 It is now time for a question period. The leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. Despite the vague wording in the Climate Change Action Plan, and despite all the government's denials, we know the truth. The government has a hidden agenda to ban natural... I'm sorry, stop the party. My expectation won't change. Thank you. Leader? Mr. Speaker, Adrian Moore with the Globe and Mail received leaked cabinet documents to prove the government's hidden agenda to ban natural gas. The documents say the government is still pursuing a harder line on natural gas hidden behind the scenes. The Minutes direct the Energy Minister to find a way to phase out reliance on natural gas. So the Liberals say one thing and they're privately doing something very different. The Premier is standing up in this house and saying she's not phasing out natural gas and behind closed doors in the cabinet she's telling her minister to get it done. Mr. Speaker, will the Premier come clean on her cabinet documents and their attention to phase out natural gas? Thank you. Mr. Speaker, once again, let me say to the member opposite that our plan is in full view. It is in full public view, Mr. Speaker. We are tackling climate change because we know that it is the greatest threat faced by humanity. Mr. Speaker, if we don't, as a humankind, tackle climate change, find a way across the globe to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Mr. Speaker, then we will not be fulfilling our responsibility to the young people who are sitting in the gallery today, Mr. Speaker, and to all the children and grandchildren that will come after us. It is incredibly important, Mr. Speaker, that we all do our part. That's what we're doing in Ontario. We're going to reduce greenhouse gas emissions with or without the opposition working with Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, back to the Premier. Yes, the Climate Change Action Plan is in plain view in the Globe and Mail, in the article exposed by Adrian Morrow highlighting your cabinet documents. But let's move on from the hidden agenda natural gas. We already know the cap in trade and what the cost will be for Ontario. We know this reckless plan means we will see businesses send, hear this, $300 million to California by 2020 and $3 billion to California by 2030. It is taking money out of the pockets of people in Oakville and Sendient to Orange County. The people of Mississauga's hard-earned money will be going to Malibu. Businesses in Scarborough will be subsidizing businesses in San Diego. Mr. Speaker, why does the Premier insist on this reckless and ideological plan that benefits the people of Beverly Hills and doesn't benefit the people of Ontario? Thank you. The Leader of the Opposition could not be more wrong. The fact is, Mr. Speaker, that we are joining a market. And you know, Mr. Speaker, in the old days, the Conservatives actually believed in markets. They actually believed that market philosophy worked and worked to the benefit of society. Mr. Speaker, we are joining a market with Quebec and with California. The revenue, the money that comes in from that market, Mr. Speaker, through the cap and trade system is going to be reinvested in individual families in this province, in businesses to drive innovation, to help people retrofit their homes, to help people buy emissions-free automobiles, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to remind the member from Renfrew that that's not a bad point. There's a reason for that, and you're part of it. All those scholars are going to be reinvested to reduce pollution, Mr. Speaker, to invest in transit, to do what the work that needs to be done to reduce our emissions so that we can join the rest of the world in fighting climate change, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, again to the Premier. And the Premier may aspire to be the Minister of Economic Development for California, but that's not in the best interest of Ontario. In BC, in their carbon pricing model, every cent stays in British Columbia. So I'm going to repeat my question. How can the Premier sign on in a legal manner to a scheme that is going to send $300 million to California by 2020, $3 billion to California by 2030? In what world do you think it's appropriate to be taking precious resources from Ontario and subsidize the economic development in California? Thank you. It has demonstrated clearly, Mr. Speaker, that if we do not tackle climate change right now. In fact, Mr. Speaker, we should have 30 years ago been changing our practices, but we didn't as a race, as a human race. So Mr. Speaker, you know the member opposite references other jurisdictions. Other jurisdictions where greenhouse gas emissions are not going down, Mr. Speaker. And in fact, is putting forward a scheme that would not work, that would cost people more in our pollution. That's not a plan to tackle climate change, Mr. Speaker. Ours is we are going to reinvest the money from cap and trade into the people of this province, into the business of this province, to help them to join the battle for this pollution. Mr. Speaker, please. Thank you. New question. Leader of the opposition. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier, and since I can't get an answer on why the government wants to send $3 billion to California, let's talk about healthcare. I met with some very concerned doctors last week in Simcoe County. We talked about the 800,000 people in Ontario that don't have a family doctor. And I learned that since the Liberals have come to power, non-urgent visits to our local emergency room have increased by 30%. Weight times in the yard have steadily increased because this government is failing to offer real solutions and alternative care options. When doctors try to find a solution, to find an alternative, this government responds by slashing $815 million in physician services for patient care. Mr. Speaker, it is never too late to do the right thing. I will, with Premier, commit to stopping these cuts to physician services for patient care. Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. So, let's just look at the facts. Since 2003, Mr. Speaker, the number of physicians in Ontario has increased by over 5,600, Mr. Speaker. Nine access to a family doctor, family health care provider, Mr. Speaker. So the fact is that the investments that we have made and the investments that we continue to make are improving service to families, to people across the province. That's why there's a billion dollars, Mr. Speaker, in this year's budget, a billion new dollars to invest in the health care system, Mr. Speaker. We will continue to make those investments including $345 million to hospitals because we know that there is increasing need in health care across the province. That is an investment that is critical to us, it's critical to society, and we will continue to make those investments and increase funding year over year to the health care system, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, back to the Premier. One of the doctors that I met and spoke to was Dr. Monica Wolnick. She runs the urgent care clinic in Barrie. They see 150 to 200 patients a day. The clinic saves the health care system $12 million a year by keeping patients out of the emergency room and the hospital. And the thank you they get from this government is cut after cut after cut. Dr. Wolnick estimates that the government funding cuts means $5,000 less a month. That isn't sustainable for the long-term future of the clinic. And she worries that they're going to have to shut down the clinic, sending all those people at a more costly rate to emerge in the hospital. Mr. Speaker, this wouldn't be the first clinic to close in Ontario because of the government's cut. So my question is, are you prepared to continue these cuts if it means all these clinics across Ontario are going to close? Thank you. Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. We value the work that all our frontline health care professionals do, including the 30,000 plus doctors across this province. I was recently in Barrie with the local member from Barrie. Over there, thank you. We were both proud to announce we were at the Royal Victoria Hospital, a new hospital, by the way, Mr. Speaker, greatly enlarged and expanded. But we were there for one specific reason. We were there with many of those physicians that practice in Barrie at the hospital as well. We were there to announce the expansion of their cardiac program, Mr. Speaker. A multi-million dollar capital and operating expansion which will deliver a service that, quite frankly, is overdue for that part, that growing part of the province. It will allow people to get that urgent responsive care when they have a cardiac event and they're going to be able to get it close to home. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, I'm not sure how that related to the question rehashing, recycling old health care announcements rather than answer the question about an urgent care clinic that is about to close. I'll be more specific. These doctors are operating these clinics solely on physician fees. The same fees the government is cutting, slashing. This particular clinic has four doctors working 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. They see 150 to 200 patients a day and nearly 40 to 50,000 people a year. Their per-patient cost before fees is between $16 and $17. The same base cost of the hospital is $165 and you want to force them to close. You want to send those 40,000 patients back to the hospital at a higher cost. They're saving the system $12 million and you're going to ruin that. As Dr. Walnick said, there are similar clinics all over the province struggling to stay afloat. If time the premier listens, can I get a commitment, Mr. Speaker, that they'll keep these clinics afloat and they'll stop the cuts? Mr. Speaker, can you see it, please? Can you see it? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I think if they're seeing 150 patients plus a day, they're probably managing OK and keeping that clinic afloat, Mr. Speaker. But the reality is that we are making sure that Ontarians have continuity of care. They have a comprehensive approach to healthcare through a primary care provider that's there, that they can rely on. Whether that same day or next day. In the context, often, Mr. Speaker, because over 3 million Ontarians have access to our family health teams where they have that holistic wraparound care that's provided not just by a family doctor, but often by a nurse practitioner or a dietitian or an occupational therapist. A whole suite of providers of care that ensure that they're able to maintain that highest quality. And we've done that in the context of every single year increasing the physician services budget. And the last year, by 1.25%, about $150 million, Mr. Speaker. We're doing that this year. More than $100 million. Thank you. New question. The leader of the third party. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Premier. It's simply unacceptable that in 2016 there are people in Ontario who cannot get access to clean water. For more than 50 years, the people of Grassy Narrows First Nation have been dealing with mercury poisoning. 50 years, Speaker. Last week, some of the young people suffering from the devastating effects of mercury poisoning came here to Queens Park to fight for their community. Yesterday, the government agreed to more meetings. People in Grassy Narrows, Speaker, don't need another meeting. They need clean water. When will the Premier begin to clean up the mercury from the Wabagoon River in Grassy Narrows? Thank you, Premier. Let me just clarify for the leaders of the third party that in all of those years we have been working as a government with Health Canada, Mr. Speaker. We have been working with the community. There has been ongoing monitoring of the mercury in the water, in Grassy Narrows, but also in the fish, in the food supply, Mr. Speaker. So we are very aware that this is a challenging problem. We are very aware that this is something that needs to be dealt with. But, Mr. Speaker, there has not been science that has indicated how we can clearly deal with the mercury that is in the sediment, in the lake, and in the river, Mr. Speaker, without disturbing it. We didn't commit to more meetings, Mr. Speaker. We committed to bringing scientists up to Grassy Narrows to act on the recommendations of the report and see if we can find a way through field studies to take further action, building on the action that has already been taken, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday, the Minister of Environment claimed that there is, quote, ongoing monitoring that the scientists and the Ministry of the Environment have been doing on both fish and water, end quote. But the scientists report says, quote, we have no recent measurements of mercury concentrations or water quality in the water of the Wabagoon River or in any of its lakes, end quote. So either the Ministry is keeping its reports under wraps, Speaker, or they're not actually testing the level of mercury in the water. Is the Government monitoring the levels of mercury in the water or not, Speaker? Thank you. Mr. Speaker, my understanding is that the provincial government and the federal government for many years have been working on this and have been monitoring the mercury. I'll let the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change speak to the specifics of that, but when I visited Gracie Narrows, Mr. Speaker, when I was the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and I met with the folks in the community, there was information that was available in terms of the level of mercury in the fish and in the water. Mr. Speaker, the reality is that even if you look at the report that has recently been published, it's not a specific or easy solution to this, Mr. Speaker. Now, the leader of the third party can do her utmost to make this to oversimplify it, to make it a political issue, Mr. Speaker, and to try to use it to wedge between the people of the community and the government. We are going to continue to work with the community to find a solution that won't make the problem worse, but will actually fix the problem, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. When I visited Gracie Narrows, the chief and leadership there told me they want their water cleaned up. Information scientists warned that there could actually be new sources of mercury contamination currently happening in the Wabagoon River. The Liberals have been in government for over a decade in this province. In fact, for over a dozen years and for over a dozen years more people have gotten sick from mercury poisoning and the situation may actually be getting worse. Earlier this year the Premier said governments should be ashamed, ashamed is her word, that if people in First Nations can't get clean drinking water the Liberals have had more than a dozen years to do something, Speaker, and they haven't. That is shameful. The people of Gracie Narrows First Nation and First Nation peoples across this province have access to water that is safe to drink and fish that is safe to eat. Thank you. Mr. The Environment and Climate Change. So I think we need to break this down a bit. Mercury is multiply sourced, including atmospherically, widely across Ontario. As many of the members opposite will know, that in many parts of Ontario you cannot eat walleye because of the mercury levels. Mercury today comes from methyl hydrate atmospheric when you flood a field for a dam you get methyl hydrate which is metabolized by fish into mercury. We have a 60 year old spill. Those leaks, those sources could be from any of those sources. So we have agreed to an advanced field study that will cost about $600,000 to figure it out. The leader of the opposition seems to think you could take a Hoover and just clean this up, Mr. Speaker. It's a little more complicated than that. Thank you. New questions for the Premier as well, Speaker, but I have to say I have never been so disgusted by a response 13 years. Why hasn't that monitoring been happening for the last 13 years, Speaker? Nurses are being fired and people are in hospital hallways. Critical care beds, mental health beds are all overcrowded. And our hospitals need more than $3 billion just in critical maintenance, Speaker. That's a healthcare system in crisis. My question to the Premier is when will she stop denying the facts and start making sure that hospitals have the funding that they need to properly care for the patients of this province? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Well, as I have said, we are committed to a healthcare system that puts patients first that can change in the ways that we know patients need, Mr. Speaker, that we know people want. That's why in our budget we have put an additional $270 million for home and community care, Mr. Speaker. When I talk about the healthcare system in transition, that's the kind of change that needs to happen because people are looking for care not just in hospitals but outside of hospitals in the community as well. That's why there's $75 million in community-based hospice and palliative care, Mr. Speaker. Those are changes that people are looking for. But, Mr. Speaker, we continue to invest in the more traditional services, Mr. Speaker. $345 million more for hospitals because we recognized that that was necessary. $85 million for community health centers, Mr. Speaker. The money for healthcare continues to go up because the need continues to increase, Mr. Speaker. It's the government's own records that show that acute care everywhere from Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto to London Health Sciences from Sault Ste. Marie to Thunder Bay are dangerously overcrowded. And while the Premier talks about the importance of mental health, mental health beds across Ontario are consistently overcrowded. Government records show that our hospitals are falling into disrepair and need more than $3 billion just for urgent repairs. Hospital-based funding has been frozen for four straight years and this year saw an increase of less than inflation and population growth. This is a system in crisis, Mr. Speaker. The Premier needs to stop denying the facts and make sure that when people go to hospital they can get the care that they need. So my question is why doesn't she recognize that? I think the fact that, as I said, we continue to put money into healthcare in the areas where we know that there is increased need including, Mr. Speaker, $12 billion over the next 10 years to expand and rebuild hospitals. There are 35 major hospital projects that are underway or being planned right now, Mr. Speaker. We continue to increase the number of nurses and doctors and we continue to work with the system with the hospitals, with the community care facilities, Mr. Speaker to go through that transition that is necessary to meet the demands and to meet the needs of people in communities and that means families who need support for their loved ones at home, Mr. Speaker. That means families who are palliative or hospice care, Mr. Speaker. We're responding to those needs and at the same time increasing funding to hospitals increasing the number of practitioners because we know that that's necessary for the system to be sustainable, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Final supplementary. Hospitals need an appropriate level of operational funding and for years they have not been getting that level of funding from this government. Look, I believe in healthcare. I believe in universal access to healthcare. As a new Democrat that's part of my DNA and it shouldn't matter where you live it shouldn't matter how much money you make it shouldn't matter where you come from. Ontarians deserve all Ontarians deserve access to the healthcare that they need but that's not what is happening Speaker under this Liberal Government. Beds are being closed. Nurses and other frontline healthcare workers are being laid out and they are crumbling. That is a system in crisis, Speaker. That is the legacy of this Liberal Government after so many years in office. When will this Premier stop ignoring this crisis and start fixing our healthcare system, the healthcare system that Ontarians treasure and rely on? Thank you. Mr. Health, long term care. Mr. Health, long term care. Well Mr. Speaker, you know I'm fully ready to say and to admit that more work needs to be done. This is a process that is never ending is to make sure that we continue to provide the highest quality healthcare. But I wish, if I'm prepared to do that I wish the leader of the third party would be prepared to admit that she's incorrect when she states repeatedly that 1,400 nurses in hospitals lost their jobs last year because that's simply not true. The figure from the College of Nurses of Ontario is 3,000 net jobs being added last year alone. And I said it yesterday. I'm going to quote the Fraser Institute which is I love quoting them because in their 2015 report on waiting your turn they revealed that Ontario has the second shortest overall wait times in Canada. They also said that we have the second highest value for money ranking. They also say that we provide the quickest access to services in the country Mr. Speaker. Any independent examples she doesn't need to listen to me the leader of the third party. There are so many independent reports that demonstrate unequivocally that we rank at the top or among the best in all of this country and in many cases as I said yesterday from the Conference Board of Canada last year we're evaluated as the 7th best in the entire world ahead of Japan, Germany, United Kingdom and the United States Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Thanks Mr. Mayor. My question is for the Premier. Speaker, this government's shameful history of using the shredder and the delete key to destroy public documents is well known. Two former Liberal staffers face criminal charges related to wiping data connected to the gas plant scandal. Last month we earned the OPP our investigating the destruction of key documents related to a cancelled electricity contract. Each time the police come calling, the Premier claims she's changed her ways. Yet when the Auditor General asked to examine hard drives at TO 2015, they had vanished. Speaker, will the Premier finally show us that she believes in open and transparent government by joining me in asking the Information and Privacy Commissioner from Newmark and Aurora at TO 2015? Can you see it please? Can you see it please? Thank you. Thank you Mr. Speaker. I want to start by saying thank you to the member opposite for the question. I also want to say that I appreciate the Auditor General's time and effort that was dedicated to this report. Mr. Speaker, on the very first page of the report, the Auditor General states, and I quote, on Terrence can take pride in the fact that 2015 games went off without a major hitch, left a legacy of infrastructure for athletes and the general public to use, and led Canada to its biggest hall of medals from the Pan Am in the Para Pan Am games. In her press statement yesterday, the AG states that her value as described here in the report was obtained. The AG, Mr. Speaker, continues to say that these games were praised for their smooth operations by the Pan Am Sports Organization and the America Paralympic Committee. Mr. Speaker, we successfully delivered the largest, most transparent Pan Am Para Pan Am games ever and we get it under budget. Thank you. Another weak answer from the Minister back to the Premier. Here's what we know, Speaker. The Pan Am's $342 million cost overruns again proves this government is incapable of managing public funds paying millions in bonuses despite missing budget targets shows that liberals will always reward their friends and destroying hard drives before the Auditor General sees what's on them is evidence again of their outright contempt for transparency. Can't manage, not in it for you, can't be trusted. And now, Saad Rafi, the man who went $342 million over budget and destroyed evidence is now in charge of Ontario's retirement security. Speaker, I won't get an answer from this government on the Pan Am budget or destruction of public documents, so I ask you Premier, will you fire Saad Rafi before more documents are deleted and ORPP becomes this province's next scandal? Can you see it, please? Thank you. Start the fire. Minister? Mr Speaker, again, I want to thank the member opposite for the question. Mr Speaker, these were the most transparent games ever. Mr Speaker, we held five technical briefings and TO 2015 has assured us that they followed all record retention requirements by Archives Ontario and the Auditor General confirmed that by saying TO 2015 followed the procedures that were provided by the archives. In fact, Mr Speaker, yesterday the Auditor General reassured us that she doesn't have any indication that there was anything improper done. The Auditor General was granted full access to the shared computers The member from Leeds Grandville is warned. I don't need that either. You have a sentence wrap up, please. Mr Speaker, the Auditor General was granted full access to the shared computer system where all the information files including emails were uploaded and stored. Mr Speaker, to the Premier. If the overspending on the pan-an games wasn't bad enough, the Auditor General requested 12 hard drives from TO 2015 but only three were turned over. The rest were wiped and disposed of including the CEOs. She could not obtain all the documents she requested but Mr. Speaker said that all the information on these drives had been saved to a saver so why did it remain inaccessible to the Auditor General's staff? Mr Speaker, the Liberal Government does not get the benefit of the doubt on the wiping of hard drives and after the gas plant scandal after the damning report by the Information and Privacy Commissioner after an OPP criminal investigation for wiping information, our Premier said the Liberals had learned their lesson. Apparently, they're back at their old bad habits. So, to the Premier. Which is it? Were these government records destroyed? Or did the pan-an staff save the documents but obstructed the Auditor General's access to them? I'd like to thank the member for the question. Mr Speaker, I'm just going to reinstate what the Auditor General said yesterday. She doesn't have any indication this is a quote, any indication there was anything improperly done in this process. The Auditor General was granted full access Mr Speaker. The Auditor General was provided with 300 boxes of hard copy information. The information that TO 2015 has been uploaded to the cloud which the Auditor General has full access to Mr Speaker. You know, the funny thing about this, if we had a thousand computers sitting in a room today we wouldn't be criticized for not managing that properly either. The information, the computers released, the information was uploaded to the cloud and the Auditor General had members from Renfield come to order. New question. The member from Cambridge. My apologies. The member for a supplementary. I guess that cloud's got a little gray area in it. Speaker, some of the missing documents concerned executive bonuses 53 pan-an executives shared several million dollars in special completion bonuses were up to twice the annual salary. 25% of these bonuses were dependent on TO 2015 meaning its operating budget. But in September of 2014 Speaker, the province had to bail it out by 74 million dollars because it was unable to stay within its operating budget. The TO 2015 Board Chairman former Liberal Premier David Peterson knew that he couldn't and failed to meet his budget restraints. The Board then changed the targets and rules around bonuses so that the executives would still receive them in full. The government could have put a clause in the bailout that would have stopped this but did nothing. Speaker, this is a scandal. Another one. How can the Premier possibly excuse the negligence with this public money? Thank you. Mr. Speaker, yesterday the auditor referenced additional investments that were made to the games since the budget bid back in 2009. We have always been open and transparent about these additional investments we made through our technical briefings Mr. Speaker. The auditor general mentioned the security budget went up since 2009. We told you that in the technical briefings. We told both opposition members the auditor general mentioned $2.4 million that was allocated to TO 2015 which is a decision I made that was mentioned through the technical briefings Mr. Speaker. These are not new numbers. We said the games would cost $2.4 billion in 2009 in the bid book and we came under that budget of $2.4 billion. The members opposite know fully that these games were the most transparent games when some 25 technical briefings and any changes to the budget were brought forward through our technical briefings since 2009. Thank you. I apologize to the member from Hamilton East Tony Creek for missing. New question. Member from Cambridge. Thank you Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing whose ministry along with many others play a key role in our fight against climate change. With the release of the provinces Climate Change Action Plan will accelerate the adoption of low carbon technology over the next five years by providing more choices to families and businesses on ways to become energy efficient and lower energy bills. Through the plan Ontario will invest in projects that will reduce greenhouse gas pollution create good jobs in clean tech and construction generate opportunities in investment in Ontario and help people and businesses transition The building sector represents an opportunity for us to make important changes to the energy efficiency of our homes. Will the minister please tell this house why we must target buildings in our fight against climate change? Thank you. Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Mr. Speaker it's conceivable that this may be the last question I ever get to answer in this place So before I answer that Sir So before I answer that question I have something important to say Over the years question period has served I believe as an effective camouflage of the native civility and decency of this place You want any evidence of civility and decency in this place? Answer You need only to look at my my critic from Windsor to Cumsay and the honourable member from Oxford. Thank you Thank you. Supplementary Speaker for one final time I know that our colleagues thank the minister for his answer and also for the tremendous leadership that he has shown as minister of municipal affairs and housing with his work with AMO and all the other ministries that he has led so capably Thank you once again from all of us minister Thank you minister Well speaker it's been a slice It's been great and I want to thank the premier for her confidence and all the members of the house for their caring and their daring and their sharing together I respect each and every one of you Now on the question Reno's Gas for Business is about 19% it's rising fast we need to do something about it we have a wonderful plan and we're going to equip Ontarians with more of the tools they need to combat including some incentives we all need to do that together Thank you very much New question from Thank you speaker my question is to the Attorney General the Ottawa citizen has reported that Ontario has and I quote freakishly high rates of stayed and withdrawn criminal cases in fact over 90,000 criminal cases last year were thrown out a whopping 44% of all cases before trial the minister talks about access to justice but in fact her actions are hindering and making a mockery of justice we know it takes an average of 125 days and upwards of 10 court appearances before these charges are finally stayed or withdrawn their liberty is denied their freedoms are extinguished speaker and the minister explains why the crown is dropping close to 50% of all criminal cases after Ontario residents have already spent upwards of 125 days behind bars Thank you Mr. Speaker in Ontario we have and we want a fair effective and efficient bail and remand system in a key priority for our it's a key priority for our government we recognize that there is issue and that's why we're working with the ministry of community safety and correction we're working with the judicial we're working with the crown we're working we have everybody at the table to review the situation and to improve the situation because the last thing we want it's to people being in jail and should not be there we know that we have we have capacity you know challenges and we wanted to so that's why you know everybody is at the table and we have already provided and started some pilot project and we will continue let's just be clear again to the Attorney General nearly half of all criminal cases are stayed or withdrawn half it's a clear sign that things are broken this overload are already tax courtrooms it leads to and amplifies overcrowding in our detention centers it adds cost and anguish to those charged and it is abuse of process which erodes the public's confidence there is an appalling lack of coordination between the Attorney General our courts and this government they are wasting needed resources and depriving people of their civil liberties Speaker I want to know who is at fault is it the Attorney General is it the Ministry of Community Safety and Corrections or is it both of them and who's going to fix it I'm sure that's it all of us that are going to work together to fix it and the work has already began and like I said you know we have pilot project because you know we have to work also with the judiciary and here on this side of the house we don't tell the judiciary what to do we work together and that's why Mr. Speaker my justice round table all of these people are at the table and we're working very hard we have different group working together we have different pilot project we have now a crown advising the police you know and Order you speak to the chair you'll know when I'm standing I would ask the member from Kitchener Waterloo to come to order and the member from Lanark to come to order and the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs wrap up please we have two pilot project and one of them is that a crown is working with the police to go to jail and only case that go to trial go to trial and it's been successful elsewhere thank you your question the member from Hamilton Mountain thank you Speaker my question is to the Premier opposition members have risen day after day begging the Premier not to leave children with autism behind experts didn't recommend an age cap for therapy they didn't say that children the wait list should be just kicked off Liberal MPPs know they're wrong they have been avoiding speaking to parents by calling the police they have manufactured reasons to avoid them such as telling parents who have called the Human Rights Tribunal even though they haven't opened a case that they can't meet them to discuss government policy it's disrespectful speaker and they should apologize it's time to do the right thing Premier will the Premier admit that she's hurting families and children with autism by imposing an age cap on autism therapy thank you Speaker and again I want to thank the member for the question she knows what our plan is Speaker our plan is to invest $333 million to reduce those wait lists and time in half by two years adding 16,000 new spaces and to make sure that children with autism have individual tailored therapy to support the needs of every child and right now Speaker our commitment my support is making sure every family is getting the information they need that we are looking at every family on a case by case basis and I'm very pleased to highlight that for those children who are coming off the IBI wait list there are 45 family meetings and we've had 995 families participate in the autism Ontario website and we've quadrupled the amount of support for summer camps this year Speaker for children with autism let this minister know that these meetings are happening in tears they're happening by being forced into signed documents that they don't want to sign this is like awful awful Speaker the House is about to rise for the summer the government keeps saying that something is coming soon but parents and families are devastated and deeply confused by the mixed signals and the lack of information implementation of this rush job PR announcement has gone off the rails and it's putting children with autism at risk again autism doesn't end at five and neither should IBI please Premier do the right thing do something for these families make sure the vulnerable children are a priority will the Premier immediately remove the age cap imposed on children needing IBI therapy Minister it's just wrong that families are being forced to sign contracts I know that's not true because I've checked it Member from Hamilton Mountain will come to order Minister Speaker I know for a fact of the 317 families who have signed contracts for direct services with the $8,000 the Member from Hamilton Mountain Second Time are thinking about it looking at their options and they can come back and many of them have had multiple meetings the 545 families who've had meetings many of them have returned for secondary meetings the Member knows that we are looking at the new program and potential enhancements to that but we have to remember Speaker that the new program will have one point of entry Thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the Minister of Labor on this day June 8th 2011 two minors were tragically killed while on the job in Sudbury Jason Chenye and Jordan Fram were killed and were buried in a run of muck my heart goes out to Jason and Jordan's families and their colleagues this tragedy was felt by all of those in my riding Mr. Speaker and across the province and right across the country it is essential that we continue to make Ontario's minds the safest they can be Mr. Speaker and to prevent incidents like this from ever happening again so Mr. Speaker can the Minister please update what our government is doing to protect people who work in minds in places like my riding of Sudbury and across the province from workplace incidents Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the member from Sudbury for his question and for all the excellent work that he's done in this regard over the years Speaker it was five years ago Speaker but I heard still go out to the family of Jason and Jordan and the colleagues who still carry the pain in the prime of their lives to such a terrible workplace incident Speaker I'm pleased to inform the House that as a result of the investigation we did and the work that a number of people did we're bringing in amendments that are making minds safer Speaker you're seeing increased water management ground control something the family specifically asked for risk assessments, formal traffic management program Speaker guarding emergency stopping devices whole cords Speaker thank you Mr. Speaker and I'd like to thank the minister for his answer and I know that our government continues to work with my community and communities across the north to ensure that our minds are safe and that those who work there were too many of the miners who were either killed or injured over the years that we have taken very strong steps to improve mining safety so that no one has to relive this catastrophe again and Ontario has the safest minds in the world Speaker I know that the Ontario competition is underway in Sudbury right now and that we're also holding the world mining rescue competition in August of this year something that my community is extremely proud of Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker I then look to the minister of labor can he please explain and expand on some of the changes mentioned than his previous answer the minister Speaker, again thanks to the member from Sudbury for the continued involvement his interest in this area as he mentioned, the form the Ontario urchhuh country iich are the city of Sudbury our chief prevention officer is up there as we speak. But the changes speaker, some of the changes we made, some of them are quite simple, for example. One of the top priority recommendations that came from the mining review was simply that we were high visibility apparel, clothing speaker so that people can see you in a mine speaker. Sometimes it's things that are that simple that make such a big difference. We're taking mine place, mining workplace safety very, very seriously at the minister of labor. Working together, speaker with the workers, the employers, the unions, the victim families, we're gonna continue to raise the bar so that these incidents simply don't happen again. And so I can close speaker with a quote from Wendy Fram, who's Jordan's mom. It does give some comfort thinking we're fighting for changes that have to be made, right speaker. That speaks volumes. Thank you. Thank you. Question to members from region of September. Thank you very much, speaker. My question is to the premier. The premier said yesterday that quote, we won't see electricity prices rise because of a reckless cap and trade plan. Yet the independent electricity system operator, the energy experts, the premier refuse to consult, say otherwise. Recent IESO documents reveal that plugging in as few as four electric vehicles in some neighborhoods could cause an overload. A single overload in a single neighborhood. Four. Our electricity system simply cannot handle the extra demand without billions of dollars of new transmission and distribution lines as well as new power plants. Speaker, the climate change plan does not include a single dollar for electricity system upgrades, not a single dollar. Question. How much will hydro rates have to rise to cover the premier's irresponsible plan? How far? I know the minister of energy is going to want to weigh in on the supplementary, but Mr. Speaker, this is a perfect example of this party once again saying don't do anything. Don't tackle climate change, Mr. Speaker. Don't the charging stations that we're investing in so that electric vehicles will have a longer range, Mr. Speaker. Don't do anything. Put your head in the sand. Pretend that climate change isn't happening. And hope that somehow our children and grandchildren will solve the problem, Mr. Speaker. We're not going to do that. We are tackling this. We're going to work with industry. We'll work with the electricity system. And remember, Mr. Speaker, we've been getting flack from the other side for the upgrading of the system that we've done. The 10,000 kilometers of line that we've put here, they've been giving us a hassle for the last five years, Mr. Speaker. We're not taking lessons from them. We're tackling them. The minister loves to shout at me, but it's the IASO that's saying it, not me. Mr. Speaker, it's not just electric vehicles that will cause bills to rise. It's also the phase out of natural gas. The Globe and Mail broke the news this morning that despite the Premier's repeated claims, cabinet approved the policy of phasing out reliance on natural gas. That means $3,000 more every year for three quarters of Ontario businesses and families just to heat their homes and buildings. Remember from Glengarry and Frosgott and Russell. But it also means more stress on the electricity grid. Private sector estimates paid the upgrades at, Speaker, $202 billion. Since not one more dollar from the cap and trade plan is going to improve the electricity grid, will the Premier tell Ontario that their hydro bills are going to go up by another $200 billion. Thank you. Mr. Vanerjee. Mr. Speaker, I'm sure the critic for the opposition is disappointed that our 2016 budget announced that cap and trade will take $24 a year off residential bills and commercial rates will, on average, not increase at all, Mr. Speaker. And I'm sure the member understands that we do have a surplus of electricity at the present time, Mr. Speaker. Plenty of time to transition. We have a surplus that will take us through into 2022, 2023, Mr. Speaker. And, Mr. Speaker, he doesn't have the word conservation in his energy plan, Mr. Speaker. We have been saving dollars for the second time. Mr. Speaker, from conservation. If you take Campbell's food, they're combined heat and power in Etobicoke, Mr. Speaker. They're taking 400 megawatts off the grid, Mr. Speaker, with that program, and that will continue to happen with all of our cap and trade programs, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. New question. Do you remember? Do you see what you see? Well, he'll take your place if you keep going. New question. Member from Toronto, Danforth. Thank you, Speaker. Speaker, my question to the Minister of Energy. City of Toronto is thinking about selling off Toronto Hydro, just like the Premier is selling off Hydro-1. The minister defends the Hydro-1 sale by claiming that the Ontario Energy Board will protect the public from arbitrary rate increases. But the auditor general found that the OEB had approved rate increases for Hydro-1 that were supposed to pay for replacing aging transformers that were, in fact, never replaced. Never. Hydro-1 made misrepresentations to the OEB, but instead of taking action, the minister named a Hydro-1 vice president to the Ontario Energy Board. Wow. Why should we trust the OEB to protect the public from high rates when the minister stacks the board with insider... Question. ...hostiles or consumers? Thank you. Mr. Premier. Mr. Speaker, it's an old question that's been asked by that critic a number of times, Mr. Speaker. He knows that the Ontario Energy Board, first of all, is an independent body. He also knows that an application after application after application, Mr. Speaker, the Ontario Energy Board has reduced the amount that's been asked for, Mr. Speaker. They have now new legislation, which we've passed in this session, Mr. Speaker, that increases the ability of the Ontario Energy Board to provide daily fines of up to a million dollars for those utilities, Mr. Speaker, those people who apply to the board on an ongoing basis, Mr. Speaker. They are responsible. They have done their job, Mr. Speaker, and they will continue to do so. Thank you, supplementary. Speaker, before the government stripped the auditor general of her oversight of Hydro One, she found that Hydro One had failed to make the equipment upgrades that previous rate increases were supposed to pay for. The chair of the OEB says that they're not auditors. And so when a utility asks ratepayers for more money, the OEB will not bother to determine if that money was actually used properly, what it was claimed to be used for. Similarly, when Torontonians called on the OEB to investigate whether Anthony Haines, the CEO of Toronto Hydro, had lied under oath about his credentials, the OEB dismissed them and apparently no investigation took place. How can we believe that this sleepy watchdog will defend Torontonians from soaring rates based on any misrepresentation from Toronto Hydro? Good, sir. Thank you. Minister. Mr. Speaker, I respect the commitment that the member has to the environment and to the energy sector, Mr. Speaker. But I think it is not appropriate that he tried to smear the Ontario Energy Board to the extent that he is doing right now, Mr. Speaker. The members are independent, Mr. Speaker. There is a very, very strong diligence that's done when people go on the board, Mr. Speaker. They have a cross-section of board members, Mr. Speaker, who act very, very responsibly. And what he's doing now, Mr. Speaker, is doing nothing but smearing the Ontario Energy Board who are responsible operators or regulators in our system, Mr. Speaker, and they're known to be so across North America. Thank you. New question to the members from Kingston and the Islands. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Research and Innovation. This morning, Mr. Henry and I were honored to welcome Professor Arthur McDonald to Queen's Park. As this chamber heard and rejoiced last year, Dr. McDonald, Professor Emeritus at Queen's University, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics. He and his team discovered that tiny particles known as neutrinos have mass. Dr. McDonald's scientific contributions have advanced our understanding of the universe and set the path for new directions in the study of quantum physics and astronomy. His innovative vision has made Ontario, and indeed, Canada, a global leader in the field of particle astrophysics, paving the way for a deeper, richer understanding of the world that we live in. Can the Minister please tell us more about how the Government of Ontario continues to support breakthrough research, allowing for scientific contributions, such as Dr. McDonald's to become a reality. Thank you, Mr. Secretary of Research and Innovation, Queen's Park Universities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I want to thank the member from Kingston and Ireland for that very timely question. Mr. Speaker, we are truly honored to host Dr. McDonald and his team here today. The Government of Ontario has committed and delivered $627 million towards 164 research projects through the Ontario Research Fund. Projects funded by the Ontario Research Fund has delivered $3.3 billion in funding and has helped create more than 100,000 highly-paid jobs and training opportunities in the province of Ontario. Mr. Speaker, our government's continued commitment to funding research and innovation in the province of Ontario allows researchers, such as Nobel Laureate Dr. McDonald, to reach unprecedented breakthroughs and achievements. Thank you, Mr. Secretary. It is wonderful to hear that the government has committed to supporting scientific research in this province. As we heard last year, Dr. McDonald's research was conducted at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory, or SNOLAB, in partnership with Queen's University. And, as we've heard, the SNOLAB is a cutting-edge research facility located two kilometres underground, specializing in neutrino and dark matter physics. The ultra-clean environment of the observatory allows for measurements that cannot be made anywhere else in the world, as well as observation of rare scientific phenomena which occur only a few times a year. The existence of the SNOLAB allowed for Dr. McDonald as his team to conduct his experiment, which resulted in a discovery... Question. ...that changed our very understanding of the innermost workings of matter and our view of the universe. Could the minister please tell me how the government continues to support laboratories such as Dr. McDonald's? Thank you, minister. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I want to thank the member again for that very timely question. Mr. Speaker, the SNOLAB artery in partnership with Queen's University allows all universities across the province of Ontario to collaborate on significant scientific breakthroughs. The historical collaboration of the SNOLAB to the Ontario economy is estimated to be as much as $227 million. Since its inception, SNOLAB has received approximately $38 million in provincial funding. Mr. Speaker, SNOLAB enhances the province's profile in the global scientific community as it is a global leader in fundamental physics. Additionally, the lab trains and develops highly qualified personnel in Ontario and inspires the next generation of scientists and engineers in our wonderful country, Canada. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'm seeking unanimous consent for this House to direct the Standing Committee on Justice Policy to investigate the alleged deletion of documents at TO 2015 in relation to the PAN and Parapan American Games that the committee... Mr. Speaker, I'd ask that we all take a moment to recognize that today is the 39th anniversary of the member of St. Catherine's being elected to this House. I seek unanimous consent. The member can speak for up to two minutes only. I'm going to... I have to hear a no. Seeking unanimous consent to speak up two minutes. Oh, I heard him. For the record, he's got socks older than I am. That's an insight joke. It won't play well in answer, but it's an insight joke. Anyway, I do have two pieces of very serious information to do. I do have two... I'm still standing. We have two pieces of serious information to do. The first one is to announce to you that this is the last day for our pages. I take a moment to say to these pages, thank you very much for your service to Ontario. Thank you. And now, on a serious note, I do have a response. On Tuesday, June 7th, 2016, the member from Simcoe Gray, Mr. Wilson raised a question of privilege with respect to the government's proposed Climate Change Accident Plan. According to the member, the release of this plan to the media before its announcement or tabling in the House amounted to a contempt of the House. The member from Timmons James Bay, Mr. Bithon, and the government House Leader, Mr. Nakvi, also spoke to this matter. Having reviewed the relevant media references, the precedents, the authorities, the handset for June 7th, and the written submissions of the member from Simcoe Gray and the government House Leader, I'm now prepared to rule on the matter. The member from Simcoe Gray referenced section 7-6 of the Climate Change Mitigation and Law Low Carbon Economy Act 2016, which provides as follows. The minister shall, before January 1st, 2017, lay the action plan before the assembly and make it available to the public on a website of the government or in such other manners as may be prescribed by regulations. According to the member, according to the member, this provision required the plan to be tabled in the House before the media received it. The government House Leader had a different interpretation of that provision. In response, I have to say I cannot rule on the interpretation of that provision because, as members well know, speakers traditionally avoid interpreting laws. The member from Simcoe Gray also cited rulings by speakers of the Canadian House of Commons. The rulings relate to the premature disclosure of the contents of bills prior to their introduction in the House. In the rulings, the speaker ruled that the premature disclosure of the contents of bills on notice amounted to a prima facie case. The reference to the words on notice is important because the standing orders of the House of Commons require 48 hours notice before bills can be introduced in the House. Such bills are House business. Under our standing orders, however, neither bills nor policy announcements are placed on notice. Therefore, the cited rules are not applicable to the case at hand, and as a result, I am unable to find a prima facie case of contempt has been established. In so ruling, however, I want to remind members that from time to time, previous speakers have expressed misgivings about new government initiatives being announced outside the House before being announced inside the House. As I indicated in this House on April the 14th, 2014, whether it be the government's financial plan or any other measure or announcements, speakers have repeatedly looked unfavorably upon it when the House has not been the first to receive such information. There are rulings almost too numerous to compile in which speakers have admonished governments for doing this and defending the legislature's claim to be the first recipient of major announcements. And in November the 2nd, 2009 rulings, the speaker ruled as follows. My predecessors and I have repeatedly conveyed our deep concern about how these types of extra parliamentary announcements erode the stature of parliament. Speakers have repeatedly implored governments to consider the impact of this erosion and how it damages the repudiation of the Foundation Institute of this province. In an ideal world where the legitimate and historic role of the legislative assembly, and specifically the loyal opposition were given first consideration, I expect that what a previous speaker referred to as these types of administrative discursives would not arise. The incident raised by the member from Simcoe Gray is different in that it deals with the media, not the government. Announcing a government initiative, but the reality is that the media somehow acquired the information. In the case at hand, I have no personal knowledge of the government releasing, released the details of the initiative to the media, but I would have more than misgivings if such releases were motivated by a potentially obvious desire to undermine parliamentary process. In closing, I thank the member from Simcoe Gray, the member from Timmons James Bay and the government house leader for their submissions. We have a deferred vote on the motion of third reading of bill 178, an act to amend the Smoke Free Ontario. Calling the members, this will be a five minute bell. Please take your seats. On Wednesday, June 8th, 2016, Mr. Fraser moved third, reading of bill 178, an act to amend the Smoke Free Ontario Act. All those in favor, please rise one at a time and be recognized by the clerk. Ms. Daunmler. Ms. Daunmler. Mr. Nackley. Mr. Nackley. Mr. Bradley. Mr. Bradley. Mr. Shirelli. Mr. Shirelli. Madam Mayor. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Ms. Wynn. Ms. Wynn. Ms. Matthew. Ms. Matthew. Mr. Hoskins. Mr. Hoskins. Ms. Sandals. Ms. Sandals. Mr. Dugas. Ms. McCharles. Mr. Quinter. Mr. Quinter. Mr. Cole. Mr. Dylan. Mr. Dylan. Mr. Ro Kollings. Mr. Dillon. Mr. DKrick. Mr.орт vessel- Withoutぁ. A conductor. Mr. Dillon. Mr. Dillon, Mr. Des關係. Mr. Dillon. Mr. DOT沒. Mr. Dillon. Mr. Dylan. Mr. Dillon. Mr. Dillon. Mr. Dillon. Mr.RO0 necessary. Mr. Dillon. Mr. Dillon. Mr. Mooiearner. Mr. Cotto. Mr. Lahhall. Mr. Fleet. The Plotter. The Zimmers. The Zimmer. The W tiempo. Ms. Hogarth, Ms. Kuala, Ms. Mollie, Ms. Martin, Ms. McGarry, Ms. McMahon, Ms. Milchin, Ms. Nidu Harris, Mr. Potts, Mr. Rinaldi, Ms. Reneal, Mr. Tebow, Mr. Yurek, Mr. Hardiman, Ms. Jones, Mr. Brown, Mr. Clark, Mr. Yacobusky, Ms. Scott, Ms. Thompson, Ms. Thompson, Ms. Monroe, Mr. Houda, Mr. Bailey, Mr. Walker, Mr. Smith, Mr. Smith, Mr. Harris, Mr. Martau, Mr. McDonnell, Mr. Pettipies, Mr. Koe, Ms. Gellina, Mr. Singh, Ms. Horvath, Mr. Bisson, Mr. Vantah, Mr. Tabas, Mr. Miller Hamilton, East Stony Creek, Ms. Taylor, Ms. Fife, Mr. Hadfield, Ms. Gretzky, Mr. Gates, Ms. French, all those polls, please rise one at a time, be recognized by the clerk. Mr. Hillier, the ayes are 87, the nays are 1. The ayes being 87, the nays being 1, I declare the motion carried. Third reading of the bill, to ayes are mentioned, du poche de loi. Be it resolved that the bill do now pass and be entitled as in the motion. Before we recess, I just wanted to offer the House my wishes for you to have a safe, healthy break here from this House. But knowing that you work tirelessly year-round, I wish you all the best for the summer break. Thank you. This House descends. There are no to address this. This House stands recessed until 1 p.m. this afternoon.