 Therefore, it is time for Question Period, the Leader of Romance, to call up his position. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. Last night's Global's Tom Hayes asked an important question for parents and teachers. He asked about violence in our schools and specifically what this government is going to do about it. Just look at some of the stories we heard. A Halton region mother who recently moved from Durham said, my kids are now out in Halton region and guess what, the same problems exist here too. A teacher from Niagara said this. I quote, this seems like an epidemic in the Ontario school system all across the province. Clearly the system is broken, Mr. Speaker. How long will parents have to worry about their children and how long will teachers have to fear for their safety before this government finally acts? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I know the Minister of Education will want to speak to the specifics, but I know, Mr. Speaker, having met with representatives of our education partners, I know that we are working with them and that there is a particular request to work together to set up a process, Mr. Speaker, whereby we can ensure that there are the resources that are needed in our schools, particularly on issues of workplace safety, Mr. Speaker. And so that speaks to our commitment to not just workplace safety for teachers and support workers, but also safety for everyone who either goes to our schools, Mr. Speaker, parents who come into the school and everyone who works in the school. We are working with our partners and we will ensure, Mr. Speaker, that we put new supports in place if those are required. Thank you, supplementary. Mr. Speaker, back to the Premier. There is violence in the classroom. The government has a duty and an obligation to act to protect the safety of our teachers. But of course, the Minister of Education passes the buck again and again. She leaves this epidemic up to the local school board saying that it has nothing to do with the government. She tells everyone not to worry because local school boards have policies. But, Mr. Speaker, this is not a local issue. This is across the province. As the Niagara teacher told us, this is an Ontario-wide epidemic. What has to happen? What tragic event has to happen before the government realises it's their responsibility? And they can't pass the buck any longer. Mr. Speaker, how bad does this epidemic have to get until we can get a commitment from the province and from the Premier directly that they're going to take this issue seriously? Well, Mr. Speaker, you have that commitment. The people of Ontario have that commitment. Our education partners have that commitment. The parents in our schools. And most importantly, Mr. Speaker, the students in our schools have that commitment. That's exactly why we continue. We take responsibility. We continue to increase the resources in our schools, including, Mr. Speaker, the special education grant, which is projected to be approximately $2.8 billion in 2017-18. And that grant is important, Mr. Speaker, because that is the grant that allows school boards to hire the support staff, the resources that they need in the classroom, Mr. Speaker. So we understand that there needs to be a vigilant and ongoing discussion about what resources need to be in schools as education evolves, Mr. Speaker. But we have inclusive schools in this province, Mr. Speaker. We continue to increase funding, and we are working with our partners to make sure that the supports are in place. Final supplementary. Mr. Speaker, again to the Premier, and the Premier's position seems to be that everything's fine. The government's doing their job, and they'll continue to leave this to the local school boards. But the reality is everything isn't fine. It isn't rosy. The expose, I'd encourage the Premier to watch and Tom Hayes' interviews and highlighting the real challenges that students and teachers are facing. The reality is this is not the teacher's fault. We know teachers don't have adequate support and training to deal with this violence in the classroom. We know this is an epidemic that has got atrociously bad. This is not an appropriate work environment for anyone. It's not acceptable. And I want the Premier, I want the government to understand they can't pass this off. And so my question, Mr. Speaker, to the Premier is this. Does the liability and responsibility for the safety of our teachers not belong to the Minister of Education? Or are they going to again pass it off to the school board? Well, Mr. Speaker, let me be clear once again. We understand that we are absolutely responsible for the supports that are better in our schools. We take this very seriously. And of course, Mr. Speaker, if there are incidents of violence, then those are unacceptable for all of the people in a classroom or in a school, Mr. Speaker. Which is exactly why, in my previous answer, I talked about the increased resources that we are putting in our schools. And we will continue to work with our education partners, as I said. I have met with representatives of Teachers Federation who have said to us that they think that as the classroom and the population evolves as the classroom changes, Mr. Speaker, that we need to make sure that we have the resources and the training in place for everyone who works in our schools. We will work with our partners. The Minister of Education is doing that as we continue to increase funding in our schools. Both of those things go together, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. New question, the Leader of the Opposition. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. Surprise, surprise, recent hydrovilles across the province were stuffed with what appears to be partisan advertising. It appears like there's no line this Liberal government will not cross. So, Mr. Speaker, what I'd like to know specifically from the Premier is how much did this partisan Liberal advertising cost that you stuffed in hydrovilles? Mr. Speaker, I know the Minister of Energy is going to want to speak to the supplementary, but let me just say that what is happening across the province is people are seeing their electricity bills go down, Mr. Speaker. They're seeing reductions of their electricity bills. That's what our fair hydro plan is about, Mr. Speaker. I understand that the Leader of the Opposition wants to talk about anything, but the fact that he doesn't have a plan and did not ever have a plan to reduce people's electricity bills, we are doing that. People are seeing those reductions on their bills, Mr. Speaker, and that's exactly as it should be, as people struggle to manage their finances on a day-to-day basis, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Supplementary. Mr. Speaker, it's amazing that the Premier can defend this propaganda with a straight face. It's wrong. She knows it's wrong. The member for Prince Edward Hastings wrote to the Auditor General about his liberal ad stuffed in hydro bills. In her response, she essentially said this is not the first time the Liberals have used hydro bills for partisan purposes. They jammed election-style ads in hydro bills just before the 2011 election. Now we know the government has no shame. They will continue to cross lines to try to pitch this alternate reality of their farce of a hydro plan. As usual, the Liberals will do anything, anything to look out for the Liberal Party, not for ratepayers in Ontario. So Mr. Speaker, I ask this. When and where does a Liberal cross an ethical line? When do they realize that they have to stop using Ontario taxpayer resources to push their own partisan agenda? It's getting worse and worse. If you're not going to listen to us, will you listen to the Auditor General and do the right thing? Minister of Energy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. One of the things that we continue to do is bring forward a plan that will reduce rates by 25% by July 1st. Of course, if this legislation passed, that's 25% reduction for small businesses. That's 25% reduction for farms, Mr. Speaker, and 25% reduction for all families right across the province. When it comes to making sure that people in this province know that there's a plan out there, it's this government that brought forward that plan. It's this government that is making sure that those 800,000 families in this province that live in the rural or northern part actually will see a 40% to 50% reduction. What they also know, Mr. Speaker, is the opposition have no plan, and when they have no plan for electricity, Mr. Speaker, that just means they have no plan for Ontario. Mr. Speaker, again to the Premier. Partisan, false propaganda. That's what this is, Mr. Speaker. The Auditor General had this to say. She said the government's most recent advertising on its fair hydro plan would not have passed review. That's the Auditor General. Further, the Auditor General said they found that advertising to be misleading and self-congratulatory. It's not just the opposition, it's not just the media saying this hydro plan is a farce. It is the independent legislative oversight saying it's misleading and self-congratulatory in terms of these ads. Clearly, the Liberals are abusing taxpayer money for their own partisan game. That's not acceptable. So, Mr. Speaker, will the Liberals pull their hydro election ads and stop campaigning on taxpayers' dime? It's a pretty simple request. Will you simply do the right thing and stop abusing taxpayers for your own partisan game? Thank you. The member from Leeds, Grenville, second time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I know the PCs don't want the people of Ontario to know that there's going to be a 25% reduction coming by summer, Mr. Speaker. I know that the PCs don't want people to be able to plan and look at their budgets, Mr. Speaker, and especially with the utilities. We have about 68 utilities in this province that they need to plan, Mr. Speaker, to understand so they understand that. I know they don't like telling people of Ontario what's actually happening, because they have no plan when it comes to electricity. When it comes to their approach, Mr. Speaker, their approach doesn't lower bills for families, it doesn't lower bills for small businesses, it doesn't lower bills for farms, it doesn't lower bills for long-term care homes, it doesn't cut care homes for greenhouses, and it doesn't do anything to address this issue, Mr. Speaker. And why is that? Because, Mr. Speaker, they have no plan. When they don't have a plan for electricity, they have no plan on what to do in Ontario, Mr. Speaker. We have brought forward a plan that's going to reduce bills by 25% that will help everyone in this province. New question, the leader of the third party. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In less than an hour, the Liberal government is going to force debate on their hydro-financing scheme, borrowing scheme really is what it is. And when that happens, this legislature will have had about seven hours of debate on this bill. Seven hours, Speaker, seven hours for legislation that will impact people's lives for the next 30 years. It's ludicrous. Why does this Premier insist upon ramming this legislation through the House? Mr. Speaker, I know that the government house leader is going to want to speak to the procedural mechanisms, but, Mr. Speaker, I want to just make it clear that what we are doing is working to help people in their lives, whether it is the Fair Hydro Plan, Mr. Speaker, or whether it's OHIP Plus Pharmacare, which will give all children across the province from zero to their 25th birthday free medication, Mr. Speaker. Those are... It is outrageous to me, Mr. Speaker. Finish, please. It is actually very surprising that the NDP is going to have indicated they will vote against both those measures, Mr. Speaker, and they would rather focus on procedural mechanisms and games, Mr. Speaker, than actually deal with the substance. Mr. Speaker, what is outrageous is the plan that the liberals are trying to ram through this legislature that will cause people more money. Look, in addition to the limited debate that they're allowing here, they're also going to limit where the people of Ontario will have an opportunity to have their say. All of the public hearings that they've just had a change of heart on this morning are going to be happening here in Toronto. Well, why won't the people in London be able to have their say, Speaker, or the people in Windsor and Ottawa or in Thunder Bay or anywhere else outside of Toronto, Speaker? Why will those Ontarians not have a chance to have their say on this? Speaker. Well, Speaker, thank you very much and I can tell you on this side of the house, we are extremely proud to bring forward Bill 132 that is going to provide for immediate relief for all Ontarians by cutting their hydro bills by 25% Speaker. In fact, Speaker, the bill does not just stop there for Ontarians who live in rural and northern communities, they will see a cut of 40 to 50% on their hydro rates. It is Minister of Economic Development will come to order. Finish please. Speaker, it is beyond comprehension is why the NDP is against giving Ontarians a significant relief from the hydro bills. Speaker, NDP say that they haven't had enough time to debate this bill yet and they have announced their opposition to this bill within the first hour of introduction of this bill. Clearly, their minds are made up they don't want to help Ontarians. Thank you. Final supplementary. Speaker, what the NDP is against is giving the people of Ontario the shaft on their hydro bills government to have a change of heart and to provide an opportunity for more public hearings. And of course the Liberals said no and then they had a sudden failure. But not surprisingly the government has decided to have all of the public hearings here in Toronto. That is not giving the people of Ontario a say that's giving some people an opportunity to have a say. So here we have an extremely important piece of legislation that's going to impact people's hydro bills in a very negative way in the short order and this government is not prepared to seek input from people across the province. Why? Thank you. All the bluster we see from NDP is because they really don't have a plan. What they put is an aspirational document that which someday perhaps maybe if we elect it Their plan is an aspirational plan. Our plan is a real plan that is going to result in real cuts in hydro rates for people of Ontario. Speaker, the bill clearly says that the cut will come into place after 15 days from receiving royals' consent. Speaker, we don't want to delay people of Ontario's getting a cut. Our government wants to have that 25 cut into place right away while NDP just wants to debate the issue. Thank you. New question. Thank you, Speaker. My next question is also for the Premier. In 2013 the Premier said this about her party's cancellation of the Oakville Saga gas plants and I quote I never said this wasn't a political decision. It was a political decision. Will the Premier admit right now that her successor will have to that her hydro borrowing scheme is just a political decision designed to try to have the economy hold on to power in the next election. Please, I'm getting a sense somebody's requesting warnings. Premier thank you very much Mr. Speaker. Our decision to reduce people's electricity bills by 25% has everything to do with people's ability to pay their electricity bills and to manage their budgets. We recognize that the $50 billion of investment that has been made in the electricity system to make it clean, renewable and reliable. Investment that was necessary because previous governments not made those investments Mr. Speaker and we were dealing with a degraded electricity system in 2003. We recognize that the cost associated with that needs to be spread over a longer period of time. That's what we're doing and in doing that Mr. Speaker we are able to give people immediate relief 25% reduction this summer and Mr. Speaker in rural and northern communities some people will see a 40 to 50% reduction Mr. Speaker that is in response to people's concerns about the fair hydro plan. The Premier also admitted that soaring hydro bills were her mistake in the first place. She said and I quote I take responsibility as leader for not paying close enough attention to some of the daily stresses in Ontarians lives. Electricity prices are a prime example. Why is the Premier pushing forward Speaker with a hydro borrowing scheme when documents show rather and she knows that it will cause hydro bills to go up even further and cause even more stress for the families and businesses that she just apologized to six months ago. So Mr. Speaker I've been very clear that we were working on a number of initiatives we removed 8% Mr. Speaker from people's bills. We renegotiated the Samsung contracts Mr. Speaker we've been working on this for months but for years to remove costs from the system because we recognized that those investments to upgrade the system were costly and had a cost associated with them. In removing 25% from people's bills Mr. Speaker we have said that that means that the cost will be shared over a longer period of time and in the short term that 25% reduction will help people immediately. In the midterm Mr. Speaker we will hold those bills down to the rate of inflation and in the long term electricity plan the long term energy plan is being developed and we will continue to take costs out of the system. This is immediate relief Mr. Speaker but we recognize that there is a longer term plan that's needed that plan is being developed Mr. Speaker. This premier and this government are plagued by scandal the Sudbury by-election bribery charges the broken promise not to sell hydro one the gas plant decision and now ramming an ill thought out hydro borrowing scheme through the house with no FAO assessment with just six sitting days left and very very little time for the people of Ontario to review it and most importantly when she knows it will end up costing people in this province more on their hydro bills. When will the premier put an end to liberal scandals and just admit she has no real plan to lower people's hydro bills only another political decision. Thank you. Proceed it please. Proceed it please. Thank you. Premier. People across this province are going to see a 25% reduction on average between 23 and 28% reduction on average. Until you're finished. Finish. Kids will be going to university Mr. Speaker will be going to college and taking training programs without having to pay tuition. My job as premier is to put in place plans that are real that give people real relief and that work and have real timelines. Proceed it. Minister of Children and Youth Services. New question. The member from Nipissing. Thank you and good morning speaker. My question is for the premier. Later this morning we'll be voting on the government's budget measures bill. The government's budget is on the right to municipalities to implement a new hotel tax on this new tax the liberal MPP from Mississauga streetsville stated and I quote this is a bad idea and I do not support it. He went on to say and again I'm quoting to attempt to tax out of town residents is taxation without representation. I ask the premier is that why debate was cut off did the premier not want the member from Mississauga streetsville and others to share these objections with the legislature. Mr. Speaker the member opposite was correct on one point we are passing a bill this afternoon to pass the first balance budget since the depth of the recession. A balanced budget that's going to meet the needs of the people of Ontario a budget that's going to support all our children under the age of 25 with free medication a budget that's going to provide supports for education and health care with record investments a budget that's going to provide for more roads and bridges and public transit Mr. Speaker and mess Mr. Speaker we are going to provide the seat of Toronto and other municipalities with more powers at their request but Mr. Speaker what's important here is that we're providing for the people of Ontario and that member opposite should be supporting that as well. Thank you Mr. Speaker my question is back to the premier premier the member from Mississauga streetsville isn't the only one of your members that disagrees with your policies the liberal member from beaches east york said quote the rent controls that we brought in by the previous NDP government under Bob Ray the affordable housing market in Toronto and other communities in Ontario because it didn't allow the private sector to continue to build he went on to say quote I would resist tremendously any amendment to this legislation that would bring back rent premier did you cut off debate on bill 24 so that your members couldn't raise these objections in the legislature thank you Mr. Speaker the member opposite has just made reference the member from Leeds Greenville is warned member from beaches east york come to order minister the member has just made reference to 16 measures comprehensive measures to try to cool the market to address the man and supply in our housing sector to provide and support the people of Ontario and homeowners who are trying to get into the market the member opposite is suggesting otherwise again they're voting against the people of Ontario they're not supporting the very families that are trying to get into the marketplace as we've addressed in those measures going forward I asked the member opposite and the first question what will they cut as we proceed forward in these measures will they cut farm and care for the children of our communities will they cut hospitals and education and schools that's what they're voting for they're voting against the people of Ontario Mr. Speaker thank you Mr. Speaker Premier families in Brampton know that their hospital is dangerously overcrowded the emergency room sees about 160% more people each and every day we're designed to care for people like Jamie Lee Ball have suffered for days on end on structures in hallways an 87 year old Rafina Delroup passed away after spending five long days in the hallways of the ER the Premier could do something to fix the overcrowding at Brampton Civic but she refuses to act how much longer do the good people of Brampton have to wait before this Premier he does something to fix the overcrowding at the Brampton Civic hospital thank you Premier Minister of Health long term care well Mr. Speaker the people of Ontario don't have to wait much longer at all in fact just a few short minutes from now we'll be voting on a budget which I hope the member opposite will support that contains more than 500 million dollars of new investment added to the base of hospitals across this province every single hospital will get a minimum of a 2% increase to their budget and in addition to that we have reserved significant funds specifically for hospitals like the Brampton Civic and Mr. Speaker we're adding an additional 10 million dollars to the Brampton Civic this year subject to the approval of the budget which I hope the member opposite and her party will support for that very reason and I have to remind Ontarians as well a few short weeks ago when we opened the brand new Peel Memorial Health Wellness Centre which is providing extraordinary service to the people of Brampton Mr. Speaker thank you Speaker the Premier was at Osler Health this morning and she could have announced that her government will stop the overcrowding at Brampton hospital but she failed to do that Brampton Civic needs at least 200 more beds in the short term and there are like 600 more beds in the long term the Premier failures to step up and fix the overcrowding crisis means that patients like Jamie Lee and Rolfina will continue to suffer from hallway medicine people will continue to wait for days in hallways without a proper hospital bed and hospital care why does the Premier think that hallway medicine is good enough thank you Minister well of course that's an unfair characterisation of the position as party Mr. Speaker but that's precisely why we invested approximately half a billion new dollars last year an additional more than 500 million this year in this budget and in just a few minutes the member opposite has the opportunity to support those investments Mr. Speaker and those investments include a multi-billion dollar investment in Mississauga and Etobicoke the Trillium the new hospital in Mississauga the Trillium network Mr. Speaker and it's part of capital investments of 20 billion dollars over the next 10 years for new hospitals, for redevelopments for expansions precisely I would hope precisely to address the kind of issue that the member opposite has raised today thank you Mr. Speaker last fall our Government undertook to fix the Ontario municipal board and land use planning system Mr. Speaker the Government held a series of town halls and stakeholder meetings across the province to hear from Ontarians directly and I held two town halls in my own riding of Etobicoke Lake Shore I can tell you from listening tink people to my own constituents last terms and for my 17 years status quo is not working. Substantial changes to the land use planning system need to put people and communities first. And I was extremely pleased to hear the news that our government is taking action to overhaul the province's land use planning appeal system. More importantly, giving communities a stronger voice and ensuring people have access to faster, fairer and more affordable hearings. Can the Attorney General tell us how community consultations helped inform the government's proposed actions? Thank you. Attorney General. Thank you very much, Speaker. I do want to truly really thank the member for Metrobico Lecture first for his guidance to both myself and to the Minister of Municipal Affairs on this very important issue. Being a planner himself, having served in the City, Toronto City Council of course he brought forward a lot of practical experience that was very helpful to us. So thanks to the member for his hard work on behalf of his community and advice to us. Speaker, we did some extensive consultation on this issue as you know. We held town halls with over 700 attendees from Windsor to Ottawa. Virtually every sector we heard from had ideas for improving the Ontario Municipal Board or the OMB and the hearing process. At the end of the day, Speaker, people want more community involvement and more local control over planning decisions. Speaker, in coming weeks we will introduce legislation to transform Ontario's land use planning appeal system, including creating the local planning appeal tribunal which would, if passed, replace the Ontario Municipal Board and eliminating land use. Thank you. Supplementary. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the Attorney General for his answer. I am very proud today that our government is committed to giving communities a stronger voice and create a more level playing field. I know my constituents are extremely pleased by this commitment to overhaul the planning system. Mr. Speaker, the chief planner of the City of Toronto, Jennifer Kiesmat, has called our government's reforms a generational change. Toronto City Councilor Josh Matlow has said government should be commended for finally tipping the balance of power away from developers and towards residents and municipal governments. This is how we plan communities. Speaker, the government is committed, as part of its proposed legislation, to establish a support centre to help citizens participate in the tribunal process. Could the Attorney General tell us more about the local planning appeal support centre? Thank you, Attorney General. Speaker, as I was saying, we will be creating a local planning appeal tribunal that will replace the OMB. We also will be eliminating lengthy and costly de novo hearings and we will be establishing an independent support centre called the local planning appeal support centre to provide free legal support for citizens participating in the tribunal processes. This will speak, Speaker, will support more clear and more timely decision making. In the end of the day, the result is going to be fewer, shorter, less costly hearings and more efficient decision making process, giving communities a stronger voice and fostering a more level playing field. That is why, Speaker, mayors across the province, residents across the province are supporting our proposal. It has been described as a bold step that the province is taking. Speaker, I am hoping that we will bring this legislation and that it will be approved by this legislature. Thank you. No question from the member from Simcoe. Great. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Government and Consumer Services. Speaker, in February of 2015, my private member's resolution concerning service clubs received all party support in this House. It called on the government to strike a committee to investigate the legislative and regulatory barriers and burdens facing service clubs such as the costs of audits, red tape when applying for lottery and liquor licenses, increased regulations and taxes and fees to name just a few. The government sent my request to the Standing Committee on Social Policy for a mere one half day of hearings. The committee issued a summary of recommendations and since then we have heard nothing despite my repeated requests for action on the issues raised by the service clubs. Mr. Speaker, my question is simple. What has the government done to remove the regulatory barriers facing service clubs in all our communities? Thank you, Speaker. I want to thank the member for the question. I think we all agree that service clubs play a very important role in our communities and I congratulate the member for bringing the bill forward and our government is very committed to looking at reducing regulatory burdens, red tape that affect the role that groups like this play in our community. So I haven't heard from the member on this recently so I'd be pleased to discuss with him the next steps and I, as I say, am a strong advocate for making things easier, especially our not-for-profit sector speaker. The member will know that the not-for-profit corporation has received a royal sent and these kinds of files are important to me and to our communities. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, to the Minister of Government and Consumer Services, the Rotary Club of Bracelet has told me this government's ridiculous rules are creating unnecessary obstacles to fundraising. The Rotary Club of Bracelet raises money for local events and causes and to support local families in need. Every year they wrap off a car. This year they added a duck race but they are unable to get a license to start selling raffle tickets for the car until the duck race is over. That means they will lose two months of time for selling the raffle tickets for the car. Speaker, the committee heard about these issues more than six months ago. As life gets harder in Ontario under this government, communities and families rely more and more on service clubs for help. Speaker, why has the Minister not made the recommended changes to help these volunteers who are trying to raise money for such worthy clubs? Thank you, Minister. Minister of Finance? Mr. Finance. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The members opposite are highlighting a very important point. All of us are concerned about our service clubs to do the job they need in raising money and providing for gaming and bingo as well and it's something I'm working on with the OLG and the HCO to determine how best to provide those services and enable them to have more accommodations. I know working with some of the cities is also part of the issue where they have the wherewithal to advance some of those causes. But Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the concerns. We share them with you. We want to make it easier for our service clubs to provide the service that they do so essentially in our communities. Thank you. Thank you. Do you have a question? A member from Tennis Kimi Cochran. Thank you, Speaker. My questions to the Premier. Yesterday we learned that a brokerage in Hong Kong is advertising condo units with a promise to pay the non-resident speculation tax on the investor's behalf. This completely defeats the purpose of the tax, but the Minister of Finance says it's fine because the government is still getting paid. Is the Premier interested in cracking down on speculation and keeping homes affordable or, like her minister said, is she only interested in filling government coffers? Mr. Speaker, let's make no mistake. There's no loophole here. Should this legislation pass, by the way, then there will be a 50% speculation tax that will be applied to all non-resident Canadian buyers who provide and purchase residential homes in the greater Golden Horseshoe, Mr. Speaker. And no matter how it's being advertised by some independent, all in price, by some other agency, another part of the world, outside of Canada, the buyers will be paying the tax if they're a non-resident Canadian. And that's just the point that we're making, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Again to the Premier. A media report over the weekend revealed that the Premier avoided taking action against housing speculation, even as Toronto home prices skyrocketed by over 33% in just one year. The article said, quote, Premier Kathleen Wynn and Mr. Souza told government officials that they needed the approval of the major banks to pursue the speculation tax, unquote. Is the Premier unwilling to stop speculation and make homes affordable because she cares more about her banker friends than Ontario families who need an affordable home? Thank you. So Mr. Speaker, there's a 16-point measure in our fair housing plan. We hope the members opposite will support them. They include rent controls, Mr. Speaker. They include protections for tenants. They also include protections to provide for more supply into the mix. And they apply a non-resident Canadian speculation tax on those that do not live in Canada and are crowding out families that are trying to buy homes. Mr. Speaker, we're supporting, we're providing for this. And I hope the members opposite will support the very thing for the very same practices and measures that we're putting out. Mr. Speaker, it's important to cool the market and enable our families and young people to get to the market if they wish. The members opposite, I believe, I believe they support that, but I'm not really certain at this point, Mr. Speaker, what they're getting at. Thank you. New question to the member from Trinity Spadina. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Municipal Affairs. Like the member from Utopico Lakeshore, I too held a consultation town hall on OMB review with the member from Davenport. The Ontario Municipal Board is an independent, adjudicative tribunal. When people disagree over how the community should grow, often OMB hears the case and makes a decision. These are important decisions. In Ontario's we built today will determine how we live, work and play tomorrow. We want a healthy, sustainable, livable community. Many of my constituents have expressed concern that the OMB doesn't always give enough weight to the local perspective when it makes a decision. Yesterday, the Minister, along with Attorney General, announced that our government is taking action to improve our land use planning appeal system. Would the minister elaborate on some of the changes our government is proposing? Like the member for the question, in the coming weeks, Speaker, legislation will be introduced that, if passed, would create the local planning appeal tribunal to replace the Ontario Municipal Board. The new tribunal would be mandated to give greater deference to the decisions of local communities. The member for Trinity Spadina was one of many of our members, I would say, who held their own town halls and listened to what their constituents had to say, in addition to the consultations, at least a dozen or so held by our ministry. The feedback came back to us and was considered as a part of the review. We heard that people wanted more community involvement, a more meaningful voice in the process, more local control over planning decisions, fewer hearings, and a more transparent process. Speaker, that's what we're proposing. This process, if passed, will provide more certainty for all, including those in the development industry. Speaker, in the supplementary, I'm going to give some details on how we're providing more deference to local decision making in this legislative package. Thank you, Speaker. I want to thank the minister for the answer. I understand that as providing more deference to local decision making, our government is proposing that a few cases to go to appeal body, and some local decisions are exempt from appeal. In my writing, the Ossington Community Association had questions about how community would grow near transit areas. All Ontarians should be able to count on a land-use planning and a pure system that is efficient, transparent, and predictable, and one that gives residents a say in what's built in their neighborhood. Speaker, through you to the minister. Will the minister explain how seeing a few municipal and provincial decisions go to Tribunal will benefit communities in Ontario? I thank the member and he is, he's spot on, Speaker. We're proposing to bring fewer municipal decisions before the Tribunal. New official plans, major OP updates, and detailed plans to support growth in major transit station areas would be sheltered from appeal. On the transit piece, we're proposing a tool that would put greater power in the hands of municipalities. When municipalities plan for transit, supportive densities around a major transit station in a way that reflects community concerns and circumstances, Speaker, we believe that planning should be protected at the discretion of the municipality. That's what we're proposing. All these changes would support the development of more livable, accessible, and complete neighborhoods. We've heard that too often OMB decisions don't consider local perspectives. These changes, Speaker, will reset the balance. That's why local governments are supporting this announcement. We've heard from a number of mayors right across the GTHA and beyond who are very supportive of this speaker. That's a great piece. We're proud of it and we think it's landed. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Throughout April and May, I received hundreds and hundreds of letters from my constituents expressing outrage over their hydro-bill and the excessive cost of electricity on their families and their homes and businesses. Every single one of these letters is addressed to the Premier and has a hydro-bill attached to it. Speaker, my constituents blame the Premier for her interference, her meddling, and ideological pursuits which have resulted in this hydro scandal. I'm going to send these letters over to the Premier with the page. These people deserve an honest answer in response from the architect of this anarchy. Speaker, will the Premier be straight with my constituents in response or will they have to continue to rely on leaked cabinet documents instead? Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the correspondence that the member has sent and we certainly will look at it and respond. I assume that these letters have come into my office. I'll have to look at them. What I will say to each one of them is that we recognize that electricity costs needed to be dealt with. We recognize that making sure that we had a reliable, clean electricity grid had a cost associated with it. We recognize that it is very important that we take 25% off their bills by summer so that they will have an easier time managing their household budgets. I will further say that the way we are doing that is that we are asking the people of Ontario over a longer period of time to pay for those upgrades of the electricity system and even the playing field. I will absolutely be happy to say that to your constituents. Speaker, again to the Premier. I asked for a straightforward and honest response because I've read that confidential cabinet document on the global adjustment smoothing as well as so many others have. It states after this year we can expect rates to continue to rise and in 10 years time 50% higher. Everybody sees this as a sleight of hand speaker and crass electioneering tactic to try to refloat their foundering political ship. Speaker, the Premier needs to explain and be truthful to the people of Ontario that what this government says in this house and to the media appears to be very different than what is being said behind those very secretive cabinet doors and I believe all those suffering energy poverty deserve the truth. Does the Premier believe they deserve the truth? Thank you Mr. Speaker and talking about being truthful Mr. Speaker, let's be truthful about those bills. Those are Hydro 1 bills Mr. Speaker. Hydro 1, R1 and R2 customers. They will see 40 to 50% off on those bills Mr. Speaker. I hope that that member will be honest with them and let them know that he and his party seniors in your riding you're voting to the chair. Mr. Speaker I apologize for that through you Mr. Speaker. I hope that the member is telling the constituents in his riding that they are getting a 40 to 50% reduction that he's voting against. I hope that he's telling the constituents in his riding that they have no plan that they have no idea what to do. The only thing that they can do Mr. Speaker is send us from the P.N. Carlton will come to order. New question to the member from Tim and James Bay. My question is to the Premier. Premier it's pretty clear watching our federal government and the negotiations on the softwood lumber situation that they're almost ready to throw in the towel for Ontario. The minister is on the minister the federal minister of the crown has actually stated at this point they're going to focus on the job losses that they know there's going to be job losses in the Ontario industry and that they're prepared to do something in order to offset those job losses. Madam Premier there doesn't have to be one job loss in Ontario. Our industry is not subsidized it's been found like that under chapter 19 of NAFTA not once but numerous times by the chapter 19 to say that in fact we don't subsidize our industry. So my question to you is this will you stand up for Ontario and make sure that if the federal government comes up short when it comes to the Ontario industry that we are there in order to deal with our questions and making sure that they've got the money to survive the next three years until we get another positive rule. Thank you. Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry. Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry. Thank you Speaker and I thank the member for the question and we on this side of the House are also very concerned about the softwood lumber dispute and we've taken very strong action. Ontario is working with the sector to protect this important part of Ontario's economy and minimize the impact of these unreasonable duties. We've called on the federal government to create a loan guarantee program to protect forest companies here in Ontario. We're also providing 74 million dollars in funding to the forest industry to reimburse costs for their forests and public access roads which will help to connect not only remote communities but also keep those workers going. We've been continuing to work at the the federal government task force with my provincial colleagues as well to call on other measures too and I can address more of those in the supplementary. Thank you. Those are not roads for forest companies those are roads for the public. Of course we subsidize them because they're for cottagers they're for anybody going into the bush to do whatever so don't go down that line the issue is we have an industry that we don't subsidize we have an industry that has been found in chapter. Stop the clock. Minister of municipal affairs second time and address the chair please. Speaker to the premier we have an industry that is not subsidized that have been found so what I'm asking this government to do is that if the federal government comes up short which appears that they will that Ontario will do what Quebec did and make sure that we have a fund in place in order to protect our industry for the three years that it's going to take to come to yet win another decision under chapter 19. Thank you and I thank the member for the supplementary and we on this side of the border are taking action we are looking at all options on Ontario we continue to bring the Ontario voice to the federal government who are responsible for going out and and negotiating we have named Jim Peterson who was a former federal trade minister as our emissary and he's working on behalf of our workers I wanted to point out to the member opposite that they downloaded those forest roads to the municipalities not only are we supporting of those we top that up with 20 million more dollars that keeps those members and those contractors working from those forest companies in order to maintain and build those roads Kevin Edgson CEO of e-commerce runs a sawmill added that the announcement of that extra money demonstrates the Ontario government support for strong reliable infrastructure north of northern Ontario we continue to look at all options of this rule date. Thank you new question to member from Barry. Thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the minister of economic development and growth minister we always hear about how well our economy is doing we've been leading the g7 in growth for three years and now we have the lowest unemployment rate in Ontario has seen in the last 16 years but the but the economy is changing many people are anxious about their futures and the futures of their children but minister are the future generations of this province prepared for these changes and what are we doing to support them it's so nice to get a question really happy to be able to get up on my feet I'm almost out of practice at a time when our economies all over the world are struggling to achieve strong economic growth Ontario's economy is consistently outperforming its peers this week I am the minister of research innovation and science had the pleasure of visiting discovery 2017 just down the street Mr. Speaker and we are absolutely astounded at what we saw there discovery is one way this province is building the culture of a culture of entrepreneurialism among our young people at the young entrepreneurs make your pitch competition I have the time it's so many impressive high school students who were providing innovative practical solutions to everyday problems their ideas range from financial literacy apps for students to innovative ways to grow blueberries to a communications device to keep seniors seniors connected to their doctors Mr. Speaker I have to tell you when we see those young people at discovery when we see those young entrepreneurs it gives us every confidence in our future supplementary thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the minister for that answer technology is advancing in an unprecedented unprecedented rate in Ontario that's right I'm happy to see that this government puts the hard work and advocacy to forward to make sure Ontario scientists and researchers are supported in every capacity here every morning I wake up and read more and more articles about new exciting companies opening up offices in Ontario to attract workers from our highly skilled talent pool I understand that over the past two days several ministers have been attending the Ontario centres of excellence discovery 2017 conference and spoke on on the direction of innovation in Ontario question could the minister please tell the members of this legislature what was presented at discovery and the work our government has been doing to support innovation minister the minister of research innovation and science Mr. Speaker research and science thank you mr. Speaker I want to thank the member from Barry for that question mr. Speaker I had the pleasure of addressing over 3 000 of Ontario's innovators and finest entrepreneurs alongside people like Madame Gina McCarty former head of the US EPA under President Obama I was able to see our recent 50 million dollar investments in artificial intelligence through the vector Institute in Toronto coming to life before my eyes mr. Speaker a large feature of discovery this year was a new and exciting suite of transformative technologies consisting of 5g networks quantum technologies cyber security and autonomous vehicle mr. Speaker I look forward to seeing these technologies flourish and laying the foundation for transformative economy in our province of Ontario thank you sir thank you new question the member from Renfrew Nipissing Pembroke thank you speaker my question is to the minister of transportation speaker I'm sure the minister of transportation was as surprised as I was when the 2017-2018 budget was tabled and there was not a single mention of the continued expansion of highway 417 in Renfrew County municipal officials and my constituents were equally disappointed this is a vital transportation corridor which is not only of great importance to the economic success of Renfrew County it is also part of the Trans Canada highway system Speaker will the minister explain why this most important link did not receive any priority in the government's recent budget and can we expect him to ensure that it will be wrecked that mistake will be rectified in the next five-year infrastructure plan good thank you minister thanks very much uh speaker I do want to begin by thanking the member from Renfrew Nipissing Pembroke for his question I've said before in this house in response to a very similar question from that member on this exact same topic speaker uh that I certainly do respect the advocacy that he brings to the discussion around this important infrastructure project for his community and in fact speaker I will say as I said a number of weeks or months ago to that member I do appreciate the work that he's done locally including inviting me out to speak with municipal representatives from his community and others including from our our military our military base in that part of uh in that part of Ontario what I said that day when I went to that community speaker was that I recognize as minister of transportation that we have a critical need to make sure that we continue to invest in all of the highway projects that are deserving of the investment in every corner of the province of Ontario and in fact speaker it's what our government's doing in this year's budget there is nearly three billion dollars set aside to invest in capital highway expansions and improvement speaker and I'd be quite happy to provide additional information on the follow-up question that I know that member is going to ask thank you very much supplementary thank you speaker I appreciate the minister's kind words what I'd really like to hear is the roar of diesel engines and bulldozers and tandem trucks the minister will recall his visit to Renfrew County last year I know his visit was help the visit was helpful to the minister and was most appreciated by the familiar civil officials and others in attendance the minister conceded that a compelling case for continued expansion expansion of highway 417 has certainly been made the requirement to show that the project is vital and worthy of the minister's support has been made not having it in the recent budget was again I say a disappointment speaker will the minister please correct this glaring omission in the 2017-2018 budget and commit to putting the expansion of 417 into his ministry's next five-year infrastructure plan thanks very much thanks very much speaker so again I'll thank the member for the follow-up question it's very clear I think to everyone here in this chamber that he brings a lot of passion to the advocacy for this particular issue speaker and it's certainly something that I certainly appreciate speaker you know this member has said what he hopes to hear is that we're going to be investing in highways in every corner of Ontario including in his community because he wants to hear the sound the roar I think he put us a speaker of the machines that are building roads and highways and bridges again in every corner of Ontario speaker that's why year after year for the early five years that I've served here as an MPP we have consistently invested unprecedented amounts of money in highway infrastructure in every corner of Ontario including an eastern Ontario speaker this year alone in the budget we are investing not only billions of dollars specifically for highways but overall 190 billion dollars over the next I believe it's 12 or 13 years speaker an additional amount an additional amount that we're putting into this because we understand for a couple of reasons we need to have the infrastructure for the future of our economy and for the quality of life for the people that we're proud to represent speaker and we also want to continue your question member from Niagara Falls thank you Mr. Speaker my question is to the Premier Premier your government has consistently bragged in this House over what you claim to have done for people when it comes to auto insurance rates yet report produced by David Marshall said that our auto insurance rates are quote almost 55 percent higher than the Canadian average David Marshall's report also highlighted that despite our problems having the lowest level auto accidents and despite residents losing coverage under this Liberal government we are paying by far the highest auto insurance rates in Canada before the last election this government campaign on reducing auto insurance rates by 15 percent and then said it was a stretch goal is a Premier proud of this record and will she admit her auto insurance policies have made life harder for people trying to get by thank you Mr. Speaker I thank the member for the question and and I thank David Marshall Mr. Speaker for the work that he's done that we've commissioned and enabling us to provide even further measures to reduce auto insurance rates Mr. Marshall was correct and we've been saying it from the beginning we are having a tremendously high cost of insurance in this province and that creates higher premiums so we have taken steps to reduce those costs over that period of time and rates have come down on average by almost 8 percent we also want to further reduce them to more than 15 percent in fact there are many companies that have already reduced their rates by 15 percent and more Mr. Marshall's work is critical it's out there for public content and for public discussion and furthering supporting victims directly as opposed to those that are providing greater costs within the system you're right and now burdened other jurisdictions that cost these claims are much higher are much lower I should say and we got to get ours lower too I hope you'll support those initiatives as well today we have in the Speaker's gallery a student delegation that we believe will be the future political leaders of the United States they are from the Maggie L Walker governor's school for government and international studies from Richmond Virginia I will be meeting with them immediately after question period and I'm sure they're going to ask me about what they just saw I beg to inform the House that following the report was tabled the report of the integrity commissioner of Ontario concerning the review of allowable expenses under the cabinet ministers and opposition leaders expense review and accountability act 2002 section 14b received in January 2017 submitted submission completed of May 15th 2017 I also beg to inform the House that the following report was also tabled the report on the integrity commissioner of Ontario concerning the review of allowable expenses under the cabinet ministers and opposition leaders expense review and accountability act 2002 section 14b received in February 2017 submitted submission completed as of May 15th 2017 we have a deferred vote on the government notice of motion 30 relating to allocation of time of bill 132 an act to enact the fair hydro the Ontario fair hydro plan act 2017 an act to amend and amendments to electricity act 1998 and the Ontario energy board act 1998 calling the members this will be a five-minute bell all members please take your seats all members on May 16th 2017 Mr. Bellard moved government notice of motion number 30 relating to allocation of time on bill 132 all those in favor please rise one at a time and be recognized by the clerk Mr. Nackney Mr. Bradley Mr. del duke, Mr. sandals, Mr. Suza, Ms. Winn, Ms. Mathis, Mr. Hodges, Mr. Shurelli, Mr. Shurelli, Mr. Dugud, Mr. McDur epidogues, Mr. McMecon, Mr. McCarr, Mr. McCarr, Mr. Cole, Mr. Bardinetti, Mr. Delauney, Mr. Dillon, Mr. stiller, Mr. Murray, Mr. CHAN, Mr. Meridy, Mr. Koto, Mr. Hunter, Mr. Leal, Mr. Flynn, Mr. Tebow, Mr. Tebow, by down alone Mr. Codson, Mr. Mr. Wiltson, Mr. Hartam, Mr. McLeod, Mr. Jones, Mr. Brown, Mr. Clark, Mr. Fidelli, Mr. Yacobasco, Mr. Hillier, Mr. Miller, Perry Salmos Coka, Mr. McDonnell, Mr. Scott, Mr. Thompson, Mr. Thompson, Mr. Barrie, Mr. Monroe, Mr. Monroe, Mr. Yurek, Mr. McLaren, Mr. McLaren, Mr. Bailey, Mr. Bailey, Mr. Ostra, Mr. Ostra, Mr. Walker, Mr. Smith, Mr. Harris, Mr. Harris, Mr. Nicholls, Mr. Nicholls, Mr. Marteau, Mr. Pettipies, Mr. Coe, Mr. Choe, Mr. Choe, Ms. Yubison, Ms. Horvath, Ms. Horvath, Mr. Vantah, Mr. Tabbins, Mr. Miller, Hamilton, East Stony Creek, Mr. Miller, Hamilton, East Stony Creek, Ms. Sattler, Ms. Taylor, Ms. Taylor, Mr. Nattishak, Ms. Nattishak, Ms. Fyfe, Ms. Forster, Ms. Forster, Mr. Monta, Mr. Hatfield, Mr. Hatfield, Mr. Gretzky, Mr. Gates, Mr. Gates, Ms. French, Ms. French. The ayes are 53, the nays are 44. The ayes are being 53, and the nays being 44. I declare the motion carried. We have a deferred vote on the government notice of motion number 29 relating to the allocation. Same vote. Same vote. Same vote. The ayes are 53, the nays are 44. The ayes being 53, and the nays being 44. I declare the motion carried. We have a deferred vote on the motion of third reading of Bill 127, an act to implement budget measures to enact, amend, and repeal various statutes. Same vote. No. No. No. No. I declare the motion carried and respond to all those who are not Cauldon members. Mr. Dugard moving third reading of bill 127 and act to implement budget Mr. Bartonetti. Mr. Bartonetti. Mr. Delaney. Mr. Delaney. Mr. Dillon. Mr. Dillon. Mr. Dillon. Mr. Murray. Mr. Murray. Mr. Chan. Mr. Chan. Mr. Moriti. Mr. Moriti. Mr. Moriti. Mr. Kotou. Mr. Kotou. Mr. Kotou. Mr. Kotou. Mr. Kotou. Mr. Kotou. Mr. Kotou. Mr. Kotou. Mr. Kotou. Mr. Kotou. Mr. Kotou. Mr. Kotou. Mr. Kotou. Mr. Kotou. Mr. Kotou. Mr. Gaines, Ms. French. The ayes are 53, the nays are 44. The ayes are 53 and the nays being 44 declare the motion carried. We have resolved that the bill will now pass and be entitled as in the motion. You're on a point of order. I seek unanimous consent to move a motion without notice regarding the standing committee on justice policies consideration of bill 132. An act to enact the Ontario Fair Hydro Plan Act 2017. Government House, will you seek unanimous consent for a motion without notice? Do we agree? Agreed. Government House. Speaker, I move that novice standing the order of the House just passed that the standing committee on justice policy also be authorized to meet on Tuesday, May 23, 2017, and Thursday, May 25, 2017 from 10 a.m. to 12 noon and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. for the purpose of public hearings on bill 132 and that the clerk of the subcommittee shall provide to the subcommittee a list of the requests to appear received by 10 a.m. on Friday, May 19, 2017, and that the members of the subcommittee or their designates shall prioritize and return the list to clerk of the committee by 11 a.m. on Friday, May 19, 2017, and that the clerk of the committee shall schedule witnesses based on these prioritized lists and that the clerk of the committee in consultation with the committee chair be authorized to repeat this process as necessary to facilitate scheduling witness and that the deadline for request to appear before p.m. on Wednesday, May 24, 2017, and that the deadline for written submission be 5 p.m. on Thursday, May 25, 2017, and that the deadline for amendments be 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 25, 2017. Thanks, Rishi. Mr. Nackney moves that novice standing the order of dispense. We agree? Agreed. Agreed. Carried. There being no deferred vote, no further deferred votes. This house stands recess until 3 p.m. this afternoon.