr. Sousa Mr. Sousa Ms. Nguyen Ms. Nguyen Ms. Nguyen Ms. Nguyen Ms. Nguyen Ms. Nguyen Mr. Hoskins Mr. Hoskins Ms. Sandal Ms. Sandal Mr. Dugas Mr. Dugas Mr. Quintar Mr. Quintar Mr. Cole Mr. Cole Mr. Siukar Mr. Tahkar Mr. Bardinetti Mr. Bardinetti Mr.rifle Mr. quadrile Mr. Orz吉 Mr. Orz yet Mr. Orz referee Mr. Gravell Mr. McNeecan Mr. McNeecan Mr. Murray Mr. Murray Mr. Chan Mr. Chan Mr. Scott Mr. Scott Mr. Kooto Mr. Hodute Mr. Leo Mr. Leo Mr. Flynn Mr. Flynn Mr. Zimmer Mr. Zimmer Mr. DeLaney, Mr. Balkasen, Mr. Albanese, Mr. Dixie, Mr. Dixie, Mr. Mangat, Mr. Kraj, Mr. Kraj, Ms. Wong, Ms. Hunter, Mr. Sergio, Mr. Moro, Mr. Moro, Ms. Jasek, Ms. Dahmerer, Ms. Dahmerer, Mr. Fraser, Mr. Andersen, Mr. Anderson, Mr. Baker, Mr. Baker, Mr. Baller, Mr. Dahl, Mr. Dahl, Ms. Hogarth, Ms. Kuala, Ms. Kuala, Madam LaLong, Ms. Mahler, Ms. Martin, Ms. McGarry, Ms. McMahon, Mr. Milcher, Ms. Nadu Harris, Mr. Rinaldi, Ms. Renea, Mr. Tebow, Mr. Harris, Mr. Arne, Ms. Acabasca, Mr. Clark, Mr. McNaughton, Ms. Jones, Mr. Barrett, Ms. Monroe, Ms. Scott, Ms. Scott, Mr. Bailey, Mr. Walker, Mr. Smith, Mr. Smith, Ms. Martau, Ms. Martau, Mr. McDonnell, Mr. Manklin, Mr. Mansfield, Mr. Besson, Ms. Holden, Mr. Vanklin, Mr. Nova, Mr. Nova, Madam Jelena, Mr. Tabins, Mr. Miller, Hamilton, East Stony Creek, Mr. Taylor, Mr. Natashow, Mr. Sain, Ms. Spice, Ms. Forster, Mr. Hatfield, Mr. Gates, Ms. Gretzky, Ms. French, Ms. French. Time and be recognized by the clerk. The ayes are 88, the nays are zero. The ayes being 88 and the nays being zero, I declare the motion carried. Shall the bill be ordered for third reading? Minister of Transportation. So ordered. Can barely hear what he's saying. The bill has been referred to the Committee for General Government. You're welcome, Member from Renfrew, Nipissing Pembroke. In the Speaker's Gallery are friends of mine from the Riding of Brandt who are here with lunch with the MPP and their support for charity, Mr. Ken Mercer and Sherry Martin. Welcome and thank you for being here. There are no further deferred votes. This house stands adjourned until 3 p.m. this afternoon.