 It is now time for question period the member from Nipissie If if if the if the members not here will stand down the lead question That the Minister of Finance is not going to be here for question period, so I'm seeking some guidance on is he coming? So so we can stand down our leads. Well hang on I I've indicated I've indicated I've indicated that if if a It's a courtesy that is offered of to who or is here or not here and That courtesy doesn't always mean that that person will or will not be here That said you always have the option to stand down your lead question if that person needs to hear the question One moment, please so I will I will have that stood down And we may end up having to go through extra rotations And I understand that and I was going to ask that the table restart the clock and Once I make the indication of how the member from Timon's James Bay will Stand on a point of order and ask me something. We're going to have a lead stand down We're gone to get our leader and she's not here just now So we're going to have to go with questions three Excuse me one moment, please I'm going to look to the house leaders for a nod on this and if we take a five-minute recess for everyone's purposes We'll take a five-minute recess It is now time for question period the member from the opposite question is to the Minister of Finance Two years ago your deficit was nine point two million a billion Last year your deficit soared to ten point five billion Yesterday you said you were pleased to report your deficit grew again to ten point nine billion dollars Minister the only deficit target you should be pleased with is when you hit zero You're heading farther away from balancing not closer. You're now spending 29 million dollars a day more than you're bringing in in fact in today's five-minute delay You spent a hundred and five thousand more dollars than you took in Minister you're failing families. You're hurting seniors and you're putting them into an ever-deafening poll Why should anyone believe you can balance the budget when you can't even reduce the deficit? Thank you I will I will act immediately on anyone that tries to get in heckles while I'm standing Minister finance, thank you mr. Speaker Well, the member opposite has noted the challenges that before this province over the last ten years Recognizing how tough it was in 2008 and 2009 not just in Ontario Similarly to the situation that happened with a federal government and Ontario mr. Premier Has taken action by stimulating growth and this year mr. Speaker. We beat our targets and again by one point six billion dollars And we do so by moving the trajectory to balance by 2017-18 as we said we would we're our target we're achieving results with the lowest cost government because some of the Tremendous actions we've taken on Treasury Board to reduce our spending to find the savings to keep our fiscal house in order While mr. Speaker contrary to the opposition We do want to make the economy to ensure that we grow GDP to make sure that everyone is employed To make sure people and their families are better off. Thank you Minister we realize it's April Fool's Day today, but you have to stop trying to fool the people of Ontario your own 2013 budget document Listed the projected deficit at ten point one billion dollars the fact you fluffed it up to a fake 12.5 billion dollar forecast only to announce it came in at ten point nine billion didn't fool us minister Let's go back to the secret internal cabinet documents. We obtained during the gas plant scandal file They talked about doing just what you did use a fake number for the deficit that was quote Never a real expectation Deliberate policy even that fake inflated number was ten point one billion You can't even meet your own fake number minister Mr. Speaker this is serious business the member opposite is slamming the cut the slamming the province He's talking down Ontario who have Here we go Mr. Speaker Ontario has now since the recession has surpassed almost every jurisdiction around the world to create 500,000 net new jobs Ontario has become the top destination in all of North America Beating out Texas New York, California every other province performed direct investment We're attracting investment mr. Speaker and that's because they know that we have a very competitive and Ensure that we have a very competitive business climate to keep our taxes low and sort of track that investment mr. Speaker We're creating jobs. We're stimulating growth. We're on a track to balance by 2017 18 as he said we would thank you To the minister now that we've heard the spin speaker Let's hear the facts the conference board of Canada said you can't balance the books by 2017 18 in their report titled How bad is it the Ontario Chamber of Commerce said quote? Ontario's fiscal situation is becoming increasingly dire We are likely to reach a state of crisis unless the province changes the way it does business Moody's lowered their outlook from stable to negative fish downgraded us today a minus Everyone but you Understands there's a serious problem in Ontario minister. When will you finally take the advice of experts and change course? Thank you. Thank you minister. Well, thank you mr. Speaker Well, the conference board of Canada also states that Ontario and the government of Ontario has the most integrity of its numbers and any Other government in Canada Board of Canada also states that Ontario is expected to lead all of Canada with growth in GDP because of the stimulus Packets that we put in place RBC TD Bank a number of economists Recognize the tremendous work that Ontarians have done that this province and this government has done to stimulate growth In order not only so that we can create greater revenue and greater wealth But a mr. Speaker we are the lowest cost government in Canada because of the efforts we've taken we have controlled our spending We're keeping our business in order to take a balance approach not extreme measures that put people in harm's way or Cut 100,000 people from their jobs as the opposition has recommended To the minister of finance your deficit which grew from nine point two billion to ten point five Ten point nine billion this year is proof that you're not listening to the experts You're not changing the way you do business. So minister Here's why all the focus on your deficit is so important the auditor general said quote Ontario's debt continues to grow faster than the province's economy which could have negative implications for the province's finances But her I'm going to ask the member from Ottawa Orleans and Hamilton East Tony Creek to come to order Well, that shouldn't be interpreted as encouragement Please finish. Thank you speaker. The auditor general's biggest concern was the quote Crowding out of other spending. We now have less money for the questions our citizens expect from the province We're starting to see frontline cuts in health care and education just as the auditor warned Thank you, sir. Are you too proud to admit your wrong? Mr. Speaker This side of the house will not fall prey to being reckless when it comes to cutting and Slashing and burning the very services that non terrians depend upon mr. Speaker We are also not going to be reckless in our spending Recognize that we must maintain our house in fiscal order and hold the line and we are because we become the lowest cost government per capita Funding and spending by any me by any government in comparison mr. Speaker. We also note this We have also become one of the lowest tax jurisdictions anywhere in the world be noted every US state when it comes to the combined corporate income tax We have also maintained very effective stimulus packages to encourage that investment and create those Those jobs that are so critical to families in Ontario and by so doing we take that balance approach It's a measured approach that we said all along that we would do and mr. Speaker We are disciplined and determined to balance by 2017 Thank you Minister we're seeing death by a thousand cuts right now today here in Ontario Nurses are being cut at hospitals right across the province. We all have examples here are some from my hometown in North Bay 94 full-time and 34 part-time Frontline health care workers including nurses have been cut more than 50 positions Including professors at Nipissing University have been cut 43 workers from Ontario Northland have been cut will you admit minister that you're wasteful? scandalous and mismanaged spending is reducing services hurting on tear Will you admit that you're wasteful? scandalous and mismanaged spending is reducing services hurting Ontario's children And putting the most vulnerable at risk Thank You minister Mr. Speaker, I'll admit that the member opposite is confused Because he is out of the term sucking and blowing mr. Speaker on the one hand He's suggesting that we make cuts He's suggesting go across the board and find greater savings and put people in harm's way Just as he ran in a platform to cut a hundred thousand jobs from Ontarians now he's saying wait a minute. You're cutting too much. Mr. Speaker. We're not doing that at all We're taking a balanced approach. We're transforming the way government does business The president of the Treasury Board is going line by line to ensure that everything we do is Grading greater value for Ontarians ensuring that we hold the line on our spending and mr. Speaker what they are not doing is Stimulating the economy. They're not Supporting transit and investment and infrastructure that enables us to do better answer and that is exactly what this budget is going to be all about And mr. Speaker it is enabling us to succeed and to surpass other provinces Minister on your watch Seniors and our most vulnerable have seen their hydro rates triple to the point They need to decide whether it's food or warmth, but that wasn't enough for you Your thirst to find even more money to feed your spending addiction seems to have no bounds You cut cataract surgeries you cut diabetes testing strips you cut physiotherapy for seniors This is exactly the crowding out the auditor general told you what happened if you didn't drastically change course at 10.9 billion dollar deficit built on self-interest is not a cause for celebration It's a legacy of disgrace and you should be ashamed of it Thank You mr. Speaker Ontario was hit very hard during that recession In fact, we hit that we were to hit the first and the hardest and we stayed the course and we held our ground and Ontarians stood tall stood strong to continue to reinvest in enabling us to not feel the shock of the recession as Deeply and as long as other places around the world He referenced some recommendations by Don Drummond not only have we surpassed all the work that was being recommended We have now even made even greater strides to ensure that we sustain even more savings going forward and mr. Speaker What that what the opposition are not talking about is investing in our people investing in education and our skills and training Investing in infrastructure and transit that enables us to provide for more jobs and mr. Speaker maintaining a very competitive Dynamic business climate so that we can create more jobs in our province and mr. Speaker. That's what we are doing. Thank you Thank you speaker my questions for the deputy premier Can the deputy premier tell me what page of the liberal platform? Ontarians could find the liberal plan to sell off hydro one and local electricity utilities Well speaker, I think the the member opposite know is full well that in our In our budget that they refused that they rejected not once not twice the most progressive budget Because we are committed to build the infrastructure that this province Thank you Finish, please we are committed to build the infrastructure that the people of this province are demanding of this government We need more investments in transit. We need more investments in transportation We need more investments in the vital infrastructure that people depend on speaker We have to pay for that speaker and that's why we're looking at our assets to see how we can recycle those assets and sir To build the infrastructure of tomorrow. Thank you Speaker, I know it's April Fool's Day, but most Ontarians have realized that budgets anything but progressive Nick from Wrote to the premier speaker and he was good enough to actually copy my letter copy my office on This is what Nick said quote at no time Did you ever state during your election campaign to the voting public that your platform included selling any valuable assets? Owned by the taxpayers of Ontario and quote. So what does the deputy premier have to say to people like Nick? I Would expect that the leader of the third party would have read the budget and I can refer you to page 20 of the budget Let me read this to you. The government will look at maximizing and unlocking value from assets It currently owns including real estate holdings as well as crown corporations such as wait for it Ontario power generation Hydro one and the liquor control board of Ontario Speaker on page four of the Ontario Liberal plan Says our moving Ontario forward plan includes a balanced and responsible approach to paying for these investments The funds will be from dedicated sources of revenue asset Optimization three point one five billion or ten point nine percent. It was in the budget and if ever we wanted Evidence that the third party didn't offer that budget speaker Final supplementary been honest and said sell off instead of unlocking and optimizing and people might have been able to get it That wrote to me speaker and Lena said quote private for-profit ownership of hydro will mean higher rates Lower dependability and an end to public control over this vital function Can the deputy premier give people like Lena any guarantee that the liberal privatization plan will mean higher bills less reliability and an end to public management of an important public utility speaker Well speaker not only were we very very clear in the 2014 budget That was twice rejected by the third party speaker that triggered the unnecessary election speaker but the third party also Integrated our fiscal assumptions into their platform Our budget they did not read their own assumptions She knows we have a mandate to move forward with unlocking the value of assets We've been very clear we are looking to unlock the value of those assets so we can invest in schools in hospitals in roads in bridges and Create jobs and build that necessary Transportation transit infrastructure. So despite what the NDP says we asked the council to retain answer the government's long-term Ownership of the assets core components. We recommend keeping all three companies. Thank you said it Clark My next question is also for the acting p premier investing in transit and transportation isn't a one-time deal It's going to take investment year in and year out The Liberals answer is a one-time sell-off of hydro one and local utilities She'll get they'll get a lump sum of money But that money is going to run out speaker and we'll be left paying higher hydro rates to private companies that have no Accountability no oversight and no interest in what's good from terry and speaker when the money runs out We're going to be right back here and the people will have to some find something else economic development Sustainable solutions for building and paying for infrastructure in this province Thank You mr. Speaker and I appreciate the question and listen we we recognize how important it is for us to Reinvest where we can to make even more money to the shareholders of this province which are the people of Ontario The taxpayers who own these craft corporations? We've also made it clear in the 2014 budget that we would look at these endeavors and these initiatives in order to maximize value To Ontario We are not going to put our heads to sands and pretend that there isn't something that we can do better That's why we're making these initiatives The member opposite also should know that we use this as a platform in our last election Which the people of in Ontario indoors and now I just want to read these three principles that were we abide by in this Very issue one that the public interest remains paramount and protected to that the decisions are aligned with maximizing value for Ontarians And three that the decision process remains transparent professional and infinitely validators speaker We're working in the interest of Ontarians who own these very kind corporations. Thank you If the liberals sell off hydro one this is going to be the result Ontarians will pay higher hydro bills And the premier will get a big lump of cash There's no doubt but speaker when the cash is spent Ontarians will still be paying skyrocketing hydro bills in this province and there won't be any money left for any other Infrastructure investments. Why can't this liberal government see the big picture when it comes to our hydro assets? Mr. Speaker well first off rates in Ontario are and always will be set by the Ontario energy board But secondly, we've established a trillion trust a trust to reinvest in transit any proceeds that are free from selling off land or Shares of corporations that we may own that aren't providing enough for support for the people of Ontario are Invested into this trust which are dedicated to transit This is about investing in transit investing in infrastructure to make us even more competitive that has a greater returns for Ontarians That provides for every dollar we invest we get $1.60 back. That's a much better return We want to ensure that we protect the interest of the public and it's an ongoing benefit What we will not do mr. Speaker answer is sell off something that happened by with a 407 Recognizing that we lost an annuity there. That is exactly what we're not going to do We're going to make every effort to ensure that we Thank you One makes money each and every year. We can leverage public control to manage Hydro rates. We can help with climate change Strengthen manufacturing and create jobs robust reliable profitable public hydro actually helps fund investment in public transit and Transportation Annually in this province because it puts money annually into the public coffers will the liberal government finally Abandon this ridiculous scheme to sell off our hydro utility and hydro one Mr. Speaker We can always do better with respect to our crown corporations We know that there are a number of dividends that we receive and we want to protect them In fact, we want to enhance them and provide for greater return and greater value for money in regards to them That's what we're doing here. Mr. Speaker the member opposite doesn't seem to feel It's necessary to invest in transit in Ensuring that we become more competitive with roads and bridges and infrastructure across this province She feels that we don't have to do that by way of looking at ways we can repurpose or revalue some of our our assets to maximize that Opportunity they would rather we not do anything and that mr. Speaker is not an answer to the problem. Thank you Thank you speaker My question is for the Attorney General. I Think we can all agree that rising municipal insurance premiums must be reigned in in fact We did all agree to that last February I introduced a private members resolution to implement a comprehensive long-term solution to reform joint and several liability for municipalities My motion received unanimous consent from all parties in this legislature Minister a year ago your government agreed. This was a serious issue and that it must be addressed That's why municipalities were so shocked when you told last year's aim of comments. You wouldn't do anything about it Municipalities want to know why did you change your mind and why won't you help them? And I want to thank the member for his question Legal liability reform is an important and complex issue that Significantly affect a diverse group of stakeholders in Ontario So the law Commission of in Ontario other provinces and other countries have examined this issue and determined that the rule of Joint and several liability is the fairest way of dealing with a shortfall in damage So after considering the feedback we receive from all stakeholders From all stakeholders Ontario has decided not to move forward with changes to the rule and join and several liability at this time so Mr.. Speaker we have looked at it. We have consulted with With many stakeholders and this joining several liability process has been in place for Almost 100 years and it will continue to thank you supplementary. Thank you speaker again to the Attorney General Speaker for this for years this government has been promising action I've seen the Attorney General's files. They show you such sought advice from trial lawyers They show you saw that you sought no advice from insurers Municipalities or taxpayers at the recent Roma ogre conference. I spoke with many municipal officials Overwhelmingly they are furious It's time to respect the will of municipalities across Ontario and respect the resolution that was passed in this house by all parties Last year will you do it and will you support the resolution I tabled two months ago? Say that to the member of the opposition if your son as an accident and he's totally disabled You know I will not be able to look in his eyes and say your dad and I when it was possible to do so We changed the the rules and now you have to rely on welfare for your benefits I wouldn't be able to do that and that's why after the consultation We have decided that we will continue with this join and several liability. Thank you, Mr. Speaker The member from Timmins James me my question is the deputy premier premier Can you confirm if the premier's legal team has been in discussion with the legal teams for either Pat Sabara or mr Saw or mr. Lawheed in order to coordinate their defense We're delighted that the member from Sudbury has has joined our caucus. He is a very very fine member The member from Timmins James Bay knows full well that we're taking this seriously That the premier is cooperating completely with the investigation And he also knows that there's this investigation is taking place outside this legislature by people who are Competent and qualified to perform such an investigation Well definitely no answer just more rhetoric on the part of the government so I'll ask it again Is the premier's legal team in discussion with the legal team from both mr. Lawheed and mrs. Sabara when it comes to coordinating their defense in regards to the bribery allocation. Yes or no I said earlier there's an investigation taking place the premier and All of us are cooperating fully with that investigation when asked speaker about investigation taking place outside this legislature Which is where it should be taking place. Thank you your question member from halt Beaker my question is for the minister of Labor in my writing of halton a number of organizations have advocated for better income supports Including increases to the minimum wage tax relief for low-income earners and better protections for workers across Ontario groups like poverty-free halton community development halton and the halton poverty roundtable of all asked for stronger Supports for workers in my community workers were pleased with a minimum wage was increased to $11 an hour last June But speaker we have all seen what inflation does to the cost of living Minimum wage workers are particularly hard hit by the soaring costs of goods in Ontario Speaker through you to the minister. Can you please explain how our government is addressing this issue for minimum wage earners in the Retail food service and other sectors in my right Thank you to the honorable member from halton for the question as you will know last summer our government bought in the 8th increase to the Minimum wage since we were first elected in 2003 those of you in the house will remember in 2003 when we took over from the party across Working for an hour at the minimum wage In Ontario earned you $6.85 even less of your student speaker We've come a long way last spring we announced that the the minimum wage would increase from $10 and 25 cents to $11 We had we introduced legislation That would tie further increases to the minimum wage to those same increases we see in consumer price index Speaker that legislation died on the order paper when the party across Triggered the election we had last spring to the leadership of our premier though speaker We bought that legislation back and we've been able to pass it this policy through our commitment to annual to tie annual increase Speaker to the minimum wage to the way inflation Mr. Speaker, I'm proud to be a member of a party that is standing up for the hard-working minimum wage earners across our province We have come a long way From $6.85 an hour to $11 per hour and soon $11 and 25 cents an hour But some are advocating for an even higher minimum wage But some small business owners in Halton have concerns that rising minimum wages might result in slow growth or even job cuts With global economic uncertainty and the evolving nature of our economy the way forward must be carefully considered We must balance the needs of businesses while ensuring our minimum wage earners keep up with the rising cost of living Speaker can the minister please explain how he plans to reach his balance Thank you speaker and thank you again for the supplementary speaker all hard working on Terrians need to know that the income They have will keep up with the cost of living Part of the reason we tied annual increases in the minimum wage to the CPI was to take the politics out of the decision Another reason was to ensure the businesses in this province have a predictable and a fair way to plan for the annual increase Each year the government announces the new minimum wage before April 1st Businesses then have six months to prepare for that increase and it comes into effect October the 1st This new process speaker that we have in place was part of the recommendations of the minimum wage advisory panel It advised the government on the best approach to take we heard from experts speaker We heard from workers. We heard from businesses. They want stable and predictable increases to the minimum wage I'm proud to say that on this side of the house We're bringing forward the ninth increase to the minimum wage since we took office and that families is Families and businesses in this province now have a time to adequately prepare for its speaker. Thank you Mr. Speaker my question is to the minister of economic development Why is the minister reneging on his government's commitment to the Rouge National Urban Park and putting the whole thing at risk by playing petty partisan political games Mr. Speaker this member may not realize it But he's speaking to a member who's dedicated the last 30 years of his life to preserving this park It isn't my own backyard as a member from Scarborough It's something I've worked on since I was a young lad working in these halls as an assistant So for you to question my commitment to this park is absolutely ridiculous And for you miss for the member to question this government's commitment to this part This was the government mr. Speaker under David Peterson that saved the Rouge Park mr. Speaker This is the only government right now that's standing up to make sure that the current protections We have in place are maintained which is part of the agreement the federal government made We will not mr. Speaker sell out our commitment to that next generation to ensure that the park is there for them to enjoy Even if you want that we're not going to Mr. Speaker more than two years ago Ontario signed an agreement to transfer land to the federal government to help create the Rouge National Urban Park in Scarborough However, the minister recently decided to go back on his word and derail the entire process for no good reason He even has the gall to use it for liberal fundraising the Globe and Mail recently said this Ontario's just if you're not pulling out of the deal doesn't hold up to scrutiny The globe went on to say that he's playing games and it appears that the interests of his government don't include letting the federal Conservatives announced a new national park in the GTA during this election cycle When will the minister keep his word and stop holding up the Rouge National Urban Park? I Gave some I gave some people a warning about me standing and they're continuing to heckle Answer please Remains absolutely committed to a federal national park at some point in time when the federal government is willing to live up to their Their agreement mr. Speaker their part of that agreement. They were supposed to mr. Speaker put forward legislation That was equal to remember the storm on come the order that we currently have in Ontario today I have a legal document mr. Speaker that that verifies that that is simply not the case And I've had legal representation take a look at that just to verify to ensure that our position is Credible a mr. Speaker our position is absolutely credible the current federal Legislation is much weaker than the than the protections that that land has now You're asking us to pass on that land to weaker federal protections. We're not gonna do it, mr. Speaker Mrs. Speaker the federal government ought to work with us Same holds true on this side New question remember from London Thank you, Speaker my question is to the acting premier Speaker today Londoners learned that double salary deals in lieu of leave for senior university executives are not new in the sector in fact the president of Western University received an earlier double payout in 2009 when he was at the University of Waterloo Acting premier when you became aware of the double payout in 2009 Why did your government do nothing to prevent these kinds of deals that result in million dollar salaries from being negotiated by University boards of Governors We passed bill 8 we introduced bill 8 prior to the election Speaker we would have passed it sooner had an unnecessary election not been triggered when we reintroduced the legislation the NDP voted against the Opportunity to control executive So we Time in the broader public sector that's why we introduced bill 8 that is why we are moving forward to develop the frameworks for appropriate executive compensation So speaker they're just a little bit late to this party why they voted against the legislation that will give us The right to actually control executive compensation of the broader public sector answer their accusations a little bit hollow Thank You speaker on Monday the Minister of Training Colleges and universities said that the public has a right to know that Tax dollars are being spent properly, but on Tuesday He said that universities are autonomous institutions and can make their own hiring and contract decisions Acting Premier Ontario students are facing the highest tuition rates in Canada Increasing class sizes and more classes taught by contract faculty than ever before How can the public be assured that taxpayer dollars are being spent appropriately? When university boards of Governors are allowed to write double salary clauses into the contracts of senior university executives Let me repeat bill 8 Gave the government the ability to actually control broader public sector executive compensation That is a good piece of legislation This house passed it without the support of the NDP So how they can stand up now and criticize us for not taking action speaker when they Voted against the very action that they're demanding now is just beyond me speaker So we are on this we are addressing this issue speaker because we do believe that the taxpayers of this province the Citizens of this province should know why people are paid what they are paid And those are the answers that we are developing right now as we speak speaker Thank You speaker my question is for the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry Speaker Ontario's forestry industry contributes about 11 billion dollars to our economy and supports about 200,000 direct and indirect jobs This includes cherry forest products in puzzling Ontario very near my riding of Cambridge which employs over 100 workers in 2013 Ontario exported 4.9 billion dollars in forestry products Forestry operations can only realize full economic potential when there's synergy between operations Sawmill operators rely on selling their residuals in order to maintain their economic viability Therefore, it's imperative that Ontario finds innovative ways to put wood waste to work One potentially would waste is biomass energy through you mr. Speaker to the minister. What is our government doing to support innovative uses such as biomass for forestry? Thank you very much, and I want to thank the the member for the question There are in fact some very encouraging signs in the forestry industry right now We are seeing a number of new sawmills opening on a regular basis We are now harvesting upwards of 14 million cubic meters of wood in the depth of the recession and forestry We're down to about 8 million cubic meters In fact a new industry in northern Ontario called biomass pellet production has just begun a couple of weeks ago I was in Atacocan with my colleague minister of Northern Development and Mines and with the support of $4 million from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund We have seen two biomass pellet production facilities open one in Wawa one in Atacocan Speaker it's good news for the forest industry It will help them ride through the cyclical ups and downs that we have traditionally seen in the industry It's new it's creating more jobs And it's another good piece of what we're seeing happening in forestry I'm sure a piece of the industry speaker that did not use to exist until these two operations just got started So we're very proud of this piece in northern Ontario. Thank you speaker Thank you speaker, and I think the minister not only for the answer but for his commitment to supporting Ontario's forestry sector Maintaining a market for forestry residuals is a key part of supporting the economic viability of mills Throughout Ontario, and I know that this investment will go a long way in supporting this very important sector By increasing our use of biomass energy Ontario can reduce our use of fossil fuels and reduce our carbon footprint Unlike oil gas or coal which emit carbon absorbed from the environment thousands of years ago There's no additional carbon released from the combustion of biomass It emits the same carbon that it absorbed just a few months or years ago In fact two million tons of wood pellets could produce 3.4 billion kilowatt hours of electricity This is sufficient to power about 285,000 homes in Ontario Speaker again through you to the minister. What is our government doing to put the wood waste to work and support? Thank you minister Speaker in 2003 all political parties made a commitment to close coal in the province of Ontario We've followed through on that commitment And I know our Minister of Environment and Climate Change is very happy that we've actually begun to do that Beaker my point is that that policy of closing coal in Ontario has led directly to the conversion of two of those old coal plants One in Thunder Bay and one in Atacocan now speaker that conversion of those coal plants has Indirectly I would say or if not directly led to the spawning of this new industry here in the province of Ontario In the Atacocan context the rent tech facility that is located in Atacocan now has a contract for years out To supply biomass pellets to the Atacocan generating station So what we now have is a piece where we've gotten out of coal We've created a new industry in the province its green it's sustainable answer engaged first nations And it's a long-term new approach to providing forestry in the province of Ontario. It's a good piece on a variety of levels Thank you speaker speaker my questions to minister of finance Minister the loss of a loved one is never easy We all know that the time period is extremely difficult for all Ontarians the state administration tax underwent changes this year These changes broaden the criteria of what would be affected Shortens amount of time that is required to comply to these new rules by 90 to 90 days It increases the penalties by misfiling by adding jail time of two years Why is your government making it more difficult for Ontarians implementing these changes? Thank you miss we can I appreciate the question certainly the member opposite recognizes the importance to ensure integrity in Our revenues ensuring that everyone pays their appropriate share and their fair share and That's all this is about mr. Speaker We're asking people to comply with what's the law and nothing more. Thank you If your speaker minister what you're asking people to do within a 90-day time period Which may be impossible if some to actually get the documents if they don't do so they're going to jail That's ridiculous minister. We on this side of the house hope your government isn't trying to find new ways To find new ways to tax people after they die. Are you scrambling to cover your government's financials mismanagement? Yeah, mr. Speaker, you know member opposite wants us to Ensure we manage appropriately the revenues the expenses to ensure that everything is running effectively to look at the underground economy To ensure everybody pays their fair share and we recognize family struggle in those times mr. Speaker and they prepare ahead of time There's a lot of lawyers involved. There's trust funds as estates. There's a number of mechanisms that are being used Which actually? Procludes certain things to be done appropriately. We want to make certain that everybody abides as they should that's all this is mr. Speaker The member opposite of all from that party who is asking for this to even be implemented In terms of providing for all the measures necessary to balance the books This is not what about this is not about balancing the books about just making sure but Thank you mr. Speaker Thank You speaker my question is for the acting premier this morning's report gives us only a glimpse of the Liberals Sam's fiasco At least 57 problems defects identified on a weekly basis. Yes deputy premier. I'm coming to you and still and staff are still Overwhelmed nearly five months after Sam's started creating chaos for social assistance recipients Will the acting premier finally admit that the Liberals got us into the Sam's mass and still months leader has no clue how to fix it Thank you very much mr. Speaker and I was certainly pleased to receive the interim report from Pricewaterhouse Coopers this morning and to release it publicly This is the interim report. We're going to be studying it very carefully We will receive a more fulsome comprehensive report in its final iteration at the end of this month And I'm really pleased to see that they have taken a very broad look at the issues around Sam's They're looking at planning organizational change management user experience stakeholder management and Communications and the transition to operations and governance some of their preliminary findings are certainly acknowledged The problems with Sam's of course We has a ministry our project team along with our partners IBM have been working literally around the clock to engage the staff and Make improvements within the system and so as we look forward we know that stuff do need more support We acknowledge that and we will be moving forward Thank you Frontline staff and families on OW and ODSP can tell this government Absolutely everything that they need to know about the failures of Sam Has left them without money for food and rent they can tell the Liberals how Sam's sent hundreds of private Tax details and sin numbers to the wrong people in fact They've been trying to tell the Liberals for over a year that Sam's has been a disaster waiting to happen Speaker will the minister table the invoices for the complete cost of a report that wouldn't be needed if the Liberals Actually listened to case workers social assistance recipients from the very start Yes, well, thank you mr. Speaker well as I've said in this house I do want to acknowledge and thank all our dedicated case workers and I see many members here from QP and OPSU and I think they're well aware That I I mean it when I say that we want to work together In fact make their lives a little more Simple in terms of this particular computer system to make it more user friendly and I'm actively engaged in that myself in terms of what the report has found of course Are a number of findings Some areas for improvement will make sure that all offices are adapting the way they deliver services So that they can be supported in terms of the business Functions in those offices We definitely know and we've learned sir. It's confirmed with this report that we need to improve Best practices the dissemination of best practices across all thank you 250 offices in this product Merci monsieur the president my cat Thank you, mr. Speaker my question is for the minister responsible for francophone affairs this year We celebrate the 400 years of French presence in Ontario And it is important to realize that there are more than 1.2 million francophones and francophiles in Ontario Whether they are Franco-Ontarians Since 400 years or Franco-Ontarians that come from recent immigration all francophones in Ontario are Preparing for great celebrations this year Mr. Speaker Will the minister responsible for francophone affairs give give us an overview of what the government is doing for the 400 years Thank you, mr. Speaker First of all, I would like to thank the and Our member from Ottawa South in June 2013 We announced that we wanted to commemorate the 400 years of francophone present presence in Ontario in September we were announced we announced in Sudbury 5.9 million dollars to Help different projects Those celebrations will mostly happen during the summer from June to October and mr. Speaker Francophones and francophiles are inviting all Ontarians to come and celebrate with us. Thank you Thank you question Thank you, mr. Speaker, and thank you to the minister For her answer and also for her relentless energy when it comes to a francophony It is very exciting to see everything And that is happening in ontarian francophony in general But also when it comes to the celebration of 400 years of French presence in Ontario My question once again is for the minister responsible for francophone affairs Can the minister share with us the progress that is Happening concerning the community celebrations that will happen For the 400 year celebration the minister Yes, the office has received many applications from many organizations and groups and municipalities They all have a great interest in celebrating the 400 years We are not going through the applications and we will analyze them soon And we will then announce those that will receive a fine funds for their projects. I Have to say that I am looking forward to the celebrations when it comes to cultural or historical celebrations that will be a festival at The front parks and we will also Reproduce the 400 years anniversary There is a Franco Fett in Toronto. There was another one in Ottawa. I Also went to the launch of the movie on a summer the Champlain produced by TFO And I will encourage all of you here to watch this film called the rev the Champlain produced by TFO. Thank you Thank you very much My questions for the minister finance minister last April I wrote to you after meeting with the service clubs in my riding Concerning a number of issues that are hindering their everyday operations on February 19th My resolution on service clubs was debated in pass unanimously with all-party support in this house The resolution stated the minister of finance should immediately move to have a standing committee investigate the legislative and regulatory Barriers and burdens facing service clubs in Ontario who serve their respective communities and conduct ongoing community service Which helps alleviate alleviate the demand for publicly funded services? So again minister the resolution as you know received all-party support, so I ask you when are you going to strike the committee? Thank You mr. Speaker and thank you to the member opposite. I welcome The member's interest in discussing service clubs certainly around Ontario and the impact has on our respective communities I recognize and value the importance and the role that the service clubs provide our communities The member is commended for engaging in this discussion prefer looking at the issues that provide Some added challenges many of which are municipal and federal in nature But we would like to take the opportunity to remind the member that financial audits certainly our regulations that he has Request to review potentially modify them. We have to do that with respect to the federal government and And when it comes to HST and other things for the service clubs Again, it's something that we're trying to work with the federal government as well. So again, Mr. Speaker. I welcome the member from Welcome mr. Wilson's Interest in this and and he's to be commended and I look forward to further discussing this further in the supplementary Thank You mr. I'll give you a hint Her Majesty is the leader of Her Majesty's Royal Opposition Supplementary I've been called worse so As you know and all members of the house I think would agree service clubs are the backbone of our communities right across the province Their dedication to serving so many deserving causes their sense of community and ability to bring people together Service clubs make Ontario a better place to live and to do business while alleviating Significant a significant financial burden burden off your shoulders minister and off the state's shoulders the province's shoulders In terms of the good work that they do they often fill the gaps that government can't do and shouldn't do and You know when you got them when we got them together And they were represented from hundreds of service clubs some individual clubs some Some of the people that filled out my survey were responding on behalf of their region There were a number of issues that were federal and I'm dealing with the federal government on those taking your advice You did write me a letter suggesting that But we need a committee provincially because many more of their issues were provincial matters Some of them small some of them big thank you make their lives better so they can help other people make their lives better Again a speaker I commend The leader of the official opposition Of Ontario for the work and and the consensus around this legislative assembly to do just that and certainly when it comes to issues in regards to Property tax as you know the not-for-profit service clubs are are charged at a residential rate as opposed to The commercial rate and again working with municipalities to try to make it even more effective For those service clubs that provide such a tremendous amount of work for us when it comes to gaming and the olg Some of the things that you've requested in respect to that. We know that working with municipalities to look at The charity casino opportunities for them and mr. Speaker when it comes to striking a committee I encourage all house leaders to put forward something and enable this to take place. So congratulations. Thank you for the work You're doing My question is the acting pre-bearer Last week I asked the minister of health to stop deep cuts to surgery in London But he said he didn't know the specifics A week later. It's just not surgeries But thousands of hours of patient care that are being cut London health sciences centre is eliminating a staggering 97 full-time positions And st. Joseph's is cutting 24 full-time jobs The liberals can't say they don't know about cuts to our hospitals that put patients at risks The real question is why doesn't the health minister care and why doesn't this liberal government care? Well, thank you, mr. Speaker and uh, I do remember the question from last week with regards to the elective surgery what What the member officer didn't mention at that point in time about that two week hiatus Which in many hospitals around the province on a scheduled basis there are closures of Surgeries of operating theaters for a variety of reasons This was a scheduled closure for a two-week period which occurs from time to time And in fact despite what the member opposite had to say last week There were no surgeries that were cancelled. There were no surgeries that were scheduled that were cancelled And this this was a measure that that took place As I mentioned from time to time at hospitals with the full knowledge of the lin as well It didn't impact patient care. There's no negative impact in terms of ER or other services And I'm happy to address the other issue in the supplementary They don't Supplementary the member from kitchen water Thank you to the acting premier hospitals across the province are laying off front line nurses and staff because of the liberal budget cuts At grant river hospital in kitschner 45 layoffs notices were sent to staff that announcement came today That's on top of the 33 layoffs at cambridge memorial hospital last month No one believes the spin that front line jobs in our hospitals don't hurt patients Families know that fewer nurses and hospital staff mean one thing Patients will wait even longer for the care that they need When will the liberals stop these reckless cuts to our hospitals? Stop the layoffs in kitschner and waterloo and across the province and stop putting patient care at risk Thank you. And mr. Speaker. I think the member opposite knows that layoff notices do not equal layoffs In many cases in fact around the province From time to time there are shifts and programs and services often There are vacant positions that haven't been filled previously And those positions are removed so that services can be provided elsewhere within a hospital In fact when layoffs are required for certain programs often the individuals working in those positions Are in fact deployed as is required because of representative rights and the union representatives the model that has been created Is that that layoff is required to transfer that individual to another area of the hospital But the member opposite does know that we have 24,000 more nurses working in this province Then then we did approximately a year ago We have 5,000 more physicians working in the province over the same period of time We've increased our funding to hospitals across the province by roughly 50 percent in the last decade as well, mr. Speaker Good question The member from Pickering Ajax Ajax Pickering Minister of Education, I know that Ontario's public Is recognized as one of the best in the world I'm extremely proud of our accomplishments as our success has been based on the Talent dedication and hard work our education community I know that we are investing in education to ensure that our students continue to achieve excellence And we have a lot to be proud of in terms of student achievement Just today both you and the premier announced that more students are graduating than ever before This is incredible news Minister, can you please tell us how our government is helping students graduate with the skills they need to succeed in today's global Competitive world. Thank you Yes, thank you very much speaker and thank you to the member from Ajax Pickering Although I must admit it was a little hard to hear them over here But I do think from what I could hear that the member is absolutely correct that more students are graduating than ever before When we came into office in 2003 only 68 percent of students were graduating from high school Within five years today. We announced that 84 That's a 16 percentage point increase in the graduation rate in Ontario Answer More students finish please Wrap up one second that means that 163,000 more students have graduated than would have if we had I I might come to the member from Ajax Pickering on a supplementary, but no I think I will Thank you, mr. Speaker and and you are correct both ways mr. Speaker as always. Thank you Minister I know constituents in my writing are pleased to hear that more students than ever are graduating I know our government continues to invest in schools The high graduation rate demonstrates that our government's student success strategy is working minister This means that our graduation rate is now just one percentage point away from government's goal of 85 percent of students Graduating can you please tell us what steps our government will take to ensure? We reach our important goal of 85 percent of students graduating. Thank you very much Thank you Last 10 years our student success strategy has provided support and resources for students And ensured all high school students have access to learning opportunities that match their future aspirations For example, our specialist high skills major program allows 44,000 students to focus on knowledge and skills in various economic sectors Our dual credit programs have allowed 22,000 students to earn up to four credits That counts towards both their high school diploma and a college diploma degree or apprenticeship We've worked very hard to make sure that Ontario students have a strength to develop their strengths their interest their goals During their school experience and we will continue to ensure that students are graduating with the knowledge And skills they need thank you their full potential Thank you I would like to welcome Mary Ann and Jim baddie to queens park They made the trek to Toronto from my riding their good friends and neighbors of ours from the promoson tees water belmour area Little built on a point of order. Thank you, speaker. I wish to correct my record on march 26 I refer to the hersey i institutes as an independent health facility. They are not Thank you The member from Ottawa or leans on a point of order one of order monsieur It is a pleasure for me to introduce maryanne martel who is here From the association of a french-speaking lawyers of ontario and she's here to present For the francophone caucus I think everyone in the legislature knows we are a hundred days away today from the official start of the pan am pair of pan am games And I just want to make sure though. I know every member of the house would be aware that the pan am pair of pan am metals Are actually here in the in the legislature today. I'm sure many have already been to see them But for those who haven't they are on display until 130 today in committee room 228 There being no deferred votes this house stands recessed until 3 p.m. This afternoon