 It is therefore time for question period Remember from Prince Edward Hastings Good morning my questions to the premier Speaker this morning global news reported that utilities in Ontario charged customers $12.4 million just to send out disconnection notices last year some customers were billed as much as $55 for a single notice of pending disconnection a stamp is $6.85 speaker and email is even less than that Hydro one even admitted that the cost of sending a disconnection notice is only a dollar five speaker Why does the premier think it's fair that thousands of Ontarians who already can't pay their hydro bill are also being charged? For the privilege of being told that they're going to be disconnected Thank you I know the Minister of Energy is going to want to speak to the specifics of of this notification But mr. Speaker, let me just say that what we know is fair is that across this province people have seen a reduction of on average 25% in their electricity bills mr. Speaker and people living in more remote and Rural communities up to a 40 to 50 percent Reduction mr. Speaker we knew and we know that people were struggling order Electricity prices mr. Speaker, so that's what our fair hydro plan Addresses mr. Speaker it actually addresses the challenges that people were facing because mr. Speaker We had made investments in our electricity system to make it reliable mr. Speaker Remember from Renfrew nipissing Pembroke come to order and you've signaled that I may need to go to warnings right away I will oblige if I have to Finish please the system was not clean. It was not reliable It is now answer because it was a cost associated with that but people have seen reductions in their bills mr. Speaker That's what's fair Joe supplementary speaker for years for three years the Premier said that there was no crisis in Electricity in Ontario she didn't act until it became an election crisis for her and the Liberal government of Ontario And we know that the fair hydro plan, which is really unfair doesn't do anything to fix the problem in Ontario's electricity crisis. It just makes it worse Speaker the Ontario energy board doesn't require companies to track Disconnection notices, but most do and we know that across Ontario roughly one and a half million Disconnection notices were sent out last year one and a half million Electricity that's so expensive that hundreds of thousands of Ontarians can't afford it and can't afford the disconnection notice They get for the power that they can't afford follow the logic here Speaker why is it that the government is allowing outrageous? Profits to be made from customers who can't afford their hydro bills in the first place Thank you mr. Speaker so if we're following the logic Let's look at the very first thing that we did which is a 25% reduction for every family in this household Which they voted against mr. Speaker going on with that mr. Speaker following the logic all they would have to do is Look to what the OEB is doing mr. Speaker the OEB is currently undertaking a comprehensive review of its customer service rules And we look forward to seeing that result later this year mr. Speaker on top of that If we're following logic mr. Speaker which is something that they don't have on that side of the house mr. Speaker On November 15th, they are well aware mr. Speaker that the OEB Banned winter disconnections from November 15th until April 30th of 2018 The OEB is mandated that all customers who are currently disconnected be Reconnected as soon as possible at no charge mr. Speaker the OEB answer and their decision also Requires the removal of load limiting devices and anything else mr. Speaker that is affecting customers. That is something mr. Speaker This is the liberal legacy in Ontario People are getting cut off of their electricity at record rates. Listen to this last year approximately 60,000 Ontarians had their power cut off 60,000 We know now that across Ontario roughly one and a half million Ontarians have been served with disconnection notices That's one in every three homes is being hit with a disconnection notice Welcome to liberal, Ontario. These are the numbers you can't dispute them and still Utilities are charging up to 55 dollars for disconnection notices that only cost a dollar five to actually produce How the heck do you explain that mr. Speaker speaker? Why do the most catastrophic mistakes of this government? All we seem to fall on the people of Ontario who can least afford them Minister your speaker so welcome to liberal Ontario where your rates have gone down 25% Welcome to liberal Ontario where you're seeing more infrastructure built right across this province than ever before mr. Speaker Welcome to liberal, Ontario where you don't have coal as part of your electricity system Welcome to liberal, Ontario where we're raising minimum wage and looking after our workers mr. Speaker the list goes on We are very proud of our record and making sure that we've invested in health care that we've invested in infrastructure That we've invested in in education and in advanced education mr. Speaker in training in research You know mr. Speaker when it comes to welcoming people to liberal, Ontario We do that with open arms. We're encouraging businesses. We're encouraging people We're seeing more and more people come to Ontario our unemployment rate is at its lowest ever Thanks to the Minister of Economic Development and growth mr. Speaker I'm happy to take that member on any time to debate a liberal Ontario and the benefits Thank you we're in warnings new question Last week many Ontarians were shocked to learn of a new secret home care agency that her government will be creating What we want to know is who she consulted with in creating this agency Was anyone other than the organization running hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of attack attack ads on behalf of the liberals? Even consulted. This is a question of ethics speaker not merits We want to know about the relationship that the premier and her liberal government had with its former party president Speaker, I have a straightforward yes or no question Will the premier do the right thing and release all of the correspondence that her office had with the SCI you and all other Stakeholders ahead of the home care changes announced in October Mr. Speaker, I know that the Minister of Health and long-term care is going to want to speak on On the specifics, but but mr. Speaker, you know our priority with a very complex issue in terms of making sure that The people who we love the people who've raised us the people who have built this province But they have the care that they need and that they want mr. Speaker and that means that there needs to be a Range of care and you know, I hear the heckling from the other side. We've had a lot of time We have been investing in home care mr. Speaker We have been working to make that that transformation in the health care system that actually gives people who are Needing care in their homes or in the community those options mr. Speaker. We continue to look for Ideas we continue to look for models mr. Speaker that will provide better care for people who either Stay in their home want to stay in the community or mr. Speaker need long-term care That's our priority is making sure that those people have Very much speak back to the premier in her 2015 report of community care access centers The auditor general found serious issues the government was spending 39% of their total budget on administration costs alone They created a needlessly complex system that resulted in gaps in care and left patients suffering And now we're hearing the government has quietly put forward a plan for a new home care bureaucracy With zero consultation with industry stakeholders instead of spending precious dollars on home care in patients This government has instead opted to expand the bureaucracy to the benefit of their liberal insider friends Wow Given the government's poor home care track record. This will clearly not benefit patients Can the minister can the premier explain why this announcement was buried at the bottom of a press release and rushed through? No consultation. Good question. Will the minister commit to disclosing any involvement SEI you as Well mr. Speaker if the member opposite had have been paying attention He would have known in early October that at Kensington that is a tremendous provider of home care services They have a hospice as well. They have a residential setting for Individuals that require support. He would have known that in early October I spoke in front of many media representatives many cameras At the same time that we announced an increase in our funding to home care across this province But I specifically and emphatically Described this this model which is in fact Just a reminder for those that maybe didn't hear me. I said we're in warnings Oddle that has been used successfully in California in Massachusetts in Michigan and Oregon and many other places around the world The model that we're following to give choice to those who require home. Thank you Supplementary our final supplementary remember from these friends. Thanks speaker back to the premier for years This liberal government has looked out for the interest of insiders and the well connected first Leaving everyday Ontarians paying more working harder and getting less This deal to create the S. EIU backed home care model certainly looks like history repeating itself S. EIU has been described by some as having cozy ties to this government and as my colleagues have said their GR head is a former head former president of the Liberal Party This deal the other members of outline doesn't pass the smell test Speaker my question to the premier is simple just how much influence has Michael Spitali have on the creation of this? II backed organization So mr. Speaker we're piloting the member from the PN Carlton will withdraw The member Carlton is warned Carry out You're piloting to new innovative self-directed care models one model is we're going to provide funds directly to home care clients To purchase the services themselves, but we need to acknowledge There's a subset outside of that roughly 6,000 people maximum across the province that don't want to remit taxes for their employee to revenue Canada that don't want to Negotiate or find it challenging to negotiate those contracts with employees So we're going to provide that subset with complex needs more than 14 hours of home care needs a week with the opportunity to select and Schedule their own personal support worker We're going to do that sir. We're going to support them as many jurisdictions in the United States and around the world have done successfully Cute new question the leader of the third party My questions for the premier schools in Ontario need 15.9 billion dollars worth of repairs just to get them to decent standards for our children That's a very big number speaker with very big consequences in the summer That number means kids that are in the classroom sweating in their seats Because schools can't afford air conditioning on hot days in the winter, which is upon us It means a second grader for example trying to focus on her math test Well fumbling with her winter gloves and parka because the heat is broken yet again at the school We have to do better for our children in this province. Why did the premier allow this? 15.9 billion dollar school repair backlog to get so bad Well, let's just look at the facts of what has happened over the last number of years mr. Speaker first of all We inherited a system that was seriously degraded mr. Speaker one of the reasons as I've said in this house and elsewhere One of the reasons that I am in provincial politics is because of the policies of the previous government that allowed our Publicly funded education system to degrade in the classroom outside of the classroom mr. Speaker and so that's why I'm here That's why many of us are here, so we have invested 17.5 billion dollars in capital funding We've built 820 new schools mr. Speaker and we've Invested in more than 800 retrofits and additions mr. Speaker when you think of the the reality that there are in the order of 5,000 publicly funded schools in this province mr. Speaker that is a huge percentage of schools That have either been rebuilt or have been renovated since 2013 We've invested 9.3 billion in capital funding to support more than 120 new schools and more than 140 additions and renovations So that rebuild and that Well speaker the fact remains there's a 15.9 billion dollar backlog in repairs for schools in this province The disrepair in Ontario schools started with a conservative government I don't disagree with that observation that was just made by the premier because that government cut school maintenance budgets and left a 5.6 billion dollar backlog when they were at the helm It's continued however with the Liberal government that has often provided just one tenth of what schools actually need to keep up with Repairs why did the premier break her promise to Ontarians and follow in the conservative footsteps when it comes to education? Funding that leaves too many children in this province trying to learn in buildings that are falling apart around their ears Thank You speaker and I first of all mr. Speaker There's no government in the history of this province that has Invested more in education than this government on this side of the house You know I know that there are advocates here who are concerned about the state of our schools And we know that good school environments provide better learning environments for students I want to thank fix our schools and for all of their advocacy and the advice that they've given to us mr. Speaker And you know what mr. Speaker we are following through After inheriting a system as the premier has pointed out in complete disrepair We have been making those investments in new schools in additions as well as in the repair of schools This year alone our government will spend 1.4 billion dollars on school renewal Mr. Speaker which is in line with what the auditor general has advised in an ongoing Basis to keep our schools in a good state of repair mr. Speaker we know there is more work to be done And that's exactly what we're doing. We're making those investments and we're working with school boards to do so Thank you final supplementary premier's record on on education is abysmal since 2011 Since 2011 the liberals have closed more than 270 schools and put another 300 on the chopping block The repair backlog has only gone up I mean, I think it's pretty interesting to hear the premier and the minister talk about the previous governments complete Disrepair status in terms of it being 5.6 billion if they're so concerned about the complete Disrepair that they left them. Why is it almost three times more under the liberal government after 14 years in office? The repair backlog has only gone up and now it's 15.9 billion dollars Children are being sent to schools with leaky roofs broken boilers Thousands of students are being sent to learn and dilapidated Portables schools are park speaker. They are playgrounds and public spaces They're supposed to support and encourage our kids to learn Why has the premier let our schools fall into such dismal disrespect repair Mr. Speaker and you know mr. Speaker We have a plan moving forward to continue to invest in Ontario schools We are investing 16 billion dollars over the next decade to To invest in the infrastructure in our schools because we know that good school environments provide The optimal learning for students and that is our focus mr. Speaker I don't know what the focus is of the leader of the third party mr. Speaker The last time she put forward a plan it promised an embarrassing 60 million dollars a year for school repairs That is just four percent of the 1.4 billion dollars that we have committed to to invest in school repair and renewal Mr. Speaker, we know that Ontario schools are Worthy of this investment and that's why we're making them We're making these investments so that students can have the best learning environment possible And we have committed that funding to school boards so that they can prioritize the the facilities that need repair Thank you new question the leader of the third party. Thank you very much speaker My next question is also for the premier the emergency department at brampton civic hospital was built to serve 90 000 visits It experienced more than 138 000 visits last year alone this year the hospital has already been forced to declare code gridlock Eight times between january and april and we know that last year at brampton civic There were four thousand 352 Patients laying on stretchers Getting their medical care in public hallways the premier solution is to offer 37 beds Well, i'm sure that the people at brampton will take the 37 hospital beds It's just simply not enough to begin undoing the damage caused by many years of liberal budget cuts and freezes Is this the best the premier can offer to the people of brampton? Well, mr. Speaker i want to commend the mayor of brampton the leadership of brampton civic hospital and william osler The three mpp's as well on this side of the house that have worked so hard on behalf of the residents of brampton and the surrounding Region appeal and mr. Speaker last week we announced on top of the 17 million of new dollars that we added to the operating Budget of william osler this year. We announced last week 37 new beds for brampton civic hospital itself 22 beds for etobicoke general which is part of the william osler system and importantly and especially mr. Speaker We announced our commitment to fund in the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars phase two of the appeal memorial urgent care center Which will involve more than 100 new beds and associated supports Once that is fully completed in in the future mr. Speaker So that is an incredible response i think to a reality that's happening in brampton because of a growing population It is one of the highest growth populations in this country and we're responding to that Speaker the appeal memorial center has also been hard hit by the premier short changing of health care in brampton In 2016 the premier and her minister of health were warned that the urgent care center appeal memorial would need to serve 65,000 people per year 50 percent more than what it was designed for and it has to help 50 percent more people than it was Designed for while being forced to close at 10 o'clock p.m Again due to a lack of support from this premier and her liberal government The 37 beds that the premier has offered are barely a drop in the bucket when it comes to the underfunding of this magnitude Will the premier take any meaningful action to help brampton hospitals and make sure that brampton families have the health care that they can count on Thank you minister Well, mr. Speaker I think it's insulting to the leadership in brampton the mayor The leadership at william osler to suggest that the investment that we made in the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars last week That that somehow is meaningless 37 new beds for brampton civic 22 new beds for atobico general and peel memorial Specifically what we did is we've committed to funding and we're now well on our way to create Phase two appeal memorial a by the way an urgent care a wellness center, which is so Well received by the community and appreciated by the community We're building a tower adjacent to that phase two which will contain an excess well in excess of 100 new beds Mr. Speaker on top of 41 million dollars over the last two years an increase in their operating budget to william osler 41 million dollars in the last two years If that's meaningless, I don't know what planet that member is living on Final supplementary. I'm living in a planet where in ontario people are getting their health care in hallways In hospital has a motion today that would immediately relieve the pressure at brampton civic and peel memorial Because brampton families shouldn't have to wait to get access to good quality health care And their loved ones shouldn't be getting their hospital care in public hallways The william osler health system which runs brampton civic and peel memorial has called for an immediate 30.2 million investment to cope with the overcow crowding open two mothballed Operating rooms that were built but have never been used speaker and deal with immediate funding shortfalls This is a start. It won't fix the harm that comes from decades of underfunding But it's what the people of brampton need right now We'll the premier commit to taking this step and helping the people of brampton get the health care that they need and they deserve Thank you minister Well, mr. Mr. Speaker like the pcs with regards to the announcement I made in october that I referenced It seems that the leader of the third party missed our announcement last week Where we announced 37 new beds in fact beds that will be available this calendar year And she missed the fact that in response to the growing demands in brampton one of the fastest growing jurisdictions in this country We're in hand. We're expanding peel memorial adding more than a hundred beds there plus all the associated supports For rehabilitation and complex continuing care. Mr. Speaker. We're making the investments 2000 the equivalent what was announced for peel is the equivalent of a medium-sized hospital, mr. Speaker And we announced a couple of weeks ago 2000 hospital beds and spaces to be able to address the capacity challenges that certain parts of her provinces have Mr. Speaker, this is great news for the people of brampton I think she needs to talk to the people of brampton because they will agree with us that it is solving the problem New question the leader were majesties moral opposition Mr. Speaker my question is for the premier today It appears the minister of finance will double down on his claims that ontario has a balanced budget Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary Let's start with the financial accountability officer in may of 2017 The FAO said spring outlook said we will continue to be in budget deficit for the next five years Five years mr. Speaker. He stated further beginning in 2018 and 19 The FAO was projecting a steady deterioration in the budget deficit So mr. Speaker we have the minister of finance pretending we have a balanced budget We had the FAO chosen and agreed to by the government saying that it is not accurate that we're in a significant deficit So my question to the premier is who's right the minister of finance and his political spin or the non-partisan FAO Thank you Premier thank you much very much mr. Speaker. Let's look at some objective realities mr. Speaker The fact is ontario is leading economic growth in the country mr. Speaker our unemployment rate is the lowest in 17 years mr. Speaker We are seeing job creation mr. Speaker just this year 125,000 net new jobs 800,000 net new jobs since the recession mr. Speaker the reality is Ontario is doing very well, but here's the other reality and the minister of finance will be speaking to this as well Not everyone in this province is sharing in that mr. Speaker Not everyone is feeling that benefit evenly and so mr. Speaker what we are doing as a government is we are Putting in place supports making sure that people have access In a fair way mr. Speaker that they have access to opportunity across the province Whether it's students who will benefit and are benefiting from free tuition Whether it's young people starting january who will get free prescription medication Or whether it's the millions of people who will benefit from an increased minimum wage Mr. Speaker again to the premier I had a pretty specific question And that's the minister of finance says the budget is balanced yet the FAO the non-partisan legislative oversight agreed to the government To make sure that facts are correct and the numbers are correct That officer that the government agreed to is saying the government's numbers are wrong And not just by a little bit the financial accountability officer's economic and fiscal outlook predicts that ontario's deficit Will be 2.6 billion dollars So mr. Speaker again to the premier and rather than talking about something nothing Related to the question I want to know who is right with their numbers. Is it the FAO? Which is the non-partisan legislative oversight or is it the minister of finance and their fake liberal spin? Interesting that the leader of the opposition would suggest that the Economic well-being of the citizens of this province has nothing to do with the economy of the province If that makes no sense, mr. Speaker The fact that there are millions of people in ontario who can't look after themselves because they're earning 11 dollars and 60 cents an hour and they will see a minimum wage increase The member from leeds granville is warned the member from nagga west glanbrook is warned and there's a couple of others that are next Carry on an increase to their wage as of january 1st. Mr. Speaker I think that is uh that will make a material difference to the people who are The member from nipissing is warned Finish please who are struggling to make ends meet mr. Speaker The reality is that if this leader of the opposition doesn't think that creating fairness in this province creating opportunity in this province when we're living in a province that is Leading economic growth in the country if he doesn't think that that's a priority Then he is completely off track in terms of what we believe as a government mr. Speaker You're fortunate to remember from london west Thank you, speaker. My question is to the premier speaker last week's announcement of a hardship fund for some of the 500,000 college students who have been financially disadvantaged by the strike Is cold comfort to students who are seeing their dreams slip away as this strike drags on Who are experiencing skyrocketing rates of anxiety and depression with few resources on campus to assist them Who are being forced to turn down job offers and are and are worried how they will be able to support themselves Speaker if the minister can direct the colleges to create a hardship fund Why doesn't she direct the colleges to go back to the table and work out a negotiated settlement? You see it, please Thank you Premier, thank you very much. Mr. Speaker You know, I I am completely sympathetic with the students who want to be back in the classroom They need to be back in the classroom. Mr. Speaker, and I know that Colleges have a responsibility to put in place contingency plans mr. Speaker to ensure that students don't lose this This semester mr. Speaker I know also that faculty want to be back in the classroom And my understanding is that faculty will begin voting on the employer's last offer through the olrb Beginning today mr. Speaker We want every student in our college system back in class as quickly as possible mr. Speaker But I know that the the member opposite understands the process We need to let that unfold mr. Speaker and we will work as hard as we can to make sure that Young people get back into the classroom as quickly as possible. Thank you supplementary Again to the premier speaker with no resolution in sight until at least the end of this week And that is by no means certain the college strike has entered uncharted territory in the history of college labor relations The risk of losing a semester is very very real for students Students are worried that they will have to repay osap for education They did not receive when st. Lawrence college student morgan cambo called the premier's office to share her concerns She was told to call welfare Speaker is this really the best advice this liberal government can offer to students when it is their failure To properly fund the system that created the conditions for this strike And they're in action that has allowed the strike to drag on past the breaking point Thank you speaker and you know since this strike began my focus has been very clearly on the students I have spoken with students. I have spoken to parents I've spoken to grandparents speaker all of whom are really concerned that they're That their Child or grandchild or they themselves are in danger of losing Losing a semester. It is vitally important that this strike get resolved and get resolved quickly speaker We do respect the collective bargaining process the colleges are in Bargaining with the with opsu speaker We must respect that process, but at the same time we must keep our eye on students They are facing real anxiety as the member opposite has said they are facing real challenges financial and otherwise And that's why we're we're asking that colleges create a dedicated fund to support those students Thank you new question the member from pinkson in the aisle Thank you, mr. Speaker. My question is to the minister of community and social services Mr. Speaker Our government continues to take a leadership role in exploring creative and innovative ways to reduce poverty and support people living on low incomes We have shown our commitment to low-income individuals and families through expanding the ontario electricity support program Introducing ohib plus providing free prescription medications to children and youth up to 24 years old Starting this january and through the largest increase to the minimum wage in the province's history Raising it to $15 an hour by 2019 In my riding of kinks in the islands. I know that these commitments are very important to my constituents On november the second the income security working reform working groups release their report titled Income security a roadmap for change with recommendations to the government on how to make further improvements to Supports and services for people living on low incomes Mr. Speaker through you to the minister. Can you please tell the members of this? More about the income security working group and their recent report Well, thank you speaker and to the member for her question and her advocacy for low income ontarians Last year our government established the income security reform working group of first nations Working group and an urban indigenous table on income security reform We asked them to study ontario's income security system and make recommendations on how to improve it I want to sincerely thank the members of the three working groups for their valuable contributions over the last year in creating the roadmap We will be using the roadmap as a guide to develop a multi-year plan Our plan will be practical realistic and recognize the province's fiscal responsibilities Mr. Speaker, I know that on this side of the house We all agree with the need to fundamentally reform the income security system Especially social assistance because we want our programs to reflect the needs of the people who require them Thank you supplementary Thank you, mr. Speaker and thank you to the minister for all of the important work that she does to support some of ontaria's Most vulnerable individuals and families I know that people from my riding like q seagull who helped author the recommendations for basic income Tony pit card as well as of course elaine power from queens We'll all think that these initiatives will be very very important for our communities While ontario's economy is strong not everyone is experiencing the same opportunities More people are facing job insecurity and the cost of living is certainly rising We want to create a fair modern accountable and effective Income security system that will ensure that individuals living on low income Will have the tools and resources that they need to provide to improve their overall quality of life It is also important that we hear from the public about how they feel and how we can reshape our current income security system Can you please tell us how the public can get involved in providing their feedback on income security a roadmap change Sure Thank you, mr. Speaker and although we continue to make improvements to the social assistance system We know we have more work to do reforming the income security system including the transformation of social assistance Will assist us in ensuring all individuals are treated with respect and dignity and are inspired to reach their full potential We also want to ensure particular attention is focused on the needs and experience of indigenous peoples Hearing from individuals who are directly impacted by our current social assistance programs is vital In terms of how we move forward with the recommended changes And that's why my ministry has posted the income security a roadmap for change online for public feedback What we hear over the next 60 days along with the recommendations from the report Will go a long way in helping us to reform the system Into one that is fair supportive and puts the needs of the person at the center and the supports we provide Thank you, mr. Speaker. New questions the leader of the opposition Mr. Speaker my question is for the deputy premier There's a lot of talk about the liberals mythical balance budget and it's not just the Accountability officer who's saying the government's numbers are wrong It's the auditor general. You know last year she said the government significantly understated the deficit And the books I quote were not prepared following the canadian public sector accounting standards She added that the legislature in all ontarians must be able to rely on the provinces consolidated financial statements To fairly report the fiscal results for the year this year. They can't so now you've got Not only the financial accountability officer You have the auditor general saying the government's numbers do not add up and then rather than answer something that's not related to the question I've got a very specific question to the deputy premier the FAO and the auditor general are saying the government's numbers are wrong In this financial update we're getting This week. Can we be assured that the numbers are actually going to be agreed upon by the legislative officers? Yes, I know President treasury board president treasury board. Ah, yes. Thank you very much speaker and I can give you the one word answer Yes, the balance the budget is balanced. In fact, we are on Yes, the budget is balanced. We are on track to balance the budget this year And do you know what that means speaker? That means that instead of slashing and burning services that people rely on We choose to invest in the people of Ontario to bring the province out of the recession Progressive policies like full day kindergarten and free tuition That will ensure that the labour force of the future is well educated well trained over the long term Not to mention the historical infrastructure investments 190 billion over 13 years and our private To agree with our projection that we will have 2.8 Thank you Mr. Speaker again to the deputy premier my question was will the FAO and the auditor general agree with the numbers? It should be very worrisome to every every one in Ontario That you have numbers that the government's presenting that the legislative oversight are saying are incorrect This is unparalleled. You've got the FAO and the auditor general saying not only are the numbers wrong The government's making up their own accounting rules And if it's not good enough that you've got the legislative oversight saying that you're wrong The highly respected don drum in which this government has praised before has said by no means Are they completely out of the fiscal woods? So everyone is saying your numbers are wrong Will they do us the the kindness of at least admitting that they're making up their own rules? Will they at least give us the honesty of saying their numbers Thank you Minister Thank you very much, and I wouldn't presume to speak for our independent officers. They're independent However, what I can do is tell you about some other third party numbers So for example 800,000 net new jobs since the recession The majority are in the private sector and in above wage industries About 94.1 of those new jobs are full time. That's not my data. That's stats camp The unemployment rate is 5.9 percent, which is below the national average for 31 straight months in a row Those are not my numbers. Those are stats camp numbers. What about the gdp? Private sector forecasts for real gdp growth is 2.9 percent in 2017 Increased from 2.4 percent since we presented our balanced bothers other indicators Canada New question the member from kanora reyney river Thank you, speaker My question is to the premier or the deputy premier the gdp has repeatedly confronted the premier And this government with evidence that people in grassy narrows and wabs among first nations We're still getting sick from mercury poisoning including young people But she has repeatedly insisted that the mercury contamination from the dried mill was contained She even warned that a full cleanup might make things worse Now we know that her government has known all along that there was still mercury contaminating the river And that this government has been concealing this truth When did the premier find out that the ground under the mill was still contaminated with mercury? And who gave the order to keep this truth from the people? You see it, please You see it, please Thank you deputy premier to the minister of indigenous relations and reconciliation minister For that that question The domtar report which has been in the news recently speaker was received by the ministry in September 16 It is the position of this government that All information related to the mercury situation on grassy narrows First nation and on the english wababoo and river should be transparently shared The ministry is reviewing that that report now To see what the consequences of that report are and what should be done I should say speaker that we have a plan in place to deal with the mercury pollution On grassy narrow on the domtar site. We are working with grassy narrows first nation with white dog first nation We are working with the ministry officials. We have committed to clean up the mercury site there Supplementary Speaker the fact of the matter is that this government has had that report in its possession for over a year Nation the minister did not let the people of grassy narrows know. How is that transparent? Instead a few months after receiving the report. He told this house that quote There is no source Unquote of mercury contamination the people of grassy narrows and wabs among first nations deserve to know Why they have not been told the truth Will the premier tell us when she knew about the contamination and who gave the order to conceal this truth? Thank you minister I was head speaker the ministry the government received this report in uh, September 16 We are committed to resolving this issue. I can tell you speaker that in the past year or so I have been to grassy narrows twice. I have met with the chief at grassy narrows Finish please And the chiefs of white dog. I have had meetings with former minister murray on two occasions With the leaders from the uh from the communities We have had meetings with the federal the then federal minister minister benet. We are committed to this We have recently, uh, uh, provided about, uh, 5.2 million dollars to support pre remediation work and subsequent to that we've set aside 85 million dollars for remediation efforts. This government is serious about dealing with this issue Thank you any question the member from the tropical north Thank you speaker. Uh, bonjour, annie, bonjour Good morning And reconciliation the honorable david zimmer Speakers you will know there's a long history of treaty making between first nations and the british crown in ontario And this history actually dates back from 1701 to the present day In fact, ontario is unique in canada for the number and variety of treaties between first nations and the crown And they're actually about 46 treaties and counting these include land purchases Across the entire province last week speakers You'll know ontario celebrated treaty recognition week with events taking place all across our province that brought together Indigenous and non-indigenous peoples together to learn about our shared history Speaker can the minister elaborate on the significance of treaty recognition week and our government's work towards reconciliation in this area Thank you minister of indigenous relations Thank you speaker Speaker treaties are the reason canada and ontario exist as we know them today And all ontarians especially students need to gain a better understanding of treaties Ontario is the first province in canada to legislate the observance of an annual treaties recognition week And during the first recognition week last november We connected many indigenous speakers with hundreds of students across ontario through our living library initiative This year we held more than 200 events in 60 communities with 50 indigenous speakers And last week I was in whitefish first nation to celebrate the treaty recognition week the grand chief madabi and chief shining turtle We launched two very very important children's books on the history of treaties and their significance It's through the recognition week that our three-year treaty strategy And our government is working to build a better understanding of the significance and importance of treaties Thank you Thank you speaker It's clear that treaty recognition week is as the minister's deadline Offering an opportunity to foster greater understanding and awareness of the importance of treaties across the province of ontario Raising awareness of treaties and of indigenous histories and cultures More broadly is of great importance to this province to this government and to this country Particularly through educational opportunities for youth speaker. I know that our government believes that all students including indigenous and non-indigenous students Are enriched by learning about the histories cultures perspectives and contributions of first nation Métis and Inuit peoples in Canada I understand that our government is taking steps to ensure that ontarius curriculum includes mandatory learning about residential schools And indigenous peoples historical and contemporary Contributions speaker with the minister share with us government share with us What the government is doing about updating the curriculum in response to the truth and reconciliation commissions called out Thank you minister minister of education. Mr. Of education Speaker Mr. Speaker last week I joined the minister of indigenous relations and reconciliation at millik and mills high school in markham To announce our government's three-year annual investment of five million dollars to support the implementation of the revised curriculum Ontario has been working with indigenous partners to make revisions to the curriculum that will strengthen mandatory learning on the history of residential schools the legacy of colonialism and the importance of treaties We will also be investing in capacity building for teachers and supporting the development of resources that are linked to the revised curriculum Promoting greater awareness of indigenous histories and cultures is one of the many steps on ontario's journey of healing and reconciliation with indigenous peoples actions such as these These revised curriculums reflect our government's commitment to working with indigenous partners and rebuilding relationships based on trust And respect for first nation mate you and inuit. I want to thank the minister of indigenous relations Reconciliation support its work Thank you speaker my question is for the deputy premier A global news story last week shed some light on the premier's attitude towards Students and the ongoing community college strike They say lores college student contacted the premier's office because she had concerns about her second semester osap loans Speaker the alleged response from staff in the premier's office call welfare Call welfare speaker Speaker, this is absolutely true. This is absolutely true. This is absolutely true. Call welfare call welfare speaker Speaker, this is absolutely shameful Which staff member did the premier instruct to tell students to call welfare when in financial distress? Thank you, speaker Well, I can I can tell you that no one no premier has ever done more For college and university students than our premier kathleen wins No one has hundred thousand students speaker Free tuition plus help with living expenses another one third of our students are getting additional help with their To defray the cost of tuition speaker We have opened the window of opportunity open the door of opportunity for students in this province Unlike it has ever been before Speaker we believe that when students work hard when they get accepted to college or to university Money should never stand in the way And that's why we brought forth the greatest transformation of student assistance Ever in the history of Ontario in the history of canada speaker. I can tell you that Internationally people are looking at what we have done to open opportunities for students speaker Supplementary back to the deputy premier Well, these investments Don't do anything for students who've already sold personal belongings to pay their rent Speaker the premier is showing a complete lack of leadership and fail to act in the best interest of students Since the first day of the strike While my own chair progressed a conservative of colleagues and I Called on the premier to take the action and bring both sides back to the bargaining table The liberal government sat on his hands for weeks Now the premier staff had allegedly treats college students desperate for financial assistance With disdain and disrespect Speaker how can college students across Ontario trust that the premier will laugh in their best interest ever again Speaker students have been caught in the middle of this strike since the beginning It is not fair what students are going through speaker. It is just not fair That's why we've worked hard to bring the two sides together to negotiate speaker I know the party opposite has no respect for the collective bargaining process speaker zero If you look at their campaign their platform last time around speaker a number of initiatives to weaken collective bargaining speaker On this side, we are very concerned very concerned about students And that's why we've instructed colleges to create a fund with the net savings of From the strike speaker and we're consulting with students groups the college student alliance and other student leaders On how best to distribute the money from the savings of this strike speaker But the sooner those students are back in the classroom the better off we all will be Thank you speaker speaker my question is for the acting premier the deputy premier Yesterday I was in London talking to nicole Dorsers nicole told me about her brother who struggles with his mental health And how when he needed help at the hospital He was forced to wait in the er for 16 hours Before being admitted onto a stretcher in a public hallway for four days In fact, they gave him four hours in a room then yanked him out of the room and put him into a hallway for four days Stories like this are everywhere in london Particularly when it comes to people trying to get help for mental health issues That's because london health sciences has been at 130 capacity in its psychiatric beds every single day between may 1st And september 22nd this year in fact on august 22nd the hospital reached an extraordinary high of 165 capacity and its mental health beds Why is the premier okay with these shocking numbers and okay with disappointing nicole and her brother? Thank you deputy premier minister of health and long-term care Well, thank you mr. Speaker and that's why I find it hard to understand given that expressed concern why that member opposite and her party would have voted against The legislation that will allow our paramedics our ems services to To to transport mental health patients to the most appropriate clinical location We invested and opened up a remarkable with the cmha a remarkable crisis center in the community in london But they voted against and I suspect when it comes to final reading they're going to vote against it again Which will provide our ems workers the opportunity to actually Port and deliver mental health patients even with a history with that crisis center to that crisis center for some reason She wants to continue to divert them to the hospital er Mr. Speaker we also are dramatically increasing our investment in mental health beds and i'm happy to talk about that and so Thank you Well speaker, you know this liberal government talks a good game about dealing with the mental health problems that we have in this province But when we have a hospital that's at 165 capacity and it's mental health beds We have a serious problem that they've been ignoring for a very very long time Proud and crisis didn't happen yesterday speaker. It didn't happen overnight It's been years in the making starting with the last conservative government Closing 28 hospitals firing 6,000 nurses closing 7,000 hospital beds and worsening with every single Liberal budget cut and hospital funding freeze that followed and there were many We must do right by nicole speaker her brother and all those who have been let down by our health care system under this Premier and the health ministers watch What is the premier's plan to fix the overcrowding crisis at london health sciences? You see the please You see the please thank you minister Well, mr. Speaker I implore the member to just leave the pcs alone for a little bit despite the fact that they closed almost 10,000 hospitals Because her party the ndp when they were in government closed 9,600 hospital beds Mr. Speaker at london health sciences, we're opening 48 new beds. Mr. Speaker 24 of those No, new beds are mental health beds acute care mental health beds in the hospital and 24 additional And by the way, mr. Speaker for the entire month of october There were only two days when london health center health sciences center was above capacity and mr. Speaker We're making the investments millions of dollars 48 new beds But there's a long list of investments that we're making in london Which includes mental health beds that i reference the 24 both the victoria and university sites of london health sciences 24 new acute beds six new acute beds at st. Joseph's health care And we also have 43 as yet Unallocated beds that because we were so insistent that these beds that i reference be up and running as soon as possible We have an additional 43 which quite which may very well end up at london health sciences as well Or other places where they're here, mr. Speaker question remember from the political center It's very much speaker speaker my question is for the minister responsible for small business Speaker before i ran for office I ran my own small business and my dad and my grandfather were both entrepreneurs and they were actually very successful at it So i know a little bit about the risks that entrepreneurs take on to be successful But i also know how important they are to our economy This week speaker is global entrepreneurship week Which helps people to explore their potential as entrepreneurs and raise the profile of entrepreneurs here in ontario and across the world frankly In canada global entrepreneurship week is being hosted by future perner canada Now for those of you who don't know future perner future perner is an amazing organization And they've helped to launch over almost 2200 small businesses here in ontario alone speaker Now we have in ontario one of the fastest growing entrepreneurial sectors in the country and frankly in the world And so we have a lot to celebrate here in ontario to recognize the contributions that entrepreneurs make So minister, could you please tell us what our government is doing to support small businesses and entrepreneurs? Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member from utopaco center for this very important question, of course The member was a very successful business bidder's his own right And it's been a real leader in the development of the blur blur west business improvement area Just last month during small business week I had the pleasure of welcoming future perner to queen spark to showcase some of the great work of young ontario entrepreneurs they support We also brought together women entrepreneurs from across the province to hear from them How we can better help women get a start to grow a business We're working hard to ensure entrepreneurs across the province have the tools they need to succeed Through the entero network of entrepreneurs our small business enterprise centers support the startup and growth of main street businesses In every quarter of ontario and last month we announced the launch of the small business access One windows service to help entrepreneurs access resources and start their own small business We'll continue to create the right conditions for entrepreneurs in ontario to both innovate and grow. Thank you supplementary Thanks very much minister minister I've spoken with you before on this topic And I know that you understand how vital our entrepreneurs are to our economy Whether they be in utopaco or whether they be in peterborough But one of the things that we have heard the premier speak to this morning in question period is our economic performance And this would not be possible without the hard work of our entrepreneurs In fact to ensure that our economy supports. Well, we need to support our entrepreneurs And supporting entrepreneurship is also critical for another reason because as our economy evolves Speaker more and more career opportunities job opportunities will be related to entrepreneurship So we need to support our youth and our young adults in starting and growing businesses Last week speaker on this note. I held a youth advisory group in my riding of utopaco center Where I invited scott bowman from futurepreneur to speak to young people in my riding about how they can be successful entrepreneurs So minister, can you tell us what you are doing to help you start and grow businesses here in ontario? Thank you minister to the minister of economic development a group economic development and growth Well, thank you, mr. So you're planting that seed of entrepreneurialism is so important and frankly The fact that we planted those seeds many years back I really pay an off for us today as we become one of the most innovative climates in the world That's why mr. Speaker many years ago. We invested in summer company 8600 youth have started their own businesses through that program in 2017 alone 944 businesses were started through summer company that program was successful So we decided to start starter company and that program expands the program to people 18 to 29 Years of age throughout the year earlier this year We expanded that mr. Speaker to starter company plus which has no age limits at all in six months So far starter company plus has been responsible for starting up 772 businesses Answer business of starter expanded and over 700 jobs creative. Mr. Speaker We're going to keep investing in those seeds of entrepreneurialism in ontario