 It is now time for oral questions. I recognize the leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. Thank you, Speaker. My questions for the Deputy Premier. Every day more and more people are speaking out against the Premier's backroom deal with social conservatives to repeal the updated sexual health curriculum. School boards, parents, educators, and now health professionals are all speaking out against the Premier's plan to put the health and safety of students at risk. Why is the Deputy Premier ignoring the vast majority of Ontarians and going along with the Premier's plan to scrub same-sex families, gender identity, and consent out of Ontario's classrooms? Deputy Premier. Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the leader of the Official Opposition for the question. What we have said from the beginning, what we said during the course of the campaign, is we want to involve parents in the consultations with the rest of them. Parents were not consulted properly in the last iteration. We want to make sure that we have a thorough consultation. We want to hear from anybody who has something to say about the sex ed curriculum so that we can make sure that it is updated, that it is current, that it covers all issues including cyberbullying, sexting, all of the other issues that we want to have covered to make sure that our students are going to be safe in our schools. We're starting that consultation process in September, and we want anybody who has something to say to be in touch with us and let us know what that is. Supplementary. Well, Speaker, this morning I welcomed Dr. Andrea Chiddle to Queens Park. She's a family physician from Guelph, and Dr. Chiddle joined me to announce that at least 19 healthcare organizations and nearly 1,800 doctors, nurses, and healthcare professionals have signed a petition calling on the Premier to restore the updated health curriculum in its entirety. These medical professionals say that any repeal or dismantling of the curriculum is an effort, rather in affront, to the rights and to the health of Ontario's youth. Will the Deputy Premier stop listening to radical social conservatives and start listening to the Ontario doctors, nurses, and healthcare professionals that are so very, very worried about our youth? I'm going to send this to her with a page. The official opposition is this. We want to hear from everyone. We welcome Dr. Chiddle's comments. We welcome the comments from the other healthcare professionals that are referring to, but we also want to hear from parents. Because parents, we want to make sure that we get it right, that we make sure that all of our students are protected, and that they hear the things that they need to when it's most appropriate for them. So we welcome hearing from the healthcare professionals, but we also want to hear from parents. Final supplementary. Speaker, almost 1,800 doctors, nurses, and healthcare professionals are calling on the Premier to stop putting health and safety of students at risk. That should be the primary job of government, not putting 1,800 professionals who have devoted their careers to keeping people safe. And now are speaking out against this Premier because he is putting students at risk. When will the Deputy Premier find the courage, Speaker, to stand with these 1,800 medical professionals and speak out against the Premier's plan to put students in harm's way? Deputy Premier. Well, nothing is more important to all of us in this legislative chamber than the health and safety of Ontario's children so that they can be successful in today's society. But I think we also have to remember because we've been focused on sex ed curriculum in this place for, what, a month now, there are other aspects of our children's education that are also important. For example, their math scores. We are falling behind that too because that is also important for the future prosperity and well-being of our children. Question, the Leader of the Opposition. Thank you, Speaker. My next question is also to the Deputy Premier whose words ring pretty hollow. The Premier's decision to side with radical social conservatives and rip up the health curriculum puts students at risk. That is the truth, Speaker. Whether they like it or not, that is the truth. That's according to 1,800 doctors, nurses and health care professionals, as well as scores of other parents, as well as scores of hundreds of thousands of other people who are very, very concerned about this, Speaker. Look, it is according to the RNAO, Planned Parenthood, Ontario's midwives and social workers, the Alliance for Healthier Communities, Canadian Women in Medicine, the Ontario Medical Students Association, and the list goes on and on and on, Speaker. Why is the Deputy Premier ignoring health care leaders who are united in saying that the Premier's Plan puts the health of our children at risk? That's what the Premier's Plan has. Thank you, Speaker, through you to the Leader of the Official Opposition. Of course, we respect the views of health care professionals. Of course, we're going to be the only ones that have an opinion on this. Parents have an opinion. Parents know their children. Parents know when their children are able to hear about certain things. Are we going to pretend that we're not going to teach them that? We're going to teach them that, but we need to know when is best. And parents are the best judges of that. For their own children, their voices have not been heard. There are only 16 kinds of sentences that were received for the last iteration of the physical and educational sex ed curriculum. That is not a representative sample of parents across this province. We want to hear from all kinds. We want to express... Supplementary. When is the best for kids to know about cyberbullying and sexting? When is it best for them to know about the dangers of sex and that the nurses aren't the only ones that are standing up to this premier? At least 25 school boards are speaking out against this premier's plan to remove any mention of same-sex families, consent, gender identity, and cyberbullying from the curriculum. Those 25 school board speakers are worried that the premier's plan to come to work, minister of tourism will come to work. And they have no idea how they're supposed to teach students. The outdated 1998 curriculum in just four weeks' time. Why does this deputy premier think school boards should roll back the clock to 1998 and deny students the crucial information that they need to stay safe in 2018? Deputy Premier. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, through you. The leader of the official opposition is presupposing what's going to be in the updated curriculum. We want to hear from parents. We want to hear from medical specialists. We want to hear from anybody who has something to say on this issue about what should be included in the curriculum. We want it to be thorough. We want to have a full consultation. We want to make sure that it's going to cover all aspects of things that young people need to learn in order to be safe in our society. But we also want to make sure that they're going to be able to be successful, too. So I think we need to concentrate on a few other things as well, making sure that our students do well at school, getting up their math scores in particular Final supplement. Speaker, the government's presupposing that kids are going to be safe without the information, tools, and tools that they need to be safe. The government side has to come to order. I have to be able to hear the leader of the official opposition just as I have to hear the Deputy Premier. The government side has to come to order. Apologize. I'll give you extra time. The Deputy Premier is aiding and abetting the Premier's dangerous plan, Speaker, instead of doing her job as the health minister and standing up to him. Recently she said that when a student asks questions that aren't in the new curriculum, those conversations should not happen in a classroom. She said they should happen in private, behind closed doors. You'd think this Deputy Premier would want to install closets in every classroom to have these discussions. Educators have said this is unbelievable advice. And the head of the TDSB says it makes her cringe. How can this Deputy Premier honestly suggest that same-sex families, gender identity and consent are dirty little secrets that should be sent back into the closet? I think it really is important to those Ontarians who may be watching these proceedings to correct what I actually did say and ask whether it's all right for students to ask their teacher questions if they have questions. I think every teacher in Ontario would say yes to that because I know that happens every single day. And if a student has a question and they don't have anyone else to ask and that happens very often, is there anything wrong with them asking a teacher about that so the teacher can help them get the help they need? No, there is not. And I think it's absolutely fine for a student to ask a teacher a question. House will come to order. Next question. Leader of the Opposition. Thank you, Speaker. First of all, the premier transit should be a fast and affordable service for everyone in the GTA and it should cost just $3 to take go transit and the UPP Express anywhere in this city. But the premier disagrees. This weekend it was revealed that the premier is refusing to lower the cost of go trips within Toronto forcing people to pay more for transit pushing communities to pay more for transit in Toronto. One life is already very unaffordable. Mr. Transportation. Mr. Transportation. Thank you very much, Speaker, and thank you to the Leader of the Opposition for the question. We are absolutely committed to making transit more affordable here in the City of Toronto and the greater GTA. But we're also in the midst of a thorough review of the State of Ontario's finances that have been brought on by the mismanagement of the previous regime. So the former premier of British Columbia the Honourable Gordon Campbell is heading up our analysis that we will report in September by the end of this month. And at that time when we have a better view a better idea we'll be responding to this in a more complete way. And I will deal with perhaps more in supplementary that this is an ongoing discussion between Metrolinx and the City of Toronto as well. I want to make it clear that at no time the Premier Ford and the campaign commit to this to this price but we are absolutely committed to the improvement of transit and making transit as well as life in general more affordable for the people of Ontario. Start the clock again supplementary. Everyone in the GTA should be able to commute anywhere in Toronto for just $3 with Go Transit and the up express. Fast, convenient and affordable transit is the best way the best way to deal with the gridlock problems that we have to help grow our economy and to help families spend more time together Speaker. But the Premier himself has refused to back the $3 Go Transit after weeks of accusing City Hall of inaction on transit and gridlock when will this government admit that it's actually the Premier himself who's standing in the way of fast and affordable transit for Toronto commuters. Minister of Transportation Well thank you again to the Leader of the Opposition for the question Everybody would love everything to be free in this world. The reality is nothing is. But let's put it into perspective we have a debt in this province of some $320 billion of deficits that the previous government underestimated. The Auditor General said they underestimated them by $6 billion. The Financial Accountability Officer has said at least that much. So we have some real challenges ahead of us what we are going to determine with our full financial analysis looking back at all spending and all costs that we've been incurred under the previous government we have Gordon Campbell heading up a panel just the current state of Ontario's finances it would be irresponsible for us as a government to commit to something that we can't afford. That was the style of the old government we want to make transit and life more affordable and under God for it it will be. We start the clock. Next question the member for Kitchener South Hesbler. Question is for the Deputy Premier Today at Barley-Days brewery in Picton in Prince Edward County Premier Ford formally announced that Bucca beer is returning to Ontario This is something that many beer consumers have been wanting for a decade when the previous government raised the minimum floor price for beer in Ontario Deputy Premier can you explain to the legislature the details of just how our government is returning to Bucca beer in Ontario Deputy Premier I remember from Kitchener South Hesbler for the question we were elected on a promise to reduce the tape and to put the people first that includes the promise we made to bring Bucca beer back to Ontario and a promise kept. Thanks to the previous Liberal government the minimum price floor for beer is $1.25 But effective August 27 our government for the people will lower the minimum price floor to $1 for any beer with an alcohol volume less than 5.6% We're going to do this only and responsibly Unlike the official opposition and the previous Liberal government we trust Ontario beer drinkers and other consumers to make their own smart, mature and responsible choices Supplementary Thank you Deputy Premier Clearly the days of the government putting its hands in the pockets of Ontarians each time you buy 2, 4 or 6 pack is over It is my understanding that Premier Ford has initiated the Premier's challenge to brewers across Ontario There has been a lot of public interest in this government commitment and the Premier's challenge provides a great opportunity for brewers including non-financial promotional incentives Can the Deputy Premier please explain how this is just the first step when it comes to fulfilling our government's plan to modernize alcohol retailing in Ontario Deputy Premier We're bringing back this minimum price floor to encourage competition in the beer market and to save people money By lowering the minimum retail price for beer the government has opened up opportunities for brewers in the value priced beer category Today it was revealed that the LCBO is interested in discussing promotional considerations with any brewer who goes to and agrees to lower their prices on or after August 27 America Beer is part of the government's commitment to transforming alcohol retailing in Ontario which includes expanding the sale of beer and wine to convenience stores grocery stores and big box stores for consumers first Thank you Thank you Speaker My question is to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing This government's reckless decision to slash Toronto City Council has left the rest of Ontario's municipalities wondering if they will be next Mr Speaker, does the Minister support reducing Ottawa City Council from 23 to just 6 councillors Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Thank you Speaker through you to the member Bill 5, the Better Local Government Act is a very clear bill It only affects one municipality in the province of Ontario in terms of the composition of council and it only deals with four regions when it comes to pressing the pause button on changes that were proposed by the previous government We've been very clear in terms of the City of Toronto the fact that Bill 5 reduces the size of that council provides a more streamlined council with all due respect the honourable member is fear mongering and knows that this is only dealing with that council Supplementary Speaker, I'm just following the logic of the argument made by the Minister This government's entire justification for their undemocratic move is to align municipal wards with federal and provincial boundaries So far only Toronto has been targeted by this unconstitutional policy But where does it end? Mr Speaker will this government begin slashing councils province-wide reducing council in places like Sudbury or Windsor from 10 to 12 councillors to just 2 or 3 Again Speaker through to the member for Toronto Danport, I've been very clear in a couple of weeks we have the Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference one of the first decisions that I made as Minister was to extend the opportunity for municipalities to ask for meetings with both myself and members of our cabinet I know that that decision resulted in the number of meetings my ministry had went up from 49 to 77 we made it very clear to municipalities and you know what the opposition can heckle all they want but I look forward to engaging Ontario's municipalities I look forward to hearing their suggestions on providing more efficient and I invite them to come to AMO as well it's an opportunity for us to hear very clearly what the municipal sector has to say please stop the fear-mongering and let's talk about Bill 5 Next question, Member for Brampton West Minister of Children Community and Social Services with responsibility for immigration Minister the crisis at the border seems to be ongoing with illegal border crossers making their way to Ontario with immigration and refugee border sources away from family reunification and international student processing my question today on this important immigration matter is in relation to the federal government's response to your reasonable and straightforward request for reimbursement forward support for illegal crossers I recall that all premiers recently agreed that the federal government should be responsible and cover costs associated with their decision of the border as a means to access our immigration system I'm interested to know if the minister has received any response to her letter and formal request for reimbursement I would be remiss not to say how proud we are on this side of the house to have the member from Brampton West elected here as the first international student ever to be elected in this house a few weeks ago I provided an itemized list of costs that have run up as a result of this irregular issue of border in Quebec right now we have about $200 million in counting on itemized costs that includes $90 million in social assistance $74 million in shelter costs $12 million in shelter costs for Ottawa $3 million for the Red Cross and $20 million as a result of education that $200 million we have asked the federal government to pay they have come back to us with no letter with only $11 million a drop in the bucket so I hope with the new appointment of Bill Blair as a cabinet minister responsible for the border crossings that he will come to the table and ensure that we have back to the minister minister that is quite disappointing that there has been no response not even an acknowledgement I recall that you testified at a federal government hearing on the impact of crosses I recall that your testimony to that committee focused on the financial and community impact of crossings is having an Ontario minister the impact of illegal crosses is being felt in our education system our legal aid system our social assistance system and emergency shelter system is the federal government ignoring your testimony and letter I know from your answer that the cost to our education system is $20 million the cost over social assistance system is more than $90 million and the cost over emergency shelter system is $85 million did I see the new federal minister deliver a check for only $11 million to the city of Toronto against their emergency shelter cost thanks very much speaker this is an issue that has captivated the country all 12 premiers 13 premiers of this country signed on with our plan to make sure that the federal government would support us including liberal and NDP premiers over 67% of Canadians agree with the approach this government is taking in asking the federal government to pay the bills for its failed policies at the border we are asking for $200 million the federal government will give interviews and say we should take it from the social transfers that they send us and I have to ask the federal liberals what schools do they want us to close what hospitals do they want us to close and what services do they not want us to deliver because they won't pay their bills restart the clock member for London west my question is to the acting premier speaker this government's dangerous decision to drag Ontario backwards to 1998 has mobilized thousands of parents, students, educators violence against women experts and healthcare professionals who are calling to keep the 2015 curriculum in place 26 school boards representing more than 60% of Ontario students have issued formal statements raising concerns about the harm this change will cause some school boards and thousands of teachers have said they will continue to teach the 2015 curriculum because of their professional obligation to protect the health and well-being of students what legal consequences will these school boards and teachers face for refusing to follow ministry direction and doing the right thing for students deputy premier minister of education and I appreciate the question speaker and through you back to the member opposite you know we have said all along that we have every confidence in our teachers throughout this province of Ontario and they're going to do right by our students and when we talk about doing right by our students it also means respecting their parents speaker we made a campaign promise that we're going to keep and we are going to respect parents and conduct a very comprehensive consultation that I think everybody in this house will be supportive of and I invite them to join me this fall when we kick off the consultation because we must respect parents we must provide a forum for all people to contribute their voice and do you know what speaker the interesting part about all of this is to say it's comprehensive we're also going to be taking a look at getting back to the basics and we're going to be addressing math as well you just wait start the clock supplementary speaker the Canadian civil liberties association has warned that repealing the 2015 curriculum violates education act requirements for school boards to promote a positive school climate that is inclusive and accepting of all students and also violates the charter rights of LGBTQ students and families speaker not only is this government putting the health and safety of Ontario students at risk but it is also creating legal jeopardy for school boards and teachers will this government act now to end the chaos and direct school boards to continue using the 2015 curriculum when students return to school in September minister thank you very much Mr. Speaker and I feel it's important that we remind the opposition party that their former deputy leader and the current federal leader of the NDP party said that the lack of inclusive consultation before announcing the curriculum was disrespectful to parents he went on to say I urge the government to sit down with parents now an open dialogue before implementing changes and so speaker I am so pleased to share with you that we are going to be working with our parents we're going to be keeping our promise to respect them and we are going to be moving forward and Ontario can trust us when we say we're going to be addressing what needs to be fixed in the education system we're going to be consulting parents in terms of moving forward with health and physical education curriculum we're also going to be talking to our parents about what else needs to be addressed thank you next question start the clock member for Ottawa Vanier thank you Mr. Speaker my questions for the deputy minister community and social services cancelled the basic income pilot project before the line by line audit she explained her decision in the following terms basic income project is a dis incentive for people to find work when you're encouraging people to accept money without strings attached it really doesn't send a message that our ministry and our government want to send is it the position of the progressive conservative government that people who are in receipt of social assistance and who are participating in the basic income pilot are lazy minister of children, community and social services apologize referred to the deputy premier minister of community services now the ministry question I reject the premise of it we haven't cancelled anything yet we announced that we would be winding it down we said that we would come forward with a plan in 100 days 94 now and during that period of time we're not going to go to social assistance rates but let me be perfectly clear we want to help people be successful in this province and we need to do so with equal measures of head and heart compassion can't simply be measured by dollars and cents we believe on this side of the house that social assistance should be about lifting people up and helping people get their lives back on track and so to begin over 25% of them either dropped out or failing to meet their obligation thank you supplementary the announcement from the minister was a shock to the participants and to Ontarians including the former senator and former chief of staff to Ontario P.C. Premier Bill Davis you see go who said that he had assurances from the Ford campaign that the pilot would be maintained so that Ontario would see the results in terms of health education and justice outcomes and the potential savings from various public expenditures we're all worried about the orders that the minister has received which I know that she's committed to doing the right thing for the less fortunate but why is it that we don't know what's in stock I think we would expect and I think my question is can the deputy premier commit today to releasing all the mandate letters of the ministers so that Ontarians know what exactly there's in stock particularly the mandate letter for the minister of children and community social services minister thanks very much Speaker I appreciate the members question look given the fact that the Liberal government had difficulty signing people up to this program and that over 25% or either failing to comply or they have dropped out it calls into question whether the research is valid now I have great respect for Senator Siegel as many people in this caucus but I have to tell you when we were left a set of books the tough choices had to be made this research project was going to cost $150 million where I come from that's a lot of money for research that might not be valid and so Speaker when I look at the program the previous government wanted to bring him forward it was a $17 billion program on top of a $10 billion social assistant project Speaker I ask the member opposite does she think on tarot's most vulnerable people should see an increase in the HST by 7% that's what this government would have done the previous government did they made terrible decisions that hurt the most vulnerable but I can assure you I will never walk away from our most vulnerable thank you restart the clock next question the member for Markham Union Bill thank you Mr. Speaker my question today is for Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services last month Mr. Speaker Statistics Canada published a report that indicate violence crime in Ontario has been seen an increase of 7.1% since 2016 Mr. Speaker this report confirm that we already knew the gun and gang related violence has increased in Ontario Mr. Speaker with the reason Brazil and in 2008 act of gun violence being seen in our streets our government for the people has remained committed to public safety and keeping all Ontario safe Mr. Speaker could the minister please update the member of this legislature how this ministry will tackle gun violence in this province thank you Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the member from Markham Public Safety as we've always said is paramount concern to this government Mr. Speaker with the rise in gun and gang violence on our streets it's clear that the current strategies no longer support our incredible police services in battling these criminal acts Ontario's police services are among the very best in the world and our government will remain committed to providing them the brave men and women of these forces with the tools and resources to do their job safely at my ministry Mr. Speaker ensuring public safety throughout the great province is our number one priority our government will continue to remain focused on our commitment to tackling gang and gun violence on Ontario especially violence within the city of Toronto response what was failing Mr. Speaker and we are the only party in this house prepared to do the work that needs to be done thank you Mr. Speaker back to the minister I want to thank minister for his response I'm proud to stand here today knowing that our government is committed to tackling gun and gang violence in this province and providing the men and women of Ontario police services with the tool and resources they so desperately needed Mr. Speaker policing is a dangerous job and the men and women of our police services need to understand that our government for the people is here to listen to them and we remain committed to ensure public safety across the province to the minister what action will you take to support our frontline officers in tackling gun violence thank you and once again thank you for that question Mr. Speaker I'd like to again state that this government will continue to meet with our community safety partners for weeks so that we can find solutions necessary to protect Ontarians from being the victims of senseless violence and to keep our first responders safe while performing their duties Mr. Speaker my ministry will be continuing our important work on examining current community safety initiatives and their effectiveness in protecting the people within this great province as well as our many dedicated first responders during the election campaign Mr. Speaker that we will commit to providing our frontline officers with the tools and resources they need to keep our community safe promises made promises made members take your seats next question the member for Tomiskaming Cochran my question is to the minister of natural resources Northern Ontario is going through one of the worst fire seasons in recent memory some of those fires have been categorized by the MNR as being out of control for weeks and evacuations and evacuation alerts have been issued in many areas Northern Ontario is very appreciative of the resources that the province and other jurisdictions have put forward to fight these fires my question to the minister is can the minister assure Northern Ontario that all available resources will be requested and that these resources will be focused on the fires until they are brought under control Mr. Speaker and thank the member very much for his question and it's true due to ongoing dry temperatures and dry conditions and thunderstorms and wind we have a record amount of fires throughout Ontario this season and my ministry has been on top of this since day one putting the necessary resources where they are needed when they are needed there are three types of responses to fires there's a full response which is an initial attack the sustained actions of the fire is out there's a modified response which is a combination of suppression strategies and monitoring sections within the natural resources and there's a monitor response to assess and determine any additional responses needed and my ministry is on top of these working day in and day out and we have called out to our other jurisdictions across the province across the country across the United States and Mexico to work together to bring these fires under control and we will continue to support our frontline fire crews fighting these fires day in and day out until they are out Mr. Speaker Thank you Northerners are very appreciative of the heroic efforts of the fire rangers water bomber crews and everyone else who's involved in fighting this fire and in one case the firefighter who sacrificed his life and our condolences go out to the Godwa family many volunteers and community groups have also stepped up to the plate for some like tourist camp operators forestry contractors and one farmer I know who might have to evacuate his dairy herd to the evacuation notice their economic survival might be at stake because of this can the minister assure them that the province will institute emergency measures to help them survive this economic disaster Minister Thank you Mr. Speaker and thanks to the member of the supplemental we have ongoing right now one of the most greatest coordinated event in northern Ontario history with working with the ministry of natural resources forestry, local OPP municipalities and communities to ensure the safety of the public comes first followed by the safety of the property to ensure that we can protect businesses we can protect cottages we can protect public private property and public property from the damages of fire and we are succeeding in our efforts in doing so Mr. Speaker and on that note I just want to say to the people traveling up to Perry Sound Perry Sound is open for business Mr. Speaker that fire is 75 80 kilometers north I think people going out this weekend to ensure to continue to go to these areas go to Ontario.ca see where the restriction areas are placed but when you do go to the north start spending some extra money because those people need the economic support that we are doing to give back to the speakers restart the clock Thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the minister of natural resources and forestry the forest fire burning in the north end of my riding since July 18th known as Perry Sound 33 has destroyed a huge area of more than 11,000 hectares and despite being about 75 kilometers north of the town of Perry Sound has scared a lot of people away from the whole area during this summer tourism season I've recently heard there have been some positive developments regarding this fire can the minister provide the house and the public with an update on the efforts to battle this forest fire Mr. natural resources and forestry Thank you very much and thank you for that question and I just want to take this opportunity one more time on behalf of this legislature on behalf of the people of this province I want to thank the fire crews that are working day in and day out and thank the support staff for taking on these fires and ensuring that we keep the public safe and keep our property safe and Mr. Speaker the weekend Perry Sound 33 fire that the fire perimeter has been held to help establish this perimeter around the entire fire ensure that it's not spreading further and many places crews are now working steadily in from the perimeter to fight this fire well this progress is good news evacuation orders and travel restrictions remain in place in the area and these measures have been put in place to ensure public safety while allowing fire personnel to safely and effectively suppress the fire and I do want to say Mr. Speaker if you're going up to Perry Sound go up and spend lots of money to support their economy supplementary back to the minister and thank you for that answer I know the people of Perry Sound district will be pleased to hear the fire is no longer spreading most media coverage has been on the Perry Sound 33 fire however there are other large fires being fought in Northern Ontario can the minister provide an update on firefighting efforts in other parts of Northern Ontario Minister I'm happy to report a combination of improved weather over the weekend and the ongoing work by crews and teams across the province has led to an improved situation on many fires in this province of note the fire in Lady Evelyn smoothwater provincial park in Tomogamy one of the largest fires in the province is now being held provincially resources are in good supply and most of the actionable fires have received the support they require we again like to commend the hard work and communication of those who are fighting the fires and at this time also thank our partners thank the other province who have sent help thank United States and thank Mexico for sending us their support their firefighters their equipment we will continue our fight against these fires until they are out thank you very much for that question next question member for Scarborough south west thank you speaker my question is to the minister of health and long-term care last year Toronto police responded to over 1,000 mental health disturbance calls there were 12,000 children waiting up to 18 months to access mental health services and frontline hospital stuff experienced record levels of violence on the job time and time again our first responders our communities and our children bear witness to the cracks in our mental health services Ontarians need more mental health services not less speaker why is this government cutting 335 million dollars every year from mental health services good question welcome long-term care thank you Mr. Speaker I'd like to thank the member for the question but in fact it is incorrect we are not heading back in fact we're making the biggest commitment in Ontario's history we're adding 1.9 billion dollars over 10 years to match the equal federal commitment 3.8 billion dollars is a lot of money we are adding to previous commitments there is no cut whatsoever because you're quite white right there is a lack of connection for services we need to make sure our first responders are ready to be able to help people with the mental health addictions problem for their own safety and for the safety of the person who is not well we know we need to work with 12 different ministries to connect that patchwork of services to make sure that people have housing that they have the health services both mental and physical health services they need to make sure they can get the education they need to be able to get out of poverty there's a lot of work that needs to be done I'd like to answer more on this supplemental but I think it's important to know supplementary thank you for mentioning housing for years Speaker mental health professionals have been calling on the government to increase the number of supportive housing units to enable those facing mental health challenges to get the help that they need in my community of Scarborough people are waiting for more than 10 years to get supportive housing space during the campaign the Conservative Party campaign on a promise to improve mental health services not gut them will this government tell the house why are they reneging on their promise people of Ontario that we were going to build a comprehensive mental health and addiction system we have $3.8 billion to put into that over 10 years and that is what we are going to do we want to work with existing mental health service providers out there CMHA KMH we want to work with children's mental health we want to make sure that everyone from small children to seniors are connected but you're absolutely right with respect to housing there is a lot more that needs to be done they say everyone needs a job a home and a friend well the home part is missing in many places the jobs missing too so we need to fix that that's what we are going to do working across a variety of ministries it's not going to be siloed anymore into this is the part that I deal with this is the part that you deal with because you don't get a comprehensive system that way it's too fragmented we are going to connect services and systems so that people will get the right help that they need when they need it start the clock next question the member for Carlton thank you Mr. Speaker last week the Toronto Sun called the liberals carbon tax scheme plan a Peter Pan approach to carbon pricing the national post proclaimed the liberals were in retreats over their I asked the member who is the question to which minister Mr. Speaker my question is for the minister of the environment and after years of government here at Queens Park that ruled over any time the federal government asked for anything we finally have a government who is standing up for the people sorry not sorry will the minister of the environment commit to this place that he will continue to fight a Trudeau carbon tax of any kind and of any size Mr. Speaker through you to the member from Carlton thank you for that question last week I was very pleased to join my colleague the Attorney General as we announced our next steps as a government to fight the Trudeau carbon tax our government promised that we would take steps to protect Ontario families to help job creators at the same time as pursuing a real action plan that would support the future of our environment that plan will not include a regressive carbon tax we understand the carbon taxes are not effective and the people of Ontario understand that a carbon tax will not be revenue neutral we know Ontario businesses know it and now the Prime Minister is indicating that perhaps he knows it with all of the uncertainty in the economy today with all the tension in our trade relationships Ontario does not need a job killing carbon tax I thank the minister for his response Mr. Speaker back to the minister it's no surprise the federal government plan to impose a carbon tax on the people of Ontario is falling by the wayside as the minister mentioned last week our government announced our intentions to vigorously challenge the authority of the federal government to impose a national carbon plan and Mr. Speaker I'm proud to know that we are on the side of the people just over a week ago a new poll was released that reported two thirds of Canadians 64% agree with our policy and believe that emissions should have provinces should have jurisdiction over how to reduce emissions Mr. Speaker the minister of the environment confirmed that he will continue to fight for what's best and for what's right for the people Mr. Speaker through to the member from Carleton as the member noted the federal government has started its climb down after seeing the writing on the wall not just from the polls which are very interesting but after direct feedback from Canadian business Canadian business that went to them and said we can't be competitive globally when we have the pressure of this carbon tax and the federal government has finally admitted the carbon tax is a bad idea Mr. Speaker a tax is a tax and the federal government is acknowledging that the carbon tax is bad for jobs and bad for investment if the Prime Minister is willing to cut carbon tax deals with big business he should not stop at half measures and he should be willing to eliminate his carbon tax on the people of Ontario our message to the Prime Minister was clear Prime Minister it's never too late to do the right thing stand up for the families of Ontario stand up for jobs in Ontario restart the clock next question thank you Speaker my questions to the Minister of Community and Social Services three weeks ago I asked the Minister if the anticipated 3% increase to social assistance rates would be going forward I asked the Minister this because constituents of mine I've spoken to in Ottawa have worried that this increase would not be honoured under her government the Minister responded by saying I want to ensure that the people particularly the most vulnerable in our province and in our city are looked after can the Minister how cutting the incomes of poor people is going to help them to thank the member for his question we actually are increasing rates by 1.5% across the board for those who are Ontario we had to do this because we have to hit the pause button the previous Liberal Administration disjointed patchwork system that wasn't helping people so what we have decided to do is hit the pause button on that make sure that 1.5 across the board increase goes through on September the 1st and ensure that in 94 days from today that we have a plan that will lift people up get them back to work where they can and assist those people who need it most and I look forward to working with the Honourable Member opposite listening to him and listening to those who are in poverty right now as a result of failed Liberal policies that that party supported 97% of the time 1 in 7 Ontarians are in poverty that's unacceptable we're going to change that restart the clock supplementary Speaker much as I appreciate the aerobics on the other side this is a cut plain and simple 1.5% is well below the rate of inflation and there are thousands of families in our city and in this province who will suffer as a result of that inflation and as the meantime my friends on the opposite side are happy to ask the poor and the disabled to do more with less but you're cutting taxes on the most profitable corporations in this province by a billion dollars in lost revenue so I have a question why is this government punishing people who are poor and disabled but handing out buckets and corporate welfare to your wealthy friends I look forward to speaking with them but let me assure you that people in need will be heard not only by me but this government what we have said is we are going to fix a disjointed patchwork system that is keeping our most vulnerable down when we should be lifting them up and restoring dignity for those people who need it most if someone finds themselves requiring assistance from a program of last resort we have a responsibility to support that person and get them stabilized and back on track but let me tell you something the current system is broken one in five people stay on Ontario works for more than five years one in seven people in Ontario are living in poverty more than 200,000 people were added to social assistance over the past 15 years and right now 46,000 people have been Ontario works for more than five years and the people who are relying on ODSP has increased by 3% annually that's 10,000 people every year we can do better, I can do better we will together get back on track member for Haldemann Norfolk to the Attorney General last Thursday our Government announced in keeping with our commitment to people in Ontario we are launching our own challenge of the federal carbon tax in the Ontario court of appeal challenge we can win this announcement was made a few short weeks after the Premier announced that Ontario will also be participating in Saskatchewan's challenge in the Saskatchewan court of appeal While we know the Trudeau Liberals carbon tax will obviously drive up the cost of goods and services we all rely on every day some have been asking why the rationale what is the rationale for participating in two challenges can the Attorney General share with this house why participating in two challenges is important. Thank you Mr. Speaker I am happy to clarify the necessity of this approach Ontario is working cooperatively with Saskatchewan to ensure that both provinces references proceed as efficiently and as affordably as possible. Combined with our partners in Saskatchewan our ask of our respective courts of appeal will allow for broad consideration of all possible arguments regarding the validity of the federal carbon tax. Anywhere the federal carbon tax is being constitutionally challenged we want to be part of that this approach can only increase our likelihood of success we were elected with a mandate to stand up for Ontario taxpayers and that's exactly what we're doing. Well through you speaker I would like to thank the Attorney General for that explanation and we all realize it's important we stand up for people in Ontario and I know this government is working hard to do just that. I also know it'll be a great day when we win this challenge to that end speaker I'm wondering if the Attorney General can speak a bit more about the benefits of our government's efforts and what we can see to benefit people in Ontario. For you Mr. Speaker I want to thank the member from Haldeman Norfolk for the follow-up question and I agree wholeheartedly with his comments challenging the Trudeau Liberals carbon tax is important. Our government campaigned on a promise to the people that we would work hard to put money back in taxpayers' pockets and bring real by challenging the federal carbon tax we're working hard to deliver on these commitments. As I said in this house last week our ask of the Ontario Court of Appeal is to provide advice on whether or not the federal carbon tax is unconstitutional in whole or in part. Our legal team is going to work hard and has been working hard to build our case and our government is confident in our position and that we will win. I am also confident that this challenge which will be using in-house lawyers at the Ministry of the Attorney General will cost significantly less than initially thought. Our government knows that this challenge will protect the hard-working people of Ontario from an unaffordable Thank you. We start the clock. The member for Key Wet and On. Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Health and Long Term Care. First Nations communities in my writing have been denied access to adequate health care for far too long. This has to change. There is a severe shortage of medical resources, safe health care infrastructure, medical professionals in northern communities and it's costing not too many lives causing too many people to suffer. There was a document that was signed between Canada, Ontario and Nishnabasca nation called the Charter of Relationship Principles governing health system transformation in non-territory. Will this government commit to fully funding the First Nations health transformation or will this government renege on on that commitment and force people in our communities to continue to suffer? Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. I thank the member for the question. It is a very serious issue. We've had a brief conversation about it before. I recognize that there are serious problems with health care in northern Ontario. Some of the fly-in communities as well. This is a priority for me. I look forward to working with you to make sure that we can improve health care outcomes for people across the province. It is unequal distribution. There are inequities there and I do take it seriously. I would like to hear more from you and work with you on this. Supplementary. Mr. Speaker, the needs of the people of the real north cannot be ignored any longer. In Sandy Lake, the nursing station model is not working anymore for that services 33,000 plus. Local residents are filling the gaps because of the there aren't enough medical professionals. In Sandy Lake, Pecanica, and other remote flying communities, little children like 5-year-old Brody Makers have died of strep throat infections. That would have been cured anywhere else and every single day I hear families and who cannot get the urgent health care they need. The charter I spoke about calls for accountability, responsibility, and resource allocation directly to the communities. Will the minister guarantee that every dollar that's been committed to First Nations health care will be delivered to our communities? Thank you. Thank you. I was aware of the child who died from strep throat because basic antibiotics weren't at the nursing station. I have had the opportunity to visit Sandy Lake and I know there are many other communities that are in a similar situation as we have discussed. Part of the problem is the fact that there is federal responsibility for some of the flying communities to provide health services, but the provincial government operates the ambulance and of course the hospital services. They need to be better coordinated. I certainly will be speaking with the federal minister about that, but I know there are many other issues that need to be solved so that we don't lose children, we don't lose people in communities. That would not happen in other parts of Ontario. I agree with you. Much work needs to be done and I look forward to working with you on that. Thank you very much. There being no deferred votes, this House stands in recess until 3 p.m. this afternoon.