 It is therefore time for question period. The leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. My question is for the Premier. Once again, the Auditor General is blasting the Liberals' accounting this time for their unfair hydro-scheme. The Auditor said she thinks, quote, the accounting is bogus, quote. She highlights the fact that the financial and accounting structure was designed to avoid reporting the unfair hydro-scheme's costs. She claims it was, quote, allowing the government to falsely claim their budget numbers. These numbers can't be trusted. This government can't be trusted, Mr. Speaker, if the Auditor General can't trust this government, then how can anyone in Ontario do that? Mr. Speaker, families in this province ask for real and immediate relief on their electricity bills, and that's what we delivered, Mr. Speaker. Our plan has been approved by some of Canada's top accounting firms, including Ernst & Young, KPMG, Deloitte, Mr. Speaker. All of those organisations have looked at what we did, Mr. Speaker, and have reviewed it, and have approved it, Mr. Speaker. In fact, the same accounting process is used by Toronto Hydro, as well as it's used in Alberta, it's used in New England, it's used in New York, Minnesota, and Texas, Mr. Speaker. We're very confident, Mr. Speaker, that what we have done to deliver real relief to families on their electricity bills, Mr. Speaker, is appropriate, and people are seeing that relief right now. Thank you. Supplementary. Back to the Premier, while she says one thing, the Auditor General has the sole authority to audit the province's books. This government has fought her time and time again. They have attacked the Auditor's credibility, they have attacked her expertise, and they have attacked her character. This has gone too far. If the Auditor General says, we can't trust this government's numbers, it's clear, Ontario can't trust this government's numbers. Mr. Speaker, will this government show an ounce of integrity, an ounce of accountability, and own up to these questionable numbers? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Please to rise and respond to the question. Mr. Speaker, we made a policy choice to ensure that we continue to have a clean and reliable and an affordable electricity system for ratepayers of today, Mr. Speaker, and ratepayers of tomorrow. The Fair Hydro Plan keeps the cost of borrowing within the rate base, not the tax base, Mr. Speaker, because that's the logical thing to do. Electricity financing should remain within the electricity system, Mr. Speaker, not the tax base. Examples from the Treasury Board, Finance, OPG, the ISO, the Ontario Financing Authority along with external advisers that include Ernst and Young, KPMG and Deloitte worked on the accounting related to the Fair Hydro Plan, Mr. Speaker. They along with the Office of the Provincial Controller ensured that this plan was in accordance with public sector accounting. Final supplementary. Back to the Premier. It's been reported that the Auditor-General has uncovered very troubling behaviour at the IESO. It seems there is a culture of untrustworthiness and a lack of integrity. The Auditor's concerns, quote, included incorrect accounting, deceptive and obstructive behaviour by the IESO's Board of Management and poor financial controls, quote. It's so bad, the Auditor-General warned, that if improper accounting wasn't fixed, she may issue an adverse opinion on Ontario's books. Now, Speaker, that would be a first in Canadian history for any government's financial statements. So, Mr. Speaker, will this government be the first in Canadian history to have their numbers rejected by an Auditor-General? Good. Mr. Speaker, so when talking about the AG and our system operator, our system operator, the IESO, has assured the Ministry of Energy that they have made every effort to be forthright and fully responsive to the Auditor-General's request for information. So for example, Mr. Speaker, the IESO has accommodated the Auditor's requests by making accommodations to extend the duration of the Auditor-General's staff on the IESO's premises to the initial two weeks requested to seven weeks. During this time, the IESO received and responded to over 200 information requests from the Auditor-General's staff. The IESO accommodated every meeting request. About 40 meetings took place between the IESO and the Auditor's staff. The IESO accommodated the AG's request to meet with their board and audit committee and throughout their audit, the Auditor-General's staff had direct access to the IESO's staff, Mr. Speaker. After the first round, you've indicated to me that you're willing to look at last week's activities and we will be closing in on warnings. We'll see you in another round. Would you like us to go to the awards? Most people would stop. New question. The Leader of the Opposition. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Premier. With the budget just days away, people want a better path forward for Ontario. Only Doug Ford and the Ontario PC Party will bring jobs back to the province of Ontario. An important step to make Ontario open for business is to scrap the carbon tax cash grab, Speaker. The PC Party will stop sending families hard-earned money to California. The Auditor-General has confirmed that this government is doing exactly that. So Mr. Speaker, will the Premier ax the tax? Will she scrap the carbon tax and bring jobs back to the province of Ontario? Well, Mr. Speaker, I know this question from a party and a member who has decided to turn their backs on climate change, not recognizing the single greatest threat to humanity. But, Mr. Speaker, let's talk about jobs. Let's talk about what's actually happening in Ontario, because we're seeing economic growth in one of the leading jurisdictions in the country. We're outstripping the growth of the G7 countries, the United States. And on jobs, there have been 810,000 new jobs, net new jobs created in this province since the recession. And over 400,000 jobs created since I became the Premier, Mr. Speaker. So they're being created in Ontario, Mr. Speaker. Our unemployment rate has dropped to 5.5 percent and it's been below the national average for 34 months. To the Premier, nobody believes this government's spin. When the Premier slipped up a few weeks ago, she admitted her carbon tax was used to line the government's pockets, not reduce emissions. She claims scrapping the carbon tax would impact the public service. Why would money that she claims to be solely dedicated to the environment affect the public service? Her carbon tax has nothing to do with reducing emissions. It's all about grabbing cash. Well, the party with the taxpayers' money is over. Mr. Speaker, will the Premier admit her carbon tax has nothing to do with the environment, but has everything to do with taking more money out of the taxpayers' pockets? Well, Mr. Speaker, we are on track to meet our pollution reduction targets, Mr. Speaker. And I know that the Ministry of the Environment will want to speak to that in the final supplementary. But, Mr. Speaker, let me just, in terms of the go-forward in this province and the member opposite acknowledged that we're bringing the budget in in a couple of days. Mr. Speaker, we know that across this province we've balanced this budget this year, Mr. Speaker. We know, and having seen economic growth and those jobs that I said had been created, Mr. Speaker, those 400,000 jobs since I've been the Premier, the low unemployment rate, even with all of that, Mr. Speaker, not everyone is feeling that benefit. Not everyone is feeling that evenly, Mr. Speaker, which is why we are making a very conscious and deliberate decision to invest in people. Invest in their mental health, invest in their education, invest in their healthcare, Mr. Speaker. I understand that's not what the party opposite wants to do, but we believe that that is what people are asking for, right? Thank you. Can you see it, please? Can you see it, please? Thank you. Final supplementary. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Back to the Premier. Well, scrapping the carbon tax cash grab is just one step for job creation in the province of Ontario. We have lost more than 300,000 good-paying manufacturing jobs because of this government and their policies. When we talk to company owners, large or small, one top issue is the stifling bureaucracy, red tape and regulations. We need to let business grow, Speaker, and bring jobs back to Ontario. We need companies to know that Ontario is open for business again. Mr. Speaker, with a liberal scrap, the red tape, they have wrapped all around Ontario's businesses. Thank you. Mr. Reconon of Development and Growth. Mr. Reconon of Development and Growth. Thank you very much, Speaker. Thank the member for the question. I've said on many occasions in this legislature that over the last decade, since the depths of the recession that engulfed Ontario and most of the world, we have created more than 800,000 jobs, Speaker, in this province. That's in part because our government made the decision to invest in our people, to invest in infrastructure, and to make sure that we kept focus on the importance of supporting families in need at all times, Speaker. Specifically, the leader asked a question regarding reducing red tape, Speaker. I should note that the 2017 burden reduction report specifically showed Ontario surpassing the target that had been set regarding burden reduction by 50 percent and, Speaker, two years ahead of schedule. This report also found an estimated savings of over $150 million and 5.4 million hours to business by, we removed, 80,000 regulatory burden, Speaker. There is more to this story, but I would just say to the member opposite, it's important to focus on the facts and not to spell myths to the people of Ontario. Thanks very much. Thank you. After the second round, I made a decision. We're going to go to warnings. We're in warnings. Carry on. From Algoma, Manitou. Speaker, my question is to the Premier, Poon Lee Utenin is 12 years old. She and her older brother each need to have a few teeth removed and make rooms for new ones that are coming in, but their mom Pamela can't afford it. This is necessary dental care, but right now, after 15 years of Liberal government in Ontario, Pam's family will just have to go without it. The Premier talks a lot about governments that care. So why hasn't hers cared for Poon Lee and her brother? Thank you. Well, Mr. Speaker, I know the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care is going to want to speak to this, but as I said last week, Mr. Speaker, I think it's great that the third party has now begun to talk about dental care, Mr. Speaker. In fact, we have for some time been making it easier for children to get the dental care that they need. And Mr. Speaker, I'm not suggesting that it's perfect. There is more that has to be done. We recognize that. The issues of pharmacare and dental care really are gaps in our health care system, Mr. Speaker, that were not put in place in the 60s when Medicare was established, Mr. Speaker. But we have been working for some time. We've made it easier for kids to get dental care through our expanded Healthy Smile. All right. The member from Renfrew, Nipissing, Pembroke is warned. Finish your answer, please. What Healthy Smiles does, Mr. Speaker, is that it provides free preventative routine and emergency dental services for children and youth from low-income households from across the province, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again to the Premier. These kids are enrolled in a Healthy Smile program, but this is necessary dental care. Care that their dentist recommends be done right away isn't covered. There are millions of other families in the same situation as Pamela's is in right now. It must be heartbreaking for parents to know your kids are going without the care they need. Over the last 15 years, the Liberal government sat at the cabinet table and chose their priorities. They cut billions in taxes for the most profitable corporations, but left people like Pam and her family unable to go to the dentist. Why has the Premier left everyday Ontario families to fend for themselves when it comes to dental care? Thank you. Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I would say to the member opposite that this government certainly cares about our children, and we care deeply about oral health in general. And that's precisely why we instituted the Healthy Smiles program. We brought together a number of disparate programs across the province, and put them through our Healthy Smiles program into effect across the province. We look to our LINS and to our public health units to do the kind of analysis as to where more is needed. And we are responding to that. I had the opportunity to review the report of the Chief Medical Officer of Health for the City of Hamilton, Dr. Elizabeth Richardson. And she shows quite clearly that there are health inequities across the Greater Hamilton area. This is very useful as we plan our programs. We will continue to look very seriously at this issue, and I'm sure the member will be looking forward to our budget on Wednesday. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again to the Premier, and again, they are not covered under the Healthy Smiles program. Universal health care is a Canadian value. But decades of cuts in budget freezes by consecutive Conservative and Liberal governments have meant that instead of improvements to the system, like dental care and universal farm care, Ontario Family Services have seen erosion. Pamela's kids need to have a few teeth pulled. Pamela should be able to count on her government to help her. That's the government that cares. Stop the clock. Minister of Municipal Affairs is warned. Finish, please. Why didn't the Premier build that government when she had the chance? Mr. Speaker, we continue to provide services across this province. And as we reaffirmed in the Throne Speech, our government will continue to make the kinds of investments that ensure more people without a drug or a dental benefits plan will have access not only to more affordable prescription drugs but also for dental care. That announcement obviously will be part of our budget. In the meantime, we do rely on the expertise of public health professionals of our local health integration networks to assess the overall health of our communities. There's no one-size-fits-all to these issues. And we are committed to looking at evidence-based solutions for our vulnerable population. We will continue to do this. We've been doing it very successfully over the last 15 years. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. New question. A member from London West. My question is to the Premier. Speaker, the London Brewing Cooperative is a business in my community. The owners have always wanted to provide dental coverage for their workers. They've investigated group plans, but the cost has simply been too prohibitive. The London Brewing Cooperative is a good employer. The owners give back to their community, and they want to do the right thing by the people who count on them. Speaker, why hasn't the Premier helped the London Brewing Cooperative offer their workers dental coverage over her 15 years in office? Well, Mr. Speaker, you know, as we have said a number of times, we recognize that there is a need for more dental care in this province. Just period. There is more need for dental care in this province. I would suggest there's more need for dental care across the country, Mr. Speaker, because dental care was instituted in the 60s. It did not include pharmacare. It did not include dental care, and so it has fallen to provincial governments to put in place supports, which we have been doing, Mr. Speaker, and we recognize that there is more that needs to be done. We have implemented the Healthy Smiles program, Mr. Speaker. There are hundreds of thousands of children across the province who get that support, Mr. Speaker, but we recognize that there is more that we have to do. I understand that the third party has recently discovered this as an issue because if we look at their platforms, Mr. Speaker, and when I sat down with their leader, Andrea Horvath, when I became the Premier, Mr. Speaker, there was no mention of this. There was no hint that this was an issue that they saw was a problem. We've been working on it, Mr. Speaker. We'll continue to work on it. Supplement. Thank you, Speaker. One of the owners, Erin, said that the NDP plan, Dental Care for Everyone, would mean that they could finally offer employee dental coverage and really compete for the best staff. Dental coverage for their employees will help them grow their business and put more money in the pockets of their workers. In their 15 years in office, Speaker, why hasn't this liberal government made it easier for employers to offer dental benefits to their staff? Thank you. Mr. Speaker, as I said in my last answer, we recognize that there's more that we need to do, and I think that the NDP is now, at this point, chiming into the conversation, and they have brought some ideas forward. I think that what they're bringing forward are interesting ideas, Mr. Speaker, and we need to look at how we can provide more support. The fact is we have been working on this. We have implemented the Healthy Smiles Program. We have grown that program, Mr. Speaker, but I will be the first to say that there is more that we need to do, and that is in the context, Mr. Speaker, of understanding that there are needs, and it goes back to a question that the Conservatives asked earlier, Mr. Speaker, and that is, you know, what are our plans in the budget? We have been very clear, Mr. Speaker, we recognize that there are more supports that are needed so that people can care for themselves and care for their families, whether that's in the area of mental health, health care in general, Mr. Speaker, or education. We are putting those supports in place as we have done for a number of years. Mr. Speaker, the final supplementary. Mr. Speaker, last week, this Premier made one desperate announcement after another. People know that the current health care crisis is because this Liberal government ... Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Economic Development is warned. People know that the current health care crisis is because this Liberal government has been cutting health care spending for years. What the Liberals are now offering is too little, too late. The problems today are big because they have been ignored by this Liberal government for the last 15 years. After a decade and a half, why are families like Pamela's unable to get the dental care their kids need? Why are businesses like the London Brewing Cooperative unable to offer their employees dental benefits even though they want to? Mr. Speaker, why is it now, just 72 days before the election, that the Premier is making these promises when she has had 15 years to deliver? Very much, Mr. Speaker. I am happy to talk about the past, if that's what the NDP wants to talk about, because for many years we have been implementing supports in this province, making changes, whether it's full day kindergarten, whether it is advocating for retirement security enhancement, which is now in place across the country, whether it's free tuition, Mr. Speaker. We have been working to put supports in place to respond to the people of Ontario. And Mr. Speaker, in terms of what was happening last week, we are in the run-up to a budget. And every year, when there is a budget, Mr. Speaker, we work to make sure that people in the province know what it is we are about and what we are putting on the table, Mr. Speaker. And what we are saying is there is a need for more money for mental health supports. There is a need for hospitals. There is a need for more money for special education. What I hear from the third party, Mr. Speaker, is they are going to vote against that. Thank you. Appreciate it, please. Appreciate it, please. Thank you. New question. The member from Prince Edward Hastings. My question this morning is for the Premier. Premier, last week, the list of Ontario's richest political insiders was released. They call it the sunshine list. I know there is not a whole lot sunny about it. People of Ontario are struggling to pay the bills and put food on the table. Finish, please. Speaker, liberal insiders are continually getting richer. And that is what we learned from last week's release of the sunshine list. It is getting hard for people in Ontario to understand. Just look at the CEO of Ontario Power Generation. He got a raise of $400,000 this year. Wow. His salary is now $1.5 million. $1.5 million. The former head of ISO, he was the fifth highest individual on the list and worked for four months. Mr. Speaker, when an everyday person in Ontario can't pay their bills, why are the Premier's friends getting $400,000? Premier. Treasury Board. Treasury Board. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the member opposite for his question because it allows me to do a couple of things, Speaker. First of all, I want to recognize that certainly on this side of the House Speaker, we know that $100,000 is a lot of money and the people of Ontario have a right to know how those dollars are being invested. I'm going to get to that in a moment. First of all, I want to explain and just outline, Speaker, that our decision to release these salaries is in keeping with our openness and transparency on this side of the House Speaker. We are being saluted internationally for our open government and that is why we're making and have made a public sector salary disclosure public as well as every disclosure dating back to 1996 starting this year, Speaker, available online and accessible and downloadable formats. And again, we're keeping that $100,000 threshold and we're not going to change it even though in today's dollars it would be $151,000, Speaker, because again we know that that's a lot of money to the people of Ontario. We're proud of our public servants and the quality of service they deliver to Ontarians are asking for and we're delivering on that, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we're talking about six figure raises here on the Sunshine List. $400,000, that's acceptable to Premier Wynn in this liberal government. Mr. Speaker, did you know that there's also a secret list of Hydro-1 millionaires out there? They've had their names hidden from the Sunshine List this year. They sit around the boardroom table at Hydro-1 and they give themselves raises. At the same time they're always asking to increase the Hydro rates for the hardworking people of Ontario. Now the Premier doesn't seem to think the people of Ontario deserve to know how much these people are making. But voters need more transparency, Speaker. Not less. They're getting less from this government. Mr. Speaker, why does the Premier continue to hide the salaries of the people at Hydro-1 and their millionaires club working there? Mr. Speaker. The Minister of Energy. Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So the first thing I should let the opposition know is this is a publicly traded company, meaning that the list of Hydro-1's executive compensation can be found online, Mr. Speaker. You think a party that has a leader that's a self-proclaimed so-called businessman should know that very well, Mr. Speaker. On top of that last week, Mr. Speaker, it's absurd that the member opposite is trying to criticise employees on the Sunshine List because it came to light that during the Ford Administration's term running the City of Toronto, the number of staff on the Sunshine List doubled. This is contrary to what the Conservative leader Doug Ford said in the past. In 2010 the City of Toronto had over 5400 employees on that list. In 2014 after leader Doug Ford had served on the Budget Committee to over 11,000, Mr. Speaker. So let's not forget that Conservative candidate Ron Phillips was on that list, Christine Elliott is on that list, and 24 hours later he was canvassing. Thank you. New question. Remember from London Fanshawe. My questions to the Premier. A single mom contacted my office because her two-year-old son fell and hit his mouth. He now has a painful abscess and needs his front teeth to be extracted. His mom is on social assistance. Her dentists contact Healthy Smiles program and they have agreed to pay for the extractions but not for the $395 anesthetic fee. Apparently this two-year-old boy is supposed to sit still while his four incredibly painful and infected teeth are pulled without anesthetic. Why is the Premier leaving so many people, including children, without the dental care that they need? Well, Mr. Speaker, I don't know the details of this situation but I certainly hope that you would share them with the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care and in fact could have shared them with the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care beforehand so we could have looked into it, Mr. Speaker because that sounds like a situation that absolutely needs to be dealt with. I can't imagine that in 2018 a health practitioner that would do that but if you would share those details with the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care then we will certainly look into it, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, supplementary. Children should never have to endure painful teeth extractions without anesthetic. Parents shouldn't have to take on credit card debt to get the dental care that their family needs. No one in Ontario should live in pain because they can't afford to go to a dentist. The NDP plans for every Ontario to access dental benefits either through work or on their health card. Why doesn't the Premier Mr. Speaker, again I will say to the third party, it is great that at this point for the first time the NDP is starting to talk about dental care. We understand that there's more that needs to be done we have been looking for ways by working with the local health providers, with the public health providers Mr. Speaker. The Healthy Smiles program has been expanded but we recognize that there's more that needs to be done. So we welcome the interest from the third party we are working to find more ways to expand the accessibility of dental care across the province Mr. Speaker. This is a gap, it is absolutely a gap as pharmacare was a gap when Medicare was introduced in the 60's Mr. Speaker. It needs to be dealt with and we are working on both fronts, both on pharmacare and to find ways to expand support for dental care across the province. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Health and Long-term Care providing all Ontarians with timely access to the care they need whether at home in the community or in one of our outstanding hospitals is of the utmost importance to our government but also to me as the member of Kingston and the Islands. We are fortunate in Ontario to have outstanding hospitals across this province. Our government has increased investments in healthcare each and every year allowing us to treat more patients provide better care and reduce wait times to some of the shortest in the country. Last year we invested over $500 million in funding in our Ontario hospitals which is a 3.2% overall increase to the hospital sectors and this is on top of our 2016 investment of nearly half a billion dollars in our hospitals. We're also investing more than $19 billion over the next 10 years to improve and expand hospitals. Mr. Speaker, could the Minister of Health and Long-term Care please tell this House of the incredible new investments being made in our hospitals. Thank you. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker and thank you to the member from Kingston and the Islands for the question. Our government knows that everyone in Ontario deserves high quality care when they need it and our skilled dedicated healthcare professionals deserve the right resources to deliver it. Last week I was proud to stand with the Premier and the Minister of Finance at North York General Hospital to make a historic investment of an additional $822 million in Ontario. 6% overall increase will increase capacity, decrease capacity for families across Ontario and this funding will directly benefit people in Ontario. It will increase the number of essential services in hospitals such as cardiac care, critical care, chemotherapy and treatment for stroke. It will decrease wait times for hip, knee, cataract, shoulder, cornea and spine surgery. On this side of the House we're investing where it matters, we're investing in care for the people of Ontario. Thank you for the continued support for Kingston Health Science Centre, Brockville General Hospital and the state of the art New Providence Care Hospital in my riding of Kingston and the Islands. On Friday I was thrilled to announce that Kingston Health Science Centre will be receiving $8.82 million, Providence Care will be receiving $1.04 million and Brockville General will be receiving $1.7 million for the 2018-19 year. It was a tremendous moment in our community. Not only is this government investing in the resources needed to deliver high quality health care but we're also making critical investments in capital to ensure the success of our hospitals for years to come such as the $500 million for Kingston Health Science Centre. Mr Speaker could the Minister of Health and Health tell this House about the monumental capital announcement our government made last week to support care? Thank you Minister. Mr Speaker and to the member for her ongoing advocacy not just for health care but in my previous portfolio I know how much she cares for the vulnerable in her community. Mr Speaker we're making sure that our world class hospitals have the resources they need to continue saving lives. In Ontario we're fortunate enough to have one of the world's largest and most respected pediatric hospitals that transforms the lives of hundreds of thousands of children and families across Ontario. On Friday our government committed to supporting a new patient care centre at Sick Kids and investment of $2.4 billion to transform the hospital into a 21st century facility to continue providing leading edge care for children. This will give more children and their families faster access to the healthcare system. We have a health care system here in Ontario that we are proud of and will continue to support our incredibly skilled and compassionate health care professionals to care for our loved ones. Thank you Mr Speaker. My question is over to the Minister of Transportation. I'm hoping that the minister can explain to hardworking Ontarians why according to the sunshine list the former MetroLink CEO made $100,000 more yet $100,000 working only four months in 2017 than he did working the entire year in 2016. I'm wondering how that makes sense. Thank you Minister of Transportation. Thank you very much Speaker and I apologize for my voice and thank you for the question. So it would be inappropriate for me to comment on the earnings of an individual MetroLink's employee but however MetroLink has a vital role to play in our plan to deliver an integrated regional transit system right across the GTHA. We need to have the right leadership in place to make sure that we can deliver on time and on budget. Bruce McQuague left MetroLink's a far stronger and more mature organization that he inherited and did the necessary work to make sure that the massive transit bill that this side of the house is involved in is underway. Now our new CEO Phil Verster is overseeing this transformative bill and at the end of the day in our region we'll see critical improvements like new rapid transit lines four times the number of weekly go train and electrified service which will improve times and bring clean reliable service across the region would be good if that member would vote for some of the investments he can do in our budget. Well Bruce McQuague also left MetroLink's $100,000 richer than he did in 2016 and only worked four months. Now the minister nor anyone at MetroLink's wants to answer because they know they can't make sense of it either. After being paid $364,000 for an entire years work in 2016 former MetroLink CEO Bruce McQuague walked away with $486,000 plus another 12 grand in benefits in April 2017 that's only four months into the fiscal year for only four months work how do they add that up speaker to give the minister one more chance will the minister please explain how the MetroLink CEO got to walk away from four months of work pocketing $100,000 more than his previous years entire salary and I guess a follow up question to that is did he preside on his own accord was he or was he fired which one. Thank you speaker and our government continues to strengthen Ontario's efforts to become the most open, transparent and digitally connected government in Canada proactively releasing information on public salaries is an important part of Ontario's open government commitment we recognize $100,000 is a lot of money people of Ontario have a right to know how their tax dollars are being interspent but it is inappropriate for me to comment on the earnings of one individual MetroLink's employee but speaker I find it interesting to hear this commentary from this member in the Ontario Conservatives under the Ford administration at City Hall the sunshine list doubled the PCs clearly have a double standard when it comes to criticizing employees on the sunshine list that member that party should vote for the investments contained in our budgets for all of our transit program in Ontario New question the member from Tomiskini Cochran Premier Delima Duby is a senior living in Tomiskini Shores like two out of every three seniors on the air she doesn't have dental coverage and can't afford the care she needs Delima has several serious health issues made much worse by infected teeth she needs to have them extracted but it will cost $4,000 money she doesn't have why has the Premier ignored Delima and 1.5 million seniors like her by failing to provide dental benefits to the people who built this province Minister of health and long-term care there's health long-term care thank you very much Mr. Speaker and I'm really pleased that the third party is now engaged in this very important issue of dental care and oral health care of course in the thrown speech I'm sure the member does remember has said specifically that we will be making investments to ensure more people without a drug or a dental benefits plan will have more access to affordable prescription drugs and dental care specifically last week the Premier made a major announcement something that's going to be in our budget to help seniors in terms of their drug costs so now we have eliminated the deductible and the copay for everyone at the age of 65 in addition of course to their access to prescription medications through our Ontario drug benefit plan thank you Mr. Speaker Premier and desperation Delima wrote to you several years ago pleading for you to act and help people like her your office answered with a letter but nothing else her health and quality of life has been hurt while you and your Liberal government have failed to act all across Ontario people like Delima are living in pain because they can't get dental care they don't need pain medication they need to get their teeth fixed people are suffering and for 15 years your government has done nothing to help these people the NDP has a plan to fix this problem to deliver dental care for everyone why doesn't the Premier thank you Minister well just to expand a little bit on what we announced last week to make life more affordable for seniors we know that what we're doing with our expansion of OHIP plus 4 seniors will make life more affordable for some 2.6 million seniors and their families and as we've committed we will work towards building out a larger for low income adults that will provide peace of mind for these families and individuals and allow them to enjoy life have a better quality of life it is interesting Mr. Speaker that over the last year until very very recently until last week the NDP only asked one question about dental care in the whole of the last year thank you Mr. Speaker thank you new question remember from Barry the next generation in science fifth generation technologies and next generation networks are advancing at an unprecedented pace we have already seen them become the new global standard for wireless communications they have allowed wireless communication speeds to become 100 times faster than current rates and have advanced seamless communication between billions of connected devices such advancements have caught the attention of international technology companies making nations eager to invest and advance these technologies in their own economies Minister can you inform the Speaker and the members of the House how Ontario plans to remain competitive in the international 5G and next generation digital economy thank you thank you Mr. Speaker and I want to thank the member from Barry for that very question Mr. Speaker last Monday in Ottawa I was thrilled to be a part of the $400 million of investments during funding for 5G network Ontario is partnering with Quebec and the federal government to accelerate the transition to 5G wireless technology in our country Canada this province Mr. Speaker is investing $67 million in on-court through partnership with multinational technology corporations this game changing initiative to high speed 5G test beds in Ontario and to give our companies access to these technologies this will allow them to create transformative products and services to compete globally improve communication services advances our innovation economy and improve the day-to-day lives of Ontarians thank you Mr. Speaker thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the minister for that answer it is always exciting to hear about Ontario's role in such beneficial and constructive investments these investments not only advance 5G technologies but they could lead to breakthroughs in fields like artificial intelligence cyber security and other transformative technologies we know that investments in these technologies will transform our economies as they will create new jobs and industries I understand that this investment aligns with Ontario's successful $650 million business growth initiative which has helped the economy grow by promoting an innovation based economy could the minister please inform the house how these investments in 5th generation technologies and next generation networks will drive innovation and strengthen Ontario's economy thank you minister thank you Mr. Speaker and again thank you to the member for that question Mr. Speaker these new test beds are small and the medium business enterprises to test and develop 5G technologies ahead of competition in order to stay ahead of the game this will give Ontario businesses a first to market advantage in using these new technologies moreover approximately 2,000 jobs will be secured in Ontario by SMEs accessing these technologies the initiative is also expected to retain nearly 1,000 jobs for the first 5 years and secure global research and development mandated for Ontario companies Mr. Speaker I want to take a moment and thank our Ottawa caucuses members from Ottawa South Ottawa West Ottawa Van Year Ottawa Orlean Ottawa West Nippian for the City of Ottawa as well as for innovation economy in our province of Ontario Mr. Speaker thank you Mr. Speaker my questions for the Minister of Agriculture and Food and Rural Affairs speakers been many weeks since the Minister of Agriculture spilled the beans about Ajax Downs apparently the government has has to secret plan to shut down the casino and move the slots to Pickering the people of Ajax have rallied together against this back room deal Ajax council passed a resolution passed a motion calling on the government to do a fulsome fair transparent third party review yet the mayor of Ajax tells me they haven't heard a peep from this government or the OLG Radio Science Speaker will the minister finally come clean and confirm his government's plan to kill 1,700 rural jobs yeah well Mr. Speaker I'm pleased to answer the question a member from Perth Wellington and on Friday was a historic day in the province of Ontario Mr. Speaker we had the opportunity to be in beautiful Flambeiro Dodds number of our colleagues here were there for the announcement and on Friday we announced that over the next 20 years we'll be providing $105 billion per year for a sustainable horse racing industry in the province of Ontario here here Madam Speaker I just want to say that all the leaders of Ontario's horse racing industry whether it was the thoroughbred industry the standard bred industry or the quarter house industry the province of Ontario and they had one response on Friday's announcement this is the greatest news for horse racing in Ontario and four eight decades in the province of Ontario commentary thank you Speaker for the minister's reference I was talking about Ajax the Ajax quarter horse racing business back to the minister of agriculture Speaker the secret plan to shut down Ajax casino has been botched from the start the town of Ajax was blindsided when they learned the news in the Peterborough newspaper they weren't consulted at all now the government wants to politicize the process by announcing that Ajax casino will move to Pickering the town of Ajax doesn't want this to happen the people of Ajax don't want this to happen and the 1700 workers losing their jobs certainly don't want this to happen Minister why are you doing it Mr Speaker the minister of finance would be delighted to answer this question thank you thank you Mr Speaker I want to reiterate the tremendous news that was provided on Friday to the horse racing industry the breeders and all of the individuals involved with the industry including Ajax downs Mr Speaker we made a point of reaffirming our commitment to the industry to support horse racing and to provide support especially for those small tracks the member opposite is talking about the casino he may want to talk to Rod Phillips that member that candidate was the one that was architect of modernizing the OLG including some of those slots and those race tracks but we are there to support Ajax downs because it has been open and transparent throughout the process we are going to support the industry and the modernization of the casino business thank you thank you Speaker my question is to the Premier while in Thunder Bay in January the Premier promised to meet with local workers to talk about the many issues that injured workers routinely face but she hasn't despite two attempts by the workers to set up a meeting nothing has happened because the Liberals have once again promised big business a premium rate cut of 3% that's after delivering a 6.2% rate cut last year or maybe it's because reformer chief of staff received $440,000 last year for being the head of a non-profit agency the premium savings to the wealthiest continues to be born by injured workers who routinely have their claims denied I asked the Premier is this yet another liberal promise made and broken Speaker thank you to the member for that question certainly the workers and families in this province need to know that should they suffer an injury on the job or even worse that they will be looked after by a workers compensation system that allows them to collect allows them to move on with a life hopefully allows them to return to work I have met with numbers of injured workers groups and injured workers themselves around the province of Ontario over the past three or four years some of the advice we've received some of the advice we've received on changes we should be making to the workers compensation board is advice that I have heeded certainly the Premier has supported that as well and we have made those changes I think if you look Speaker back at the last three or four years the changes that have been made on the compensation board in order to protect the interest of workers Speaker or something this province should be proud of do we have further to go we absolutely do Speaker in the process of looking at a number of initiatives thank you supplementary Speaker the government certainly hasn't dealt with the deeming issue maybe the Premier hasn't bothered to follow with a follow-up of injured workers that she met at her election style event in Thunder Bay because her own thousands of injured workers defend for themselves after they are being misclassed through deeming as working in jobs that they never held for a wage that they never got Speaker New Democrats put forward amendments to bill 148 that would have prevented injured workers from being wrongfully assessed at the newer higher minimum wage rates but Liberals and Conservatives refused to support those amendments why is the Premier refusing to meet with injured workers in Thunder Bay as she promised Speaker as I noted in the previous answer I have traveled to Thunder Bay myself I have met with the injured workers groups right in the office of the member for Thunder Bay Speaker he has facilitated those meetings the injured workers themselves have come down to Toronto and have met in my office as well on a six month basis Speaker we have injured workers come into the WSIB I attend our meetings as well Speaker some of the three of the biggest asks that we have had from injured workers was full indexation Speaker for those that are full indexation for those that had a partial disability Speaker we increased survivor benefits took steps to further disincent employers from hiding claims which was happening in the past Speaker but we also listened to first responders we passed legislation that allowed to come to WSIB the changes that have taken place Speaker over the past three or four years have been based primarily on the advice that we have received from workers and that is how it should be Speaker New question Thank you Speaker to the Minister of Finance this government under the leadership of this Premier has been working hard to develop a long term funding solution for horse racing and the industry as you know this funding partnership fund provided $100 million a year for the industry in the 2016 budget this investment was extended until 2021 while the government worked with the industry to develop a long term funding model the industry needs this funding stability to make informed decisions around horse breeding and planning on Friday I was pleased to hear our government in cooperation with the industry has developed a new funding plan to order to contribute to support this important industry can the Minister please explain the details of this new funding model Thank you Minister of Finance Thank you Mr Speaker I want to thank and take the time to thank the member from Ajax for his dedication his advocacy for horse racing industry a champion at Ajax on this side of the house have worked hard to ensure that horse racing industry that's why this government has worked together with the industry to develop the long term funding commitment which will provide $105 million a year for the next two decades this agreement will provide the stability needed to strengthen and sustain horse racing and breeding in Ontario we know that this industry is an important part of this province heritage and it's an important part of rural communities the new agreement will build on the cooperation between the industry partners horse people breeders racetracks and more we know is essential to maximizing the success of the entire industry Thank you Thank you Mr Speaker back to the Minister I was so pleased to hear that the government has listened to the needs of the industry and now racetracks across Ontario will now be able to better plan for the future of this historically important industry I understand that long term funding is essential for horse breeders so they can have stability in their planning and in turn racetracks are able to accommodate more capacity over the long term I know that nearly two decades of stable funding is not the only measure this government is taking to ensure the stability of all racetracks including Ajax Downs but there will also be programs available to smaller tracks to encourage innovation and expand their revenue sources can the Minister please explain the additional measures that the government is taking to ensure the success of small tracks in Ontario Thank you Minister Thank you again to the member for Ajax to further assist the industry the Minister of Agriculture Rural Affairs will extend their enhanced horse improvement program and they will also introduce a new race track sustainability innovation fund to support regional tracks to help them innovate, diversify and expand revenue sources to achieve long term sustainability and OLG will also provide additional funding to supplements racetracks that may be experiencing financial shortfalls all with intent of providing for security and the breeding and in the cycle especially quarter racing which is important in Ajax and to strengthen transparency and accountability for all horse people, racetracks and the public a newly formed Ontario racing board will be responsible representing the interest of the entire industry they will be responsible for providing three year strategic plans and regular audit financial statements and reports and their board will be equally represented by all the race tracks and breeders so that we can have a strong proud affordable horse racing industry for many years to come Thank you Speaker my question is to the Minister of Labor I was recently contacted by Jeff Wilkinson in my writing who had suffered knee and back injuries while at work for which he needed surgery he made a claim with the WSIB and health care and loss of earnings benefits when his four weeks of approved care were over he was still suffering from his injury so he applied for an extension of coverage Jeff was denied this extension the WSIB claimed he was now suffering from a pre-existing condition however that same day his employer was notified by the WSIB that their second injury enhancements fund request had been rejected because and get this the WSIB stated there is no pre-existing condition Speaker what medical and bureaucratic magic allows an injured worker to be both free from a pre-existing condition while simultaneously suffering from one Thank you Thank you to the member for his inquiry on behalf of a constituent Speaker work continues on the WSIB and over the years Speaker there's been a partnership between the government and the workers compensation system as we have moved through that Speaker as we listen to advice from both business and from labor and from injured workers themselves Speaker we try to enhance the system we try to make it work better and over the years we made I think tremendous strides in that regard Speaker more people are returning to work more claims are being processed faster I can't talk to an individual case with a member to give me some details on the case perhaps at the end of question period today I'd be happy to look into it had you done that previous to this Speaker I'd be happy to do that as well Speaker Thank you Speaker and again to the Minister yes I did speak to the WSIB and their liaison officer and that's why we're here today and hearing more hocus pocus from another employee in my writing filed a WSIB claim after suffering an injury on the job she was rejected continued better because the injury was due to a pre-existing condition the employer filed another SIEF claim with the WSIB for that very exciting that same pre-existing condition the employer's claim was rejected on the basis and I quote no evidence to support a pre-existing condition Speaker it's clear these aren't isolated cases of bureaucratic hocus pocus this is a trend and a pattern that frustrates and circumvents the WSIB's mandate to protect injured workers will the Minister not only stop the WSIB from dodging employers and injured workers from their benefits but also tell us who are they lying to the workers or the employers withdraw please withdraw Minister Mr. Speaker and thank you again to the member for this question on behalf of a constituent speaker in response to a previous question I said over the years we've made improvements to the system as a result of advice that we receive from injured workers Speaker when we reinstated the full indexation of the benefits to full CPI for the first time in many years that was a huge move forward those workers are starting to get a payment they weren't getting but we increased survivor benefits Speaker and we took steps to make sure that employers were playing the game fairly as well when it came to abiding by the rules we've listened to the first responders in this province Speaker passed legislation to allow for their coverage but when we did the reinstatement of the full indexation what the member perhaps forgot to inform the House is that both opposition parties voted against those so when the time has come to make a difference for injured workers in this province both opposition parties will be missing in action Speaker Thank you Mr Speaker this question is for the Minister of Education in the East of Toronto there is an excellent francophone center for 10 years parents have been asking for a francophone high school in order to protect the French language for the next generation recently the Viemont school board expressed interest in acquiring one of the TDSP schools which had been declared a surplus school parents are worried that this school will not be equivalent to Anglophone schools that have auditoriums, cafeterias and space for students what will you do to make sure that these buildings will be equivalent the same as English schools Minister of Education Thank you Mr Speaker and thank you for the member opposite for this very important question I really appreciate this question because Speaker I do want to point out that our government is absolutely committed to supporting students in French language education with learning environments that provide the best conditions possible for developing French language and cultural skills I have been having many conversations with members of the French community and I'm pleased and proud to say that we have a very good working relationship because we know that our French public education system is currently in a state of growth in many parts of the province and we're responding with historic levels of investment and in this instance it's about boards working together but let me just tell you a little bit about what we have been doing to fund French language school boards we have been increasing annual funding by more than $340 million an increase of 25% since 2013 and I'm happy to say more Thank you Thank you very much Mr Speaker I'd like to introduce Mary Lynn Westmoyne President and CEO of Georgian College President and CEO and Janet Bede Chair of the Board from Seneca College Thank you very much Mr Speaker I want to introduce to you and through you to members of the Legislative Assembly a constituent from my riding of Leeds Grandville who is here with St. Lawrence College today he also does great work on the St. Lawrence Corridor Commission I'd like to welcome Michael Adam Crick to Queen's Park Time for question period is over therefore this house stands recess until 1pm this afternoon