 It is now time for oral questions, and I recognize the leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. Speaker, my first questions to the Premier. Yesterday we learned that at a time when the entire world is moving towards renewable energy, the Ford government is wasting at least $231 million, and quite possibly more, tearing down clean energy projects and paying wind energy producers not to build renewable energy. So why did the government claim that there would be no cost to Ontarians when in fact ripping up these wind energy contracts is costing at least $231 million? Government House Leader. To the Minister of Energy. Referred to the Minister of Energy, Northern Development, and mine. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Of course, one of our first actions as government was to wind down over 750 contracts to the tune of a net present value of $790 million, almost a billion dollars, Mr. Speaker, that communities didn't want and the grid didn't need. Mr. Speaker, we repealed the Green Energy Act to ensure that expensive contracts, energy projects that would be forced on unwilling communities would not be a burden on our system. This is not a cost that the rate payer will bear. They appreciate the fact that we've taken significant steps in an effort to reduce the rate payer, Mr. Speaker. Every single time the NDP had an opportunity to work with us and reduce those rates, Mr. Speaker, they voted against it. Thank you. Supplementary question. Well, it all comes out of the same pocket, Speaker, and the families of Ontario with electricity not less, which is what this government is providing them, less affordability. Government sources say that costs of scrapping these renewable energy projects could exceed $231 million. In fact, the full cost of tearing down the White Pines Wind project still has not yet been finalized. Media reports indicate the cost of cancelling that project alone will run as high as $141 million. Now, I can remember when the Liberals sat where the Ford government sits now and lobaled the cost of the gas plants. Order. Can the government guarantee that their $231 million number will not climb any higher? Mr. Benedict. Mr. Speaker, isn't it interesting to hear the chairman of that party talk about where money comes from? I think this party here has done a lot, Mr. Speaker, to take care of the taxpayers' dollars and make sure that they get the best value from government services and programs. But if, in fact, that she was here, Mr. Speaker, let's let rattle off some interesting statistics here. November 1, 2009, 5.5% increase. November 1, 2010, 6.25% increase. November 1, 2011, 8.7% increase to the rate pair. It actually goes on and on right up until, oh, about 2018, Mr. Speaker, when a government took over and took swift action to take projects off that were structurally causing this system to be complex and unaffordable for rate pairs, that senior citizens, small businesses, families, Mr. Speaker, and major industries that employ thousands of people. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The final supplementary. Well, Mr. Speaker, the minister responsible is conveniently forgetting that his four government promised a 12% decrease in electricity rates, not a 2% increase in electricity rates. But you know what? It has been more than a year since the Premier proudly announced that he would start tearing down clean energy projects, even while the rest of the world was rushing to build them. A year later, the government still claims they don't know the full cost of this move. So when will the public get an answer, Speaker? Can the four government maybe set a date today as to when people will expect to know exactly how much the ripping up of contracts by this government is going to cost? Minister. Mr. Speaker, we will not be deterred from our efforts to continue to ensure that this system, our energy system is simpler, less complex, Mr. Speaker, and more affordable. We've heard it from just about every major industry and small business you can think of. We've heard it, Mr. Speaker. Our constituents are showing us these peak demand costs of the price per kilowatt of hour. Isn't that interesting, Mr. Speaker? That is born from the increases that I just rattled off. And I can rattle off more, Mr. Speaker. Here's what I know about it. The NDP supported the ideologically driven previous government every step of the way, Mr. Speaker. We already have a green energy system here in Ontario. 92% of our energy system is GMG-free. It employs thousands of workers in Pickering and Oshawa, Mr. Speaker, across the GTA. We have an extraordinary opportunity to build that out, Mr. Speaker. Continue to remain committed to green energy, Mr. Speaker. That's affordable and competitive with other jurisdictions in Canada and North America. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The next question, the Leader of the Opposition. The next question is also for the Premier Speaker. When the previous Liberal government cancelled two gas plants, they had the same $230 million opening estimate as the Ford government now has. But thanks to the Auditor General, all Ontarians learned that $230 million under the Liberals was actually over a billion dollars. At that time, Conservative members, including many who now sit in the Conservative government's cabinet, considered the Auditor's numbers to be definitive. Any member of the Ford government cabinet has the power to ask the Auditor to review these expenses. Will the Ford government take action today to ensure transparency and ask the Auditor General to conduct a complete review of the total costs of these cancelled contracts? Mr. Venergi, more on the development of mines. I'm just saying that the member opposite would introduce the Auditor General's role in all of this. It was, in fact, the Auditor General who said that these increases that I had mentioned earlier, as I said, there's more. They're 8.9%, 8.2%, 22%, Mr. Speaker. It's incredible. That was in 2014. Thing is, nobody knew about it. Nobody knew the secret plan that was hatched over there to build in expensive projects, Mr. Speaker, that would make our energy system more complex, Mr. Speaker, and way more expensive. 750 projects, Mr. Speaker, had not reached their milestones to the tune of almost a billion dollars in net present value. That doesn't include, Mr. Speaker, any inflationary costs against that price and the structural support that that kind of energy would continue to make our system the most complex and the most expensive in North America. Those are facts, Mr. Speaker. Just supplementary. Well, Speaker, at a time when we should be investing in renewable energy and renewable projects, this government is not only tearing them down, they're squandering hundreds and hundreds of millions of taxpayers' dollars that could have built new hospitals and long-term care beds or taken lead out of the water in schools and daycare centres. The least the government should do now is give the people of Ontario an honest accounting of their boondoggle. Will the Ford government call in the auditor? And if not, why not? Mr. Speaker, the auditor was called in and she made some pretty impressive observations about the previous plan that was supported by the anti-nuclear Democratic Party every step of the way, Mr. Speaker. The fact of the matter is, is that we have an energy system that employs tens of thousands of highly trained and highly skilled workers at a competitive cost. Somewhere in the seven cents, a price per kilowatt per hour, Mr. Speaker. Now, that's competitive with Quebec, where I was yesterday, who's in full-blown competition with us in the mining sector, Mr. Speaker. It's difficult to compete when the NDP and the Liberal Party, the former government, were in cahoots together to build the most expensive system in North America. That system, Mr. Speaker, has been told to us over and over and is the most complex and the most expensive, Mr. Speaker. Now, I see that the NDP are conveniently still on that fat-free diet that they started out last December, Mr. Speaker. Let's be clear. People wanted a pathway to... Thank you. Well, Mr. Speaker, it looks like the government side wanted to talk about their boondoggle, although they talk a lot about the Liberal boondoggle, but I'm actually talking about the Conservative boondoggle that is unfolding right before our eyes as we sit in this chamber. You know, the Conservatives used to be upset about the gas plant contracts that were torn up by the Liberals. They shouted about the scandals. They shouted from their rooftops about the... Stop the clock. That's it. I'm going to start... I'm going to start calling members out by name and then I'm going to start warning them. And we know that that leads to the next step. I apologize to the Leader of the Opposition. Are you going to point of order, please? Point of order? Sorry, the Governor knows here. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The clock has stopped. I'm going to listen to this. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today we were supposed to be observing a moment of silence for transgender members to say before question period and inadvertently that did not happen. I seek unanimous consent in order for us to do it right now to stop the clock so that we might do that and continue with this question period. We normally don't listen to points of order, but I recognized or sense there might be something serious that was going to be raised. But I think it would be most appropriate to deal with that point of order after question period and observe then if the House agrees a moment of silence at the end of question period. I'll listen to the Government House Leader again. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that this is not normal and I apologize to the entire House for the mix up today. I assume responsibility for that. I know this is completely not a normal course of action, but it's been raised to me that the community will not be here until the question period and that there perhaps is a legislative requirement that would be done before question period. So I beg forgiveness of the House for this intrusion. Question period will continue for the full length of time if you're in agreement, Mr. Speaker, but I ask for this unusual given the importance of this. And again, I apologize to the House and I apologize to the community for this, but I again seek just a moment, Mr. Speaker, if we could do that. Yeah, so the Government House Leader agreed. Mr. Speaker, can I just ask that when we have this moment of silence then in the middle of question period that I begin from the beginning of my... Oh, of course. Not a problem. I assure you that. Agreed. I'd ask the members to rise to observe the moment of silence. Thank you very much. Ask the members to take their seats. All right. So we're going to recognize earlier the opposition final supplementary at the beginning of your question. Mr. Speaker, what I had asked is that I could start my questions from the beginning. I was in a bit of a discussion here about what this Government's doing and that was now interrupted by, by the way, the moment of silence for the trans-day of remembrance so that people are aware of why we had a moment of silence. But it is not appropriate to break my question period lineup, my question period questions by a moment of silence. It's completely... I am going to recognize the Leader of the Opposition first supplementary of her second question. Start the clock. I recognize the Leader of the Opposition. Thank you. As a time when, sorry, at a time when we should be investing in renewable energy projects, this Government is not only tearing them down. They're squandering hundreds of millions of taxpayers' dollars that could have built new hospitals and long-term care beds or taken the lead out of the water schools and childcare centres. The least that this Government could do now is give the people of Ontario an honest accounting of this boondoggle. Will the Ford Government call in the auditor and if not, why not? Minister of Energy. Well, Mr. Speaker, the province, the Government of Ontario continues to make significant investments in green energy. That's why, Mr. Speaker, we have some of the largest infrastructure projects in the history, certainly of this province and Canada for sure in refurbishing our nuclear facilities ensuring that we have a green source of energy. That's competitive, Mr. Speaker, that comes in at around 7, 7.5 cents of price per kilowatt, Mr. Speaker, not the 17 to 50 cents that was embedded in these contracts, Mr. Speaker, for wind and solar power that made our system more complex, Mr. Speaker, and recognized for all the wrong reasons as being the most expensive energy system in North America, Mr. Speaker, those are facts. Ask ratepayers that question. They now understand it. They're paying closer attention to their bills because the subsidy, which we now know was debt, and the auditor general asked us to put clearly on the bill so people of Ontario could understand it better, Mr. Speaker, is there for all to see. Spons. We're going to continue to take the right steps to reduce costs and find efficiencies in our system to reduce the rates that families and businesses pay, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. The final supplement. My question is actually about the previous liberal boondoggle on tearing up energy contracts and its striking resemblance to the current conservative boondoggle of tearing up energy contracts. The conservatives used to be upset about the gas plants contracts that were ripped up by the liberals. They shouted from the rooftops about that scandal, but now the tables have turned and they're doing the exact same thing. Ripping up contracts for renewable energies for renewable energy for Ontarians and not only leaving families to pay the bills, but refusing to tell them how much this is going to cost them. The Ford government is now paying companies millions of dollars not to produce clean energy. So will they at the very least allow the auditor general to tell us how much we're all going to be paying for their energy boondoggle? Minister Benakji, do you have a question? Not every day I get an opportunity over the course of my career to speak to the boondoggle of a previous government that that party supported. So I will. I'll speak to it with certainty. Let's just continue with the statistics here. They're compelling. I think I stopped at 2012. In 2013 on November 1st, there was an 8.9% increase. On November 1st, 2014 Mr. Speaker, an 8. 2% increase. November 1st, Mr. Speaker, and you're sitting down 2015. Wait for it. A 22% increase in what rate payers play. Mr. Speaker, we took appropriate responsible action to deal with more than 750 projects that communities didn't want and the grid didn't need. They were costing us, Mr. Speaker, anywhere from 17 to 50 cents per per kilowatt per hour, Mr. Speaker. We won't stand for that. Rate payers certainly won't stand for that, Mr. Speaker. And we stand by those changes and we'll continue to do the right. Thank you very much. The next question. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions to the acting premier. When it comes to bargaining, this government has a lot to say but there's not being a lot of action. In the last 24 hours teachers have expressed extraordinary frustration at the government who seem determined to pick a fight. They also have plunged our bargaining into chaos just like they've plunged our classrooms into chaos. Scoring points at press conferences is not going to undo the damage this government has caused to our schools and it certainly isn't going to get a deal at the bargaining table. Why is this government so determined to pick a fight? Deputy Premier Minister of Education Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this government is determined to get a good deal for our students, for our teachers and for the parents of this province and that is why, Mr. Speaker, yesterday I asked our union partners, our teaching teacher union partners to consider seriously mediation as a mechanism to get a deal and I think what is important is that we turn to the same approach with QP, with our education workers just a month ago and it worked and in the end of the day, Mr. Speaker, the Premier and this government is absolutely committed to a resolution that keeps kids in class and improves education for every student in this province. Deputy Premier Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, the Minister doesn't seem to know where we're at in the bargaining process but Deputy Premier, the Minister has already delayed bargaining because he'd rather see himself on television than kids in the classroom. It is no surprise that this government is going out of their way to make things worse at the bargaining table. They're the ones who made things worse in our classrooms to begin with. Teachers are saying and I quote, your actions have thrown negotiations. Stop the clock. Order. I apologize to the member for Davenport. Start the clock. She can place her question. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think I had a nerve there. As I was saying teachers are saying and I quote, your actions this government's actions, Mr. Speaker have thrown negotiations into complete chaos. We are days away from potential work action. Families are wondering what they're going to do and how they're going to make ends meet. There's no one else for the government to blame but themselves again. When are you going to do the right thing? Reverse these reckless cuts and stop the attack on our school. Mr. Speaker, the government is going to continue to be a reasonable student-centric force of the tables and that is why it is why we were able to achieve a deal with QP just one month ago which kept kids in the classroom of this province. Mr. Speaker while we do these initiatives while we take reasonable actions at the table we're seeing a escalation by teachers' unions and that is regrettable for families to observe because their children should not should not have to pay the price for a disagreement at the table. My hope is through mediation we can actually provide a pathway, a credible pathway to get a good deal for our parents for our teachers and most importantly for the students of this province. The next question member for Thorne Hill. Mr. Speaker and I have a question to the minister of government and consumer services. Yesterday the minister introduced the bill, the Trust in Real Estate Services Act. This bill passed by the legislature would bring a much needed update to the Real Estate and Business Act 2002. Strengthening consumer protection and modernizing rules for registered real estate brokerages, brokers and salespersons. Making sure that real estate professionals and brokerages across the province are trusted and ethical is important in giving consumers confidence in an open marketplace. Can the minister elaborate on the proposed changes to the Real Estate and Business Brokers Act? Thank you. Recognize the minister of government and consumer services. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker and thank you to the member from Thorne Hill for the great question. I appreciate it very much because we have heard loud and clear from consumers and from professionals alike that it was time to review the aged legislation if you will. And I'm very excited to highlight our government's Trust in Real Estate Services Act which focuses on five key areas. The main one being enhancing consumer protection. This means ensuring consumers have access to better information such as getting the right disclosures from the real estate professionals as well as brokerages. And number two, we're increasing professionalism among real estate professionals and brokerages by ensuring they have a clear set of rules and ethical requirements to follow. We're also ensuring efficient and effective regulation in the real estate sector after being ignored for too long by the previous Liberal Administration we have listened, we're being bold and we're taking action. And I'd also like to add Mr. Speaker we're going to be reducing burden on businesses and we're going to be building a stronger business environment by laying the foundation for the real estate professionals to incorporate. Thank you very much. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker and I want to thank the minister for her answer. I was the caucus team advisory chair that heard this bill and the discussion and I want to thank the minister for all of her hard work and dedication and by introducing a bill that was developed. And I want to thank the minister for all of the consultation that was done on this bill. In fact I was able to see first hand the extent to which the minister and this government is dedicated to listening to the people of Ontario. This is a commitment that our government and our premier take very seriously especially when it comes to legislation that impacts one of the most important decisions Ontarians making their lives purchasing a home. I know that many Ontarians will be glad to hear of the proposed actions the minister is taking to modernize the road bridges professionals in this province. Speaker can the minister tell this house how the trust in real estate services act will enhance consumer protection. Thank you. Thank you speaker and to the member from Thornhill I say thank you for your kind remarks but we have to share all of the credit with the caucus and the members opposite because in this house for years we've been hearing the need to review the legislation that has been outdated and so I'm really pleased to share with everyone today our proposed changes would not only enhance consumer protection but it's going to increase consumer confidence in the real estate sector through better information and disclosures which lead to choice in purchase and a better sales process these changes will allow consumers in Ontario to have confidence that the real estate industry and its professionals are operating accountability. If the bill is passed Ontario's government remains committed to continuing to consult with consumers and with stakeholders to develop proposed regulations. This is good legislation speaker. These changes will help consumers make more informed decisions and also reduce burden on our real estate professionals. Thank you very much. Thank you the next question for Hamilton West and Caster Dundas. Thank you mr. speaker. My question this morning is to the minister of finance. Good morning minister. Ontario families are anxious about other contracts that the premier has pledged to rip up. We now know Ontario is paying clean energy providers $231 million not to build green power. The government's political interventions with hydro one have already led to a cancelled contract and a $103 million penalty and the government has lost a lot of money. This is a tough battle probably more to come. Earlier this year the premier passed legislation to tear up the province's 10-year contracts with the beer store. Industry sources estimate that this reckless move could cost Ontarians up to $1 billion. Can the minister please give us an update on the plan to rip up the contract with the beer store and how much will that cost ? Thank the member for her interest in her question. We are modernizing alcohol and the legislation around alcohol as the member will know in the FES bill there are several very progressive amendments contained. Amendments that all stakeholders whether it's the wine industry or the cider industry or members of the beer industry have indicated they support the idea of decoupling the issues of the regulator versus the LCBO. This is a great deal of progress in that regard. We've also made it clear that we want to increase convenience for Ontarians and we are in discussions with all stakeholders including the brewers in that regard and Mr. Speaker when we have news to report on those discussions I'll be happy to bring them to this legislature. Supplementary question. Thank you for that answer minister but I would say that the people of Ontario are more interested in what this is going to cost them not how often they can get a buck of beer in Ontario. We have a contract without consideration for the cost so to quote one observer governments can also make boneheaded ideological decisions that close businesses, kill jobs and drive away investment which is exactly what the Ford government is doing. It's been months, months since the government passed legislation giving themselves the power to rip up the beer store contract cancellation that we know could cost millions of dollars for taxpayers. Will the minister please tell families how much public money will be spent on ripping up these contracts and why is this money being diverted from our schools and underfunded hospitals. Mr. Speaker and I appreciate the members interest in this priority we have many priorities Mr. Speaker and as I laid out in our fall economic statement two weeks ago critical among those are making sure we put money back to the budget in 2020 Mr. Speaker making sure we invest we invest in critical public services that's why record spending in the Ministry of Health $1.9 billion more than last year $1.2 billion more in education Mr. Speaker ensuring that we put Ontario back on a sound financial footing that's why we'll balance the budget in 2023 all of this underpins our commitment to the economy $1,000 net new jobs those are the things that are our priorities and as I said on other issues we'll report back on those priorities when we have new information. Thank you Mr. Speaker my questions for the acting premier Ontario is in the midst of a housing affordability crisis a minimum wage worker in Toronto must work 79 hours per week just to afford a basic one bedroom apartment in Hamilton Ottawa my writing of Guelph and most other cities across the province 0% of rental housing is affordable to someone working full time a minimum wage the lack of affordable rental housing is hurting the students that are visiting Queen's Park today seniors and young families yet there's nothing in the fall economic statement about affordable rental housing as a matter of fact the Ministry's budget is being cut so through you Mr. Speaker to the acting premier will the government commit today to make investments in affordable purpose built rental housing be part of the fall economic statement so we can address the housing affordability crisis in Ontario Deputy Premier referred to the Minister of Labor Training and Skills Development Thank you very much Mr. Speaker we believe as a government that everyone in Ontario deserves a place to call home that's why our government has made housing a top priority since we came to government Mr. Speaker 16 months ago I know the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing has worked hard has had many many conversations across this province with people and that's why we introduced our housing supply action plan Mr. Speaker our plan is responsible sustainable it's going to help reduce red tape to increase the supply of housing but Mr. Speaker in 16 months we've also worked really really hard to create more than a quarter of a million new jobs in the province of Ontario Mr. Speaker wages are going up in the province and as I said earlier this week Mr. Speaker one of the greatest initiatives that the Premiers brought forward in Ontario those making $30,000 for under this year income tax the supplementary question with all due respect to the minister Mr. Speaker most of those low wage workers can't even afford to rent a basic one bedroom apartment as a matter of fact over the last 30 years in Ontario only 9% of our housing stock is purpose built rental housing the lack of affordable options is driving people out of our communities it's increasing levels of poverty we're seeing more and more people sleeping in unhoused situations in ridings like mine and Guelph and others across the province and yet nothing in the fall economic statement talks about building more purpose built affordable rental housing in Ontario as a matter of fact the ministry's budget has been reduced in the fall economic statement I go back to the minister will the government commit today to making investments in purpose built affordable rental housing so people with modest and middle incomes can afford a rental unit in this province minister reply well Mr. Speaker again this obviously has been a top priority of our government that's why the minister of municipal affairs and housing brought forward the housing supply action plan but Mr. Speaker we are investing in a community housing system that was neglected for years by the previous Liberal government Mr. Speaker they had 15 years to make this a priority Mr. Speaker in fact in 2019-2020 alone our government is providing more than one billion dollars to sustain repair and grow community housing right across this province but Mr. Speaker it is important so we can make this investments that we continue to grow Ontario's economy Mr. Speaker under the previous government supported by the official opposition we lost 300,000 well paying manufacturing jobs in the province Mr. Speaker because of the former government and the official opposition hydro rates tripled in the province of Ontario Mr. Speaker in 16 months we are turning this province around we've created over 250,000 well paying jobs in this province unemployment is at a three decade thank you remember from Mark I'm Thorn Hill thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the minister of seniors and accessibility Speaker this morning the ministers alongside the premier and the minister of health announced the eligible low income seniors will now be able to access our seniors dental program and would now be able to access high quality routine free dental care Speaker many low income seniors face challenges accessing regular dental care due to the financial implication and other obstacles that's why our government has brought forward this program our seniors do save a program that will help relieve the burden and stress they can feel about their dental care can the minister tell this house house eligible seniors can apply to this program questions to the minister for seniors and accessibility thank you Mr. Speaker thank you to the member for from discoverer Mark I'm Thorn Hill for raising such an important question I also like to thank the member for being a passionate advocate for seniors well-being not only in your writing all across Ontario Mr. Speaker I'm very proud to say that the publicly funded Ontario seniors dental care program is now officially officially available online the program the portal can be accessed at ontario.ca forward slash seniors dental seniors can also pick up hard application form a local public health units Mr. Speaker well-being of all Ontario senior is a top priority thank you very much the supplementary question for Mark and Thorn Hill for a supplementary question thank you Mr. Speaker thank you minister for that great answer and thank you for your hardworking for the seniors I know that you came to the Mark and Thorn Hill writing for the seniors round for the last round this seniors dental program is another great step that our government is taking to address hallway healthcare our government has been working to implement our comprehensive plan to end hallway healthcare this will of course involve building new beds but it will also involve changing how care is delivered to make our system more efficient we are investing in healthcare promotion enabling new model of care for 911 patient and mental health and addiction services now we have fulfilled our promises to seniors and announce our new dental care program for low income seniors can the minister tell the house how our seniors dental program fit in our government plan to end the hallway healthcare system thank you thank you I like to report that questions to the minister of health thank you I am very proud that our government has officially launched the Ontario seniors dental care program dental care for eligible low income seniors preventable dental issues lead to more than 60,000 emergency room visits every year preventable dental issues can be solved by the dental care that we would be providing a significant number of these visits are by seniors who do not have dental coverage and have difficulty accessing care the Ontario seniors dental care program will help eligible seniors receive the high quality dental care that they deserve by keeping seniors healthy we can also help them avoid emergency visits to the hospital and help avoid chronic diseases this new program will help our government to continue on our path of ending hallway healthcare and increasing the quality of life for all seniors across our province thank you the next question the member for Hamilton mountain thank you speaker my question is for the acting premier today is universal children's day to reflect on how we're serving the children of this province and quite frankly speaker this government continues to fail our most vulnerable children last night the star had yet another story of families waiting in the dark for their funding no one will give them the information that they need families are beyond disappointed life is getting harder and harder for them and the stress continues to grow they need action now when will all of these families languishing on wait list finally get the children the funding that their children need the deputy premier minister for children community and social service minister for children community and social services well thanks very much and thanks to the member opposite for the question I understand the urgency from the member opposite and we get that too we were given the Ontario autism expert panel's recommendations three weeks ago today as a matter of fact Mr. Speaker and as the member knows it was a rather hefty piece of recommendation 63 pages in all Mr. Speaker my officials are looking at that and we are looking at how we can start to roll funding out the door to these families I can tell you that we are continuing to roll out childhood budgets while we are awaiting further news on the Ontario autism panel to be released Mr. Speaker in the coming days weeks and months but we understand the urgency we understand that these families are having difficult times we know that this is an imperfect situation and I've mentioned that when I've spoken about this in the past however we are we are promising that we are going to bring a needs based program for autism families to ensure that they're getting the help that they need Mr. Speaker supplementary question Mr. Speaker promised that the program would be out by April this is the second program that this government has put forward if they can't get the first program to money in parents' pockets in nine months how are they possibly going to do the next program in less than four months it doesn't make sense today with us is Stacy today is day 846 that her child has been on the wait list she has met with her MPP she has met with the minister and his parliamentarian assistance this government knows the challenges that Stacy's family and thousands of families like her are facing but nothing has changed families need money in their pockets to be able to purchase services families across this province are in crisis when can Stacy's and the families like hers expect the supports that their children need minister well thank you and I thank the member officer for the question and I know there are many families out there who are in a similar situation and the member opposite talked about 845 days which means that that family has been waiting back into the Liberal government's previous program and they were not getting the services but that's why that's why Mr. Speaker I think the opposite members need to understand that that's why we have taken the time to meet with the expert panel over the summer they have brought forward recommendations this is a new Ontario autism program designed by the autism community Mr. Speaker one that we are going to roll out because families shouldn't be waiting for 850 days to receive services Mr. Speaker that's why we're taking the time to ensure we get this right so that we don't have to have these families coming to park every day waiting to get services Mr. Speaker they will have an Ontario autism program that is the best in the country Mr. Speaker and with the help of those families and with the help of that expert panel we're going to get thank you next question the member for Mississauga Centre thank you Mr. Speaker my question is to the minister of francophone affairs in my writing of Mississauga Centre as it is the case throughout the province I meet the new Canadians that much like my family chose Canada as the new country to settle in they decided to come here in Ontario because we're rich and we're very wealthy and have a lot to offer these people come from different countries that are part of the francophonie this two languages and all of the heritage that they offer is an ideal place for them to settle can the minister provide us with more information on what we are doing to help the francophone community minister of francophone affairs thank you to the member of Mississauga Centre for her question we're working with the francophone community in order to promote the interest and to defend the rights and everything that they have gained earlier I had the opportunity to meet people with the francophone assembly of Ontario the AFO that spoke to me about all of the positive initiatives that we have put in place and everything that we've done for the francophone University that will be an important lever for prosperity and economic growth in terms of modernizing the French Language Services Act our government understands that access to French language services is a fundamental issue for the francophone community that's why I put together a panel in order to consult with in order to modernize that act I'd like to thank the minister for her answer and all of her efforts to improve the rights of the francophone community much like her I met with the leaders of the AFO and went to their annual convention in Sudbury last month modernizing the French Language Services Act is an important issue and will take all the time that is necessary in order to review the act and we won't take any lessons from the opposition that has not had any experience in government and doesn't understand the process to modernize the act can the minister give us more information in terms of everything that we're doing for the French Language Services Act thank you Mr. Chair so what I can say is that at this time of the stage the Ontario government is very serious about the recommendations and the demands of the francophone community which is as far as the modernization of the French Language Services Act and although francophones in Ontario can benefit from French Language Services we want to modernize the act it is not only simply revised we want to modernize the act so that it reflects the actual current reality and the rights of francophones today Mr. Chair the Liberals have 15 years to do this important work for the francophone community and they haven't done that as far as we're concerned we're serious and we mean that we want to do this task before the end of our first term just like I said here in this house several times as Minister of Francophone Affairs I will work closely with my colleagues in order to push forward the files for francophone services I want to make sure that the voice of the francophone community in Ontario is heard thank you Speaker my question is for the acting premier it's Universal Children's Day and Children's Aid workers are here today with a dire warning for this government the cuts to child welfare services under the Liberals were bad under the Ford government one CAS worker from Woodstock called it death by a thousand cuts year over year cuts to these agencies have resulted in frontline job losses and service cuts but it's the kids in care who ultimately suffer they can't wait and hope that maybe the premier will raise money for them through a cash for access dinner will the premier reverse the cuts to Children's Aid that began under the Liberals continue under the Conservatives the Deputy Premier the Associate Minister for Children Community and Social Services Social Minister for Children our vision is for an Ontario where every child and youth who is receiving services for the child welfare system has the best supports possible Children and youth receiving services in Ontario's child welfare system deserve the best care and support that we can provide for them is our top priority and I can assure you as the minister and as a mother myself children and youth are our top priority I wanted to talk about our modernization system that's taking place and looking at prevention and I want to congratulate Toronto Children's Aid Society today on launching their journey to zero program we know that the system is broken and that we can be doing better in August I announced that we would be opening the modernization program where we are engaging youth and families caregivers indigenous partners frontline workers family law professionals and child welfare sector leaders on their experiences and ideas on how we can strengthen the child welfare system thank you supplementary question thank you speaker modernization should not be a euphemism for cuts my speaker this question is back to the acting Premier when this government cut a planned increase to social services by half they made life more precarious for recipients of Ontario works and Ontario disability supports poverty costs all of us between 27 and 33 billion dollars a year the government is apparently stuck in the discredited notion of trickle down economics but what trickles down from an economy that benefits the Premier's friends is not opportunity but food insecurity unstable housing the government is trying to strengthen access to better education and more homelessness all of which leaves people further behind and without hope will the Premier clearly state that he will reverse the deep cuts he's made to OW and ODSP questions can refer to the associate minister for women's children's issues minister of children community and social services minister of children and social services minister of children our government is focused on a broader plan to ensure we lift people up who are on social assistance an interesting stat for you that during the 15 years the previous government was in power we saw the number of individuals receiving social assistance increased by 55 percent we can do better than that assistance have received an increase in their funding by 1.5 percent but we're also ensuring that those who were on social assistance and I think the one thing that's that's probably the most staggering about the Ontario works stats is that there are almost half a million people on Ontario works and half of those individuals are under the age of 24. Speaker we need to be doing more to ensure that those individuals when they can are entering into the workforce and that's why working with my colleague the Minister of Labor and Skills Development and Training that we're preparing those individuals to join the workforce so they can stand on their own raise a family own a home that's what we're doing the best social program thank you very much the next question the member for Thornhill thank you very much mr. Speaker my question is to the Minister of Health this morning our government announced a great new program that will make an immediate difference in the lives of our seniors mr. Speaker many working Ontarians have dental insurance through their employer or through private insurance however our government recognized that seniors living on low incomes were being left behind that's why today we followed through on our promise to seniors and announced a great new program that will expand access to preventive care for Ontario seniors can the Minister of Health tell this house about the kind of difference our investment in this seniors dental program will make thank you the deputy premier well thank you speaker and thank you to the member from Thornhill for her question speaker our government's announcement this morning is a much needed initiative to help low-income seniors currently two-thirds of low income seniors do not have access to dental insurance speaker that's two thirds of low-income seniors who are required to pay out of pocket for dental services and they can't afford it our government's investment of 90 million dollars towards this annual seniors dental program will help approximately 100,000 seniors per year seniors can apply to the program today online or at their local public health unit Ontarians age 65 or older with an annual income of 19,300 dollars or less or couples with a combined annual income of 32,300 dollars or less who do not have dental benefits will qualify speaker this is an important piece of our plan to end hallway health care and to help our seniors and our government will continue to support Ontario seniors by improving access to the quality health care that they deserve thank you very much mr. Speaker and I want to thank the minister for her response our government is busy keeping its promises to the people of Ontario we are creating jobs we are investing on the front lines of our public health care system and now we are implementing publicly funded dental care for low-income seniors I want to applaud that 100,000 seniors who can enjoy a higher quality of life and thousands fewer unnecessary hospital visits these are the kinds of results Ontarians expect us to achieve can the minister tell the house more about how this investment will fund dental care for our low-income seniors thank you this is an important investment in the front lines of our public health care system until our government made this new investment many low-income seniors were unable to access the dental care they need we promised to bring change for seniors and today we announced a 90 million dollar investment to make that happen our government is bringing forward a significant increase in funding for dental services in public health units community health centers and Aboriginal health access centers this investment will also find it new options for care in under-serviced areas and in mobile dental buses to ensure there are no gaps in coverage our new program will help seniors improve their health and prevent them from having to make preventable trips to the hospital our government remains committed to creating a connected system of care where every is connected every step along the way of their health care journey thank you speaker my question is to the acting Premier today we are joined by members of Oasis they represent agencies that provide supports and services to 65,000 Ontarians many with developmental disabilities for over 10 years under the Liberals the need for services increased dramatically agency budgets stagnated and we reached a crisis point after a year and a half of deep cuts under this conservative government things are steadily getting worse the crisis is even more dire recently we learned that the Ford government planned to hire a million dollar consultant to help make these cuts to developmental services that's absolutely disgraceful speaker Oasis president Darren Connolly said you can't cut millions of dollars from services for adults without with developmental disabilities and their families without hurting the most vulnerable people in the province I want to remind the minister and the acting premier their government now it's their responsibility so will the acting Premier commit today to abandon her plan for cuts to developmental services yes or no thank you very much Mr. Speaker and thank you very much to the member opposite for the question and as I did at the start of question period I welcomed all the members from Oasis who are here today they are our partners when it comes to providing services to those with developmental disabilities and this is something that we take extremely seriously I had the opportunity a couple of weeks ago it was actually Halloween that I was up by the airport at a hotel where the provincial network was having their conference and met with members of Oasis and Mr. Connolly was one of the members and we talked about the fact that we had hired or were hiring a second set of eyes to take a look at this sector Mr. Speaker the previous government did nothing to try and find efficiencies in this sector and they actually made no investments in this sector either but we're taking this very seriously there were members from Christian horizons who were there as well Mr. Sponsor there were also members from Community Living Ontario and Toronto we are going to work with those service providers and the families as well to ensure that we're doing everything we can to provide services and modernizing this thank you very much supplementary question thank you Speaker my questions for the acting Premier the Conservatives planned to hire a million-dollar consultant to tell them how to make deep cuts to developmental services while explicitly telling this consultant to ignore families and agencies is a huge concern for this sector I think of Jacqueline a mom back in Ottawa Centre and her daughter Bronwyn who is looking for supportive housing and this government has done nothing for Jacqueline and Bronwyn Oasis believes reforms must be driven by better outcomes not budget demands and speaker I couldn't agree more these agencies still don't have their annualized budgets seven months after the start of the fiscal year this government's been in charge they're scared and they won't find out how much has been gutted until it's too late speaker I have a very clear question for this government if they care to actually answer it will the acting Premier listen to Oasis and their plan members and back down on this consultant deal and their plan cuts the questions referred to the minister children well mr. Speaker no the answer is no we are actually working with the sector we are working with the sector we're working with Oasis we have had conversations with Oasis over the last week we've had conversations with Oasis since I became the minister five months ago mr. Speaker that's the difference we're actually talking to our partners in this sector and working with them mr. Speaker so the consultant and I know the member opposite is interested mr. Speaker maybe you can't hear him but the member opposite is interested in knowing whether or not we are going to be working with families and those who are in the sector and I can assure you that we are mr. Speaker the consultant as the member opposite has asked the consultant has been hired to look at best practices in other jurisdictions where they're actually building the homes that we need in this sector where the government the minister my staff are meeting with the service providers at Oasis we've had very healthy discussions with them so far and we will have healthy discussions with them going forward the next question the member for a good and Lawrence thank you mr. Speaker my question is for the minister of natural resources and forestry minister most people have a general idea of what aggregates are but their importance and the critical role that they play in our daily lives is often overlooked order aggregates are used to build the foundations of our homes the schools in which our children learn and the office the house will come to order member for England Lawrence has the floor minister most people have a general idea of what aggregates are but their importance and the critical role that they play in our daily lives is often overlooked aggregates are used to build the foundations of our homes the schools in which we learn our children learn and the offices and factories in which we make a living they're also essential to building roads that connect us and the transit systems that get us moving can the minister explain to the house the purpose of the proposed changes to the aggregate resources act and the potential benefits to my constituents of Eglinton Lawrence as well as Ontarians across the province questions to the minister of natural resources and forestry thank you very much speaker and I'd like to thank the hardworking member from Eglinton Lawrence for her question as the population of the greater golden horseshoe is expected to grow by 4 million people by 2041 there's an increasing need for aggregates not only to maintain our infrastructure but to support the growth of our communities in order to build the homes schools roads and transit systems future residents will depend on we require a continued supply of aggregates that's the principal driver behind our government's proposed changes to the way aggregates are managed here in Ontario these proposed changes to the aggregate resources act aim to reduce administrative duplication and delays creating opportunities for growth while maintaining a steadfast commitment to protecting the environment and managing the impacts to communities and I'll have more to say in the supplementary question I want to thank the minister for that informative answer it seems clear that the aggregate industry is an important driver of our economy and important to our quality of life without aggregates the infrastructure we all depend on could not be built and our communities could not grow however some of my constituents have expressed concerns over the environmental impact of aggregate extraction on drinking water on farmland and the greenbelt as the policies of provincial land use plans and the provincial policy statement recognize the importance of both aggregate resources and prime agricultural areas to the people of Ontario I asked the minister to explain how these proposed changes will strengthen protections for the environment while helping vital infrastructure get built faster minister thanks again to the member for a question as I said in my earlier answer our commit our government has a steadfast commitment to protecting the environment and my ministry will continue to work and consult with industry municipalities and other stakeholders on proposed changes to the aggregate management in fact a key part of our proposal is to strengthen the protection of water resources through a more rigorous application process for requests for existing sites to extract aggregates below the water table we recognize the importance of protecting prime agricultural land and the greenbelt impacts to these areas will will be considered during the approval must be considered during the approval purpose process for aggregate extraction this will not change our government will always support development that is beneficial to our community response while maintaining our commitment to managing potential impacts to our environment from aggregate extraction thank you speaker the next question the member for Kingston in the island thank you very much speaker and through you my question is to the acting premier yesterday we learned that this government at the 11th hour is extending the moratorium on water taking for bottled water in this province the moratorium was put in place to further study the impact that commercial bottling has on local water supply and our water security in the context of climate change the Ministry of Environment Conservation and Parks as they have finished their review of the science and well speaker I'd really like to have a chance to read that review will the minister commit today to making that review public yes or no questions to the deputy premier environment conservation parks thanks very much member opposite it was good to see him yesterday at the green pack morning breakfast which is a breakfast that's based on being nonpartisan moving forward with the environment file and I and I hope the opposition takes this true to heart that we want to move forward an environment file in a nonpartisan manner I've reached out and spoke to Mike Schreiner the Green Party a few times and we've taken his advice on numerous items and we're going to continue to listen and consult with them now the member opposite talked about the moratorium and which we've proposed to extend for another eight months as we continue to review the data continue to speak to municipalities continue to speak to indigenous communities continue to speak to businesses to ensure that we're making the the right decision based on the science that's been put forward we're verifying the science right now and once we move forward that data will be made public Mr. Speaker question period is over I beg to inform the house that pursuant to standing order 71 b the member for timmons has notified the clerk of his intention to file notice of a reasoned amendment to the motion for second reading of bill 145 an act to amend the real estate and business brokers act 2002 the order for second reading of bill 145 may therefore not be called today this house stands in recess until 3 p.m.