 Therefore, the tribute being completed, it is now time for question period, the leader of Her Majesty's Royal Office. Mr. Speaker, this is about trust, and my question is for the Premier. The people of Ontario put their trust in this Government and in this Premier. The Premier put her trust in Pat Sabera, her former Deputy Chief of Staff. This staffer breaks the trust by allegedly bribing Andrew Olivier, promising a Government job in exchange for a political favour that benefited the Ontario Liberal Party. Instead of distancing herself from the accused, the Premier rewards her, entrusting Pat Sabera with leading her next campaign. Mr. Speaker, why does the Premier continue to place her trust in Pat Sabera? Is it because Pat Sabera does exactly what the Premier asked? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. You know, there has been an investigation, and I know the leader of the Opposition knows that at every stage of the investigation we've cooperated fully, and we will continue to do so. I said in 2015 if any charges were laid as a result of the investigation, then Patricia Sabera would step aside, and this will happen if charges are laid, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Supplementary. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. Media are reporting that Pat Sabera, the CEO of the Ontario Liberal Party, will be charged with bribery from her time as the Premier's Deputy Chief of Staff. She is accused of bribing Andrew Olivier to step aside as a contestant in the Sudbury by-election. Mr. Speaker, did the Premier order the current CEO of the Ontario Liberal Party to allegedly bribe Andrew Olivier during the Sudbury by-election, yes or no? I am going to be listening very intently to the questions and the answers. I'm going to say two things. First of all, it's very difficult for me to ask aside to keep quiet if I'm getting responses while the question is being put. I'm asking that we treat this with a sensitivity. I am going to listen carefully. If I get a sense that the member is making an accusation of a betting that is not appropriate, and I will say so, it's dangerously close to that now. I will allow the question to be put, but I'm listening carefully to ensure that that does not happen. Premier. Mr. Speaker, while I will say again, in 2015 I said that if any charges were laid as a result of the investigation, then Patricia Sabera would step aside. If charges are laid, Mr. Speaker, that will happen. And I believe, Mr. Speaker, it to be true that if charges are laid, we all have a collective responsibility to let the matter be handled by a court of law under the presumption of innocence. That's the reality that we're confronting, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Final supplement. Mr. Speaker, back to the Premier. I'm not getting an answer to this question. Pat Sabera, now the CEO of the Ontario Liberal Party, told Andrew Olivier, quote, you've been directly asked by the leader and the Premier to make a decision to step aside. End quote. Pat Sabera told him, quote, you're the third person I've ever heard the Premier ask this of. End quote. Pat Sabera has now been charged, according to the media, with bribery. So Mr. Speaker, who ordered the CEO of the Ontario Liberal Party, Pat Sabera, to allegedly offer Andrew Olivier a bribe? I would appreciate an answer to a very straightforward question. Mr. Speaker, there has been an investigation that has occurred outside of this House, as it should, Mr. Speaker. If there are charges laid, this matter will be handled in a court of law, Mr. Speaker. It's our responsibility to, under the presumption of innocence, Mr. Speaker, to allow that matter to be dealt with in a court of law. I said in 2015 that if charges were laid, then Patricia Sabera would step aside. If charges are laid, that will happen. Mr. Speaker. Thank you. New question. Leader of the opposition. Mr. Speaker, question is for the Premier. The Premier has said, she and I quote, had a conversation with Andrew Olivier, end quote, and that the Premier's closest political confidant, Pat Sabera, had a conversation the next day. This isn't about Pat Sabera stepping aside if charged, that should be a given. My question, and I'll be very clear, crystal clear again, Mr. Speaker, who ordered Pat Sabera to allegedly offer Andrew Olivier a bribe? The House deserves an answer. Thank you. Premier. Dr. House Leader. Dr. House Leader. Thank you very much, Mr. Premier. The Premier has been open with the legislature, the media and the public, about the allegations related to the Sudbury by-election. As the Premier said, and she's absolutely right, Speaker, the charges are laid, it will become our share responsibility to allow those charges to be dealt with in the court of law, not in this House. Speaker, we will continue to cooperate with the independent investigation. I also want to confirm, Speaker, that if any charges are laid, the matter will be handled by the Public Prosecution Service of Canada. Thank you. Thank you. Supplementary. Mr. Speaker, back to the Premier. Let me say, it speaks volumes that the Premier refuses to answer these very direct questions. Pat Sabera said to Andrew Olivier that, quote, it's not a question of whether we know you want it. The Premier is asking you to agree to put that aside for now, end quote. Media are reporting that Pat Sabera will be charged with bribery as she tried to get Andrew Olivier to give up his democratic right to run for office. Mr. Speaker, again to the Premier, who- Start the clock, please finish. Mr. Speaker, directly to the Premier, who ordered Pat Sabera to allegedly offer Andrew Olivier a bribe? And if the Premier refuses to answer, that says everything, Mr. Speaker. Speaker, I think it's very clear and Ontarians totally understand that if there are any matters that are dealing with the court, it has to be dealt. I'm trying to get a message to you that I want quiet. All legal matters must be dealt in the court of law. This legislature is not such place. If any charges are led late, they will be dealt with in the courts by appropriate independent authorities. As I mentioned before, Speaker, and I'll restate that if charges are laid, the prosecution will be conducted by the Public Prosecution Service of Canada, which is independent of the Ministry of the Attorney General. Thank you. Thank you. Final supplementary. Mr. Speaker, back to the Premier. Media are reporting that Jerry Lawheed may also be charged with bribery alongside Pat Sabera, the CEO of the Ontario Liberal Party. During the investigation, it was revealed Mr. Lawheed told Mr. Olivier, quote, I come to you on behalf of the Premier, end quote. Mr. Speaker, who ordered Jerry Lawheed and Pat Sabera to allegedly offer Andrew Olivier a bribe if the Premier did not simply say so, not to answer, not to answer, is hiding information from the House. I want an answer, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Governor Hussain. Speaker, if charges are laid, the matter will be dealt with in the court of law, in this legislature. That is the appropriate place. I do remind the members that there is rule in our standing orders dealing with subjudice where we are instructed not to engage or intervene in matters that may be before the court. If charges are laid, the matters will be dealt with in the court. That's where it should be, it should be, Speaker, and we should respect that. Thank you. Thank you. New question. The leader of the third party. Thank you very much, Speaker. My question is for the Premier. News broke this morning that the Premier's top aide, Pradishah Sabara, and Sudbury power broker for the Liberal Party, Jerry Lawheed, will be charged later today under the Elections Act by the OPP. Charges stem from the alleged bribery of former Liberal candidate Andrew Olivier during last year's by-election, actually, for the writing of Sudbury. Can the Premier confirm, in light of these pending charges, that she will ask Ms. Sorbara to step down as her campaign chair until all charges have been dealt with in their entirety? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and I have, I believe, done that a number of times already in the House today. I said that in 2015, I said in 2015 that if any charges were laid as a result of the investigation that has been ongoing, then Patricia Sabara, of course, would step aside, and this will happen if charges are laid, Mr. Speaker. Right. Supplementary. Speaker, the people of Ontario should be able to trust their government. Today, Ms. Sorbara will be facing charges that allege she used her position in the Premier's office to offer a bribe to a candidate to induce him not to run for office. Will the Premier confirm that Ms. Sorbara will pay no role in either the Premier's government or her election campaign until all charges have been completely dealt with? So I will say again, Mr. Speaker, at every stage we have cooperated fully with the investigation that was ongoing. We'll continue to do so. Mr. Speaker, if any charges are laid, then Patricia Sorbara will step aside, as I said would happen in 2015. Right. Thank you. Final supplementary. Well, Speaker, I really haven't got quite the specific response I'm looking for in terms of whether or not Ms. Sorbara will be asked to step aside completely from her role, any role whatsoever in the government or the election campaign. That was the question. The Premier is not answering it. It's been clear for some time that something happened in the Sudbury by-election speaker that may very well have broken the law. The Premier chose to deal with that not by asking the people at the time that were involved to step aside until the issue was resolved, but instead by promoting the people involved to run not just a by-election, but most recently an entire provincial election campaign. Will the Premier admit today that it's not just about protecting but promoting Pat Sabara that was the wrong thing to do, Speaker, not just protecting her and that the people of Ontario deserve better leadership and better accountability than what this Premier has offered? Thank you. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, as the Attorney General has said, if there are charges laid, there will be a court process, this matter will be dealt with in the court. I have answered many, many questions on this issue, on the substance of this issue, both in the legislature and in the public realm. There has been an investigation. We have cooperated with that investigation. I said in 2015 if there were charges laid, then Pat Sabara would step aside from her roles and if there are charges laid, that's what will happen. Thank you. New question. The Leader of the Third Party. Thank you, Speaker. My next question is also for the Premier. Did the Premier ask Ms. Sabara or Mr. Lahi to offer Andrew Olivier an alleged bribe to step aside to allow the Premier's candidate, her preferred candidate in the Sudbury by-election, an uncontested nomination? I want to comment, but I want to just say that to both the questions from the Leader of the Opposition and the questions from the Leader of the Third Party, I have answered many, many questions. I am on the record. You can look at the responses that I have given both in this legislature and in the public realm, in the outside of the House, Mr. Speaker. I have been very clear about those answers and at this point, Mr. Speaker, I said in 2015 if there were charges laid, then Patricia Sabara would step aside from her roles. That will happen if there are charges laid, Mr. Speaker. And if there are charges laid, then there will be a court process that we all have a responsibility to let unfold, Mr. Speaker. I am going to offer the Leader of the Third Party the same advice I offered the Leader of the Opposition. Be very delicate and be very careful of not going over the line of making an assumption, please. The last one was close. I will ask you not to do that, please. Carry on. Speaker, I don't think anybody believes that Mr. Blahid and Mr. Barra offered the alleged bribe to Andrew Olivier on their own. So can the Premier tell us if it was not heard directly, who in her office or... I think... I'm sorry. I'm going to ask the member to listen carefully. Even if you say it wasn't her, that implies that it was. So I'm going to ask the member to be very delicate about how she puts the question. Finish, please. This is a matter of public interest, and I have the right to ask the... I would ask the member to simply, in my request, it was to be cautious of how she put the question to ensure that it was parliamentary. That's all I'm asking. If the member chooses to continue to challenge that, I'll have to deal with it. I'm asking the member to be cautious of what she puts as a question in this House. There are rules that you need to follow. You were close. I mentioned it. Now I'm asking the member to put the question in a way that is parliamentary. Carefully. Thank you, Speaker. There are laws that should be followed in this province as well, I have to say. The question simply is, who is the person that pulled the trigger when it came to asking for this alleged bribe to take place? Speaker. Any general? Thank you very much, Speaker. Again, the Premier has been very open and transparent to this legislature, to the media and to the public about the allegations that are related to the Sudbury by-election, Speaker. Whether or not, Speaker, law is broken. That is exactly what our courts are for. They're the one, judges the person who makes that determination based on the evidence that's presented to them. Not this legislature, Speaker. That's why, Speaker, I think we should respect the sheer responsibility that we all have in terms of respecting the presumptions of innocent and ensuring that a court should be able to do to their job and will be highly inappropriate, Speaker, for these type of questions being asked in this house. Thank you. Thank you. Final supplementary. Speaker, now that charges are going to be laid today, the Premier has a chance to do the right thing and make clear the Premier's role if there was one and the role that anyone else in her office may have played in Sudbury in December of 2014. Will she do that? Thank you. Speaker, I think the Premier has been very clear the steps she plans to take if charges are laid. And I think that stands on the record and she's been clear going back to 2015. As I stated earlier, I think it's important that we pursue this line of questioning, Speaker, because this matter may be if charges are laid before the Court of Law. Speaker, I will restate again that if charges are laid, the matter will be dealt independently from the Ministry of the Attorney General through the Public Prosecution Service of Canada. Thank you. Thank you. No questions. The member from the lead's family. My question is to the Premier. Speaker, I warn the Premier that if charges are laid with Pat Sorbera, she'd fall with her. Not only did this Premier stand with her, she doubled down by arrogantly putting her in charge of the Liberal re-election campaign while under OPP investigation. That's an appalling lack of judgment even for this arrogant and out-of-touch government. Now we have a face having the Premier drag further into this mess while the legal proceedings are being held. I'm going to ask the former Deputy Chief of Staff and handpick re-election chair drag on. Speaker, will the Premier look beyond her own self-interest and preserve the integrity of the office she was sworn to uphold by stepping aside until these legal matters are dealt with? Thank you. Chief Governor Wib, second time. Premier. I have been very clear in all of my answers earlier on the substance of this matter, Mr. Speaker. I've been very clear in the cooperation that we have undertaken with the investigation. I was very clear in 2015 that if there were charges laid, that Patricia Sorbera would step aside and if charges are laid, that is what will happen. At that point, Mr. Speaker, under the courts and under the presumption of innocence, I think it is all of our responsibility to let that court process unfold. Back to the Premier. That's not acceptable, Speaker. The Premier may have escaped charges herself, but her hands aren't clean. Far from it. These pending legal proceedings cast a dark shadow over her office and this entire case. Again, first of all, let me make it this clear. This line of questioning is appropriate in this house. How it's done is what we're talking about. So I don't want anyone to say this is not appropriate to ask. I want to make sure that the opposition has their opportunity to say so. I'm asking that you consider clearly the type of discussion that we're talking about. I don't want that to be done. You can do the question in the manner that is parliamentary. Please continue. Speaker, this isn't a dispute over policies or political philosophy. These unprecedented charges under the Elections Act reach right into the heart of the Premier's office and our democratic system. I want to make it clear. If she stands with them, she will fall with them. Will the Premier accept responsibility, admit she was wrong, and step aside until the legal system deals with Patrick? Thank you. Premier. Attorney General. Speaker, and again, if charges are laid, the matter will be dealt by the Court of Justice. The Premier is focused on the job that the people of Ontario gave her. The Premier is focused on building Ontario up. Premier is focused on building schools in our communities across this province. The Premier is focused on building hospitals across this province. Premier is focused on creating jobs for Ontario and working day and night every single day. We support her and will continue to work with her in that endeavour. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. New question. Thank you, Speaker. Yesterday, the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport angrily denied that there were any plans to sell off Ontario place. There's a clause that clearly allows for the sell-off of Ontario place. The Minister even admitted to the media, and I quote, it's there. I don't know why it's there. It's there. Yes, Speaker, it's there. Why is it there? Thank you, Premier. Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I appreciate this opportunity for his question, Speaker. We recognise on this side of the House that Toronto's waterfront should be for everyone to enjoy, and that's why I can state clearly that Ontario place will remain in public hands and is not for sale. We are moving forward. We are moving forward, Speaker, with a plan to revitalise Ontario place into a vibrant waterfront destination that engages Ontarians, young and old, and I'll make it clear again, developments like condos and casinos are not part of that plan. I look forward to more in the supplementary, but I'll just say this, Speaker, that these amendments to the legislation are going to make that revitalisation process easier and more effective, and on this side of the House, we understand the opportunity to give businesses the tools that they need to have this opportunity. My mind. Speaker, the existing law already allows Ontario place to offer all the services, all the public benefits that the minister has talked about, but one thing the existing law doesn't allow is the sell-off of Ontario place. The Premier insisted over and over that she wouldn't sell off Michael 1, and then she did. Now she insists that she won't sell off Ontario place, even though she's tabled legislation to allow exactly that. Why should anyone trust the Premier when she says she's not going to sell off Ontario place? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. You know, Speaker, I always appreciate the member from Hamilton East Tony Creek come to order, the member from Renfrew and Episcene Pembroke come to order. I always appreciate the opportunity to rise in this House and clarify statements by those members on the other side of the house, and this is a crystal clear opportunity. So let me make it perfectly clear and case the member opposite missed it the first time, Speaker. Ontario place is not for sale, but I will tell you this. We are enormously excited about the opportunities inherent in revitalizing Ontario place. That is why in 2014, our Premier made it abundantly clear that it's going to remain that way, and I'm proud of that, Mr. Speaker, because it's going to see Ontario place vital and open and accessible to all Ontarians, and that is the work that we are doing on this. New question? Member from Berry. Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change. Our government is moving forward with a plan to combat climate change and help make Ontario an economic leader in the transitioning to a low carbon economy. Through the climate change action plan, we will be transparently investing proceeds back into programs and initiatives that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and assist households and businesses. The CCAP creates a foundation on which Ontario will develop the policies needed to provide services to families and businesses on ways to become more energy efficient and help fight climate change. We're taking action now to kickstart climate change actions by supporting initiatives such as energy retrofits and improving energy efficiency in social housing developments. Can the Minister please inform the House of the details of that announcement? Thank you, Minister of the Environment. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also want to give a shout out from Barry because Barry in London, Ontario are the two cities in our province pioneering net zero homes where you can actually buy a net zero home. But, you know, Mr. Speaker, for the rest of Ontario, the Premier and I and the Minister of Energy were out in the MPP for Davenport riding, visiting a home that's already benefitting from a hundred million dollar investment we made with our energy partners that have reduced the cost of their home by 42%. Mr. Speaker, 42% reduction in their home heating and energy costs that is unprecedented, Mr. Speaker. And over the next decade, we will over the next five years actually, we'll invest eight billion dollars in reducing energy costs and transportation costs and fighting a minister. As a matter of fact, Mr. Speaker, this single action reduces GHGs in Ontario by 1.6 million Thank you. Thank you to the Minister for the answer. It's clear from announcements like the Home Energy Audits that Ontario will be well positioned to meet the challenge of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In early October, the federal government announced their carbon pricing framework. We were pleased that the framework allows provinces to choose cap and trade. Mr. Speaker, recently the leader of the opposition wrote to the federal government on carbon pricing. I know that the leader of the opposition was a big part of the Stephen Harper's government that did everything it could to obstruct meaningful discussions and actions in combating climate change. Could the Minister please inform the House why our government's policy is better than the one being suggested by the leader of the opposition? Thank you, Minister. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First off, a cap and trade system drives out the lowest, most cost effective reductions on its own. It's extraordinarily effective and, Mr. Speaker, we're not alone in this position. By March of next year 60% of the world's economy will be covered by a cap and trade system. 60% Mr. Speaker, and we're locked into a system that actually reduces emissions and promotes trade, Mr. Speaker. But the leader of the opposition's system of a revenue neutral carbon tax would mean that the price would have to be well over $50 four or five times what ours are and would raise energy costs dramatically, Mr. Speaker, and it also misses that. The program that the Premier and I and the MPP for Davenport and the Minister of Energy announced the other day would be abysserated because he wouldn't have the $1 billion. He would leave Ontario businesses, homeowners, our senior citizens and families bereft of the resources to buy the electric vehicle. Thank you. Thank you. New question. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Premier. The Premier can try to stand here this morning and claim she didn't know anything about what her deputy chief of staff and local operative in Sudbury were up to, but nobody's buying it. On something this important she had to know. In fact she boasted in a Toronto Star article in September that nothing happens in her office without her knowledge. The Premier told the star and I quote when there's a major change in our office or when there's a policy decision I know about that decision and I authorize it or not. I know and I authorize her words. So, Speaker, when did the Premier know about and when did she authorize the offer made to Andrew Olivia? Again that was extremely close and because it making an accusation to an individual member under the circumstances I've described previously I will tell the member that if that comes close to being done again I will pass the question and provide the Premier with an option not to answer. I'm asking for your cooperation on how you put the question and I would ask the member from Lanark to pay attention while I'm speaking. Premier. Thank you very much, Speaker The Premier has been very open to the public, to this legislature and to the media on the allegations as they relate to Sudbury by elections. The Premier is not going to answer questions that should be dealt with in a court of law. This is not that such place. That's why there's a rule that exists in this legislature that deals with when there are matters that may be written or before courts that they not be dealt with in the legislature. So the member opposite can spend as much of his time asking as many questions as possible. The Premier will remain focused on her job and that is to build Ontario up and that is to make sure that everyday lives of Ontarians is getting better and better every single day. Thank you very much. Back to the Premier. There's no running from this for the Premier. This unprecedented scandal is basically connected to the Premier's office. Right now, Speaker, there are two by-elections underway in Ontario with the scandalous actions in Sudbury the subject of new charges today voters in Ottawa Vanier and Niagara West Land Book naturally have concerns. They see a Premier who defended someone under investigation for election act preaches out campaigning for votes. In fact, the Premier attempted to interfere in the investigation by suggesting at a February 7th that we don't expect that to happen regarding charges against Pat Cervera. Reports now say that she will be charged. Speaker, with these election act charges linked to her, does the Premier think it's appropriate for her to be involved in all of these campaigns? Well, Speaker, now the true nature of these questions come through. They're all totally partisan nature because they're all talking about the by-elections. The Premier is the Premier of the province. She will continue to the job that has been given to them. And the good people of Niagara West Glenbrook and Ottawa Vanier are going to make a decision based on the quality of candidates that is before them based on the record of this government that is to invest in our schools in our hospitals to make sure that we're investing in public structure, be it GoTrain to Niagara Speaker or the building of the LRT in Ottawa. These are the issues that go on those writings are talking about and that is why they're going to support the Liberal candidates on those writing speakers. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Mr. Speaker, yesterday I was Member? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday I was disappointed to see that neither the Premier nor the Minister appreciate the true severity and seriousness of the circumstances surrounding Mr. Adam Capay. Mr. Capay is a 23-year-old man who has been detained in solitary confinement for four years in a jail in Thunder Bay with 24-hour-a-day artificial light. A growing number of experts have referred to these conditions as meeting the definition of torture. This is extremely serious. But the Minister made it clear that the circumstance that Mr. Capay was specific to Mr. Capay and unique to his cell and his circumstances. Was it also abundantly clear in the 25 reports that the Minister received about Mr. Capay that those conditions were unique to him and if so, why didn't the Government Act to change this? Thank you very much Mr. Speaker and I know the Minister will want to comment but I just want to respond to the member to say I have been very clear that this is a serious situation. I've been very clear that the status quo is not acceptable Mr. Speaker and that what happened in the situation with Adam Capay is unacceptable. But Mr. Speaker, we have to understand what the circumstances are which is why the Minister has announced that we will be doing a review that the whole issue of segregation is like that Mr. Speaker we've already changed some of the rules in terms of the weekly review and the amount of time Mr. Speaker but there needs to be a full review it's a very serious issue Mr. Speaker there is no one in this side of the House who would argue otherwise. Mr. Speaker, what's also troubling is the previous Minister must have also received reports about this circumstance and he did nothing about it Mr. Capay like far too many people in our jails the problem, the increasing problem is that he was not tried or convicted of anything it's clear that there is a crisis in our courts, in our community in our court system in our correctional service system in our community release and our bail program everyone can see it it's obvious it's something that everyone knows about we don't need another review we need action now we need the government to do something now what is this government going to do to ensure that Mr. Capay receives justice and that there are no other Adam Capay in any of our jails in this province Mr. Community Safety and Correctional Services Thank you very much Speaker and I appreciate the question for the member opposite this is a serious issue as the member pointed out and we take this issue very seriously and after becoming aware of this particular issue I requested that ministry officials inform me of any circumstances across the province in any of our institutions where there were these types of similarities with respect to lighting or any other conditions under which an individual is being held in segregation Mr. Capay is in a different cell with very different conditions today we've taken action on that and we are obviously seized with this issue and the reliance the over reliance frankly of segregation in our system it is a systematic challenge and we are working to resolve that we've also indicated that we are committed to a full independent third party review of our current system so that we can make the investments that we all want to see in our system Thank you Question Well thank you Speaker my question to the minister of government and consumer services this morning I attended an all party co-op caucus with the co-op or the movement in Ontario as many of you know co-ops operate across the province and engage in a variety of activities from housing to credit unions to childcare and a great deal more speaker from the Aaron theater and empire cheats and trend hills to sunshine, heights day care and poor hope to be sure credit union in 20 West co-opers play an important role in everyday lives of those people in the West and indeed across the province Mr Speaker can the minister inform this House about the important and innovative role the co-ops play in the lives of citizens of Ontario Thank you Thank you Mr Speaker I want to say thank to the member from Northumberland and also several other members of this legislature who attended the all party co-op caucus this morning and also would like to thank the other co-chairs the member from Oxford and the member from Windsor tecum for their involvement co-op plays a vital role across the province especially in many small and remote communities one example of a community that has benefitted from co-op is Moonby and Norton Ontario the owner of the local grocery store was getting older and thinking about retiring and he could not run the store anymore so he started his grocery store and instead of closing Mr Speaker the community stepped up and created a co-op and this co-op now runs the grocery store and provides a vital service to Moonby Mr Speaker co-ops are integral to communities like Moonby and to our province as a whole Good Thank you Mr Speaker and I would like to thank the minister for her answer and for her continued work on this matter co-ops are incredibly important to communities across the province and have a special place in northern and rural areas the all-party co-op breakfast showcased the wide range of co-ops from small businesses in Moonby to large co-ops like Ailey Foods and mountain equipment co-op the co-op caucus took note of the tremendous social benefits co-operative corporation bring to their communities Mr Speaker can the minister inform the house of her mandate commitment to co-operatives across Ontario Thank you Mr Speaker Thank you Mr Speaker and thank you very much for the members interest in this movement The mandate letter I received as minister of government and consumer services underscores our governments commitment to the co-operative sector in Ontario in 2017 I will modernize co-operative corporation registration to help and help ensure that co-ops can grow and thrive in communities across the province I look forward to many more co-op caucus meetings and working with my co-chairs to fulfill my mandate commitment furthermore I would like to offer my most sincere congratulations to Miss Lucy Moncion head of a credit union in Ontario she is a new senator and is becoming our new federal partner for co-operatives My question is for the Premier the Associate Chief Justice Douglas Cunningham of Ontario Superior Court has written that and I quote appointments to government offices are not to be traded for political favor we went on to say they are appointments that must be made in a transparent and transparent manner the CEO of the Ontario Liberal party is about to be charged for trying to trade a job for political favors so I asked the Premier when did the Premier know that Pat Sabara would be offering Andrew Olivier a job exchange for stepping aside in the Sudbury Violet Attorney General the opposition the answer is not going to change if charges are laid these are the type of matters that should be dealt in the court of law not in this legislature I urge the members again to focus on issues that are important to Ontarians focus on issues that shows that their lives get better every single day the Premier is working on that is to create jobs for Ontarians we as a province are growing unemployment rates in the country we are making sure that we have a robust climate change action plan these are the kind of things that are important to Ontarians and the Premier and the government will remain focused on them thank you Premier I don't think it's doing you any good to hide behind your house leader people of Ontario want to hear from you the allegation is that you told Pat Sabara to allegedly bribe Mr. Oliveira Olivier I'm going to ask the member to withdraw and restate his question Mr. Speaker I would ask and then try to re-ask the question thank you well I'll simply ask Mr. Speaker through you who ordered Pat Sabara to allegedly bribe Andrew Olivier and the Sudbury was it you Premier? two things the Chief Government whip is now warned and the second thing is I'm going to ask the member to withdraw withdraw Attorney General I'm speaking in this house as the Attorney General of the province as the Chief Law Crown Officer Attorney General of the province Speaker to advise all members that it is our shared responsibility to not engage in matters that may be before the course Speaker, course and independent bodies and we should respect their authority to engage in these matters and to ask the kind of questions that the opposition is asking this is not the place to do and that's why Speaker we have a subjudice rule in our standing orders exactly to join us and advise us not to engage in the Premier has been open to the public to the legislature and she will remain transparent but she won't discuss things that may be before the course new question the leader of the third party thank you Speaker my question is to the Premier last week her health minister said that Ontario's long-term care homes have the most robust oversight and accountability measures in the world but this week an Ottawa family is asking how their 89 year old mother who lives in a for-profit long-term care home could end up with a maggot infestation in her leg wound the family was horrified Speaker and I think everyone who hears of this story is going to be horrified Ottawa police are now investigating the for-profit nursing home where she lived and it begs the question Ontario has the best oversight of long-term care in the world how could this happen to any resident in any one of our long-term care homes Minister of health and long-term care Minister of health and long-term care well Mr. Speaker I too was horrified and disgusted when I learned of this incident in an Ottawa nursing home Mr. Speaker we have a zero tolerance abuse for neglect and Mr. Speaker immediately upon my ministry receiving a critical incident report my ministry took immediate action we have investigated the situation in this long-term care home we will be issuing a public report that report will be out in the coming days Mr. Speaker and it is absolutely unacceptable that a resident of a long-term care home experienced this poor level of care when my ministry was informed of the situation as I mentioned Mr. Speaker last month we immediately ordered a critical incident investigation we have worked with the home to establish a plan I will continue with supplementary Speaker last week the health minister said there is zero tolerance for abuse or neglect of long-term care residents he said it again Mr. Speaker and that is exactly the right standard to have so when an 89-year-old woman is sent to hospital with a maggot infested leg wound it raises serious questions that need to be answered the ministry of health says that they have already inspected the home and developed a quote voluntary plan of correction but a voluntary plan will not fix the ongoing significant problems in our long-term care system in this province I asked the premier the same question last week I'm going to ask her again today when will she launch a full review or inquiry into the oversight and staffing levels of our nursing homes in this province Mr. Speaker as I was saying immediately when we were informed of this incident we launched an investigation we performed an inspection in the nursing home in question in Ottawa and out of this investigation we are working with the home to establish a plan of correction we've established a plan of correction that strictly lays out our expectation for resident wound care Mr. Speaker we're taking this extremely seriously as we do all of our critical incidents and as with all of our investigation the 100% of long-term care homes that we do oversee that we inspect annually as with all of our investigations the investigation report will be publicly posted within the next month Mr. Speaker the safety and well-being of our seniors is my highest priority and I work every day to ensure that that oversight is as robust as it possibly can be we're taking this incident very seriously Mr. Speaker Thank you Mr. Speaker a member from Davenport Thank you Mr. Speaker and my question this morning is for the Associate Minister of Education for early years and childcare Mr. Speaker Ontario communities continue to grow including my riding of Davenport and many young families are today calling Davenport home which means the demand for affordable, accessible, flexible and quality childcare continues to grow as a mother of two young children and it is to have safe quality childcare as well and I've had the opportunity to speak with many of my constituents who are young parents and soon to be parents who say it can be challenging to find licensed childcare spaces so Mr. Speaker through you to the Minister how is the government helping Ontario families with their childcare needs Thank you Associate Minister of Education responsible for early years and Mr. Speaker I want to thank the hardworking member from Davenport for the question I know she's a strong advocate for affordable childcare in her riding Mr. Speaker our children deserve to get the best start in life and our government recognizes that access to high quality affordable licensed childcare is extremely important that's why we committed $120 million in the 2015 budget to create more than new licensed childcare spaces in Ontario Mr. Speaker we want to give families the support they need in fact just recently I was pleased to announce over $30 million to build 48 new childcare rooms that will result in 821 new licensed childcare spaces across the province this is wonderful news Mr. Speaker and it sends a clear message of our commitment ahead of schedule to ensuring that families and our government gets results So thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the minister for that answer and thank her as well for the great work she is doing to ensuring that our youngest and brightest do have a bright future here in Ontario and I'm glad to know that our government has been working hard to create more spaces in Ontario we know that investments in high quality affordable childcare have many positive effects on our province as a whole by investing in childcare we can help Ontario families while also reducing poverty and the gender wage gap Mr. Speaker I'm proud of this government's past investments in childcare and its strong future commitment to creating even more spaces so Mr. Speaker I'm going to strengthen Ontario's childcare system in the long term in the long term Thank you Mr. Speaker I'm pleased to answer the member's question and I want you to know that I've had several conversations with the member about childcare in her riding she is really a strong advocate for her riding Mr. Speaker I'm proud of the achievements we've made to strengthen the early years and childcare system but we know there's more work to be done in early years in childcare system that is high quality, seamless and meets the needs of parents and children starting in 2017 Mr. Speaker Ontario will help to create an additional 100,000 new licensed childcare spaces over 5 years for infants, toddlers and preschoolers Mr. Speaker this is an historic investment and it is one that will completely transform the way childcare is delivered in this province Mr. Speaker we will double the current capacity for 0-4 year olds in licensed childcare and it will help people in their everyday lives by promoting early learning and development while helping more parents find the care they so urgently need Thank you Thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the Premier and the Premier alone on February 27, 2015 Hatsabara was quote she does not believe to be true she said opposition members are quote unfair to individuals and to their families no matter who they are or what party they may belong to. Toronto Star is now reporting that Hatsabara will be charged today Mr. Speaker were the opposition questions about the actions of her staff still unfair and does the Premier still believe the allegations are untrue? Thank you Mr. Speaker the matters are allegations and just that until they are proven in the court of law the legislature is not that court of law so I just advise the members again to respect the rule that exists in standing orders and any matters if charges are led be handled in our court system the Premier has been transparent and open to Ontarians and to this legislature on this issue Speaker and Premier remain focused on job that is the most important to her that is to build Ontario up Speaker and we support her in that endeavour Thank you Speaker these questions directly relate to the Premier staff and her office and she has an obligation to answer those questions Back to the Premier on that same day the Premier said quote Pat Sobera particularly is a seasoned professional and a woman of integrity reports say that Pat Sobera will be charged today for bribery bribery and integrity don't normally go hand in hand Mr. Speaker does the Premier stand by the integrity of her staff member that is being charged with bribery today Well Speaker again I think the Premier has made it very clear the steps of the actions she will take if charges are laid and we have been very clear Speaker that if they are laid that matter should be handled and will be handled in the court of law and it is our sheer responsibility Speaker under the standing orders to respect that Mr. Chairman and new services will continue to cooperate with that independent investigation and as I mentioned Speaker in the beginning of the question period and I will restate again that if they are charges laid the matter will be handled independently by the public prosecution service of Canada Speaker on this side of the House on the government side we remain focused on our job and that is to build on Terence Speaker we will continue to invest in our schools in our hospitals and to create jobs for hardworking on Terence Speaker my question is for the Minister of Correctional Services I have been asking this government to take second time for the Minister of Children and Youth Services please put your question I have been asking this government to take action on the problems faced by Elgin Middlesex Attention Centre for years now from overcrowding to lack of support for correctional officers this government has remained silent and now one man is dead and another is in critical condition due to a drug overdose unfortunately the problems at EMDC are not isolated incidents there have been multiple overdose deaths in several institutions most recently five overdoses in Hamilton Minister what does it take for this government to keep drugs from entering and killing inmates in our provincial jails thank you thank you thank the member opposite for the question what I can say to the member is we are the first jurisdiction in this country that is putting full body scanners in our 26 institutions in Hamilton one is already operational the member is referring to overdoses there in London there is not one operational yet but there will be one and what I can say is that there were two inmates one individual passed away at the hospital the ministry takes any death in custody very seriously and it's being investigated by the office of the chief coroner as well as the police we are continuing to make those important investments in fact at the Elgin Middle Sex Detention Center there are 72 additional staff since 2013 mental health nurses and seven full time nurses have been hired 24 hour nursing coverage is in place speaker and it is helping to improve circumstances at this particular location supplementary speaker since 2007 there have been eight deaths at the Elgin Middle Sex Detention Center located in London and yet there is a continued failure on behalf of this government to implement the recommendation of the coroner's juries previously convened to review past deaths my question when is the government planning on implementing the past recommendations that have been issued by the coroner's juries recommendations that may have saved lives of Jamie High and prevented this latest tragedy thank you we are acting to do everything we can to ensure we reduce any type of contraband entering our jails there are instances obviously in the member highlights where that is happening but we are also the first jurisdiction in this country speaker to put full body scanners into our institutions we have invested in the regional intermittent center in London in the members area $9.3 million 112 beds I was there recently for the opening speaker that helps to significantly reduce contraband with individuals who are serving sentences on the weekend we are doing everything we can to make the investments in this area and reduce those types of incidents thank you new question the member from Durham thank you speaker my question is for the minister of natural resources and forestry with our government's investment of $160 billion over the next 12 years we are going to require the proper resources to help build Ontario up several of these materials come from aggregate pits such as the one in my riding of Durham while I know that building Ontario up is important it is also important to recognize the need for consultation with the public especially when it comes to aggregates minister can you tell us what steps the province is taking to balance the use of aggregates to build critical infrastructure in Ontario while ensuring the proper consultation has occurred thank you minister that's resources and forestry thank you speaker and I'd like to thank the member from Durham for his question aggregate resources are vital to our province's economy and are used to build our roads, hospitals, schools and playgrounds that's why my government is proud to have introduced bill 39 the aggregate resources and mining modernization act if passed this bill would create a modern regulatory framework that will help companies and communities to use this important resource and vital infrastructure projects on this side of the house we recognize the importance of listening to the people of Ontario and that's why if passed this bill would improve information on aggregate operations and enhance public participation by creating clear processes to change existing approvals for a pit or quarry and allow for customized consultation plans on unique applications we've consulted with the people of Ontario and including provision so it will tackle the challenges identified in this proposed legislation thank you to the minister for our answer it is comforting to know that our government is not only committed to ensuring people in Ontario have access to the infrastructure they deserve but also that they are consulted during every step of the process however there are other concerns about the operation of aggregate pits that I was hoping the minister could address I often hear concerns about environmental protection and accountability when discussing aggregate pits with my constituents especially regarding these so-called mega quarries I am curious if passed how the bill will affect the need for aggregate pits and the need to protect our environment especially in my writing of Durham can the minister tell me what the government is doing to ensure that there is environmental accountability when operating an aggregate pit thank you speaker I'd like to thank the member for his question and he knows as I do that the 407 east extension in his writing is going to need an awful lot of aggregate to build so as minister of MNRF I've also been hearing about the concerns about the environmental impact on aggregate pits one of the biggest concerns and the incident which sparked our review is a mega quarry that the member mentioned so if passed bill 39 will create the flexibility for our ministry to create customized consultation requirements for the applications that don't fit the standard size of our requirements this will allow us to put in place procedures to properly assess the impacts to groundwater sources when making decisions for new licenses would also require existing sites to provide information related to the operation of a pit or quarry at the request of the ministry so speaker the proposed legislation shows our government's dedicated to protecting our farmland groundwater and our environment thank you your question the member from Leeds Turnbull my question is to the premier a speaker the premier has dodged questions this morning by hiding behind her house leader the premier's house leader says she's on important things well I think bribery charges against the premier's former deputy chief of staff and handpicked liberal CEO is pretty important and I feel very confident in saying that the citizens feel the same way speaker does the premier agree these unprecedented charges are important and if she'll so will she finally come clean and tell us her role in these bribery allegations let me just go back to what I said at the beginning of question period this is a very important issue Mr. Speaker there has been an investigation that has been ongoing we have we have cooperated with that investigation we will continue to do so Mr. Speaker I have answered questions in this legislature I've made statements outside of the legislature Mr. Speaker on the substance of this issue I said in 2015 that if charges were laid Mr. Speaker that Pat Cerbera would step down if charges are laid that is exactly what will happen Mr. Speaker and I've been very clear about that Mr. Speaker my focus has to be primarily on the job that I was elected to do this never never too late to receive a warning or be named I'm serving the people of Ontario Mr. Speaker I am focused on that and I remain convinced Mr. Speaker that building this province whether it's an infrastructure or education or out there that that is the most important focus of this we have a deferred vote on the motion to closure a motion to close that's it it will be a 5 minute bill all members on September the 28th 2016 Mr. Ballard moved second reading of bill 7 and act to amend and repeal various acts with respect to housing and planning Mr. Patz it's a move the question be now put all those in favour of Mr. Potz motion please rise one at a time we Mrs. McArie. Mr. Moore. Mr. Murrow. Ms. Jocelyn. Ms. Albanazi. Ms. Mcman. Ms. Mcman. Ms. Nidu Harris. Ms. Nidu Harris. Ms. Wall. Mr. Frazier. Mr. Frazier. Ms. Anderson. Mr. Anderson. Mr. bacon. Mr. Baker. Mr. Dolly. Mr. Dolly. Ms. Hogan. Mr. Hogan. Ms. Koala. Ms. Malley. Ms. Marcus. Mr. Marcus. Ms. Miltia. Mr. Miltia. Mr. Rじゃ. Mr. Rinaldi. Ms. Verneel. All those opposed please rise jemand foi. Mr. Wilson. Ms. McCloud, Ms. Jones, Mr. Brown, Mr. Clark, Mr. Fidella, Mr. Yacobaske, Mr. Hillier, Ms. Scott, Ms. Thompson, Mr. Barrett, Ms. Monroe, Mr. Eure, Mr. McCleary, Mr. Bailey, Mr. Walker, Mr. Smith, Mr. Harris, Mr. Nichols, Ms. Marto, Mr. McDonough, Mr. Patepi, Mr. Coe, Mr. Cho, Mr. Vantog, Ms. Horvath, Mr. Tabbins, Mr. Miller, Hamilton, East Stony Creek, Ms. Sadler, Ms. Taylor, Mr. Nattishaw, Ms. Armstrong, Ms. Fife, Mr. Monta, Mr. Hatfield. The ayes are 48, the nays are 37. The ayes being 48 and the nays being 37, I declare the motion carried. Mr. Ballard has moved second, reading of Bill 7, an act to amend or repeal various acts with respect to housing and planning. Is the pleasure of the House to motion carry? I heard a no. All those in favour say aye. Aye. All those opposed say nay. In my opinion, the ayes have it. Calling the members, this will be a five-minute bill. Call it has moved second, reading of Bill 7, an act to amend or repeal various acts with respect to housing and planning. All those in favour, please rise. One at a time to be known by the clerk. Mr. Nattishaw. Mr. Brown. Mr. Bradley. Ms. Sandals. Ms. Sandals. Mr. Sousa. Mr. Sousa. Ms. Wynne. Ms. Wynne. Ms. Mathes. Ms. Massen. Ms. Hossins. Mr. Hosherelle. Mr. Shirelle. Mr. Dugard. Mr. Dugard. Ms. McCharles. Ms. McIrn. Mr. McMeacon. Mr. Tacar. Mr. Tacar. Mr. Cole. Mr. Cole. Mr. Brodnetti. Mr. Brodnetti. Mr. Delaney. Mr. Delaney. Mr. Dillon. Mr. Dillon. Mr. Dillon. Mr. Murray. Mr. McGarry, Mr. Mora, Mr. Mora, Ms. Jackson, Ms. Albanese, Ms. McMan, Ms. Nidu Harris, Ms. Wal, Ms. Wal, Mr. Frazier, Mr. Anderson, Mr. Anderson, Mr. Baker, Mr. Dahl, Ms. Hogar, Ms. Kuala, Ms. Mollie, Ms. Martin, Mr. Miltcher, Mr. Potts, Mr. Reynolds, Mr. Rinaldi, Ms. Harden, Mr. Arnold, Ms. McClack, Mr. Wilson, Mr. Wilson, Ms. Jones, Mr. Brown, Mr. Clark, Mr. Fidelli, Mr. Jacobuske, Mr. Hillier, Ms. Scott, Ms. Thompson, Mr. Barrett, Ms. Monroe, Mr. Yurel, Mr. McDonnell, Mr. McClaren, Mr. Bailey, Mr. Walker, Mr. Smith, Mr. Harris, Mr. Nichols, Mr. Nichols, Ms. Marteau, Mr. McDonnell, Mr. Pettipies, Mr. Cove, Mr. Cove, Mr. Cho, Mr. Hatfield, Ms. Horvath, Ms. Vanthoff, Mr. Tabbins, Mr. Miller, Hamilton, East Stony Creek, Ms. Soutler, Ms. Taylor, Mr. Natashile, Ms. Armstrong, Ms. Fife, Mr. Montau, Ms. Post, please rise one at a time and be recognized by the clerk. The ayes are 85, the nays are zero. The ayes are being 85, the nays being zero. I declare the motion carried. Second reading of the bill. Does him elect to approach the law. Shall the bill be ordered for third reading? Government House Leader. Because the bill be referred to standing committee on social policy. Point of order, the Premier. I would like to take this opportunity to welcome Todd Decker to his new role as clerk. I, on the other hand, want to reserve judgment. I just want to see how he's going to break me in. That's all. There are no further deferred votes. This House stands recess until 3 p.m. this afternoon.