 special moment for everyone to visit. It is now time for a question period. The member from this position. Thank you, Speaker. Good morning. Good morning, Premier. My question is for you. Don Drummond outlines some big-ticket reforms that he said will be, quote, an important turning point in the province's history. Don Drummond called for a, quote, sharp decrease or degree of fiscal restraint. He said you must act, swiftly and boldly. To balance the budget will require, quote, tough decisions. He said the treatment will be, quote, difficult and, quote, most of the burden must fall on spending. He called for, quote, wrenching reduction from the path that spending is now on. So, Premier, does any of this sound even remotely familiar? Can you name even one bold sweeping move that you've made to balance the budget by 2017-2018? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Well, I know that the member opposite knows that we have implemented over 60% of what Don Drummond recommended, Mr. Speaker. And that has meant less than 1% on average in program spending, Mr. Speaker, has been in place. So we have, in fact, taken very serious measures to make sure that we constrain spending, Mr. Speaker. And I would suggest that if he was looking for dramatic improvement, Mr. Speaker, he had only to look at the compensation discussions that we had last year with our, with the broader public service, Mr. Speaker, to see that there was dramatic action taken, which is why, Mr. Speaker, we are overachieving on all of those deficit reduction targets, Mr. Speaker. What we will not do, what we will not do is cancel Holy Kindergarten and fire 10,000 education workers, Mr. Speaker, fire hospital workers, Mr. Speaker. That's not what you're going to do. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, Premier, I'll let the 40 nurses in North Bade that you just fired hear your comment. Premier, there are two parts to any formula to get us out of this massive deficit hole that you've done. Increase revenue and reduce spending. The Bank of Canada told us that this year and next year will not see the growth that you forecasted. So unless you're planning another secret tax hike, that side of the formula is not moving. That leaves us to reducing spending. I'll give you another drumman order. He said, the government must take daring fiscal action early. Premier, that was 20 months ago. We've not seen one of Drummond's bold, daring, big sweeping moves that he has asked for. So I'll ask you again, can you name even one single bold spending production that you've made to balance the budget by 2017-18? Thank you. So, Mr. Speaker, it's very interesting. My colleagues are calling out the things that changes that we have made, whether it's physiotherapy, Mr. Speaker, whether it's transforming the Higa healthcare system and the reality that the member opposite doesn't understand that when you do transform a system, there are changes that are painful, Mr. Speaker. So taking services out of hospitals and putting them into the community creates, that creates a challenge for some people, Mr. Speaker. So he's going to have to pick a lane. He's going to have to decide whether transformation is what they support, Mr. Speaker, or whether the status quo is actually what they support. Because when he talks about not creating any turmoil, Mr. Speaker, not creating any real change, which is what transformation does, then he does not understand that if we don't do that, we cannot, we cannot have a sustainable healthcare system, sustainable government over the long term. We have taken those actions, Mr. Speaker. We've implemented over 60% of what Don Drummond recommended, but we're not going to fire 10,000 education workers, which is what he's advocating, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Premier, with your government's fall economic statement due out this week, your record is already shaky. You've already told us you're going to miss your economic growth forecast. That means you're going to miss your revenue targets too. Now, Speaker, we've seen this liberal movie before. In 2011, revenues were down $500 million, so you drew from the contingency fund by nearly the same amount, so the deficit would not appear to increase. So, Premier, I have a simple question for you. Will you be drawing from the contingency fund again this year to make up for your missed revenue targets? Thank you, Premier. Mr. Speaker, spending was down for the first time last year since 1996. We have constrained spending, and we have done that, at least in part, by implementing the recommendations of the Drummond report. So my expectation would have been that they would have been supportive of that, that the opposition would have thought that that was a very good idea, Mr. Speaker. We did that while maintaining services, and that is the crux, Mr. Speaker. That's the crux of the difference between our approach and their approach. They are not advocating maintaining services, Mr. Speaker. They are advocating cutting services. That is how they have behaved in the past. That is what the PCs would do in the future. They would cut services. They would cut people from those services. They would cut people who deliver those services, Mr. Speaker. We're not going to do that. We believe that maintaining those services, making sure that our education system and our healthcare system are excellent are exactly what the people of Ontario need while we constrain spending, Mr. Speaker. That's what we've been doing. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, I will remind those 40 nurses in North Bay that you cut of your statement. Premier, last week you announced the new bond issue to add to our debt. You already added $20 billion to our debt this year alone. When your government took office, our debt in Ontario was $139 billion. It took 137 years to get there. In the last 10 years, you've doubled it to $273 billion. Yes, they did overachieve. So instead of eliminating scandalous and wasteful spending, you've simply answered more debt. My question this time will be a very simple one. Premier, just how much debt are you planning to add with this new bond issue? Thank you. You see the case? Thank you. Premier. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. There is a stark difference between the way the party opposite approaches the delivery of service and governing in this province from what we believe, Mr. Speaker. That is just the reality. We have said that we believe that the people of Ontario need to have the services that are delivered by our education system, by our healthcare system, Mr. Speaker, the social services that lift people up and allow them to get into the workforce, Mr. Speaker, the infrastructure that is necessary for communities to be able to draw business to their regions, Mr. Speaker, so that they can thrive. We believe that those investments in people, those investments in infrastructure and the support of a dynamic business environment, that that is what the people of Ontario expect from us, Mr. Speaker, that they do not expect that across the board cuts that are going to that are going to reduce those services to people in North Bay and across the province that they do not expect that that's what their government will undertake. And that's not what we're going to do, Mr. Speaker, we'll constrain spending and we'll deliver services. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Premier, these non-answers are not exactly breeding confidence among the investment community. You haven't been able to answer even the simplest question here today. Your forecast shows revenue up, yet the Bank of Canada says revenue will not be growing where you hoped. Your lack of a jobs plan can be blamed on that. Your forecast shows spending fast, yet you've increased wages in eight out of 10 contracts that you've negotiated. Premier, none of this is adding up. I ask you, please, one time, please tell us how are you going to balance the budget when you failed miserably on both sides of the formula? It's a simple question, Premier. So our deficit has continually come down. This is the fourth year in a row, Mr. Speaker, that we argue. So I'm not exactly sure what the member opposite is referring to when he says that we're not on target. We are. We're ahead of our target, Mr. Speaker. And we are going to continue to behave in that prudent and constrained way, Mr. Speaker. At the same time, we believe that in order for the economy to thrive, we have to deal with the investments that are needed in order to support people, including, Mr. Speaker, for example, the youth employment strategy that already has more than, I think, 2,400 young people who have been placed in positions, Mr. Speaker. That's the kind of investment and support that people need in order to be able to thrive. We will continue to make those investments. The member opposite, Mr. Speaker, is part of a party that doesn't believe in investment, including investment in infrastructure and transit. They would cut that. Final supplementary. Well, Speaker, I'm very disturbed at the lack of answers today, particularly when this party has added $20 billion to our debt this year alone. We're seeing more spin and absolutely no answers. So, Speaker, let's review. You can't tell the markets how much debt you plan to issue this year. Revenues will not meet your forecast this year. You haven't implemented the, quote, fundamental spending reforms, quote, that Don Drummond has called for. How can anyone, Speaker, take this party seriously? How can anyone have any confidence in your plan or your numbers? So, let's try for the sixth time. Tell us, how do you plan on balancing the budget by 2017-18? Or are you going to make that up, too? Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So, I know that the member opposite is looking forward to the fall economic statement on Thursday, and we look forward to sharing that information with him. Let's review, as he has said. We have an economic plan to drive jobs and growth, Mr. Speaker. Our deficit has continually come down. This is the fourth year in a row that we're projecting to be ahead of the target. We're ahead of the targets that we set. We're the only government in Canada to achieve this, Mr. Speaker. Last year, we had an improvement of $5 billion over our target, Mr. Speaker. We're taking a balanced vote. Member from Renfield, from Noorder, second time. Of what Don Drummond put in place, what he recommended to us, Mr. Speaker, which is why our spending has been constrained, Mr. Speaker, which is why we have been able to over-achieve on our targets. We will continue in that manner, Mr. Speaker. We will be prudent. And we will continue to make those investments that are necessary in order for this economy to thrive. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. You see it, please? You see it, please? New question. The leader of the third party. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Premier. As the Premier knows, a lot of Ontarians don't know how they'll make ends meet when it comes to the time to retire. This is a challenge that's been building for some time, Speaker. Three years ago, I put a motion before the House calling on the government to get moving on a plan. And every single liberal MPP in the House voted against it. Can the Premier explain what the government plans to do now that they didn't manage to do over the last decade in office? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Well, three years ago, on this side of the House, we were advocating for an enhancement of the CPP. Our Minister of Finance was leading that charge across the country. We continue to do that, Mr. Speaker, so things from the MPP on how to put that argument forward. We have been putting that argument forward. We continue to do that, Mr. Speaker. And I have said that in the absence of that progress, in the absence of a consensus across the country, we will develop a plan and know the ramifications of having an Ontario plan, Mr. Speaker. But our first choice is to have the federal government step up to its responsibility and work with the provinces and enhance the CPP so that people in this country will know what their retirement will be, Mr. Speaker, and they'll have some security in that. I think people may be looking pretty cynically at the government's latest promises since they consist of a lot of talk while people have been waiting years for some action. Over the last week, the government, in one way or another, has said they're ready to get behind a private sector solution, a federal government solution, or an Ontario solution. But every time, Speaker, the details are sketchy. Can the Premier give us any insights into how much she thinks people should be putting aside, what an adequate retirement income would look like, and whether she prefers expended public or private plans? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Well, first of all, I want to give credit to the finance ministers from across the country who met with the leadership of Charles Souza, our finance minister, Mr. Speaker, to come to some agreement that we do need to make this argument to the federal government. I'm very pleased that the leader of the NDP, who has not mentioned this issue, Mr. Speaker, for a very long time, sir, did she raise this as an issue? And, Mr. Speaker, this has been a concern of mine from the time I came into this office. I raised it at the Council of the Federation. It's something that I think is extremely important, and we have been advocating for enhancement of the CPP for years, Mr. Speaker. We will continue to do that. Our minister of finance is having some success across the country with the ministers of finance. We look forward to the leader of the NDP's support on this file, Mr. Speaker. Speaker, people are getting more and more cynical about a government that's scrambling to hold on to power with a lot of promises, a lot of panels, a lot of conversation. Well, the problems they've ignored for 10 years still are not getting resolved, Speaker. They don't need endless conversation and empty liberal promises. We know the Premier knows how to strike a panel, but when will things actually change for people? Well, Mr. Speaker, I'm not sure exactly how the leader of the third party would suggest we get consensus on enhancement of the CPP across the country unless we talk about it with the other provinces, and that's exactly what's happening, Mr. Speaker. We are having that discussion, and, Mr. Speaker, there is some traction that has been achieved. The ministers of finance met last week, Mr. Speaker, and I believe that there, you know, that there is more consensus than there was before. So that's a very good thing. We've been advocating for this. This is our first choice, Mr. Speaker, that the federal government work with the provinces and that we have an enhanced CPP across the country. I look forward to the leader of the third party working with us and working with her federal counterpart to make sure that the opposition in Ottawa is singing from the same song book as she is, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Any questions? The leader of the third party. Thank you, Speaker. My next question is also for the Premier. For people facing real challenges, the Liberal government offers a lot of talk, but very little by way of results. A growing number of drivers are concerned that the Liberals are backtracking on commitments to bring down auto insurance rates. Ellie from Windsor wrote, and I quote, I just got my insurance renewal. Went up $20. Note on first page about a new 2% charge for people on a payment plan. If the government is saying rates are coming down, why are people still seeing their increases, Speaker, and new charges on their bills? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. We're not backing off on our commitment. We've been very clear that we are moving ahead, Mr. Speaker. We're working with the industry. We are making changes that, in fact, are bearing results. We know, Mr. Speaker, that the fraud within the system and the recommendations of the fraud task force need to be implemented. That's what we're doing. And as I have said to the leader of the third party many times, this is not a change that happens overnight. We have set a target of an 8% reduction in the first year, Mr. Speaker, and we are working towards that. But, Mr. Speaker, it would be very helpful if the leader of the third party could make sure that she understands that it is across the province that this has to happen. It is the industry that has to take part, and we are working with them, and we will see that change. Speaker, families across Ontario are wondering if Liberal Talk will actually apply to them and they're wondering if they'll actually see the savings that they were promised. Robert from London wrote, and I quote, In September of this year, 2013, they raised my car insurance by about 16 to 17%. If there's a 15% reduction in car insurance rates anytime soon, then it will be a moot point because they already raised it to cover the extra expenses, unquote. Now, people are wondering if the Liberal government will keep its word. Can the Premier tell us whether rates for drivers like Robert will start coming down? So, Mr. Speaker, again, I know that the leader of the third party understands that this is an across the board initiative. It means that across the board a 15% average reduction, Mr. Speaker, is what we are targeting. So, I think it would be very helpful if the leader of the third party helped the people who call her to understand that, to understand exactly how it works, Mr. Speaker, because I think oversimplifying the issue does not help individuals. So, we have set a target of 8% reduction in the first year, Mr. Speaker. Already, the FISCO reports that there's been a 0.7% reduction in the third quarter of 2013. So, the rates on average are going in the right direction, Mr. Speaker. But, as I say, oversimplifying the time that it takes to make a change like this and what the implications are for individual drivers is not helpful. We are on it. We are working. We will make that reduction across the board, Mr. Speaker. Well, Speaker, I could tell the Premier that endlessly talking about a problem and never solving it just doesn't cut it with the people either. Peter in Mississauga says this, when I got my auto insurance quote in August this year, I was really astonished when I saw my premium was increased almost 15%, not decreased. Up to date, I haven't got any tickets or any car accidents for years. Now, people like Peter and Robert and Ellie are watching their bills go up instead of going down. We've heard a lot of excuses from the Liberal government. When are people actually going to start seeing some results, Speaker? So, thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. So, as I have said, according to FISCO, the auto insurance rates decreased by 0.7% in the third quarter of 2013, Mr. Speaker. Overall, the direction is the right one, Mr. Speaker. The antifraud task force is creating new licenses for clinics and exploring further options. That rooting out of the fraud, Mr. Speaker, and making the changes that are going to bring those rates down takes time, Mr. Speaker. It's very important that we do it in such a way that we actually get the causes for the increases out of the system. So, that's why we've set an 8% target for reduction in the first year, Mr. Speaker, and I look forward to working with the leader of the third party. We both know this is an important issue. People need to see those reductions, but they will be average reductions, Mr. Speaker, and they will, so that means they will be reductions across the whole system. Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Minister of Health. Minister, five days ago, you joined this assembly in a standing ovation for Kim Fletcher, a mother of two with brain cancer. Later in a private meeting, you promised to review her file to investigate why she is being denied a hip coverage for the drug Avastan, a drug she so desperately needs. Minister, it is now five days since you made that promise to Kim. To put things in perspective, five days comes out to about 10% of her medically predicted life expectancy. On Kim's behalf, I ask if the Minister has, in fact, reviewed the file. I can confirm that the Committee to Evaluate Drugs has twice done a formal and thorough review. In addition, in 2013, in response to another application, they did look again. They did determine that there is no new evidence. I think it's very important that everyone in this House acknowledges that we do have a protocol in place, a protocol that removes political interference from decisions around what drugs are funded and for whom. Order, please. Actually wants to hear the answer to this. I would note, Speaker, that Health Canada, the head clean is unfortunate, I must say, Speaker. This is a very serious case. It should be noted that Avastan for GBM currently has only a conditional notice of compliance from Health Canada. Answer. Because there are no data demonstrating an improvement in disease-related symptoms or increased survival with Avastan. Thank you. Here's a treatment of GBM. Supplementary. Minister, Ontario is the only province in Canada with that system in place. It's this drug is in British Columbia. It's in Alberta. It's in Manitoba for this purpose. Minister Kim doesn't have the luxury of time. Time is slipping away from her husband and her two children stand by helplessly frustrated that a government which intervenes with over a billion dollars for gas plants when it is politically expedient for its own survival and yet refuses to intervene to assist Kim in her survival. Minister, I'll be speaking with Kim later today to give her an update on her file. Please tell me what I can tell her with respect to your efforts as Minister of Health for this province and what you can do on her behalf. Well, as I have said, we have taken the politics out of determining what drugs are covered for what condition. So, Speaker, I cannot interfere in a decision made by a panel of experts both at the Health Canada level and at the Ontario Committee to Evaluate Drugs. Speaker, it's a transparent process. People can go online and determine where in the process the approval is at the Committee to Evaluate Drug and when a decision is made, Speaker, it is online publicly available. The rationale behind what decisions are made and, Speaker, I would invite the Member Opposite to review the data on this, to review the research. I know, Speaker, that that is not what the Member Opposite wants to hear, but we must, as stewards of the system, rely on experts to make determinations about what drugs will benefit what patients. Thank you. New question from Windsor to Comsy. Thank you, Speaker. My question today is to the Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation. Good morning, Minister. Last Friday, you announced you'd heard enough and were ordering the deficient girders removed from the Herb Gray Parkway. First, let me say on behalf of the residents in that area, thank you. It was the right thing to do. However, Speaker, there are other issues that need to be addressed. Mistakes were made, standards not met, rules were ignored, as the Member from Essex has already pointed out, this was a complete failure of oversight and quality control by this government. Can the Minister assure the public today that cost overruns will not have the people of Ontario footing the bill because of this unmitigated fiasco? Thank you very much, and good morning to the Member from Windsor to Comsy, and thank him for the civility that he's bringing to this House. Mr. Speaker, this wasn't a disaster at all. Let's just review the important facts of this. One, all of the girders are coming out as a result of independent testing. That is going to cost the taxpayers absolutely nothing, zero. I remember from Bruce Gray on sound, we'll come to order. Well, it may be funny, but you'd be laughing somewhere else. Thanks, Mr. Speaker, because the way the government designed the contract assigned all risk allocation, the Premier has asked me and other ministers to get up on top of files. If we're cancelling projects, it should be done earlier. For making adjustments, we should be the aggressive watchdogs of capital projects. This is a government that learns from its mistakes, Mr. Speaker, and this is an example of that learning. Minor delays, a matter of fact, Mr. Speaker, we will advance the local road projects to reconnect communities even ahead of schedule. And, sir? It will come in on budget. It will be entirely safe and meet engineering standards, and the risk and cost goes to the project code, not the people of Ontario. Thank you. Supplementary? Well, Speaker, the minister can talk about aggressive watchdogs. The facts are we learned of this massive screw-up because of a whistleblower. The government was forced to take action because of a public outcry. There are a number of other P3 projects underway in this province, and the frightening thing is, Speaker, the system of oversight is the same on those projects as the Herb Gray Parkway, meaning there is none. Will the minister, will this government admit that contracting out billion-dollar privatized projects to foreign construction firms without oversight just doesn't work, and saying that taxpayers won't be on the hook for these overruns won't work without government oversight either? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there was, sadly, when this was going on, no public outcry. That was the point. It was actually my colleague, the member from Windsor West, the minister of community service, who approached me early on after I was appointed and advised me that there were concerns that she was hearing about, and I held meetings with key people in the Windsor area. What is surprising, Mr. Speaker, is even his party in the opposition never raised this issue in the last 18 months. If this was a known problem, then how could a party with so many seats in that area not be raising those questions, Mr. Speaker? I've given credit to the member from Windsor to come see because it was only since he was elected and my colleague from Windsor West that actually raised this issue. Mr. Speaker, soon as we became aware of it, we acted aggressively to resolve it, to resolve the safety standards, to ensure that this project and, Mr. Speaker, have successfully advocated for the President Bridge to be built, which will now be attached. This is one of the best things to happen in Windsor in many years, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. The first cooperative housing building in the city of Toronto was established in my writing of York Southwestern, a residence called Beach Hall. It was a real innovative model at that time, and the residence of what is known today as the Beach Hall Housing Corporation successfully fought off a city bid to turn the residence into a high rise. There's even a great documentary that can be watched on this. It's called The Battle of Beach Hall, and it depicts the struggle of the residence. Since then, many more co-op homes have been built in my writing and across the province. These homes play an important role in affordable housing, and there are certain writings, such as mine, where there are important to a great number of people. But for years, co-ops were treated from rental housing, forcing co-ops to go through a complex and expensive dispute resolution process. Mr. Speaker, through you to the minister. Our government has reduced the cost of this process across the province. Could the minister explain what changes have taken place? Thank you, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. I want to thank my colleague for this timely question and for her continued advocacy, obviously, for the people of Beach Hall and the residence of cooperative housing in general. As we all know, co-op housing plays an important and a very necessary role in providing affordable housing to Ontarians. That's why our government worked recently with our cooperative housing partners to come up with a streamlined, less costly, less time-consuming process for dispute resolution. As you recall, our changes to Bill 14 helped cooperatives across the province, from Beach Hall to York Southwest and Falls Place to a co-op in Niagara Falls, no longer have to go through a six-month process that can cost upwards to $5,000 preventing co-ops from investing in necessary maintenance or upgrades such as playgrounds. It also ensures that co-ops and their members are able to access the same protections and benefits that have been available to landlords and tenants, such as mediation. Our government will continue to invest in safe and affordable housing for all Ontarians so that they can put their skills to work and to continue to build in the growth of our economy. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the minister for that answer. However, Mr. Speaker, Beach Hall and other co-ops today are experiencing a crisis. In Beach Hall's case, a crisis they haven't seen the like since the 1970s, when the Toronto Borough of York had decided to face out this complex in favour of a new development. The federal government has provided assistance to co-ops and other housing providers through programs started in the 70s and 80s. Unfortunately, these agreements are expiring, and we are quickly approaching the day when most of these contracts will end. And though our government has committed $3 billion in affordable housing funding, communities across Ontario need predictable funding for affordable housing from all three levels of government. Mr. Speaker, through you to the minister, could she please explain to the House what our government is doing to ensure that we have a strong long-term partner in the federal government so that Ontario's co-ops can have predictable funding that they need? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you to the member for the question. Investing in affordable housing such as co-ops, we all know pays dividends long down the road in creating jobs for Ontarians while continuing to provide housing for Ontarians most vulnerable for decades to come. But protecting our societal responsibility of the vulnerable takes all three levels of government to make it work. We need to work cooperatively. This last few months ago, I listened very intently to what the federal government said in their thrown speech to hear about their future plans for affordable housing across Canada. The federal government announced its intention to work on a renewed homeless partnering strategy. That's good news, and I was pleased to hear that. But I remain worried in their commitment over the long term. It looks like their commitment to affordable housing will evaporate over the next 20 years. That's why I urge our federal partners to come back to the table to ensure that Ontario and all provinces across Canada have long-term sustainable funding so that we can make the necessary investments that Canadians and Ontarians expect. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Agriculture and Food. Premier, because your government spent Ontario into a fiscal mess, you said you needed to put a cap on our risk management program. The insurance provider that our farmers depend on. This year, farmers in need are seeing the negative impact. How do you explain to these farmers that there is no more money to help them, but you were able to find enough money to increase salaries and benefits at Omafra by more than 4 percent? Good question. Mr. Speaker, I have worked very closely with representatives from the agriculture industry, with individual farmers and, Mr. Speaker, we have really made huge advancement in terms of the risk management programs that are in place. I would look at the corn-fed beef ledger that my predecessor worked with the sector on, Mr. Speaker. Producers are very, very pleased with the opportunity to have that kind of security in the system, Mr. Speaker. They're also very pleased. I know that the member opposite is aware of the Open for Business table that we've got in place. They're very pleased at the movement on regulations, Mr. Speaker, and the changes that we've put in place to allow the agri-food business to flourish, Mr. Speaker. So I think we're seeing a lot of success both in the stability of the risk management programs and in the opening up of the regulatory process so that businesses can thrive. Good supplementary. Premier, we need to get Ontario's finances back on track so that we can afford to provide the services Ontarians rely on, like healthcare, education, and for our farmers insurance programs. The Minister of Finance said, and I quote, we can't manage the deficit without addressing what is the single biggest line in our budget, public sector compensation. You claim you have a wage freeze, but the Ministry under your direct control is increasing wages and benefits by more than $3.6 million. To me, a wage freeze doesn't mean a 4% increase in salaries. Premier, on November the 7th, will you commit to table a real plan to address Ontario's finances, including a real wage freeze, or do you think it's okay for farmers to continue to suffer because of your government's fiscal mismanagement? Mr. Speaker, I'm not sure exactly whether the member opposite is really concerned about the well-being of farmers in the province or whether he's just taking a political shot, because the fact is, Mr. Speaker, we have worked with the sector. Ontario and Quebec are the only provinces to establish a provincial program to supplement what is available to farmers through the federal business risk management program, Mr. Speaker. So in fact, we have worked to put in place programs in this province that supplement what they get from the federal government, and in fact, we've done that in collaboration with the sector, Mr. Speaker. So I hope that the member opposite will sit down with us. If you'd like a review of all of the programs that we put in place that we have negotiated and that we've collaborated with the sector on, Mr. Speaker, happy to give him that. On February 20th, I met with some of the community leaders, Mr. Speaker. I heard from them the overwhelming support for the process that we put in place to put these programs in place. So I look forward to work. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the minister responsible for Pan and Parapan games. Speaker, the scope of and responsibility for security for the Pan, Parapan games has been less than clear. The minister has refused to answer even the most basic questions either demonstrating a enormous lack of knowledge or a frightening focus on secrecy. Speaker, will the minister agree to provide MPPs with all records and set out the security structure and costs as well as the plan for which offices and officials will decide how security is carried out before, during, and after the TO 2015 Pan, Parapan games? To answer the question from the member opposite, Speaker, the Pan and Parapan American game is a huge undertaking by the province and come 2015, 41 countries. The competitors will be in Ontario and the Pan and Deem also is a bigger, large-foot plane, involving 14 municipalities. Speaker, security, of course, is we're committed to make sure that people visiting this country will be safe and domestically our people also safe. Speaker, the safety of African cultures and officials, visitors and the general public is a critical element in the planning of the 2015 Pan and Parapan American game. We are prepared to take any measures necessary to ensure the safety of our citizens. We will not take risks for people's safety. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you, Speaker. I'm not quite sure I got an answer there, but Speaker, as MPPs in Ontario, we want to assure our constituents that the problems that occurred during the G20 don't happen again. We need to know the law enforcement organizations involved who is leading the process and how any security problems will be handled so that there is proper treatment of citizens, Pan Am participants and law enforcement personnel. Speaker, will this minister share the basic security information so that transparency is preserved and problems are prevented? Thank you. Thank you, Speaker, again for the question. Speaker, security planning for the Pan and Parapan game begin in October 2010. It is crucial to the success of the game. Speaker, the process being led by the integrated security unit under the management of Ontario police, provincial police. The ISU is comprised of a team of law enforcement and security experts from each municipality hosting a game-winning. Speaker, the ISU is working in coordination with Federal Security Departments to promote the safety and security of these games. Speaker, the ISU and Toronto 2015 continue to work together on games, delivery plans with a will to managing security costs and risks. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you. A new question. The member from workers is welcome. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Research and Innovation. Ontario is recognised for its well-regarded academic and research institutions and their ability to collaborate with industry. Fostering collaboration is important to our competitive advantage in the global economy. We need to continue to create the right conditions that will lead to innovative breakthroughs that attract investment and create jobs for Ontarians. To help translate Ontario's research strengths into strong innovation and commercialisation activity, businesses must be able to access the valuable knowledge and expertise available in Ontario's research institutions. Through you to the Minister of Research and Innovation, what steps has the government taken to facilitate knowledge mobilisation between industry and academic institutions? Minister of Research and Innovation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I would like to thank the member from Oak Ridge, Markham, for that very important question. Mr. Speaker, our government recognises the importance of strong relationship between our academic and research institutions and industry. And that's why our government has created collaboration voucher programme. And this programme provides really mobile credits to small and medium-sized enterprises for services and resources from universities, colleges and research hospitals. Just last week, Mr. Speaker, I announced the latest initiative between the Ontario Centre of Excellence, which runs the voucher programme and the Quebec Consortium for Drug Discovery. The $3 million Interprovincial Research and Development Challenge will provide an opportunity for Ontario organisations to work with industry organisations in Quebec to promote research and innovation in new medicine discoveries. Mr. Speaker, we are proud of our government's initiative for fostering research and innovation, collaboration and also mobilisation of knowledge in Ontario. Thank you. Supplementary. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, Minister. I'm happy to hear of the initiatives our government is undertaking to create stronger collaboration between innovative businesses, industry and academic institutions. In York Region, regional innovation centres like Venture Lab have played a vital role in providing services that connect and mentor entrepreneurs who want to start or grow their global enterprises. International research collaboration is a core component of research activity, as collaboration provides opportunities to move further and faster by working with other leading people in their field. Although Ontario's research community is the strongest in Canada and one of the largest in North America, it faces fierce competition from developing economies that are ramping up their research investments. Mr. Speaker, through you to the Minister of Research and Innovation, can you please let us know what international partnerships and collaborations our government has undertaken to promote research? Minister. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I want to thank again the member from Auckland's Markham for that question. Mr. Speaker, our government understands the importance of international collaboration to build bridges with our international partners in order to Ontario to remain competitive in the world stage. Ontario has several active memorandum of understanding which that focuses on promoting research and innovation and collaboration with other jurisdictions. We have a strong working relationship with many developed and developing countries around the world, including India, China, Israel and Singapore, among many others. International Agreements, Mr. Speaker, will help our research institutions to collaborate with their scientists and researchers in other countries in order to benefit our researchers in Ontario as well and help us to grow our economy. Mr. Speaker, our government is strengthening its relationship with international partners to create innovative research solutions to comment research interests and concerns. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question this morning is to the Premier. Premier, last week I spoke to you about passing Bill 69, a prompt payment legislation and important bill. This morning I'd like to speak with you about another important reform in the labour file and something that the majority of Ontario residents are asking for, transparency and accountability. Last week, through Quebec's Charbonneau Commission, we learned of union dues being used to rebuild a biker strip club, false expense claims totaling more than $4,000 for a single union executive member, and of course, plenty of connections between union bosses and organized crime. Premier, what are you doing to ensure Ontario union dues are being used in a transparent and accountable manner and not being misspent and misappropriated? Mr. Speaker, thank you very much and I appreciate the member opposite for asking the question. He's obviously talking about facts that are being discussed in Quebec and in another province. There is no such evidence of any such activity in our province, but I think, Speaker, what's hidden behind the question that the member opposite has proposed for forward is their constant attack on organized trade unions in our province. Is there ongoing effort to bring everybody in Ontario down, Speaker, to make sure that the wages of hardworking Ontarians get lower and lower as opposed to making sure that we're all reaching for the top and ensuring that everybody's working together and our workplaces are health and safety for every single worker, unionized and non-unionized speaker. Thank you, Speaker. Back to the Premier. Premier, here in Ontario, we have seen our share of interesting union causes as well. We have seen public sector unions using hard earned dues to pay for anti-bottle water campaigns, to fund student protests in Quebec, to support anti-Israel campaigns, and to fund G20 protesters here in Toronto. This explains why public sector union bosses have fought so hard against any disclosure law that their own membership supports in droves. In a recent survey done by Leger marketing, 83% of Canadians agreed that unions should be required to disclose detailed financial information on a regular basis. Premier, we know that you take your council from one union boss in the province of Ontario. That's Pat Dillon and the Working Families Coalition. Are you willing to side with Origen and Ontario residents and move forward by requiring public sector unions to be open and transparent as to where and how they're spending their own members' dues? I didn't ask you to be seated to get quiet to start heckling again. Stop, please. Minister. Speaker, thank you, Speaker. And I'm really having a hard time believing that this is in 2013. We're getting a question like that from the Leader, from the opposition party speaker. You know, this side of the House speaker, we absolutely reject any notion about right to work for less. I know this is the position, unfortunately, the position of the official opposition speaker. We believe that unions have an important role to play in our economy. They worked hard towards ensuring that the wages of all workers go up. We have seen the results of right to work for less type of policies in the United States. It creates huge inequalities when it comes to lowering wages and benefits for both unionized and non-unionized workers. And, Speaker, on top of this, the kind of policy the member opposite is proposing is going to result in more economic uncertainty in our province, unless investors will be interested in investing in economy, and we reject that. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Premier. This past weekend, the Premier's spokesperson not only insisted that the Ford Erie racetrack didn't have a future, but also tried to rewrite its past, quote, for the vast majority of the Ford Erie racetrack's existence, it ran as a festival meet, he said. Now, this government's attitude is a slap in the face to all those horsemen and women, like the families who joined me here last week, who for decades have made that track what it is today. Why is this government destroying the horse racing industry in Ford Erie while favouring the interests of big for-profit racetracks at Woodbine? So, Mr. Speaker, I guess I would ask the leader of the third party why she's advancing a notion of bad public policy that was unaccountable and was not transparent, Mr. Speaker, and was not working in terms of good expenditure of public dollars, Mr. Speaker. And I would ask her what her plan would be to put in place a transparent, accountable plan. We have one, Mr. Speaker. We worked with Elmer Buchanan and with John Snowblen and John Wilkinson. They put recommendations forward. We're investing $400 million over five years, Mr. Speaker, to put a sustainable horse racing industry in place, Mr. Speaker. And that can include Ford Erie. Ford Erie will need to work with the Ontario Racing Commission, Mr. Speaker, to determine what its future will be. My hope is that the leader of the third party and all of the other of her members who are so concerned about this will be giving that advice to the folks at Ford Erie that they would work with the Ontario Racing Commission. That's certainly what we're saying to the folks at Ford Erie, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Supplementary. Well, Speaker, what we don't understand over here is why the Liberal government would throw out the baby with the bathwater and favour private sector solutions, throwing tens of thousands of people in rural Ontario out of work in their closing of the Swasa Race Tracks program. The Premier talks about there being a future for Ford Erie, but then she turns around and undermines that very future of what the entire community has worked for in terms of a future, while at the same time rolling out the red carpet for private casinos and communities, Speaker, that don't even want them. And at the same time forcing or sending Ford Erie's race days over to Woodbine for the for-profit track. The government has already admitted. They have admitted that the OLG privatisation was a mistake. Why is the Premier favouring for-profit race tracks at the expense of an entire course racing industry in Ford Erie? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Well, again, I will say I understand the politics of what the leader of the third party is doing. I understand the politics that overlay her questions about Ford Erie, Mr. Speaker. But what we have done is we have taken advice from knowledgeable people who worked across the system, Mr. Speaker, across the province, talked to thousands of people in the horse racing industry. We're putting a plan in place, and the politics not withstanding we believe that having good policy in place is important. That includes Ford Erie, Mr. Speaker. It includes the opportunity for Ford Erie to work with the Ontario Racing Commission and put in place a plan that will make it sustainable into the future. What our plan does, Mr. Speaker, is link the future of horse racing to a renewed focus on the customers, not total dependence on the slots, Mr. Speaker. I've said at the same time that integrating horse racing with the gaming across the province is the way to sustainability. That's what we're doing. Politics not withstanding. Ford Erie can work with the Ontario Racing Commission, and my hope is that they will have a future. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Through you to the Premier in a role as the Minister of Agriculture and Food. I know that in the past, the Open for Business has been a forum for food businesses to discuss such regulations as the meat regulations with government. Across Ottawa and Eastern Ontario we have businesses that have been affected by the government's rules around meat handling, and I know that this issue is important to the sector. I understand that it's been brought to the table for discussion at previous Open Business meetings, and that you had another meeting just last week. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister update the House on the progress made on this issue at your most recent Open for Business meeting? Thank you, Minister of Agriculture and Food. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and I want to thank the member for Ottawa South for his question, and I was really pleased at last week's Open for Business meeting to be able to hear from the sector how positive they are about the changes that are being made, particularly to the meat inspection regulations, Mr. Speaker. The changes we've made will create a more flexible and outcome-based approach to compliance. They'll clarify regulatory requirements, and they'll promote competitiveness and innovation for the industry without compromising food safety or cutting regulation arbitrarily, and that's really important that people understand that this isn't just about making a political decision to cut regulation. This is about looking at what is really going to work to allow the industry to function and to keep food safety in place, Mr. Speaker. These changes come into effect on January 1st, and another area that we've discussed at the table is regulations for biodigesters. This has come up. We're going to work to make changes to improve the economics of operating anaerobic digestive system, Mr. Speaker, and those are the kind of partnerships that we want to support going forward. Thank you, supplementary. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's great to hear that progress is being made by working together with the agriculture sector. Mr. Speaker, as a follow-up to the Minister of Agriculture and Food, my constituents consistently tell me that access to locally produced and processed food is a priority for them. In fact, like many urban MPPs and many of the Ottawa Caucus' constituents work in the agri-food sector, like in food processing, retail and wholesale sectors, and I know it is important for them that the industry continue to grow and thrive. Mr. Speaker, could the Minister please tell this House how does the Open for Business Forum benefit the agri-food sector? Thank you, Minister. Well, thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And I want to just say that recently I challenged the agri-food industry to double its growth rate and to create more than 120,000 new jobs by 2020. The only way that that can happen, Mr. Speaker, is if government and the industry works in partnership. So if I go back to the previous question about the comments I was making on the anaerobic digesters, for example, Mr. Speaker, the kinds of regulations that increase approval time and costs are the kinds of things we need to look at, because if the industry is going to be able to expand, we need to make sure that we are being as efficient as possible and, as I say, while keeping food safety processes in place. So that's the kind of partnership that the Open for Business table has created. We are making progress. People were very, very positive. And we've brought together the whole sector, Mr. Speaker, food processors and producers, which means that we're getting all sides of the story as we make these decisions. It's a very good process, and I want to continue to work in partnership with the industry. The question is from Elgin Middlesex, London. Thank you, Speaker. Figure my questions to the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services. Minister, on Friday morning, the Correctional Officers at the Elgin Middlesex Detention Center found an inmate dead in the showers. The 29-year-old from Sarnia was beaten beyond recognition, was only there to serve 163 days for a nonviolent crime. The latest death is one more indication of the problems at EMDC. These problems are systemic, and I've been warning about you to take action for two years now. Minister, in light of this recent death, what are you doing to ensure the safety of inmates, correctional officers and other front-line workers at EMDC? First of all, Mr. Speaker, I want to send my condolences to the family and friends of the individual. The incident, of course, is under investigation by the police and the coroner office and my ministry also. The health and safety of the inmates in our correctional facility is my number one priority. And that's why we introduced a 12-point plan last year to address the concern at EMDC. So I'm committed to continue to work with the management and the union at EMDC to improve the situation. And let me tell you what the substantive progress we have made since. We have installed a 350 security camera. We have a new control model. We have six metal detector. And we have an x-ray machine for baggage. And in the supplementary, I'll continue to tell you what we have done. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Minister, if your solutions had worked, that inmate would still be alive today. And the ministry should also include in your number one priority the correctional officers and also the frontline workers working at that jail. Minister, since you've taken over this file, you've let the conditions at EMDC get progressively worse. You're in action threatens the safety of correctional officers, inmates and frontline workers. I know the ministers across the floor enjoy the part of their job where they get to be nice and have great photo ops. However, the true test of leadership minister is how you deal and manage problems. The problems at EMDC are systemic and have drawn the attention to them time and time again in this chamber. Following the last in-quest minister into a death occurred in 2009, the ministry didn't act until I was elected and put pressure on you to do so. It makes me think your ministry does not act unless I tell you to do so. Minister, do I constantly have to hold your hand in order for you to do your job? Thank you. Minister. We have done also we have hired 11 additional full-time correctional officers. We have three new surgeons. We have one additional mental health nurse and we have now 24 hours nursing. Mr. Speaker, I'm not going to take advice from that party who made a mess of the correctional services when they were in power. They closed jail like you wouldn't believe. We have now you know no room for program and rehabilitation was not their number one priority and we know that their cousin at the federal level is the same. You know, we put more people in jail. We let them longer and no rehabilitation. It's not what we're going to do and I'm going to transform that sector of my responsibility. Thank you very much. Thank you, Speaker. My question is also to the minister of community safety and correctional services. I'm going to try this again. Adam Harvey Cargas is the fourth inmate to die in four years at Algin Middlesex Detention Center, a facility that has been plagued with design flaws, overcrowding and understaffing. Can the minister assure us that there were enough correctional officers on duty the night of this tragic fatality? Mr. Speaker, as I said, the safety of our inmate and our correctional officer is my number one priority and I've been working with the management, with the union to make sure that we will improve this situation. The day of the incident, the AMDC capacity was 410 and there was 389 inmates in the facility. So as I said, our responsibility is the safety and the security and I'm going to repeat what we have done. We have ironmore staff. We have now 24 hours nursing there and we have one nurse for a mental health nurse which was not there before. We have 11 additional full-time correctional officers and I'll continue to work with both the union and the management to make sure that we have a safe correctional facility in London Middlesex. Thank you, Speaker. It's been months since we've been raising these issues and the situation has really yet to improve. Inquests have called for increased staffing levels yet the ministry has done nothing. The ministry committed to set up an EMDC advisory board last year and we're still waiting for that to happen. The upgrades that have been made to EMDC do not take into account the structural layout of the facility and the need for more direct supervision of inmates. What will it take for the ministry to do its duty and improve the standards at EMDC? So I'm going to repeat it again. We have now 350 security cameras that were installed. We have a new control module. We have six metal detectors. We have a baggage X-ray machine. We have a more correctional officer and we will continue, Mr. Speaker, to improve the situation in Elgin Middlesex correctional facility and this will be done. But, you know, in our correctional facility, despite the best effort, violence is a reality for correctional facility everywhere. But we, with all these improvements, we hope that the situation will continue to improve. Thank you. We have a deferred vote by in motion by Mr. Leal on second reading of bill 105, an act to amend the Employer Health Tax Act. Call in the members. This will be a five-minute bill. The members, take their seats, please. All members, take your seats, please. On October the 2nd, 2013, Mr. Leal moved second reading of bill 105. All those in favor, please rise one at a time and be recognized by the clerk. Mr. Malloy. Mr. Malloy. Mr. Bradley. Mr. Bradley. Mr. Ibans cleaves. Mr. Barrie. Mr. McNaughton. Mr. Donlock. Mr. Dunlock. Mr. Dunlock. Mr. Holliday. Mr. Holliday. Mr. Jones. Mr. Jones. Mrs. Munров. Mr. Munrow. Mr. Berry. Mr. Jackson. Mr. Smith. Mr. Smith. Mr. Harris. Mr. Hairs. Mr. Thompson. Mr. Sherlock. Mr. Sherman. Mr. Sherman. Mr. Yarich. Mr. Yarich. Mr. Scotch. Mr. Walker. Mr. Walker. Mr. McDonnell. Mr. McDonnell. Mr. Milligan. Mr. Mr. McLaren Mr. McLaren Mr. Nichols Mr. Nichols Mr. Pru Mr. Pru Ms. Horvath Mr. Marquesi Ms. Marquesi Madame Jellina Madame Jellina Ms. Taylor Ms. Taylor Mr. Nadechak Mr. Nadechak Mr. Tabas Mr. Tabas Mr. Seng Mr. Seng Ms. Fyke Ms. Fyke Ms. Forster Ms. Forster Mr. Vantah Mr. Vantah Mr. Shine Mr. Shine Ms. Armstrong Mr. Armstrong Please rise one at a time and be recognized by the clerk. My speech commences. My. The ayes are 86, the nays are zero. The ayes being 86 and the nays being zero to declare the motion carried. Do you have the bill? Does he have a lecture to proceed along? Shall the bill be ordered for third reading? Here. Mr. Speaker, I would ask that the bill be referred to the standing committee on general government. That's great. Ordered. From Durham on upon your board. There are two guests to the member's legislature. David Smith and Bob Simpson. Welcome to Queen's Park. A member from Kitchener, Waterloo, Waterfront. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to welcome my good friend Kim Beggs to the house today. Thank you. All further deferred votes, this house stands adjourned until 1 p.m. this afternoon.