 It is now time for Question Period, the leader of Her Majesty's loyal opposition. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. As Adrian Morrow from the Globe Mail pointed out yesterday, the Ontario Liberal Party has received at least $400,000 from companies that receive grants from the Liberal government. And that's only from the companies we know about. This certainly raises some questions that demand answers. Mr. Speaker, will the Premier commit today to ending all fundraising targets for her cabinet? Yes or no? Well, Mr. Speaker, I thank you for the question from the leader of the opposition. And he knows full well that we are going to be moving to change the rules around political donations, Mr. Speaker. I have said many times that it would be great to have his input on the direction that he thinks we should be going, Mr. Speaker. And I've been very clear that as we draft legislation, we would like to have the input of both the opposition leaders, Mr. Speaker, so that when we bring that legislation forward and then before it goes out for consultation after first reading, which Peter Cormos would remind us is unusual, Mr. Speaker, because usually legislation goes out after second reading, that we would have the opportunity and the benefit of their input. Mr. Speaker, the leader of the opposition led his question with a commentary about companies that have donated to the Liberal Party. Mr. Speaker, many of those companies donated to all three parties, and the leader of the opposition knows that full well. Mr. Speaker, back to the Premier. There are numerous companies that receive grants from this government and also donated to the Liberal Party. Disproportionately so. The donations come both before and after companies receive grants from the Liberal government. It gives the appearance that the Liberal government has been operating a pay-to-play scheme. Mr. Speaker, can the Premier explain why it's so difficult to provide the people of Ontario with a list of the companies that you have given tax dollars to? If you have nothing to hide, provide the list, highlight all the contracts, grants and donations that have been made. Mr. Speaker, announcements about those grants. They are public announcements, Mr. Speaker. And I will just say that the members of the opposition parties show up to those announcements, Mr. Speaker. Because they know that jobs with Cisco and Toyota, all companies that have given to all parties, Mr. Speaker, they know that the jobs that are created in their communities, Mr. Speaker, because of the vast investments that those companies are making in Ontario, they know that those jobs are good for their constituents, just as they're good for the Ontario Department of Speaker. Mr. Speaker, please. Mr. Speaker, please. Before I turn to the Leader, I'm going to remind you that it's difficult for me to get control if, while answering, members of that side continue to heckle and having the heckling from that side is not helpful either. Let's have this discussion, please. Mr. Speaker, back to the Premier. The Premier says she makes public all the grants that they announce. That, Mr. Speaker, is not accurate. You look at the Maple Leaf Sports Entertainment Grant, $500,000 shortly thereafter, $30,000 donation to the Liberal Party. There was no announcement. There was no press release. And so my challenge is, will you release all the grants, all the contracts the government has done? It is the right thing to do. If you have nothing to hide, you should do that. And it speaks to the problem that the Auditor General has raised. $1.45 billion in grants and interest-free loans. And the Auditor General said there was no ability to track economic success of the grants. So if it's not about jobs, if it's not about economic success, as the Auditor General has outlined, what is it about? Is it about fundraising? Is it about supporting the Liberal Party? Do the right thing. Welcome a public inquiry. Be transparent like you promised. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, what the Leader of the Opposition's questions about is about innuendo. The Auditor General in her recent report said that funding decisions for business supports are made independently, Mr. Speaker. Political donations do not determine policy in this government. Mr. Speaker, I've said that clearly. That remains to be the case, Mr. Speaker. Well, thank you. The member from Lambton, Kent Middlesex, come to order. And you're next if you try it. Mr. Speaker, any suggestion that political donations by policy decisions is completely, completely false. That's why we've committed to a rational depoliticized process, Mr. Speaker. The reality is that there are... I'm not going to allow it to happen. There are companies that have received grants to Mr. Province because they have made huge investments. They have created jobs. The Leader of the Opposition, the Leader of the Third Party, their parties have benefited from donations from those same companies, Mr. Speaker. And I hope we're now going to work together to change them. Thank you. If I'm going to get tested, you'll fail. New question, Leader of the Opposition. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. And since the Premier doesn't want to talk about Adrian Morro's column on the Liberal Donation Scandal, let's talk about another column. This one written this week by Dr. Nadia Alam. It read that in Toronto alone, the steep price of the government's action in the past six months has included and has cost the health care system, a family doctor, an ophthalmologist, an orthopedic surgeon, a blood testing clinic, and two addiction clinics. That affected over 60,000 patients. The government benches wants to laugh about that. They want to laugh about the health care cuts. I was shocked. I was shocked that they released radio ads. I can't do the other side if you continue to interrupt. It stops. Finish, please. Mr. Speaker, the government may laugh about these cuts. And now they want to do vanity ads. Radio ads saying what a great job they're doing in health care. Maybe instead of running radio ads around the province saying why you're doing a great job in health care, put that money into patients. My question, Mr. Speaker, to the... The Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Sport will come to order. Premier. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there's a billion more dollars going into health care. One billion dollars more. There are changes in health care that are happening around the province. But there are not funding cuts, Mr. Speaker. A billion dollars more is going into health care as a result of the budget that we just put in place, Mr. Speaker. But the reality is that people want more care in their communities. People want to make sure that they are getting care from centers of excellence, Mr. Speaker. We want to make sure that people get the health care that they need, when they need it, and where they need it, Mr. Speaker. So I make no apologies for the fact that the health care system is undergoing a transformation. That is necessary, Mr. Speaker. Our demographics are changing. We must make those changes, Mr. Speaker. The Leader of the Opposition thinks that we can remain static. He does not understand the nature of the population of this province. We need to make changes, and we continue to increase... David, please. Thank you. Final supplementary. Mr. Speaker, back to the Premier. The Premier says that she is investing in health care. The goal that she can make that assertion. But then again, the Finance Minister said yesterday that hydro bills are going down. So, Mr. Speaker, let's speak about the facts. Let's look at a few cities around Ontario. St. Joseph's Hospital in London, $8.5 million cut. 60 staff positions lost. Wait times at St. Joe's ER is already one of the longest in Ontario, and it will be worse now because of the Liberals. The people in Welland are worried about their hospital, and it could be on the chopping block any day. St. Joe's Hospital in Hamilton lost 136 jobs just months ago because of this government. Yet the Premier says she's investing in health care. Every hospital is being forced to cut staff, being forced to cut critical services. The only thing this government is investing in is more vanity ads. Stop spending health care money on radio ads, spending in support. That was your first supplementary. There is a final supplementary coming. Premier. Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. Minister of Health, Long-Term Care. Well, Mr. Speaker, only the PC party could describe a billion dollars more invested in our health care system as a cut, Mr. Speaker. Only the PC party that promised to fire 100,000 Ontario employees, including thousands of health care workers, could describe what we're doing as anything but a further investment in our health care system. We're investing $10 billion, Mr. Speaker, in new capital infrastructure for our hospitals. We're doing the opposite of what that member did when he was part of a government in Ottawa, when he allowed the health accord to collapse and lapse, Mr. Speaker, when he closed the Health Council of Canada, he was part of that government in Ottawa, Mr. Speaker, when he voted for a budget that axed the Canada Centrum Federal Health Program for Refugees, Mr. Speaker, so it's rich to hear from this party this newfound interest in investing in health care, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Is Santa Cruz final supplementary? Mr. Speaker, back to the Premier. The health minister likes to say they're investing more in health care. Yet the health minister can't find a single physician or nurse in the province who will say this government isn't cutting health care. So let me talk about another example close to home in my riding of Simcoe North. At George and Bay General Hospital, they're closing the obstrectics unit, cutting beds, reducing services in the ICU, cutting seven acute care beds, shipping out paediatric surgery. It seems like all the health care advertisement they're doing isn't about supporting patients at George and Bay General. Mr. Speaker, will this government promise today, promise the people of Simcoe North, promise those in Midland, Pennet-Tangwishing, Tiny, Tayship, Bolsalay First Nation, will you do the right thing? Will you not gut the health care services at George and Bay General? Will you promise not to pursue this $5 million cut? Will you do the right thing? We can't... I find it disappointing that if I don't hear everything that's going on in this place, that the accusations fly about my neutrality and I'm insulted by that, to be honest. And regardless of how one sees it, I will try to call it as I see it and hear it. I hold it to you, to be those people, not to me. And if anyone says anything in this house, they have a right to stand and withdraw on their own. Minister. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I hope I won't have to withdraw in a moment, but I am so absolutely disgusted at what the member opposite just said when he talks about, when his fear mongering about George and Bay Hospital is talking about an obstetrics unit which is slated to close, which is absolutely false, Mr. Speaker. There is no plan whatsoever and he knows that the board has not approved it, the Linn has not approved it, the ministry has not approved it, but Mr. Speaker, he is part of a government that for the last 10 years turned their backs on our First Nations in this country. Provincially, that fired 6,000 nurses, that closed 10,000 hospital beds, Mr. Speaker, and he's got the nerve to stand up and speak things which, frankly, Mr. Speaker, aren't true and I hope he has another supplementary or another question about George and Bay because I know there are people in the gallery that deserve a truthful response from Mr. Speaker. We see it, please. I would ask that we measure what we say in this House. Some things being said are not what I would say a race to the top. New question. The leader of the third party. The premier. Can the premier explain why she's the only political leader in Ontario fighting against a nonpartisan open and transparent process to reform election laws in Ontario? Thank you. Expeditiously have a full consultation on political donations, acknowledging that there is a fair degree of consensus, Mr. Speaker, on the direction that we need to go and is putting forward a proposal that will bring us to a place full consultation by the beginning of January 2017, Mr. Speaker. Supplementary. The premier created a scandal when she designed a system where the Liberal Party appeared to be selling access to cabinet ministers. Yesterday, Liberals voted against a nonpartisan open and transparent process that would ensure our democratic reforms are fair to all Ontarians no matter who they are or how deep their pockets are, Mr. Speaker, can the premier tell Ontarians why she's putting the interests of the Liberal Party ahead of the interests of Ontarians? What I have said is that it would be great if we had some input from the leaders of the opposition parties on the substance of these reforms, Mr. Speaker, because there has been already a fair bit of public discussion about this. There are other jurisdictions that have made changes, Mr. Speaker, and we can look to those other jurisdictions. The leader of the third party does she agree that we should reform third party advertising rules? Does she agree that we should put constraint we should constrain the maximum spending limits for election periods? What does she think about between election periods, Mr. Speaker? Does she believe that we should put a ban on corporate union donations, Mr. Speaker? Does she believe that there should be a public subsidy? What should it be a transitional subsidy? What should be the level of that subsidy, Mr. Speaker? Does she believe that there should be a reduction of maximum donations and a figure that is in the range of what's permitted federally, Mr. Speaker? These are all proposals that I have put forward that I ask the leader of the opposition parties to weigh in on as we draft legislation, Mr. Speaker. There's been no substance that has come from them. I'd be very interested in her thoughts on any of these subjects. Thank you. Stop the clock. Just a quick comment. The member got dangerously close to impugning motive, so I want to just remind her that I am listening carefully to all of the conversations about that particular issue that I said would be happening during this particular time frame. So just a gentle reminder, please. Supplementary. Speaker, the Premier has claimed that there's a consensus behind her plan, a plan that no one has seen, and she can't point to a single meeting that she's had with Ontarians, experts or civil society. However, there is a public consensus, Speaker, for a transparent and non-partisan process. It's a plan supported by new Democrats, conservatives and the Green Party. Even the Liberal Party used to believe it was anti-democratic for one party to make up the rule, Speaker. Now the Premier is the only political leader left in Ontario defending a system where one party makes the rules for a democracy of 14 million people, Speaker. Will this Premier take a step back, do the right thing, and agree to a non-partisan process led by an independent panel? That's what Ontarians deserve. That's what she needs to go from the leadership part, Speaker. Mr. Speaker, again, there are a number of issues. One that I'd be very interested to hear the leader of the third party opine on is a proposal on constraints on loans and loan guarantees to parties and candidates, including leadership candidates, Mr. Speaker. It would be enlightening to hear her opinion on that, Mr. Speaker. But Mr. Speaker, the reality is the leader of the third party talks about democratic process, and I would suggest to her that the democratic process that looks at legislation, that brings legislation forward, allows for consultation, goals to committee, and has commentary. And in fact, Mr. Speaker, for example, right now the leader of the third party would, I know, understand that members of her party are working with the government party to stop and trade legislation, Mr. Speaker, to get, to give us input. And that's a very good thing, because that's part of the democratic process. All parties have the opportunity to either obstruct or to cooperate, and that's part of the democratic process, Mr. Speaker. New question, the leader of the third party. Speaker, my next question is for the Premier. Last week, Democracy Watch said, and I quote, key democracy laws across Canada are usually developed by all parties after meaningful public consultation. And the Ontario Liberals should follow this tradition before changing the political finance system, end quote. The Premier has accused anyone who has criticized her plan of delaying and stalling for their purposes. Does she really believe, Speaker, that Democracy Watch and the Green Party of Ontario are only interested in stalling and delaying? Be perfectly clear. What I have put forward are some proposals for positions that could go into draft legislation, Mr. Speaker. I had a meeting with the leaders of the opposition parties. I said to them, these are the things that I'm thinking about. These are the things that have happened in other jurisdictions. These are the things that have been part of the public discussion. And I think we need to refine them. We need to have a discussion about them. How about we work together on draft legislation, Mr. Speaker? And right now, the Government House Leader is talking with the other House Leaders about how they might have input into draft legislation. So Mr. Speaker, we have not put forward a set in stone plan. What we have said is, here are some things that need to be discussed. This is the proposition for consultation that would take the unusual step of sending draft legislation out after first reading and out after second reading after conversation with the opposition parties on the draft of that legislation, Mr. Speaker. And at only at that point would we then have the opportunity to vote on that legislation and put those changes in place expeditiously by the beginning of January 2017. What this Premier refuses to be open about is the fact that both the leader of the Conservative Party, the official opposition and myself at that meeting spent our time urging this Premier to put in place a process, Speaker, a process that is absolutely non-partisan. That is absolutely non-partisan because that is what the people of this province deserve. And she ignored that advice, Speaker, and she continues to ignore that advice. The laws that govern our democracy should be built to last, not based on the whims of one political party. The Premier is setting a dangerous precedent here, Speaker, that any majority government can change Ontario's election laws whenever and however they want. One political leader shouldn't be making decisions for a democracy of 14 million people. Will this Premier finally do the right thing and open up this process to a non-partisan panel where it belongs, Speaker, where people can have faith in the results. Thank you. I would argue that there's nothing more democratic than the Ontario Legislature. Everyone in this House has been elected to debate legislation. That's our job to introduce, debate and pass laws. So, Speaker, we're not alone in this kind of process. As I said yesterday, the Alberta NDP introduced legislation called an Act to Renew Democracy in Alberta. They introduced legislation, then they sent the bill to committee for public consultations. Back in 2003 Prime Minister Crenshan made changes to the Canada Elections Act. He didn't call a Royal Commission to make these changes. He introduced a bill, it was sent to committee, it was then amended based on the feedback the NDP in Manitoba amended the election finances in 2012. They introduced a bill to change the annual laws and then introduced a new third party. That's what we're doing. Thank you. Final supplementary. Well, Speaker, the head of a Treasury Board over there should know very well that when these processes are undertaken in a way that are not non-partisan, that are not open and democratic in terms of engaging people, that the rules don't last. And that is the point, Speaker. Ontarians deserve rules that last. Not rules that are changed at the whim of any government that happens to have power in this legislature. That's the principle issue that we're discussing here, Speaker. And this government obstinately refuses to acknowledge that it is, in fact, an extremely important issue, Speaker. The leader of the opposition, the leader of the Green Party and I set aside our partisanship to call for this independent panel. I'm calling on this Premier to do the same thing, Speaker, to set aside her partisanship and accept a process that is fair for every Ontario and not just about the Liberal Party. Why can't the Premier put a little faith in Ontarians, show a little bit of humility, have some confidence in the people of this province and make a non-partisan process that is fair for the Liberal Party. Speaker, I find it curious that the leader of the third party says that these rules don't last. I'd love to see, actually, what she's talking about on that. But, Speaker, we think it's time to move forward on important changes. We think it's time to ban corporate donations. We think it's time to ban union donations. We think it's time to look really hard at rules around third-party advertising. There is a broad consensus we need to move on. We welcome the input from the opposition parties, and they are refusing to provide anything other than an attack on the process. So, Speaker, we're not prepared to stall this legislation. We want to move forward. We want to have public consultations over the summer, Speaker, so we can pass the legislation and bring these rules to the table. Thank you. Thank you, Speaker. Speaker, my question is to the minister of health and long-term care. Speaker, yesterday I questioned the minister on the government's continued rationing of health care. The fact that new patients no longer can access stem cell transplants in Ontario. New patients, excuse me. The fact that wait lists at Princess Margaret Hospital is over 200 days. I remember we'll withdraw. I withdraw, Mr. Speaker. The answer was not quite accurate, Mr. Speaker. The money announced by the minister will have no effect in the system for up to two years. Patients now have two choices. Die or travel out of country for their treatments. We have gone from one treatment out of country a year upwards to 202 at a cost of two to three times that of Ontario. Patients must also bear the cost of living expenses for themselves and caregivers for up to six months. Speaker, will the minister stop the political retort and give an honest answer to Ontarians and how the government will help those seeking stem cell transplants today instead of two years from now? Minister of health, long-term care. Mr. Speaker, currently there are six hospitals in Ontario that provide stem cell transplant. As I mentioned yesterday, Mr. Speaker, because of technological advancements, the number of individuals who are eligible, particularly for the allogenic, which is a donor transplant for the individual, that has increased quite dramatically in this province. And that's a positive thing. It's great for the individuals, but we do realize that that has led to wait lists, which we are working on in two different ways. The capital investments of $30 million that was announced in our budget and recently passed, which will go to increasing the number of beds and the ability for those centres to provide even more care. But we also understand that there are operational pressures. And so with CCO that has Cancer Care Ontario, has a responsibility working with these six centres. We're working with them on the capital. We're working with them on the hospital. But we're also providing that option for individuals for out-of-country treatments, so they should they so choose it, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. The other six other centres are also operating at full capacity. But the situation highlights the continued mismanagement of healthcare by this government. And the situation did not come out without warning. In 2008, Cancer Care Ontario released a report to this government and it's stated, and I quote, access to transplant services in Ontario is an imminent risk. Services in the GTA need to be augmented as there is only one program to serve the entire region. Mr. Speaker, the government ignored that warning. Now the system is broken and Ontarians are suffering. Will the minister admit that they failed Ontarians, ignored the warnings of imminent collapse of the system and offer immediate relief to patients needing life-saving stem cell transplants? So Mr. Speaker, I think we owe it to individuals and their families who may be on the wait list to be as factual about this as we possibly can since that report came out. In fact in the last four years we've increased the funding for stem cell transplants in this province by 600%, Mr. Speaker. And that doesn't include the $30 million or nearly $30 million investment outlined in her budget. In fact at Princess Margaret Hospital in the last year alone, they've increased the number of transplants that take place. I know the opposition doesn't want to hear the truth, but I'm telling you they've increased the number of transplants that take place at Princess Margaret Hospital by 25%. The conversations going back and forth not even to the questioner or the person presenting the question is disruptive. So stop please. You have a wrap up please. So we're also working together with Cancer Care Ontario to see how we can use the network more effectively. So if there is a pressure in one location and there's opportunity in another and there is opportunity in another location, we're working together with Cancer Care Ontario to make sure that we're making sure that we work as a network to make sure we allocate resources appropriately. No question. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Premier. A formal investigation into the death of Mr. Andrew Locu, a 45-year-old father of five from South Sudan shot by the police last summer was finished a month ago. A month later and only after increasing media scrutiny. Given the serious concerns that members of the community have raised around systemic racism and discriminatory practices like carding after the killing of a racialized man, you would think the minister would understand the importance of reading a report of this nature. Yet the minister found other more important things to do. Can the Premier tell us why her minister took over a month to read this very important report? Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. We recognize that there are concerns about the current process including whether SIU reports are made public. And I think that's the essence of this question Mr. Speaker. And it's exactly why we've committed to a review. The minister of the Attorney General will appoint someone as soon as possible to conduct a review of the SIU, Police Review Director Mr. Speaker and the Ontario Civilian Police Commission. So those reviews and I committed to that when I spoke to the Black Lives Matter folks here at Queens Park Mr. Speaker. We have a responsibility to ensure that the public interest is being served and that's why we've committed to public consultations Mr. Speaker. As part of these discussions there will be a conversation about how the information in the SIU reports should be made public because I believe that that is as I say at the essence of the concerns around this process Mr. Speaker. Thank you Mr. Speaker. The Attorney General's handling of this file is simply unacceptable. It seems as though the minister purposely avoided reading the details of their support. Given the context, the community organized a massive lengthy protest in front of Toronto Police Headquarters. The community organized a massive rally in Queens Park raising issues and concerns around systemic racism in this province. Does the Premier really think that this is appropriate behaviour for the Attorney General of the province of Ontario? For the sake of the public's confidence in Ontario's oversight of the police it's essential that the details around the SIU's investigation and their handling of the evidence be made public. So the Premier alluded to this we want a firm commitment today Mr. Speaker, is this will the Premier commit today to ensuring that that report will be public? Mr. Speaker, I just said that as part of the discussions that there will be a conversation about how the information in the SIU reports should be made public Mr. Speaker I have already answered that and Mr. Speaker it was I and my ministers who went to the front lawn and had the conversation with the Black Lives Matter protesters Mr. Speaker I have had the conversation I acknowledge that in our society we are still grappling with systemic racism Mr. Speaker, that's the conversation I had with those young people who were standing on the lawn at Queens Park Mr. Speaker we've committed to the review there's already been a meeting with our minister responsible for the anti-racism directorate with some of the folks from the group Mr. Speaker I am very concerned about this issue I know that it is taking seriously Mr. Speaker and the minister of the Attorney General will be pointing someone to head up the reviews as soon as possible Mr. Speaker and we will be working towards how to make the information in the SIU report public. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker my question is for the minister of education investing in schools is part of building Ontario up an important way for the government to respond to local needs and learning environments for students in the recent 2016 provincial budget there's a plan to invest in school capital projects to address accommodation and buildings conditions Mr. Speaker it is really disappointing that the party's opposite voted against the plan to invest $11 billion over 10 years in our schools so through you to the minister can she please explain these budget measures will help families in my riding of Ottawa south and families across Ontario Thank you minister of education Thank you very much and thank you to the member from Ottawa south for that very good question about our budget since 2003 our government has invested almost $14 billion in school infrastructure which has resulted in nearly 755 new schools and more than 720 additions and renovations member from Windsor west approximately 200 major capital projects are either being planned or underway across Ontario with the $11 billion commitment to more capital grants over the next 10 years that was in our capital budget in the 2016 budget that they all voted against to be able to provide $52 million to build two new schools in Ottawa along with four retrofits and some additions member from Hamilton mountain $9 million to consolidate two schools into a new Greensville public school in Hamilton and we're providing $15 million to rebuild the Thank you supplementary Thank you very much Thank you Mr. Speaker and I thank the minister for that answer and we look forward to those new capital projects I would like to address another issue that affects families, parents and children and that's child care in this year's 2016 budget we announced our plan to invest in the child care sector families across this province rely heavily on access to our child care system and are looking for more available spaces so Mr. Speaker through you to the minister the 2016 budget is going to address those needs that actually both the NDP and the progressive conservatives voted against Thank you Mr. Minister In our 2016 budget we continue to commit to child care because child care provides a strong foundation for our youngest learners and we're committed to modernizing the child care system in fact the numbers of licensed child care spaces in Ontario speaker are nearly 351,000 which is an increase of 87% since 2003 and in the 2016 provincial budget we announced that we would invest 120 million in child care by creating approximately 4,000 new licensed child care spaces in local schools to give children the opportunity to transition more easily into their local full day kindergarten program over the next few months in fact speaker will be working on providing families increased access to safe high quality licensed child care with 120 new child care rooms as a result of this year's budget that they voted against Thank you Mr. Speaker My question to the minister of health and long term care we've been voicing concerns over the inexcusable delays in the assistive devices program that's leaving our most vulnerable citizens waiting too long to get their wheelchairs walkers and other mobility aids I've heard the minister give himself platitudes saying he's proud of the program so I respectfully remind him that in 2009 they had a backlog of 3,200 clients and said a 16 week delay was unacceptable today we're hearing about a 50 week delay or in another client's case 60 weeks the minister needs to commit to wiping out the backlog and fixing the inefficient approvals process through a UI ask what does the minister's plan to ensure that those who have been left waiting by this ineffective approvals process will get access to the medical aids they need and deserve in a timely manner 60 weeks Minister of health long term care Thank you and I appreciate the question from the member opposite and I want to also acknowledge that today with us are members from the Canadian Devices Association and welcome to Queens Park Mr. Speaker this is an important program for the government it's an important program for many many thousands of Ontarians but we on this side realize that we need to continue to improve it and make it work better it's challenging on the one hand because we have over 8,000 different devices and supports that we provide through it we provide assistance to the level of 75% of the support and the client is responsible for the remaining 25 we are working when there are for specific devices if it's whether it's on maintenance or procurement side we are working not only with providers but we're working within the ministry to find continuously find ways where we can improve the system and make it work better for the client Thank you Mr. Speaker back to the minister of health long term care I've written the minister about the very egregious examples of this backlog Jeff Preston who waited for his last assessment and Morris Cabby who waited one year and two months to get his motorized wheelchair the backlog consists of some of Ontario's most vulnerable severely disabled citizens people in need and you left them waiting far too long clearly this approval process set up by this government is not working I asked the minister to consider a recommendation from the assistant devices association to wipe out the backlog by bringing in product approval timelines that take into account prior testing and ensure oversight use processing time and most importantly ensure people receive service as quickly as possible this is precisely this is a good example Mr. Speaker where the opposition party is providing good advice and suggestions for us of what we need to look at as we continue to work on the waitlist in the backlog we have a standard for claims in terms of processing them that so that they can be processed in six to eight weeks we've dramatically increased our investment to now it's almost half a billion dollars this program that we invest in this program each year and there and about 350,000 clients so it's an enormously complex but I appreciate the very valid and good suggestions that the member opposite has spoken to we are looking at precisely some of those types of things I'd be happy to have a further conversation with the member to see what further we've reduced the waitlist in the backlogs as much as possible Mr. Speaker Thank you, no question the member from Toronto down forth Thank you Speaker, my question to the Minister of Energy electricity prices are going up again for the eight year in a row electricity rates will be more than nine percent higher this year than they were the previous year and amazingly the Ontario Energy Board blames this cost increase on the fact that we're using less electricity the government keeps signing lucrative contracts with private generators that guarantee inflated price for energy we don't need and amazingly the Minister wants to sign even more private contracts surely surely the Minister has met his fund raising quoted by now will he stop signing these wasteful private contracts that force Ontarians to pay more for using less electricity Mr. Speaker the member knows that the system is based on full cost recovery the example he referred to Mr. Speaker was that this past winter the consumption was lower than normal Mr. Speaker that's the first time that we can find out where this has occurred Mr. Speaker and I assure the member knows that we work on a full cost recovery basis the cost of the commodity Mr. Speaker which is the amount used and he knows full well Mr. Speaker that there's also the cost of connection cost of commodity there's also the wires and poles Mr. Speaker that are included they're all included in the price Mr. Speaker but what he should know Mr. Speaker is that he's talking about electricity price increases and when I get to the supplementary Mr. Speaker I want to speak particularly to comparables of Ontario for the rest of your stations Mr. Speaker supplementary Speaker it's very simple when Ontarians use less electricity they should pay less but that's not how it works in Ontario Ontarians do their part by conserving energy but private generators get paid whether Ontario needs the energy or not and if Ontarians don't need their energy these private generators will keep firing up their gas plants so they can sell energy energy that Ontarians pay top dollar for energy that sold to other jurisdictions at pennies on the dollar and things will only get worse as Hydro One starts demanding its own higher private profits when will the minister get electricity prices under control and finally put public need ahead of private greed Minister the member knows that it's the IESO who determines who fires up and who doesn't fire up as system operators but Mr. Speaker he's talking about a 2.5 percent bill increase as a result of the blip that happened this winter Mr. Speaker let's compare that to BC Hydro rates increased by 4 percent on April 1st 2016 Mr. Speaker or Saskatchewan power Mr. Speaker rates increased by 5 percent in 2015 Mr. Speaker or Manitoba Hydro applied for a rate increase of 3.95 percent on April 1st 2016 Mr. Speaker Newfoundland power Mr. Speaker applied for a rate increase of 3.6 percent for residential customers as of July 1st 2016 Mr. Speaker he's talking about a 2.5 percent increase in Ontario Mr. Speaker we're doing very well compared to the other questions Mr. Speaker the member from Aglinton Lawrence order please the member from Aglinton Lawrence a new question Mr. Speaker I'd like to ask the minister of health and long-term care I'd like to ask him a question that is rarely asked never asked in any other provincial legislature and finally being addressed in this provincial legislature and that is about the 30,000 women that experience pregnancy and infant loss these are mothers these are sisters these are wives that unfortunately through miscarriages and stillbirths lose a baby up until now essentially they've been treated not up to proper health standards when they experience pregnancy loss thankfully as a result of I think members from both sides of the houses have asked a bill for the first time in North America to recognize that women who experience pregnancy loss need proper health care and support thank you minister of health long-term care thank you mr. Speaker and mr. Speaker this is of course an issue that affects a great many people individuals and families across the province I would like to start by taking this opportunity to congratulate I think thank you is a better a better word thanking the member from Eglinton Lawrence for the passage of bill 141 which is the pregnancy and infant loss awareness research and care act mr. Speaker many families are affected by miscarriage or stillbirth and the challenge and the isolation that that can bring our government indeed the entire during our pre-budget consultations that were held across the province and we heard directly from families and patient advocates who themselves were suffering or had suffered from pregnancy loss and infant loss but because of their strength and advocacy I'm pleased to announce that our government this year is providing one million dollars to fund and support services for those affected by pregnancy loss and infant loss mr. Speaker thank you supplementary supplementary to the minister you know the thirty thousand every year I mean people just forget that thirty thousand women every year experience this tragic situation many of our hospitals our doctors our nurses are trying to do their best but there isn't a comprehensive standard of care so that you can get the proper support from your doctor from your nurse when you go through this tragic loss and I thank the minister and I thank all the courageous women who came to the hearings to express the need to do something but I guess what I want to know is can we do more as we go forward to ensure that there are standards of care for these mothers who lose their babies as a result of pregnancy and can we outline a plan where you can get services here in Kanola, Cornwall down the street at Mount Sinai thank you minister thank you mr. Speaker and that one million dollars will be provided to support and develop programs regarding pregnancy and infant loss but including resources to train volunteers and support families who have experienced loss in May Mount Sinai hospital will be hosting a pregnancy and infant loss summit I look forward to hearing about that discussion and my ministry of course will continue to work with our exceptional maternal and neonatal doctors nurses and researchers and as well we have world renowned hospitals like Mount Sinai and Sunnybrook to ensure that women across Ontario get the health care and support that they need when they experience pregnancy loss and infant loss once again I commend the pregnancy and infant loss network and the member from Aglent and Lawrence for their dedication to maternal and neonatal care here in Ontario thank you Mr. Speaker my question is to the Premier of Ontario the Rideau Carleton Raceway is home to a thousand local jobs in Ottawa particularly into my constituency but over the past a number of years my constituents have been under attack first with the modernization plan that your government brought in by eliminating the slots at racetrack program in 2012 and now with locked out workers last month I asked the Premier about her government's modernization plan the Minister of Labor at the time refused to give a clear answer and what the consequences would be for the Rideau Carleton Raceway but just last week my colleague from Helleburton, Hortha, Lakesbrook addressed in this assembly that a casino has been awarded to Peterborough and the end result there will kill horse racing and possibly even the slots at Hortha down so my question to the Premier is can I expect this to happen in Ottawa as well Mr. Finance Thank you Mr. Speaker I appreciate the question I recognize the concerns a member speaks of I also recognize that we are trying to modernize the Ontario Lottery and Gaming and supporting racing in our communities in fact we continue to provide racing as a priority for the Ontario Lottery and Gaming by merging that effort recognizing that it's a vibrant industry that needs to be supported at the same time needs to be sustainable on that endeavor and at the same time work with the communities and municipalities which will ultimately decide where the gaming operation should be Thank you Mr. Speaker Thank you as clear as his answer yesterday on Hydro Prices but I must say if he's really concerned about horse racing in Ontario then he only has to look at my colleague's constituency in Helleburton, Hortha, Lakesbrook where you are going to end the horse racing in that community and where you're likely going to start ending being Carleton at the Rideau Carleton Raceway on top of that we have 124 RCR slot workers who have been locked out for the past four months the OLG has ignored multiple requests to go back to the table we've had a car accident there on the weekend because patrons as well as the locked out workers are getting very frustrated I think it's time that this government takes the OLG to task for its modernization plan and the impact it's had on the horse racing community across this province but also the slot workers who are being treated unfairly so I have a question will you take this seriously and will you work with my constituents in order to see the viability and sustainability of the Rideau Carleton Raceway not only horse racing but also the slots Mr. Speaker Thanks very much Mr. Speaker I want to go back to we put the panel in place the Honourable John Snowblad the Honourable Albert Buchanan and the Honourable John Wilkinson at that particular time if the opposition benches had listened to their former front bench colleague Mr. Snowblad he said the slots at the racetrack program did had no transparency no accountability and we had to move to a new system to the province of Ontario we took the advice of those three very distinguished individuals to put forward a framework of place to sustain horse racing in the province of Ontario that was a program that was endorsed by those three individuals and if the opposition had to take the time to listen to the budget speech by the finance minister we've extended the framework two more years in the province of Ontario Mr. Speaker to bring stability to this industry that support the rural Ontario Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker please Mr. Speaker please Thank you No question the member from Hamilton Mountain Thank you Mr. Speaker my question is to the Minister of Children and Youth Services today a group of experts release a letter outlining concerns with the government's recent decision to remove children from intensive therapy it states quote abandonment of our clients is in serious violation of the BCBA code of ethics and a quote certification guidelines state that treatment should be based on clinical need and not on constraints by age on TABA highlight for transition to more consistency with the ethical obligations to protect the best interest of clients even the minister's own report doesn't suggest kicking kids five and over off the waiting list and it doesn't say that IBI is ineffective over the age of five as much as she insinuates that it does because it doesn't why is the minister ignoring experts who are sounding alarm bells about their ethical duties not to abandon children Thank you Minister of Children and Youth Services Well Speaker I'm actually glad my critic has raised this question because it was just yesterday when I met with on TABA to talk to them about clinical evidence when it comes to children with ASD they came to me with some very concrete and practical advice and we also talked about how we're going to be moving forward as we expand the autism program to 16,000 new spaces and the $333 million we'll have an implementation committee speaker to guide the work as we move through this transition this is year one, next year is year two and I very much appreciate hearing from on TABA and others as well as the existing clinical expert committee that not only gave us advice speaker but they did go out and talk to service providers they did go out and talk to parents and they did go out and talk to boards thank you Contrary to the minister's comments parents are already receiving letters removing their children from wait list as of May 1st service providers are telling parents that they have no idea what enhancement will look like and that their children will be placed on a different wait list in 2018 schools have been blindsided they are not sure how they will handle an influx of children with no support implementation of this program has already gone off the rails families who have been offered contracts are being told they will be removed after only 6 months even though the expert reports suggest that intensive therapy be for a minimum of a year why is the minister ignoring the advice of her own expert committee and removing kids from therapy after only 6 months or for some after 0 months speaker it's important to again remind the legislature here that children who are being removed from wait list are going into immediate service that's very important that's a big part of the $333 million and 16,000 new spaces speaker it's also important to note that every family received a two page letter outlining what this transition is going to look like it's from their service provider that they can answer the questions that they may have and speaker it's important to also remember that in the new program the new enhanced autism program Ontario that the services will be more intense they'll be of longer duration and will focus on the individual needs of children and I know families have questions we'll keep working hard to make sure that the families get the questions they need from this government thank you new question thank you speaker my question is for the minister of energy speaker this government has taken decided action on two important areas first this government's leadership on renewable energy has established Ontario as an international leader in the green energy economy second this government has placed a priority on Aboriginal community engagement and economic development and this is very important there are many examples that demonstrate this commitment to have Aboriginal communities create enterprises and to partner with private sector companies on meaningful economic opportunities First Nation and the cross Ontario including in my writing of Barry have embraced the opportunities to offer their competitive advantages and partner on energy projects speaker through you to the minister can you please tell us how more about Ontario's work with Aboriginal enterprises on energy projects thank you speaker I thank the member from Barry for the question our government believes First Nation and Métis enterprises are playing an important economic development role in the energy sector and the ministry of energy facilitates Aboriginal owned companies in total about 66 First Nation and Métis enterprises are involved in renewable energy projects these 66 enterprises are participating in more than 500 projects representing over 1500 megawatts of clean energy capacity in every part of the province more than that 77 proposed renewable energy projects representing 49 Aboriginal enterprises have been approved for funding just under the Aboriginal energy fund and we will continue to build on this collaboration speaker thank you supplementary thank you to the minister for those answers minister last month the independent electricity supply operator awarded 16 large renewable energy contracts this was good news for Ontarians and good news for Aboriginal enterprises from Ontario who were partners in a number of contracts that were awarded this procurement was done through a new broadly consulted competitive process as you have said minister this procurement was designed to strike a balance between early community engagement and achieving value for ratepayers there have been questions raised by a member of this house whether a First Nation energy enterprise can participate in projects in every part of the province or whether they should be limited geographically minister could you please clarify this for me and for all of our constituents thank you I hope the leader of the opposition plays careful attention to this answer speaker of the 16 contracts awarded more than 80% of the projects include participation from one or more Aboriginal enterprises with five projects including Aboriginal enterprises with more than 50% equity unfortunately this process has received criticisms from the member from Elgin Middlesex London who claims that a company owned by a First Nation located 1,000 km away should not be allowed to partner in a bid in the municipality of Dutton Dunwich speaker in a free trading Ontario where companies from France Germany and the US bid for energy contracts is appalling and unacceptable for a member of this house to suggest a company partnering with a First Nation enterprise disentitled to participate Mr. Speaker, the way I was brought up this is discrimination and will the leader of the opposition recommend this member New question, the member from kitchen in Conestoga My question is to the Minister of Health last month Queens Park was filled with close to 100 patients, families and caregivers of those affected by rare disease they and many patients across the province watched the private members' motion they'd been counting on to create a select committee on rare disease treatment and support voted down by this Liberal government they also heard the Minister announce a working group focused on rare disease to begin action now to begin taking concrete steps, those were his words Speaker, it's been over a month, will the Minister tell us what action and concrete steps have been taken by his working group to serve the needs of rare disease patients here in the province? Thank you I appreciate the question Mr. Speaker the first rare disease that we focused on was EDS Erlish Download Syndrome and we put together an expert panel late last year to almost use it as a test case to see if we could develop a different approach and as a result of that which included patients and patient advocates and experts of course we are creating and we funded Centre of Excellence at University Health Network specific for EDS so that those individuals with that rare disease will have a one stop shop of access and education for healthcare providers a whole set of important issues now what we're doing is we're expanding that and it's being led in part by Sick Kids Hospital because many of these diseases and conditions are found among children working and I would hope the member would appreciate it and it may take more than the month that has transpired for us to make sure that we've got the composition of that working group correct the proper leadership the proper patients and patient advocates so we can do on a broader sense what we've already done with EDS Mr. Speaker Thank you Time for question period is over this house stands recessed until 3pm this afternoon