 is now time for oral questions. I recognize the leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. Thank you kindly, Mr. Speaker. My first question this morning is to the Premier. Families are watching the global developments around the spread of COVID-19 with growing concern. They're wondering how a health system already struggling with the challenge of hallway medicine will cope with the spread of this disease. They're wondering what the impact on their jobs and savings will be as they watch volatile stock markets. More than ever, people need to know their government is prepared to act and has a plan. Can the Premier provide that assurance today? And more importantly, start informing Ontarians of the contingency plans to deal with the economic and health system impacts of the COVID-19 virus. The Deputy Premier, the Minister of Health. I would say to the leader of the official opposition, we certainly do have a plan. We have had a plan in place. Since this coronavirus came forward, COVID-19 came forward. It was developed after the experience that Ontario had with SARS 17 years ago. There have been protocols developed. We have a public health agency in Ontario now. We have had a plan that has been ready to be set in motion and it has been set in motion. We are already doing the screening of people coming forward that are traveling from other countries. We're ready to enhance that if we need to. We are looking at this day by day. We have a command table that has been set up that is operated by the Deputy Minister of Health and Dr. David Williams, our Chief Medical Officer of Health. We are taking the steps that we need to take as the situation develops. So you can be assured and the people of Ontario can be assured that the plan is working and that the risk to Ontarians still remains very low. The supplementary question. Speaker, the COVID-19 virus is creating unique challenges here in Ontario and all over the world. Businesses are wondering how they will deal with supply chain disruptions and volatile markets. Working women and men, particularly in precarious work in industries like entertainment and tourism, are wondering if they'll be able to take time away from work, if and when they'll need to and how their industries are going to survive. Many are wondering what the impact of more government cuts will have on a softening economy. I wrote the Premier yesterday asking him to meet with me to discuss how the legislature can move quickly to address these concerns as they develop. When will the Premier meet with me for this important discussion? Minister Finance, for the time. Mr. Speaker, and I thank the Leader of the Opposition for a question. On the health front, as the Deputy Premier or Minister of Health has pointed out, we have a plan and that plan is working. We should all be very pleased with the work of our public health professionals and the rest of the healthcare sector, including our frontline workers. When it comes to the economic impacts, as I said yesterday in this legislature, we are monitoring those impacts, the steps that our government has already taken to make sure that Ontario has a robust economy, that the private sector is strong and that we are supporting the working people of Ontario are now going to come home in a very positive way. We are coming into this from a strong position in terms of job growth, but we are monitoring this on a day-to-day basis and we'll make sure that the supports are necessary, both for our health workers and for our economy, to keep Ontario strong and to keep Ontario healthy. APPLAUSE The final supplementary. Well, Speaker, I was at the Chamber of Commerce event last night and I spoke with folks yesterday afternoon as well, and people are wondering, where is the plan? It's not good enough to monitor. You need a plan and you need to communicate that plan so people have an understanding of what's going on. Sadly, when people look at this government for a plan, they see a Premier that's moving in the wrong direction, moving ahead with cuts and forced amalgamation of public health units in the midst of a public health crisis, taking away legislative protection of sick days at exactly the moment when health experts are urging people to stay away from work when they're ill, plowing ahead with an agenda of cuts that will put a drag on the economy at a time when we need to boost it. Is the Premier prepared to work with all parties in this legislature to ensure that government can respond swiftly and practically to all aspects of COVID-19? Please take their seats. Minister of Finance. Minister of the Opposition. Of course, we will continue to work cooperatively with all members of this legislation. But quite frankly, Mr. Speaker, this kind of alarmism that the Leader of the Opposition is raising is not helpful. Quite frankly, the thought that the Boards of Trades and Chambers of Commerce of this province are leaning on the NDP after their anti-business, anti-investment agenda are leaning on them for advice or support at this time. Opposition come to work. Mr. Speaker, I have been in touch with senior business leaders. I've been in touch with the Chambers of Commerce. I met this morning with the President of the CFIB. They appreciate the work and the confidence of this government, both when it comes to the health issues we are facing and the way they're being addressed and the strength that we are putting behind the growth in the Ontario economy. Mr. Speaker, we will continue to work with everyone including the Leader of the Opposition and the members of this Legislature, the business community and our health professionals to deal with the COVID-19 infection. The next question, once again, the Leader of the Opposition. Thank you, Speaker. I want to say that I'm looking forward to the meeting that I've asked for to get updated on what this government's plan is and hearing just this moment that a whole floor of an RBC building in Mississauga, the whole floor of workers is now under self-quarantine because of COVID-19, I think should give a wake-up call to this government that they need to be more proactive in terms of how we help businesses weather this storm. Having said that, my next question is to the Premier. As the Premier knows or should know, hospitals in Ontario have been routinely operating beyond capacity for years and years and years now. And this was before the challenges that are posed now by COVID-19. What resources is the government allocating to deal with increased pressures that hospitals may be facing? Deputy Premier and Minister of Health to recall. Well, thank you very much for the question. It is a very important one, but we want the people of Ontario to know that we do have a plan that includes our hospitals, that includes all of our health workers who are doing a fantastic job as well as our public health workers right now. So we have a plan in place that's going to deal with us. We have an answer. Formally brings together a wide range of partners to strengthen and implement the plan, and we have tables to deal with each of those issues. We have the command table, as I've indicated before, to act as a single point of oversight and direction. We also have five regional planning and implementation tables that are going to review the regional plans and bring together the providers should the circumstances change. We are ready for any change in circumstance. We have a collaboration table where we receive with members from key health sector and organizations to advise the command table and other important health sector partners, all of whom are engaged in making sure that the health and safety of all Ontarians remains our number one. Thank you very much. This supplementary question. Speaker, yesterday the Ford government confidently predicted that in the event that a hospital had to go to lockdown because of being overwhelmed from people coming to get tested, that other hospitals could step up and take over primary responsibilities. It is astounding that that's the response of the Minister of Health when she knows that our hospitals are operating over capacity. We have been in a crisis for years because of what the Liberal government left us with. But hospitals if Greater Toronto, as well as Hamilton, London, Sudbury's, Peterborough, Niagara Falls are all routinely operating over capacity. So unless... Up the clock. Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry must come to order. These are important issues that are being discussed in the legislature this morning. The people of Ontario would expect us to treat the issue with the importance. The speaker is giving a speech. Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry will come to order. Okay, I have to be able to hear the question and the answer. These are important issues. I apologize to the Leader of the Opposition. She has the floor. Start the clock. Please. Thank you, Speaker. I'll just repeat that hospitals in the Greater Toronto area, as well as Hamilton, London, Sudbury, Peterborough, and Niagara Falls are all routinely operating over capacity. We have raised this issue time and time again. The former government did nothing about it. This government's not on track. But unless they're adding new resources to these overcrowded hospitals, I don't see how anything is going to change. What is the government prepared to do? Deputy Premier, most prepared. Well, I can certainly agree with the Leader of the Official Opposition that the situation with Ontario's hospitals being overcrowded was something that took 15 years in the making, was not created by this government. However, we are duly working on that and trying to reduce the numbers. That said, I think it's really important, Mr. Speaker, I'll say to you, through you, to the Leader of the Official Opposition, it is very important that we remain calm and rational about this situation and look at the resources we have and how we can use them most appropriately. That is what we are doing. That is what our plan contemplates. That is what we will do should this situation escalate. There is a detailed plan in place in order to deal with that. Our comprehensive response planning includes effective surveillance, prompt laboratory testing, and we are increasing our laboratory testing resources, appropriate care and treatment, evidence-based public health measures, and our public health partners are doing a terrific job here, and transparent communications. That is very important. The people of Ontario deserve to know what's going on. We have been open. Thank you very much. Once again, the Leader of the Opposition. Speaker, despite the government's promises of ending hallway medicine, the Ford government has continued the liberal policy of freezing hospital budgets. This year, hospitals indicated that increased investment is crucial if they are going to tackle hallway medicine, much less deal with increased demand. Is the government going to make these investments? Look, the budget's coming. We know it's printed. We know it was delivered to the Premier. What we want to see in that budget is evidence that this government is prepared to fund hospitals, not only to the amount that they request just to keep a broken system afloat, but so that they can actually respond to the issues that we're now facing with the outbreak of COVID-19 here in Ontario that appears to be picking up speed, Speaker. So my question is, how exactly did they plan to respond to the increased pressure that is occurring as a result of COVID-19? Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. Ending hallway healthcare was a key commitment that we made to the people of Ontario during the last election, and we are delivering on that commitment. We have increased the funding to hospitals by over $340 million this year, $1 billion, for small to medium-sized hospitals that were dealing with a funding pressure that was created by the previous government, not by us. We are working on ending hallway healthcare, but at the same time, we are working on our comprehensive plan to deal with COVID-19. We will be able to deal with it should the situation escalate, but we are doing excellent work to try to contain, right now, with people that are returning to Canada from other countries. We are continuing to offer incredible surveillance with that and testing, so that the people of Ontario can know that there is a plan in place, the plan is in operation, and the risk to Ontarians remains low. Leader of the Opposition will come to order. The next question. The member for Waterloo. My question is to the Minister of Health. Speaker, an emergency physician at both Grand River and St. Mary's Hospital is calling for COVID-19 screening to be taken out of Kitchener Waterloo emergency departments. Currently, individuals who require testing are taken through acute areas of the emergency room to reach the screening area. To quote the emergency physician, we know COVID-19 will kill the eldest and the sickest patients in a higher amount than general population. So when your grandmother goes to the emergency room for a fainting spell, she is putting herself at higher risk of contracting COVID-19, purely because she's in the location where patients are forced to be screamed. Speaker, I support these doctors and their call to move COVID-19 testing out of our local hospitals. Is the Minister working with the public health organizations to make sure this happens as soon as possible in Waterloo Region and across the province? Because as of this morning, this had not happened. Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. Well, the short answer to the member's question is yes. Of course, we are working with all of our hospitals across Ontario to make sure that Ontarians remain safe. We are working through our regional tables to make sure that the appropriate hospitals are open and we have appropriate test centres. We are receiving applications from centres that want to continue to do the testing if it's not appropriate at certain hospitals. Of course, we want to make sure that people are kept safe and are not exposed inadvertently to the COVID-19 virus. So yes, of course, Dr. Williams and the team and the team at the Ministry are working very hard to make sure that Ontarians remain safe and that appropriate locations are the ones where the testing is going to be done to determine whether people have COVID-19 or not. Supplementary question. Thank you. Speaker, another physician at Grand River and St. Mary's wrote to me desperately calling for out-of-hospital testing for suspected COVID-19 cases. To quote this doctor, out-of-hospital screening will protect our most vulnerable populations, will protect our frontline healthcare staff who are desperately needed to fight this pandemic. These workers are holding our already stretched hospitals together and will be under even more pressure if COVID-19 continues to spread. And it will reduce the need for personal protective equipment in the emergency rooms which are in short supply worldwide. These doctors want to know what the Minister is doing to ensure that testing will be moved out-of-hospitals immediately and the frontline healthcare workers are properly equipped to handle the outbreak. This needs your urgent attention today. I'm here. Minister of Health, you're welcome. Certainly agree it is an urgent situation and one that we are dealing with through our tables, through the regional tables, through the command table, that we are looking at making sure that the right decisions are made as to where the testing should occur. That is being determined right as we speak in terms of personal protective equipment that we have a table that is dealing with that to make sure that we have the right supplies in the right place to protect our frontline healthcare workers because they are the ones who did suffer during the SARS epidemic. We know that. We want to make sure that they remain safe because they are doing the work on the front lines. And so all of these issues are being dealt with as we speak. We look forward to having the meeting that has been requested by the leader of the official opposition to inform her more in greater detail about what is being done. This is open and transparent. Dr. David Williams, our chief medical officer of health has been the lead on this. He is the one that is providing this information. That is something that is very important to us that the medical and scientific advice come forward and we are relying upon that as we should be. The next question, the member for Thorne Hill. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And I have a question to the Minister of Health. According to the World Health Organization, the novel coronavirus has gained a foothold in many countries. In Canada, we have confirmed cases in several provinces. The chief medical officer of health, Public Health Ontario and local public health units have been working closely with the Ministry of Health to respond to COVID-19 in our province. We have had clear communication every step of the way, both on the current status of the outbreak and on the readiness of our health care system to respond. When I see our health care professionals working together, it gives me confidence in Ontario's ability to handle COVID-19 and future outbreaks. Can the minister update this house on the steps Ontario has taken so far to manage the situation? Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. Thank you, Speaker and thank you to the member from Thorne Hill for a question. I know this is an issue that is very important to you as well. Our government appreciates the hard work of our health care workers and of our public health authorities. We will continue to work closely with them and with our provincial and federal partners to ensure readiness. Our government acted immediately by strengthening Ontario's ability to detect, monitor and contain this virus by declaring COVID-19 as a reportable disease. We created dedicated resources in a variety of languages to help Ontarians learn how to protect themselves. Ontario's Emergency Medical Assistance Team, supported by the federal government's repatriation efforts at CFB Trenton and the NAV Centre in Cornwall, are responding to the needs of many Ontarians. Response to Canada. We will continue to communicate clearly about this situation and I look forward to discussing the enhanced measures on my supplemental. Thank you very much. A supplementary question. I want to thank the Minister, but I also want to especially thank all our health care workers for all their hard work. Ontario can have confidence that the system is working. As we get reports from China, Italy and the United States, Ontarians have questions about our preparedness for possible scenarios related to COVID-19. I am reassured that our government has already implemented these measures to safeguard Ontarians from this virus. I know that our team has been working diligently to prepare our province with respect to personal protective equipment for our frontline health care workers while improving hospital capacity and testing efficiency. Can the Minister update us on what Ontario's enhanced response to COVID-19 looks like? Minister of Health. The enhanced response that formally brings together a wide range of partners to make sure that we are effectively dealing with COVID-19. That includes the new command table to provide a single point of oversight as we continue our efforts to contain this virus. We've also established regional planning tables and implementation tables and a personal protective equipment table. We have a collaboration table with key health sector partners to receive their ongoing advice. And we have enhanced screening at long-term care homes. We are also preparing for escalation should it occur. For example, we are establishing dedicated assessment centres to ease pressures on hospitals as we also expand our lab capacity. As we enter this next phase of preparedness, every Ontarian can have full confidence that these efforts will continue to keep them safe. Thank you, Speaker. Next question, the Member for Oshawa. Thank you, Speaker. Ontarians, and my question is to the Acting Premier. Ontarians can clearly see the personal priorities of this Premier. Right out the gate, it was buck a beer and stickers and border signs, licence plates, and soon flashy billboards. All of these endeavours have attracted attention, arguably not the kind that a responsible grown-up government would want. And it isn't the stickers, but instead licence plates that will stick with this Premier. And now, despite the nondisclosure and the veil of secrecy around these plates, folks learned yesterday that it was the Premier who personally picked out the plates. We've had glimpses of the Premier's true colours. This is just one more brilliant example of it, blue. Q-tip, blue on blue. Today, to media, when answering about Plate Gate, the Premier shared that it, quote, breaks my heart. So it isn't women and children turned away from shelters, communities without drinking water, or seniors struggling without quality care that breaks his heart. It is giving up on the dream of PC blue plates on every Ontario car that touches the core of this Premier. Speaker, it isn't clear to Ontario because the Premier is as hard to read as his plates. What else breaks his heart in this province? The Minister of Government and Consumer Services to reply on behalf of the Government. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. It's my pleasure to stand in this House too, affirm with all Ontario that our government is focused on delivering in a timely, secure, and efficient way, licence plates in an enhanced manner because, Speaker, we've heard the concerns of Ontario and I can sincerely say we've taken their feedback seriously and I would like to take this opportunity to thank our partners and our teams who have worked so diligently on the enhanced plate. I can't say enough that the fact of the matter is we have taken their feedback very seriously. We're moving forward and we look forward to updating this House with our plans in the days and weeks to come. Thank you very much. The supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker. People are mystified about how a responsible group in charge of a province could end up with such an absurd fiasco that the government has found a way to protect their secrets with 3M through a sneaky non-disclosure agreement. This was a deal with public money. It shouldn't be allowed for them to hide the details. And this morning, the media reported that 3M will, quote, pay for it. We will have no way of knowing if they really will pay for it or who will. Are we just saying that we will pay for it or who will? Are we just supposed to trust this Premier? Because that's not going to happen. How can this government justify hiding the Premier's personal party plates bought with public money behind a secretive non-disclosure agreement? Thank you very much. I want to reiterate the fact that what is most important here is that we listen to concerns of Ontarians. We've taken decisive action and we'll be delivering an enhanced plate that reflects the feedback that Reeve received and we'll be updating the House in the days to come as we proceed with our plan on delivering plates that have taken seriously the feedback from Ontarians. Thank you very much. The next question, the Member for Guelph. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Health. In my writing at Guelph, local health care leaders are working hard to design a more coordinated health care delivery model as part of the Government's Ontario Health Team Initiative. I must say they're doing a good job. But between pressure from overcrowded hospitals and now COVID-19, local health care teams will need financial support through the OHT transition. Speaker, the Government cannot expect health care providers to deal with hallway medicine COVID-19 and reorganize health care delivery at the same time without additional financial support. Will the Minister commit today to provide funding increases for local health teams so that health care reorganization initiatives cannot divert resources from frontline services? Good question. Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. Thank you very much to the Member for the question. I know that the health care teams are developing. This is a way to really integrate care for people and to bring care to local communities. As opposed to what the local health integration networks were doing, that this is making sure that the people who provide the care on the ground are going to be able to continue that care. They know their own geographic area. They know what the most important issues are in that area. There are a lot of questions with the local Ontario health teams about what additional resources they need. Their needs are actually quite modest. Some of them require help with technology, some of them require help with administrative assistance. We are certainly responding to those needs and we will provide the financial assistance they need in order for them to be successful. The supplementary question. The Speaker, I agree that the local leaders are doing a great job. The local leaders are here at question period today. With the minister's answer and to date, the government has not made a clear commitment to support the staffing leadership and development of Ontario health teams in our communities. I don't know how the government can say that its signature policy to tackle hallway health care can be successful if we don't adequately fund the reorganization of local service . While patients are crammed in hallways and now COVID-19 is putting additional stress on our local health care system, the government is trying to sell a new organization chart. The premier's rebranding efforts have not worked so well in the past. So I am asking the minister today to ensure that Ontario health team reorganization is more than an underfunded rebrand by providing local OHTs the funding that they need. Minister Gerspawn. Well thank you for the question. What I would say to the member speaker through you is that the status quo was not acceptable. The way that health care was being delivered before through the local health integration networks was not working. There were gaps in care. People weren't receiving the care they needed. They ended up back in hospital . That's why the local Ontario health teams will be successful because they will respond to individual needs. They will fill in the gaps in care. They are eager to get started. But we know that they will need some help. We know that they will need resources and we will provide them with those resources so they will be able to provide the integrated care that the people of Ontario expect and deserve. The next question. Thank you speaker. Good morning. The next question is for the Associate Minister of Children and Women's Issues. Speaker, those affected by human trafficking often require unique supports in times of crisis and well after they escaped trafficking. In the recent announcement of Ontario's anti-human trafficking strategy, it was emphasized that these victims need support programs that help them escape violence as well as heal from their trauma. This is an issue that needs to be addressed. We all have a role to play, including our partners in hospitality, law enforcement or health care. That is why I am so pleased that many ministers in this government are taking a proactive approach, including our Minister of Education by introducing human trafficking into our curricula, our Minister of Transportation by supporting partners such as truckers against trafficking or our Attorney General by increasing and making sure that the services provided to victims are culturally appropriate, trauma-informed and truly support the victims in this difficult journey. Thank you very much. The Associate Minister of Children and Women's Issues. We are from the Mississauga Centre for the great question and for your work and passion on this file. Speaker, the member is absolutely correct. We know that survivors of human trafficking require their support to help them heal and rebuild their lives and to reduce the risk of re-exploitation. I am proud of the fact that our strategy has been designed with a strong focus on survivor-centered initiatives, including counselling, mental health supports, education and housing assistance. As Indigenous women and girls are particularly targeted, Indigenous-led culturally appropriate approaches are crucial to address the needs of First Nation, Métis and Métis. This is why we are increasing community-focused anti-human trafficking services and supports, designed for and by Indigenous people by investing up to $4 million per year in new funding for the Indigenous-led initiatives fund. Thank you very much. I thank the Minister for her answer and I also thank her for spending some time in my region of appeal to listen to the frontline workers that help and my supplemental question is to the Solicitor General. Human trafficking is a heinous crime and those who participate and enable it are some of the worst criminals. They often have ties to other organized crime operations. Speaker, crime should not pay, especially not at the expense of Ontario's vulnerable women and girls. And as Premier Ford had said, we must put an end to this disgusting industry and take our kids safe. Can the Solicitor General share how our new anti-human trafficking strategy will work to protect women and girls by bringing offenders to justice? Thank you and thank you to the Member for the Mississauga Centre. I think it's important that we understand and appreciate how engaged we are on this file. The Member for the Mississauga Centre and of the United Nations of the United Nations that informed part of our strategy and I never want people to forget the fact that the average age of recruitment of these young women and girls into human trafficking is 13 years old. So what we are doing is giving law enforcement more specialized prosecution support for human trafficking cases, strengthening intelligence gathering in the correction system, investing in and expanding the Ontario Provincial Police Child Exploitation Unit that will allow them to work with other municipal forces because as we understand and can appreciate these people do not respect municipal boundaries. Response. Thank you. The next question, the Member for Brampton East. Thank you Speaker. We know for months now that conservatives have been told by parents, that online learning will help our kids and that increases to our class sizes will leave our kids behind. My question is to the acting Premier, why does this conservative government continue to punish students instead of teachers? I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know Li Further this issue. Thank you. Thank you have very much speaker and thank you to the members for the question the government remains absolutely focus on getting a deal. It's why we are before two of our partners today, the Catholic teachers and French teachers to get a deal that delivers make. It's to empower every student to ensure that they have classroom sizes frozen for high school at 23 in elementary school provincialized average of 24.5. We're protecting full day kindergarten speaker we're ensuring that merit guides hiring that remains our priority we want a deal and the time is now speaker. The supplementary question back to the acting premier mr speaker students in Brampton are already facing systemic barriers in school every day and the conservatives plan to kick kids out of classrooms and onto the internet is going to make things worse e-learning disproportionately hurt students who are already struggling to learn it hurts marginalized and racialized students and hurt students with lower financial means who may not have access to the internet or a computer at home but this government doesn't seem to care in fact yesterday when the premier was asked about kids being forced into classrooms and out of classrooms and into online courses he said it was a good thing because it allows kids to work part-time jobs speaker students should be in the classroom where they belong not forced into work like the premier bragged about yesterday why does this government think the kids in Brampton don't deserve to be in the classroom. Members please take their seats. Response to minister of education. Thank you speaker what parents deserve is a choice and that's what we're codifying by providing an opt-out for online learning speaker opposition come to our to be in the driver's seat not the opposition not a union not a public servant but a parent of this problem position come door with their children speaker we are focused on getting a deal we're before two partners today will be with our elementary teachers federation tomorrow with a singular aim to drive a deal that is good for students that ends this process of 300 days of negotiating we're going to freeze classroom sizes we're going to ensure special education funding continues to order to those of the greatest needs and speaker we're going to continue to make the case of merit-based hiring in this province well said the next question remember for dwell thank you mr. speaker my question is for the minister of energy last year when the minister wasted over 230 million dollars to cancel renewable energy projects he told ontarians that we did not need the electricity he also said that we would not have to burn fossil fuels when nuclear plants came offline in a few years but right now as we speak speaker an application sits before the ontario energy board to build a natural gas pipeline through hamilton that would contribute to a 400 increase in climate pollution from natural gas fired plants speaker since the energy minister wasted hundreds of millions of dollars canceling clean energy projects because he told us we didn't need the electricity will the minister make a convention today that ontario will not see an increase in gas fired electricity generation minister of energy northern development and mines thank you mr. speaker outside of the outside of the extraordinary work of my uh colleague the associate minister for energy and natural gas extent expansion mr. speaker the answer is no and and here here here's the reason why to the member thoughtful member from wealth a lot of our natural gas goes on standby in this system you know why mr. speaker because when the sun ain't shining and the wind ain't blowing we got to fire up those natural gas plants to pay for the ridiculous scheme of the previous government that created a wind solar system that generates nine percent of our energy and costs 27 percent of it so thank you very much mr. speaker but i think we'll stand by natural gas expansion i think we'll see families and businesses experience energy savings especially in rural and remote parts of this province another option mr. speaker and as we move ever closer to the decarbonization of natural gas it's in play in this province thank you the supplementary question speaker speaker the minister's ideological support for fossil fuels will cost consumers rate payers taxpayers more money and it will undermine our efforts to address the climate crisis according to the oe b filing ontario gas consumers will be forced to pay an extra 120 million dollars to subsidize the cost of building this pipeline and electricity consumers are going to pay more as well alberta recently signed contracts for wind energy at 4.9 cents a kilowatt hour energy efficiency and conservation programs can save electricity at a cost of 2.2 cents a kilowatt hour natural gas fired electricity costs 11.8 cents a kilowatt hour speaker why is the minister supporting an increase in fossil fuel use that are going to cost taxpayers more money rate payers more money and natural gas consumers more money minister to apply well we applaud alberta for that mr. speaker if only the previous government had assigned contracts at 2.2 cents a kilowatt hour for wind and solar it would be a different story instead they locked us down all future governments mr. speaker for decades and decades at contracts that were 14 and a half to 80 cents some say it's even higher this system is so ridiculous mr. speaker and so unreliable it's made it virtually impossible mr. speaker for a small business or for families particularly in isolated remote parts and rural parts of this province to put a price on their electricity from one month of the out that rests squarely with the previous government mr. speaker when they were in cahoots with the NDP to build mr. speaker one of the most expensive systems this province and and north america knows about mr. speaker we're creating opportunities by investing in green renewable energy that comes in the form of nuclear that supplies great jobs for the Durham for mr. speaker that creates an opportunity thank you very much thank you mr. speaker my question is for the minister of health ontarians have long struggled to find the help they need for mental health and addiction challenges under the del duke win liberals ontario spent 15 years without an effective plan for mental health stop the clock stop the clock thank you see we're going to refer to other members in the house by their ministerial title if applicable or their writing name and if it persists i'm going to have to start cutting people off in midsends and that will affect their clip i guess if that's what i have to do that's what i'll do start the clock i would ask the member for peter borough quartha to place his question thank you mr. speaker our government has a plan the roadmap to wellness will help fix the gaps in care that have left too many on wait lists sometimes for months of the time it'll ensure that services are accessible to the people of ontario no matter where they live in this province can the minister tell us more about this plan and how this plan lays a path for meaningful improvement and how we access mental health care in ontario great deputy premier minister of health thank you speaker and thank you to the member from peter borough quartha for your question what we were elected our government inherited a system where ontarians facing mental health challenges felt lost services were not accessible or tailored to their needs they were left to navigate the system with no support our government has undertaken the hard work to transform the system and make sure that people get the care they need when they need it the roadmap to wellness will support the expansion of existing mental health and addiction services and also proposes innovative solutions like mindability the mental health and addictions center of excellence will make sure that these services of our are of high quality and are accessible to all ontarians regardless where they live after years of inaction ontarians will finally see real results in mental health and addiction services thank you mr. speaker and through you i'd like to thank the minister for her answer and thank the associate minister for his work on this file i'm glad we're finally have we finally have a government that takes this issue seriously here here the liberals failed to give ontarians the mental health and addiction services they need it in fact when steven deluca wanted to help with addiction services he attended an all-male cash for access wine and grappa tasting unreal a wine tasting mr. speaker to raise money for addiction services ontarians deserve better support for addiction service than an event featuring wine and spirits mr. speaker can minister tell us more about a real plan for mental health and addiction care the associate minister for mental health and addiction thank you mr. speaker and thank you to the member for peter broke worth ours he likes to call it god's country for that question we are a government mr. speaker that fully believes that mental health is health and without mental health you cannot have health mr. speaker i had the chance to travel across the province to connect with diverse communities about the unique needs our sessions have been very informative we are building a high quality system mr. speaker that will support ontarians across their lifespan our government will develop a new core services framework to enable 3.8 billion dollars in funding for mental health and addiction services we're offering innovative solutions such as mindability and through ontario health teams and a new toll-free number we're improving system navigation mr. speaker this is a system that will support all ontarians where and when they need a response and we'll be putting forward real solutions for our health care system thank you thank you very much the next question the member for to miss him in cocker thank you my question is to the acting premier last week the premier once again boasted that he was going to cut hydrates by 12 percent just like in the election but this government has had the better part of two years to provide ontarians with relief from sky sky hydro bills and you know what's happened since they've been elected they have gone up the one thing the premier has done he bored another 5.6 billion dollars to add on to the 40 billion dollar failed liberal hydro scheme to artificially subsidize and lower people's rates mr. speaker why is the government continuing to maintain failed failed liberal failed liberal policies when it comes to our hydro system mr. speaker it's quite it's quite incredible member opposite has never accounted for the fact that the auditor general made it very clear that the fair hydro plan was anything but in fact it was time mr. speaker to move swiftly to dismantle the fair hydro plan and to let the people of ontario know exactly how much their bill would be and how much the rebate that that's or subsidy mr. speaker was coming from the tax base mr. speaker that's exactly what we have done we followed the auditor general's reports mr. speaker we have gotten rid of 790 million dollars of those contracts at the green and the member for the green party was just complaining about costing our our system mr. speaker so much money the unreliability the unpredictably that's particularly mr. speaker touching the homes and businesses of people in his riding and across northern ontario mr. speaker we're getting rid of the fat in this system we're making it more lean and efficient and we're going to be delivering on a rate mr. speaker that people can afford and create greater certainty for them as they manage thank you a supplementary question thank you this government as minister just said is often critical of the previous liberal government when it comes to hydro but they've kept the same disastrous policies they continue to borrow money on the liberal fair hydro plan another 5.6 billion dollars but this isn't the first time we've seen this speaker this the government also support the liberals when they sold off hydro one they were in full support and actually truth be told speaker order progressive conservatives are the ones that started the process the liberals actually copy them the liberals the conservatives started selling hydro one order enough is enough ontario families want really real relief when will this government stop copying failed liberal hydro policies and actually offer people relief on the minister the reply yeah it's a good one you know his daffy anecdotes mr. speaker mean nothing to me here's the reality mr. speaker it's costing 5.6 billion dollars mr. speaker to keep hydro rates the rate of inflation once we followed the auditor generals instructions mr. speaker to make it more transparent so that the people of ontario actually knew what it cost mr. speaker at the current rates that the previous government under the fair hydro plan that was anything but mr. speaker was hidden and acknowledged later on by the former premier that she was quite happy to punt that debt down the road mr. speaker we exposed that mr. speaker made the system more transparent we've held hydro one to account opposition come to our six million dollar man is gone the c-suites and utilities or private companies public companies mr. speaker that are owned in part or in whole by the people of ontario have an expectation that they will become respond to speaker more efficient and ensure that moving forward we have a competitive rate for homes small businesses mr. speaker and large employers in this province thank you mr. speaker the next question the member for willowdale thank you very much speaker speaker we heard yesterday about some very exciting announcements that the minister of energy northern development and mines made last week including a truly historic agreement to move forward with the corridor to the ring of fire our government is creating partnerships with first nations and industry that will help our mining sector flourish speaker the value of mineral production in ontario was ten point seven billion dollars in 2019 will the minister tell us about the important investment he announced in sudbury last thursday it was it was it was great to be in sudbury last week and announce mr. speaker 63.3 million dollars over five years for the next generation networks program now notwithstanding the ndps opposition to this kind of investment which people in sudbury took part of actually we launched the sen gen smart mining test bed at nor cat now nor cat's an extraordinary facility in sudbury mr. speaker and it should be when 50 percent of iron ore produced and harvested in northern ontario actually comes through sudbury mr. speaker this is a place where smart technology should be developed the test bed is going to play a key role in developing technologies that test the boundaries of traditional mining places help companies develop world leading technologies to make mining safer smarter and more productive mr. speaker as i said yesterday sudbury timmons and north bay are fast becoming world-class services supply mining places and destinations mr. speaker and we support them thank you supplementary question thank you speaker and thank you for that response minister it sounds like agreements like these investments like this will help companies create a lot of good paying jobs now as we move forward with historic agreements like the ring of fire our government has been taking steps to address the labor shortage in the skilled trades can the minister tell us some of the investments that we've made in skills development available particularly young people and to the mining sector minister thank you mr. speaker so i was off to thunder bay then mr. speaker to make perhaps some of the most most important announcements that we could uh make mr. speaker as as as we look to a new workforce an exciting workforce in northern ontario i announced more than two million dollars on behalf of my colleague the minister of labor training and skills development one of those announcements mr. speaker was the anishinabek employment and training service center $750,000 in two pre-apprenticeship training projects mr. speaker for 35 indigenous workers to get their start in high demand trade this was led by a young indigenous red seal trained worker mr. speaker who could hardly contain his excitement especially when he spoke to the media and called on the members of parliament or provincial parliament thunder bay to get behind these kinds of projects stop voting against them mr. speaker whether it's the east west high legacy corridor into the into the ring of fire mr. speaker we need trained and skilled indigenous workers that's an important part of reconciliation that's what i heard from them and that's thank you very much the next question member for kinkston in the island good morning speaker and thank you my question is to the acting premier last week in kinkston hundreds of residents gathered to discuss unprecedented flooding that is already devastating my community wolf island has been particularly hard hit with homes and businesses damaged shoreline eroding and wells contaminated big sandy bay conservation area a major tourist draw has been closed because there's just no more sand many of my constituents have paid dearly over the past three years of flooding spending tens of thousands of dollars of their own savings to try and preserve their homes so yesterday when the minister of natural resources and forestry unveiled his much anticipated flood strategy i was hopeful i thought there was some relief on the way for constituents in my writing but that strategy is rather light on details and there is an one cent of funding attached to it not one cent why is the government yet again leaving whole communities that live along the great lakes to fend for themselves during another year of record-breaking floods minister of natural resources and forestry well thank you speaking i thank the member for the question we were very pleased yesterday in minden ontario to announce ontario's flood strategy as you know the events of 2019 which was the first flood event of our government we moved rapidly after that to appoint a special advisor on flooding my colleagues in the in the government nine ministries involved in this to develop a flood strategy which the focus is on three issues preparedness order response and recovery so we're working with all our stakeholders all our partners including property owners to be able to forecast better when and where floods so that we're in a much better position to respond to those floods providing the resources through municipalities ministries working with the federal government response to ensure that we can recover as quickly as possible after a flood event one thing was made clear by the special advisor we cannot prevent flooding in the province of ontario it is how we react to it and how thank you a supplementary question thank you speaker and with all due respect it may be the first flooding event of this government but when you are in opposition will you just blissfully unaware that it was happening after record-breaking high water levels in lake ontario in 2017 and 2019 experts are anticipating another record year in 2020 and yet instead of taking this devastating flooding seriously putting some money behind it they're not allocating a single cent to help communities like will file and like Kingston like asics like Windsor and like all these other communities that are affected by this why won't this government follow their own independent advisers recommendations the minister was unable to even answer how many of the recommendations were being followed and properly fund flood mitigation efforts there's people's homes there's businesses that are hanging in the balance they need help now minister reply again thank you very much speaker and i will point out that we are the first government while it was why our first flood event we're the first government to appoint a special advisor and flooding which was a major step forward from previous governments speaker let's be clear our government through the ministry of municipal affairs and housing has in place the disaster recovery assistance for ontarians programs which does assist homeowners in the event of flooding up to 250 thousand dollars for eligible expenses with regards to repairing their properties and homes in the event of flooding our forecasting working with our partners across sectors across governments increasing our ability to forecast flooding but i want to say to the member from from kinkston in the islands the the flooding on lake ontario and the levels on lake ontario are governed by the international joint commission of which we are a we have a membership on it but we do not set the water levels on that i would suggest that he take his his issue we will continue to fight for those people but it also has to be an issue taken out thank you very much the next question the member for storm on sunday's so clean dear thank you speaker my question is the minister of natural resources and forestry our government has a plan to build ontario together with better quality life in higher standard living for every region of this province for northern and rural communities that means supporting the forestry industry forestry is a critical source of employment for these communities providing well-paying jobs in regions with few other industries the industry also plays a key role in meeting growing consumer preference for renewable and more environmentally conscious products ontario is a world leader in sustainable forest management through the crown forest sustainability act our government is proposing to clarify the axe role to eliminate any unnecessary duplication can the minister inform us about what our government is doing to support to support this critical industry minister of natural resources and forestry thank you to the great member from a storm on danda south can gary for the question the communities of northern ontario have told us just how important it is to remove unnecessary duplication given the crown forest sustainability act already provides for the protection of species at risk mayor one wendy landry of shunya and president of the northern northwestern ontario municipal association said quote we are very encouraged by the government's announcement of a draft provincial forest sector strategy however the most important action the government must take is a permanent recognition of the cfsa as the main legislation for managing species at risk jason laco of the united steel workers said our 2,500 forestry workers in ontario are depending on a long term workable solution to the endangered species act forestry matters and we need action now speaker our government is listening response people of northern and rural ontario thank you thank you minister for that response the forest sector has been by has been a vital segment of Ontario's economy for generations the 16 billion dollar industry provides 155,000 direct and indirect jobs across the province renewable wood products and also mitigate climate change by reducing our reliance on products like single-use plastics and it is great to hear that our government is working hard to help Ontarians develop sustainable industries the previous liberals neglected the forestry industry and the peoples of northern and rural ontario for 15 years all the while supported by the NDP it is clear you minister have worked hard with these communities and the forestry sector unions and first nations to ensure forestry is done in a way that is most sustainable economically and environmentally can you share with us what you've heard from these people across the province minister speaker and thank you again to the member from storm and dundas south gling gary for the supplementary we've heard from unions municipalities and first nations across northern and rural ontario representing 40 first nations across ontario deputy grand council chief edward while we are recalled we are grateful for the hard work on the new strategy however we demand that government make a decision as soon as possible on the esa how can our communities look to a future in the industry without a long term solution to the esa speaker unlike the opposition parties that do nothing but talk and talk about supporting the hardworking people of ontario our government is a government of action we have engaged we engaged extensively with people from across the province as we have a plan to build ontario together and forestry and the success of forestry across this province is part of that plan to build ontario together get on board i say to the opposition thank you speaker my question is for the acting premier there is a crisis in children and youth mental health and addictions across ontario there is a 348 day wait for counseling and therapy and a 207 day for intensive treatments in thunder bay tisa fiddler a parent and educator stated at a press conference recently that in many of our rural and remote communities there is no wait list to get on because there are no services the services do not exist diane walker the ceo of the children's center at the same press conference stated no child should wait in hospital hallways or on wait lists for critical treatment they need will my colleague the member of park tell hide park has a table to build that would ensure children and youth mental health would receive services within 30 days will the government finally pass this bill question children and youth can access the mental services they need thank you mr. speaker mr. speaker our government is delivering real action by investing in a stored 3.8 billion dollars over 10 years to build a comprehensive integrated and connected mental health and addiction system one that is evidence-based data driven and meets the needs of patients and their families mr. speaker under the leadership of our premier our government has invested an additional 10 million dollars annually in child and youth mental health core services funding and communities across the province nearly 40 million dollars has been invested and targeted to mental health supports for Ontario students six million in intensive services for youth with addictions including withdrawal management services and residential treatment 3.5 million for early psychosis intervention services and a million dollars for a new provincial eating disorders prevention and early intervention program mr. speaker we are building a system for all Ontarians including children and youth thank you that concludes our question period this morning i understand the member for kitchener center has a point of order on a point of order mr. speaker i'd like to correct my record speaker i would in my question yesterday i referenced how the attorney generals appointed to the interior human rights commission would need to recuse himself 70 percent of the time during commission work that deals with policing matters in fact the OHRC estimates that and i'm quoting from the integrity commissioner david wakes letter to the tps constable randall arsenal quote based on data from the last six months the OHRC has estimated approximately 30 percent of its overall workload was devoted to the tps specifically and 40 percent thank you very much there is provision in the standing orders to allow members to correct their record if they really made a mistake but it's not really there to provide additional information over and above what was said previously we have a deferred vote on a motion for closure on the motion of second reading or second reading of bill 175 an act to amend and repeal various acts respecting home care and community services calling the members this is a five minute bell members will please take their seats on march 2nd 2020 miss elliot moved second reading of bill 175 an act to amend and repeal various acts respecting home care and community services mr colander has moved question now be put all is in favor of mr colander's motion will please rise one at a time and be recognized by the clerk mr colander mr colander mr lecce mr lecce mr fidelli mr fidelli mr four mr four miss elliot mr clark mr clark mr smith baya quinty mr smith baya quinty mr hartman mr hartman mr akibus mr akibus mr tabolo mr tabolo mr dunla mr dunla mr raman mr hawker mr wauker mr Thompson mr industri mr downy mr downy mr fullerton mr fullerton mr jones mr juns mr sarcaria mr sarcare mr chose carver north mr chose carver north mr rickford mr rick food mr mr summer mr CO ke hayl sir bailey mr bailey mr petty piece democracyετε truly now mr mcdonnell mr mcdonnell mr martel mr martel mr harris mr harris mr chello wheeler Nederland yadda mr gill mr gill mr mukkina mr mechaniz this is martin this is martin mr parser mr parser it's kelly mr schellie mr nickles mr nikkeld mr picini mr picini Mr. Miller Perry Sound Muskoka, Mr. Ostra, Mr. Tanigasa, Mr. Bavra, Ms. Hogarth, Ms. Cusindoba, Ms. Tangry, Ms. Y, Ms. Park, Mr. Guzzetto, Mr. Pang, Ms. Trianthophilopolis, Mr. Crawford, Mr. Kramp, Mr. Rashid, Mr. Ashid, Mr. Bauma, Mr. Smith Peterborough-Cortha, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Cuck, Mr. Cuck, Mr. Sandin, Mr. Anand, Mr. Kanapati, Mr. Babikian, Mr. Sabaoui, Mr. Sabaoui. All those opposed to Mr. Kalander's motion, please rise, one at a time, and be recognized by the clerk. Mr. Shibison, Ms. Fife, Ms. St. Brampton Center, Mr. Vantoff, Ms. Horvath, Ms. Saller, Ms. Lindo, Ms. Shaw, Mr. Mamakwa, Ms. Begum, Mr. Yard, Ms. Taylor, Ms. Shimonta, Ms. Armstrong, Ms. Stiles, Mr. Kernahan, Mr. West, Ms. Stevens, Mr. Gates, Ms. Gretzky, Ms. French, Mr. Miller-Hamiltonese Stony Creek, Mr. Singh Bramptonese, Mr. Hatfield, Mr. Hathfield, Mr. Birch, Mr. Burns McGowan, Mr. Arthur, Mr. Arthur, Ms. Bell, Ms. Morrison, Mr. Akosovic, Mr. Harden, Ms. Monteith Farrell, Mr. Hassan, Mr. Fraser, Ms. Wynne, Mr. Shriner. The ayes are 59, the nays are 37. The ayes being 59, the nays being 37. I declare the motion carried. Ms. Elliott has moved second reading of Bill 175. An act to amend and repeal various acts respecting home care and community services. Is it the pleasure of the House of the Motion? Carry. All those in favour of the motion, please say aye. Opposed? Will please say nay. My opinion, the ayes have it. Calling the members, this will be a five-minute vote. Same vote. The ayes are 59, the nays are 37. The ayes being 59, and the nays being 37. I declare the motion carried. Shall the bill be ordered for third reading? Heard a no. Shall the bill be ordered for third reading? Heard some noes, so it has to go to a committee. I ask the minister which committee. Social policy, please. Bill stands referred to the standing committee on social policy. There being no further business this morning, this House stands in recess until 3 p.m.