 It's now time for question period. The leader of Her Majesty's Royal Opposition. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. Simcoe County and my hometown of Bury have been hit hard by this government's attitudes towards small-town schools. The village of Port McNichol lost their school. Wabashi lost both their Catholic and public elementary schools. And Bury Central closed its doors. This Liberal government needs to re-evaluate its priorities before any more communities are hurt. Mr. Speaker, will this government agree with our call for an immediate moratorium on school closures? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. So let me begin by saying that I understand how difficult it is to manage facilities, to manage schools in an environment where in many parts of the province we're seeing declining enrollment. It's a fundamental challenge for school boards. Let me say secondly that I believe in school boards. I believe in school boards as important parts of the democratic system in communities. In fact, school boards were elected bodies in Ontario before municipal councils. They were the first entities that communities came together to elect. So I believe that school boards are fundamental in making decisions locally. And Mr. Speaker, over the years when we came into office we actually put a moratorium on school closures because the ravages of the previous government, Mr. Speaker, on school closures around the province, there were hundreds of schools being closed. We put a moratorium on. And I'll have more to say about that one in the next. Thank you very much. Thanks, Speaker. Back to the Premier. Speaker, I spoke at the final delegation meeting last week before Upper Canada trustees decide the fate of one in four elementary schools in my riding. I was so impressed by the alternatives put forward by school communities and the offers of support from municipalities and businesses. It shows what's possible when our rural schools are seen as a unique and valuable asset, not a liability. My communities have plans to keep their rural schools viable. It's bad enough this government is asking parents, mayors and business leaders to fix the broken education system. Speaker, will the Premier support a moratorium on school closures and give these great ideas a chance to work? Thank you. Well, Mr. Speaker, I know that the member option is going to be very pleased at the letter that the Minister of Education sent out yesterday to boards because, Mr. Speaker, there are situations around the province where a community has gone through a process and there is a plan for a consolidation or a closure of a school and a new school being built where actually things are moving ahead very well. There are other situations, Mr. Speaker, where there hasn't been the kind of consultation between boards or with the municipality that should have happened, that the ministry has for some time expressed a very clear pressure. So what we are suggesting, Mr. Speaker, and the letter went out to to directors yesterday, Mr. Speaker, what we're saying is where those conversations haven't happened, where the school boards haven't had a conversation either with each other because, as you know, we have four systems in the province, Mr. Speaker, or where the municipalities and the boards have not spoken, Mr. Speaker, we need to allow for opportunity for that to happen. Thank you and good morning, Speaker. My question is for the Premier. The requirements of northern and rural schools are very different than those of urban centers. These schools have small populations and when they're put under review and compared to larger institutions, they often fail to match up. Blanket regulations created by this government put these schools at a clear disadvantage. Rural schools fall outside of the government's mold and are at high risk of closure. They're smaller, much further apart, and because of their locations, these buildings don't just serve as schools, they're also our community hubs. My question to the Premier is, will she give northern schools the unique attention they deserve? Mr. Speaker, actually the hundreds of millions of dollars that we have had in place for a number of years to actually support northern and rural schools, Mr. Speaker, to allow them to weather the buffeting of declining enrollment was put in place exactly for that, Mr. Speaker. So what I want folks to know now is that we recognize that there are some situations where boards haven't had enough of an opportunity to work together or boards haven't had enough of an opportunity to work with municipalities to come up with some of the community solutions that we know are possible. Right now, Mr. Speaker, there are 4,900 publicly funded schools in Ontario. Only 39 of those are 37, I think, 37, 39. Only 39 of those, Mr. Speaker, are collaborations between boards. We think there can be more of those and we want to give boards some time to develop those collaborations, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Your question to the member from Thornhill. Thank you again to the Premier. When I took office three years ago, this government offered to find creative ways to keep our schools open. One of their repeated suggestions was to turn our schools into community hubs, make them the heart of their communities. Unfortunately, they never followed through and as a result, entire communities are being decimated. In my writing of Thornhill, Stornoway Crescent School has been slated to close, even though young families are moving into the area. The Premier needs to admit that these constant announcements of school closures forces panicked communities to huddle together in protest. Our protest rallies outside our schools really what this Premier had in mind as community hubs. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, you know, as I said, for a number of years we have had in place through the Ministry of Education and encouragement and policy guidelines to actually encourage the conversation between school boards, between school boards and municipalities and in some situations that has happened. And I will just say, Mr. Speaker, oftentimes an MPP can play a very constructive role in bringing people to the table and establishing those conversations. Mr. Speaker, that can be a very, very important role for school trustees or for school trustees and MPPs. Remember from Renfrew-Lipasing Pembroke, we'll come to order. Thank you. Wrap up sentence please. Collaborations have happened, Mr. Speaker, but there are some situations where there's been a reluctance either on the part of a particular school board or municipality. That needs to happen going forward, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Premier. Many constituents of my riding are concerned that schools in their local communities are being considered for closure by this Liberal government, and during region in particular, Epsom Public School and School Gog and Thorough Central Public School in Brock. I'm hearing from parents, Speaker, that this government school closure review process is a sham. The Ontario Alliance Against School Closures has said that this review process is just a democratic façade, Speaker, and that parents are being heard but not listened to. Speaker, will the Premier play moratorium on rural school closures and stop ignoring these parents' concerns? In this legislature, Mr. Speaker, there has been a letter gone out from the Minister of Education to say and from the Minister of Rural Affairs to say to school boards, you have an opportunity now. We have a community hubs advisor. There are conversations that can happen in communities. And I say to all MPPs, where those conversations are not happening, they should be happening. If there's an opportunity for a creative collaboration, municipality, to school board, we will be looking at those, Mr. Speaker. And as a ministry, the Minister of Education will facilitate those conversations, Mr. Speaker, but it behooves school trustees, school boards and municipalities and community groups to work together for the better of the best of the community, Mr. Speaker. That's a much more productive process than a blunt instrument of a moratorium that does not recognize the individual opportunities in every community. Final supplementary. Member from Scarborough, Bruce River. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Premier. I attended three community meetings at three different Catholic school in my writing. Parents are deeply concerned that their children. No consideration is given to the distance that these kids have to travel to the new school. No conservation is given to the fact that children and new services. A large number of students limits potential for kids to participate in school sports. No consideration is given to the students with the special needs. Why would you put students and their families through all of this? Premier, why won't you introduce a moratorium on school closure? Thank you. Mr. Speaker, I want to say thank you to the member opposite for that question and attending those discussions among schools is exactly what you should be doing in terms of hearing from the school board and the school board hearing from the local community in terms of, you know, what is the best plan for this community? And as the Premier has said, the role of locally elected school boards is vital to local communities. And we want to ensure the reason we have a pupil accommodation review guideline is to ensure that those meaningful conversations take place because these decisions are very difficult decisions. Whether they're occurring anywhere in the province, they're very difficult decisions. And it's important that that input is is had from all parts of the community. And that is exactly what is happening, Speaker, with these conversations that are occurring is ensuring that as school boards are required to make the decisions that they get that input from all parts of the community. Thank you. New question. The leader of the third party. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Premier. The Premier has dubbed her Band-Aid solution to the hydro crisis in Ontario, the Fair Hydro Plan, odd because she didn't even mention the completely unfair mandatory time of use pricing that Ontario families and businesses have been suffering under. How can the Premier claim her plan is fair when it leaves seniors and young parents at home with their kids to pay more while lining the pockets of her friends on Bay Street? Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. And I know the Minister of Energy is going to want to speak to the work that he's doing to look at the market pricing and to look at there are ways of providing options to people. But Mr Speaker, the Fair Hydro Plan in Ontario is about taking an average of 25% of the bid identified. That is fair. It's also fair that people who are living in rural and more remote areas and are paying disproportionately high distribution charges that they would have relief as well. It's also fair that people who are living on low income would have extra support. That's what makes the Fair Hydro Plan fair. Thank you. Well, Speaker, last week I visited Versatile Inn in Sarnia and spoke with the owner, a woman named Meru Malik. Meru told me all about her nearly $8,000 hydro bill. Meru wants relief, but the Liberal Party doesn't fix the problems like unfair mandatory time of use pricing. When will this Premier deal with the important issues in our electricity system like ending mandatory use pricing instead of focusing on her political well-being? Minister of Energy? Thank you, Mr Speaker. Very pleased to rise again to talk about the Fair Hydro Plan. Mr Speaker, that's going to be helping every rate payer across the province with a 25% reduction, Mr Speaker. As soon as we can get this legislation passed through the House, Mr Speaker, it is important to know, Mr Speaker, that time of use is something that we've been working on for months, Mr Speaker. We've recognized that, you know what, a senior couple living on a fixed income in Northern Ontario shouldn't be on the same retail price plan, Mr Speaker, as a single condo dweller living here in downtown Toronto. So that's why, Mr Speaker, we asked months and months ago, the ISO, to start work on this, Mr Speaker, to start looking at bringing forward some other options besides time of use, Mr Speaker. But while they're doing that, Mr Speaker, we continue to act. We brought forward other reductions, and last week, Mr Speaker, a 25% reduction for every family across this province. Final supplementary. Speaker, a senior sitting at home in Sudbury shouldn't have to wring their hands worrying about turning the lights on and turning the stove on during the day. That's not fair. The woman in Sarnia that runs this motel told me that she washes her own towels and pillowcases for the hotel on site as a way to save a bit of money. But even that isn't very helpful, Speaker, because her staff have to do the laundry during the day so that they won't wake up the guests. And that forces her to pay peak electricity prices, Speaker. Why didn't this Premier address the unfair time of use pricing in her desperate attempt to save her own political skin? Thank you. Thank you. Minister. Speaker, the one thing that's very important to also highlight, Mr Speaker, about our government's hair hydro plan is it delivers a 25% reduction for not only every household in the province, Mr Speaker, but to a half a million small businesses and farms, Mr Speaker, that is something we should all be proud of. Not only, Mr Speaker, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce has highlighted the importance of the small business and the challenges they face. And, you know, many regional chambers have spoke to us about that. So we listened to Mr. Speaker and we took action. Every rate payer who pays time of use prices in Ontario will receive the 25% reduction, Mr Speaker. This includes household, farms, businesses and more, Mr Speaker. We're very proud of the fair hydro plan. New question for leaving the third party. Thank you very much, Speaker. My next question is also for the Premier last week. I also visited with Cheryl and Scott Rickman at their farm in Chatham. They told me that they pay $75,000 in hydro bills last year alone. For a small business, that's a lot to take, Speaker. The Premier says she's concerned about hydro bills like Scott and Cheryl's, but her plan doesn't give them any long term protection. Why is the Premier bringing in a short-term bandaid when what she needs is a long-term fix, what they need, what Ontario needs, is a long-term fix to the energy system that this Liberal government messed up in the first place. Thank you, Premier. Minister of energy. Minister of energy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We're very pleased to be able to stand and talk about the fair hydro plan, Mr. Speaker, and how this is going to benefit farms right across the province, Mr. Speaker. Farms that will see a 25% reduction, Mr. Speaker, in their electricity bills, Mr. Speaker. And this does much, much much more for small businesses right across the province, Mr. Speaker. And at the same time, those businesses that are larger, Mr. Speaker, those businesses like our small manufacturing sector, they can now qualify for, Mr. Speaker, the enhanced ICI program. That's, Mr. Speaker, helping them save up to a third, a third of their energy bill, Mr. Speaker. That's, Mr. Speaker, because we've taken action to ensure that we're helping not only residences, not only small businesses, not only farms, but our manufacturing sector, Mr. Speaker, and our large businesses as well. Thank you. Supplementary. Well, Speaker, Scott and Cheryl have reduced their hydro consumption by 40% over the past year, but none of that, none of that translated into lower electricity bills. The Premier's plan doesn't address time of use pricing. It doesn't address bad contracts that she signed. It doesn't address the oversupply of energy that we are paying private and foreign companies to generate that we don't even use, Speaker. It doesn't stop the wrong headed sell off of Hydro One. Can the Premier explain to small business owners like the Rickmans why her plan doesn't address any of the underlying problems in our hydro system and why any relief that comes under her plan will only be temporary? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What I think the leader of the third party needs to do is put down her plan that doesn't address anything, Mr. Speaker. It doesn't save one cent for families or businesses in this province, Mr. Speaker, and actually look at ours, Mr. Speaker, and see what the Fair Hydro Plan does. 25% reduction, Mr. Speaker, for small businesses, farms and residences right across the province, Mr. Speaker. ICI program enhanced, Mr. Speaker, helping our manufacturing sector and our businesses, Mr. Speaker, we're actually helping low-income individuals, Mr. Speaker, which their plan didn't even address Mr. Speaker until the last page. We're making sure those who are most vulnerable, Mr. Speaker, actually get the help that they need. And when it comes to our First Nations, Mr. Speaker, those living on reserve, we also making sure, Mr. Speaker, that there is a new rate for them and that they're actually getting actually help, Mr. Speaker. We're actually helping everybody in the province, unlike the opposition over on that side, Mr. Speaker. You see it, please? You see it, please? Thank you. Final supplementary. Speaker, nobody believes for a minute anything that came out of the mouth of that minister a moment ago, because it's totally nowhere near nothing more than make a last ditch effort on behalf of this government and this premier and her political party that's trying to hold on to power here in this province for just a little bit longer. Maru Malek knows it, Speaker, the Rickmans know it and in Ontario saw it. The interest of her banker friends and her political party ahead of the interest of small businesses, family, industry and money for the province of Ontario. Thank you, Minister. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm very pleased to rise and talk about. I'm going to turn to the Dean of the House and know that to let him know I know the trick of turning your back to the speaker and speaking into the microphone that's been turned on. So I would appreciate it if you would cease doing so. I've been around long enough. Minister, thank you, Mr. Speaker. So let's talk about who else is talking about the fair hydro plan and all of its benefits, Mr. Speaker. Francesca Dobbin, the executive director of the United Way, Bruce Gray. This shows Kathleen Wynne's government is listening to people with these positive changes. Our rural community will now truly benefit from the low cost power it produces. Isidore Day, the Ontario regional chief. The elimination of the delivery charge will assist our citizens by reducing energy poverty in our communities. It also represents recognition for the use of the land and the development and expansion of provincial energy grid. Today's commitment by the Ontario government is commendable and allows a path forward for greater quality of life for our First Nations in Ontario. Mr. Speaker, I can keep going on the number of quotes that we have here. Well, I'll do so, Mr. Speaker. Well, I know I won't have time, but I'll look forward to talking about more, Mr. Speaker, and some of my supplementaries. Thank you. New question. The member from Kitchen is kind of sold up. My question is to the Premier. Premier, last night I attended the final meeting where delegates desperate plea to save St. Agatha Elementary School could be heard again by the Warloo Catholic Board. The third time in nine years, parents have had to fight to save their beloved St. Agatha School. It was just over two years ago that parents thought they could breathe easier after their last battle to save St. Agatha. Chief government went second time. And yet there they were again last night making the same arguments. To save the same rule school this government's new review rules allowed to be placed right back on the chopping block. Speaker, it's cruel and unfair to expect parents and communities to fight on an almost annual basis to keep their school doors open. Will the Premier end the constant battle faced by rural students, parents and communities like mine and Willman and St. Agatha? And will she call for an immediate moratorium on rural school class? Take a pause. Minister of Education. Minister of Education. Thank you, Speaker. Speaker, it's a pleasure for me to rise and to talk about the fact that we are investing in schools right across this province because we know that every student in Ontario deserves the best education possible, Mr. Speaker. And when a decision has to be made and a board and a community comes together to make a very tough decision about the change of a school, whether it's the closure of a school, the consolidation or in the instance, I know that with the member from Peterborough, we announced two schools coming together to form one new school, Mr. Speaker, because that is in the best interest of the students and the local community. Mr. Speaker, an arbitrary moratorium is not the answer. We want to ensure that our elected or elected trustees can make decisions locally that is in the best interest of their communities, Mr. Speaker, with, of course, the meaningful input provided by all sides of the community to make that tough decision. Thank you. Supplement from the members of Lampton County. That question is to the Premier. This government is now planning to close up to four forest area schools, pulling students out of their communities to take long bus rides to attend a super school the first in Lampton County to have students from kindergarten through grade 12 in the same building. At the direction of the provincial government, the Lampton Kent District School Board has closed 14 elementary schools, three high schools, and one adult learning center. These buildings are important to the health and future prosperity of these communities. Speaker, will the Premier finally recognize the vital importance of rural and small town schools to the social and economic life of their communities and place a moratorium on school closures until the funding formula can be fixed? Mr. Speaker, we know that schools are vital to the social fabric of our communities. Mr. Speaker, and that is why we are we are asking boards and municipalities to work together. Mr. Speaker, we're also asking boards to work with each other. The coterminous boards and communities can come together to talk about the joint use of school spaces, to talk about how we serve the needs of this local community in the best way possible on behalf of the students in our community. Mr. Speaker, as well as on behalf of the community as a whole. And Mr. Speaker, we've recognized that in rural communities there needs to be greater and more investment. And that is exactly what we have done, Mr. Speaker, through the grants for student needs. We have funded our rural and our northern schools to a greater degree. And we've put standards in place, Mr. Speaker, to ensure that every student in Ontario gets the best education possible and we're going to continue to make those investments. Thank you. Question? The member from Nicola Belt. Thank you, Mr. President. My question is thank you for the minister of health and long term care. Speaker, the last thing that cancer patient and their family want to hear is that their treatment will be delayed. Just just think about it. You have cancer, your life depends on prom treatment and you're told that you will have to wait that there's a chemotherapy drug shortage. That's exactly what's happening right here in Ontario, Speaker. And now we know that at least 35 people in Richmond Hill had had their cancer treatment delayed. Yesterday, the minister said that he knew nothing about the chemo drug shortage. Will the minister tell us how many cancer patients across Ontario have suffered delay in their cancer treatment and how many hospitals have been impacted by this drug shortage? Thank you. Minister, health long term care. Oh, thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I appreciate the opportunity to address this extremely important issue. And the member opposite is correct that we did see for a brief period of time here in Ontario shortage of a particular drug called 5FU, which is used for treating cancer, particularly gastrointestinal breast and other related cancers. It was the result. This is a result of a shipment that was provided through Health Canada. And was put in quarantine because of some concern about the integrity of the vials that contain the cancer drug itself, the federal government. And I think the member opposite probably saw their press release yesterday, whereas a result of this shortage, which was a federal issue, as a result of the quarantine of this supply, that they released 3,000 vials that they had deemed to have sufficient integrity, which their confident will result in no further shortage until the manufacturer is able to provide additional vials in the future, Mr. Speaker. Cue the supplementary. Thank you, Speaker. I understand that Health Canada has taken step to try to fix the shortage, at least in the short term, but it doesn't explain how the Ministry of Health wasn't even aware that it was going on. When cancer patients are forced to delay their treatment because of shortage of chemo drug, this is as close to life and death as you can get. I would think that the Ministry of Health is not to know about such a failure of our health care system so that he can take step to correct it. My question is simple, Speaker. When was the Ministry of Health informed of this drug shortage and why did it take so long for the Minister to find out about it? Thank you, Minister of Health. Well, Mr. Speaker, you know, it is important that Ontarians have the facts. So the Ministry of Health was informed by Cancer. Well, Cancer Care, Ontario was informed by the hospital on question on Friday. I was asked about the question Monday morning at just after question period, Mr. Speaker. Cancer Care, Ontario, then when they were notified, notified the Ministry of Health of this federal issue, Mr. Speaker, that has been addressed within really over the course of a weekend to the point where five o'clock yesterday afternoon the vials had been released. But it does point to an important issue and that is the coordination of all parties. And we certainly, if a hospital is anticipating a shortage of medicines, they need to get in touch with the Ministry of Health, with Cancer Care, Ontario, with the federal government, as in this case, so we can address that promptly prior to it becoming an issue. We also have a system through CCO where once they're informed, they look at the entire province wide inventory. And in this case, they would have been able to reallocate vials that are available through other hospitals to the needy hospital. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. That's a very good question. The member from Davenport. Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Minister of Finance. Minister, I know that over the course of this and last session, we have heard false statements from the opposition claiming that we have increased tax for onsite craft distillers. Excuse me. I'm going to ask the member to withdraw. Carry on. Mr. Speaker, on this side of the house, we know that this could not be further from the truth. We know that the recent changes introduced in Bill 70 will actually make craft distillers better off, increasing the revenue margins from sales at onsite stores from 39 percent to 45 percent. Could the Minister please explain what other supports we are offering to this growing industry and how they will help small distillers? Thank you, Minister Finance. I'd like to thank the member from Davenport for the question. I also like to thank her for clarifying a very important point. As we've stayed at time and time again, we are committed to helping Ontario's small business scale up and we're committed to investing in our rapidly growing community of small cider and small spirits producers. In fact, just this morning, I was at the LCBO alongside Minister Leo, MVP Martin and MVP Arthur Potts to announce our government's new support program for small cider producers and small distilleries. Mr. Speaker, this new program will invest $4.9 million over three years between the craft cider and spirit sectors. That means that a producer could receive as much as $220,000 per in funding per year. It's a program that will help support growing cideries and graft distilleries, hire more staff, buy more equipment, secure more funding for on-site stores. Mr. Speaker, these changes are good for business, good for consumers, and good for Ontario. Thank you, supplementary. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm thrilled to hear that the government is taking steps to support these growing industries and I was pleased to join Minister Susan, Minister Leo, and my colleague, the MVP for Beaches East York at the announcement this morning. And I know that Younghurst Distillery, who was at the announcement this morning from My Riding of Davenport, have already expressed their contentment with the exciting changes that we are making to this industry. I know that beyond My Riding of Davenport, there are cider producers and distillers that play a critical role in local economies across the province. It's clear that this support will help increase the availability of locally produced spirits and ciders for Ontario consumers. Could the Minister please share with the House why this government is launching this new program and how these businesses are using other Ontario products? Thank you, Minister Finance. Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Member from Leeds, Grenville, come to order. Member from Leeds, Grenville, second time. Could it be three? Minister of Agriculture. Sure, the good folks at Peterborough Riding, now I wasn't imbibing at the LCBO this morning at 9 a.m. just there for an announcement. I want to thank the Member for Advocacy work on this particular file, but I also want to acknowledge the good work that was done by the Member from Beaches East York, Mr. Potts, the Member from Dufford, Caledon, Ms. Jones, and the Member from Niagara Falls, Mr. Gates, that collectively we've all been working together to make this industry grow in the province of Ontario. And that's why we need to work together to help our smallest side of reason to seriously scale up, create jobs in their communities and provide customers with locally made choices. Mr. Speaker, I had the opportunity just yesterday to meet with Charlie Stevens. We've been at this long enough that I should not have to remind members that when I stand, you sit. When your time is up, it's up. New question, the Member from Stormount, Dundas, Selkling, Gary. Thank you, Speaker, to the Premier. The Ministry of Education has neglected the needs of rural schools for years. Public boards have a mandate to provide education to all students in an area, yet the government makes it impossible to maintain infrastructure, address rising costs, or adopt new technologies. Now, when push has come to shove, the Premier points her finger at the boards and blames them for the problem. In my writing, Stormount Dundas and Gary still stands to lose a number of excellent public schools, including Roswell-Ozenbrook and North Stormount Public, despite dozens of public meetings of up to 1,000 people. These schools offer great education and are important community centers providing meeting and athletic facilities. Speaker, when will the Premier show some leadership, discover some commitment to giving our students a good public education close to home, and place a moratorium on the 600 schools until a full review of education funding for rural schools is completed? Minister of Education. Minister of Education. Thank you, Premier. Thank you, Speaker. I want to thank the member opposite for this question, Mr. Speaker, because the member opposite and I have actually visited schools in his area and beyond. We've been up and down the concession road. So, and he knows that I know and the community knows that schools are a vital part of the communities. And that's why these conversations are difficult conversations for local boards, Mr. Speaker. And one of the aspects in the letter that I've sent to the chairs of school boards and to all municipalities along with Minister Shirelli is that boards work together with their local communities, with their municipalities, as well as with the coterminous boards and communities. Because we want to ensure, Mr. Speaker, that we are making the best possible decision on behalf of the students in that area. And if that means a board can come together with another board for joint use of space, then we will support that, Mr. Speaker. We have funding in place to support those types of initiatives, and they will be given priority. Right. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is the Premier. Premier, you say you get into politics because of education. Well, the people of Paisley feel you have lost your way and are now only concerned about power and serving yourself. They have lost confidence and trust in you. Last night, I got a text from Dale, who asked me on behalf of his community to stress the devastation you will cause when you close the only school in town. In Markdale, Chapman's ice cream is stepped up to buy the school. The municipality of Highlands has stepped up and invited you and the minister to come and visit and actually get out and learn what's happening. The people of Markdale in the area have stepped up. Premier, you have found billions to try to save your political career and take care of your cronies and fix some mistakes you have made. It's never too late to do the right thing. Will you step up? Will you put a more term on any more school closures today and avoid another fatal mistake that will devastate communities across our province? Here, here. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can you see it, please? Thank you, minister. Thank you, Speaker. And, Speaker, as municipalities, communities, organizations come together with their local school boards to find the best possible solution for their local community, Mr. Speaker, I am confident that they will continue to make good decisions on behalf of their communities, putting the needs of students first, Mr. Speaker. And whether that's the great programming that students receive when they have the necessary investments in their schools, Mr. Speaker, the student experience and the outcomes for students is extremely important, Mr. Speaker. And it's one of the reasons why we sent this letter is to remind school boards of their obligations to meet with local communities so that these great examples can be brought forward and can be supported, Mr. Speaker. That is exactly the intent. And that is why an arbitrary moratorium is not, is ill-applied because all these types of conversations would cease in the case of a moratorium, Mr. Speaker. We want to ensure that boards... Thank you. New question, the member from Hamilton Mountain. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Premier. We know that good health outcomes and success in education are determined in large measure by social conditions. Today we are joined by workers who are here for Opsu Social Services Day. Among other roles, they work with children with mental health issues. They protect children from neglect and abuse. This is adults and children with disabilities and they support women fleeing violence. They're asking for a bolder vision on social services that recognizes that children and families have better health and education outcomes when we invest in a strong social safety net. Will the government commit to funding based on that vision and stop cuts to services? Thank you, Premier. Children in youth services. Children in youth services. Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to first start by thanking all of the child protection workers, anyone who works in public education, anyone in this province that works to help our children. I want to thank them for doing what they do because they're without a question, one of the most valuable people in our community. Mr. Speaker, our government has been working to strengthen, to modernize, to transform our child protection service agencies here in the province of Ontario. And the real purpose at the end of the day is to make sure that young people have what they need to be successful. And we know that our children-aid societies, there's high expectations for them to deliver the best possible services possible. And that's why we keep investing. We made sure that we changed the model five years ago to look at meeting the needs of a particular community rather than just giving money based on historical numbers. And the member opposite knows that most of those staffing decisions in our child protection agencies are done locally by the child protection agency. Supplementary. Back to the Premier Speaker. Budgets in child welfare and children's mental health have been flatlined for years. And it's the same story right across our social services. Agencies and workers are having to do more with less. There are 12,000 children and youth waiting for mental health services. Children are moved far from their communities to access residential beds. Women are being turned away at shelters. I ask again, will the Premier stop cuts and commit to funding services to ensure that every person in this province gets the services that they need? Thank you. Thank you. You seated, please. You seated, please. Thank you. Minister. Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. We've been looking for ways to transform the services that are out there for young people. The member knows that we have now Bill 89 that is going to change the way child protection agencies work here in the province of Ontario. We're looking for ways to ensure that there are less children that go through care. Mr. Speaker, over the last several years, we've had a 19% reduction in children using the services through child protection. We have more young people who are being adopted here in the province of Ontario and finding permanent homes. Mr. Speaker, when it comes to mental health, we do have a strategy in place. We've made a commitment that we'll be looking at the funding formula, but we've just transformed our system to put lead agencies throughout the province to ensure that they have the tools necessary. There's a commitment by this government to continue to invest in children, which we have been doing in public education, in child mental health, and in child protection services. Thank you. Thank you. New question from the Tovaco Center. Thanks very much, Speaker. My question is to the President of the Treasury Board. As you know, Minister, I am passionate about addressing youth unemployment and underemployment, and that is why I introduced a private member's bill on pathways to post-secondary education, which would do just that. Create a website to give students the information they need so they can make an informed decision about their future career and post-secondary choices. Minister, you are responsible for strengthening Ontario's efforts to become the most open and transparent government in Canada, and I know this aligns well with the work being done in digital government by Minister Matthews. I represented this weekend our government minister at Civic Tech, Toronto's Codacross hackathon. There I invited participants to use Ontario's open data to help solve some of the challenges facing our province. I also invited them to design a tool similar to that in my private member's bill that would help students understand labour market demands, the skills they need to achieve those jobs, and the post-secondary programs that would allow them to acquire those skills and ultimately pursue their career goals. Minister, could you tell us how we are using hackathons, like Codacross, to create value from Ontario's open data to benefit all Ontarians? President Treasury Board. Yes, thank you, Speaker, and thank you to the member from Atobicoast Centre for his enthusiastic support of our open data mandate and for representing our government at Codacross. Ontario was a proud sponsor of Codacross, a hackathon where citizens come together to collaborate on technology and design solutions based on some of the data sets publicly posted by the Ontario government. This year, Ontario provided seven challenges to civil society, ranging from the member's challenge to map career pathways to creating an app that assists landlords and tenants in resolving their disputes without having to go through the landlord-tenant board. By the end of the day, Wireframes had been worked up for a new healthcare app to provide users with digital access to their organization records and a youth wellbeing dashboard which would allow users to view youth wellness and employment staff statistics. Supplementary. Thank you, Minister. Minister, I know that in Ontario we are already doing tremendous work when it comes to openness and transparency, and I actually heard that we were one of 15 sub-nationals worldwide invited to join the open government partnership and the only province invited in Canada. The philosophy that Ontarians can work alongside government to generate ideas is alive and well, and it was alive and well at Codacross on Saturday. I had the opportunity to meet with people like Gabe Sawie. He's the co-founder of Civic Tech Toronto. I heard about projects like Budgetpedia. It's actually a tool that allows people to visualize Toronto's budget and Democracy Kit, a project that seeks to support councillors and school board trustees with campaign resources. Most importantly, I was impressed with Saturday's hackathon because some of Toronto's brightest young people, Minister, came together to find ways of using data made available by our government and innovative technology to solve some of the most important challenges facing our province and every riding across Ontario. Minister, can you tell us how our government is continuing to work with active and engaged citizens like those represented at Codacross on Saturday? President Treasure Ward. Yes, thank you, Speaker. In December, I actually had the opportunity to attend the Open Government Partnerships Global Summit. The summit involved over 3,000 representatives from 70 countries who gathered to push forward the open government agenda. At this event, I was proud to announce that Ontario would be strengthening our commitment to openness by adopting the International Open Data Charter. And, Speaker, our Open Data Commitment to increasing access to data has already led to the production of a data catalog of over 2,000 government data sets of which we have already published 560 online. Data sets, they're filling a real need in our society. Our top 10 most frequently downloaded data sets are quite diverse and include things like monitoring of greenhouse gases emitted from energy and manufacturing facilities, stats on public libraries, and marriage reges. Thank you. New question to the member from Perry Sound, Muscova. This is for the Premier. Last week, the Simple Muscova Catholic District School Board under the Premier's Pupil Accommodation Policies decided to close our Lady of Mercy Elementary School in Honey Harbor this June. These students will either be bused to St. Antoine Daniel Catholic School in Victoria Harbor or attend Honey Harbor Public School. Unfortunately, because of this government's flawed accommodation review policies, Honey Harbor Public School is at risk of being closed as well. A final decision is expected next month. Honey Harbor is in danger of losing both its elementary schools in one year. The Premier must understand just how critical a local school is to a small community. Without a school, they cannot attract families and businesses to locate there. Speaker, will the Premier agree to a moratorium on rural school closures until she can find a way to help communities like Honey Harbor keep at least one school open? Mr. Speaker, you know, again, another great example, the last question from the opposition was also an example, an example where the collaboration between school boards and with municipalities could make a huge difference. And Mr. Speaker, when I was at the OGRA, or rather at the Roma Conference, Mr. Speaker, and I was talking to municipalities, the municipal leaders were thrilled to hear that we were working with school boards and that we were going to be requiring what's up, please? Don't, don't enter into this one, member, I'm dealing with something else. The Chief Government is warned, and the member from Bruce Gray won't sound second time. Carry on. We were going to be requiring that school boards work with each other. The coterminous boards work together. Again, this is a perfect example of where that could happen. And with municipalities, Mr. Speaker, because there are opportunities, that's why I hope the member is pleased with the letter that's gone out, because we are saying clearly, if you can find alternate solutions, if you can work together, we're going to work with you, we're going to facilitate that, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Commencement. The member from Chattanooga, Essex. 600 school schools. Quite a legacy. I'm sorry, I didn't hear. Speaker, my question is to the Premier. Premier, back in 2014, you were on record by saying that there would be no cuts to schools. Jim Costello, director of the education for the Lampton-Cant district school board, is quoted as saying, until the ministry changed the funding formula in April of 2015, we were able to survive. And a lot of that funding has been drastically reduced, unquote. Premier, schools are struggling to keep up with skyrocketing hydro fees and cap and trade costs and natural gas. And Premier, look, I just don't have time to list all the schools in my writing of Chattanooga and Essex, that are currently on the chopping block. However, Richtown, for example, is very nervous about losing its high school. And I should also add, buses can also be a huge issue if it closes. So Premier, will you support a more torum on rural school closures? Here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here. So much good. Thank you. Thank you, Speaker. And Speaker, I want to say that our commitment to rural schools is firm. Mr. Speaker, since 2003, we've increased the per pupil funding for rural schools by $5,007. That's a 67% increase, Mr. Speaker. And since, in fact, we've increased the animal funding to rural boards by $200 million. And Mr. Speaker, that is regardless of the enrollment levels. We have been continuously investing in and supporting our rural schools. That being said, Mr. Speaker, there are discussions that boards need to have regarding their use of schools. And those conversations are happening. We've put in place a pupil accommodation review guideline that requires boards to work with their local communities, to work with their co-terminates boards to make the best decisions possible. Thank you. No question. The member from Timiskimi Cochran. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. The processing vegetable sector is extremely important to the economy of Southwestern Ontario and to the province. And each year at this time, there's a negotiation that goes on between the processors and the farmers who are represented. The farmers are represented by the Ontario Processing Vegetable Growers. And they are a duly elected board. They represent their members. They hold annual meetings. I checked their auditor report and it was clean. And these negotiations sometimes can be tough as all negotiations are. And sometimes they end up in arbitration as often negotiations do. But that's the spirit of negotiations. But what happened on Friday is the powers of the board were stripped. The minister removed the board. My question, our question is, is that in the best long-term interest of a sector that's vital to the Ontario Air Force? Thank you. Very good. Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And I want to thank the member from to Mr. Ian Cochran for his question this morning. Mr. Speaker is Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. One of the most difficult questions I've had to deal with and make a decision on was last Friday. We made a decision to appoint a very distinguished public servant in the province of Ontario, the Honourable Albert Buchanan to be a trustee. Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker. Finish, please. Mr. Speaker, it was clear to me that an impasse had been reached by the processed vegetable growers, the province of Ontario, the processors that we had to make a decision so that we would not lose the 2017 crop. This would impact farmers, impact jobs, and we want to sustain regulatory marketing province of Ontario. Thank you. That's the decision we make for farmers in Ontario. Mr. Speaker, the important part of that response is the minister made the decision. He minister made the decision to strip the powers of the representatives of the Ontario processing vegetable growers who actually were elected by their members to do those negotiations. I'm getting emails from vegetable growers wondering where they fit in this because a public meeting was held where questions from the floor weren't allowed only to be read. So they're wondering, they have millions of dollars also invested and where do the farmers fit in this equation because they certainly weren't part of the decision to strip the powers of their board. Thank you. Thank you. Minister. Well, Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for supplementary question and I provided him and the critic for the opposition, the courtesy to call them personally to give them the opportunity to have detailed briefings on this matter. Finish, please. Mr. Speaker, I want to reference the honourable member, a letter that was sent to me by the Ontario processing vegetable growers on February 22nd, 2017, when they told me that both sides have reached an impasse that were asking me to take action and we took the right action last Friday, Mr. Speaker. I remember from Lake Eglinton, Lawrence. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a question for the Minister of Health. As you know, Minister, I have expressed my deep concern about the fact that despite the fact we spend $3.7 billion every year in mental health. We still see our hospitals using shock, electric shock therapy. We see long times for getting an appointment for psychiatrists. We see 15-year-olds in psych wards and hospitals. So that's why I was so glad that you announced an additional 140 million to invest in on-the-street health care, mental health care, where you're going to finally have these youth service hubs, one-stop services for young people, also having supportive housing and also comprehensive psychotherapy. So can you tell us how this is going to help? Second reminder, when I stand, you sit. Minister of Health, long-term care. Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you to the member from Eglinton, Lawrence, for this very, very important question. You know, Mr. Speaker, as Minister of Health, I believe that there can be no health without mental health. It's that important. And we need to see and look at mental health as, and physical health as two sides of the same coin. And we need to approach mental health with the same vigor that we do physical health in this province. And Mr. Speaker, we have the evidence and we have the partnerships and the dedicated workforce to deliver the type of high-quality mental health services that Ontarians have come to expect for all other aspects of our health care system. It's important that Ontarians understand, Mr. Speaker. And I don't think many of us know this, that mental illness results in more person years lost to death than all forms of cancer combined. It's that important. And it requires the same level of dedication and the same level of investment, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, supplementary. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As you know, Minister, I've been very concerned about seeing 12-year-olds in our psych wards. There's no place to help young people with mental health issues. And that's why I've pressed upon you the need to invest in local services, these service hubs, like I told you about down the street here, we have Stella's place. We're a good friend of mine had her daughter, Stella, who suffered mental health illnesses and she had to go to the States. They spend hundreds of thousands of dollars, couldn't get any help there. All they did is give her more drugs. There was no services here in Ontario. So she raised $10 million of her own money with her friends and built the center, Stella's Place, where they're helping young people by the thousands who come in to get mental health care. Can we support more service centers like Stella's Place so they can help young people in the community rather than the psych wards? Thank you, Minister. Well, thank you. And again, I appreciate the question. The member is correct that we're investing an additional, a new, $140 million over the next three years in mental health and more than 50 million annually after that on a continual basis. And some of the things that we're doing with those funds, we're creating a brand new province-wide government-funded structured psychotherapy program. This is that we are the first province or territory in the entire country to do so. And this program of structured psychotherapy will provide thousands of Ontarians with evidence-based therapies, including cognitive behavioral therapy. I think a lot of people are familiar with that. It's a proven methodology and intervention, particularly useful for those with mood disorders, including, for example, depression. We're also investing in nine new integrated youth service hubs that will provide one-stop access to mental health services for people between 12 and 25. And we're investing in an additional 1,150 supportive housing units, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Supplementary question. I'm sorry. The new question remains from Alburton, Court of Lake Sparks. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Many communities have been hit hard by this government's heartless attitude towards their community schools. The Liberal government thinks it's right to close productive schools that are within walking distance for many families and send students away from their communities instead. For example, instead of walking, the students of Burlington Central High School and Lester P. Pearson High School will be forced by this government to take a bus to a different school. As Burlington City Councilor Marianne Meade said this morning, these closures rip a hole in the heart of their communities. Mr. Speaker, will the government call for an immediate moratorium on the closing of community schools? Very good. Mr. President, as you say, Mr. Speaker, it's important as we have this discussion that we recognize that these decisions that boards are making and we know how tough the decisions are are being made in the best interests of our students. 506. And Mr. Speaker, the ministry has conducted case studies on what happens following any sort of change like a consolidation or reorganization across the province. And here's what they found, Mr. Speaker. When all parties in the consolidation or reorganization of the school were engaged in creating a new school culture and inclusive and encouraging learning and teaching environment was the result. Here's what the student has said. It's really a new construction. Community engagement in selecting new colors, mascots, and the naming of the school encouraged the establishment of a new school identity. This is ensuring that our students feel safe, feel welcome, and feel included in their new school community, Mr. Speaker. That's our focus. It's on student learning and engagement. Thank you. Supplementary member from Hullam and Nerfville. To the Premier. Well, 600 schools are under threat. The Ontario Federation of Agriculture and Anne Hawkins of ELECTA have spoken in favor of retaining our small schools. Susan McKenzie of Alliance Against School Closures hit home attacking the school board bait and switch of dumping billions into additions, consolidations, pointing out the Auditor General, however, recommends renewals and maintaining existing schools, which include small schools, not the new infrastructure. Will the Premier restore the value to community and the value to local economy criteria? Premier, will you place a moratorium on school closures until you fix the formula and until the pupil accommodation review guidelines are fairly rewritten? An eye is that an arbitrary moratorium would not solve anything, Mr. Speaker. And in fact, it would take away the ability of a locally elected trustee to make those good decisions on behalf of their schools. In addressing the concerns the member opposite raised with regards to the Auditor General and school renewal, Mr. Speaker, when the Premier first appointed me to this role, that is one of the first opportunities that I had, which was to, in fact, add $1.1 billion to school renewals, which met the threshold that the Auditor General has asked for. But, Mr. Speaker, when we talk to staff, let's hear what they're saying. We made every effort to hear every concern from students and parents, and by the time the process was over, people felt much more positively. Mr. Speaker, here's a quote from a mayor. There is no doubt there is more access to programs and resources and more opportunities in general for a larger peer group. In this school, I can reach ahead in math, in science, when we're working. That's from a student. Thank you. There being no deferred votes, this House stands recessed until 3 p.m. this afternoon.