 Therefore, it is time for Question Period, the leader of Her Majesty's World Ads. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. This Liberal government has no business in possibly spending millions of hard-earned taxpayer dollars on self-promoting hydro-ads. They are blatantly partisan, and they are literally in radio stations and social media in a sad attempt to save this government's falling popularity. Mr. Speaker, will the Premier do the right thing and stop spending public dollars on these advertisements and order that they be cancelled today? Yes or no? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I've been travelling the province, I've been talking to people for months, including last week, and people are very, very concerned about their hydro bills. The Leader of the Opposition knows that. He knows, Mr. Speaker, as does the third party. They know that people are looking for relief, that the work that we have done up until now, Mr. Speaker, that there's more that we need to do. That's why the 25% reduction is very important. So Mr. Speaker, we're moving ahead with our plan. I would have thought that given the noise from the other side, Mr. Speaker, they understand that people are concerned about their electricity bills, that they would be supportive of the changes that we are bringing forward, Mr. Speaker, that will give real relief to people across the province. Mr. Speaker, again to the Premier, as the Premier travels the province, no one is asking for more government vanity ads. The Liberal government has a bad track record, a long track record of misusing taxpayer-funded ads for partisan purposes. We all remember the $8.1 million in self-congratulatory ads for the job-killing pension scheme that never came to fruition, $8.1 million just to pat themselves out the back. Mr. Speaker, how many millions of dollars is this government going to waste on more self-congratulatory radio ads? So Mr. Speaker, you know, the two issues that the Leader of the Opposition has raised, retirement security for people across the province and lower electricity rates, Mr. Speaker. I'm extremely proud of our record. The Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Speaker, sat in a federal government for nine years that wouldn't even talk to the province about retirement security. It wouldn't even talk about Canada Pension Plan enhancement, Mr. Speaker. We have the work that we did on the ORPP, Mr. Speaker. In addition, we're going to deliver lower electricity rates, Mr. Speaker. Final supplementary. Member from Bruce Curry on sound come to order. Final supplementary. Mr. Speaker, again to the Premier, it really is unbelievable. When people can't afford their hydro bill, this government is spending millions on vanity ads self-promoting their own agenda. You know, I'm going to read a quote from the Auditor General. The ads likely would not have been approved under the old government advertising rules. This is Auditor General Bonnie Lysik. The changes that Liberals enacted in 2015 reduced her office to a rubber stamp. I'll continue the quote from the Auditor General. Under the previous legislation, it would likely not have passed because it does convey a positive impression of the current government and it's more a pat on the back type of advertising. Those rules were put into place to prevent Liberal wasting taxpayer dollars on vanity ads. They changed the rules so that they could use taxpayer dollars to promote themselves. So, you know, the government can dance, the government can point the finger, the government can avoid answering the question. For years, they complained about these type of ads when they're in opposition. They come to question, change the rules to not allow this to happen and now they're doing the same thing. Mr. Speaker, to the Premier, are you going to continue with these vanity ads? Can you see the please? Can you see the please? Thank you. This is a very important issue and the reality is that when this government came into office and in my predecessor, there were virtually no rules around partisan advertising, Mr. Speaker. And in fact, I can remember sitting in this gallery and listening to the Liberal opposition. I can remember from Dufford Callit and come to order. Premier? I can remember sitting in this gallery, Mr. Speaker, when the Liberal opposition was asking the then Tory government about advertising that had the Premier's face in it, Mr. Speaker, that was all out of school because there were strikes, Mr. Speaker, there were hospitals being closed, the amalgamations were being imposed, Mr. Speaker, chaos was raining, and the Premier of the day had his face all over advertising. We changed those rules, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, to the Premier, since I can't get an answer on the government vanity ads, I'm going to try a new approach. A recent big bold headline read, Ontario nursing homes feed seniors at $8.33 a day. Mr. Speaker, does the Premier believe that is enough to nutritiously feed Ontario's vulnerable senior citizens? Mr. Speaker, I know that the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care is going to want to speak to this. We have been working very closely with the Long-Term Care Association and with Long-Term Care homes around the province, Mr. Speaker. There have been thousands more beds built, Mr. Speaker, and upgrades to beds across the province. We know that there's more work to be done, Mr. Speaker. We also know that, given the ageing demographic, this is... the member from Bruce Graham and Sound's second time, and I've got two others in my site, and because of that I might move to warnings, and I will do so if necessary. Please finish. Mr. Speaker, 10,000 new Long-Term Care beds have been built, and another 13,500 have been redeveloped. So, Mr. Speaker, we know that there is more work to be done, and we will work very closely with the Long-Term Care Association as we move forward. Mr. Speaker, supplementary. Mr. Speaker, back to the Premier. The $8.33 wasn't even the most shocking stat in that article. Mr. Speaker, do you know what shocked me more? I'll tell you, it was the fact that Ontario spends over a dollar more a day on prisoners' food than it does on seniors' Long-Term Care. More on prisoners than seniors. Chief Government, we have a second time. I know when it comes to a choice of who we're going to support, is it seniors or is it prisoners? I'm with seniors. It is unbelievable that this government has made this allocation. Mr. Speaker, why do prisoners eat better than seniors in Premier wins on tarot? And I would like the Premier to answer this, please, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. The member from Dundas, South Glingary, come to order and storm on her. Long-Term Care. Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Of course, the number that the Leader of the Opposition is referring to is our provincially mandated minimum that is required by Long-Term Care homes to spend on raw food. And raw food doesn't include the costs which we fund separately for food preparation. It doesn't include the costs for serving the food. The menus that the Long-Term Care homes prepare have to be approved on site by a dietician, Mr. Speaker. And in fact, we provide tremendous flexibility within the budget that we provide Long-Term Care homes. $142 per day per resident. Flexibility within that to allow for additional expenditures in raw food. Mr. Speaker, again to the Premier, when it comes to government ads, there's millions of dollars to spend on self-promotion. When it comes to seniors, there's nothing. The Ontario Association of Non-Profit Homes and Services for Seniors is only asking for $0.33 a day. Prisoners would still be getting more than seniors. How is this fair? The lack of respect that we're seeing for seniors is unbelievable. They deserve so much better. And so no matter how the Minister of Health spends it, how the Premier spends it, the reality is under their rules, under their allocations, we're taking better care of prisoners than we are seniors. These are people's fathers and mothers. These are grandparents. These are our grandparents. Is this how you want to treat our seniors? Mr. Speaker, will the Premier stand up and say this is unacceptable? Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, last year in our budget that they voted against, we increased the budget for raw food and the diet for raw food for residents of long-term care homes. We increased that by 3.7% well above the cost of inflation, of food inflation, Mr. Speaker. But we're listening to our stakeholders, our partners in long-term care home as they bring forward suggestions, proposals in advance of the budget, Mr. Speaker, both in terms of the quantum that's required for raw food. And I should mention that we have a line item in the budget called other accommodation, which is $54.52 per resident per day all long-term care homes have the opportunity to draw on that $54 in addition to that that we've put aside for raw food. As they are mandated to a nutritional diet for their residents, Mr. Speaker. New question, the leader of the third party. My question is for the Premier. The Premier and her Liberal government ads touting their phantom hydroplan have been condemned by the Auditor-General as a pat on the back, partisan exercise that would never have been allowed before the Liberals changed the rules on advertising, Speaker. Can the Premier tell Ontarians what the price tag is for these self-serving ads? Mr. Speaker, I will just remind the leader of the third party that we were the province in this country that actually introduced rules around partisan advertising, Mr. Speaker. Before this government, under my predecessor, came into office, those rules didn't exist, Mr. Speaker. We put in place rules that said partisan advertising is unacceptable. In reaction, Mr. Speaker, to... The action, Mr. Speaker, to the really egregious advertising that had been done by the Conservatives, Mr. Speaker, that was so blatantly partisan that it was obvious that there needed to be restrictions put in place. Those restrictions are in place. Member from Bufford, Caledon, second time. We adhere to them. Mr. Speaker, if you like its comedy hour in the legislature, this government changed the rules and then changed them back so that they could use public money to have yet or even any legislation yet to show Ontarians what their money is going to be spent on or if they're even going to save any money in the future. But she is still spending more money on advertising claiming that the problem's been solved. How much is this attempt to buy some political relief on hydro bills going to cost Ontarians? Let me just remind the leader of the third party that we have a plan that actually will reduce people's electricity bills by the summer, Mr. Speaker. A substantial relief. 25% on average off all bills across the province, Mr. Speaker, for residents who pay electricity in their homes, Mr. Speaker. Further relief for people who are paying disproportionately high distribution costs, Mr. Speaker, in remote and rural areas and an enhancement to the Ontario electricity support program that will help people on low income. Mr. Speaker, it's a substantial program that will deliver relief and will deliver it in a timely manner, Mr. Speaker. And I am so pleased that the leader of the third party is eager to get going on that plan, Mr. Speaker, and I look forward to her support as we move forward. Well, Speaker, instead of partisan, Speaker, for the... Casey didn't hear it. The member from Durham come to order. The minister from Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation come to order. Please. How much public money is that we are talking about our plan, the plan that we've brought forward? It is actually called JADOR and it's in... No, Barry, Mr. Speaker. I was in Barry at a great chocolate and cheese shop, Mr. Speaker. They're going to see a substantial reduction in their electricity bill, which is going to allow them, Mr. Speaker, to expand their business. They are building a patio on the back of their store, JADOR, and it is going to be in-street in Barry, Mr. Speaker. That's the kind of business we want to see thrive and that's why it's so important that the real plan that we are bringing forward is going to give them real relief. New question? My next question is also for the Premier's Speaker. You know, the Premier has shown Ontarians where her priorities are self-serving, partisan, radio ads first, actual legislation or a tangible plan sometime later, I guess. Ontario families, businesses and public institutions like hospitals have a right to know what will happen to their hydro bill, Speaker, and who will pay the price for the $40 billion going to line the pockets of bankers? When will the Premier finally table her proposed hydro plan so that people know how and when, and rather, and by how much the bills are going to end up going up? Minister of Energy? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm very pleased to rise and talk about when we're going to be bringing forward the legislation this spring to reduce everyone's bills by 25% in time so they can have this relief, Mr. Speaker, before summer. And I know there will be time for proper debate and public hearings. I know, Mr. Speaker, the opposition critics have received a technical briefing on our plan and they've also received comprehensive briefing documents including technical decks, Mr. Speaker, backgrounds, our speeches and sample bills demonstrating the reductions that are going to be happening, Mr. Speaker. And I know our plan, Mr. Speaker, is going to offer real relief, Mr. Speaker, for all of our families and small businesses and farms right across the province. I know the opposition parties, Mr. Speaker, they're putting forward nothing but platitudes, Mr. Speaker. Our plan is going to make sure that we bring forward this relief for families, for small businesses, for farms right across the province, Mr. Speaker, and we're going to make sure it happens before summer. Supplementary. From 2011 to 2015, the hospital in Sault Ste. Marie saw their hydro bill rise by $2.7 million, an increase of 45% in just four short years while their hydro consumption during that timeframe remained exactly the same. Since the Premier refuses to release her plan, will she be running an ad soon to let hospitals like the one in the Sioux know if they're going to see relief on their hydro bills anytime soon? Thank you, Minister. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I know the third party needs to stop misleading Ontarians about the healthcare misceder. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Member Wood-Traw. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Confusing Ontarians about our healthcare system, Mr. Speaker. Since coming into office, we've increased hospital funding by 54%, allowing us to treat more patients, provide better care, and reduce wait times to some of the shortest in the country, Mr. Speaker. Now, I know both opposition parties are furiously trying to muddy the record by not necessarily confusing the impact of energy cost, Mr. Speaker. The reality is that hospitals spend 1.6% on average of their total operating budgets on electricity. That means well over 95% of hospital budgets go towards the rest, Mr. Speaker, hiring nurses and doctors, keeping wait times low, and ensuring patients have access to that high quality services that they need. Mr. Speaker, hospitals are also eligible for the Save On Energy program, and I know both that and the supplementary. Thank you. Well, Mr. Speaker, it's not just families at home, businesses, or hospitals that are suffering either. Municipalities are also worried about whether the Premier's $40 billion borrowing deal will actually help them keep community facilities open. When I met with leaders from Echo Bay, Debra, Bruce Mines, Hilton Beach, St. Joseph, and Batchewana First Nation not long ago, they all told me that skyrocketing hydro rates are on the verge of closing their local arenas or community centers. Since this Premier refuses to release the details of her $40 billion borrowing plan, will she run an ad soon to let local municipal leaders know if they're going to get some real reliefs from soaring hydro bills and be able to keep community centers like arenas open? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to begin by saying that since forming the Premier's $40 billion borrowing deal, we have increased municipal support to nearly four times what it was in 2003. So, you know, Mr. Speaker, unlike the previous Conservative government, which downloaded billions of dollars on costs onto the backs of municipalities and residential property taxpayers, we are alleviating the financial burden off of our municipal partners, Mr. Speaker. Residents in every single city, Mr. Speaker. I'm talking about municipalities. I know the Mayor in Hamilton was in the news recently talking about our fair hydro plan. He says a 25% reduction is a very positive step for the city's hydro customers and he credited our government with listening to Ontarians and implementing what he calls dramatic reductions. Mr. Speaker, this is the mayor of the leader of the third party's own city, Mr. Speaker. This legislation is brought forward. Will they support this and will they follow the advice of the mayor of Hamilton and make sure they support us in supporting this 25% reduction? Thank you. Your question? Thank you and good morning, Speaker. My question is for the Premier. Over the last five years, 350 frontline healthcare workers have been cut from the North Bay Regional Health Centre. 60 beds have been closed in this new hospital. This week, between 30 and 40 more healthcare workers will be sent home. Speaker, we can't take much more of this in North Bay. Their jobs are being lost as a direct result of liberal waste, mismanagement and scandals. To add to their troubles, the hospital has seen a hydro increase of 65% over the last six years. The hospital CEO says that with these measures, he's starting to be very worried about patient care. My question to the Premier is this. Do you care enough about the patients in North Bay to do something? You're here. Minister of Health and long-term care. Minister of Health, long-term care. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We're proud and I think the member opposite if asked would admit as well, proud of that brand new facility in North Bay. The hospital that's providing excellent the highest quality of care and that is never been a question, Mr. Speaker, and never been in doubt. Last year in the budget, in the budget that they, of course, voted down where we allocated $345 million to hospitals that included, Mr. Speaker, a 2% increase in the funding that we provided to North Bay Regional Health Centre. We have funded it, increased the funding year over year over year so that they can address those pressures that they naturally do face, Mr. Speaker, but continue to provide the highest quality of care to the community that they serve. They have approached the Ministry, Mr. Speaker, in this current fiscal year and I'm happy to address that in the supplementary. Thank you, supplementary. Thank you, back to the Premier. With the $107 million cut from the OLG funding to hospitals, virtually the same dollars are being reallocated every year and the funds get distributed to the high growth areas. But even though our communities in the North are not growing, our seniors are aging. We also have a higher incidence of many chronic diseases in the North and because of these extra costs and increased hydro bills, the hospital didn't quite balance their budget this year. That makes them ineligible for the $7 million in working capital relief. They're in a no-win downward situation. My question to the Premier is simple. Will she re-admit North Bay Regional Health Centre into the relief program allowing them to hit their targets and stop this downward site? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I mentioned, we have received a request from the hospital. We're working closely with them and with the Linn in strong collaboration and partnership, which I should point out, Mr. Speaker, in North Bay absolutely did not do. In 2001, North Bay Hospital faced a $6.5 million deficit. And at the time, Mike Harris said, quote, North Bay and Sturgeon Falls and Madiwa that have deficits are not going to be able to be funded in future years, Mr. Speaker, making it clear that the PC government would not work with hospitals to maintain services. We don't work that way, Mr. Speaker. We're working closely with the hospital today. Thank you. New question. Leader of the third party. Mr. Speaker, today the NDP will introduce rather a rent protection for all tenants act. This act will close the loophole that allows landlords in buildings built later than 1991 to hike rents as much as they want whenever they want. We hear from families that say these increases are chasing them from their home to the place they're raising their kids. Will the Premier close this unfair loophole to protect renters in Ontario? Minister of Housing. Minister of Housing. Thank you, Speaker. It's a very good question. It's really unacceptable that so many Ontarians are faced with housing costs that are rising so dramatically. Families on tight budgets really are feeling the pinch of a rental market that is struggling to keep up with demand. So we've been already working on a number of areas. Since last June we've been consulting with tenants and landlords and others right across the province looking at the Residential Tenancy Act and what we'll be able to do to tweak that to make things better. We've passed the inclusionary zoning that will allow municipalities another tool for municipalities to use to construct affordable housing. There's a whole number of things that I'd love to go down this list, Mr. Speaker, and I'll do that in the supplementary. Thank you. Let's hope it doesn't take them as long as it took for inclusionary zoning to fix the 1991 rule. The fact is that many Ontario households are at a tipping point right now, some people are seeing rent increases of hundreds of dollars if not a thousand dollars. More and more working people are being forced to couch-surf or even return to their parents' homes, Speaker. Premier Nguyen has said for years that, rather, Premier Nguyen has had a number of years, Speaker, already to fix this problem but instead is leaving millions of Ontario's residents, Ontario's renters in the lurch. My question is, why has she failed to take action thus far? Thank you. Well, thank you again for that follow-up question. This government has done a number of very important things, Speaker. On top of talking with landlords and tenants right across the province about issues they face every day, especially around their residential tenancy act, I mentioned inclusionary zoning. I can talk about how we have frozen the municipal property tax on apartment buildings and relief to renters. We've doubled the maximum refund for first-time home buyers. Right now, Speaker, we're collecting data to better understand Ontario's housing market. But when it comes to the exemption, the 1991 exemption, Mr. Speaker, you know, we have said that we will be expanding on that and we will bring legislation that deals with that along with the RTA. So we are listening, Speaker. It's a problem that people face not only in Toronto, but right across Ontario and we're taking action. Question. The member from Barrie. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Finance. Minister, increases in home prices and rents have made housing affordability a concern for a growing number of people. In fact, it's an issue that I've heard from my constituents about time and time again. A year ago you could find even a single room to rent for a constituent with a budget of $500 a month. And prices have only skyrocketed since then. Mr. Speaker, I frequently hear from young families looking to buy the first home who are having a challenging time getting into the market in the greater Toronto area. Could the Minister please explain what steps our government has taken to improve housing affordability? Minister of Finance. I understand that housing affordability has become a significant issue, not just for those families living in the greater Toronto area, but in many communities across the province. It's why our government doubled the maximum refund for the land transfer tax rebate of $4,000. We doubled that refund more than half of first time home buyers now in Ontario will pay no LTT on the purchase of their first home. We also know that renters are struggling to find affordable places and municipal property taxes on apartment buildings to give relief to renters. And Mr. Speaker, we're also participating very closely alongside the BC government as well as cities of Toronto and Vancouver in a federal working group in the housing market. Thank you. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Back to the Minister of Finance. I'm pleased to hear that the government is taking steps to address this issue. That extra money could be part towards closing costs, a larger down payment or new appliances for first time buyers home. I'm also happy to hear that the government is continuing to work on further ways to make it more affordable for Ontario to buy a home. Mr. Speaker, I know that our government has been participating alongside the BC government, the cities of Toronto and Vancouver in a federal housing market working group to look up further ways to improve affordability. Could the Minister please provide an update to the BC government to help make housing more affordable for the people in Ontario? Thank you Mr. Speaker. And again, thank you to the member from Barry. Mr. Speaker, uncertainty in the housing market has been partially driven by speculation. In fact, just today TD economics released a special report on the housing market arguing that the heightened uncertainty in the market can be largely attributed to speculation. There are a number of options to reduce speculative investment in the housing market that could raise revenue to support capital gains and measures. It's why I've sent a letter to the federal minister of finance to request that the federal government consider increasing the capital gains inclusion rate for non-principal residences. Under the current rule when you sell a home that is not your principal residence for a profit, only 50% of the capital gain is included in taxable income. Mr. Speaker, this change will be an important step toward keeping our country's housing market stable and secure. I look forward to continuing to work collaboratively with the federal government to make housing more affordable for Ontario families. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the premier. We all know that sexual assault is a big problem in our communities and that our public institutions haven't always shown the proper sensitivity in responding to this crime. Two weeks ago, the Federal House of Commons gave unanimous support to our would-be judges to receive sexual assault training. But last week, victim service organizations were disappointed to hear that the government of Ontario has no plans to follow suit in making sexual assault training mandatory for its judicial appointees. Why won't the government take the issue of sexual assault seriously and require potential judges to receive the training they need to properly handle sensitive sexual assault cases? Thank you. Thank you very much, Speaker. And I thank the member opposite for this question. It's a very important issue, Speaker. I know it's an issue that all members of this legislature in Ontario in general are always concerned about. Speaker, we know the sexual assault is a serious issue that demands attention from all levels of government. And that's why, Speaker, it's important to note that our government, through introduced, it's never okay strategy. It's a $41 million action plan speaker to stop sexual violence and harassment. It's our premier who's taking a leadership role in ensuring that we have robust programs to ensure that we put an end to sexual violence and harassment in our province. As a result of that plan, Speaker, we have launched a pilot program for survivors of sexual assault. 100 people so far, Speaker, have accessed the program. We have increased funding to the 42 sexual assault centers across Ontario by $1.75 million speaker for a total of $14.8 million. And we have passed legislation removing barriers for survivors of sexual assault. Thank you. Supplementary. Well, Mr. Speaker, requiring judges to be trained to handle sexual assault cases is the right thing to be doing, alluding to the fact that judges can be trained through ads is an incredible answer from the minister of the attorney general. In fact, training judges would actually strengthen Ontario's trust in the judicial system. If Ontarians knew that judges were trained to handle sexual assault cases with the proper sensitivity, maybe more victims would be willing to come forward. So again to the premier will she accept the common sense proposal to require our judges to be trained to handle sexual assault cases since the minister of the attorney general is not saying yes. Speaker, this is a very serious issue, Speaker. This is an issue that is not partisan in nature whatsoever, Speaker. I'm very proud of our premier for taking a leadership role when it comes to a very definitive action plan on putting an end to sexual violence and harassment in our province. What we also have to be mindful of is that we have an independent judiciary. We have to respect the independence of judiciary. When it comes to training and education of our judiciary that is an independent matter that is decided upon by the chief justices of the Superior Court of Justice and the Ontario Court of Justice. We have to respect the independence of judiciary, Speaker. In Ontario judges function separately and independently of the government and training and education are within the exclusive jurisdiction. The member from different Caledon is warned. We have a wrap up sentence. We are always open to talking about more training around sexual violence and harassment, Speaker. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker to the Premier. Access. A growing number of private clinics are running a second tier of health services in our province. These elite private clinics can charge up to $4,000 a year for members to get faster access to physician or faster access to MRI or both. It's called public health care in Ontario. It's called public health care in Ontario. Does the Premier think it is right to force most people to wait longer for the health care they need while rich people can buy their way to the front of the line? If not, then why is the Premier letting private clinic undermine our public health care here in Ontario? I know like myself the member opposite is absolutely committed to Medicare and to the Canada Health Act and the principles behind that. And I think and I would hope that she knows she's been watching my performance as Health Minister for almost three years now. I hope that she also sees those principles in action. The importance to me personally as a health care provider as she is to health equity to ensuring that those vulnerable individuals, those that truly and most need access to health services, that that's where we focus our attention. That on that incredibly important issue of access as well. That it is fair and equal and equitable access, Mr Speaker. We are closely monitoring some activities that are taking place including what she's been referring to, Mr Speaker. And we're looking to ensure that those principles are upheld. Thank you. I've been bringing this issue of the private clinic growing in Ontario for the last five years. This is a long time to monitor what's going on. Ask any mom in Ontario how long it takes to get an appointment with their family physician for her sick child. It can take weeks. But under the Liberal, people can get a private clinic for 24-7 access to a doctor. Ask any seniors how long it takes to get an MRI. I went on the website today. Average wait time, 106 days. But at a private clinic, people can pay to get an MRI within one or two days. Forcing everybody else to wait longer. Speaker, when you need access to high quality healthcare in Ontario, you should be asked for your health card, does the Premier think that patients in Ontario should pay up or wait longer for the healthcare that they need? Well, Mr. Speaker, I guess my memory must be failing me because in the three years that I've been health minister, the member opposite has not raised this issue with me by my recollection at all in the three-year period. But Mr. Speaker, now that it is in the Toronto Star, I know that she's saying it is an important issue. As do we, and that's why in 2004, Mr. Speaker, we introduced legislation that made it illegal for any person or entity to charge or accept any benefit for an insured service in addition to the amount that is paid by OHIP. We also made it illegal for any person to pay, charge or receive payment or other benefits to receive special or expedited access to the healthcare system. However, Mr. Speaker, this is important to this government as demonstrated by the legislation in 2004, but we are continuing to watch this very, very closely to ensure that it does not violate that act with the Canada Health Act. Any questions for members from each one? Well, thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport. Now, we know that the Ontario festivals and the events we have here generate millions of economic growth. And I'm very proud to be part of a government that supports these events so people can be drawn and visit and celebrate in our communities. At my own riding of beaches east York, I'm very pleased to know that we're assisting with the Canadian Food Truck Festival, the Toronto Vocal Arts Festival called SING, which celebrates acapella music, Wolfstock, the iconic Beaches International Jazz Festival and, of course, Karabana, which has had a long history and we have been seeing these festivals and we know that these events play a fundamental role in our cultural and economic vitality. So, Speaker, I'm pleased to ask the Minister today about an announcement that she made last Monday at Mills Hardware in Hamilton. Question? Mr. Speaker, will the Minister tell the members of this House more about what was announced on Monday and how the celebrate on Ontario is improving our community? Thank you, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the member from East York for the question and for his championing of events and the arts community in his riding, Speaker. Earlier this month, I was with Sonic Union, the creators of Super Crawl in Hamilton, an annual festival that transforms James Street into a weekend-long celebration of the arts. Here, visitors can see great musical acts, unique art installations and experience, amazing local food and craft beer right in the heart of downtown Hamilton. Super Crawl has been around for almost a decade now and it's grown into a must-see for music and art lovers. Speaker, it's been over half a million dollars over two years, along with five other initiatives in Hamilton. In participating in events like Super Crawl, visitors might make a stop at the fabulous Art Gallery of Hamilton or Theatre Aquarius to pillars of the local arts and culture scene. Speaker, we know that these events draw tourists, but we're also investing in a growing cultural scene. And I'm proud of our contributions to such a culture scene and looking forward to talking about the impact Celebrate Ontario is making right across Ontario in my supplementary. Thank you, Speaker, and thank you to the Minister for her answer and for her incredible champion of events all across Ontario. So many festivals and events like Super Crawl, as she mentioned, and North by Northeast, which also receives significant funding, and up in Thunder Bay, the World Junior Baseball Classic, are having a very positive impact on the music and the culture scenes of Ontario. Across the province, Celebrate Ontario 2017 means that organizers can now enhance their programming, their activities, and their services. They now offer new and enhanced experiences that attract even more tourists and increase visitor spending. I know that Celebrate Ontario will have a very positive economic impact in every corner of the province in 2017, our 150 celebratory year. From food festivals, music festivals, to events that teach us about our heritage and cultural diversity, our communities will benefit from increased tourism and visitor spending right across the province. Through you to the minister, will she update the members of this House on the economic impacts expected from Celebrate Ontario investments this summer? Minister? Thank you Mr. Speaker, and thank you again to the member for the question. You know, our government understands the important role that festivals and events play in bringing communities together and supporting local businesses. In this respect, Celebrate Ontario has been enormously successful. Later this afternoon, I'll be in Markham, along with Minister Chan to highlight the multicultural aspects of Celebrate Ontario. In fact, every dollar of Celebrate Ontario funding triggers almost $20 of visitor expenditures supporting thousands of jobs and generating millions of dollars in revenue. These festivals enhance quality of life and they attract investment too. Knowing the strength of this program and the important opportunity we have, especially in our sesquicennial year, our government is investing more than 19 million dollars across Ontario. We're supporting over 300 festivals and events, a record number in the history of Ontario This commitment will have a far-right impact and we're proud of it We're also proud that we're doing a tremendous amount in local and northern communities. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. My question is the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. Today we heard the Ontario Long-Term Care Association how this government has abdicated its responsibility to properly fund long-term care leaving hundreds of thousands of seniors to go let the care they need and deserve. 11,000 people, myself included signed a petition to call on you to stand up for seniors by ensuring funding for fundamentals like food and hydro and nursing homes never again falls below inflation. On behalf of all of them I ask will the Minister commit to actually providing stable and predictable funding to support the needs of those most vulnerable seniors entrusted in his care. Here, here. Mr. Speaker, of course this government is committed to providing that ongoing and stable funding to seniors and others that reside in long-term care homes across this province. You know that's partly why we made and I just referenced the 3.7% increase in the raw food diet in last year's budget. That's why we have committed by 2025 to redeveloping 30,000 new long-term care beds. That's why in fact since coming into office in 2003 Mr. Speaker, we have built more than 10,000 new beds in long-term care and I have a list here if the member opposite wants to see precisely where those beds have been built. More than 10,000 since coming into office Mr. Speaker. We are committed, we are providing those resources in a sustainable fashion. Thank you. I've never seen one. The member from Prince Edward Hastings will come to order. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. I would like to see the list because I've been asking for two years in estimates and I've got nothing from you. And you spend more money in prisoners than you do seniors. Mr. Speaker, the minister's chronic underfunding has resulted in a lack of staff, lack of behavioural supports, increased attacks, 30,000 outdated beds and a record high weight list of 26,500 seniors. Shameful and that list is going to go to 50,000 in the next six years. And the minister is setting up our valued seniors needing long-term care support for a big disaster. So again I ask will the minister ensure our seniors homes have the means to provide better care by committing to funding them, especially food and hydro at a minimum for inflationary increases each and every year. Mr. Speaker, I value the partnership that we have with those that are in that important position of providing residents of this province and I appreciate, I greatly appreciate the submission that they've made, the pre-budget submission where they speak to the importance not only of the quantum that's provided, the dollar amount that's provided for residents and we provide roughly $52,000 a year per resident, per home, Mr. Speaker and in a number of categories but it's also, I particularly appreciated when they were talking about the aspect of predictable and sustainable and I've been working with them and it's important for us to see if we can find a way, Mr. Speaker, that we can not only meet that sustainable requirement but that we can do it in a way which gives them predictability into the future with regards to what they can expect so they can plan for that increase Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And my question is to the premier hidden deep within last year's budget was this government's inexplicable decision to cancel autism therapies for children over the age of five. After blindsiding families that had spent years waiting for services, the decision was finally reversed under enormous pressure from across the province or so they claimed now almost a year later evidence is emerging that many children over the age of five are still being denied services, therapies and hope Mr. Speaker, what does the premier have to say to the families of children with autism that have had the rug pulled out from under them a second time? Thank you. Thank the member for the question as a member knows this is an important issue and as a government we see this as one of our top priorities when it comes to working with families here in the province of Ontario and that's why Mr. Speaker we invested half a billion dollars of new money into this program and Mr. Speaker by doing this what we're doing is creating 16,000 new spaces across the province of Ontario we're looking at providing diagnostic and testing early and creating more spots for that so young people get the type of services they need and the member knows opposite that we've committed to launching a new program in June that will address many of the issues that this province has taken on not only through this government's but many many years, decades Mr. Speaker so I'm quite proud of the direction we're in and I would hope that if the member opposite really wants to be briefed on where we are and our progress is so you can sit down with me anytime and get that type of information in detail. Thank you Speaker and back to the premier Ontarians are tired of being fooled and an open letter to the minister of children and youth services concerned parents of children with autism noted that wait lists are still growing services are still being reduced and families have been left in the dark about how this will affect their children's lives. Every child in Ontario deserves the right to reach their full potential on their terms not on your terms. Will the premier do what she promised for families and commit to actually reinstating the services for these children? Good question. Thank you Mr. Speaker I've been across this province and I've talked to parents I've met with parents in many jurisdictions in fact I met with parents that are from the members opposite jurisdiction. Parents from Ottawa in the Durham region and Mr. Speaker I've met parents and they're very thankful for the direction we're taking I get phone calls, I get emails I speak to parents directly and they're happy about the direction we're going and I just want to give you some of the latest direct funding numbers that we have here Mr. Speaker so we've had almost 2,300 families sign up for the 8,000 initial payment we've got 775 families that have been receiving the $10,000 and these numbers continue because you know Mr. Speaker the families that were on the wait list can apply for the 8,000 then the 10 and then 10 and it continues until their services are necessary so I would hope the member opposite would wait until June to see what the new program is like and then from there we can have a conversation about how we go forward. Thank you Mr. Speaker my question is to the Minister of Municipal Affairs Minister the building industry plays a key role in the lives of Ontarians they build the places where we live work and spend our free time and they help shape our communities including my own community of Davenport today the Ontario Home Builders Association is here at Queen's Park the Ontario Home Builders Association was formed in 1962 to give residential builders a voice in the provincial government and to facilitate changes in the industry their members build the homes that shape our communities Mr. Speaker and they have been an important voice in the province I understand that they have been engaged on a number of government priorities over the years including updates to the provinces building code with the Minister for Municipal Affairs speak about how the Ontario Home Builders Association contributed to the decision of government priorities Mr. Speaker thank you very much and I want to thank the member for the question Speaker and I want to begin by ensuring that all members of the legislature are aware that tonight there's a reception with the Ontario Home Builders starting around five o'clock this evening in the legislative dining room downstairs we hope to see everybody there Speaker in my first go round in this ministry back in 2014 it was a pleasure for me to meet through that experience and have an opportunity to announce our six-story wood frame construction in the province of Ontario intended to help the forestry sector but also led Speaker I would say from my perspective an unintended consequence at the time I tabled my private members build to see an ability to increase the amount of affordable housing in the province of Ontario that came forward as a result of that point being Speaker that through that process we were able to have significant consultations with the Ontario Home Building Association as one of our key stakeholders it's helped to forge that relationship with our government and I look forward to talking more about that stakeholder consultation in the supplementary thank you the supplementary Mr. Speaker I want to thank the minister for his answer our government is currently conducting coordinated review of the growth plan Greenbelt plan, Oakbridge's Marine plan and Niagara's Garment plan these plans work together to protect our natural resources like prime farmland make efficient use of existing infrastructure and prevent sprawl by directing growth to already built up areas the coordinated review is the legislated 10 year review of these plans I understand that our government will introduce updated plans in the coming months and that these plans will be the result of extensive consultation dating back to 2015 which includes a report from an advisory committee and a nearly six month public consultation period in 2016 I also understand that the Ontario Home Builders Association's has been involved in the process throughout with the minister elaborate on how the Ontario Home Builders Association has contributed its expertise during the consultation process Mr. Speaker again thank the member for the question she's right the OHBA has been a significant stakeholder for us through this particular review it's a good chance for me to give a shout out again speaker to that panel that was chaired by David Cromby and included Leith Moore who was the past president of the OHBA I also want to recognize Neil Rogers recently elected as the OHBA's 50th president and say give a shout out to the CEO Joe Vicaro as well speaker as the as the member has mentioned they are a significant stakeholder for us in this process we're aware that the OHBA has some 4,000 members they built more than 700,000 homes in Ontario in the last 10 years and speaker they are a significant contributor to the Ontario somewhere in the range of 45 billion dollars to our economy every year so yes they have played a significant role in our work on the coordinated land review we look forward to coming forward with those plans in the near future and we want to thank them and all stakeholders for their influence in the process the member from Oxford thank you very much Mr. Speaker my question is for the Premier few tacked one of the largest employers in my writing said that on the final hydro bill the charge for electricity used was $38,000 but when they add on the government global adjustment and other charges the final monthly bill was listen to this Premier $385,000 they run 24 hours a day to deliver just in time to car plants so they can't shift production to use the ICI program can the Premier explain why this major employer is paying more than $150,000 or 90% of their hydro bill for government's extra billing charges thank you Mr. Speaker very pleased to rise and talk about the programs that are out there that actually are helping businesses Mr. Speaker and I do hope that this one business will actually utilize many of the programs that are out there Mr. Speaker to actually help them save dollars Mr. Speaker there's the IEP program Mr. Speaker you know the industrial accelerator program there are many other programs that are out there to actually help small businesses and help our medium size manufacturing businesses Mr. Speaker remember from Redfruit come to order because we recognize Mr. Speaker the importance of actually helping our businesses reduce those rates we've seen many of those businesses right across the province use many of these programs Mr. Speaker and then I'll actually help them reduce their bills but when it comes to Ontario's fair hydro plan Mr. Speaker they're going to see that 25% reduction Mr. Speaker coming right off and that's something that will help them right across the province thank you very much very much Mr. Speaker and the minister obviously missed the comment that I said these programs do not work for few tech and wood stock in the past few months it's been announced that Oxford and back to the premier Mr. Speaker the past few months it's been announced that Oxford is losing a thousand new jobs and that's why all the rates for businesses are putting more of these jobs at risk and yet the government's hydro announcement does nothing to help the major businesses we have left which of course would be few tech Premier people can't pay their hydro bills if they lose their job what does the premier have to say to all the people of Oxford who are worried that their job will be the next to disappear because of her government's policy Minister of economic development and growth Mr. Speaker here's what I say to the folks in Oxford and here's what I say to folks right across this province we have taken a number of measures to make this province more competitive in fact Mr. Speaker we have most effective corporate tax rates very generous R&D tax credits we've invested with businesses to the tune of $3.1 billion stop member from Niagara west Glanbrook will come to order not amused with that comment finish please our investments Mr. Speaker with businesses right across this province of $3.1 billion since 2004 have accrued over $31 billion in private sector investments 175,000 jobs created and retained so where are we Mr. Speaker we have not had a lower unemployment rate in a decade Mr. Speaker not in a decade leading the G7 and growth we've created 700,000 jobs and for the first time in 13 years Mr. Speaker we've seen seven consecutive thank you the member for Prince Edward Hastings is Warren new question the member from London west thank you Speaker my question is to the Premier Speaker there is an ongoing crisis in mental health services in London that shows no sign of improving the London Health Sciences Centre psychiatric ER regularly operates at 130% capacity before the March break LHSC reported that there were 22 mental health patients waiting for beds some for more than 7 days on hallway stretchers or in overflow rooms last week my constituent Angela jolly waited 5 days in the hallway before she was even assigned a doctor LHSC psychiatrist Dr. Ganjavi tells me that it all comes down to funding funding that is needed for more beds for more nurses for more community services London's mental health crisis has been raised numerous times in this legislature and in the London media so why Speaker does this government refuse to act well thank you Mr. Speaker and we absolutely are reacting in fact we've made unprecedented investments in mental health right across this province just a number of weeks ago an important announcement for 1150 new supportive housing units to add to the 1000 that were announced last year Mr. Speaker where we've announced for the first time any jurisdiction in Canada were providing government funded, publicly funded cognitive behavioural therapy in London itself Mr. Speaker not only do they benefit from the support of housing and our benefiting but also we opened up a crisis centre which provides that critically important alternative to hospitalization or visits to ERs where there are strong community support and experts in place that can provide that resource that individuals in crisis so definitely need Mr. Speaker Thank you supplementary Thank you Speaker 6 months or more to see an outpatient psychiatrist and the 24-7 crisis centre that the minister mentioned was at capacity almost from the moment it opened its doors about one third of the people who access the crisis centre are diverted from ER but fully two thirds are first time users of the mental health system and the 10 million dollars that was promised more than a year ago for additional stabilisation beds has yet to appear Premier commit today to releasing that funding for those stabilisation beds now to the crisis centre and more importantly will she come to London and meet with the nurses and the physicians and the patients who are struggling to deal with this desperate situation Well Mr. Speaker that 1.2 million dollars that we invested in the London crisis centre is obviously making an important difference to individuals in that community but we're also working with the hospital we've provided them with significant new funding including in mental health and we've committed to we're in the middle of a 140 million dollar new investment in mental health over a three year period and 50 million dollars annualised after that but our funding to the London health sciences centre has increased not only by 73% since we came into office but also through investment in funds last year which will help them deal with that to improve their capacity on this critically important issue Mr. Speaker Member from Oxford on a point of order very much Mr. Speaker I rise on a point of order under the Exudicative Tribunals Accountability Governance and Appointments Act of 2009 the social justice tribunals of Ontario are required to submit an annual report to the responsible minister within 90 days within 60 days after the responsible minister receives the report he or she is required to table it in this assembly Mr. Speaker I'd like to draw your attention to the fact that the annual report for the social justice tribunals of Ontario for the year 2015 and 16 is outstanding and I'm not aware that the appropriate minister has provided this house with any explanation for the delay so I request that you convey to the minister my concerns and those of the house that this particular report is required to have been filed has not in fact been filed Thank you To be clear to the member that is not the duty of the speaker therefore it's actually not a point of order but I'm sure that the appropriate ministers should be on notice that all of their duties must be fulfilled on the timely fatter that has been outlined in the regulations and the rules so I leave it at that for the member to make his point the member from their Thumbel and Quinty West on a point of order Mr. Speaker I'd just like to welcome Mr. Steve Tobey from Tobey the Blocks from Brighton Welcome Steve Thank you Member from Simcoe Gray on a point of order Yeah Mr. Speaker in regard to my earlier submission I would like to refer to you to the Minister of Energy's comments today during question period where he said we will be tabling legislation to reduce hydro bills by 25% The member has the member has the right to submit in writing another to his report as I've given the member as I've given the government the opportunity to do so and the third party to do so thank you there are no deferred votes this house stands recessed until 1pm this afternoon