 It is now time for Question Period, the leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the acting Premier. Today I was saddened to read about the passing of Sharon Shomblay. She recently lost her battle with cancer. And as the London Free Press put it, her death came after long bureaucratic delays in approving a potentially life-saving bone marrow transport in Buffalo, New York. This is after Ontario did not have the capacity to meet the demand for transplants. As Ms. Shomblay's daughter said, it was a matter of a week and she would have had a fighting shot. Mr. Speaker, Ms. Shomblay deserved that fighting shot. It's too late for Ms. Shomblay, but will this government promise that not one more life will be lost because of bureaucratic red tape and delays waiting for transplants? Thank you. Well, first of all, Mr. Speaker, let me express my sincere condolences to the family of Ms. Shomblay. It's, Mr. Speaker, totally unacceptable to me that patients in this province should have to wait unacceptably long times for life-saving procedures such as stem cell transplants. And it was regrettably because of situations like the one experienced by this family that I was alerted to some of the challenges that we have in this province with regards to stem cell transplants. And we, of course, announced additional funding in our budget to increase the capacity. We have already made some progress in reducing wait times. We've invested up to $100 million for out-of-country care. I know that this is too late for this family and this remarkable individual, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Supplementary? Mr. Speaker, back to the acting premier. The government may say it's unacceptable, but this just happened. It just happened. This is your health ministry. This is your government's responsibility. I learned that by the time the Buffalo transplant was approved by government officials and final tests were done, Ms. Shomblay's cancer, which was in remission, had returned, meaning the transplant was canceled. It was decided the transplant was necessary, but it took 130 days to have the transplant approved. 130 days for a medically necessary transplant. Mr. Speaker, here is the question that Ms. Shomblay's daughter asked. And she asked to the London media, and I'm going to raise it here today to the government. She asked, you wouldn't make somebody with a gunshot wound wait for surgery. Why are people waiting for transplants? Why does Ontario not have the capacity to treat its own patients? Thank you. So, Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned, we're investing an additional $30 million in increasing the capacity across the province. We're strengthening the network, the three sites across this province in Hamilton and Toronto and Ottawa that provide that support. A $100 million fund for out-of-country. We've recently, in fact, changed the guidelines where those even in who have relapsed with their cancer will be eligible for both in-province and out-of-province care. We're funding for a caretaker, rather a caregiver, Mr. Speaker, out-of-country to be provided alongside the transplant support. We've increased our funding for stem cell transplants in this province allogenic by some 600% over the last number of years. The capacity at locations like Mount Sinai has gone up by 25% in the last year. We're making other changes to make sure that this life-saving procedure is available, Mr. Speaker. Final supplementary. Mr. Speaker, back to the acting Premier. This happened in your city. Mr. Speaker, this happened in London. It's happening across Ontario. And the government can say all their talking points they like. It's not good enough. This happened in Ontario. And Ms. Chamblet's daughter Amanda said things need to change. The status quo doesn't work in Ontario. Mr. Speaker, things absolutely have to change. And saying what you did 15 years ago or 10 years ago or five years ago isn't good enough. A life was at risk here. We don't need focus groups. We don't need panels or more bureaucracy. We need investment in patients. We need action before one more life is lost. So Mr. Speaker, what will the government do to ensure another family doesn't have to go through what the Chamblet family had to endure? Thank you. Well, Mr. Speaker, it is because I see this as unacceptable that we have acted. We acted in the budget with the $30 million. We're adding a fourth site for stem cell transplant here in Toronto at Sunnybrook Hospital, Mr. Speaker. We are changing the rules surrounding out-of-country care as well and the options available for individuals on wait lists in this province. But the Leader of the Opposition needs to acknowledge and know as well that this is a procedure that over recent years has become available and an option for many, many more people than previously it would have been available for. That's not an excuse for inaction, Mr. Speaker. I've created a task force of clinical experts to do everything humanly possible to continue to reduce those wait times to make sure that out-of-country is a viable option and provide the services that individuals in this province do deserve, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. New question? The Leader of the Opposition. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Acting Premier. Because this government has been signing contracts for power that we don't need, Ontario has lost over $3.5 billion in power to other jurisdictions. We are subsidizing New York and Michigan who gladly take our power for pennies on the dollar. When did Ontario's energy minister become the Economic Development Minister for New York State? When did the Premier become the Economic Development Minister for Michigan? Because that's the effect of this government's disastrous energy crises. Why should Ontario's businesses and families be subsidizing our competition in New York and Michigan? Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the question from the Leader of the Opposition. Of course that party was in power for a number of years, Mr. Speaker. And the Minister of Energy... Order. Minister. Speaker, and the Minister of Energy of the Day was the... The member from the PM... Minister? I have a list in my head and I'm going to go through it. If you want to keep adding your name, carry on. The member from Simcoe Gray come to order. The member from Carlton come to order. The member from the Leeds Grant will come to order and the Deputy House Leader come to order. Minister? And in December 11, 2001, the then Minister of Energy said with respect to import, export of power, any power we sell to the U.S. to go back to Manitoba or power they sell to us is surplus power. It's opportunity power. It is pure profit in terms of its power that otherwise... I'm going to be insistent and if it continues to happen, if I hear members' names other than their writing or their title, I'll start putting you on the list. It stops. Raise the level of respect, please. You have one wrap-up sentence. Mr. Speaker, there's a trade in electricity among jurisdictions. The ISO will confirm that last year we made a net profit of $350 million. Thank you, Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Sport. Come to order. Oh, and if you'd like to try it again, you'll get sent a second time. Supplementary. Mr. Speaker, again to the acting Premier, and although it's humorous to hear the Minister of Energy try to explain why he is subsidizing businesses in New York and Michigan at the expense of Ontario, the reality is the Premier is in Timmons today. And the Premier in Timmons is going to get an earful from municipal leaders who passed a resolution saying that this government's energy policies are disastrous on Northern Ontario. There is no doubt she is hearing story after story about how out-of-control hydro rates have hurt businesses and families in North Ontario. Mr. Speaker, I'm sure she will hear many people tell her how they were in disbelief, utter disbelief, when the Minister of Finance had the dossier to say that hydro rates were going down. Mr. Speaker, will the government be making an announcement today in Timmons that hydro rates will be some relief for struggling Northern communities, or is today's trip simply another photo op? Mr. Speaker, the level of understanding of the electricity sector by the leader of the opposition leads a lot to be desired, Mr. Speaker. Little does he know, Mr. Speaker, that for industrial rates... Finish, please. Mr. Speaker, little does he know that the electricity rates for industrial customers in Northern Ontario are among the lowest in North America, Mr. Speaker. In fact, the rates are among the lowest... I'll do this all day. The member from the Pean-Carlton Second Time, leader of the opposition. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, I was in Timmons several weeks ago to announce a program under the IEI program where the benefit went to two mining companies, Mr. Speaker, where they saved millions of dollars by participating in the IEI program. And, Mr. Speaker, the CEO of one of those was very, very congratulatory to our energy policies in Northern Ontario, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Final supplementary, the member from Latter-Foreign Athletics in Erickton. Again, to the Minister of Energy. I know it's highly unlikely the minister will answer my question, but I do expect his response to be truthful and honest. As a constituent of mine, the coast lakes have a cottage which is unused in the winter. Yet, on April 3rd, 7th, and 13th this year, they received three different hydro bills. One was for $112 for no power. One was for $116 for no power used. Both were estimates. However, their final bill was their actual bill, and they used 20 cents of electricity, but the total cost had now jumped to $137. Three different bills, three different costs. Speaker, will the minister tell us which other province charges $137 to deliver 20 cents of electricity and takes three pines to get it right? Before I turn to the minister, the minister of natural resources and forestry will come to order. I have a good memory. Finish, please. Mr. Speaker. The member from Renford and Nipissing Pembroke come to order. You can count all you want. I can jump to a warning. I can jump to naming, too. It's my call, not yours. Minister Speaker, I will be the first to acknowledge that out of 4.6 million customers, Mr. Speaker, who are on the smart meters and who are metered and received bills in that manner, Mr. Speaker. There will be some cases, Mr. Speaker, where there are errors. But the member should know, Mr. Speaker, that Hydro One has a dedicated telephone line for members of provincial parliament to call with specific questions where they have bills that appear to be not in accordance with what you might expect, Mr. Speaker. We also have a new ombudsman, Mr. Speaker, who is available. But most important, Mr. Speaker, the customer complaint service has improved dramatically at Hydro One, Mr. Speaker. The stats will show you 90% of them. New question. The member from Ramelechor, multiple. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Acting Premier. As we all know, Ontario is growing. There are nearly 14 million people that call Ontario home. And in fact, there's 100,000 more people that live in Ontario today than the same time last year. Peel is a perfect example of growth. We have record growth in Peel. However, funding across Ontario is not keeping up with inflation, nor is it keeping up with population growth. So, will the government do the right thing and ensure that hospital funding keeps up with both population growth as well as inflation? Thank you, Deputy Premier. Minister of Health, long-term care. Well, Mr. Speaker, I think the third party knows by now that we've increased our health care budget, Mr. Speaker, by approximately 2% this year in the recently passed budget. And of that, nearly a third, $345 million. In fact, the member from Renfrew, just I've said it obviously enough times that it has sunk in that more than 2% investment in our hospitals on the operating side, which is quite separate, of course, from the capital investments that $12 billion of the next 10 years, the $50 million of additional monies that we put into the renovations and the maintenance that are required by our hospitals each and every year. But $345 million, a 2.1% increase in the line item, which will do a lot of things for hospitals, not just base funding, but also continue to reduce those wait times, those wait times that we're among the best in Canada for. Dr. Montrini. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Listen, communities across Ontario are growing, and funding isn't keeping up with that growth. On top of that, costs they face are growing up, from medication to hydro bills. Those are growing up with inflation, and funding is not keeping up with that. When costs go up and funding doesn't, that's a cut. The government can deny it all they want, but the people see it when they go to hospitals and see that they're waiting longer for services. They see it when they're seeing services cut out of their communities. The government can deny it all they want, but, Mr. Speaker, can they take the first step towards fixing this problem and admit that they're cutting services, they're cutting hospital services in Ontario? Yes, sir. Well, Mr. Speaker, we aren't cutting services, unlike the NDP when they were in government, who closed 24% of all the acute hospital beds in the province, and closing 13% of all the mental health beds. We're not doing that. We are maintaining and in fact improving services, and in fact the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, or ISIS, reviewed what has resulted because of our funding changes, our focus on quality, our health system funding reform, and they found indeed that the number of patients being seen have increased, but they're seeing the same or improved outcomes. They're seeing that their readmission rates are remaining the same, but they're seeing importantly that things like urinary tract infections, pressure source, falls and pneumonia, those important things that can happen in hospitals, and in fact we've seen improvements since the rates of those important indicators are going down, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Final supplementary. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. There's something very strange going on with the Liberals and I think it requires a translator, so I'm going to try to do my best part to translate for them. So optimizing an asset translates to selling off an asset. Open and transparent government, that's another good one, that actually translates to making legislation in secret and deleting government records. The newest one though is the best one, transformation in healthcare actually translates to firing nurses and cutting services in healthcare. So that's the codebook, that's a translation for the actual things that are going on. Will the government think that their plan for hospitals in Ontario just means less care for patients? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, talk about SPIN, Mr. Speaker. So the budget for the William Osler Hospital in Brampton this year is going up by an additional $8.2 million, Mr. Speaker. And a little bit further to the West Hamilton Health Sciences, their budget is going up by $10.4 million. And all across the province, Mr. Speaker, as a result of a budget which they voted against, which resulted in a billion more dollars being spent on healthcare and a third of that being spent specifically on our hospital operating budgets, they voted against that, but we're beginning to see the impact, the positive impact and they don't have to again believe the government when we say the facts about 3,000 more nurses employed this year rather last year, an additional almost 8,000 nurses employed in our hospital sector over the last five years. That's the College of Nurses of Ontario that are stating that fact, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. New question? Member from Brambley, Gordon Malkin. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. This question is to the Acting Premier again. So the Minister brought up healthcare in London. Let's talk about London. St. Joseph Healthcare in London saw its budget cut by $8.5 million. Over the last four years, because of inflation, the costs have gone up by $7 million a year. So that means over four years, they've had to cut $36.5 million from hospital care in London. Wow. Next year, they're going to face a $17 million gap in funding. They're being forced to cut 60 positions and 12 beds. That announcement came after the Liberal budget. Will the government stop cutting health services in London and across the province? Thank you. Mr. Speaker, I'm proud of the work that is being done in London, including at the London Health Sciences Centre. The member from London has just reminded me of St. Joseph as well. So London Health Sciences will be seeing this year an increase of $8.5 million to their budget. And St. Joseph this year will see an increase in their operating budget of $2.3 million. So perhaps the member opposite needs to actually go and talk to the administration of that hospital and talk to the CFOs to have an understanding of how we're continuing to invest in our hospitals, whether that's for reducing the wait times in important facilities like the London Health Sciences or at St. Joseph. The funding to London has increased since we have come into office, Mr. Speaker. London Health Sciences a 69% increase in their budget since 2003. Well, that's very interesting, Mr. Speaker. We've spoken to and we've heard from London Health Sciences weeks after the Liberal budget, London Health Sciences said they would have to cut $20 million from their budget. So that just doesn't add up. This is in the hometown of the Deputy Premier. The Deputy Premier, the head of the Treasury Board who makes the funding decision in Ontario is cutting hospital care in London. It's being cut at London Health Sciences. It's being cut at St. Joseph's. Calling a cut a transformation may sound good in a Liberal press release, but a cut is still a cut. Will the government stop cutting health care and health services in London and across Ontario? Thank you. Well, $1 billion more into our health care system and the third party voted against that increase. $345 million more in our hospitals and the NDP party voted against that. And of course, in their last election campaign, Mr. Speaker, they actually wanted to cut an additional $600 million from health care and education. And Mr. Speaker, I just can't understand how on a platform like that, when we know that would have resulted in thousands of cuts, in drastic draconian cuts to health care across this province, it really would have taken us back to the mid-1990s when they closed all those hospital beds, when they fired 3,000 registered nurses, Mr. Speaker, when they closed the mental health beds, when they cut funding to hospitals and cut funding to health care. We don't want to go back to that era, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I don't think the people of Ontario appreciate when we talk about cuts that are impacted them today, talking about what happened 25 years ago. But it's fine. If you think that's going to help, if you think that's going to help your case, so be it. The government's cuts have real impacts. People in London are being treated in hospital conference rooms. People have had to sleep on the ER floor. When hospital funding doesn't keep up, this is what happens. Will the government acknowledge that they're cutting services, that they're cutting health care in this province and admit first of all to this cut and then stop doing this and then stop cutting health care services in our province? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We are so deeply committed to improving the quality of health care for Ontarians and the outcomes, the positive outcomes that they've come to expect out of the health care system. We're number one in almost every single indicator for wait times, the shortest wait times across the country, Mr. Speaker. We have accommodated an increasing population, but we're still seeing those positive outcomes, the reductions in readmission rates, the reductions in the infections and things like falls and pneumonia, those important elements to a patient's experience in the hospital environment, those are decreasing. The outcomes are what we should be focused on and on so many measures across the province, we're seeing improvements. We're seeing reductions in the average length of stay for both medical and surgical admissions. We're seeing that partly because we're moving more care out into the community, into home care, into community care, and people, quite frankly, would prefer to have it. Any questions? Mr. Speaker, my question is to the minister of the environment this morning. A few weeks ago at his economic club speech, the minister continued to make uninformed comments about Ontario's future. He stated that he wants to remove natural gas from all Ontario homes and businesses, even though it will help reduce skyrocketing and hydrate for those customers. The industry and constituents are wondering if the minister truly thinks there's no place for natural gas in Ontario's homes and businesses. Mr. Speaker, why does the minister want to cancel plans to expand natural gas access to Ontario? Thanks, Mr. Speaker. As the member knows, I am sure 35% of our missions come from transportation from vehicles, 20% of our missions come from buildings, and that's entirely natural gas, Mr. Speaker. So we are working with Enbridge, with Union Gas, with the sector, the geothermal sector, to improve the efficiency and where we have better and more affordable technologies for Ontario's switch those out. I met with Al Monaco, the president of Enbridge, for over an hour. They are very engaged in recognizing that home heating in the future is going to have to come from sources other than natural gas. But natural gas is very important to rural Ontario for many industrial and commercial farm uses and we have no intention of abandoning or reducing those investments, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. He did mention about the greenhouse gases and so he could pick up my bill on the bill 76 on the reduction of greenhouse gases if he wanted to. Mr. Speaker, the premier put natural gas expansion in the mandate letters for the ministers of economic development and also energy. She put up 230 million grants and loans for natural gas expansion in her budget. But the minister of the environment seems to not agree that natural gas should be in homes or businesses in southwestern Ontario, or all of Ontario as far as that goes. Mr. Speaker, will the minister tell us who is wrong? Him or the premier? Mr. Speaker, this is a commitment that I and all of my colleagues in government support and we do not see any contradiction at all between reducing greenhouse gas emissions. And a matter of fact, the member knows to be because you and I have spoken personally about this and I very much support your bill. Several occasions offered my personal support. So I am surprised to hear that you would character the many conversations that you and I have had personally about supporting your bill as somehow a lack of support. I'm not sure what you thought the content of that conversation was about. The third time addressed the chair. I apologize, Mr. Speaker. So this isn't a mutually exclusive thing. In Toronto where I live, my building and others in my neighborhood don't need to be running on natural gas. So those of us in the city can do things that folks in western Ontario can't do. And when you have an all of Ontario Ontario first approach, you allow us to solve these problems. I don't need to drive a mini-vent. Thank you. Some of my friends in the suburbs. Thank you. New question. The member from Hamilton Mountain. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Deputy Premier. Organizations like Quick Start who were first supportive of the new autism plan have now come out sounding the alarms. From the media release a quote, Quick Start does not support the removal of any child from intensive therapy weightless. These children and their parents have been waiting for intensive therapy and they should receive it. End quote. It's looking more and more like the only people not in opposition to this plan are the Liberals. Experts, teachers, schools, parents, advocacy organizations, the provincial advocate, newspaper editorial boards and children themselves. Deputy Premier, will you do the right thing? Will you ensure that kids over five are not removed from the IBI waitlist? Thank you. Mr. Children and your services. Thank you, Speaker. I think there are some things we can agree on in all of our conversations this side of the house or opposite in meeting with the autism parent groups, the autism coalition on TABA, the behavior analyst group, parents and so on and yes, the youth themselves. This is very important. I think everyone agrees on some things and they are as follow speaker that it's unacceptable to leave these children on waitlist for years. It's unacceptable for them not to be in service and that's exactly why we're investing $333 million on top of the $190 million a year for this program and creating 16,000 new spaces speaker. It is important. We listen to all the voices. The Premier has been doing that. I've been doing it. Many members of this house have been doing that and we appreciate the impact. I look forward to successful implementation where all families feel well supported and individual children's needs are met. Supplementary. To the Deputy Premier, families are tired of hearing from the Premier and the Minister saying that this new plan or that it's either this new plan or kids are going to be forced to wait on the waitlist. That's simply not true. This is about priorities. With a proper investment, this government could give all kids access to the intensive services they need. It's time to make this about children and not just about waitlist. It's time for this government to do the right thing. Municipalities have started passing resolutions urging this government to do the right thing and not force children over five off the IBI list. Will the Deputy Premier listen? Will she do the right thing? Please, don't remove these kids from the therapy that they so desperately need. Thank you. I think another thing we can agree on it is the clinicians and the doctors and the experts that make decisions about the right kind of treatment for each individual child. So, children who are currently receiving IBI will continue to receive IBI. They will be assessed at their six month window as they always are and at that point the experts decide, the clinicians decide on the intensity of the services going forward. So, depending on where that child is in the spectrum they will get the intensity of the service they need. They may need to continue on IBI for a while. They may transition to the new expanded program speaker but the decision is guided by experts and those families can and will be supported by the service providers and my minister. Thank you. New question. The member from each of these nice try. Well, thank you speaker. My question is to the minister of research and innovation. So, speaker, investing in research excellence and supporting an innovative knowledge-based economy are key activities to supporting discoveries that bring tangible benefits to Ontarians and position Ontario as a leader in research commercialization and merely surviving in this competitive global economies the priority we place on knowledge, creativity and innovation and how we bring these innovations to market. And I know the residents of beaches East York would appreciate hearing more about what this government is doing to support research and innovation Ontario. So, speaker, would the minister please inform the members of the House and cite recent examples that demonstrate how Ontario is supporting the many opportunities in this area of technology and entrepreneurship bringing Ontario into the 21st century. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the member from beaches East York for that question. Mr. Speaker, this government has and always will be dedicated to making sure that our province of Ontario is a global leader in research and innovation. On Monday, Premier Bennett spoke at the annual discovery conference in Toronto and I had the opportunity to address about 3,000 delegates coming from all over Ontario on Tuesday. Mr. Speaker, our government knows that if you want to commercialize good ideas we need to offer a flexible network support to our start-up companies and through innovation continuum. And that's what we are doing, Mr. Speaker, through the world-class post-secondary education system, through support to organizations like the Ontario Centre of Excellence and by instilling culture of innovation at all levels of our economy. Mr. Speaker, I'm very proud of the Ontario Centre of Excellence. They have put our province of Ontario and the city of Toronto on the map. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, thank you, Speaker, and thank you to the Minister of Research Innovation for that answer and for the great work Speaker that he is doing to foster innovation in Ontario. And I know that Ontario continues to support good jobs and the emergencies. That's enough. Finish, please. And I know that Ontario continues to support good job-based economy. And, for example, Speaker, we are now the top performing province in Canada when it comes to innovation, commercialization, and we are fifth globally. We feature an increasingly robust risk capital market that is such a critical part of growing early-stage companies into high-growth export-oriented firms. And we already are second to the Silicon Valley in the number of information and communications technology jobs and companies. Speaker, the people of beaches of Ontario continue to do cutting-edge strategic programs. So, with the Minister addressing some of the most recent programs, our government has introduced to achieve this goal. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, I want to thank the member for that question. Mr. Speaker, I want to assure the House that despite our progress in various fronts in research and innovation and commercialization of research, we know that there is so much work to do to take advantage of the economy. Mr. Speaker, we just launched a $400 million business growth initiative as part of our 2016 budget. That will help our small disruptive companies scale up and grow, accelerate our investments to start innovation-driven economy, and modernize our regulatory system to make it smarter and to cut needless red tape. Mr. Speaker, our green investment funds in the amount of $325 million down payment on the promises cap and trade program thanks to the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, which will help us tackle climate change and support good jobs and grow our economy. Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to helping our innovation. Thank you. New question? The member from here on this. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are in such a hurry to take more money out of the pockets of Ontario businesses and taxpayers that they haven't even considered the economic impact of the reckless cap and tax scheme. For nearly a year, Speaker, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce has been pleading with the government to release its economic analysis. But the Minister refuses to disclose any details whatsoever. The only information we have is from a candid moment with the Minister last month when he said the cap and tax scheme is and I quote, going to cost the private sector. Speaker, will the Minister listen to the Ontario Chamber of Commerce and reveal how much this scheme is going to cost business? Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. In the business sector, we will see billions of dollars going into every single heavy industrial sector. We have been working with Mr. Allen today. We have already started investing. We have a great program well supported by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce and the Canadian manufacturers and exporters called the Smart Green Program which is already funded in which they are taking a leadership role in preparing industry and small business for a low-carbon economy. We have been meeting and consulting for two years almost on a weekly basis with business and industry. Mr. O'Day puts in his letter our questions that need to be answered and they will be answered in the action plan in a few weeks and he raises the issue of offsets. As you know, as members know, we have a joint procurement right now with Quebec, setting the Quebec on terms of offset protocol of which Mr. O'Day and others will be very involved in writing, Mr. Speaker. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Again to the Minister, it's ridiculous to think the Minister has no clue how much the Liberals reckless cap and tax scheme is going to cost Ontario businesses. What's worse, Speaker, is the Minister routinely admits this tax scheme will lead to even more job losses. Of course, once again, he won't say how much. But Ontario businesses they want to know the truth and that truth is this tax scheme will hurt our economy and that's why the Ontario Chamber of Commerce has called for the government to pause button. Speaker, in the interest of protecting our economy, will the Minister agree to the request made by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce to delay the start date for the cap and trade program until 2018? Very good. Thank you. Thank you, Minister. Thanks, Mr. Speaker. Further delays or delays period would mean Ontario businesses would be much higher, Mr. Speaker. But let's just pause for a second because what is the opposition proposing, Mr. Speaker? They are suggesting to us as the government that it should be revenue neutral which would mean that there would be absolutely zero programs and zero funding to manage a transition to a low carbon economy. There would also be capital outflow because we would not be able to leverage private sector dollars yet they have no answer to it. And the most troubling part of their position is that they want to delink and not link with California and Quebec which means that the price of carbon per ton in Ontario would be astronomical and explosive and unaffordable for business, Mr. Speaker. And they have no numbers backing up any of these but we have been giving lots of numbers and when the action plan comes out in a few weeks, a little patience you'll see all of the modeling we need to see on this Mr. Speaker and we will continue to work. Mr. Odette and our friends there. Thank you. New question the member from Toronto Danforth. Thank you, Speaker. Speaker through you to the Deputy Premier. The NDP has long supported a cap and trade program that is fair, effective, transparent. But unfortunately, government members repeatedly voted down NDP amendments to strengthen their cap and trade bill including the Financial Accountability Officer access to the documents that would verify the effectiveness of the government's climate change initiatives. The member from Beaches East York then tabled a much weaker amendment telling us, quote, from our discussions with the Financial Accountability Office, this is what they are looking for. On Tuesday the FAO said the member from Beaches East York had misrepresented his opinion. It was not what they were looking for. Why is the government misrepresenting transparency of its cap and trade bill? I'm going to ask the member to withdraw because you can't say indirectly what you're implying directly. So I'm going to ask him to withdraw. Withdraw. Question, Minister of Deputy Premier. To the Minister of Environment and Climate Change. Thank you very much. I do just want to preface my remarks by the incredibly constructive discussion that the member for Toronto Danforth has taken in this and I really want to commend him and commend his party for their leadership. Mr. Speaker we actually Mr. Speaker Sorry. Stop the clock. The member from Huron-Burge Second Time and you might get the warning if you're wanting just that. I'll give it to you. Right away. Finish please. I can't remember that. I share the concern you have and this is a legal constitutional cabinet confidentiality Mr. Speaker. There are restrictions on access to government and we have this often with table officers in the parliament and we're working. My deputy is working quite carefully right now very closely with the parliamentary budget officer looking at different pathways we can within the legal advice we've gotten from ministry and from the general's office on the limitations of access and the points of access. It is not a concern that's lost on us. We are continuing to work with him but we are constrained by some legal opinions we have which we're trying to resolve. Member from Lanark come to order. Supplementary. Speaker the government promised that cap and trade funds would be spent transparently and effectively. This was something the Ontario Chamber of Commerce amongst others asked for but then the NDP amendment that would ensure this for example we don't know if cap and trade funds will be spent only on new programs to reduce greenhouse gases the government voted against an NDP amendment that would have made sure of this as it is the government can basically spend the cap and trade money on virtually anything it wants including deficit reduction. Will the government keep its own transparency promises starting by giving the FAO access to all the documents that he requests. Thank you. Thanks Mr. Speaker. I want to assure the member that I will work to ensure that within the legal constraints and the rules that govern this legislature and cabinet as much information as is humanly possible to get to him. I totally agree with the principle you're saying. We did Mr. Speaker government motion including amendment that would inform the public of which entities have received free allowances and how they were received which was asked for at committee. We agreed with an NDP motion changing the reporting to every year from every five years which aligns with the fact that I have to submit an expenditure plan and investment plan every single year and will report every single year. A report on the minister's evaluation to treasury board be included in the annual report and given to the FAO and another motion at committee sets a time requirement for the release of the annual report on the greenhouse gas reduction accounts. I mentioned last time I spoke the number of other measures. We already have the higher standard of transparency. I agree with the member's objective. I will work with him to Thank you. No questions. Member from Durham. Thank you Mr. Speaker. My question is to the minister of energy. In my riding I hear from constituents up to a last Saturday on the work of this government and the energy file. The constituents of Durham know how critical a clean reliable energy system is to Ontario being a great place to live and work. And wherever I go I am proud to speak about the achievements we have made on our energy file. I tell constituents about 4.4 billion in health and environmental costs we're avoiding each year by completely changing the use of coal generation in Ontario. I speak about the smart investment in the nuclear industry and how this clean safe energy source has brought significant economic benefits. Mr. Minister could you please tell the house what feedback you have received on the recent investment our government has made. Mr. Speaker I thank the member for the question there's a lot of good news that needs to be shared about energy in Ontario speaker announced this past December and January Ontario power generation and Bruce power will be refurbishing the nuclear reactors at Darlington and Bruce securing 10,000 megawatts of affordable reliable and emissions free power speaker. The conservative critic the member from Renfrew Nipissing agrees Mr. Speaker he said and I'm quoting the recent agreement between Ontario and Bruce power to enable the refurbishment of the remaining six reactors at Bruce certainly appears to be a good one the refurbishment agreement ensures we will have a stable supply of reliable emissions free power for the next 60 years and rate payers will benefit from the refurbishment because it will result in the province continuing to use nuclear as a source reliable cost effective and emissions free source electricity speaker. Thank you minister Mr. Darlington nuclear generating station is in the great riding of Durham the economic and job creation benefits are also well celebrated by my constituents. Darlington's nuclear refurbishment project will contribute 15 billion to Ontario's gross domestic product and create up to 11,800 new jobs annually and the Bruce refurbishment project will generate 23,000 jobs and generate 6.3 million in annual economic benefits in communities throughout our great province. But minister there have been concerns raised on the cost of these refurbishment. To quote the member from Renfrew Nippersen Pembroke and I quote even though the PC caucus supports the refurbishment plans for the Darlington nuclear generating station we hope the wind government has done due diligence to mitigate any cost overruns that affect and tear taxpayers. Minister could you please explain what precautions are in place to ensure these projects meet the Thank you to reassure the member from Renfrew. The nuclear refurbishment contracts are designed to protect the interests of Ontarians. The Darlington refurbishment schedule will only proceed after the successful completion of the first of four units. We have built appropriate off-ramp speakers should operators be unable to deliver the projects on schedule. An enlisted and independent oversight advisors. Also the Bruce power contracts ensures Bruce power. I'll pick you off one at a time the member from Neppesing second Prince Edward Hastings second time. Never too late to get named. Mr. Speaker it's never too late for the opposition to hear good news. Also the Bruce power contract ensures Bruce power assumes full execution for any potential costs or delays. Speaker Ontario has more than 180 companies across the province directly linked to the nuclear supply chain benefiting all Ontarians and nuclear will remain. New question. Thank you Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Environment and Climate Change. There's a wind energy project that is under appeal in the city of Corthill Lakes near Bethany. After going through a time consuming and expensive process with the environmental review tribunal, now the Snowy Ridge project's footprints is growing larger than what was already approved by the tribunal and the Ministry of the Environment. This expansion however did not have any information. The modification report is 165 pages and the late expansion raises questions as to whether the company was working in good faith with the ministry and the tribunal. So Mr. Speaker does the minister believe it is appropriate for the government to approve a project that puts out inaccurate and incomplete information. Just say no. Thank you Mr. Speaker. As I said to my friend from Sardinia Lampton who I've been working with and on his private members bill, I would be very happy to meet with you to go through it. Talk about it and figure it out. I have to be very clear here as some of the members opposite, no Mr. Speaker, I play a different role because these decisions are appealable to the environmental review tribunal and then some of them are appealable to me. So I have to I'm limited in what I can say because of my role in the adjudication process, Mr. Speaker. So the important I'm very concerned about what the members raised. If she talks to some of her colleagues she'll know that in similar situations I worked with them through this. I will make my ministry available. I will review it and I will also make sure that her constituents know of their appeal options. Thank you. I appreciate what the minister said. There was a letter sent on April 25th. They were not granted. Shame on you. Shame on you. You have to acknowledge the expansion of the snowing bridge project. Work in the Oak Ridges Marine. I don't want you to miss that. It's work in the Oak Ridges Marine. The PC government took steps to protect that environmentally sensitive marine. We did. But you are disregarding this. Completely disregarding. You're welcoming expansive and sky high wind turbines. The projectors collector's line will also go through compensation habitat for species at risk and cause potential irreversible damage on surrounding wildlife. Why, Mr. Speaker, is the minister allowing industrial wind projects in protected areas of Oak Ridges Marine? Mr. Speaker, in the one minute that I have to answer, it's hard to address the complexity, but I do want to just note that the member from here on Bruce, her heckles suggesting what I do would actually break the law. And if she's going to be the environment critic, she should understand the basic environmental review tribunal process. But what I can do, Mr. Speaker, what I can do, Mr. Speaker, is I can work with the member. Finish, please. What I can do is I can take some time, and maybe I should include my critic in the briefing on what the rules and rights are for citizens, how the environmental tribunal works and what they can do. And I very sincerely think that we have to protect the interests of citizens and communities in this. And if we can turn aside parts of politics, I will work with you on that, and I appreciate you raising an issue of such great concern to constituents. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you. Minister of Health and Long-time Term Care. Winnebago Area Health Authority which relies on the province and the northeast lens for more than half of its budget, because the province has a direct responsibility to ensure that healthcare services are accessible to the First Nations people living along the James B. Coles. Speaker, did you know that there are only six mental health worker for the entire Coles and that none of them serve children under the age of 18? It has been 30 days since the Ottawa Piscat declared a state of mental health emergency. When did the minister of health first learn that no mental health services were available to youth under the age of 18 and why didn't he see fit to fill this gap in services? Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I appreciate the question particularly about the situation in Ottawa Piscat because I think as the legislature knows immediately upon hearing about that crisis, that mental health crisis involving children and youth in the community, the Government of Ontario acted and committed $2 million for an emergency medical assistance team which was comprised among others of mental health workers appropriate for children and youth as well as clinical experts, clinicians that would work in the local hospital responding to that emergency and in fact they were deployed within 24 hours of us making that commitment to be able to provide both on a proactive basis to work with the community and provide the support to children and youth who are experiencing this crisis but also to provide relief to those hospital frontline healthcare workers who clearly have been burdened by this crisis to provide them with some relief and replace them with frontline workers who could provide that necessary mental health support. Thank you, Speaker. The First Nations people up the coast need long-term commitment from this provincial government and they want this today, Speaker. There are other health services gap that the province should fill not wait. There are positions left vacant to balance the hospital's budget should step up, not wait. There are plans for layoffs at hospitals up the coast the government should step up, stop those layoffs not wait. We have a crisis speaker and time is of essence. Will the minister make this commitment today to improve the healthcare services of the good people of Ottawa, Piscat and everybody else up the Charmed Speaker. Well, of course, Mr. Speaker and I was pleased in fact to talk with the local chief chief Shashish and the member for Timmins James Bay was present for that conference call as well as the federal minister or rather MP Charlie Angus and we talked about the not simply the initial 30 days of the emergency medical assistance team that we would be renewing that mandate and the emergency medical assistance team would remain for an additional 30 days to be able to provide that support but also they're working with the community and ourselves and with Waha and the other partners and with the Ministry of Children and Services to develop that long-term plan to make sure that we're making the right investments that the right personnel are on the ground and it was very appreciative that we were able to have all levels of government talking about that issue and we're of course working in very close coordination with our federal partners as well and also with Waha I have to point out that we provided them with an additional $4 million in January $4 million last year as well to help them with some of those pressures that they're facing Mr. Speaker. Thank you a new question. The member from York Southwestern. Thank you Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Housing. Earlier this week the Minister announced the province's response to input from the public and to the 87 recommendations outlined in the report from the Coordinated Land Use Planning Review Advisory Planner chaired by former Mayor of Toronto David Cromby. The substantial review that the Ministry continues to shepherd and the considerable diligent work done by the panel included 17 town halls across the Greater Golden Horseshoe area and the consideration of over 19,300 submissions. The goal of the review as mandated by the Premier has been to improve alignment across provincial plans and transit investments and to support planning and development decisions that will create more complete communities across the province. Speaker through you will the Minister tell us about the themes of the province's proposed changes to the plans and shape how we use land in the Greater Golden Horseshoe Minister Paul Harrison Well Mr. Speaker I want to thank the member from York Southwest and for her very good question the Greater Golden Horseshoe as you know is Canada's fastest growing urban region and the province's economic engine. The carefully considered changes we are proposing will ensure smart growth in the region this means promoting compact vibrant communities that support jobs and public transit and reward us with an expanded green belt these changes are designed to keep goods and people moving in the region efficiently protect suitable lands for new and expanding businesses make sure farms continue to flourish reduce the negative impacts of climate change and further enhance the protection of natural areas together Speaker these are major steps in boosting our economy furthering smart sustainable living and protecting our environment. Thank you Mr. Speaker I appreciate the Minister's answer Mr. Speaker confronting these challenges in how we shape communities in this province is an historic step for Ontario these changes demonstrate that the government remains committed to growing the green belt and is putting an end to urban sprawl in the Greater Golden Horseshoe. Mr. Speaker since its inception this review has always been grounded in engagement with Ontarians who clearly have a passion for the future of their communities. The stage of the process is no different Ontarians will now have a further opportunity to weigh in on these proposed plans and to continue to have their voices heard. Mr. Speaker through you can the Minister share with the House what the next steps in the review process will be? Minister Sure can Mr. Speaker I'm delighted to do so after the great work that the Honourable David Cromby and his team did coming in with 87 recommendations and I did what I thought was the impossible to come in with absolute consensus so we're going through a second stage of consultation there'll be public open houses that will be held across the Greater Golden Horseshoe we'll also be taking input through the environmental registry and our ministry website. Mr. Speaker it's important we all work together to get things right and we're going to ensure that that happens I'm very proud Mr. Speaker in fact we should all be proud of the work our government has done to grow our award-winning green belt curb urban sprawl and create complete communities for us all to live work and raise our families in. Great stuff Mr. Speaker Just before we dismiss I just want to take a moment to offer a reminder to the House there seems to be some misunderstanding of speaking to the chair you do not speak to the member on either side you're speaking to the chair so whoever's in the chair is receiving your question and receiving your answer it doesn't matter if you're looking at me but it's helpful to remember it by looking at the chair and you can put the question to the person opposite and you can put the answer to the person opposite without being a conversation back and forth I'm going to ask you to keep that in mind the second thing I want to bring to your attention is I've asked for this for plenty of times I've asked for it almost affronts what I'm asking you to do so I'm almost taking it personal as the speaker when I ask you not to use their names and even in the heckling it's happening more and more and I'm asking for it to stop so I'm going to ask this time to simply say the members title or the members writing they would be extremely helpful in debate and inside of the decorum in this House there are no deferred votes this about sorry point of order the deputy premier point of order speaker I know that everyone in the House would want to join me in congratulating the London Knights on winning the OHL championship and wishing them the very very best as they move on to win the Memorial Cup I thank you for that opening for the deputy house leader for a point of order point of order Mr. Speaker some of us will descend from that we were the cabinet is now divided you can see those of us from the Niagara region those of us from the Niagara region do not join the congratulation we do congratulate the Niagara ice dogs on their fine performance throughout the playoffs alright that would definitely get us started with each of our writing so I'm just going to say there are no deferred votes this House stands recess until 1pm this afternoon