 Thank you. We welcome all our guests. It is now time for a question period. The leader of Rematch is here at the opposition. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. Speaker, yesterday the Premier said she was obviously encouraged by ETFO's decision to start work to rule rather than a full strike. Well, that encouragement lasted exactly two hours yesterday. So much for the Premier lighting a fire under the negotiations. With no settlement in sight, parents have a real fear that a full-blown strike is just around the corner. Parents don't deserve the anxiety that this uncertainty brings. They need to be able to make daycare plans for their young children. Premier, the children and the parents of this province are being caught in the crossfire of your failed negotiations. Get this deal done and end this uncertainty for Ontario's mums and dads. Will you do that for me? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Well, first of all, let me just welcome the reps who are in the gallery today. I appreciate you being here. I appreciate you monitoring what goes on in this house. And for many years we have worked together. And it's why, Mr. Speaker, that I have faith in the collective bargaining process. I know that it can work. It takes time. It's true it does take time. And sometimes it can be frustrating for all sides. But the fact is, it is the best process that we have, Mr. Speaker, to come to a fair and equitable settlement, Mr. Speaker. But it has to happen at the table. And I would just remind the member opposite that the starting point for their party was firing over 20,000 education workers. And Mr. Speaker, that's just not who we are. It's not a good system. And so what we are doing is we are working through a collective bargaining process and we need to let that play out. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My question is also to the Premier. And it's another day with no progress. Another morning that there are 817,000 elementary school students impacted by the withdrawal of administrative duties by Ethel. The government's two-tiered system is a wreck. It has been an utter failure. It has been all the issues on the local boards, yet the boards have no room to bargain. But even if a local board and union do reach an agreement, it's all for naught, since a central agreement must be achieved. This is something that can't happen when no one is at the table. Premier, will you fire your Minister of Education and take steps to seriously get negotiations started again? Thank you. Premier? No, Mr. Speaker. I won't do that because I know that our Minister of Education understands fundamentally how important it is to let the discussion take place, Mr. Speaker, between the partners. And sometimes there are stops and starts in that, Mr. Speaker, but fundamentally the collective bargaining process has to unfold at the table. Look, I'm not happy that kids are out of school, Mr. Speaker. Teachers and support staff are not happy that they're out of school. I understand that. They understand that. We all want kids back in school, and we want the teachers and the support staff back in school. And I know that that's where they want to be. When I was in Sudbury, Mr. Speaker, I talked to teachers who were out on the sidewalk, and we talked about the fact that they want to be back in the classroom. I understand that. They understand that. The kids want to be back, Mr. Speaker. We have to let the collective bargaining process take its course. We need to have that deal at the table, Mr. Speaker. And we're going to do everything in our power to make sure that that happens. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And back to the Premier. Well, you know, Premier, you're a former Minister of Education. You're also a former school trustee. So is the Minister of Education, a former trustee. The Premier knows that there are students who are enrolled in sciences, mathematics, and courses that prepare them for college or universities. She knows that they are being put at a serious disadvantage for almost four weeks now, while other graduating students are in the classrooms getting the education that they deserve. This failure of a system that you put in place has dragged on long enough. Central bargaining must take place before boards begin to work. The strike has dragged on long enough. Premier, how can you let your Dithering Minister of Education ruin the school year for so many students? How can you let your Dithering Minister of Education continue in her polls? Thank you. Premier. Yes, thank you. And we share your concern about students being out of school. And for the ones in Durham, they've obviously been out for quite a long time now. And we absolutely share that concern. We've certainly been in close contact with the colleges, with the universities, with the application centers. And at this point, the application process for college and university is as occurring as it should. But we are very concerned with that gap in the coursework. We know that for the students that are going on to our college and university next year, that there is a gap in the course content. And I would encourage students in those boards to go to their board website and find some of the web-based material that is there for them to keep working. Because sooner or later, this will end. Thank you. We will get kids back. Thank you. A final reminder to the minister. When I stand, you sit. New question. The member from Renfrew, Nippon City Council. Thank you. On countless occasions, we have asked you questions about the consequences of your reckless hydro policies. We have told you about constituents in the most desperate situations, because the cost of energy is rising much faster than their ability to pay. Unfortunately for them, you and your Premier seem unwilling to listen or do not care. As of the first of this month, they're paying 16.1 cents a kilowatt hour, plus all the extras you slap on for on peak electricity. When your government took office, they were paying less than a third of that. Minister, we asked you to include this in your budget. You refused. We'll ask you again. Will you enact a consumer's first energy plan that protects Ontario's hydro users from future skyrocketing increases? Thank you very much. Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to answer, and I was particularly pleased to hear from the new leader of the PT party, Patrick Brown, yesterday, Mr. Speaker. And he appears to be coming from the Browns field of public policy, Mr. Speaker, because he stood here five feet away from you, Mr. Speaker. From Renfrew, Nipissing, Pembroke will come to order. Now, I am going to ask all members to use temperate language with the avoidance of inflaming the house, which is what is not supposed to be done. And that goes for all sides. Minister, I would like to tell you specifically it was not helpful. I withdraw, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, the new leader of the opposition stood in this house and said, the salvation for electricity rates in Ontario is broad expansion of hydro power in the province of Ontario. Not knowing, Mr. Speaker, that the capacity for expanding hydro is very, very limited in the province. To the extent that it could be expanded, Mr. Speaker, we put $2.6 billion to expect for the lower metogamy facility, Mr. Speaker, generating jobs and more hydro power. Thank you. Thank you. The member from the team Carlton will come to order. Supplementary. The minister would rather be smarter than just ask the questions. Minister, we will continue to ask these questions over and over again until you start giving satisfactory responses. I believe I just explained why I thought that temperate language would be helpful to this place. Please finish. Over and over until you start giving satisfactory responses. Your MPPs hear the same sad stories that we do. You are not unaware of this problem. Your always blame the Tory strategy on the energy file is simply not working. Ratepayers of this province place responsibility for this disaster squarely on your shoulders. We know that there's no way you can undo the damage you've already inflicted. For you, the first step is to stop inflicting more. Minister, will you reverse the skyrocketing hydro trends and stop inflicting additional pain on our economy and its citizens? Mr. Speaker, in addition to the ridiculous possibility of massive expansion of hydro, which is not possible in Ontario, it shows the lack of knowledge The member from the Pean Carlton second time. Carry on. Massive lack of knowledge of the electricity system in Ontario, and if you look at the PC party, their policy is to massively expand new nuclear in Ontario, which would cost $50 billion on the electricity rates which this province cannot afford. We have taken very significant steps to push the cost down, Mr. Speaker, and in the next supplementary, Mr. Speaker, I will address hydro rates in the province of Ontario from this government. Thank you. That $50 billion is a great number, because that's what your global adjustment has already cost Ontario. Minister, it's going to be just here tomorrow at Queen's Park. People from all across the province are coming here to send you and your government a clear message that they cannot afford electricity because of your disastrous policies like the Green Energy Act. These citizens are here on their own time and their own dime to tell you in no uncertain terms about the pain you've inflicted on them. They're hoping that logic and compassion will take you off your current road to disaster. Minister, can we have your assurance that you will meet with them tomorrow and for once in your life actually listen to what's being said? Thank you. Minister. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, according to the National Energy Board, we are projecting 2.2% annual increases over the next 18 years, Mr. Speaker. That's a national energy board compared to Alberta 3.2%, BC 2.8%, New Brunswick 2.4%, Nova Scotia 2.8%, Mr. Speaker. And Ontario industrial rates also compare very favourably with other jurisdictions, Mr. Speaker. Industrial rates in Northern Ontario are among the lowest in Canada. The member from Renfrew Nipissing, Ken Brook, is Warren. Carry on. Mr. Speaker, debates are two-way, Mr. Speaker. And apparently the critic for the opposition want a one-way debate. He doesn't want to listen, he just wants to talk. And if he'd listen, he'd know that Canada... We have the lowest rates, Mr. Speaker, lower than 45 American states in Northern Ontario. Industrial rates in Southern Ontario are lower than in Michigan, Wisconsin and New Jersey. Minister, the member from Prince Edward Hastings, come to order. Finish, please. Mr. Speaker, I'll finish with industrial rates in Southern Ontario are lower than in Michigan, Wisconsin and New Jersey and in line with states like Pennsylvania, South Dakota and Minnesota. And we have extensive programs to mitigate rates in the industrial and business sector, Mr. Speaker. Bravo! New question. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Premier. The Premier says she's proud of her plan to sell Hydro One, but she's shutting down debate and looking, rather, locking down committee testimony to only four days and only in Toronto, Speaker. If the Premier is so proud of her plan, why doesn't she let people have a say? Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Well, as I have said a number of times, Mr. Speaker, we are putting in place six days of consultation on the budget, Mr. Speaker. Four days of delegations and two days of clause by clause, which up until yesterday was part of the committee process, but apparently the third party has decided that's not. Mr. Speaker, what I'm proud of is I'm proud of the budget that we have put forward to the people of Ontario. I'm proud of the fact, Mr. Speaker, that we are investing in the current economy of this province, Mr. Speaker, by investing in infrastructure and creating 26,000 jobs a year, Mr. Speaker, by building roads and bridges and transit inside the Greater Toronto Hamilton Area and across the whole province, Mr. Speaker. I'm proud of the fact that we're investing in people's talent and skills and expanding opportunity for young people who are looking for jobs, Mr. Speaker. That's what our budget does. I'm proud of, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Premier says she's proud of her plan to sell off Hydro-1, but she can't even seem to say the word sell. Yesterday, the Liberals talked about broadening ownership five times. They talked about maximizing. She's talked about reviewing. She's even talked about looking at assets. Is the Premier using every word except sell because she knows she's made the wrong decision and Ontario's don't want to pay the price for her sell-off of Hydro-1? I have said that we're engaged in a partial sale of Hydro-1. Mr. Speaker, I've said that in this House. I've said it publicly and I say it again. So the leader of the third party has the clip that she's looking for. There you go. Now, she can do what she chooses with it. I'm proud, Mr. Speaker, of the fact that we are making investments in this province, that our budget is about building this province up, that our budget is about addressing the needs of people in their day-to-day lives. We know that people are caught in congestion, that people are living in communities that are running businesses that need infrastructure investment, that municipalities alone cannot achieve. They need a provincial partner in order to be able to make those investments. They need a provincial partner in order to be able to change the way their economies can thrive. Those investments are necessary, Mr. Speaker. That's what I'm proud of. That's what our budget delivers. Thank you. I remember when this Premier used to talk about openness and transparency. Transparency would mean actually running on the plan that you intend to implement after you get elected. That would be transparency, Speaker. Openness would mean letting people have their say when you decide to go on a different track once you're elected, as opposed to what you say during an election campaign. You know what? Ontarians see what this Premier is doing. They didn't vote to privatise Hydro One, but the Premier is selling it anyways, and what's worse, she's trying to shut people down out of the process on something that they should have a voice on from one end of this province to the other. You know what, Speaker? This Premier so completely lost her way. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Well, I have to say to the leader of the third party that the plan that we ran on included a review of the public assets that are owned by the people of Ontario. She knows that, Mr. Speaker, because she started criticising us as soon as we said that. She's on record criticising us for reviewing the assets, Mr. Speaker, from the moment that we said we were going to do it, even though she ran on exactly the same fiscal assumptions. So the fact is, Mr. Speaker, we said we were going to review the assets of the province, but most importantly, Mr. Speaker... Minister of Transportation, come to order. The member from Hamilton East, Stony Creek, probably didn't hear me. I am now asking him to come to order. We said we were going to invest in infrastructure. We said we were going to invest in people's talent and skills. We said we were going to work with business and create a dynamic business environment, Mr. Speaker, and we said we were going to create an Ontario Retirement Pension Plan. If the leader of the third party had one scintilla of a plan, Mr. Speaker, if she had one iota of a vision of how to do those things... New question, the leader of the third party. This question is also for the Premier, Speaker. You know, the Liberals actually used to be straightforward about selling Hydro-1. In 2002, Dalton McGinty called the sale of Hydro-1 quote, a disaster for consumers. I want to read a passage from the Niagara Falls Review from May 7th, 2002, quote, the privatization of Hydro-1 will further exacerbate already underfunded school board budgets. Then President of the Ontario Public School Board Association, current Minister of Education, told the government... Government wants to privatize Hydro-1. It was bad for schools then, Speaker, and it is bad for schools today. The Premier, who won her seat fighting against privatizing of Hydro-1, is suddenly all about privatizing Hydro-1. And most importantly, 30,000 Ontarians have actually sent Liberals a message that they don't want her to sell Hydro-1. Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I know that the Minister of Education is going to want to comment, but Mr. Speaker, let me just once again make it clear that what we ran on, Mr. Speaker, was investment in this province. We said that we were going to invest in the roads and bridges and the transit that are desperately needed in this province. We said we were going to build up the economy, Mr. Speaker, by working with municipalities and by working with businesses to partner with them to allow them to expand. Please finish. And we said we were going to invest in people's talent and skills and provide opportunity for young people to get work experience as part of their education, Mr. Speaker. We are doing all of those things. The leader of the third party, Mr. Speaker, has no plan to make those investments. She has no plan to build up this economy, and she has no plan specifically to build infrastructure. We are doing that, Mr. Speaker. It's our commitment, and we are following through. Thank you. Final supplementary. This is my second speaker. This is part two. All right, thank you. Talk to the Premier, Speaker. People didn't vote to sell Hydro-1, and it leaves them paying the price, regardless of the fact that they didn't vote for it. It cuts hundreds of millions of dollars in long-term stable revenue that we could invest, and the money isn't going where the Premier claims it's supposed to go. It kills jobs, and it hurts families, but it will help out a few bankers. Congratulations. It's going to help out some consultants and some of your friends, some liberal friends. Congratulations. Why is the Premier more interested in helping out bankers than she is helping out the people of Ontario? Thank you. Premier. Speaker, what I am interested in is building rapid transit in Hamilton, Mr. Speaker. I'm interested in the open dot, Mr. Speaker. I'm interested in changing the patterns of congestion on the road. A member from Hamilton East Stony Creek and the Minister of Transportation. Second time for both. I'm interested in alleviating the congestion on our roads, Mr. Speaker, that is costing us billions of dollars a year in economic activity and productivity. And, Mr. Speaker, I would suggest that any member of this House should be interested in those very same things because those are the... Final supplementary. Well, what's shameful, Speaker, is that the Premier was not interested in being upfront with the people of this province which she ran her election by the people of Ontario. They did not vote to sell it. As owners, they deserve their say, even if what they say is that they don't want higher bills. They don't want lost revenues for the province. They don't want loss of control. The Liberals used to believe that selling Hydro One was a disaster for people and bad for schools. But they've lost track of what matters to Ontarians, Speaker. Will the Premier stop listening to bankers and consultants and actually start listening to Ontarians who don't want to pay the bill for her sell-off of Hydro One? Mr. Speaker. Yes, thank you. Now, why won't you tell them what I believe in? I believe that we have to fully fund our schools. So let's put this in context. In 2002, the official opposition was the government and they had received a report that said the education system in Ontario. Their consultant said, in agreement with the Ontario public school boards, wait for it, that there was a $1 billion, $1 billion gap between what schools needed and what they provided. Do you know, Speaker, what we've added? We've added $8.1 billion. Well, you're done. Order through the chair, please. New question. Member from Nippison. Thank you. Good morning, Speaker. My question is for the Premier. This morning, the legislature will be asked to vote on your general budgetary policy. But as we've exposed, there is nothing more here than a shell game. You're pretending there's new money for transit when there isn't. That plan was already announced in last year's budget. So this new money you plan to siphon out of the Hydro One sale isn't actually going to fund transit. It's going to feed your spending addiction and create an illusion that you're reducing the deficit. Premier, if Quebec can balance their budget and have low hydro rates, why can't you? Thank you. Mr. Speaker, we are investing in infrastructure. We are investing in public transit. And we're doing so by maximizing the use of our other craft corporations and reinvesting those funds dollar for dollar in the Trillium Trust to reinvest in our economy, invest in our people, and invest in infrastructure that's going to enable us to be more competitive. That is very clearly stated out in our budget. It's clearly stated out in the way we're going to come to balance by 2017-18. And it clearly states that we're exceeding our targets year over year. And Mr. Speaker, Ontario has the lowest cost government in Canada because of the stuff that we've taken to enable us to be competitive, and we're succeeding ahead of every other province and every other government in this Canada. Well, Premier, yesterday you moved to limit budget debate to only have hearings in the City of Toronto. We understand why you don't want to take your budget to the rest of Ontario. That would mean you would have to face Jennifer in Ottawa who told our pre-budget hearings that she has to turn her hydro off from six o'clock every morning until noon and again from three every afternoon until seven just to pay her bill. Minister, transportation is warned. Please finish. I realize they find this funny, Speaker, but Jennifer has to decide between food or fuel, between to eat or eat. You'll have to face Julie Allen who told the committee that the digital media tax credit you're getting is the lifeblood of their sector. So, Premier, will you commit to hearings outside of Toronto and face the consequence your bungled budget policies have on all of the people in Ontario? Thank you. Minister of Finance. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This budget, 2015, as well as the budget of 2014, had the greatest amount of consultations of any other report that we put forward in this House. We have crisscrossed the province as the minister of finance but as well as the members from the standing committee in finance as well. And we'll continue to do so. In fact, we have now put forward six days more so than any of the opposition members have ever put forward in the past. We are deliberating over this budget. We're deliberating over this bill. The people of Ontario have had many opportunities to discuss it and we continue to listen to them. In fact, what are they saying, Mr. Speaker? They want us to invest in the economy. They want to invest in jobs. They want us to invest in opportunities for them to succeed, Mr. Speaker. That is what this budget is all about, to enable us to be more prosperous, more competitive and enable better future for our families. New question? The members from Toronto very important. Thank you, Speaker. My question to the Premier. Selling Hydro-1 is another bad decision by the Liberals. Dr. Douglas Peters, a former chief economist at TD Bank and Secretary of State for financial institutions, has written a report together with Dr. David Peters that shows that quote, selling 15% of Hydro-1 instead of borrowing for infrastructure requirements will actually result in a net loss to the public of $84.7 million a year. Wow. And selling 60% could actually cost $338 million per year. Wow. Why is the Premier planning to throw away $338 million a year? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Minister of Energy? Minister of Energy. Mr. Speaker, as the budget indicated, we're proceeding with an IPO, Mr. Speaker, which will generate $9 billion in proceeds, Mr. Speaker. $5 billion will be applied to debt, Mr. Speaker. $4 billion will be going into the Trillium infrastructure fund, Mr. Speaker. That's important, Mr. Speaker. The $4 billion that's going into infrastructure is $4 billion that's not coming from tax increases, not coming from borrowing, Mr. Speaker, not coming from program cuts, Mr. Speaker. The NDP have already indicated they're going to raise taxes in order to pay for the infrastructure, Mr. Speaker. They let that sneak out two or three days ago in the House, Mr. Speaker. We've got a program that's sensible, makes sense, and it's been assessed by economists as being the most prudent way to proceed, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Supplementary. Speaker, the government can't get away from the fact that they're going to throw away $338 million a year. It's going to hold a fire sale for assets that will give private sector investors a virtually guaranteed 8% return per year. There will be less money for transit, for roads, for bridges. Will the Premier pull the plug on the sale of Hydro-1? Mr. Speaker. You've seen it, please. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, we set in our budget of 2014. We are going to assess assets, entrepreneurial assets, such as the Beer Store, LCBO, Hydro-Agencies, Mr. Speaker, to repurpose assets, Mr. Speaker. To repurpose assets to invest in infrastructure. Mr. Speaker, you talk to any Mayor across Canada, let alone across Ontario. They will tell you their priority ask, their priority need is infrastructure, Mr. Speaker. It's infrastructure that will go into rapid transit in Hamilton. It'll go into rapid transit in Ottawa. It'll go into expanding natural gas in rural communities, Mr. Speaker. It's the right thing to do. It's what the people of this province are asking for. And we're going to do that. Good question. Well, thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport, also known as the head cheerleader for the Parapan Am Games. Now, I know our government has worked hard to make the Parapan Games a catalyst for improvements to accessibility in Ontario. And I recently read a great article about the RU Ready Conference that TO-215 held just last week. And in that piece, Mr. Speaker, wheelchair athlete player, Abdi Dini, who won a gold medal at the London Paralympics, talked about how the Parapan Games will be an eye-opening experience for Ontario. And we will be welcoming 2,400 para-athletes and officials to our province and businesses need to be prepared at the RU Ready Conference. Thank you to TO-215 informed businesses, big and small, about how improved accessibility will benefit them. And, Speaker, this is a great example of why these games are so important. So, Minister, will the minister please tell the members of this House about the legacy of the Parapan Am Games? Member from Hamilton East, Tony Creek, is warned. Minister? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And with 59 days to go before we welcome the world to Ontario, it is a great pleasure. Thank you for the opportunity to answer this question, to talk about one of the most important legacies of the Parapan Am Games. As the member mentioned, our government saw the games not only as an opportunity to hold an amazing sporting event, but also an opportunity to highlight and promote accessibility here in the province of Ontario. The athlete's village is a great example of an incredible piece of infrastructure that will be used for future generations to come. And accessibility was a key component in the design of the entire village, with, Mr. Speaker, 10% of the units being fully accessible. During the games, para-athletes will make their homes in these units while they eat, sleep and prepare for the event. After the games, these units will be converted into affordable housing units for insurance with disabilities. Mr. Speaker, we, another important component of these games is we'll have our volunteers 23,000 of them trained. Here, here. Supplementary. Great work that you're doing for accessibility. Now, I know that you and the Minister of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure have regularly spoken to this house about the legacy that these infrastructure projects will leave for our province. These projects are building upon Ontario's reputation as a world leader when it comes to accessibility, and we are soon to be celebrating the 10th anniversary of the passage of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, a groundbreaking commitment to people with disabilities in Ontario. Mr. Speaker, would the Minister please update the house on how the games infrastructure projects are helping making Ontario a more accessible province? Thank you, Minister. Minister of Economic Development. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As we approach the para-pan-am games, we must continue to focus on accessibility to ensure the game's success. That's why all existing sport venues are completely accessible and every new build was designed with accessibility in mind. It gives me great pleasure to be able to say that the Aquatic Center in Scarborough is an incredible example of this. It's one of the most accessible public recreation facilities ever built in North America. For instance, it's home to the world's first full-time year-round daily training environment for high-performance wheelchair basketball. The facility also has recovery and regeneration pools that help to treat rehabilitating athletes with a movable floor that can be raised up to the deck level so that wheelchairs can get access. Mr. Speaker, there's no question these games will be an incredible springboard to our efforts to work towards full accessibility. Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Premier, the Auditor General's report on winter highway maintenance shows that your government weakened the area maintenance contracts in 2009, doing away with MTO best practices and removing layers of oversight. As a result, Ontario's winter roads became more dangerous. Premier, why did it take six winters of worsening road conditions, deaths on our highways, and a special report by the Auditor General to realize this decision by your government was putting Ontarians in danger? Minister of Transportation. Thanks very much, Speaker. I thank the member from Perry San Muskoka for his question today. I understand where he's coming from. I know that he's spoken to me through correspondence in the past about concerns from people in his particular community, which I do understand. Speaker, as I've said many times here in the legislature and also to the media, there were eight recommendations that were contained in the Auditor's report. All eight of those recommendations have been accepted by me, accepted by the ministry. I do accept full responsibility for making sure that going forward, this program continues to provide Ontarians with the level of winter maintenance that they expect and that they deserve. I have also pointed out, Speaker, that in 2013 the Ministry of Transportation conducted an internal review as a result of that review, which took place before the auditor was asked to do her work. We have supplied over 100 new pieces of equipment out on highways, both in the north and the south. We've added more oversight and we've added more material as well, Speaker. Thank you very much. Thank you, supplementary. Thanks to the Premier. Premier, you were transportation minister for a year and a half of those six years since your government changed the area maintenance contracts. To remind you, that was January 2010 to October 2011. Why did you not heed the warnings that were out there? From your own MTO staff, from the OPP, from the general driving public. Premier, it was obvious to everyone in my riding and across the north that driving conditions were dangerous. Just ask any of the thousands of people who signed my petitions. So I ask again, why did it take six years, needless deaths on our highways and finally direction from the auditor general to get you to do something? Thank you. Thank you again, Mr. Speaker. What I've also pointed out and the opportunities that I've had to respond on questions relating to the auditor's report is that also contained in that report was her acknowledgement that over the last 13 years Ontario has been ranked first or second in all of North America for highway safety, Speaker. That doesn't mean that our work is done at the Ministry of Transportation. One of the reasons that I've asked the auditor to come back in at the end of next winter season and provide a follow-up report is because I do accept full responsibility for making sure that going forward we have winter maintenance that is expected, a winter maintenance standard that's achieved, the kind of standard that the people of Ontario do deserve. In fact, Speaker, in budget 2015 when we first introduced this House and introduced or tabled that budget there were measures in that document that will help supply additional materials for the coming winter season and additional equipment as well, Speaker. I'll also be providing an update within 60 days of the auditor's report and I look forward to providing that information publicly. Thanks very much. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Premier. Speaker, the Premier marketed herself as the education Premier. She promised not to cut education in ships with education workers. That's clearly not working out so well for her. And yet, yesterday, the Minister of Education literally boasted about the fact that her government didn't need to keep its commitment to invest $250 million in education last year and claimed there were no cuts made to special education. But today we learned 50 educational assistant jobs are on the chopping block in Bruce Gray. That's very perplexing. And it appears the Liberal government doesn't see the value of keeping class sizes manageable. Well, Speaker, Ontario families don't see the value of a government that throws our schools into chaos. With nearly 900,000 students impacted by this government's bad decisions, will the Premier finally reverse her cuts to education and keep her promise to Ontario families? Minister of Education. Minister of Education. Yes, thank you very much. 22.5 billion last year equals 22.5 billion this year. 22.5 billion this year. But let me expand because what's really interesting, Speaker, is... Please finish. You know, one of the things that I feel find really interesting is the platform they ran on. The platform they ran on in 2014 said that they'd spend the same amount of, you know, $200 billion with our 22.5 billion as a base and then said they'd find $600 million in savings in health and education. I'm guessing that probably their goal was to find about $250 million in savings during the last fiscal year. Thank you. Thank you, Speaker. Page 230 of your budget you boast about spending less in year. Again to the Premier, yesterday the Minister of Education claimed that our public elementary teachers were at the bargaining table just as they were getting up to leave. The minister also recently said that class size caps were possibly on the central table. It's perplexing, Speaker, that the minister doesn't know what's going on. While the minister fumbles her file and your government continues to cut education, Ontario families are paying the price. They're paying the price across Ontario. Liberal cuts and broken promises are throwing our schools into chaos. Will the Premier finally admit that it's time to reverse from short-sighted cuts to education and keep class sizes manageable? Place Ontario has among the lowest class sizes of both elementary and secondary anywhere in Canada. But let's go back to this $250 million, Speaker. That came because enrollment fell. That was one cause. And this year, the Perpupil funding has gone up because we reinvested those savings. So Perpupil funding has gone up. The other things was I saved some money in the administration of my ministry. We also found that school boards had greater savings in reserves than we'd actually expected. And that got consolidated onto our budget. And there were some of the boards that we'd promised capital funding for childcare or for new schools. They didn't spend it last year. They'll spend it some other year, but they didn't spend it last year. I think that those are all perfectly good reasons. Thank you. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change. Mr. Speaker, yesterday morning, this House had the privilege to hear the words of the Premier of Quebec, Mr. Philip Couillard. It was only the 10th time that a guest was able to give a speech at the Legislative Assembly, and only the third time that a Premier of another province or territory was invited to do so. Premier Couillard spoke about how important it is for Canada that Quebec and Ontario have a strong relationship between them. Together, our provinces make up more than half of Canada's population and GDP. Also in his address, Premier Couillard mentioned the importance of Quebec and Ontario working together to fight climate change and seize the opportunities of a stronger greener economy. Mr. Speaker, could the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change inform this House on the way that Ontario and Quebec are working together to fight climate change? Minister of the Environment and Climate Change. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you to my fellow members and to the member of Ottawa Oulian. The leadership of Premier Wynn and Premier Couillard, it's a historic partnership between Quebec and Ontario. And I lived in Montreal during my youth and therefore it's important that Quebec and Ontario had the strength and partnership because it reinforces our federalism and this is the most activist federalist parties ever to lead Quebec and Ontario and the two most activist federalists. But we're also working on specific things including the environment. There are very quite a few things that we're doing together. There have been agreements between our two governments with respect to action against climate change. Am I done now? Thank you. It took me 10 seconds to say that, yes. It's supplementary. Thank you, Speaker. Again, my question is to the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change. I am pleased to hear that the Government of Ontario and Quebec have been working closely to tackle climate change and will continue to do so. The governments of Quebec and Ontario are proud of the work that's already been done to fight against climate change. Last year, Ontario closed its coal powered electricity production facilities. This is the most important measure ever taken in North America to fight against polluting emissions the polluting emissions of greenhouse gases. In Quebec, a carbon market that is a system of is at the center of the government's strategy to fight against climate change. Last year, Quebec connected its carbon market to that of California via the Western Climate Initiative, thereby creating the most significant carbon market in North America. The Environment and Climate Change informed the House on why it is so important for Ontario to work with Quebec on the deployment of our cap and trade system. Thank you. Thank you. Our efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are a priority because if we don't achieve our objectives this is quite a challenge for us. Mr. Speaker, we do not want to leave this to our granddaughters to fix. This is something we must fix now and in that effort Mr. Speaker, Ontario and Quebec make up 62% of the population and the economy of Canada. Together we are large enough to change the markets in North America in order to create a carbon market in order to change the dynamic and the economic decisions throughout the continent. And our partnership with California is also very important and with Quebec, Ontario is establishing a cap and trade system and trade system. Thank you Mr. Speaker Thank you Mr. Speaker Thank you Mr. Minister of Health and long term care. Minister may has Lyme Awareness Month and the test used to initially detect Lyme disease in Ontario the Eliza Test which Health Canada States can miss up to 62% of early stage Lyme cases. When that happens public health refuses to do the and millions of dollars annually for the health ministry as we can catch Lyme earlier. Many are forced to seek medical attention in the United States and pay thousands of dollars out of pocket. One New York doctor alone treats 1,400 Ontarian patients with Lyme disease. The status quo is clearly failing Ontarians. Minister, my question is simply this. Why can't Ontarians with Lyme disease be diagnosed with more accurate testing and treated properly right here at home? Good question. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I appreciate the question from the member opposite on this important issue of Lyme disease. We are in this province. We're collaborating with Public Health Ontario. We're following Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada's guidelines and working closely with them on a consolidated strategy as well that basically covers the landscape of what we need to do. It focuses on appropriate diagnosis and prevention, first and foremost, Mr. Speaker, but also an awareness of the public and health care providers of this particular disease, but also focusing on diagnosis and treatment. And in fact, at the provincial level, we have taken steps to introduce an action plan, which will be working through Public Health Ontario and engaging stakeholders and experts, including clinical experts on Lyme disease, to update our 2012 strategy on Lyme disease, which again will cover all those areas that are important. And I know the issues that are important to the member opposite as well. Thank you. Supplementary? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Back to the minister. The status quo does have tragic consequences. A Lyme patient in my riding, Cheryl Abbott, suffered for years as Ontario's inadequate testing allowed her disease to advance undiagnosed. After her vet discovered Lyme in her dog, she decided to get tested in the United States and was immediately diagnosed. Sadly, the damage was already done and she was forced to retire early. These tragic stories are all too common. Lyme sufferers have told me that they would be willing to pay for the Western Blot test themselves so that the province will finally give them treatment again right here at home. So minister, would you be willing to commit today to a thorough review of Lyme testing to ensure that people like Cheryl get the treatment that you can't believe you? Thank you. To the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry. Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry. Thank you very much. I thank the member for the question. As mentioned already, the seriousness of the disease is not lost on anybody on our side of the house. In fact, just one or two weeks ago, there was a very significant delegation here representing those who are suffering from Lyme disease and those who are concerned about its prevalence here in the province of Ontario. What I would say to the member, and he has talked to me about this previously in the context of our provincial park system, and what we can do to be more preventative and proactive in terms of dealing with this issue is that I would begin by saying there are 330 provincial parks in the province of Ontario speaker, but those provincial parks that already have a significant risk, those provincial parks that are at risk of a higher exposure to Lyme disease are already being dealt with in a bit of a proactive way, I would say, when it comes to educational materials that are available to people who are entering into our provincial parks. We're open to any other ideas or opportunities. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much. My question is to the Premier. Today, the Auditor General warned that taxpayer-funded partisan government advertisements could very well see the light of day once again in Ontario. All over the Liberal Party website, Liberal.ca, is a petition that calls on Stephen Harper to immediately end the wasteful spending of Canadian tax dollars when partisan government advertising. So help me out. Apparently the federal Liberals want to get rid of partisan advertising, but we've got a Liberal Premier at Queen's Park working to dispense with the rules for the Liberal Party here. Can the Premier explain why she thinks partisan advertising is wrong in Ottawa, but it's okay for the Liberal Premier of Ontario? Not only do we think that spending in Ottawa is wrong, we think it's wrong here to have government-funded taxpayer-funded partisan ads. That's why we were the first jurisdiction in the country. Indeed, I think the next jurisdiction is in Australia to have this kind of legislation. We are committed to maintaining the ban of partisan ads. We are strengthening the legislation. We are responding to the request of the Auditor General by expanding the mandate to include things like online advertising and so on, Speaker. We are clarifying what partisan means, because I think it's important to have clear legislation. We've got 10 years of experience with this now. We're opening up the legislation to broaden the mandate of the Auditor General. At the same time, we're clarifying the definition of partisanship. Thank you. So again to the Premier, the Auditor General who consistently is speaking truth to power in this place thinks differently. Again, Speaker, it's not just the Federal Liberal Party. A recent editorial had this to say, in its recent budget the government served notice that it wants to change the law and that helps the Auditor General's authority to veto ads she believes are partisan rather than simply informative. That's a dangerous idea at present. So the Auditor General's Government Advertising Act is a breath of fresh air. Guiding the Government Advertising Act is another wrong choice in a growing list of bad self-serving decisions by this government. Will the Premier be voting for a plan that lets her spend money on partisan ads just like Stephen Harper? We believe that taxpayer-funded ads should not be partisan. Not in Ontario and not in the country of Canada. The Federal Government has spent over $100 million advertising the Economic Action Plan including $14.8 million after the program had ended, Speaker. They spent $2.5 million advertising a jobs program that didn't exist and $7 million on ads that were condemned by the Canadian Medical Association, the College of Physicians, our family physicians, the Royal College of Physicians... Remember from Kitchener one of those, second time. Spending an additional $13.5 million on an ad campaign promoting their budget which is perfect if the rich aren't quite rich enough, Speaker. Those ads would be banned in Ontario. We urge the Federal Government to adopt our legislation. We haven't done it. The member from Brampton, Springdale. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Associate Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. The last couple weekends have had some great weather. Spring has fully arrived. Many families with young children in my riding have been taking advantage of the warmer temperatures and the sunny sky to take their kids to playgrounds or enjoy nice meals at a restaurant patio. Our kids are outdoors being active and participating in recreational sports leagues such as baseball and soccer and playing games. This is a good time to remind everyone of our government's recent smoke-free Ontario amendments because some smokers might think of lighting up a cigarette on a bar or a restaurant patio. Speaker, through you. Can the Minister remind the House of the details of how we are further protecting our kids and all Ontarians from second-hand smoke? Thank you, Minister. Associate Minister of Long-Term Care. Thank you, Speaker. I'd like to begin by thanking the hard-working member from Brampton, Springdale for her question. And, Speaker, the member is right. Indeed, earlier this year we did prohibit the smoking on playgrounds, sport fields, restaurants and bar patios. We also prohibited tobacco sales on university and college campuses. And, Mr. Speaker, while the ban came into effect on January 1st of this year, the fact is it is only now with the warmer weather that people are going to really start noticing. And so we want to remind Ontarians any more at playgrounds. Your own Minister is answering. And these changes will, Mr. Speaker, not only protect our kids and everyday Ontarians and allow them to enjoy the outdoors, but equally importantly, Mr. Speaker, it will also protect our and restaurant staff from the dangers of second-hand smoke. Thank you, Secretary. Thank you. Minister, we know that tobacco is the leading cause of preventable disease and premature death in Ontario. There are more than 20,000 people a year. Most recently, we have seen in the news how other provinces are trying to tackle the problem of tobacco prevalence. Just last week, Quebec introduced legislation that would ban smoking on bar and restaurant patios. And in a recent national survey, it was found that over 4 million Canadians still smoke tobacco. It was the lowest national smoking rate ever recorded, but statistically unchanged from the same survey two years ago. I know the Associate Minister in charge of tobacco use and Ontarians from dangers of tobacco use and the harmful effects of second-hand smoke. Speaker, through you, can the minister please update the House on the progress our government has made in protecting Ontarians from the dangers of tobacco use? Minister? Thank you, Speaker. And again, thanks to the member for Brampton Springdale, who does such a wonderful job of representing her constituents. And it's true, we are working hard, Mr. Speaker. Ontario has in fact become a national and international leader when it comes to tobacco control. We have invested over 354 million for tobacco prevention, cessation and protection. And I'm pleased to say, Mr. Speaker, that partly as a result of our efforts, smoking rates have decreased in Ontario from 24.5% in 2000 to 18.1% in 2013. That, Mr. Speaker, is 332,000 fewer smokers. That's 332,000 Ontarians with better tobacco. Speaker, today we have the second lowest smoke rate in Canada, but that's not good enough. We are going to go forward and drive down smoking rates so that Ontario has the lowest smoking rates in Ontario. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the minister of chosen culture in sport. Minister, thanks to the 2015 budget, more full-time jobs are in jeopardy in Ontario. The film and TV industry in our province generates 1.8 billion a year and creates 31,000 full-time jobs. While other provinces choose to foster this industry, to make sure it continues to succeed, your government chose to retroactively cut rates and destabilize the entire film and TV business in Ontario. Minister, the industry has made a reasonable request that you grandfather the tax rate by making it retroactive. Will you commit to this request before your budget decision impacts the industry for years to come? Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to start by saying that our government is proud of our creative cluster here in the province of Ontario. They do so much to add to our economy and really build our identity here in the province of Ontario. Ontario is the number one film in television jurisdiction in the entire country. I don't have to say that we will continue to have the most generous film and television tax credits here in the entire country. Mr. Speaker, compared to Quebec compared to British Columbia, our main domestic competitors will remain the most competitive jurisdiction in the country. In addition, with the lower Canadian dollar, it was a great opportunity for us to make an adjustment because the dollar is so low and it still brings in foreign investment. I want to add a little bit more details about how we plan to position these tax credits for future growth in the province. Thank you, supplementary. Minister, you obviously haven't been talking to the industry because no other jurisdiction around the world has ever implemented a rate cut without grandfathering in current projects. The industry is calling your plan a complete bait and switch. The industry budgets and finances projects months in advance before filming has even begun. But now you've cut their bottom line and in turn jeopardized hundreds of jobs. You've claimed that this tax rate cut will save 10 million this year. The industry says that an additional 10 million could easily be made by attracting just one more TV production. Now, overnight, any trust that has been built up over the years has been undone and the industry is now moving projects that were committed in Ontario to other provinces like British Columbia. Minister, again, will you commit to grandfathering the changes to the film industry's tax credits rates so that productions already healed and here will continue? Minister? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to start by saying this. I think the member opposite realizes that it's this government that established these types of credits and continued to grow these credits in the province of Ontario to a 22 billion dollar creative industries here in the province of Ontario. Mr. Speaker, when we talk about the proposed 2015 budget, Mr. Speaker, it's this... The member from Prince Edward Hastings. Finish, please. Give body a question. Mr. Speaker, it's this government that introduced in the 2015 budget, the proposed budget, a permanent tax credit for our music sector here in the province of Ontario. Mr. Speaker, in 2015-16, we will see $439 million in tax credits going to support those sectors here in the province of Ontario. Mr. Speaker, we are proud of our record as liberals, as a government here, and we will stand by a record to support our creative... I beg to inform the House that I have today laid upon the table a special report from the Auditor General of Ontario entitled The Government's Proposed Amendments in May 11, 2004. We have a deferred vote on the amendment to an amendment to a motion for allocation of time on bill 91, an act to implement budget measures and to... an act to implement budget measures and to enact and amend various acts. Calling the members, this is a five-minute bell. Would all members please take their seats? On May 11, Mr. Nackley moved government notice of motion number 21. Mr. Clark then moved an amendment to Mr. Nackley's motion. Ms. Horvath then moved an amendment to Mr. Clark's amendment as follows. That everything after the bill shall be ordered, referred to the Standing Committee of Finance and Economic Affairs, and be deleted and replaced by the following. That the Standing Committee dispense? Dispense. In favor of Ms. Horvath's amendment to the amendment, please rise one at a time and be recognized by the clerk. Ms. Horvath. Mr. Singh. Mr. Bissant. Mr. Vanthal. Mr. De Novo. Mr. Tabas. Mr. Miller Hamilton, East Stony Creek. Mr. Miller Hamilton, East Stony Creek. Mr. Sattler. Mr. Nadishak. Ms. Armstrong. Ms. French. Mr. Clark. Mr. Arnor. Mr. Huda. Mr. Hardiman. Mr. McFar. Mr. Wilson. Mr. Fidelli. Mr. Yakibusky. Mr. Miller. Mr. Dunlop. Mr. McNaughton. Ms. Jones. Ms. Thompson. Mr. Smith. Mr. Harris. Mr. McDonnell. Mr. McLaren. Mr. Pettipies. All those polls, please rise one at a time and be recognized by the clerk. Mr. Nackby. Mr. Shirelli. Mr. Sousa. Ms. Nguyen. Ms. Matthews. Mr. Hoskins. Ms. Sander. Mr. Quinter. Mr. Cole. Mr. Tukar. Mr. Broadnetti. Mr. Dillon. Mr. Quadri. Mr. Gravel. Mr. Murray. Mr. Chan. Mr. Coteau. Mr. Leel. Mr. Flynn. Mr. Delaney. Mr. Balthasen. Mr. Del Ducat. Mr. Dommerloch. Mr. Frasier. Mr. Anderson. Mr. Baker. Mr. Ballard. Mr. Don. Ms. Hogarth. Ms. Koala. Ms. Mollie. Ms. Martin. Ms. McGarry. Ms. McMan. Mr. Milchin. The ayes being 44 and the nays being 55. I declare the amendment to the amendment lost. Are the members ready to vote on the amendment to the motion? This item will remain on the orders and notice papers to be called at a future time. The third vote on the motion that this house approves in general the budgetary policy of the government calling the members. This will be a five minute bell. The 23rd 2015 Mr. Sousa moved seconded by Ms. Wynn that this house approves the general of the budgetary policy of the government. All those in favor of the motion please rise one at a time to be recognized by the court. Mr. Sousa. Mr. McMan. Mr. Bradley. Mr. Shirelli. Mr. Matthews. Mr. Hoskins. Mr. Sandals. Mr. Dugan. Mr. McCharles. Mr. Quinter. Mr. Cole. Mr. Murray. Mr. Chan. Mr. Coteau. Mr. Flinn. Mr. Delaney. Mr. Dixon. Mr. Manga. Mr. Crack. Mr. Hunter. Mr. Sergio. Mr. Morrill. Mr. Ducca. Mr. Frasier. Mr. Baker. Mr. Cogart. Mr. Cuala. Mr. Molley. Mr. Martin. Mr. McGarry. Mr. McMan. Mr. Milchin. Mr. Nidoo Harris. Mr. Pot. Mr. Rinaldi. Mr. Teebo. All those opposed please rise one at a time to be recognized by the court. Mr. Fidelli. Mr. Miller. Mr. Donlock. Mr. McNaughton. Mr. Johnson. Mr. Barrack. Mr. Monroe. Mr. Jones. Mr. Bailey. Mr. Hillier. Mr. Walker. Mr. Smith. Mr. Harris. Mr. Nichols. Mr. McDonnell. Mr. Singh. Mr. Horvath. Mr. Ventoff. Mr. DeNovo. Mr. Tabbins. Mr. Miller. Mr. Natashack. Mr. Armstrong. Ms. Forrester. Mr. Mantha. Mr. Hatfield. Mr. Gretzky. Mr. Gates. Mr. French. Mr. Mays. Mr. Kinders. Mr. Tabbins. Mr. Harris. Mr. Walsh. Mr. McDonnell. Mr. Tom. Mr. Mors. Mr. Walsh. Mr. Mors. Mr. Prit. Mr. Tabbins. Mr. Mors. Mr. Biak. intern, Mr. Matthew Wilson. I wish him that he's going to stay with us for a long time and enjoy his stay. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you. Member from Burlington. I apologize. Excuse me, Speaker. Sorry. Forgive me, Speaker. With your indulgence, I'm pleased to welcome four students from Lester B. Pearson High School in Burlington here today. For the celebration of Dutch Heritage Month, please welcome Matt Nishimura, Braden Smith, Dale Cooper, and Sarah Naylor. Welcome to Queen's Park. Just a reminder, the flag raising is outside at this time as soon as the question period is over for the Dutch Heritage Week. There are no deferred votes. This house stands recessed until 3 p.m. this afternoon.