 It is therefore time for Question Period, the leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. Thank you. Good morning, Speaker. My question is for the Premier. A backroom deal struck by the Board of Hydro One raised the CEO's severance to $10 million if there was a change in control of the company. As the largest shareholder, Speaker, I asked the Premier, when did the Premier and the Minister of Energy know of this deal? Thank you, Premier. Minister of Energy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Once again, we recognize that executive salaries are high compared to the vast majority of Ontario salaries, Mr. Speaker. We remain committed to Hydro One regulation and their accountability, Mr. Speaker, through our government's involvement as a majority stakeholder and shareholder, Mr. Speaker. That said, Hydro One is now a publicly traded company, not a government entity. And Hydro One's rates continue to be set by the Ontario Energy Board. And the Board is the energy sector's independent regulator with a mandate to protect the province's electricity consumers, and it continues to deliver on its mandate, Mr. Speaker. For instance, last fall, the Ontario Energy Board capped the portion of executive compensation at Hydro One. For electricity customers, they're required to fund 10% of base salaries, saving ratepayers $30 million over this year and the next, completely eliminating the CEO's salary, Mr. Speaker, wouldn't even take pennies off of anyone's bills, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Back to the Premier, a backroom deal struck by the Board of Hydro One jacked up the CEO's severance to $10 million if there was a change in control of the company. Speaker, as the largest shareholder, did the Premier or the Minister of Energy sign off on this backroom deal? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, decisions made regarding executive compensation are made by the Board of Hydro One. You know, Mr. Speaker, when it comes to the article that is being quoted, Mr. Speaker, let's see what else the Globe and Mail article said, Mr. Speaker. The article said the government cut hydro bills by 25%, Mr. Speaker. That's something that they voted against and have no plan on how to actually reduce rates, Mr. Speaker. Similar reductions were made for small businesses and farms, 500,000 of those businesses to be a matter of fact, Mr. Speaker. And in rural areas, a number of fees were cancelled and bills were lowered even further in many areas between 34% to 50% on average, Mr. Speaker. And thanks to our plan, Ontario families and small businesses are now paying less on average. Here than in many similar jurisdictions. And that's real relief for Ontario families. And that's the relief that they can depend on. And it's part of our plan to invest in care and create more opportunity for everyone, Mr. Speaker. Final supplementary. Thank you. And back to the Premier. The Millionaires Club that's running Hydro One signed off on a secret $10 million payout should the Hydro One CEO be fired? When did the Premier know? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Once again, I'll reiterate for the opposition that decisions made regarding executive compensation are made by the Board at Hydro One. But the one thing that is important to state, Mr. Speaker, that completely eliminating the CEO's salary at Hydro One would not even take pennies off of people's bills, Mr. Speaker. And it's up to the leader of the opposition, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Ford to try and explain exactly how his chaotic scheme would work to benefit ratepayers. The opposition know very well that Hydro One's rates are set by the Ontario Energy Board, the independent Ontario Energy Board, not Hydro One's CEO. But compare Mr. Ford's chaotic scheme to our Fair Hydro Plan, Mr. Speaker, it's lowered bills by 25% on averages for families. As many as half a million small businesses and farms have also seen that reduction, Mr. Speaker. Low-income families, they've also seen a 40-50% reduction if they live in rural areas, Mr. Speaker. We continue to move forward in making our bills affordable for the people of this province. There have been some signals that we need to go to warnings. I'll listen carefully the next round. And those decisions will be made quickly. Yes, I am looking at a few people. A member from the Peay and Carleton. Good morning, Speaker. My question is again to the Premier. On April the 12th, the Minister of Energy said, and I quote, ultimately the board is there to make the best decisions for Hydro One. Why did the board not take that commitment to heart when they signed off on a $10 million payout? Did the Premier sign off on her Liberal insiders and Hydro Crony's $10 million deal? Yes or no? Minister of Energy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What this government and this Premier signed off on is a 25% reduction for all families right across the province, Mr. Speaker. It's that party that voted against it. It's that party, Mr. Speaker, that has no plan on actually how to bring forward any further savings for the people of Ontario. We do, Mr. Speaker, and we continue to work hard to make sure that we have a clean system, a reliable system, and affordable system, Mr. Speaker. But let's take a look at what they're talking about, Mr. Speaker. They're going to fire the CEO of Hydro One. That will not do a thing, Mr. Speaker. It will not do a thing for actually taking off anything, even pennies, off of the bills for ratepayers. We have the best interests at heart of ratepayers in this province. That's why we brought forward a system and a plan that has reduced rates by 25%. We actually made sure that we eliminated coal and we've got the cleanest system. One of the cleanest systems in North America, Mr. Speaker, that is something we should be proud of. Question? Remember from Niagara, West Lambrough. Premier, Mr. Speaker, it's reported that the severance was, the $10 million severance was signed off on in November. When did the Premier know about the deal? Thank you. Again, Mr. Speaker, it's our government that understands that affordability is critical for families and businesses, and that's why, Mr. Speaker, we launched Ontario's Fair Hydro Plan. Reducing rates by 25% on average for all residential customers and as many as a half a million small businesses and farms. Our plan is working, Mr. Speaker. Monday's report by the Environmental Commissioner reconfirmed that Ontario's families and small businesses pay less on average here than in many other North American jurisdictions. Families in cities like New York, Boston, San Francisco, for example, pay more than double the average Ontario bill, and customers in Charlottetown, Regina, Halifax and Monkton are paying more than the Ontario average. By bringing prices down to customers, Mr. Speaker, we're continuing to increase fairness and create more opportunity for Ontario families. Thank you. Final supplementary, the member from Farnhill. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I'm back to the Premier. The Premier can't sweep another scandal under the rug. Did the Premier try to hide the $10 million severance for the last five months? Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Again, Hydro One's rates, Mr. Speaker, and I know the opposition know this, but they pretend not to know a lot of things, Mr. Speaker. Hydro One's rates continue to be set by the Ontario Energy Board. And the board is the energy sector's independent regulator with a mandate to protect the province's electricity consumers, and it continues to deliver on that mandate, Mr. Speaker. So when we're looking at Hydro One and their so-called scheme, Mr. Speaker, it actually will do nothing to reduce the rates for ratepayers right across our province. And that being said, Mr. Speaker, Hydro One is now a publicly traded company, not a government entity. And so while we recognize, Mr. Speaker, that executive salaries are high compared to the vast majority of Ontario salaries, Mr. Speaker, we remain committed to making sure that we keep our system clean, reliable, and affordable. Thank you. Yes, we are in warnings. Clear? Thank you. New question, the member from London Fanshawe. First Premier. Earl's Court Village long-term care home is in my riding. Things got so bad at Earl's Court last fall, they were forced to stop admitting residents. Can the Premier tell people who are worried about their loved ones why she is blocking a find and fix inquiry into Ontario's long-term care system? Mr. Speaker, I know the Minister of Health and long-term care is going to want to speak to the specifics of this question, but I just want to say that this morning, the Minister of Finance and I and the Minister responsible for seniors and the MPP for Trinity Spadina were at Kensington Gardens, Mr. Speaker, a beautiful long-term care home. The Minister of Finance had waffles and strawberries and whipped cream for breakfast served by the Premier. And Mr. Speaker, we were thrilled to be able to announce that 5,000 beds, the locations for 5,000 new long... This is on top of the thousands of beds that have already been redeveloped in Ontario, Mr. Speaker. This is on top of the investments in home care that we've made, Mr. Speaker. This is a very, very important move forward. And 1,500 of those beds, Mr. Speaker, are for culturally specific communities. So it's a great news, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Supplementary. Speaker, workers in long-term care homes are so dedicated and caring staff, and they do the best they can. But when the Ministry inspected Earl's Court, things got so troubling, they were ordered that the company hire an outside consultant to report on how residents were being cared for. The Ministry has that report, but they won't release it. Is the Premier more worried about bad political news than she is about getting answers for residents of Earl's Court who have loved ones? Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. Minister of Health, Long-Term Care. Mr. Speaker, our government is absolutely committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of our loved ones living in long-term care homes across the province, and we take that responsibility very, very seriously. So, of course, all long-term care homes are overseen by a rigorous inspection system and regulatory framework, which includes an annual inspection to ensure compliance. What we have done as a government is every inspection are posted online and in the homes themselves. So we're constantly working to create an even more open and transparent health care system to ensure that families have the information they need to make more informed choices about the care of their loved ones. We're enhancing oversight through the strengthening quality and accountability for Patients Act to ensure all operators are addressing concerns promptly. We will continue in this regard, Mr. Speaker. We can ensure the safety, the dignity of our loved ones in long-term care facilities. Thank you. The final supplementary. Speaker, people in my community live in Earl's Court. People have families and loved ones in this home. They deserve answers. People deserve the answers they need to have to make sure that they know their family, their loved ones are being cared for, and they will be safe. That seniors will be treated with human dignity and respect. We're releasing this report today. Minister. Mr. Speaker, our ministry has had the home get a consultant to do a report on the recommendations today. We take this incredibly seriously. We're going to be working towards our commitment to transparency in releasing this report in due course. We want to ensure that everyone has the information they need to make informed choices in terms of the care of their residents and to ensure that long-term care homes in this province live up to our expectations as a government as to the type of care that they provide. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. New question. The member from Hamilton Mountain. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the premier. With 49 days left, does the premier regret that she failed to make childcare affordable? Mr. Speaker, what I'm very proud of is that we are in the process of building 100,000 new childcare spaces. It was the Minister of Education in this province. We moved and began to create full-day kindergarten, Mr. Speaker. That has now been in place for a number of years, Mr. Speaker. And that is great for kids, but it also saves families $6,000 a year in childcare. So, Mr. Speaker, we have built a strong foundation. And now, Mr. Speaker, in our budget, we have committed to free preschool childcare starting in 2020, Mr. Speaker, for children from two and a half to four years old. So that builds on the foundation that we've already constructed, Mr. Speaker. So I thank the member opposite for the question because I'm very proud of the work that we have done in childcare. Please. Appreciate it, please. Thank you. Supplementary. Thank you, Speaker. Back to the Premier. The Liberals have been in power for 15 years. This Premier has sat in her role for over five years. That's nearly 1900 days. Last year, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives noted that childcare costs in Toronto increased six times faster than in London. With 49 days left, does this Premier regret? President of the Treasury Board is warned. Finish, please. With 49 days left, does this Premier regret that she ignored this problem personally as a Premier for over five years and for 15 years as a government? That is just not the case. It's just not the case. This time around, as we go into an election, the NDP has come on board and actually is talking about education, is talking about childcare because those issues were absent from their platform the last time around. It's great that now they have taken the bit and they are running with it. The Centre for Policy Alternatives has always talked about education and has always talked about childcare. It is new that the NDP has grabbed onto that. I'm pleased about that. We've been working on providing excellent education, high quality childcare, rebuilding new spaces and we will continue to do that. The threat in this province as we go into an election is from a Conservative Party that has no intention not only of building childcare spaces but actually no intention of even retaining what is in place and would cut across government. That is the threat. Final supplementary. The government has ignored affordable childcare for the last 15 years but there is change coming and people need to decide what sort of change they want. On one hand, they know that Doug Ford will cut and privatize. Childcare will get more expensive. Quality will get worse. We will see more corporate childcare and less high quality public childcare. New Democrats think that affordability should be based on need. The Premier thinks it should be based on how old the child is. Why? Minister of Education. Thank you Mr. Speaker and I want to thank the member opposite for this question because really it gives us a chance to talk about some of the amazing work that we have been doing and frankly, I don't even know where to start so yes, let's start with the commitment to 100,000 more spaces. Let's start with the commitment of historic amounts being put into operational budgets. $1.4 billion across the province. Let's talk about building spaces. $1.6 billion which is going to lead to building 45,000 spaces and let's not forget that we are committing to making sure that there will be free preschool childcare for all children across the province from the ages of 2.5 to 4. Saving families $17,000 per child and building on our full-day kindergarten commitment which also saves families $6,500 per child. So Speaker if you want to talk about childcare and what we are doing we have been working hard not just now but for several years but building the foundation to ensure that we give our families a solid foundation and our children the best talks in life. New question, the member from Renfrew, Richardson, Kembro. Thank you Speaker and Speaker it's great that the Premier has decided to answer a few questions. Perhaps you'll answer this one. This is directed to the Premier. Perhaps you'll answer this one. Stop the clock. The member from Renfrew is warned and some members try to hide their voices by putting their hand in front of their mouth that's not going to work. Let's give a straightforward honest answer to this question. The Hydro One Board secretly recently secretly agreed to pay the Hydro One CEO over $10 million in severance should he be fired. Now the Premier had to know of this deal because she has said herself that the province retains control of the board. The question is this when did she know and why would she sign off on this kind of secret obscene deal. I find it very ironic that the opposition talks about not answering questions when their own leader refuses to answer questions to the media but what we saw yesterday was Mr. Ford take one question and then do the duck and dash Mr. Speaker. He needs to put on running shoes not dress shoes because the man refuses to answer questions. Mr. Speaker, it's appalling that the opposition has no plan. This house is requesting me to set a record for the amount of time I can stand. I can go an hour. I can go longer. Thank you Mr. Speaker. I'll take no lessons from the opposite party when it comes to making sure that we take questions, answer questions and make sure that we put forward a platform and a policy that makes a difference for the people. We look forward to the opportunity to answer questions in this chamber. Back to the Premier. We'll try again. If the CEO and the Board of Hydro One have any respect for the taxpayers for Ontario or for the people they would resign today. Will the Premier march over to Hydro One demand and subsequently accept the resignation of the Board? Minister. Thank you Mr. Speaker. So how will that help rate payers Mr. Speaker? Right now we brought forward a plan that's reducing rates by 25%. 25% on average for all businesses across the province and for 500,000 small businesses and farms Mr. Speaker. The CEO's salary wouldn't take pennies off of anyone's bills Mr. Speaker. So that's why we brought forward the Fair Hydro Plan. And the Fair Hydro Plan Mr. Speaker takes that 25% off and actually helped many Hydro One customers, customers from Shaplow, from Atacocon, customers from Innisfil Hydro from Northern Ontario Wires they're seeing their rates reduced somewhere between 35% and 50% on average Mr. Speaker. That is something that we actually put in place and is something that they voted against. Once upon a time Mr. Speaker they snuck that into the people's guarantee now we know where the people's guarantee went. That went to the trash Mr. Speaker but the Fair Hydro Plan this is a program that's working for the people of Ontario they recognized it once they should recognize it again Mr. Speaker. Thank you Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Premier Mr. Speaker the CEO of privatized Hydro One now makes over $6 billion about 8 times what the previous CEO made when Hydro One was publicly owned company and the Board of Hydro One must have known how outrageous this looks to the people of Ontario because they changed the rules to actually increase the payout and protect the CEO if a cap is placed on the salary it is fired. Instead of protecting rate payers and the public the Board protected their executives they also protected themselves because to fire the CEO the government first must fire the Board. Why did the Premier privatize Hydro One and handpicked a Board that protects its executives and its cells but not the Ontario rate payers and the public? Minister of Energy. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Once again I'll say that we recognize that executive salaries are high compared to the vast majority of Ontario salaries and we remain committed to Hydro One's regulation, accountability and transparency through our government's involvement as a major shareholder Mr. Speaker but that said Hydro One is now a publicly traded company not a government entity and decisions made regarding executive compensation are made by the Board of Hydro One but Mr. Speaker let's be clear that completely eliminating the CEO's salary would not even take pennies off of people's bills. Mr. Speaker our Fair Hydro Plan did take money off of people's bills. It took 25% off Mr. Speaker and in other parts of the province we saw anywhere between 35% to 50% off for those individuals that live in rural or northern parts of our province Mr. Speaker and included in the Fair Hydro Plan is an enhanced Ontario electricity support program making sure that low income individuals actually can save more on their bills Mr. Speaker we eliminated the First Nations delivery charge Mr. Speaker making sure that those that live on reserves actually didn't have to pay that delivery charge helping them lower their bills as well Mr. Speaker we brought forward a plan that actually worked for the rate payers My question is back to the Premier Minister no CEO at Hydro should make $1 million when people can't afford to pay for their Hydro bills it should be a shame to that privatization have made Hydro 1 more efficient or reliable it has not it has not lowered Hydro cost privatization has allowed the CEO to extract over $6 million from Ontario rate payers it has allowed Hydro 1 to borrow billions billions to buy up a coal plant in the United States to even new debt risk it has allowed the Liberals to collect campaign donations from Bay Street who are in turn now collecting now collecting hundreds of millions in Hydro 1 profits that used to belong to the people of Ontario will the Premier finally admit that our privatization of Hydro 1 was in the state Minister once again Hydro 1 has become a better run company Mr. Speaker they found $114 million in savings last year they actually moved forward and eliminated winter disconnections on their own Mr. Speaker before we had to implement that legislation Mr. Speaker they have actually increased their customer service and they have seen their calls to their customer service offices drop significantly Mr. Speaker they have been doing a lot to become a better run company and I understand that Mr. Speaker that you know the costs that are out there to people but it's Mr. Speaker it's this government that brought forward a plan to reduce rates by 25% but Mr. Speaker when you're looking at electricity platforms there are pie in the sky platforms Mr. Speaker and that party has one of them when it comes to this sector buying back billions and shares of Hydro 1 will not take one cent off electricity bills for Ontario families and businesses they should know that Mr. Speaker they're choosing ideology for Ontario and not even reducing rates once again. Thank you Mr. Speaker Thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the Skills Development and Education I'd like to at the outset thank Minister Hunter for being at West Humber Collegiate in Tobacco North for the free tuition pathways announcement and for as well presenting yourself in this chamber for questions and scrutiny and not engaging in Doug and cover Speaker with a strong economy in Ontario the lowest unemployment rate in two decades and construction boom in Ontario proceeding of course with that growth comes population growth. Speaker a community like Milton is one of the fastest growing communities in Canada and of course it is a powerhouse of economic growth now and certainly in the future. We have a responsibility to the young people of Milton and I invite the minister to please explain to us how we will encourage access to training and education. Minister of Advanced Education Sure and the member is absolutely right we live in a beautiful province and Mr. Speaker one of the fastest growing community in Canada is Milton and it is an up and coming powerhouse so I want to say thank you to the member for this question and this is part of our government's commitment to the people of Milton we promised to build a university campus in that community we asked our universities and colleges in Ontario to partner and to really shape a vision and Mr. Speaker I am proud to stand in this house today to say that we have delivered on that commitment. Speaker yesterday in front of a packed room the member from Halton in Dear Nadeau Harris and I announced that a thorough proposals has allowed us to arrive at a decision. Willford Laurier University and Conestota College will partner to develop a campus and it is great news for the people of Milton and Halton region we know this community is nested in the Niagara Scargments and right in the green belt and I want to thank the member from Halton for the premier, for her championship and her leadership on this important Thank you Thank you Thank you Speaker I know of course this is welcome news not only for the residents of Halton itself but for the entire region Speaker local investments such as these are critical because we know that population growth over the next 10 years is expected to be concentrated in and around the city of Toronto including York, Peel and Halton regions and having of course local access to high quality post-secondary education and training at this new site will improve access to local talent in Canada's fastest growing community Thank you Thank you Thank you Speaker My question is this with the Minister of Advanced Education Skills Development please tell us more about the region of Halton and the important investments that we are making for its development Thank you Minister Thank you Speaker and I want to say thank you to the dynamic and hardworking member from Etobicoke North and I know he understands this that when we talk about Milton we need to learn to be trained and to stay right here in this region and with our programs like free tuition and the new OSAP we're making university and college more accessible for families in Milton who believe that they can't afford tuition our focus is to create a talent pipeline for science, technology engineering, arts and math our focus is to make sure that we are enhancing the already talented innovative region in Halton so Mr. Speaker, along with the member from Halton our government announced an investment of 90 million dollars to support this opportunity for the people of Halton Mr. Speaker tens of thousands of smart companies are already doing business in this region by building this campus we will support Thank you Thank you Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker I know they're quoting a Globe and Mail article today, Mr. Speaker, so let's see what else Mr. Speaker was in the Globe and Mail article that they were talking about. That article says, Mr. Speaker, that the government cut hydro bills by 25 percent, Mr. Speaker. Similar reductions were made for small businesses and farms, 500,000 small businesses and farms, Mr. Speaker. In rural areas, a number of fees were cancelled and bills were lowered even further. We're talking, Mr. Speaker, somewhere between 35 and 50 percent reductions on average. And so it's thanks to our plan, Mr. Speaker, Ontario families and small businesses are now paying less on average here than in many other similar jurisdictions, Mr. Speaker. And all of that being said, I understand, Mr. Speaker, that what they have is no plan when it comes to reducing rates. And even talking about the CEO's salary, eliminating it, wouldn't take pennies off the bill, Mr. Speaker. We brought forward a plan that took off a lot more than that and took off 25 percent, Mr. Speaker. Supplementary. Our plan completely is surrounding respect for the taxpayer, something that you seem to have forgotten how to do. The minister continues to suggest the government has majority control of hydro one. If that's the case, then he needs to explain why he allowed changes that will give the CEO a $10 million severance package. Let the minister ask the board to roll back this change, and if not, why not? Mr. Speaker, it's interesting. She says they have a plan. They have no plan. They're not even bringing forward a platform, Mr. Speaker. It was this government that actually brought forward a plan to reduce rates by 25 percent. We actually then enhanced that even further, Mr. Speaker, and brought forward changes to the triple RP, making sure that we could reduce rates for individuals that live in rural or northern parts of our province, anywhere between 35 and 50 percent, Mr. Speaker. We made sure that our plan looked at everyone in this province and brought all families and 500,000 small businesses and farms, Mr. Speaker, that 25 percent reduction. We also enhanced the Ontario Electricity Support Program, and we also made sure that First Nations were part of this plan, Mr. Speaker, making sure that they actually had their delivery credit or charge removed, Mr. Speaker, saving them about $80 a month on their bill on average as well, Mr. Speaker. Our plan worked for the people of Ontario, Mr. Speaker. They voted against it. Do you have a question? The member from London West. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the acting Premier. Speaker Eleanor Varga lives in London West and is 73 years old. She has been waiting two years for hip surgery and has developed fractured vertebrae as a result. Her hip is now bone on bone, and because she can't take pain medication, she lives with excruciating pain. She says, I used to be a vibrant, energetic person. I am now a broken, pain-ridden senior citizen, all because the government only allows so much funding for hips. Speaker, will this Liberal government remove the arbitrary caps on surgical procedures so that Londoners like Eleanor Varga can get the surgeries they need? Thank you. Acting Premier. Speaker, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. Health, Long-Term Care. Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker, and certainly when we hear stories as we just have about individuals such as the member's constituent, we feel very badly. We obviously would not want anything like this to happen to one of our loved ones. So first of all, I'd like to ask the member whether her constituency office has approached my ministry for some further details that we can look into this case, because obviously this sounds like a case that should be dealt with very expeditiously. But on a broader policy note, Mr. Speaker, we certainly have heard now from the NDP as to their platform, and it seems as though they agree with us, with our budget, because of course in our 2018 budget we are increasing our funding for some of the vital procedures such as hip replacement, and so I look forward to hearing the specifics of this case. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Supplementary. Again to the Acting Premier, Speaker Beverly Garlow also lives in London West. She is 65 years old and was first referred to an orthopedic surgeon in 2016. After waiting almost a year for an appointment, double the provincial target, she learned that she will have to wait another year and a half at least to get the surgery. That is three times the provincial wait time target. Speaker Beverly now has to walk with a cane. She can no longer work or carry out her usual activities like spending time with her grandchildren. She wrote to me to ask, how did health care in Ontario become so broken? Speaker will the Acting Premier admit that it is liberal funding cuts that have broken Ontario's health care system? Thank you, Minister. Well, first of all, Mr. Speaker, I want to make sure that everyone understands that there's absolutely no arbitrary cap on a particular type of surgery. So I would like to bring that to the member opposite's attention. And certainly across this province, we have reduced wait times for hip and knee replacement by some 25%. And so we are investing some $11 million more to provide over 1,300 more hip and knee replacement surgeries specifically in the coming year. This is an addition, of course, to so many other initiatives that we have in this budget. I would hope that the member opposite will be encouraging her colleagues on that side of the House, hearing what we've said about our budget this year to, in fact, vote with us for this very progressive set of priorities that we've established that they seem to agree with. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. And a question to the member from Beaches, East York. Well, thank you, Speaker. And my question is to the Minister of Housing. A housing affordability touches the lives of so many Ontarians. And I know that many of my constituents in Beaches, East York feel the pressures of buying a home or fording their rent. And with the introduction of the Fair Housing Plan in April 2017, we brought greater stability to the rental market. In particular, many of my constituents I know were glad to see that rent controls were now being applied to their homes. And rent control has helped protect 23, 237,000 people in Ontario who can now rest easy knowing they can't be forced out of their homes because the rent has suddenly been doubled. In earlier this month, Speaker, the Minister announced the details of another housing policy that I have been, and many on the members on this side of the House have been advocating for. And that is an inclusionary housing, zoning, sorry, inclusionary zoning. Speaker, will the Minister share the details of this new affordable housing tool with the members of this House? Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I want to thank the member for Beaches, East York, for his advocacy on this issue. I was happy to announce last week, Mr. Speaker, that inclusionary zoning is now the law in Ontario. Municipalities across this province now have access to this tool that will help them design and formulate their own plan on how to deliver affordable housing in partnership with the private sector, Mr. Speaker. Municipalities will be able to decide how many units would be provided in certain developments, the period of affordability, the level of affordability, what kind of financial contribution they would make towards that, and they would be able to devise the housing solution for their community that fits their needs. Municipalities across the province, housing advocates, AMO, have all welcomed this proposal, not proposal, but this new tool that we've brought forward, Mr. Speaker. It's another commitment made and commitment delivered. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, thank you, Speaker. And I certainly want to thank the Minister for clarifying this policy for us and being able to make that announcement. It's a very important tool that I know in Beaches, East York, as we're building new rental and condominium properties all across the neighbourhood will be very, very useful. And I want to thank the Minister particularly because of the service he had on Municipal Council with Doug Ford, the leader of the PCs, where we know that his housing policy consisted of handing out $20 bills to residents and Toronto Community Housing Companies. We know that creating affordable housing that is accessible to a young family, buying their first home or to a minimum wage worker, is absolutely vital to supporting our vision of a fairer Ontario. Housing affordability is a critical part of Ontario's plan to support care, create opportunity and make life more affordable today and tomorrow. And on behalf of my constituents, I'd like to thank the Minister and this government for putting in place progressive policies in housing that help us all build a productive and fulfilling lives for their children, for their parents, for our communities. Question? Will the Minister then please tell us more about the public's reaction to last week's announcement? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The reaction has been overwhelmingly supportive, Mr. Speaker. We worked with our stakeholders. We worked with municipalities. We listened and we've created an inclusionary zoning tool that reflects what municipalities ask for, which is flexibility, the ability for them to craft their own local bylaws and policies that will help deliver thousands of new affordable units every year. But Mr. Speaker, there's more to affordable housing than just inclusionary zoning. We're investing over $540 million in social housing retrofits. Doug Ford wants to cut the cap and vest program that would fund that. Doug Ford has said he's not in support of rent control, which we've expanded to all Ontario tenants. When Doug Ford and I sat on the board of Bill Toronto, the City of Toronto's real estate agency, he was not supportive of using city land for affordable housing. And he doesn't even support supportive housing for autistic kids. There is no affordable housing. Thank you. The member from Beaches East York is warned, and the member from the Pean Carlton is warned. New question. The member from Simcoe Gray. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Energy. The Hydro One board secretly agreed to pay the Hydro One CEO over $10 million dollars in severance. Should he be fired? I'll just remind everyone, this gentleman is already making over $6 million dollars a year. And now, should he be fired, he gets an additional $10 million dollars. This is slap in the face of the people of Ontario. It's insulting and shows a complete lack of respect for the taxpayer who has to pay these millions of dollars. So I'll ask the Minister, since we didn't get an answer from the Premier, when did the Premier know and did the Premier sign off on this $10 million dollar secret deal? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, you know, I'm always pleased to rise in this house and speak, Mr. Speaker. The executive salaries I recognize are high compared to the vast majority of Ontario salaries. Mr. Speaker, we remain committed to Hydro One's regulation and accountability and transparency through our government's involvement as a major shareholder. And you know, Mr. Speaker, that being said, Hydro One is a publicly traded company, not a government entity. And decisions made regarding executive compensation are made by the board, Mr. Speaker, of Hydro One. I know, Mr. Speaker, they're quoting the Globe and Mail article, and they talk about that article often, Mr. Speaker, but let's reiterate what that article also talked about, which is our plan, Mr. Speaker. A 25% reduction on bills for people right across this province, Mr. Speaker. That is something that we implemented and something they voted against, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Back to the minister. The Premier and the minister continue to suggest that the government has majority control of Hydro One. If that's the case, I believe it is, then the minister needs to explain why he allowed the changes that gives the CEO a $10 million severance package and did the minister at any time ask the board to roll back this change. And if not, why not? Mr. Energy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, our government understands that affordability is critical for families and businesses. And that's why we launched, Mr. Speaker, the Fair Hydro Plan, and that's Ontario's Fair Hydro Plan, rolling back rates, Mr. Speaker. We rolled back rates by 25% on average for all residential consumers and as many as a half million small businesses and farms. And our plan is working, Mr. Speaker. Just last week, a report by the Environmental Commissioner reconfirmed that Ontario's families and small businesses pay less on average here than in many other North American jurisdictions. Families in cities like New York, Boston, San Francisco pay more than double the average of Ontario's bills. Mr. Speaker and consumers in Charlottetown, Regina, Halifax and Monkton are paying more than the Ontario average. By bringing down prices for customers, we're continuing to increase fairness and create more opportunity for families in Ontario, Mr. Speaker. We'll continue to do that on this side of the House. Thank you very much. Next question, I recognize a member from Welland. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions to the acting Premier. Don Bremner is a constituent of mine. She has worked hard her entire life. First in the machining department at Garrison Tool and Ty and later at Edshaw. And after decades of grinding physical work, she's now living with a disability and chronic pain. She relies on ODSP. She needs skin graft, gum surgery. Her dentist says she needs it, but ODSP won't cover it. After working her entire life, why is Don being left without the health care that she needs when she needs it? Thank you to the Attorney General. Speaker, the Minister of Community and Social Services. Recognize the Minister of Community and Social Services. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to thank the member for the question. Mr. Speaker, as a government, we've done much to look at ways and to support different people from around the province. Anyone that's on ODSP, we know that within our budget, when it comes to any type of income security, we've made some changes, some massive changes. In fact, these are the biggest changes in any type of income security in recent times. In regards to this specific case, and when we're talking about health care, I would love to get the information from the member opposite and see how we can work together to find a solution. Supplementary? Don is so disappointed that this government is, in her own words, and I quote, playing God with her health. She needs health care, she needs dental surgery, she can't get it, and she's not alone. Millions of people in Ontario cannot get the health care or the dental care that they need. Today, one in three working people in our province is working without health benefits, and two out of three seniors have no retiree health benefits. After 15 years in office, why has this liberal government left people like Don and so many others without the care that they need and the care that they deserve? Thank you, Minister. Minister of Health. Minister of Health, long-term care. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And of course, this is precisely why our government has continued to make investments in health care over the time that we've been in office. Every single year, the health budget has increased. And of course, in this year's budget, the 2018 budget, we're making a deliberate choice to invest even more in the care of the people of Ontario by investing more in hospitals, in home care, mental health, and long-term care, and of course, even dental care and prescription medication. So we have increased our budget by some 5% in this coming year to reduce wait times and to increase access across the entire health care system. We believe that everyone in Ontario should receive the care that they need and when and where they need it. And this is precisely why we are proposing to make these investments. I hope the members opposite will support our budget. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. If you have a question, you can member from Kingston in the audience. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Seniors Affairs. As I'm sure you know, seniors make up the fastest-growing segment of Ontario's population. And today, there are more than 2 million seniors in our province, and that number is expected to double in the next 25 years. And let's face it, seniors have spent a lifetime contributing to their communities and the economy. In turn, we need a government willing to make impactful investments in care that will allow seniors at all stages of life to stay independent as they age, providing the supports they need to remain healthy, active, engaged, and socially connected with their communities. Mr. Speaker, this government knows seniors want to remain in their homes for as long as they can. And just last November, your ministry announced $155 million in investments to support aging with confidence Ontario's action plan for seniors. Mr. Speaker, with the Minister of Seniors Affairs, please explain to this House about this crucial investment in care that will benefit Ontario seniors. Thank you, Mr. Minister. Seniors Affairs. Thank you, Speaker. I want to begin by thanking the member from Kingston and the Islands for this important question and her continued advocacy for seniors. Mr. Speaker, as the Premier alluded to earlier this morning, I, along with the Premier, the Minister of Finance and MPP Dong, announced that the first 5,000 long-term care licenses have been allocated so that now construction of this first day can continue. But, Mr. Speaker, we also know that Ontario seniors have told us over and over again. We want to live in our own homes for as long as we can, or as the member from Barrie so memorably put it, no one was going to take her out of the house except the funeral home. And so that's why, Mr. Speaker, we continue to invest to make sure that our seniors can continue to stay at home. That's why in this budget, we announced a very innovative and important initiative that we call the Seniors Healthy Home Program, and I look forward to speaking about that more in the supplementary. Thank you, Minister, for reiterating to this House the priority that this government places on providing care for our seniors. I'm pleased to know that this government has the vision and a long-term plan that ensures seniors have the necessary care and supports for whatever their needs may be. While our government recognizes the importance of making significant investments in care, it has become clear that not everyone in this House shares this view. However, this government knows that now more than ever, we need to make these critical investments in care to ensure that seniors are supported. Mr. Speaker, I was also pleased to have a ways in my riding of Kingston and the Islands an alternative innovative seniors residence recognized by our Premier just yesterday. Can the Minister of Senior Affairs please inform this House of how the Seniors Healthy Home Program will help seniors in my riding of Kingston and the Islands and across the province stay independent in their homes? Thank you, Speaker. I'd be delighted to tell the member from Kingston and the Islands and this House how the Healthy Home Program is going to help our seniors. What this program is going to do, Mr. Speaker, is provide up to $750 annually to seniors 75 years or older for every eligible household. With the extra $750 a year, our $1 billion investment will provide seniors across this province with financial assistance to help offset the cost of maintaining a home with services like snow removal, house cleaning, or cutting the lawn. But Mr. Speaker, it's really disappointing that the opposite side of the House has no plan. The Doug Ford Conservatives are still without a plan for how they would care for our rapidly aging population. And Mr. Speaker, day before I was disappointed to see that when the NDP unveiled their platform, they would cut a billion dollars. The member from Surma, Dundas, and South Klingere is warned. You may finish. Wrap up, please. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And as I was saying yesterday, day before I was disappointed that when the NDP unveiled their platform that they would cut our $1 billion investment that would help seniors stay independent in their homes. It is clear. Thank you. No question. The member from Helleburden, Corkville, Lake Spock. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Energy. The Hydro One Board of Directors agreed to pay the Hydro One CEO over $10 million in severance. Should he be fired? When did the Premier know about this? Minister of Infrastructure is warned. Finish, please. When did the Premier know about this? And did the Premier sign off on this outrageous secret deal? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The only thing that's secret in this province is what they're going to cut, Mr. Speaker. What are they going to cut? Is it the $750 up to $750 a year to help seniors stay in their home, Mr. Speaker? Is that what they're going to cut? That's what we think they're going to cut, Mr. Speaker. What about free child care for individuals and children from the ages of 2.5 to 4, Mr. Speaker? They're going to cut that, Mr. Speaker. The only thing that's secret, Mr. Speaker, is their platform, because no one sees it. No one talks about it, Mr. Speaker. All they do, Mr. Speaker, is talk about firing and cutting, Mr. Speaker. On this side of the House, we talk about care and opportunity. We are going to continue to care for the people of this province, invest in our province, and make sure there's opportunities for everyone in this province, Mr. Speaker. That's why we make sure that even tuition for 225,000 people will be free this year, Mr. Speaker, thanks to this government. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, again to the Minister of Energy. If the CEO and the board at Hydro One had any respect for their customers, the people of Ontario, if they cared, they would resign. Will the Premier and the Minister join us in calling for this outrageous decision to be reversed? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Once again, talking about reversing, Mr. Speaker, it's that party that reverses course more often than a spinning turtle, Mr. Speaker. They actually sit there and one day will say that they're actually going to keep the people, the fair hydro plan, and they sneak it into the people's guarantee. And the next thing you know, Mr. Speaker, the people's guarantee has gone out the window. The carbon tax has gone out the window. Apparently, climate change just stopped, Mr. Speaker, according to the Conservatives. But on this side of the House, we're going to continue to invest in the people of Ontario. We're going to continue to make sure that we bring forward minimum wage, something that they will cut, Mr. Speaker. We know, Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, that governments are here to make sure that we can continue to invest and help the people of Ontario. That's what we did through our fair hydro plan that they voted against. That's why we're bringing forward more daycare, more medicines for everyone. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Minister of Hising. They are presently 1,577 households in Greater Sudbury, waiting for a rent, year to income, one bedroom apartment. One third of those people on the wait list are seniors. They are told that they will have to wait on average five years before they can move out of their house, that they can't not manage anymore, and move into an apartment where they could keep living in the community. My question is, why is this government doing nothing to help elderly, vulnerable Ontarians in need of housing? Thank you, Minister of Housing. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the member for the question. Our government takes the issue of affordable housing, creating additional affordable housing very seriously. They introduced the Fair Housing Plan to actually help with the creation of additional affordable housing. Through that plan, we're offering $125 million in development credits to municipalities to be able to use them with the private sector to waive development charges to encourage the creation of more rental and affordable rental housing. We're releasing provincial lands for the creation of affordable housing. In communities across the province, including across the north, we are working with those municipalities and those service providers by offering them funding to build more affordable housing and housing, especially with supports for vulnerable communities. We've helped with the creation of over 22,000 affordable rental units over the last number of years, Mr. Speaker, through programs like investments in affordable housing or homelessness prevention strategy. And of course now, with the National Housing Strategy coming forward, we'll be able to do even more and I will elaborate on that, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Speaker. By downloading responsibility for social housing on to municipality, the last Conservative government laid the foundation for today's social housing crisis. Shamefully, this Liberal government has continued with the same policies for the last 15 years. In fact, the current budget does not have a single new penny of social housing for this year. The government has more or less kicked the can down toward the next election. Mr. Speaker, can the minister please tell me why seniors in my riding need to wait five long years for an affordable one bedroom apartment? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in fact, we're working with housing service providers across the province, including in Sudbury on giving them tools and funds for them to be able to create more housing. We're investing $543 million for the retrofit of social housing units across the province, which will help free up units, which perhaps were uninhabitable to be able to be offered to individuals. We're supporting investments in affordable housing jointly with the federal government. That's creating thousands of units. And in fact, we have just agreed, in principle, to the framework of the National Housing Strategy, and we are finalizing our bilateral agreement with Ottawa on the National Housing Strategy, which will allow billions of dollars of new housing money to flow into Ontario to help create the units for seniors and other vulnerable people throughout the province with new housing units, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. The clock changed. OK, we're out of time. We are out of time, even though the change took place. I was keeping track of it. We lost time. Just before we move to our vote, I'd like to introduce a family that has a rather interesting history. The Wendling family is sitting in the members gallery. Mrs. Wendling is here with her five daughters. One of them is a page here. All four out of five daughters were pages, and they sit around the kitchen table talk about how great the speaker is. So I just thought I'd love to hear that. And at the time, the fifth daughter didn't participate, not because she didn't want to, but because they were living in Korea at the time. So she couldn't get back in time in order to be a page. We have a deferred vote on the government notice of motion number 6 relating to the allocation of time of bill 8, an act to amend the Consumer Reporting Act and the Detectable Standards and Safety Act 2000, and I'll call them the members. This will be a five minute bell. First, take your seats, please. Thank you, member. No way for Mr. Wendling's dog. How dare they? How dare they? All members, please take your seats. He's just checking things out. He's just making sure of this, right? On April the 18th, 2018, Ms. McCharles moved government notice of motion number 6 relating to the allocation of time on bill 8, an act to amend the Consumer Reporting Act and the Technical Standards and Safety Act 2000. All those in favor, please rise one at a time. Be recognized by the clerk. Mr. Nakhvee. Mr. Bradley. Mr. Bradley. Mr. Daldukka. Mr. Daldukka. Ms. Mann. Ms. McMahon. Mr. Seuss. Mr. Seuss. Mr. Seuss. Ms. Nidu Harris. Ms. Nidu Harris. Ms. Jasek. Ms. Jasek. Mr. Shurelli. Mr. Shurelli. Mr. Chan. Mr. Chan. Ms. McCharles. Ms. McCharles. Mr. Tkar. Ms. Tkar. Ms. Sandals. Ms. Sandals. Ms. Matthews. Mr. Leo. Mr. Leel. Mr. Flynn. Mr. Flynn. Mr. Tebow. Mr. Tebow. Mrs. Albanese. Mr. Albanese. Mr. Rinaldi. Mr. Rinaldi. Mr. Cole. Mr. Cole. Mr. Bardenetti. Mr. Bardenetti. Mr. Bristolany. Mr. Dil organise. Mr. Dil and. Mr. Dhylin. Mr. D impliedder. Mr. Dahn션. Ms. D Holocaust. Mr. Dirles. Mr. Wienas. Ms. Umber. Ms. Omber. Ms. Momotaro. Ms. Eve McGarney. Ms. Malin. Ms. Margaret Guatemaldo. Hogarth, Koala, Mrs. Martin, Mr. Potts. All those opposed, please rise one at a time. You're recognized by the clerk. Mr. Wilson, Mr. Wilson, Mr. Arnott, Mr. Jones, Mr. Yakubaski, Mr. Miller-Parisan-Mascoca, Mr. Scott, Mr. Marto, Mr. Osterhoch, Mr. Nichols, Mr. Monroe, Mr. McDonnell, Mr. Cove, Mr. Cove, Mr. Jones, Mrs. Sattler, Mr. Natashack, Ms. Armstrong, Ms. Taylor, Ms. Forrester, Mr. Hatfield, Ms. Gretzky, Mr. Gates, Ms. French. The ayes are 47, the nays are 23. The ayes are being 47, the nays being 23. I declare the motion carried. The President of the Treasury Board on a point of order. Mr. Speaker, I wanted to welcome to Queen's Park today a wonderful young man from my community, Mike Quackenboy. She's here at Queen's Park today. Thank you, Mike, for being here and welcome to Queen's Park. Thank you. The member from Simcoe Gray. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to put forward a motion without notice regarding the CEO of Hydro One's $10 million severance. The member from Simcoe... How about if you listen to me? The member from Simcoe Gray is seeking unanimous consent to put forward a motion without notice. Do we agree? No. I heard a no. The member from London North Centre. Thank you, Speaker, and I know everyone is going to want to join me today in wishing my seatmate, Liz Sandoz, a very happy birthday. The member from Windsor to come see on a point of order. Thank you, Speaker. Yes, we're going to raise the flag at noon outside to celebrate Israeli Independence Day and invite everybody out to join us. Thank you. There are no further deferred votes. The House stands recess until 1 p.m. this afternoon.