 It is now time for question period. The leader of Her Majesty's Royal Opposition. Mr. Speaker to the Premier after yesterday's scathing report from the Auditor General, many on this side I'll have a lot to answer for. The AEG told us that between 2006 and 2014, the people of Ontario have been overcharged $37 billion for electricity and global adjustment fees. Rate payers will be overcharged another $133 billion in the future. As the global mail breaks it down, that's over $12,000 per person. That's $457 a person per year. Can you picture all the presents that could be put under the Christmas tree? That's a year of hockey in rural Ontario. That alone deserves for the minister to be fired. Mr. Speaker, will the Premier do the right thing and fire her Minister of Energy? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. First of all, I haven't had the opportunity to say publicly that I thank the Auditor General for her report. Mr. Speaker, as I said yesterday, the job of the Auditor General is to look at government, is to look at the way services are delivered, to look at the way government functions, and then to provide a critique of that. That is her job, Mr. Speaker. And it's a very healthy aspect of democracy that we have that objectivity built into the system. I'm going to acknowledge that today could be heated and I'm not going to let it get too hot. So let's just... I don't need the armchair quarterback either. So let's just pay respect for this, please. Premier Finnish. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And I know that we want to get to the specifics around energy, Mr. Speaker, but I think it's very important to understand that this is a very important part of our democratic process. Mr. Speaker, again to the Premier, I know it's all nice to thank the Auditor General, but this is 773 pages of an indictment of your government. And so, you know, you may make nothing of this, but this is precious taxpayer dollars. I'm going to break it down. When all is said and done, the minister will have overcharged an average household $32,000, more than they should have paid. You know, with that money, a family could have bought one of the last Windsor-Made Dodge Grand Caravans this year. It covers the cost of a Chevy Impala at the GM plant in Oshawa. $32,000 is the cost of four years of tuition at the University of Ottawa. Mr. Speaker, does the Premier think anyone overcharging on terrains by this much should still have their job? Thank you. Premier. Premier. Let me just continue because I think what is important about the Auditor General's report and all Auditor General's reports, Mr. Speaker, is that recommendations are made. The member from Lampton, the member from Dufferin-Kallen, the member from Leeds-Grenville, and the member from Renfield come to order. Please finish. Recommendations are made and is the government listening to those recommendations, Mr. Speaker. So there are already initiatives in place to address many of the recommendations that the Auditor General has put forward. So that includes addressing issues around CCACs and LINZ, strengthening the Ontario Energy Board through legislation, introducing a mineral development strategy soon that will bolster the sector, Mr. Speaker. So in many cases we are already acting on the recommendations of the Auditor General. And yesterday, Mr. Speaker, I would say as part of the report, the Auditor General said this and I will conclude in the supplementary. Mr. Speaker, again to the Premier. It's not just the overcharging that hurts Ontario. It's the overspending too. According to the Auditor General, the government could have had the exact same renewable energy programs if it had listened to the experts. Instead, they ignored the advice, rushed ahead and overspent by $9.2 billion. This isn't about the merits of renewable energy. This is about political deals that cost Ontario $9.2 billion. That happens to be exactly what the government is going to get from the Hydro-1 fire sale. Mr. Speaker, I still don't understand how this minister has his job over such incompetency. Mr. Speaker, there are 150 countries' jurisdictions right now in Paris talking about how to do exactly what we've done, which is mayfair energy production. Member from Leeds-Grandville, second time. The Member from Lampton, second time. Finish, please. The actions that we have taken, the Auditor General says, and I quote, I am pleased to report that 76% of these actions have either been fully implemented or were in the process of being implemented. I want especially to note the exemplary performance of the Ministry of Education, Ontario Power Generation, Service Ontario, and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care in implementing recommendations from our audits two years ago. We listened, Mr. Speaker, we learned, and we took action. Mr. Speaker, since I can't get any remorse from the previous indictment by the Auditor General, let's try with the Minister of Energy. Overcharging, overspending, I see a bit of a trend. It includes overproducing and over supplying power in the province. Between 2009 and 2014, Ontario's average annual electricity surplus was absurd. Ontario wasted almost as much as Manitoba produced. Ontario has among the highest energy costs in North America, and Ontario shipped away a province's worth of power. Mr. Speaker, the Minister can't seem to get anything right. Can the Minister name one corporate CEO who would still have his job after an abysmal mess like this? Mr. Speaker, I would like to address the issue of the global adjustment and the surplus power, and it does relate to corporate executive, Mr. Speaker. The global adjustment, for example, Mr. Speaker, is kind of a catch-all for costs that are in the system that are not associated with the price of power, Mr. Speaker. And so I'm going to use an example, Home Depot, Mr. Speaker. They did 161 conservation projects in Ontario, Mr. Speaker. They removed the equivalent of 3,000 homes off the grid. Mr. Speaker, the cost of that conservation was put into global adjustment. The global adjustment represents 3,000 homes taken off the grid. It represents millions of dollars of saving for Home Depot, Mr. Speaker. The global adjustment serves a good purpose, Mr. Speaker, for many examples, and I'll refer to more, Mr. Speaker. Camera from her screen, on sound, second time. Supplementary. Home Depot down. Mr. Speaker, again to the Minister of Energy, this just isn't in the past. This problem will persist into the future. In the next five years, Ontario will produce so much surplus power we could power the province of Nova Scotia for five years. I think our own bills are high enough before we start giving away power for free to other provinces. Seniors can't afford their hyperbole. And the government just ships our power to provinces at a loss. Let's be very clear. We are selling power outside of our province for less than it costs to produce. I repeat, we are selling power outside of our province for less than it costs to produce. Mr. Speaker, the Minister has turned Ontario's energy sector into the laughing stock of North America. Will he turn to his right, make the Premier's job easier, and resign? Minister? Mr. Speaker, when we have surplus power, electricity exports help cover fixed costs that otherwise would have to be paid by Ontario consumers. Mr. Speaker, a lot of people don't understand that, but I have a quote here that makes it very simple. Very simple, Mr. Speaker. We're going to shut me down because, Mr. Speaker. I will remind the member from Stalkoct. I will remind the member from Simcoe Gray that I've asked many times that we use titles or writings. So consider yourself coming to order. Mr. Speaker, the quote says, any power we sell to the US to go back to Manitoba or power they sell us is surplus power. It's opportunity power. It's your profit in terms that it's power that otherwise would go to waste or not be generated. That is from the member sitting across there, from the member from the other thing, Mr. Speaker. The IESO. We're getting to Stalkoct. We're getting to that point where I'm going to start moving to warnings, and I will. And once you've been warned, the next time I speak to you will be named. Carry on, please. Former PC Energy Minister, Mr. Speaker, says it would go to waste if it wasn't sold and it's pure profit. Now, the IESO last year, Mr. Speaker, indicated that we... Thank you. That's it. I stand and stop. Final supplementary. Mr. Speaker, again to the Minister of Energy, 15 years ago we made money in the energy sector. But because of your interventions, you have made us into the joke around North America, out of the general, you should listen to the independent oversight. Chief Government Whip... The government is overcharging an average family by $32,000 for their electricity needs. They have overspent $9.2 billion in renewable energy contracts. The last five years... Second time for the Chief Government Whip, and I need to hear it. Finish, please. The last five years Ontario has produced as much surplus power as Manitoba could produce in that total time. For the next five years, we'll produce so much surplus power that Nova Scotia could use for five years combined. Mr. Speaker, overcharging, overspending, overproducing, and over supplying, someone needs to be held accountable. Do you find this acceptable? Do you have any remorse? Thank you. He's comparing a population of 1 million in Manitoba and 1 million in Nova Scotia to 13 million in Ontario. How ridiculous is that, comparing apples and oranges? I'll tell you why we have a surplus, Mr. Speaker. In 2020, Mr. Speaker, pickering is coming offline. That represents three megawatts. We have to be ready, Mr. Speaker, in a short couple of years. That's why we need surplus, Mr. Speaker. Next, Mr. Speaker. Some of the original gas plants, those contracts, Mr. Speaker, are starting to come up, Mr. Speaker. The member from Llanar, Pran, Atlantis, and Addington is warned. And I'll gladly put the rest of you on the list. I'm going to hear the answers. Three thousand megawatts, Mr. Speaker. The member from Nipissing is warned. Who's next? Finish, please. Three thousand megawatts from pickering coming off. The last plant contracts are starting to expire, Mr. Speaker. We don't have to renew them. That creates some capacity for us. During refurbishment, Mr. Speaker, with 15% of the total nuclear capacity will be out of commission, Mr. Speaker. We're doing wise management, Mr. Speaker. Very much, Mr. Speaker. My questions to the Premier. It is clear from the Auditor General's report yesterday that we need more oversight of Hydro-1 and the energy system, not less. Can the Premier explain to Ontarian Speaker why this year was the last time that the Auditor General of this province will be able to report on Hydro-1? Thank you, Premier. Well, Mr. Speaker, as I have said many times, the broadening of the ownership of Hydro-1 is motivated by the need to invest in infrastructure in this province. The organization will be a different organization. And I think it's clear from the Auditor General's report, Mr. Speaker, that there is a need for this to be a better-run company. There are problems with the company, Mr. Speaker, that need to be rectified, and that is exactly what will happen. As a result of the broadening of the ownership, Mr. Speaker, there will... I feel like I'm being challenged, so the member from Renfrew is warned. Finish, please. There will be new oversight in place, Mr. Speaker. There are different mechanisms in place, but there will nonetheless be oversight, and Hydro-1 will need to disclose information as per those regulations and legislation. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, it's very clear that there are problems at Hydro-1, and the way to serve Ontarians is to actually fix the problems. Instead, after years of politically motivated decisions and failure on the energy file, the Premier is waving the white flag and handing control over to private shareholders and simply abandoning Ontarians and hoping the problems will go away. By selling off Hydro-1, is this Premier admitting that she is unable to fix the years of bad decisions her government has made when it comes to this province's energy sector? Mr. Speaker, the decision that we have made is to invest in the infrastructure of this province that will allow us to grow, will allow communities to thrive, Mr. Speaker, will bring investment to the province. That is the decision that we have made. Part of that decision was to look at our assets, Mr. Speaker, the current assets that are owned by the province of Ontario and to leverage those assets in order to be able to make new investments, Mr. Speaker. That is exactly what we're doing. And, Mr. Speaker, it is quite clear that there are improvements that need to be made in Hydro-1. Those improvements will be made, Mr. Speaker, in order to provide better service to the people of Ontario. Oh, there are improvements that need to be made, Speaker. That's for sure. Hydro-1's maintenance backlog has increased by 47% since 2012. Two-thirds of the transformers replaced by Hydro-1 in 2013 and 14 were perfectly fine. Outages are increasing in this province. How do we know this, Speaker? Because the auditor can go in, order Hydro-1 to give her all the information and she can then make it public, like we did yesterday. But instead of using that information to fix Hydro-1, the Premier is selling off Hydro-1 and hoping that privatization will magically make everything better. Can this Premier explain why she thinks Ontarians deserve less oversight, less transparency, or less accountability in our energy sector, Speaker? Well, Mr. Speaker, it's important that there be oversight and that there be accountability. And Hydro-1 under the new configuration will be regulated by the Ontario Business Corporations Act, the Ontario Securities Act, and the Ontario Energy Board. They'll have to file information with the Ontario Securities Commission. They'll have to disclose the compensation of their top executives. The Ontario Energy Board will continue to have oversight, Mr. Speaker, and approve electricity rates. And in fact, we've taken action through legislation to strengthen the oversight of the OEB, Mr. Speaker. So we've made those decisions to change and to strengthen oversight. And at the same time, the fundamental decision is that we must invest in infrastructure in this province, Mr. Speaker. It is critical to the future competitiveness of Ontario that we make those investments, Mr. Speaker, and those investments that we are going to make. Thank you. Any questions? You're the third party. Thank you, Speaker. My next question is also for the Premier. Yesterday's Auditor General's report showed that what Ontarians have been feeling in their gut for a long time. The choices that this government is making are not about them. Can the Premier explain why her government handed out almost 80% of its business grants to companies that didn't even have to apply for them and that they may not have actually needed while inadequate funding means that seniors are waiting 200 days for the home care that they have applied for and that they desperately need? Thank you. So, Mr. Speaker, first let me say to the leader of the third party, it's our responsibility to attend to many things at the same time. It is our responsibility to make sure that we work to improve the home care system, to provide services for seniors, Mr. Speaker. That is a fundamental responsibility and it's one of the things that the health care system is being transformed to do better, Mr. Speaker. At the same time, it is our responsibility to make sure that we work with business in this province to ensure that they have the capacity to expand, that they have the capacity to move into the 21st century. I sat with CEOs who are part of the Canadian manufacturers and exporters yesterday, Mr. Speaker, and they raised the exact investments that we're making through the Jobs and Prosperity Fund as necessary to their ability and their members' ability to make the investments to be able to become part of the advanced manufacturing sector, Mr. Speaker. If we don't work with business, we're... Thank you. Supplementary. Mr. Speaker, it's true that many things need to be done by government at the same time, but it is all about priorities when it comes to government, Mr. Speaker. People want their government to work for all Ontarians, not just the select few. Instead, the Premier is failing to protect the most vulnerable children in our province. They are failing to look after seniors in our province. They are failing to ensure that Ontarians can afford their basic hydro-bill speaker. Will this Premier own up and admit that her government is failing Ontario families? Thank you. Mr. Speaker, let me go back to my original comment because I think it's very, very important. There are a number of areas that the Auditor General has looked at. That is her job. It is her job to look at the way government delivers services, Mr. Speaker. It is her job then to critique those. And it's a healthy aspect of our democracy. Mr. Speaker, the important question is, once that critique has been made and once those recommendations have been made, does the government take them seriously and act on them? And Mr. Speaker, absolutely. And if in order to assess that, we need to look at the follow-up reports because those are the reports that demonstrate when there's a recommendation made, does the government follow through? And Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Auditor General said this. I am pleased to report that 76% of these actions have either been fully implemented or were in the process of being implemented. That's final supplementary. Five years ago, this government was told that they need to fix the problems in home care and this Auditor General says five years later, the problems are worse and not better. So I agree with the basic, the fundamentals right, Speaker. Help the most vulnerable people. Make sure people can afford to keep the lights on and the heat in their homes on. Make sure that seniors can actually get home care without waiting for 200 days, Speaker. Make sure that when kids get on the school bus, it's safe and that when they arrive at their school, that their school isn't crumbling around their ears, Speaker. This is the minimum, the minimum that people should expect from their government. How are the Premier's priorities so backwards that she is getting the fundamentals so wrong, Speaker? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Well, I would say to the leader of the third party that in each one of those instances, we are working as a matter of our policy and our priorities to make sure that we make the investments that are necessary, Mr. Speaker. There are billions of dollars that are going into the repair, the renovation, the maintenance, and the building of new schools, Mr. Speaker. There are again billions of dollars going into the building of new healthcare facilities, Mr. Speaker. And we recognize that there is work that needs to be done in terms of the provision of home care. In fact, the Minister of Health is committed to announcing a paper on the future of that system, Mr. Speaker, which is in direct response to concerns of the Auditor General. And I will be the first to admit that over the last number of years we have worked to invest in the home care system to make sure that people get what they need. But there is more that needs to be done, and I think there are structural changes that need to be made, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. No question to the Minister. The Minister calls surplus power and opportunity. It has certainly been treated as an opportunity by our neighbors who have picked it up from you at yard sale prices. Energy planning should not be done for short-term political gain. The government shouldn't be intervening in energy day after day to save seats in the legislature. Yet this liberal government wasted $9.2 billion playing politics with renewable energy contracts, $1 billion playing politics with the lower metogony hydro project, and the infamous $1.1 billion playing politics with the gas plant scandal. Speaker, if this government just listened to the experts like any reasonable government would, rate pairs would have saved $11.3 billion. Mr. Speaker, the Minister thinks the Auditor still doesn't know what she's talking about, or is $11.3 billion just another liberal cup of coffee. Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to talk about the lower metogony in the first instance, Mr. Speaker. First of all, that project came in under budget, Mr. Time, and under time. And as well, there were comparisons made to the cost of power to lower metogony and other hydroelectric projects, Mr. Speaker. The other hydroelectric projects referred to were built 15, 20, maybe 50 years ago, Mr. Speaker. The capital cost has already been paid. It's already been paid, Mr. Speaker. And the other issue is, Mr. Speaker, to build a modern facility has tougher environmental requirements, has tougher requirements in terms of accommodating First Nations, Mr. Speaker. There are now the legacy grievances of all the old hydro programs, Mr. Speaker, that are now being under dispute and will cost money, essentially, Mr. Speaker. It was a good project that created 1,800 jobs, 500 jobs for First Nations, Mr. Speaker. And we make no... Thank you. Let me get to the supplementary. To the minister, this isn't about renewable energy. It isn't about climate change. It's about what we could have said have had the exact amount of those renewables in Ontario for $9.2 billion less if you had just listened and done your job. The energy experts told the minister... The member from Barrie is warned. If you haven't figured it out, I mean the warnings. Carry on. The energy experts told the minister what to do. He did the exact opposite, plain and simple. Now the minister wants to silence energy experts by passing Bill 135, which won't even let the experts bring forward their concerns with your directives that have already wasted $11.3 billion. Speaker, will the minister listen to the experts with draw Bill 135, or does he just not care about the cost of hydro and the people of Ontario? Mr. Speaker, first of all, in terms of renewable energy, at the time this province, previous cabinet, previous premier, were doing green things for the province, good green things for the province, Mr. Speaker. They looked at the Green Energy Act. They looked at the renewable promise, Mr. Speaker. And what they did was they looked at other jurisdictions. 80 jurisdictions around the world, Mr. Speaker, had equivalent prices, Mr. Speaker. They had standard offers. It was not a competitive process. This administration, Mr. Speaker, has eliminated the standard offer. It's a competitive process, Mr. Speaker. There had been no large solar wind projects, Mr. Speaker, approved in this province since 2011. The ones that are out there now, Mr. Speaker, in the system are under the old process. It's more competitive, it's less costly, and it's renewable energy, and it's greening costs. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the premier. There are thousands of seniors sitting alone at home waiting for the home care they need. Some of them are in pain, some are at risk of falling, but they've been told to wait for weeks, for months, for some of them over a year. Back in 2010, the Auditor General told the Liberals to fix the waitlist crisis in home care. But five long years later, a staggering 65% of home care clients are forced to wait for their assessment. On behalf of every seniors waiting for home care, I have a simple question for our premier. How much longer would this Liberal government force frail and vulnerable Ontarians to wait for the home care they need now? I completely agree with the sentiment of the member opposite that it is unacceptable for people who are in pain, who are frail to have to wait in an ordinent amount of time for care, Mr. Speaker, which is exactly why we have been increasing funding for home and community care and we are increasing it by $250 million over the next three years, Mr. Speaker, and that is allowing us to provide 80,000 additional home care nursing hours and help in the transition of people from hospital to home, because that is when people are at their most vulnerable, Mr. Speaker. Last year in Ontario, the home and community care sector provided service to more than 800,000 individuals. The reality that we are dealing with is that the demographic in Ontario is aging. We need to do more in order to support people, Mr. Speaker, and that is why we need to make structural change. Thank you. Supplementary. Mr. Speaker, the Premier says things, but her actions show that she just doesn't get the priorities of Ontario's families. When the Liberal wants to sell off hard-door wand, things move really quickly. But when thousands of seniors suffer for month on end, waiting for home care, the Liberal will waste five years and let the problem get worse. She talks about investing money, but there are things such as, how come five years later we still don't have a minimum standard of care? How come five years later we still don't have oversight of the private providers of home care? How come five years later the wait list has balloon not gone down? How can this Premier defend five years of inaction, five years of broken promises, and frankly, five years of suffering for the people who needed home care, but were on the wait list? We have been working to improve the system. 35 million visits from our personal support workers and nurses, an increase of 1.3 million visits in the last year. Increases have been going up every year, Mr. Speaker, and we've reduced administrative costs. So, since the 2010 Auditor General's report, we've decreased administrative costs by 12%. And that was money that we were able then to invest directly in frontline care. But, Mr. Speaker, in May, we released Patients First, a roadmap to strengthening home and community care, Mr. Speaker, and we understand that there are changes that need to be made. We have invested more money, Mr. Speaker. We have increased the supports in terms of wages to personal support workers in order to try to deal with the precarity of their work, Mr. Speaker, because we need them as the frontline workers. We know, Mr. Speaker, now that we need to make some structural changes and we won't be consulting with Ontarians on that. Thank you. Any questions for members from Burlington? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Government and Consumer Services. With the holiday season approaching and academic terms winding down, Ontarians are planning vacations. During a long winter, a trip to warmer destinations with friends or family can be a welcome escape. With this in mind, I know that constituents in my writing of Burlington will want to know about consumer protection when it comes to the travel industry. With significant planning and financial investment going into their vacations, Ontarians will be comforted knowing that they will be able to take the trips they plan under the terms they agree to. Mr. Speaker, I know the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services takes these concerns seriously and works closely with partners like the Council of Ontario or TICO to ensure consumer concerns are well represented. Can the Minister please explain to us how his Ministry helps ensure that vacationers are protected from misleading, unscrupulous business practices? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Minister of Government and Consumer Services. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the member from Burlington for the question and for her advocacy on behalf of her constituents. I certainly appreciate the importance of a family using their hard earned money for a vacation or a well-deserved break. And I'm pleased with the progress made in this area as one of only three provinces in the country that regulates its travel industry. Ontario consumers are protected by the Travel Industry Act as well as the Travel Industry Compensation Fund, both of which is administered by TICO. Our regulation of travel agents and travel wholesalers adds a level of accountability to the Ontario travel industry. The same level of accountability cannot be guaranteed with organisations that operate from outside Ontario. So I encourage Ontarians to book their trips or vacations with local businesses. As a result of the Travel Industry Act, consumers now get full disclosure of pricing, all transaction details are provided to them. They get prepaid deposits protected in a trust account, Speaker, and they're also eligible for the travel industry. Mr. Furze, explanation of the protections that Ontarians enjoy under the Travel Industry Act. I know many of my constituents looking forward to vacations will be pleased to learn that their arrangements are subject to industry-wide oversight and I will be watching closely for more from the TICO's Consumer Awareness Campaign. The Minister mentioned a series of important regulations put in place to protect consumers. In addition to learning about these safeguards, my constituents would like to hear more about how our government has worked to level the playing field and ensure a fair and equitable tourism sector. Can the Minister of Government and Consumer Services please outline how our government has worked with the Act to build a safer, fairer tourism market? Thank you, Mr. Minister. Thank you, Speaker, and again to the member from Burlington. Our government continually reviews trends in the industry and identifies areas of consumer concern adding protections where appropriate. In this regard, we've amended the Travel Industry Act improving consumer protection by enhancing financial reporting requirements from travel agencies and ensuring trip compensation claims are fair and effective in the event of closures. The Travel Industry Act has been extremely effective in adding accountability to the travel industry as TICO includes over 2,500 registered travel agents who fall under the Act. As of this past spring, TICO's dedicated reimbursement fund was valued at $21 million allowing for payments of up to $5,000 per person and up to $5 million per event. Since its inception, TICO has provided over $13 million in compensation to consumers and has had 39 convictions so far this fiscal year. I'm pleased with our government's track record in protecting consumers so that all Ontarians can plan any trips of confidence. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question this morning is for the Premier. Premier, yesterday the Auditor General revealed that Hydro One has consistently been one of the least reliable among large Canadian electricity distributors. She continued in a scorecard published by the OEB, Hydro One was ranked worst of all distributors in Ontario. Yet in May, your Minister of Energy said that Hydro One is one of the most reliable companies in North America. It's been recognized as such as one of the top five. Speaker, for too long the Minister of Energy has attempted to keep the house in the dark when it comes to Hydro One. My question for the Premier is now that the Auditor has revealed the truth, will she accept the truth? I'm wondering exactly where the members are going with this question because we have said that there need to be improvements in Hydro One. There are serious challenges with this organization, Mr. Speaker, and in broadening the ownership and changing the way this organization is going to be governed, Mr. Speaker. There actually will be improvements made. So I'm going to take from the question from the member opposite that they actually support the broadening of ownership of Hydro One and changes that need to be made to the company. I can tell you categorically, Speaker, the answer to that inference is no, we don't. Back to the Premier. Speaker, in May, the Minister went on to say that Hydro One, in terms of the infrastructure, is extremely reliable. What we're getting at here, Premier, if you don't understand the question, is the credibility of your Minister of Energy. He says that it's a reliable system. He says that they know how to plan infrastructure. Yesterday, the auditor said a project that was extending a corridor from the Ottawa valley to the Peterborough area forgot to include 47 kilometres of roads, three bridges and 35 towers. The auditor also revealed a $4.4 billion infrastructure deficit at Hydro One because your Minister and your government is completely incompetent. Is it acceptable to the Premier that her Minister has either been ignorant or complicit in the incompetence at Hydro One? Good question. This question is consistent with the ideology of that party Mr. Speaker. At least it's consistent with past positions which are that broadening the ownership of Hydro One, improving the company would be a good thing to do Mr. Speaker. Now our motivation on this side of the house here has been to invest in infrastructure. That is why we are repurposing. That is why we looked at assets. That's why we are broadening the ownership of Hydro One in order to be able to leverage that asset to invest in infrastructure across the province. The member from Prince Edward Hastings is Warren. Finish please. We are in the process. This is a company that needs improvement. That improvement will happen. But the motivation is to invest in infrastructure that is needed in every riding in every corner of this province. Mr. Speaker. Thank you. My question is to the Premier. The Auditor General's report on Child Protective Services in Ontario made it clear that this government is putting our most vulnerable kids at risk. Societies are not always checking the child abuse register before placing children, meaning that even 13 years after the death of Baldwin and while the Katelyn Sampson inquest is ongoing we continue to place children in homes with people who have records of child abuse. Ontario is taking an average of seven months to complete abuse investigation when the guideline is 30 days. In more than one third of investigations reviewed safety assessments to identify immediate safety threats to children were either not conducted or not conducted on time. Mr. Speaker, can the Premier please explain why she is allowing children to be placed in homes when the abuse register hasn't even been checked? I know that the Minister of Children Youth Services is going to want to talk about the specific things that we are doing the initiatives that we are taking but this is a perfect example of why it is so important that we have an Auditor General that we have those eyes on what that does and what the organisations do Mr. Speaker and pushing a government to follow up and to take action which is what we do Mr. Speaker as the Auditor General said in her follow up report 76% of the recommendations have been followed through on initiatives have been taken this is there are things that have happened in terms of children in care that are unacceptable Mr. Speaker that is absolutely the case we will talk about what those actions are what is unacceptable is that report that was given to us by the Auditor General yesterday leadership on this file we need to immediately remedy these disturbing results children in care are some of our most vulnerable citizens in this province of Ontario we have a duty to protect children in care and this government is failing them again to make matters worse the ministry isn't even ensuring that recommendations following the death of a child in care are being implemented by societies how is it possible that we aren't learning from mistakes after children are dying in care Speaker will the Premier take responsibility for the fact that children in Ontario continue to be placed in homes with convicted child abusers Thank you Thank you Speaker and I want to thank the critic for raising these very important questions because I think we all agree the protection and support and safety of our most vulnerable children is paramount to all of us and I want to thank the auditor for her recommendations and while she has recognized tremendous progress that has been made in the child welfare sector when it comes to safety and support children there are some serious issues that have been identified and I take these issues very seriously so with respect to the child abuse registry I'm very concerned these checks aren't happening as often as they should and my ministry previously issued a directive on this to all children's aid societies in Ontario I'll be issuing another directive and following up very soon it's very disappointing that this is happening and I take accountability to make sure this is followed up and when it comes to leading investigations in time as we've heard from the associations some take longer some take less time however they can you sit and do a question to the member from home Thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the minister of community safety and correctional services Minister as you know the Maplehurst correctional complex is located in my riding of Halton I often hear from the community safety and well-being of correctional officers and inmates in the facility I know correctional officers in my community and communities across the province work hard every day to keep us safe and we are grateful but what many people may not know is that our correctional officers are often faced with difficult challenges as greater number of inmates suffer from mental health and addiction issues so Mr. Speaker it is important that as we modernize our correctional system we focus not on building more jails but instead on addressing these realities and providing better services to help break the cycle of reoffending through you Mr. Speaker can the minister explain what he's doing to transform corrections in Ontario Thank you very much Speaker and I want to thank the member from Halton for this important question Speaker the transformation of corrections is a key part of my mandate from the premier who is working hard on every day Speaker we are absolutely committed to moving forward with better mental health supports and enhance rehabilitation and reintegration program so that we can help break the cycle of reoffending. We have opened the Forensic Early Intervention Service a partnership with Centre of Addiction and Mental Health which is first of its kind in Canada at the Toronto South Detention Centre which provides early intervention forensic mental health to remanded inmates. Speaker in addition as part of our transformation we have launched a comprehensive review of Ontario's use of segregation within our correctional facilities particularly in relation to its use for those with mental health needs Speaker these are just a few of the important things we are working on in relation to inmate mental health as we work to ensure we break the cycle of crime and reoffending. Thank you Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the minister for your efforts on this issue. I know that Halton residents and Ontarians across the province will be encouraged to see the important steps that you are taking to transform corrections in Ontario. I think your emphasis on providing more mental health supports and a greater focus on rehabilitation and reintegration programs is particularly important but Mr. Speaker it is also important that the minister work closely with all of his corrections partners to deliver these key programs and services. Staff in the Maplehurst Correctional Complex and other facilities will play a key role in this transformation Mr. Speaker through you to the minister can you please provide some information on the role he sees for correctional officers as his ministry works so closely to modernize and hard the correctional system. Thank you minister Speaker correctional officers and probation and parole officers are integral to my ministry's efforts about change. These are frontline workers. They are the experts in the field and I want to thank them for their hard work and dedication. We have hired speaker nearly 500 new correctional officers since 2013 and are working to hire more. In fact Speaker we have a class of almost 100 in the Ontario Correctional Services College who are graduating tomorrow. The recent tentative agreement with the corrections bargaining unit is a further evidence of our government's continued support for correctional officers and our probation and parole officers. If ratified speaker it will provide the framework for a stand alone correctional bargaining unit selective agreement for future rounds of collective bargaining. Correctional officers speaker are a vital part of the work that is underway to modernize our correctional system and we have a renewed opportunity to work together under this new framework. Thank you. Speaker Yesterday's report from the auditor general is the last time she will be able to review Hydra 1 and it is too bad because as usual her reports are very revealing. She wrote that the Ontario energy board is quote the protector of consumer interests and yet we now know the OEB wasn't even consulted on the sale of Hydra 1. The minister ignored the OEB and the Liberal government silenced the auditor general when they voted independent oversight of Hydro One. Mr. Speaker, is the Premier afraid of independent oversight because she doesn't like what it reveals? Mr. Speaker, the Ontario Energy Board has a very important role to play in terms of the regulation of the system. The Ontario Energy Board will continue to play that role in terms of setting rates. The broadening of the ownership of Hydro One was a decision we made, Mr. Speaker, in order to have the capacity to invest in infrastructure. That was a decision that our government made. It is a decision, I believe, Mr. Speaker, that will put us in a very good position in the immediate, in the interim, and the long-term, Mr. Speaker, because it will mean that roads and bridges and transit investments that could not have been made otherwise will be made, Mr. Speaker. Now, the member opposite is asking me whether whether I think that we should have asked the OEB. The OEB has a totally different role. That role will remain consistent once the ownership of Hydro One is broadened. Mr. Speaker, the Premier's words do not match her action. She did not allow the OEB to participate to have any feedback in whether the sale-off of Hydro One occurred. When the Premier wrote the Minister of Energy's mandate letter, she said, and I quote, it is of the utmost importance that we lead responsibly, act with integrity, manage spending wisely, and are accountable for every action we take. The people of Ontario have 37 billion reasons to see the minister has failed in his mandate. It's very clear from the Auditor General's report that the Liberal Government has been meddling in the energy file for the past eight years, costing homeowners and small businesses 37 billion dollars. Will you finally admit you need to start listening to the aging, the municipalities, the people of Ontario, and stop any further sale-off of Hydro One? Thank you. Earlier today and that I made yesterday that there are 150 countries right now, Mr. Speaker, that are in Paris trying to forge a deal that would allow the globe to move to a low-carbon reality, Mr. Speaker. The fact is, the initiative that we took to shut down all the coal-fired plants, Mr. Speaker, to move to more renewable, cleaner energy is a decision that jurisdictions all over the world are going to have to move to if we are going to avoid the devastation of climate change, Mr. Speaker. So, you only have to look across this country, look at Alberta, Mr. Speaker, and their plan. They have said they're going to move off cold. It's going to take them 15 years, Mr. Speaker. The fact is, we're there. We, as the Minister of Energy said, we skated to where the puck was going, Mr. Speaker, and we now work with all of those countries to make sure that they can take the same kinds of initiatives that we've already said to Mr. Speaker. Do you have questions? The numbers from the Windsor-DeConsi? Speaker, to the Premier. Good morning, Premier. Yesterday's auditor general's report on SAMS made it clear that the Premier and her government were well aware of the problems with SAMS, but rushed it through anyway. Speaker, SAMS problems impact our most vulnerable citizens in Ontario, people with disabilities, people who are marginalized and impoverished. Clients with disabilities, developmental disabilities, had their bank accounts frozen when ministry mistakes were made. This is unacceptable. More unacceptable still are the Minister's prior comments that problems with SAMS could be compared to a Blackberry glitch. Speaker, will the Premier explain to vulnerable Ontarians why she rushed the implementation of a computer program she knew didn't work? Thank you. Mr. Speaker, I know the Minister of Community and Social Services is going to want to speak to the specifics, but I want to say to the member opposite, we know there were problems with the implementation of SAMS. We've acknowledged that, Mr. Speaker. We are working very, very hard to correct that. Mr. Speaker, the Minister has been on the front line, has met with front-line workers. There are changes that have been made. We know that there were challenges. There were problems with the way this system was implemented, Mr. Speaker. And we will, as we have in other sectors, Mr. Speaker, we will learn from those problems. We will demonstrate that we have learned from those problems, Mr. Speaker, and we will correct the challenges in order to improve the service of the people of Ontario. Speaker, I don't know if the Premier knows, but I know the city staff in Windsor caught a SAMS check for $1 million before it went out to a client. SAMS has forecasted to be $90 million over budget and still isn't working properly. The ministry had no oversight over consultants. Consultants were overseeing consultants. Front-line workers shoulder the brunt of this disastrous implementation. Well, somehow the minister was unaware of what was going on in her own ministry. Speaker, will the Premier admit her government is still failing Ontario's most vulnerable citizens? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And, of course, we do take the recommendations of the Auditor-General very seriously. We have listened to her advice and learned from her report. We're already addressing all five of her recommendations on her report on SAMS. We've acknowledged many times in this House that there were severe and significant challenges with the implementation of SAMS. And this is why, as soon as we became aware of this, we did contract PricewaterhouseCoopers to do an independent review. We've been working on all of PricewaterhouseCoopers' 19 recommendations. We've developed a transition plan along with the advice of municipalities, of unions and frontline staff. And as part of the transition plan, we are already in the processes of implementing many of the changes that the Auditor is now recommending. I want to thank all the caseworkers for their patience, for the vulnerable clients that have had difficulties through this transition. But we are... We're from Perth Wellington, as warned. New question. The member from York Southwest. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the President of the Treasury Board. I was pleased to see that this past Friday our government released the final open data directive. This marked a big step forward for open government for our province. With this directive, Mr. Speaker, Ontarians will have greater access to Ontario data, which will spur innovation, lead to the generation of new ideas and problem solving through the development of apps. Speaker, through you to the Minister, could she tell us more about the directive and explain its significance as part of our government's open government strategy? Thank you. President, Treasury Board? Well, thank you, Speaker, and thank you to the very hard-working member from York Southwest for that question. Speaker, I'm proud to say that Ontario is a leader when it comes to open data. We were the first to launch a public voting tool so Ontarians could vote on the data that matters to them. We received over 30,000 votes. We've now released more than 400 data sets on our open data catalogue, and they've been downloaded over 200,000 times, Speaker. And as the member notes, last week we released the open data directive. And with this directive, we're making data open by default. That means that ministries and provincial agencies must open data to the public unless there's a very good reason that it not be open. That is, unless it's exempt for privacy, legal, confidentiality, security, or commercial reasons. Speaker, I look forward to the supplementary where we'll talk about how we develop that directive. Thank you. Well, I'd like to thank the minister for that answer, Speaker. I am pleased to hear that Ontario is a leader in this area. By making our government's data open by default, we will not only promote greater openness and transparency, but also drive open data innovation in our burgeoning technology sector, which will lead to more products, more services, and more solutions for government and for businesses. I understand that the development of the Ontario Open Data Directive represented another first for our government in that we posted a draft online for public feedback. Speaker, I'm hoping that the minister could tell us more about how the people of Ontario contributed to the development of the Open Data Directive and how they shaped the final directive. Thank you, minister. Thank you, Speaker. As the member notes, the Open Data Directive marked another first for our government. In the spirit of open dialogue, we posted the draft directive online and opened it up for public consultation before we made it final. In fact, we were the first in Canada to open up a draft management board of cabinet directive for public comment, and we did that because we know that when we increase transparency, when we increase accountability and engagement, we get better policy and better outcomes for Ontarians. In fact, I just received a letter from Brian Beamish, the Information and Privacy Commissioner, commanding us on this consultation. He said, I want to commend the government on the extensive public consultation that conducted during the Directive's development. My office was pleased to participate in these consultations and provided extensive comment. I want to thank Brian Fiorre, Director, Open Government Office and his team for their positive and open-minded approach to these consultations, Speaker. My question is for the Premier. Nowhere in this province has the government's outrageous and damaging energy policy felt more than in Northern Ontario. Yesterday's report from the Auditor-General also revealed that Hydro One, who many Northern and rural residents rely on, spent $660 million on smart meters. Yet Hydro One does not use the smart meters to detect power outages on the system. The Energy Minister launched a full-scale attack on the auditor last year when she criticized these smart meters, and it turns out they're not even using them, Speaker. I asked the Premier why does she think it's okay for Hydro One to leave Northerners to languish for days on end without power? Again, I think what the member opposite is alluding to is that there need to be improvements in the way services delivered by Hydro One to the people in Ontario who are reliant on Hydro One, Mr Speaker. There are improvements that need to be made in this company. We have made a decision motivated by the need to invest in infrastructure in the province, but also, Mr Speaker, by a sincere desire to see improvements in the company. That's what we will see, Mr Speaker. Those are the parameters within which we're operating, and I know that the member opposite doesn't support the investment in infrastructure across the province that we are making, but, Mr Speaker, I can tell you and through you, him, that there's not a municipality in this province, including his municipality, including Northerners, including ridings across the municipalities across the North who need those infrastructure investments and are looking to us to make them, Mr Speaker. Homeowners in the North have seen hydro bills during the coldest months of the year jump literally hundreds of dollars a month. It might be news to the government, but when it is 40 degrees below, turning off the heat is not an option. For many of our most vulnerable, the government is literally forcing them to choose whether to heat or to eat. The auditor's facts are clear. Hydro One customers have seen 24 percent more outages from 2010 to 2014 on my road in Corbeel. They can last for days, Speaker. I ask the Premier, why are you okay with Northerners paying so much more for hydro and getting less and less under this government's watch? Mr Speaker, you know, the member opposite, I hope, when he is talking to his constituents who call his office, I hope he makes them aware of the Northern Energy Credit, Mr Speaker, which our government brought in to deal with and to help people who needed support in jurisdictions where they were dealing with high energy costs. I hope he also talks to them about the program for low-income Ontarians, Mr Speaker, that helps to offset the cost of electricity. Mr Speaker, we recognize that there are different conditions in different parts of the province, which is exactly why we have programs that apply across the province and we have specific programs that apply regionally, like the Northern Industrial Energy Program, Mr Speaker, like the Northern Energy Credit that recognize and acknowledge that there are regional differences around the province. Speaker, good morning to you. My question is to the Premier. In the auditor general's report, her audit found what the people of the north already knew, that despite this province being the largest mineral producer in this country, it was ninth overall in attracting mining projects. You don't have to look farther than a ring of fire to see that. The auditor general's report found that since 2010, the Ring of Fire Secretariat created by this government has spent over 13 million dollars and has nothing to show for it. One company throws their hands up in the air, the other is threatening to leave 13 million over four years and you haven't even fulfilled your duty to consult the First Nations in this area. Speaker, what is this government doing to develop this deposit and are they only providing busy work for their well-connected friends? I'm very grateful to the auditor general for her recommendations. Quite frankly, I think we're very much geared to strengthening our ministry's operations and mineral sector policies and indeed, let's just be there, we're going to be moving forward with a mineral development strategy, a renewed one which will be actually dealing with a number of the recommendations the auditor general's putting forward. Let me speak quickly though about the work that we're doing in the Ring of Fire. There's no question, listen, we support the recommendation and indeed we want to see a timeline and deadlines put in place. The bottom line is we're not going to be imposing those when we're not going to make a priority working with our First Nations. You'll be the first to be critical for us if we did not consult in that fashion. You referenced that in terms of the regional framework that we put in place, let alone work with the industry and may I say the opportunity we're going to be having now to work with a new renewable government which is very keen to move forward on this. Thank you. The time for question period is over. A member from Bramley, Gore-Multon, on a point of order. Thank you very much. I know it's already been done but I want to add my voice as well and I encourage everyone in this house to join me and welcome you again. The original hip-hop ambassador for Toronto, Cardinal and his colleague Mr. Amidios. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. I'm very pleased that a guest of mine from Peterborough arrived. Mr. Ray March at the Bepper's East Gallery. Thank you. President Treasurer of Art. Thank you Speaker and up in the gallery is my very hard working constituency assistant Neil Worley. Welcome. Thank you. We have a deferred vote on the motion of third reading of bill 73 an act to amend and development charges act 1997 and the planning act calling the members this will be a five minute bill. Would the members please take your seats? First please take your seats. Thank you. Thank you. On December the first Mr. McMeek and move third reading of bill 73. All those in favour please rise one at a time it be recognized by the clerk. Mr. Wernoldy Mr. Natalie Mr. Bradley The Mayor Mr. Sousa Sousa Mrs. Wynn Mrs. Matthews The Sandals Mrs. Sandals Mr. Dugas Mr. Dugas Mr. McCharles Mr. Quinter Mr. Quinter Mr. Cole Mr. Toccar Mr. Toccar Mr.学ardinetti Mr. Dillaney Mr. Dillon Mr. Dillon Mr. Razzetti Macman Mr. Milton Mr. Miltjen Mr. Nidoo Harris Mr. Potts Mr. Pots Mr. Verneel Mr. Hardiman Mr. Hardiman Mr. Welsen Mr. Welsen Ms. Jones Ms. Jones Mr. Brown Mr. Brown Mr. Clark Mr. Clark Mr. Fidelli Mr. Fidelli Mr. Yakobuske Mr. Yakobuske Mr. Miller-Parisah and Muskoka Mr. Miller-Parisah and Muskoka Ms. Scott Ms. Scott Mr. Barrett Mr. Barrett Mrs. Monroe Mrs. Monroe Mr. Eurek All those opposed please rise one at a time be recognized by the clerk the eyes being 89 the nays being zero I declare the motion carried third reading of the bill to us you make sure to push it along we have resolved that the bill do now pass and be entitled as in the motion there are no further deferred votes this house stands recess until 1 p.m. this afternoon