 I know for their introductions therefore it's time for a question period, the leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. I hope everyone has had a chance to see the Ontario Chamber of Commerce letter today. They had a lot to say about cap and trade. In fact, they had many of the same concerns that the Ontario PC Caucus has had. They know the cost could lead to Ontario losing out on jobs and investment. That's from the Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber noted that the Liberals must consider how we can prevent exporting jobs and investment while importing pollution. But that's just what their scheme does. Will this government stop exporting jobs and importing pollution under their dangerous cap and trade scheme? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Well, I'm sure that the leader of the opposition knows that the federal government has mandated that every province and territory have some form of carbon pricing in place by 2018. Mr. Speaker, I'm sure he's aware of that and I'm sure he's aware that the reason for that, Mr. Speaker, is that as humanity we are facing the greatest challenge in our history, Mr. Speaker, understanding that climate change is real. So we're taking the lead in Ontario to move forward with the plan to cap the pollution that businesses can release in order to reduce that pollution, Mr. Speaker, in order to reduce those greenhouse gas emissions. And we've chosen this, Mr. Speaker, because it best balances affordability with emission reduction. That's why we've chosen it. In fact, Mr. Speaker, the proposal that the leader of the opposition has talked about would cost four times as much as a year. Casey didn't hear the member from Renfrew come to order. Supplementary. Mr. Speaker, again to the Premier. The Premier said this is mandated by the federal government. Well, let me say the federal government did not mandate Ontario to be sending 200 million to California by 2020. It did not mandate Ontario to be sending almost 2 billion by 2030 to subsidize businesses in California and Quebec. This makes us less competitive. The Auditor General has said this does not even help with reducing emissions in Ontario. And as the Chamber says, this is about importing pollution to Ontario. So now we have the Auditor General saying you're not going to reduce significantly emissions in Ontario. And you've got the Chamber saying you're going to import pollution. Can you not take a pause and look at this? Why are you going to continue to help businesses in California? Mr. Speaker, so let's just look at what the Conservatives want us to do. They want us to go down a road that would be more expensive, Mr. Speaker. But even more worrisome, Mr. Speaker, it would be less effective. There are young people sitting in the gallery today, Mr. Speaker. There are young people who are interested in a sustainable future for the planet, Mr. Speaker. So any jurisdiction do it part, Mr. Speaker. We've chosen the most cost-effective, the most affordable process, Mr. Speaker. What the Conservatives are suggesting would cost businesses and individuals, families, four times what the plan we're putting in place would cost, Mr. Speaker. So it makes no sense it would not be as effective and it certainly would not be as affordable, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Premier makes assertions that are not based on reality. The reality is the Chamber is not concerned about any other plans. The Chamber is concerned about this Premier's cap and trade. My hope was that as soon as I started hearing some of the heckling I asked people to stop has not happened. So I am dangerously close to going to warnings quickly. If that's the case, so be it. Mr. Speaker, the Premier says this is about protecting the planet for children watching here today. The reality is her plan does not do that. This government, according to the Auditor General, their plan will cause us to lose jobs, lose investment. The Chamber has made that clear. We're going to be importing pollution under their plan. Can you imagine that? Importing pollution. We're not even reducing emissions here, yet we're putting a huge new cost on business. Why does this Premier want to kill jobs in Ontario and actually import pollution? It doesn't make sense. It's as bad as the Green Energy Act to hurt Ontario. Can you see it, please? Thank you. Premier, Minister of the Environment. Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition is proposing to increase carbon pricing in Ontario from $18 a ton in ours to $72 a ton. But, you know, Mr. Speaker, I'm just curious about something. If the Leader of the Opposition could just turn slightly to the left and talk to the Member for Leeds, Granville, who supports Kevin O'Leary for leadership. And Kevin O'Leary said, Patrick Brown, if he wants to bring carbon taxation to Ontario, even though he's a Conservative, all campaign against him. All work very hard to make sure he stays out of power, Mr. Speaker. Can you see it, please? New question. Leader of the Opposition. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. On April 29, 2015, I quote, any decision of the magnitude require a two-thirds majority of the Hydro-1 Board of Directors, which means having 40% ownership, protects us. Who said that? The current Premier of Ontario. October 20, 2015, I quote, the Premier said, with 40% ownership of the Board, that would require the people of Ontario always to have a say. Who said that? The Premier. October 28, 2015, I quote, will there be the ability for the government to retain control over major decisions because of that 40% ownership? Yes. That's the Premier again. All of these were said by the Premier. So, Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Premier, very clear. The Premier has always maintained that with this share that the government will have control of Hydro-1 over big decisions. These are the Premier's words. Is that still the case today? Thank you. Yes, it is, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Supplementary. Mr. Speaker, again to the Premier. So, the Premier is saying we have control of Hydro-1. She's on the record numerous times saying that. Yet when we asked about the Hydro-1 executive salaries, the government's response is, we have no control. We have no say. This is a private company. You can't have it both ways. The Premier is on the record saying we're retaining control. She pitched that to Ontario's under her fire sale of Hydro-1. And now we have salaries that, frankly, are offensive. We have multi-million dollar salaries. We've got a millionaires club of senior executives at Hydro-1 and the government's saying they have nothing to do with it. They're speaking out of both sides of the mouth. They can't have it both ways. So, my question is, given the fact that you've said you have control, yes or no, will you reign in these offensive executive salaries? As I have done in the past, I just want to tell the member that an expression was used that I do not allow to have happened, but I didn't see an outrage, but I will remind him not to use that phrase again. Please. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the member opposite probably knows that when we put the prospectus out, it was very clear as to what those sounds would be. We were very transparent and open as to what would occur going forward. We recognized we wanted the company to be more responsive to consumers ensuring that they relate better to the customers and the rate base, and they've been doing so, Mr. Speaker. The company has now improved dramatically since its inception. They attracted some of the brightest and the smartest out there to enable us to attract greater value for this company, which ultimately benefits all Ontarians going forward, including, Mr. Speaker, our ability now to reduce rates by 25%. The salaries were fully disclosed last year, Mr. Speaker, before today. Thank you. Final supplementary. Mr. Speaker, again to the Premier. I did not get an answer. The Premier is on the record, and I quote again, the people of Ontario will retain de facto control of Hydro-1. The Premier promised Ontarians that we'd have control over Hydro-1, and yet here we are seeing offensive salaries, $4.5 million as a salary is appropriate. Give me a break, it's not, Mr. Speaker, and yet this government is trying to hide from it. They promised us control. They're walking away from that. It's not too late to do the right thing. You still have the majority of the shares. You still have control if you actually meant what you said. So my question, Mr. Speaker, is this, yes or no, will you rein in these offensive executive salaries that are completely out of context with the rest of the country, completely out of context with what people make? It's too much, it's wrong. The Premier needs to clean this up. Mr. Speaker, it's critical that this operation, this corporation, and do its utmost to provide greater value for the ratepayers and for the people of Ontario. And that is what is occurring, Mr. Speaker, because the net value to the ratepayers and the shareholders, which as a member opposite is rightly noted, is the province of Ontario. We'll always be the majority shareholder. We'll always have the largest say. We do have the ability, Mr. Speaker, of gaining more value from this corporation and all the operators to do its job effectively. And in a competitive manner, Mr. Speaker. Now we have an opportunity to follow the consolidations around the industry. There are 72 competitors in Ontario distributing Hydro, Mr. Speaker. We need them all to do better. This corporation is doing just that. Thank you. Thank you. New question, the leader of the third party. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Premier. Does the Premier believe it's fair for Hydro one to jack up delivery rates by 20% at the same time as Hydro executives get a multi-million-dollar raise? Can you? Mr. Speaker, we are reducing people's Hydro bills around this province by 25%, Mr. Speaker. There's already an 8% reduction in place on top of that. Another 17%, Mr. Speaker. We recognize that people across the province need help with their electricity bills. We recognize that with the 8%, that was not enough, there needed to be more. And, Mr. Speaker, we also recognize that people outside of dense urban areas so in more remote and rural areas need more support, Mr. Speaker. So they will see not a 25% reduction, but in some instances a 40% or 50% reduction, Mr. Speaker. That is going to happen this summer. Those are real impacts of the plan that we've brought forward, Mr. Speaker, that will help people in their lives to make sure they can pay their bills and look after their families. This is the step that we are taking, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker. Yesterday, the Premier and our Minister of Energy defended Hydro 1's CEO's 500% salary increase, saying it was because they introduced e-billing. I'm not sure if that was a joke or not, Speaker, because let's be honest, the biggest news coming out of Hydro 1 is that they want to have an increase of delivery rates by 20%. That's the biggest news coming out of Hydro 1. Will the Premier tell Ontario families whether she thinks Hydro 1's CEO should be getting a 500% raise? Thank you. Mr. Speaker, as I have said many times, I know that these are high salaries. I understand that. The focus of our initiative, Mr. Speaker, has been on reducing people's Hydro bills, giving them a break, Mr. Speaker, because we recognize that the building that we have done, the investments that had to be made, Mr. Speaker, because the electricity system was in shambles, that there's a cost associated with those, Mr. Speaker, and so we've been removing costs from the electricity system. We recognize that wasn't enough, and so now, this summer, people will see a 25% reduction on their electricity bills. And, Mr. Speaker, outside of the urban areas, in more remote and rural areas, we understand that that's what people need. That's the plan that we've brought forward, and that's what we're implementing, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Well, Mr. Speaker, there is no plan, but it sounds like a bouncing ball. First it was 17, then 25. Now it's 40 or 50. I don't think a single Ontarian believes this government is going to provide to jack up delivery rates by 20% at the same time that Hydro executives get multi-million dollar raises. Because your energy don't seem to have a problem with this at all. When will the Premier stop advocating for the 1% and start advocating for the 99%? You see the face? You see the face? Thank you, Premier. Mr. Speaker, the 99% is exactly who we're going to see a 25% reduction. And if you add 17% and 8%, Mr. Speaker, if you look at distribution charges that are going to be brought down in the remote and rural areas, you get that 25%, up to 40% or 50%, Mr. Speaker. That's how those numbers have been calculated because those are the reductions that people are going to see on their electricity bills, Mr. Speaker. The reality is that we recognize that the costs of the investments that we have made in an electricity system that was in shambles, Mr. Speaker, that was not reliable and was not clean, that there was a cost associated with that. That's why people will see those reductions come summer. Thank you. Questions for the Premier? $1,650 is already a ridiculous amount of money to have to pay to rent a one bedroom apartment that is less than 500 square feet and has no balcony. But that is the reality of Graham Farquhar. As if $1,650 a month wasn't high enough, Graham got a shock recently when he found out that his landlord is planning to double that rent on July 1st of this year. Yesterday the Premier said this was, and I quote, really unacceptable, but refused to say when she's actually going to do something about it. Can the Premier tell us when her expressions of sympathy will be backed up by something a little more tangible like closing the 1991 rent control loophole which we could actually do today? Thank you. Certainly the member for Toronto Danforth understands how important this is because when he raised it, and our Minister of Housing was able to respond to it, we made it clear we get this something has to be done, we're going to be bringing forward not just a plan on that particular issue but on housing affordability, on rental affordability because there are a number of changes that need to be made and we're going to bring those forward in context, so there is no argument between me and the leader of the third party something needs to be done, we recognize that we're going to be bringing forward proposals very soon. Can you see it please? Can you see it please? Supplement. Well Speaker, time is ticking, landlords are licking their lips and tenants are getting really nervous about the future. Generation squeeze issued a report today saying that the quality of life for young people living in the GTA is slipping Speaker, the report singles out the high cost of rental housing as one of the causes saying that young people are working full time but quote watching their money down to the penny is the premier planning to tell a whole generation of young people that they're going to continue to see their quality of life decline because he is afraid to take action quickly to close the 1991 loophole immediately. My first answer we actually are not having an argument about this, I actually agree that there are things that need to be done and in fact Mr. Speaker this issue of fairness for tenants Mr. Speaker in the context of fairness for landlords but when I came into office in 2003 as the member for Don Valley West Mr. Speaker actually advocated within our caucus to change the Landlord Tenant Act Mr. Speaker it got changed to the Residential Tenancies Act we made a lot of changes that would help people put in place supports for tenants Mr. Speaker but there's more that needs to be done there is no argument between me and the leader of the third party there's no argument between me and the member for Toronto Danforth there is more that needs to be done we are bringing forward a package of proposals that will deal with housing affordability final supplementary well Speaker if I was the Premier I'd be awfully embarrassed by admitting she's been advocating for this since 2003 and nothing has happened on this fire if she wanted to help Speaker if she actually wanted to take some action to do something about this major issue that's facing young people and thousands of tenants she could, she could do it right now Speaker will the Premier bring in the NDP bill will she bring it forward for a vote today close that 1991 loophole immediately and protect the renters of this province well thank you Speaker and thank you too for that question Speaker goes without saying that it's unacceptable that so many Ontarians are faced with housing costs that are rising so dramatically it goes without saying when we talk about that and as Minister of Housing I want to help Ontarians every Ontarian reach home ownership for Ontarians a house is more than a place to sleep it's a source of pride let's just talk about some of the things we've done we've already said that rent control we're open to expanding that we've said time and again sooner rather than later so perhaps the third party can't take yes for an answer we're working with our secondary part our municipalities to promote secondary suites because supply is important and we'll have more in a supplementary Mr Speaker thank you new question from Prince Edward Hastings thank you very much Mr Speaker this question this morning is for the president of the Treasury Board yesterday we learned that the president at OPG who was the top earner on the province's payroll in 2016 actually made more than $700,000 more than the sunshine list disclosed on Friday the difference was a bonus that showed up on OPG's books but was suspiciously left off the government's books Speaker how many more six figure bonuses has the president of the Ontario Treasury Board hidden from the people of Ontario good question yes thank you very much and of course what is reported on the sunshine list as I've said several times in here is not the annual salary it is as your legislation requires it is what is reported in box 14 of the T4 it is whatever Canada revenue says should go in box 14 of the D4 that is what is reported now it is also true that there are things that aren't reported for example not pensions so it is not remember from Bruce Kerrio and sound come door attention contributions are not reported is perfectly consistent with the law as you laid it out because that isn't in the T4 salary box but what is also true is our new executive compensation legislation says no bonuses thank you supplementary we've watched this government hand out six figure performance bonuses for projects that were over budget and late or built upside down they operate like the Oprah Winfrey show over there look under your seat there's probably a bonus there waiting for you here we have a project that isn't even done yet and the government's hitting taxpayers up for hundreds of thousands of dollars again so speaker how many more big bonuses did the president of the treasury board hand out this year for projects that were over budget late or incomplete speaker when it comes to OPG and the work that's happening right now with our nuclear refurbishment Mr. Speaker the OPG president has reported to us that they're actually under budget Mr. Speaker and on time something that we expect from our executives Mr. Speaker and so that's great news for Ontario great payers and of course when it comes to OPG Mr. Speaker as the president of the treasury board outlined the process is being followed by us as laid out by our framework Mr. Speaker and OPG sought appropriate comparators and set compensation at a level that is restrained but of competitive for the industry Mr. Speaker let's not forget that these are our nuclear technical experts Mr. Speaker and we want the operators in our plants to be the best in the world and as the president of the treasury board outlined Mr. Speaker Mr. Lyass salary was reported accurately in the sunshine list just like every other person salary appears on their T4 Mr. Speaker new question member from Toronto Danforth thank you speaker my question to the premier today I read about Victoria Menini a young women woman who did everything right but still can't seem to get ahead here in Toronto she works as a designer a coveted job in her field but she couldn't afford her rent on just that salary so she also works as a bartender Speaker she works 60 hours a week and says she doesn't know when she's going to be able to stop living like this the premier could help her right now will she commit to supporting my bill to close the 1991 control loophole and help Victorian people like thank you again Mr. Speaker and I said earlier that I know that the member for Toronto Danforth understands I mean I know he listens to tenants advocacy groups he talks to individuals as I do in my own riding Mr. Speaker and I know that some of the people like Abbas Colia, like Pat Moore Mr. Speaker that he knows those people he knows the concerns of tenants around the province and when he brought his bill forward Mr. Speaker on that very day the Minister of Housing made it clear that this is something that we are concerned about and that we are moving forward Mr. Speaker we're going to be bringing forward a proposal for a number of changes Mr. Speaker as I said to the leader of the third party there's no argument between us on this this is something that needs to be done and it's something Mr. Speaker that is a series of changes on top of changes that this government has already made we look forward to moving forward Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker concern and commitment are two very different things University of Toronto housing advocates say that young people like Victoria may have the mistaken impression that it's their fault that their economic stars have not aligned that they've done something wrong reads the generation squeeze report will the Premier commit today not just express concern commit to taking the first step in fixing the mess that is causing so many young Ontarians to lose hope for their future will she commit to ending this rent control loophole now Mr. Speaker housing Mr. Speaker here we go Mr. Speaker again housing affordability is on the lips of virtually all of us I can't walk down the street without bumping into a neighbour who not only talks about the price of housing on our street but the struggle their children face in renting and accommodation or buying their own place it's what I will commit to today Speaker as I said last week to the member opposite that's why we're already developing a plan to address unfair rises in rental costs by delivering a substantive rent control reform on a substantive rental form in Ontario as part of an ongoing review of the Residential Tenancy Act Mr. Speaker we've been working on this since June of last year we'll have a whole suite soon new question member from the total control centre very much Mr. Speaker my question is to the Minister of Education Speaker soon after I was elected I learned that the TDSB was planning to sell Silver Creek Public School which would displace hundreds of children with special needs at Etobicoke Children's Centre and Silver Creek Pre-School in my riding in Etobicoke Centre and it was unacceptable to me that we would engage your services for the most vulnerable children in our community that is why I made Silver Creek saving Silver Creek a priority and worked alongside members of our community including the friends of Etobicoke Children's Centre Silver Creek Pre-School and multiple ministries, multiple ministers and staff here in our government to save these essential services Yesterday Minister you made an announcement in my riding regarding what our government is going to do about these issues Speaker through you to the Minister can you tell us more about yesterday's announcement Thank you Minister of Education Thank you Speaker and Speaker phenomenal colleagues like the member from Etobicoke Centre for exactly what we need in this legislature I was at the Etobicoke Children's Centre to announce that the province intends to acquire two facilities to preserve the full range of support services that are available to local families this proposed investment would preserve the support for children's mental health and autism licensed child care including specialized care for children with a range of special needs and the early years child and family support program currently offered at McNichol Public School in North York and Silver Creek Public School in Etobicoke local families can now rest assured that the programs and the services that they rely on continue to be there for them and their children and this development was made possible because of collaboration our government has listened to the communities and the MPPs that represent them our government is committed to making it easier to create and maintain community across Ontario Thank you Minister it was a true honor to participate in yesterday's event I have to tell you that moments like yesterday are why I ran for MPP to make a difference for people in our community and we did that yesterday yesterday's speaker people had tears in their eyes during that moment through our collective work to protect and preserve these essential services at Silver Creek Public School I have spoken to countless families and I have to tell you that I have developed a new appreciation for the importance of these services in our communities across Ontario and I'm proud that we recognize the value of both preserving Silver Creek Public School and McNichol Public Schools as vibrant and essential community hubs to support community services in our communities with yesterday's announcement that the province intends to acquire Silver Creek families in Etobicoke I think can take comfort in knowing that we are working to maintain services for children with special education needs Minister, can you tell us more about the important services that Silver Creek public schools are offering you to offer Minister of Children and Youth Services Thank you Mr. Speaker I want to thank the member for the question these types of initiatives make me proud to be part of this government here in Ontario Silver Creek and McNichol School are more than just schools they are spaces where families come together to access important services Silver Creek Public School to support children with special needs both Silver Creek and McNichol offer a range of child youth mental health services and autism programs to children and they're able to do this Mr. Speaker through two amazing programs organizations, Adventure Place and the Etobicoke Children's Centre these types of support are so important to our communities as my role as Minister of Children and Youth Services I've spent a lot of time with parents across the province who know that these types of programs help build families and support children here in Ontario Thank you Thanks to the Attorney General two weeks ago in question period I called on this government to require mandatory sexual assault training for judicial appointees at that time the Attorney General rejected the idea completely claiming that to do so would undermine judicial independence so I was curious that yesterday we saw a government member announcing her intention to introduce a private member's bill that does what the Premier and Attorney General as recently as last week said they would not support during her announcement the Member for Davenport claimed that she had the support of her caucus in introducing this bill all of this makes me wonder if the Attorney General even knows what his caucus colleagues think about this issue so my question to the Attorney General is has he come around to support mandatory sexual assault law training for Ontario judicial appointees or is he just playing political games to avoid taking responsibility Thank you Attorney General Thank you very much Speaker and I thank the Member for asking the question I appreciate the press conference that the Member from Davenport did yesterday Speaker I think all members of this House I hope recognize that when we're dealing with issues around sexual assault sexual violence harassment it's not something that is partisan in nature Speaker that is not something that we should be debating in terms of political terms Speaker what we should be doing is exactly what our Premier has done is show leadership in making sure that we've got effective strategies and plans in place to combat sexual violence and harassment and I'm proud of the Premier by bringing forward it's never okay strategy that will ensure that we in a very meaningful way put an end to sexual violence and harassment in our province and there's an opportunity for us to be a leader for the rest of the country Thank you Supplementary Well Mr. Speaker back to the Attorney General you are making it partisan the mixed signals coming right I've received many expressions of public support for mandatory sexual assault training for provincial judges which confirms it is a pressing issue for Ontarians hiding behind judicial independence shows a lack of will to act on the part of the government if the wind government was truly serious about this issue they would introduce this as a government legislation not a private matter whether it's on sexual assault training for judges or human sex trafficking is to shame them into it so my question to the Attorney General is when will he stop the political games and tackle the issue of sexual assault training head on Order please Attorney General Speaker I want to tell the member opposite and all members of this house that I as a member of provincial parliament I as the Attorney General of this province I as a son and a husband take the issue and as a father of a young daughter take the issue of sexual assault very very seriously and to make accusations like this speaker is beneath any member of this house Speaker what I also take very seriously is the is the very what I also take very seriously as Attorney General is the fundamental tenant of our democracy and that is the independence of judiciary we all know speaker that in our system of democracy we do not get to tell the judiciary as to what they should or not do that is totally within their scope I look forward to reviewing the member from doubt force bill which I have not to see exactly what the scope of that bill is Thank you Your question Thank you very much speaker my question is to the Premier the CEO of OPG earned more than 2 million in total compensation last year not the 1.2 million that was stated in the sunshine list the government's gradual following the public sector executive pay it led the CEO to walk away with over 2 million in salary, bonuses pension money and almost $40,000 in other pay $40,000 a year is what most young people in this province would be thrilled to earn they face and I quote stagnant wages how can this Premier justify these executive salaries to the struggling young people of this province Thank you Thank you Mr. Speaker please once again to rise and speak to the great work that OPG is doing in our province making sure that we have affordable power Mr. Speaker that's also clean and I know Mr. Speaker that on paper those salaries do look very large Mr. Speaker but let's not forget Mr. Speaker that these are the individuals who are nuclear technical experts Mr. Speaker the comparators that are used make sure that they're not the highest paid in this sector Mr. Speaker but they're also not the lowest paid in this sector we also want to ensure Mr. Speaker that our nuclear facilities are run by the best Mr. Speaker that our nuclear facilities are run by the best people to ensure its safety and the health for everyone in the province Mr. Speaker and that's what the executive is doing at OPG supplementary again to the Premier these high salaries bonuses and pension perks are indefensible they're not just high on paper they're high in the real world which is the province of Ontario to the Minister of Energy does the Premier understand that a whole generation in this province are struggling with part-time contract and unstable work they're not getting ahead they are barely treading water a new report out today shows that Ontario is one of the few people in the country in fact and I quote no province reported a decline in full-time earnings since 2003 except Ontario this means young Ontarians are working for less money than their parents at a time of skyrocketing rent and hydro cost when is this government actually going to do something and make life more affordable for the people of this province thank you Mr. Speaker I do acknowledge that these salaries are high Mr. Speaker but these are our nuclear technical experts that are keeping our facilities operating Mr. Speaker at high safety standards making sure that all health and safety standards are being met and making sure that we have power Mr. Speaker right across this province but when it comes to making sure that people have affordable lifestyles Mr. Speaker that's what we've done with our fair hydro plan bringing forward a plan with a 25% reduction Mr. Speaker we worked with the experts at OPG to ensure we can find ways to bring down our rates Mr. Speaker a 25% reduction for all families small businesses and farms right across the province Mr. Speaker is extremely finish please it is something that we're very proud to bring forward Mr. Speaker which is our Ontario fair hydro plan that is helping families and businesses right across the province Thank you Mr. Speaker my question is to the minister of indigenous relations and reconciliation I know that our government is dedicated to working with First Nations as partners in order to achieve better social and economic outcomes Casszechuan First Nation community with an estimated 2300 residents has faced a series of flooding for years flooding has often caused the community to declare a state of emergency leaving its residents vulnerable this is an issue that has been going on for a while and one that requires immediate attention can the minister please elaborate on what our government is doing to help the Casszechuan First Nation community Thank you Thank you Speaker the safety and well being of indigenous communities in Ontario especially First Nations the top priority for this government we take that matter very seriously for too long the people of Casszechuan have had to endure yearly evacuations and to endure all the difficult and social and physical problems that those evacuations entail with my federal colleague minister Bennett I went to Casszechuan on this past Friday where we signed a tripartite agreement in Casszechuan First Nation the federal government and Ontario I met with many members of this community I was particularly touched by my meetings with the children of the community who are so looking forward to having this difficult issue resolved along with their parents Canada Ontario and Casszechuan First Nation are committed to working together to fix this problem of flooding Thank you Speaker I'm glad to hear that our government is committed to working with First Nations communities such as Casszechuan to address the issues that they face everyone should live in a safe sustainable environment and should not be subject to hardships that are out of their control although there is much work left to do I am encouraged to know that this government is taking the necessary steps to solve this issue agreements such as this partnership with the indigenous communities Mr. Speaker can the minister please elaborate on what led to the signing of this important agreement This is what led to the signing of this tripartite agreement Over the past years Casszechuan has been subject to states of emergency and evacuations due to flooding and other issues time and time and time again It has serious safety, social and economic impacts on the community Chief Friday from Casszechuan First Nation wrote to Premier Wynn and asked that Ontario join with him and the federal government at a table to tackle this issue we answered Chief Friday's call we are at the table with the First Nation and the federal government we understand the immediate concerns and that immediate action has to be taken Speaker that's why the Casszechuan on Friday signed that agreement with Minister Bennett and with Chief Friday of the Casszechuan First Nation New question the member from Nipissing Thank you and good morning Speaker my question is for the Minister of Energy on the weekend I spoke with the executives of Legion Branch 23 in North Bay their hydro bill had climbed from 38,000 to over 48,000 dollars despite converting to LEDs, changing the ballast and doing everything else they were advised to do Preston Quirt, Bill Jenkins Bill Wilkins and Jim Thompson told me that hydro has broken our back they told me they were forced into bankruptcy because of their hydro bills eventually the Legion was forced to sell their building they're a prime example the government's failed energy policies are hurting communities across Ontario and creating hydro horror stories I asked the Minister will the government put a stop to their costly vanity ads and address the real hydro crisis they created in Ontario Thank you Mr. Speaker and I want to thank the member for the question in highlighting some of the organizations in this province that are having a difficult time and that's why we acted with the Ontario Fair Hydro Plan and organizations like legions and many other institutions that we all have in our writings will see this 25% reduction and that's why we brought forward this plan is to actually help those organizations and I'm hoping that the member actually talked about what they would do as a party if they ever had the opportunity to bring forward a plan but Mr. Speaker they have no plan they have no idea on the system all they did Mr. Speaker was allow the system to deteriorate for decades Mr. Speaker under our government we rebuilt the system to make sure that we have power in northern Ontario that we have now Mr. Speaker an affordable plan that will help legions right across the thank you supplementary back to the Minister I obviously missed the point that the legion was forced to sell their building they're gone Preston and Billy and Jim told me quote this hurts us we had to lay off staff and it's hydro that did it quote they can no longer support their pipe band they can no longer support their track and field grants that helped so many area men and women make it to the Olympics they can no longer have a hall to give out to charity events that really take care of their vets and they told me that's what hurts them the most and they want to quote lay the blame where it lies and that it's with their hydro bill proud ownership of branch 23 legion building is nothing but a distant memory today Speaker our party has sharing been sharing these tragic hydro stories at question period mostly to heckling how many more legions, rinks and restaurants need to close they're going to take any action thank you Mr. Speaker long before my arrival in this ministry this government has taken action on building a system to ensure that we have a clean system and a reliable system Mr. Speaker something that they didn't do when they were in power Mr. Speaker they actually froze rates to make sure that there was no investment in the system we invested $50 billion Mr. Speaker to make sure that we have a clean system and a reliable system Mr. Speaker the fair hydro plan coming forward will now help legions it will help curling clubs it will help 500,000 small businesses and families Mr. Speaker what we are doing making sure is our fair hydro plan will actually benefit everyone in this province they don't have a plan Mr. Speaker they don't even have time to consider one Mr. Speaker the only thing that that leader can do is pen a letter about saving the NHL and the Olympics Mr. Speaker the leader of the third party thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the premier order order the member from Leeds Grandville leader of the third party my question is for the premier the Ministry of Health has stopped all new admissions to Cedarwood Lodge a temporary long term care home in Sioux St. Marie the ministry says there is no harm to the health our well-being of residents this is deeply troubling news for families whose loved ones live at Cedarwood and it adds to the stress and worry felt by the 553 people who are waiting today for long term care in the Sioux will the premier tell the people of Sioux St. Marie what are the serious risks that have been found at Cedarwood Lodge and since the premier has refused to support the NDP's call for minimum standards for long term care how is she ensuring residents are going to be kept safe thank you Mr. Speaker I appreciate the question with regards to Cedarwood and Mr. Speaker it goes without saying that all long term care residents in this province deserve to live in their homes in these residences safe and secure and in a compassionate environment the safety and the quality of care is so important in this government and we've implemented an inspection regime which allows us to provide those assurances and understand in the minority of cases when and if a home isn't provided the standard of care that either they're required to under the act or that Ontarians should expect to receive in these homes so it is true that a cease of admissions was issued the Ministry of Health did this in the case of Cedarwood and I'm happy to explain the reasons behind that in the supplementary Mr. Speaker thank you supplementary families have been concerned about their aging loved ones in Cedarwood Lodge for a long time in less than two years this for-profit facility has received at least 20 orders to comply and get this 84 written notices of violation of the law new admissions were suspended back in 2015 Speaker it's happening again people in the Sioux and across Ontario want real action to improve the quality of long-term care for all of our seniors but this free premier is refusing to properly staff long-term care homes and refusing to support the NDP's call for a minimum standard of care why is this premier failing to ensure that every senior in Ontario lives with the dignity, the comfort and the safety that they deserve thank you Minister when the Ministry conducted a quality inspection late last year they found a number of areas of non-compliance they included not following resident plans of care not identifying triggers to responsive behaviours following a resident altercation that resulted in a physical injury to another resident not having a program in place for skin and wound care as well as no falls prevention program not reporting abuse to the director immediately and not ensuring that there was sufficient collaboration between staff and others in the assessment of resident care and their care plans there were instances where changes were made without the approval of the attending physician so these are serious matters I want to reassure the residents of this long-term care as well as their families that their safety is assured we are addressing these issues and monitoring the situation very closely Mr. Speaker Thank you Mr. President my question Thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the Minister dedicated to Francophone affairs Mr. Speaker as you know we celebrated the International Day for Francophonie last month and the International Government and more particularly the Minister for Francophone Affairs commemorated this in many ways in fact it was the first International Day for Francophonie that Ontario celebrates as an observation member for the International Francophonie organization I think that's an important moment for Francophones in our province there are more opportunities than ever before and our government works to promote Ontario and Francophonie beyond our borders Thank you Mr. Speaker I want to thank the member for his question and I want to say that it is a great friend for Francophonie Francophonie in Ontario is going very well and also beyond our borders last week I had the opportunity to attend our first session for our Standing Committee on Francophonie in Paris as an observation member another great opportunity to talk about our around 600,000 Francophone Ontarians our bilingual institutions and also Francophone diplomats everywhere in the world Mr. Speaker let me tell you that the international community can learn a lot about Francophonie in Ontario and people are very impressed by our vitality and our institutions so this is a great opportunity to learn more about what Francophonie can offer and our future role in this great international organization Mr. Speaker I would like to thank the minister for her answer and I am very proud that about all the progress that has been accomplished for Francophones Francophones are part of Ontario's history I am part of a Francophile committee and I have many friends in my writing who take part in this committee Mr. Speaker are there other initiatives that could support Francophonie so that the minister can promote Francophonie for generations to come thank you last Friday my colleague Laura Nancy and myself we took part in a federal provincial territorial forum on Francophonie immigration and Mr. Speaker this was a historical meeting for the first time in 50 years the ministers of immigration and Francophonie met in order to talk about strategic issues to strengthen immigration for Francophones and we know that here in Ontario this immigration will be essential for our Francophone communities and that Ontario's voice was heard in Moncton and I would like to thank my colleague Laura Alvarez for her dedication because we are working very hard to reach a target of 5% of immigration for Francophones in Ontario so we will continue to support our Francophone communities whether it's through local initiatives or global initiatives so that Mr. Speaker my question is to the minister of health I've been working with a constituent from Dufferin Caledon who is languishing on one of your wait lists Mr. Alcorn's surgery surgeon has told him that he requires immediate back surgery but there is such a long waiting list it will be one year until his next consultation and at least two years until his surgery Mr. Alcorn wants to know why is he being forced to wait for three years for his needed back surgery Well Mr. Speaker of course not knowing the specifics of this gentleman's situation I can't comment specifically but Mr. Speaker we are working hard in making investments, targeted investments to reduce wait times I had referenced I believe yesterday that Ontario when it comes to the time from family doctor to specialist and specialist to the procedure if one is necessary that we have the shortest or among the shortest wait times in the entire country but there is more work to be done and one of the challenging areas is with orthopedics and with particularly with back surgery Mr. Speaker we have some great examples around the province where we have managed to make improvements both to the wait times but also to enable people who perhaps don't need that surgical consult in that surgery to have other opportunities to get the support but it is a challenging situation to be happy to talk to the member more in detail. Thank you. Supplementary. Mr. Speaker the targeted wait times are clearly not working for Mr. Alcorn he needs help now he is not a candidate for cortisone injections and as surgeon has told him there is no other relief that is appropriate or would help with surgeries but he can't because the operating room has been limited due to ministers funding model when will this government stop blaming doctors and address these unacceptable wait times Mr. Speaker as I mentioned I am happy to talk to the member opposite about this specific case because it is difficult not knowing the particulars but we have invested almost $2 billion $3 million additional procedures since we came into office and Mr. Speaker much of that is specific to surgical procedures as well as to those who are experiencing back problems that require a surgical outcome but we have as I mentioned in Toronto and Hamilton and Thunder Bay we have a program called Isaac which addresses specifically people with lower back pain and through a centralized process and through different supportive measures are able to provide them with the support that they need and if necessary the surgery that they require in greatly expedited ways we are looking at expanding that further but again I make the offer to the opposite to discuss it further Mr. Speaker my question this morning is for the Premier I have a sad and an unbelievable story for you my constituent Larry Bruner is on Ontario Works he gets the max $706 a month his rent is $406 he has to pay back $35.30 as part of an overpayment so that leaves him with $264 in 70 cents a month to live on but his hydro bill has gone up to $273 in 40 cents so he is $8.70 in the hole before he even thinks about how he is going to get anything to eat or pay any other bills Speaker does this Government still believe the hot energy policies are going to make life easier for everyone in Ontario thank you Minister of Energy thank you Mr. Speaker and I'd like to thank the member for bringing forward that question and I would like to maybe talk with the MPP afterwards to see if there's anything we can do to try and help this individual Mr. Speaker because I don't know all of the circumstances that relate to that but there are programs that are in place Mr. Speaker to actually help individuals like that Mr. Speaker because that's why we brought forward the support program Mr. Speaker is to help individuals like that and we are working with the Ministry of Community and Social Services Mr. Speaker to actually ensure that all OW clients Mr. Speaker actually get that and we're actually working with the CRA to ensure that there is no requirement for a wet signature because we do want to see those rebates go to those individuals as quickly as they can Mr. Speaker because it is in place Mr. Speaker to help individuals just like what the member opposite was talking about. Thank you supplementary. Speaker the rising cost of hydro is fast outpacing any increases people may get on Ontario Works or the ODSP even with a 17% cut to hydro bills that's coming sometime next summer it would leave layering $37 and 78 cents to live on for the month that's $1.26 a day $1.26 a day to live on after your 17% cut that you say is coming sometime next summer Speaker what's it going to take to get this government to take better care of people like Larry Bruner who need their help the most Thank you Minister Thank you Mr. Speaker once again I thank the member for the question in highlighting these issues and that's why Mr. Speaker we acted with the Fair Hydro Plan the Fair Hydro Plan is going to be that 25% reduction by this summer Mr. Speaker we're going to make sure that individuals who are on OW and are most vulnerable see that OESP program the Ontario Electricity Support Program that I talked about in my previous answer we've increased that by 50% Mr. Speaker and then on top of that we're actually allowing more individuals to qualify for this program to ensure that they can get these savings back into their pockets Mr. Speaker we had to as I said before Mr. Speaker invest in our system and we recognize that that cost money and that's why we're now making sure that the Fair Hydro Plan will bring forward a 25% reduction for everybody across the province Mr. Speaker Thank you very much A member from Essex on a point of order Speaker I want to recognize some friends that are here Cody Cooper and Dan Gelinas from My Neck of the Woods Chatham Kent Essex and Essex Thank you I normally don't do this but we did have a former member in the House who regrettably had to leave quickly the member from the 30th Parliament Mr. Ian Angus was here and he's also was an MP so I wanted to recognize him for being in the House Minister Finance on a point of work Yes Mr. Speaker I'd like to correct my record I said that we hold majority share at the end of the when we complete our sale with regards to Hydro 1 we will be a major shareholder of their operations All members have the right to correct their records there are no deferred votes this House stands recess until 3pm this afternoon