 Therefore, it is time for question period. The leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier, and I want to start off by apologizing. As yesterday, I assumed the Premier had air conditioning in all her offices. I want to again offer my apologies for the huge inconvenience. It must have been for the Premier to move her meeting to another air-conditioned room. Unfortunately, when it's 30 degrees out and schools are sweltering and children can't learn, they don't have the opportunity just to move to another room. There are not rooms at the end of the hall that are blasting AC like the option the Premier has. Many of these classes don't have air conditioning or even working windows. So Mr. Speaker, does the Premier really think that moving to another room is an option for these schools without air conditioning and without operational windows? Well, thanks very much, Mr. Speaker. Look, I know that when a classroom is too hot that it is a problem for staff and for students that can be very uncomfortable. It is unseasonably hot right now, Mr. Speaker. And the reality is we are seeing more and hotter days at times of the year that we wouldn't expect, Mr. Speaker. I understand that. You know, it is exactly why we have made such a huge investment in schools in the province. It's why $1.4 billion has been allocated to school boards. School boards need to make these decisions, Mr. Speaker. And many of those dollars are being invested in renovations, Mr. Speaker, where air conditioning is part of that, Mr. Speaker. So we will continue to work with school boards. I think it's perfectly reasonable, Mr. Speaker, to expect that boards and individual schools would have a plan for days that are very, very hot just as they would have a plan for days that are very, very cold, Mr. Speaker. So we will continue to work with school boards, continue to make investments to make sure that classrooms are appropriate for staff and for students. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, again to the Premier. Yesterday I mentioned how most of schools in Toronto don't have air conditioning. And I just want to say it's not just a Toronto problem. In my riding at Simcoe North, I heard a story just yesterday. Really, a secondary school has been impacted fairly significantly. Temperatures inside the school exceeded 27 degrees. Principal Jim Salmon said, I quote, 12 classrooms that are experiencing tremendous amount of heat. It's a little frustrating, but we're working on it. A grade 12 student said, there are students who don't want to go to class because of the heat. These people can't find another room. They don't have that option like the Premier does. So Mr. Speaker, a very straightforward question. Will the Premier mandate a maximum temperature for our schools? Yes or no? Mr. Speaker, again, I absolutely understand that with a hot weather event like we've had for the last number of days, that there are schools in the province, there are classrooms in the province that get very, very warm. Mr. Speaker, I understand that. I also know that the investment that we have made, $1.4 billion, which is on top of the $2.7 billion which has been provided over the last two years. School boards need the flexibility, Mr. Speaker, to make decisions based on the region that they are in the province because the leader of the opposition is right. This is not just a challenge for Toronto. This is a challenge in different parts of the province, but there are different challenges in different regions. So Mr. Speaker, we are committed to working with school boards. I have a lot of faith in educators and directors of education of the 72 school boards to work with us, Mr. Speaker, to accommodate and to adapt to the new reality that we are having unusual weather for the times of year. Mr. Speaker, back to the Premier. The government is bragging about their $1.4 billion investment, but let's put that into context. The repair backlog is $15 billion. We are talking about 9%. They are proud, they are bragging about attending to 9% of the repairs. We have leaking roofs, broken windows, broken boilers, schools with asbestos, and this government is bragging about attending to 9% of the problems. For 14 years they promised us they are going to invest in our schools and they have not. It seems at winter time we hear about conditions where it's too cold to learn, when it's warmer temperatures it's too hot to learn. So rather than bragging about the 9%, my question to the Premier is, when are we going to get to all the repairs? When are we going to make sure that children in this province have schools that they can learn in? Thank you. Mr. Speaker, please. Mr. Speaker, thank you. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. You know, Mr. Speaker, I had the opportunity just last week to meet with the President of Ukraine and President of Ukraine with a delegation. And they were here, Mr. Speaker, to meet with businesses and to take part in festivities with the Ukrainian community. But a particular interest of the President of Ukraine is the way in which we have integrated special needs students into our classrooms, Mr. Speaker. So when the Leader of the Opposition proposes that I am bragging about something in education, here's what is critical, Mr. Speaker. We have built an education system that is the pride of this province and is looked at by people around the world. Every young child in this province who in the year that they turned four has access to full-day kindergarten, Mr. Speaker. We have built an education system that ministers, children and youth services come to order. New question. Leader of the Opposition. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. I want to share with you the concerns of the co-owner of First Choice Supermarket in Markham. They've been open since 1995. They employ 30 staffers. They have over 100 spotlights in their store. They now have dimmer lights and they've switched from 60 watts to 80 watts and 100 watts. They also have a large number of refrigerators and water tanks for seafood. In their last year's hydro bill, the increase went up another 15%. Mr. Speaker, this means that their bills are over $30,000 a month. They thought they were going to get relief from this government based on the promises this spring, yet their bills continue to skyrocket. What message do you have for that small business in Markham? When is their relief coming? When they have hydro bills that they can afford. Minister of Energy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the Leader of the Opposition raising the question because our government has brought forward new supports for many small businesses, but we continue to work, Mr. Speaker, to additionally find more programs to help small businesses. When it comes to grocery stores, Mr. Speaker, while I don't know all of the details of that particular store, there are other grocery stores, Mr. Speaker, that have been working with their local utilities to find out which programs that they can qualify for through the Save On Energy Program. One grocer in my riding, Mr. Speaker, is able to save 22% by actually utilizing the Save On Energy Program, Mr. Speaker, implementing many of those programs and then seeing those reductions. We also, Mr. Speaker, have seen a modest decrease for all businesses as well by taking some of the social programs that we had in on the rate base before, Mr. Speaker, on the tax base because those are social programs and that's where they should be and I'll have more to add in the supplementary, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, again to the Premier, a lot of businesses expected after all the hyperbole in the spring, there's going to be a relief. All these TV ads saying there's going to be a relief. It's not just the one restaurant in Markham. I have a letter here from another restaurant, Rule G Seafood Restaurant in Toronto in Chinatown. They're saying where's their hydro-relief? In four years, their hydro-bill has doubled. This is despite the fact they've actually reduced hours in recent years. They're reducing their consumption and their bill is skyrocketing. The Premier promised relief. They did not get it this summer. So my question, Mr. Speaker, is this, when can Rule G Seafood in Toronto expect the relief that you promised in the spring? Again, Mr. Speaker, very happy to rise and talk about the Fair Hydro Plan. That's a 25% reduction for 500,000 small businesses and farms right across the province. And we know, Mr. Speaker, we recognize, this government recognizes through the Fair Hydro Plan, which is our plan, Mr. Speaker, something that I know the opposition is still trying to search for. But, you know, on this side of the house, we've made sure that the Save On Energy program actually will provide relief to many of these small businesses. We encourage these small businesses to actually reach out to their local utility to find out which programs they can qualify for. That's why we continue to talk about these programs and encourage them to apply, Mr. Speaker. Because when I go to community to community to community and we talk about these programs, many of the small businesses that I talked are saying they didn't know that these programs exist and when I'm doing that, Mr. Speaker, I'm usually in an opposition writing which just shows the fact, Mr. Speaker, that they're not talking to their constituents to reduce their rates. That's something we'll continue to do on this side of the house, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, again to the Premier, the two restaurants, the two businesses I just mentioned were in liberal MPP riding. The reality is businesses are struggling with hydro. And let me say the co-owner of the first choice supermarket in Markham isn't confused. The owner of Roll G Seafood Restaurant isn't confused about what they see at skyrocketing. But yesterday, two days ago actually, the President of the Treasury Board said people find their hydro bills quite confusing. What people find confusing is this government has allowed hydro bills to skyrocket by 300%. What people find confusing is the Liberals can charge you $100 for using no power. What people find confusing is the fact that government shut off thousands and thousands of Ontarians from power to future. So maybe the Premier can answer this. Who really is confused? Is it our hardworking small businesses or is it the Liberal Minister? Thank you, Minister. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There's no confusion when a 25% reduction is coming on everyone's bill, Mr. Speaker, and 500,000 small businesses and farms right across the province. But let's talk about what's confusing, Mr. Speaker. Is that party in favor of sex education or sex education? Mr. Speaker, because we've seen lots of notes about that, we have no idea. Are they confused about what to do with energy or not what to do with energy, Mr. Speaker? Because you know what? We're over 200 days now and we're waiting for a plan. And IOTA, something that they can do to actually help people. But you know what, Mr. Speaker? All they can do is vote against a plan. Let's come to order. Mr. Speaker, they voted against a plan that even the Ontario Chamber of Commerce has highlighted that they have the importance for small business and challenges that they face that regional chambers are getting the support from the Ontario Chamber to work with small businesses specifically, Mr. Speaker. They continue to vote against helping the people of Ontario, will continue to work and benefit the people of Ontario. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question to the Premier. This morning we learned from news reports that the government is scrambling in the face of an overcrowding crisis in hospitals and seniors care. Now it's considering reopening the Finch Avenue site of Humber River Regional Hospital to warehouse seniors waiting for long-term care. This hospital has been shuttered four years, a year ago. Will the Premier explain how a facility that wasn't good enough for patients two years ago will be good enough for vulnerable seniors now? Minister of health and long-term care. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is true that the ministry is actively considering a plan to reopen the Finch site of the Humber River Hospital, the former Humber River Hospital in order to reduce the number of people in the city. It is a tremendous opportunity in the city where we are facing a growing population and we have capacity challenges and perhaps the member opposite missed it in the budget where we allocated $24 million specifically for interventions and activities such as this where individuals who are occupying ALC beds in hospital but can be better served and prefer to be inclusive to their improvement in Mr. Speaker and it may be that this is an important transitional step for them to return home so I can't understand how the member opposite could possibly be against the supplementary. Again to the Premier. The last Conservative government fired 6,000 nurses, closed 28 hospitals and slashed over 7,000 hospital beds and for 14 years, the Conservative government has either underfunded or frozen hospital budgets creating the crisis in care that we are facing now. The Premier has refused to even admit that there was a problem in hospitals. Now she is scrambling. Warehousing some of the most vulnerable people waiting for long-term care in our hospitals that won't have any specialized service for years won't fix the real problem. I hope this is a five-part question because I can't believe and I'm happy to answer all morning I can't believe that the member opposite is suggesting this is anything but a positive development in our healthcare system it's supported by the hospitals many hospitals Mr. Speaker it's supported by the community this is a former hospital that was so this is a former hospital that was that provides this opportunity because we just recently opened a four billion dollar brand new Humber River hospital Mr. Speaker but this gives us an opportunity to actually treat these individuals in hospital and ALC beds that can be better cared for in a better transitional environment with high quality care in an environment in a hospital that was a hospital up until a year ago Mr. Speaker and I can't for the life of me understand why the one- Everybody. Thank you Mr. Speaker I get to the premier hospitals are desperately over crowded patients are being left in hall ways for days people are waiting in emergency rooms for 12 hours or more wait for long term care are now of making the problem worse. Even the Ontario Hospital Association has said that without immediate action from the Premier and her Liberal government, our hospitals will face a dangerous capacity crisis as soon as this winter. Will the Premier finally admit what people all over Ontario already know that without drastic immediate action from her government, our hospitals will no longer be able to deliver the health care that Ontario families need and deserve? Mr. Speaker, would the member finally admit that he should have chosen a different opening question, Mr. Speaker, because it was the NDP, by the way, that closed 9,000 hospital beds, 13% of mental health beds in this province. That's their record. And we're doing precisely what the OHA, what hospitals, what Torontonians, what the community, what the seniors themselves that would be better cared for. These are non-acute patients that are better cared for in this environment. And this, to be honest, Mr. Speaker, absolutely mystifies me. It was a colossal mistake for them to specifically oppose this development. My questions to the Premier. Families today are worried and asking themselves what will it come to for their dad, their mom, and their grandparents. Will the plan from the Premier be to force their loved ones into a shuttered building just to get them out of the way? Yeah, they're asking. They're asking the overcrowding crisis stretches around this province. From London, and just last week, we learned that the CEO of London Health Sciences begged the government for emergency funding to open 24 additional beds. He said that their hospitals were seeing unprecedented ER levels and they needed extra funding just to keep up. Can the Premier tell us what she plans to do in London to begin undoing the mess she and her government has created in health care? Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. Well, Mr. Speaker, only the NDP would demand more capacity and then complain about us creating capacity. And only the NDP would see utilizing resources, consultation with the community, consultation with the hospitals, creating that capacity that they've been asking for, and helping patients. Only the NDP would see that as a problem, Mr. Speaker. This will create, Mr. Speaker, 150 beds for non-acute patients currently residing in hospitals in an environment which will be even more supportive and appropriate with appropriate staffing to their specific needs. Mr. Speaker, hospitals are over capacity, overcrowded, in Windsor, Sudbury, Grant, Kitchener Waterloo, and all over the province. The Premier's desperate stopgap measures will force vulnerable people, mostly seniors, into mothball facilities to try and relieve the pressure on Toronto hospitals. That's what's happening. I know she's scrambling to save Toronto votes, and that's true. But the Premier has a responsibility to every single Ontario. Will the Premier finally listen to hospital CEOs, hospital associations, and thousands of Ontario families demanding better healthcare in Ontario and do something about the overcrowding and hallway hospital medicine crisis that they've created? Mr. Speaker, I remain shocked at the NDP position with regards to what we're looking at for the Finch site of the former Humber River Hospital. To describe it as warehousing, to describe it as mothballing as an insult to the hard-working hospital efficiency, that really since day one of that new hospital opening, we've been looking at this as a positive opportunity to free up capacity in a number of hospitals, not just Humber River. There are a number of hospitals in Toronto and the GTA that are contributing to this plan. In fact, the idea came from them themselves as an appropriate and a high-level and a high-quality decision that will provide the best possible care for individuals who do not require the acute care in hospitals. They are not acute, and this is a highly preferable environment. And I know both members have not even visited the site, have not talked to hospital officials, have not talked to the OHA about this, Mr. Speaker. Speaker, the Ontario Hospital Association has said that one of the main causes for this crisis is that frail elderly patients are being forced to stay in hospitals because there aren't enough long-term care beds. The wait list right now, 30,000 names on it. Yet this government stubbornly refuses to even look at our long-term care system, at the long-term care system to identify why so many six seniors are being forced to wait in hospital for months and some cases years. Will the Premier expand the scope of the wet-law for inquiry and finally commit to fixing long-term care system that helps? A member from London Fanshawe come to order, please. Minister? Mr. Speaker, I am well aware of the NDP plan. Their plan, we've seen it before. They closed more than 9,000 hospitals, 24% of all of the acute care beds in this province, 13% of the mental health acute beds in this province, Mr. Speaker. And I know they promised to cut $500 million from the health and education budgets in the last election, Mr. Speaker. That's not a path we're prepared to go on. And it's an absolute insult to the hard-working frontline healthcare professionals, the CEOs of the many hospitals involved in this proposal, the Toronto Central Lynn, the OHA, all of the partners, the communities, all of the myriad of partners that we're working together with on this solution, which will be a solution that addresses the very need they're asking us to address, Mr. Speaker. Good. New question? A member from Wellington Houghton Hills. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Premier. Early Monday night, an email was sent by Air Quality Ontario, which is a branch of the Ministry of the Environment to some Hamilton residents just south of my riding, advising them that hot and humid weather conditions were creating elevated pollution levels. It said that a special air quality statement was in place due to the high levels of air pollution at that time and that people needed to know that, quote, exposure to air pollution is particularly a concern for children, the elderly, and those who have underlying medical conditions such as lung or heart disease, end quote. Mr. Speaker, we know that the government has set aside millions of dollars for their self-promoting, self-serving pre-election ads. In contrast, will the Premier inform this House how much money was spent by Air Quality Ontario to inform Hamilton residents of this vitally urgent and potentially lifesaving information? You're here. Thank you very much. Premier. The Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change. Well, thank you for that important question, which allows me, Speaker, to highlight some of the important work that our government and specifically my ministry has been doing for a number of years. Least, Speaker, which is among the least, which is closing of the coal-burning plants, electrical-generating coal-burning plants across Ontario. You know, Speaker, that alone has saved the Ontario healthcare system an estimated $4 billion, Mr. Speaker. So I can tell you, Speaker, that ongoing monitoring in Hamilton has shown that air quality has improved significantly since the mid-1990s, with a large reductions of pollutants in the air. And I'll tell you as well, Speaker, that Hamilton remains on the cutting edge of air pollution control research and practical applications with regards to collaborative approaches to continuing to improve air quality there. Mr. Speaker, again to the Premier, because that response in no way answered my question. And the minister neglected to point out that it was our environment minister, the Honourable Elizabeth Whitmer, who first announced the closure of the Lakeview-generating station in Mississauga. Again, the email from Air Quality Ontario said, and I quote, children, seniors, and those with cardiovascular or lung disease, such as asthma, are especially at risk. When the government does very little other than sending out an email blast. Come to order. You carry on and you'll find yourself leaving. When I get things quiet, I don't need you to add. Please finish. When the government does very little other than sending out an email blast to inform residents of this kind of potentially life-threatening situation, yet they budget millions of dollars on pre-election ads, people rightly question their priorities. It appears the government is more concerned about its own reelection than public health. How many people sit at home looking at government websites? And there will be many thousands of seniors in Hamilton that don't use email and are not on a government email list. Will the Premier explain why the government failed to get this important information out to a broader audience? Minister. President of the Treasury Board. Talk a little bit about advertising because I really don't think that what you're talking about is advertising. You're talking about the process for having a formal ad, a formal ad on television, or a formal ad on digital media, something that there's some production value for, which goes through a very extensive approval process, which would never allow you to respond to anything of an urgent nature in an urgent manner. So that the processes that are talking about here have nothing to do with government advertising. You're conflating two topics that are totally unrelated. And the issue that we have here through the Ministry of Environment is how in the modern world do you effectively instantly notify people? And one of the ways is with your email distribution list. Thank you. Thank you. New question from the member from Timistomy Coughlin. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Yesterday, the Premier stated that the $5.5 million hydro ad campaign, which was designed to boost liberal polling numbers, was important because people in the province needed to know the details about government programs that are on place. Minister of Economic Development. Can the Premier tell us, do these ads inform Ontarians that under the Liberal Hydro Plan, a government program, their hydro bills will begin going up shortly after the next election? Thank you. Because it's important to state, Mr. Speaker, that Ontario remains the only jurisdiction in Canada to enact legislation that bans government-paid partisan advertising. And we passed this historic legislation because we are against government using taxpayer dollars for partisan advertising, Mr. Speaker. I had the honour of sitting in the House of Commons for six years when the Leader of the Opposition stood up and supported his government's action plan at the time, and he would defend that, Mr. Speaker. And that's why, Mr. Speaker, that said, Mr. Speaker, the Ontario government has a responsibility to raise awareness and communicate information about programs and services that affect the people of Ontario. And this includes informing Ontarians of changes to their electricity bills so that they can use this information to plan for the future. And all our ads direct Ontarians to a dedicated website where they can learn more about these changes, Mr. Speaker, and lower their bills even more. Once again to the Premier, perhaps the government should think about informing Ontarians so they can plan for the future about all the details of the programs. Because can the Premier tell us why the ads fail to mention that Ontarians will spend nearly two decades, a total of over $21 billion more than they would without the Ontario hydro plan? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, when it comes to all of the programs that are being offered, the Ontario Electricity Support Program is one of those programs, Mr. Speaker. There are many that you can find on this website. And this offers significant support to low-income households across the province. And we've been doing everything we can to get enrollment even higher on this, Mr. Speaker. We've put inserts in people's bills. We've created these advertisements and more. But you know, Mr. Speaker, the NDP's support for this program is less clear, Mr. Speaker. And you know, when you're talking about advertisement, and we said it's a government responsibility to communicate information about programs and services that people need, let's go through some of the largest advertising spends of 2015-2016, Mr. Speaker, our sexual violence and harassment campaign. Will you help? Who will you help challenge existing attitudes and spark international discussion? We've communicated to Ontario, Ontarians about vaccines for children in Ontario. We do many, many things, Mr. Speaker, to make sure that we let Ontarians know about the programs and services available to them. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, to the Minister of Health and Long-term Care. We know approximately 175,000 people in Ontario live with dementia, and a number is expected to grow with the ageing population. My own father lived with dementia for over seven years, and I know firsthand how much it affected him and my mother and our entire family. With the 2017 budget, the government announced an additional investment of $101 million over three years for a dementia strategy. This will improve coordination of care that is critical to help people with dementia. I think it will also continue to invest in health care providers' education, in-home support, better trained PSW and patient navigation for people with dementia, and certainly will strengthen Alzheimer's Society chapters across the period. Can the minister expand on what this investment will do? Thank you, Minister of Health and Long-term Care. Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the question. Let me once again welcome and acknowledge the courageous and hard-working and passionate, compassionate individuals that are here today from Alzheimer's Society of Ontario and the associated branches. Mr. Speaker, our investments in dementia will ensure that everyone living with dementia in Ontario, their families and their care partners, have the right supports, the right funding and the right tools in place to make those important and informed decisions about their care and that they continue particularly to be treated with the dignity and respect that they deserve. And these investments include a 10 million additional investment in behavioral supports Ontario, and it's a key component of our $100 million dementia strategy. It goes to specialized services for residents with cognitive impairments who are exhibiting challenging and complex behaviors. These are the sorts of investments that are necessary and I'm proud to announce them. Thank you, supplementary. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Minister for his answer and for his vision of healthcare and also for his support for this very important issue. Dementia touches the lives of so many on Ontario and it affects the person who lives with the disease, but also his or her family. With a growing aging population, the burden is rising on people that provide care for people with a physical or cognitive condition, injury or chronic illness. Can the minister please tell this house about some of the other important investment that this government is making to support families and caregivers that of those who live with dementia. Thank you, minister. Thank you once again. It is absolutely critical that we do respond effectively to the needs of both patient but also care partners, Mr. Speaker, and that's why we're making sure that we're providing more care for people living with dementia, but while also looking after their care partners. So we're increasing access to adult day programs for people with dementia. We're adding additional hours of care and transportation to help people travel to the local program location. We're enhancing care partner respite services both in home and overnight. We're investing an additional 20 million dollars this year alone for respite care for care partners of people receiving care at home, bringing the three year commitment for respite alone to 120 million dollars, Mr. Speaker. And by increasing funding for approximately 1.2 million more hours of respite services for care partners, caregivers and their and care partners can break for rest, family commitments or other priorities, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. New question from Carlton, Mississippi Mills. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Municipal Affairs. Minister, over 600 homes in Constance Bay suffered flood damage in May when the Ottawa River level rose to its highest level in over 100 years. Many people had to move out of their homes. The damage was extreme. The stress levels were extreme. People have applied to the Ontario Disaster Recovery Program for badly needed financial help to repair their homes. They are waiting and they are waiting and they are waiting. Minister, could you encourage the people administering the Ontario Disaster Recovery Program to please speed up the approval process? Thank you. Minister of Municipal Affairs. Speaker, thank you very much to the member from Carlton, Mississippi Mills for the question and I congratulate him as a member of the Trillium Party. It's my understanding this is your first question since you've joined the party and welcome your leadership to the galleries today. As the member has mentioned, this is an incredibly difficult situation for people when they experience these very significant flooding events. That's why, Speaker, we've had actually 35 municipalities in Ontario this year in which we have had to activate our disaster recovery assistance for Ontario's program. I would tell the member to be insured that he is letting his constituents know that they have until Friday, October 27th to apply. The deadline is open until then. If they have not applied yet, ensure please that they do and ensure that they're working as closely as they can with the adjuster. If people are not receiving the assistance they need, if they're in the geographic boundary and if they are eligible, sometimes it may mean that their applications into the adjuster are not complete. So I'd encourage them to work with the adjuster, stay connected with your municipal services office if necessary. Thank you. Supplementary. Mr. Speaker, to the Minister of Municipal Affairs again, thank you for your answer, Minister. Minister, four homes in Constance Bay have been condemned as unfit to live in because of severe flooding damage. Jeff and Christine Smith, Karasha, and Diane Flood don't have homes they can live in. They all need to build a new home, but they don't have flood insurance or the cash. They have applied for funding from the Ontario Disaster Recovery Program. These people are desperate and they are stressed out. They have been told that they will probably qualify for funding. Minister, could you put a special rush on processing their application forms? Minister. Let me, in terms of the timing of the program, just say to the member and to the House. I want to congratulate, if I can, our member from Ancaster, Dundas, Flambeiro, and Westdale, Ted McMeek, and our former Minister who, when he had carriage of the file, brought in two very significant changes to the program about two years ago. There used to be the requirement that local communities would have to fundraise a significant amount of money even before the program could begin. And there also was a requirement at that time for some local administration in terms of administering the claims. The former Minister, when he had the helm and carriage of this file, changed this program in a very significant way. It has enabled the assistance from the Disaster Recovery Assistance Program to get to the people who need the help if they're in the geographically defined boundary and if they're eligible to receive the assistance much faster than would have been the case. I understand that's very serious. I understand how distressed people can be. I can only tell you that we have already changed the program to get the money out the door as quickly as we can to those people in the neurology. Thank you. Any questions? A member from the member from Chattom Kent Essex. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Everyone in this legislature knows that it's illegal to pass a school bus when it is stopped, lights flashing, and stop arm extended. Last February, my bill short formed the school bus systems bill or act of 2017 passed unanimously as second reading. But unfortunately, your government continues to dismiss this bill as what, insignificant? But we tried to move it forward before the sessions and by asking the government to include it as part of the Safe Schools Act. Sadly, this request was denied. Premier, it's been 216 days. All this government proposes to do about blow-byes is to call for more and more consultation with municipalities. We all know that consultation is code for doing nothing. Question? Government claptrap won't solve the problem. So Premier, will you see to it that my bill be sent to committee? And thank you. Thanks very much, Speaker. I thank the member from Chattom Kent Essex for his question. He and I have had not only in the course of debate here in the legislature, but also conversations here in this building. I do acknowledge and I have acknowledged to him directly that I recognize the importance. Our government recognizes the importance of making sure that we are in the strongest position possible to make sure that our most vulnerable road users, including students, including those that are near school buses, are protected at all times, Speaker. So when the member talks about the consultation process that we have committed to undertake, and in fact, in my conversations with that member, I've offered him the opportunity to participate in these consultations, Speaker. It's not simply about delaying. It's not at all about delaying, in fact, Speaker. It's about making sure that we get it right. There is what I'll say is an evidentiary burden that's required in order in order for the technology to work appropriately and in order for us to be able to make sure that whatever is drawn from those cameras can be entered into evidence without the need for a standalone independent witness. We need to make sure that we're getting it right. That's why we're going to do the consultation, Speaker. Happy to include that number in the consultation process, Speaker, and happy to have a conversation about it as well. Come back to the premiere. Last May, we missed a golden opportunity to get my nonpartisan Bill 94 passed into law before the summer recess. People are outraged that this didn't happen. I have letters from municipalities throughout the province supporting this bill in hundreds of signatures on petitions calling the government to action. Recently, a blow by occurred in Tecumseh. It was captured on a home security system. It recorded a mother's horror as she went out to meet her children and saw a car passing on the shoulder of the road just as her children were about to get off the bus. Luckily, no children were hurt, but it could have ended in tragedy. Premier, Minister, the longer your government dismisses Bill 94, the greater the chances are of tragedy. Will you take action today and expedite Bill 94 before it is too late? Thanks very much, Speaker. I thank the member for the follow-up question. I will say, and I didn't say this in the opening answer. I will say it very clearly. There is nobody in this House, frankly, Speaker. I can't believe there's anyone in the province who would in any way, shape or form, not want to move forward aggressively to make sure that we stop the blowbys from happening, as that member has said, and as members of all sides of the House of said Speaker. But a couple of things I do want to point out. Number one, there is nothing that currently stops video cameras from being used on school buses. In fact, there are some places in the province that have gone forward looking at some of the pilot opportunities that exist with respect to the technology. What we're consulting on, not just with municipalities, not just with the member opposite, if he chooses to participate in the consultation, but also with our road safety partners, is making sure that whatever is produced by way of the camera itself can be entered into evidence in a way that does not necessarily require a third party being there to verify that the offense in question, as has been pointed out like red light cameras, Speaker, are not quite there yet. Speaker, I hope to be there soon, and I can assure that member and all members, as soon as we're there and can satisfy the rest of the elements of what's required, will be the first ones to make sure that it happens. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Ontario is in the midst of an opioid overdose emergency, and it's only getting worse. Last year, at least 865 people lost their lives to overdoses. In my writing, people are overdosing every single day. Frontline harm reduction workers are doing heroic work to save lives, but they're still not getting the resources they need on the front lines. Toronto's Board of Health is calling on the Liberal government to officially declare this an emergency. When will the Premier recognize the urgency of this epidemic and declare a public emergency? Because that's actually what it is. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and the member opposite is absolutely correct. This is a public health crisis, and we can never forget the 865 individuals. Sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters lost their lives to overdose last year, and the crisis is getting worse. That's why we have a very substantial, almost $300 million response to this crisis at every possible level. That includes here in Toronto. We are providing 100% of the funding for the three safe injection sites. We're providing naloxone free of charge around the province to more than 200 different localities, 1,600 pharmacies, where we're providing test strips to test for fentanyl, including at the safe injection sites and the pop-up sites across the province. We're making those investments at every touch point of this crisis so that we can be confident that we'll turn the tide. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. People in Toronto know there's an emergency. Toronto Board of Health is asking the Liberal government to call it an emergency. It's claiming more lives every day. Toronto's medical officer of health says a declaration of emergency could trigger, quote, a smoother flow of dollars, unquote, to the front lines. And frontline harm reduction workers say we need a declaration of emergency so we can start to see an end in sight to this epidemic. When will the Premier listen to Toronto declare an emergency and get the resources that frontline workers need right now to save more lives? Well, Mr. Speaker, our mechanism to declare a provincial emergency is for events that are expected to be of a time-limited nature. In fact, we are able to do it for a 14-day period, which is then renewable. And, Mr. Speaker, it's important to know that, and for individuals, I think we all realize that this is not a finite crisis. This is a crisis that has been going on for some time. Regrettably, it will be going on for some time into the future. That's why we're making multimillion-dollar investments. And I know that individuals are looking to B.C. where they had to declare such an emergency in order to compel hospitals to provide ER data, in order to compel officials, including the police, to coordinate with the government and with the Minister of Health. We have that ability without having to declare such a crisis. So I'm actually confident in saying that the declaration of a provincial emergency would not give me any additional tools to do other than... Is the Minister finished? Is the Minister finished? Is the Minister finished? Thank you. New question. Member from Beaches, East York. Well, thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport. And I can't stress enough, Speaker, how excited I am that Ontario is hosting the Invictus Games this month. We are hosting such a talented group of athletes and service people, both from Canada and around the globe. And this has showcased a level of cooperation that inspires and motivates all of us. And just last week, I had the pleasure of participating in the kicking off of the Games with the raising of the Invictus flag at Nathan Philips Square. And also, tomorrow, I'll be attending the Invictus Barrett Gold career fair. Now, I've had the opportunity to meet some of the inspirational athletes, the coaches and their families. And I have been so moved by this experience and by the presence of all of these different athletes from 17 nations. And I feel lucky to be part of these Games, and I will continue to watch closely. But, Speaker, can you, through you, to the Minister, can she tell all the members of this House what we can expect from these Invictus Games? Thank you, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I want to thank the member from Beaches East York for his question and for participating in the Invictus Games here in Toronto. Speaker, thanks to all the hard work of our volunteers and everyone involved, we can now say that Ontario has hosted the largest Invictus Games held to date. And they are to a standard that athletes from around the world are noticing. Just yesterday, I had the honour of presenting medals to competitors at the Women's Handbite competition in beautiful Hyde Park. While there, I spoke to athletes from Italy, France, the United States and Great Britain. And they were highly complimentary of the games of the volunteers and of the welcome they received. Indeed, at that event, Speaker, I had the pleasure of meeting his Royal Highness, Prince Harry. And he was kind enough to thank me and our government for our support of the Games. And he had nothing but praise for them. But, more importantly, Speaker, he talked... Really? Really? Thank you, member from Renfrew and Epising Pembroke. Really, during the Invictus Questions, Finnish Minister, please? Thank you, Speaker. Speaks to the dignity of the games and the athletes they are helping, Mr. Speaker. And we are delighted to support them in honour to host them here in Ontario. Thank you. New question. Oh, sorry, supplementary. Sorry. Well, thank you, Speaker, for that supplementary. And thank you to the Minister, who I often affectionately refer to as the Minister of Fun and Fitness, for her response. The reality, Speaker, is this Minister has done incredible work to promote sport and tourism and culture in our province, and we're absolutely delighted for her work in that regard. And it's amazing, Speaker, to see how wide-reaching and how impactful our government's investment in the games has been. $10 million from the people of Ontario. The contribution to these games will have enormous payoffs to the athletes, to the volunteers, the spectators, and to the economic, overall economic benefit of our province. The games truly represent the power of sport to challenge, inspire, and overcome limitations. So, Speaker, through you again to the Minister, can she explain, speak to, how we can all now get involved in these games? Thank you, Minister. Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have BGC York for that question. You know, Speaker, while attending the games and visiting the athletes village, I've had the pleasure and honour of meeting team Canada members and witnessing firsthand the camaraderie they share, the care and attention they're receiving from their loved ones and their physician and caregivers, and their friends and colleagues, and hear countless stories of personal courage and determination. While there, I've also met dedicated volunteers, many of whom volunteered at the Pan Am, Par Pan Am Games, just one of the many legacies of those games, Speaker. I want to share with the members of this House and all Ontarians that admission to many of the competitions has and continues to be free and open to the public, including the archery event held today at the Fort York National Historic Site. Finally, I'd like to thank the coaches, Speaker. It's National Coaches Week, and we all know what a valuable role that they play, and I'd like the members of this House to know and thank all of them for the wonderful role that they play in coaching our athletes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. The question to the member for Whitby Austin. Thank you, Speaker, and to the Minister of Education. The Liberal government continues to be out of touch, Speaker, with the needs of parents and students in communities across this great province. In East Aurora, for example, the population is growing by 30 percent, and the community needs a new public high school. Because the minister has ignored the needs of this local community, Speaker, parents in East Aurora are forced to pay to bust their children to a school over 30 minutes away. Minister, how long will families in East Aurora have to wait before you accept their request to approve the construction of a new public high school? Thank you. Mr. Speaker, I'm very pleased to rise in this House and to talk about the investments that we're making in Ontario's publicly funded education system. Because, Mr. Speaker, as I said yesterday, we have made unprecedented investments in education in Ontario when you look at our new schools that have been built in this province since 2003. 820 new schools have been built and over 800 extensive additions and renovations have been made. Mr. Speaker, we have invested in the capital needs of our schools since 2003, $17.5 billion. And that has gone into communities and is providing excellent learning environments for our students with these new facilities. Just on the first week of school just before I visited a school in Brampton, state-of-the-art 21st century learning facilities for our students so that they can get the best education possible. Thank you, supplementary. Mr. Speaker, back to the Minister of Education. East Aurora parents have repeatedly raised this issue with the Minister of Education and this government has not responded and done absolutely nothing about the proposed construction of a public high school. Mr. Speaker, not only that but this minister has closed schools and communities elsewhere in Ontario that desperately need them to stay open. When will the Liberal government finally take action and listen to the community needs of parents and students in East Aurora? Mr. Speaker, let me be very clear. We are very committed to our public education system and since 2003 we've increased education funding in this province by 66 percent. It would be very good for the member opposite given that he is the education critic to really recognize the growth in schools even in his own riding of Whitby where we have built or improved significantly 11 schools. Mr. Speaker, 11 schools since 2003. We're making these investments because we know that Ontario students deserve the best education possible. Our Premier this morning has talked about that, has talked about how these investments are providing a return to our students. Our graduation rates are now at 86.5 percent. That is an increase of 17 percentage points since 2003. My question is to the Premier. Last week the City of Windsor was dealt a devastating blow. Our community support services found out that they will not receive one cent of the 200 million in funding that the province allocated for tackling homelessness this year. Ministry officials said our proposal was very good. Speaker, there was no excuse to deny Windsor a portion of this funding. We just found out from Statistics Canada that among all cities in Canada Windsor has the highest rate of children living in low income households almost one in four. That's over 16,000 children in Windsor. I recently visited our downtown mission Victoria Manor and the Welcome Centre shelter for women and families in Windsor. It's clear that they along with other community organisations are stretched thin and in desperate need of resources. Speaker, will the Premier please explain to this House why her government does not think Windsor's homelessness and domestic violence services deserve their support? Minister of Housing. Thank you Mr. Speaker and I want to thank the member for the question. Our government is committed to investing in affordable housing across this province and housing to support people in transition to escape a chronic cycle of homelessness by putting them on a road to having a long term home and a dignified life with the supports they need to sustain themselves. Our government has invested 200 million dollars through the Homes for Good program across the province to assist communities to develop the kind of housing that will help break the cycle of chronic homelessness. This program was very well received by housing providers and municipalities and I'm happy to give more information in the supplementary. Thank you. Back to the Premier. I understand that many cities in Ontario applied for this funding because just like in Windsor families across this province are struggling too. Under this Liberal government hydro bills have gone up 300% and important public services like healthcare continue to be cut and what is this government done to respond to families in crisis? We recently found out that one in 10 shelters in Ontario closed between 2011 and 2016 because of funding cuts. Municipalities like Windsor have fewer and fewer resources for homelessness prevention even though the number of people whose primary residence is a shelter has increased by 10%. Windsor's community supports for our most vulnerable are operating well over capacity and yet this Liberal government denied them the funding they desperately need. This while spending 5.5 million on advertising to repair the damaged Liberal image. Speaker, when will the Premier get her priority straight and support Windsor families? Thank you Mr. Speaker and on this side of the house our priority is to break the chronic cycle of homelessness and to help people get into longer housing. Since 2013 we've helped over 103,000 people who suffer from homelessness to break that cycle and since 2003 the City of Windsor has received over 106 million dollars in funding for affordable housing. We've created 305 affordable units. We've repaired 5,944 affordable units. We've provided 305 Windsor households with down payment assistance and we've prevented 1,235 evictions. We've invested 57.4 million dollars in the City of Windsor as part of our community homelessness prevention initiative on top of the other investments. We're committed to breaking homelessness in this province. Thank you Mr. Speaker. My question this morning is for the Minister of Education. Schools in my riding of Davenport and across Ontario are incredibly diverse places to learn. A member from Windsor-DeCompci is warned. The Minister of Children and Youth Service is second time. Please put your question. So thank you Mr. Speaker. My question this morning is for the Minister of Education. Schools in my riding of Davenport and across Ontario are incredibly diverse places to learn. In fact the nearly 2 million students in our province come from many culturally diverse communities. We know that children and youth deserve a school system that listens to their voices and responds with programs that mirror their needs. I know our government is working hard to address systemic barriers to student achievements, equity and well-being in schools but there is always more that can be done. Mr. Speaker through you to the Minister what is the Ontario government doing to make schools fair and more inclusive for students in Davenport and across the province. Thank you Mr. Speaker and I want to thank the member from Davenport for her question Mr. Speaker. I have repeatedly gone out into her community and I see how dedicated she is to the students and to the families in her community. An absolute real leader Mr. Speaker and equity is a central part of Ontario's renewed vision for education. We have to move beyond the status quo. Just this month our government announced plans for making our public education system fair for all students by identifying and eliminating systemic barriers discriminatory practices and biases to support student success. We know that existing structures policies programs practices may unintentionally disadvantage some student populations and that is why Mr. Speaker I announced our government's roadmap to equity in Ontario's education equity action plan. Our plan will help fulfill Ontario's vision for an education system that is welcoming and inclusive for all students regardless of their background. The member from Brampton's Cringdale on a point of order. I want to take this opportunity to to welcome the seniors from the North American Sick League in Brampton Charitable Foundation here today. They wanted to come see how Queen's Park works so welcome to Queen's Park. For so understanding Order 3088 the member from Whitby Oshawa has given notice of his dissatisfaction with the answer of his question given by the Minister of Education concerning the public high school in East Aurora. The matter will be debated today at 6 p.m. We have a deferred vote on the motion for closure of the motion of second reading of Bill 139 an act to enact a local planning appeal tribunal act 2017 and local planning appeal support center act 2017 and to amend the planning act the conservation authorities act and various other acts. Calling the members this will be a five-minute bell. Members please take your seats. On September 11 2017 Mr. Moore moved second reading of Bill 139 an act to enact a local planning appeal tribunal act of 2017 and the local planning appeal support center act 2017 and to amend the planning act and conservation authorities act and various other acts. Ms. Nadu Harris has moved that the question be now put. All those in favor of Ms. Nadu's Harris's motion please rise one at a time to be recognized by the clerk. Mr. Nackley. Mr. Bradley. Mr. Bradley. Mr. Del Duca. Mr. Sandals. Mr. Wind. Mr. Scharelli. Mr. Duget. Mr. Kohl. Mr. Dillon. Mr. Ballard. Mr. Morini. Mr. Mourini. Mr. Kotto. Mr. Hunter. Mr. Leo. Mr. Flynn. Mr. Tebow. Mr. Tebow. Mr. Cauden. Mr. Dixon. Mr. Dixon. Mr. Manga. Mr. Craft. Mr. Crabbe. Ms. Domenál. Mr. Clark. Mr. Clark. Mr. Fidele. Mr. Yakubuci. Mr. Miller. Perry Salmosgoka. Perry Salmosgoka. Mr. Scott. Mr. Thompson. Mr. Thompson. Mr. Barry. Mr. Monroe. Mr. Monroe. Mr. Harris. Mr. Bailey. Mr. Smith. Mr. Bailey. Mr. Romano. Mr. Ostra. Mr. Ostracha. Mr. Ostraha. Mr. osterhoek. Mr. Nickel. Mr. Nickner. Mr. McDonnell. Mr. McDonnell. Mr. Pettapies. Mr. Pettapies. Mr. Koe. Mr. Koe. Mr. Choe. The eyes are 50 the nays are 37 the eyes being 15 the nays being 37 I declare the motion carried Mr. Morrill has moved second reading of bill 139 an act to enact the local Planning Appeal Tribunal Act in 2017 and the local Planning Appeal Support Center Act of 2017 and to amend the Planning Act the Conservation Authorities Act and various other acts is the pleasure the house the motion carry I heard a no all those in favor please say aye all those opposed please say nay in my opinion the eyes have it calling the members this will be a five minute bill. Mr. Morrill has moved second reading of bill 139 an act to enact a local Planning and Tribunal Act of 2017 and local Planning Appeal Support Center Act 2017 and to amend the Planning Act the Conservation Authorities Act and various other acts all those in favor please rise what a time you recognize by the park. Mr. Morrill. Mr. Navigate Mr. Bradley. Mr. Leduca. Mr. Douduka. Mr. Sandles. Ms. Wind. Ms. Wind. Ms Matthews. Mr. Hoss. Mr. H causus. Mr. Shurela. Mr. Shurella. Mr. Dugas. Mr. Dugas. Mr. McCharles. Mr. McMeachan. Mr. McMeachan. Mr. Dakar. Mr. Dakar. Mr. Cole. Mr. Cole. Mr. Brardinetti. Mr. Brardinetti. Mr. D'Laney. Mr. Dillon. Mr. Dillon. Mr. Dillon. Mr. Mr. Hatfield. Mr. Hatfield. Mr. Bissau. Mr. Bissau. Mr. Vantau. Mr. Vantau. Mr. Ginovo. Mr. Miller Hamilton Estonie Creek. Mr. Miller Hamilton Estonie Creek. Ms. Taylor. Ms. Taylor. Mr. Natashat. Ms. Natashat. Ms. Armstrong. Ms. Armstrong. Ms. Forrester. Ms. Forrester. Ms. Shimonta. Ms. Shimonta. Ms. Gretzky. Mr. Gates. Ms. Gates. Ms. French. Ms. French. Ms. Hose, please rise one at a time and be recognized by the clerk. Mr. McLaren. Mr. McLaren. The ayes being 86, and the nays being 180, declare the motion carried. The而 wrapped the bill in 302 previous airport. The bill will be ordered for third reading. Minister of Municipal Affairs? I would ask that the bill be referred to the standing committee on Social Policy. Sortored. No further deferred votes, the House stands recess until 3pm this afternoon.