 It is therefore time for a question period, the leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. Yesterday, the Minister of the Environment committed to funding a health study to understand the localised impact of air pollution on Sarnia residents. And thank you for the government to finally recognise the request from the member for Sarnia-Lampton. But I want to make sure this isn't just another liberal announcement. I would like to know if there's a timeline for this study. We need to see a clear commitment. Mr. Speaker, when can the residents of Sarnia expect the study to start and what was the timeline going to be for results? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And I know that the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change will want to speak to more of the specifics. But let me just say, Mr. Speaker, that we are absolutely committed to getting this study started. It makes perfect sense, Mr. Speaker, that we would undertake this with experts, Mr. Speaker. Communities like Sarnia have been directly impacted by industry over the years and we need to make sure that we do everything we can to understand exactly what the challenges are, Mr. Speaker, and to understand what the mitigations must be. So I will ask the Minister of Environment Change to speak to the supplementary, Mr. Speaker. But we are committed to doing this and we are committed to starting immediately. The supplementary. Mr. Speaker, back to the Premier. And the Premier said she is absolutely committed to funding this and that's good that that's finally happened. But since 2008, people have called for a study on this environmental concern. For nine years, studies have been stalled by this government. In fact, the Lantan Community Health Study got as far as a third planned phase. Industry in Sarnia stepped up offering 1.4 million, but the request made for similar funding for the province got rejected. This government refused for nine years. I'd like to know specifically from the Premier, why did it take this media exposure? Why did it take global TV to finally get the government to accept the request from the member of Sarnia Lantan? Mr. Speaker, please. Thank you. Premier. Environment and climate change. Well, thank you, Speaker. And I'm delighted to be able to address this concern and the things that I heard and experienced when I was in Sarnia last to meet with First Nations folks and in fact stopped in to meet with the local MPP for that writing to talk about concerns of the community. You know, Speaker, every Ontario, and I'll start with the fundamentals. As I said yesterday, every Ontarian deserves fresh air to breathe, clean water to drink, and good land, clean land to walk upon. That is a fundamental foundation, a building block of vibrant communities. But, you know, we know that at times the balance between the different needs of business and the environment, you know, they've tilted one way or the other. Communities like Sarnia have been directly impacted by this Minister Speaker. And I know that building on previous regulations to lower air pollution, we're committed, as I said, as the Premier said earlier, we're committed. Thank you. Final supplementary. The member from Sarnia-Lambton. Well, back to the Premier, Mr. Speaker. For nine years, this government's ignored the health concerns of the people of Sarnia-Lambton. There was nothing but shocking indifference from the Liberals. Premier, I personally raised this issue with your government in 2008 and 2010. They've now committed to the study only after being publicly embarrassed. The fact it took nine years to commit to this study still leaves me and the community with concerns. Saying they are doing the study will still leaves me with concerns. Saying they're doing the study is one thing. Committing and introducing a timeline is another. Mr. Speaker, will the Premier release the study's timeline today? Minister. Well, thank you, Speaker. You know, as the Premier has said, as I've said, we're committed to funding a health study to understand the localized impact of air pollution on Sarnia residents. We're going to be working with those communities in the coming weeks to determine how best to do that. We have to get a formal proposal put in front of us, Mr. Speaker, one that's updated in order to respond to it. But I'm going to say a couple of things, Speaker. You know, when the leader of the opposition was in Ottawa with the Harper government, they refused to fund the study. A member from the PN Carlton will come to order. Finish, please. Well, thank you, Speaker. I'll also say that when I was in Sarnia visiting with First Nations, I stopped in to see the MPP for that area. We had a wonderful casual conversation about what I've been hearing in the community, what he's been hearing in the community, and I'll say, Speaker, not once, not once was it raised with me that we need to study the health. No question. The leader of the opposition. My question is for the Premier. For the second day, college students are not in class. It also happens to be midterm exams for many of them. Mr. Speaker, will the Premier allow students to miss their midterms, or will the Premier get both sides back to the bargaining table so we can get students back in the classroom? You know, I am very concerned about students not being affected negatively by this situation, Mr. Speaker. Of course, I don't want students to lose this semester, Mr. Speaker. I want them in class. But, Mr. Speaker, I do believe that the collective bargaining process is one that has to be respected. We need to have the parties back at the table, Mr. Speaker. That is where the agreement is going to be finalized, and so both the Minister and I have encouraged both sides to get back to the table, Mr. Speaker, to make sure that that conversation is fruitful and that they can come to an agreement. That is where the agreement has to take place, Mr. Speaker. I am very concerned about it. We are paying very close attention to it, and I hope that in the very short future we will see that the parties are at the table and they can hammer out an agreement. Mr. Speaker, again to the Premier. When this government was campaigning, they promised no more labour disruptions. They promised labour peace and students would be in the classroom. There have been three strikes at colleges over the last 50 years. In 1984, it was for 18 days. In 1989, it was for 20 days. In 2006, it went for 20 days once again. They promised us labour peace. You promised that students would be in the classroom. Students can't afford, Mr. Speaker, not to be in class. They can't afford to miss their midterms, and I know this is uncomfortable for them. Actually, both sides are disruptive. Please finish. Mr. Speaker, I get that this is uncomfortable for the government. The labour peace they promised has not been realised. But I want to see students in the classroom. I want to see students back at colleges. So my question, Mr. Speaker, is the Premier going to do everything she can to get both sides back to the bargain table? Mr. Speaker, please. Mr. Speaker, please. Thank you. Premier. Yes, Mr. Speaker, I am. And so is the Minister. We're going to do everything we can to get both sides back to the bargain table. And Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the history lesson from the leader of the opposition. But he missed 1995 to 2003. Six million student days lost in this province movement. Didn't support collective bargaining, Mr. Speaker. So he didn't believe in publicly funded education. Mr. Speaker, we'll do everything we can to get both sides back to the table and make sure there's an agreement. Can you see it, please? Member from Renfrew Nipissing Pembroke, come to order. Reminder to those over on this side. I'm standing. Final supplementary. Mr. Speaker, again, to the Premier. When the Premier presented herself for public service, she said she was running to fight what she saw as school closures and labor disruptions. The reality is there's more school closures. And now we have labor disruptions, whether it's with physicians or educators. What this government has now become is what they said they were running against. And what this all comes down to, Mr. Speaker, is how does this affect students? Let me share with you a quote from a student in Thunder Bay. I was very concerned I have a scholarship and I'm just here for another month. If I lose classes, that might affect my scholarship. You've got a student worried about their academic year and right now we have the government trying to blame others. Yesterday we had the Deputy Premier saying we can't get involved. Now today we have the Premier saying they will get involved. I want to know what this government's going to do to get students back in the classroom. Don't make us wait 20 days or 40 days. Students need to be in the classroom. Thank you. Premier. Mr. Speaker, look, my concern is for the students, Mr. Speaker. And that has always been my concern. You know, the leader of the opposition in fact misinterprets what I have said about why I got into politics. Mr. Speaker, I got into politics because I believe so firmly in publicly funded education. And partly funded education, Mr. Speaker, is the reality that we have labor unions, Mr. Speaker. We have federations. We have ongoing discussions among the partners in education. So, Mr. Speaker, will I do everything in my power to make sure that we encourage the parties to get back to the table? Yes, I will, Mr. Speaker. But will I undermine the collective bargaining process? Will I? From Windsor West, come to order. It is always an uncomfortable position for everyone in a very, very distressing situation when people are not able to go to their classes, Mr. Speaker. I know that the instructors and the teachers who are out, they don't want to be out either, Mr. Speaker. They want to be in the classroom with their students. We'll do everything we can to get everyone back to the part of the table. I have a question for the member from Nicobill. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Premier. We learned that Peterborough Regional Hospital is opening up 24 unfunded beds just to try and keep up with the number of people needing hospital care. Unfunded bedspeakers are beds that are opening without any help from this Liberal government. According to the hospital, the money to operate those beds is being diverted from their reserve fund, a fund specifically earmarked for investment in capital and infrastructure. Does the Premier expect hospital, how does the Premier expect hospital to plan for their future when she's forcing them to use their saving just to meet their current operational needs? Thank you. So, Mr. Speaker, I know that the Minister is going to want to speak to the specifics of this situation, but let me just say that we have injected billions of new dollars into the health care system, including, Mr. Speaker, 500 million new dollars for hospitals as a result of our last budget, Mr. Speaker. I have a lot of faith in our local health integration networks, in our hospital administrations, Mr. Speaker, as they look at the specific situations in their communities and make decisions based on their circumstances. So, as I say, Mr. Speaker, I don't know the specifics of the decisions that have been made by the administration at the hospital in Peterborough. What I do know is that there are intelligent decisions being made around the province with the support of the government, with the support of new dollars, Mr. Speaker, to deal with the circumstances in each of those communities. And I think, Mr. Speaker, that, you know, it is our responsibility to continue to work with hospitals and other health care providers to make sure that they can make those decisions based on the interests of the people in their communities. Thank you. Supplementary? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Opening up these 24 unfunded beds will cost Peterborough Hospital $1.8 million just this fiscal year. The hospital will need $4 million more year after year to keep those beds open. According to internal documents that we at the NDP released today, occupancy rates in both mental health and acute care units have been consistently higher than what is considered safe. Will the Premier commit right now today to funding these additional beds so that the good people of Peterborough get the hospital care that they need? Thank you. Minister of Health and Long-Term Care? Minister of Health, Long-Term Care. Well, Mr. Speaker, I congratulate Peterborough Hospital for the tremendous efforts that they're making, not only in providing the highest quality of care to the residents in and around Peterborough, but for managing their health system effectively. In fact, this year alone, they were one of the hospitals in this province that received the biggest increase in their operating budget. So, of course, on average, we increased the hospital operating budget by 3.1% this year, but Peterborough received a new injection to their base of $9.4 million, which represents a $4.3 increase in their operating budget. Mr. Speaker, it continues to amaze me that every effort that we make, whether it's through a budget that they've rejected or through the consideration of the Humber Finch site project proposal for ALC for release of Capacity Challenges, that member and that party continues to oppose those efforts. Final supplementary. Thank you, Speaker. The occupancy rate for Peterborough acute care beds reached 99% in May of this year. Wow. Both the mental health and the acute care units are also operating unconventional beds, Speaker. You know what that is? That's a fancy word to mean that you admit people into hallway, into broom closet, into waiting room. The list goes on. With low privacy or human dignity. How can the Premier continue to turn a blind eye to the overcrowding, hallway medicine crisis in our province when hospital after hospital are at overcapacity and Ontario family needing hospital care are paying the price. Thank you, Minister. Well, the member opposite knows that the vast majority of hospitals in this province operate well below capacity, Mr. Speaker. Well, well less than the 100% capacity. And Mr. Speaker, we are making those investments that half billion dollars that was referenced. In fact, in Peterborough just last Friday, an important announcement by the member from Peterborough of $2 million in brand new capital for the creation of a new Peterborough hospice. Mr. Speaker, which is great news for that community and it reflects the hard work that they're doing. But Mr. Speaker, I have to go back again once more to the fact that in their tenure as government they closed 24% of all acute care beds in this province. They closed 13% of the mental health beds. They closed the total, which is only beaten by the conservatives which approached 10,000 in five years. New question. The member from Nicobelt. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the Premier. Peterborough is not the only hospital struggling right now and it is just not acute care that is overcrowded either. We at the NDP have released very shocking and disturbing internal statistics that shows mental health units are overcrowded. In Sudbury, Kitchener, Oshawa, Atobico, Mississauga, Toronto the list goes on, Speaker. Mental health care has been ignored and underfunded by this Liberal government for years now. How does the Premier expect frontline health care workers, particularly those who work in mental health, to provide the quality care that patients need when they are constantly understaffed and running off their feet? Premier. Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. Hello, Mr. Speaker. We are making unprecedented investments in mental health and addictions across this province as recently as the spring budget where we made an announced an $80 million investment that that member and that party voted against, Mr. Speaker which represents cumulatively 140 million over three years unprecedented first of its kind in the entire country a significant investment in cognitive behavioral therapy a form of interventional therapy which is highly proven as highly effective specifically particularly for individuals with anxiety disorders with depression for example so we were the first in the country to actually fund that program we're funding more supportive housing we're funding youth wellness hubs all in the spring budget that that member voted against. Thank you. The Premier and Minister seem completely unconcerned with the large number of Ontario hospitals operating way above safe capacity she seems completely unconcerned that people struggling with their mental health have access to only a few scattered services in overcrowded hospital how can the Premier look at this number how can she hear those horror stories that go to her office and not realize that the problem in our mental health system are real Well Mr. Speaker, I think one thing we can all agree is that we need to make more and greater investments in mental health I've said repeatedly that we need to look at mental health services the same way we do physical health services they're two sides of the same coin and there's no health without mental health but we are making those investments this year's budget alone again 13 million in new funding for the specialty mental health hospitals we made investments for a thousand more supportive housing spaces 48 million dollars for specialized mental health services at St. Joseph's care group in Thunder Bay with five million dollars to use Dale's treatment center a brand new inpatient mental health program and unit at Royal Victoria in Barrie specific for children and youth an inpatient unit and an outpatient unit George and Bay Hospital a new renovation for mental health that the member from Barrie announced just last week Mr. Speaker from Burlington a new hospital thank you final supplementary thank you speaker the Ontario hospital association has called for immediate and ongoing funding just to make it through the flu season Opsu mental health care workers some of them are with us today are calling for more front line staff the premier and her minister likes to tout her last budget in response to those serious questions but even that budget will not change our hospital by over 300 million dollars it seems to me speaker that the premier her minister her entire government are completely out of touch on this issue why won't this liberal government stop playing politics with people's health with people's access to care admit that there is an overcrowding and hallway medicine crisis in our hospital and do something right now that has created thank you minister well Mr. Speaker once again I don't deny that there aren't challenges in our health care system but we need to be careful that we represent the system effectively and transparently and authentically Mr. Speaker we have the Fraser Institute if you can believe it that has consistently ranked Ontario's health care system as having some of the shortest wait times in Canada the wait time alliance has given this as well Mr. Speaker we've invested in the spring budget 11.5 billion dollars over the next three years into our health care system I don't know how the member opposite can possibly characterize that as anything other than an unprecedented investment which is even separate from the 20 billion in capital investment over the next 10 years in our system but perhaps it's because she's reflecting upon their time in government the drastic cuts to the health care system where they cut 20 million dollars from our psychiatric hospitals and they closed 13% of all mental health beds in the province Mr. Speaker thank you new question the leader of the opposition Mr. Speaker my question is for the premier table just minutes ago was another dammy report by the auditor general the unfair hydro plan will cost Ontario up to 4 billion dollars more than necessary 4 billion that means Ontario families will have to pay an additional 4 billion dollars just for the liberals reelection campaign Mr. Speaker this scheme the unfair hydro plan is about one thing and only one thing and that's the liberals reelection it's not about paying hydro bills it's not about helping Ontario families this is just about the partisan interest of the liberal party of Ontario the auditor general makes that abundantly clear so what I want to know Mr. Speaker from the premier is how can she justify blowing fewer billion dollars to help the liberal party much Mr. Speaker and I appreciate the work that the auditor general has done and Mr. Speaker you know the reality is that families across this province individuals across this province were saying that the costs of their electricity prices going up too high Mr. Speaker and they're going up too quickly right after I asked him he showed another one of the member from Leeds Grandville second time and the member from Bruce Courier on sound carry on Mr. Speaker I have acknowledged many times in this legislature and outside this legislature that the investments that had to be made because we had a degraded electricity system in this province Mr. Speaker that we wanted to rebuild that there was a cost associated with that I've been quite open about that Mr. Speaker member from Leeds Grandville is warned the member from Prince Edward Hastings oh I knew Mr. Speaker I hear heckling from the other side that this is partisan this is not partisan this is about people member from Hamilton East Stony Creek start the clock supplementary Mr. Speaker back to the premier the way this government chose to do their unfair hydro plan cost Ontario families four billion dollars this is your decision this is the path you picked the Auditor General makes that unequivocally clear it also confirms another thing that the liberal party and the way they're doing this cooks the books you know you read the direct quotes Mr. Speaker this is a direct quote they're making up their own accounting rules can you imagine that a direct quote making up your own accounting rules she also unearthed the fact that ratepayers will be charged more than the actual cost of electricity being produced in order to pay back boring this is cynical politics edits worse making up your own rules charging Ontario families more to serve the partisan interests of the liberal party Mr. Speaker my question for the why won't you just come clean and admit to Ontario families I'm not prepared to accept the terminology that was used so I'll ask the member to withdraw withdraw a direct quote you know it doesn't matter because you can't say indirectly what you can't say directly the minister of indigenous relations and reconciliation come to order and this is the kind of thing that I'm not impressed with when we start doing personal comments and it'll stop now Premier Minister of Energy thank you Mr. Speaker the government thanks the auditor general for her review of our plan to reduce electricity bills for all residential consumers by an average of 25% families in this province have asked for real and immediate relief on their electricity bills and that's why we have delivered the largest rate reduction in Ontario's history since 2003 nearly 70 billion dollars have been invested in the electricity system including more than 37 billion to ensure that our system is clean and reliable Mr. Speaker as we all are aware the auditor general's report is technical in nature and I understand she will be discussing it with the media and members of the legislature at 12pm today we've also been addressing some of these points at the standing committee on estimates so in respecting the independence of the provinces officers of the legislature including the auditor general our government will respond to the report following her news conference thank you Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker, a question from Donald Danport Thank you Speaker my question to the Premier last May the financial accountability officer revealed that the Premier's so called fair hydro plan will not reduce hydro costs but merely postpone payment of those costs until after the next election Ontario families will pay billions more under the government scheme than they would have paid without that scheme and today the auditor general revealed that the government is wasting wasting four billion dollars on an Enron style accounting scheme whose sole purpose is to hide this truth from the public why is the Premier forcing Ontario consumers to pay four billion dollars just so she can mislead the public about her hydro-borrowing scheme the member will withdraw thank you Premier Mr. Speaker, and I know that the president of the Treasury Board is going to want to comment but let me just say again Mr. Speaker that we appreciate the work that the auditor general has done Mr. Speaker we recognize and I have said I've said that it was absolutely necessary Mr. Speaker to make the investments that were made to rebuild a degraded electricity system that there was a cost associated with those Mr. Speaker and that there for the coal electricity were going up quickly and they were going to a very high rate particularly in some parts of the province and some of the rural and northern communities Mr. Speaker so we responded by putting in place a plan that again I have said publicly we knew that over the long term was going to have a cost associated with it Mr. Speaker but we also know that the asset that has been built will last for a number of generations and that we spread that cost over a longer period of time thank you supplementary well that was not a satisfactory answer the Premier spending 5.5 million dollars in public money to tell Ontarians that hydro costs are going down when we know they're actually going up and now the Auditor General has revealed that the Premier is forcing ratepayers to pay 4 billion dollars in an Enron style accounting scheme designed to conceal this truth from Ontarians instead of adding billions in needless costs onto the hydro bills of Ontario families will the Premier finally admit that our borrowing scheme will make everyone worse off in the long run Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker thank you very much Speaker and you know when I think back to 2003 and I think of my own writing of Guelph I think about part of Ontario that never used to have smog days the reason we had smog days was because of coal generation we have invested a lot of money into the Ontario hydro system to make sure we get rid of coal fired generation and you know what we don't finish please but we also know that consumers have been struggling with the cost of electricity bills and that is why we brought in the Fair Hydro Plan is to reduce the cost of hydro for for people throughout Ontario for average families what we also know is that the auditor has tabled her Fair Hydro Plan today we appreciate her work we will respect the auditor going forward with the conference at noon we will No question to members for beaches this short Well thank you Speaker my question today is for the Minister of Research Innovation and Science now Speaker I understand the minister was recently a member of his colleagues to strengthen Ontario and Quebec relations and it's my further understanding that the visit went very very well was quite successful now Speaker more than ever it is important for all provinces to come together collaborate and share initiatives and innovative ideas that will improve the lives of Ontarians and Canadians and during the visit Speaker I understand the minister signed a memorandum of understanding for Ontario Quebec collaboration on artificial intelligence Speaker could the minister tell the members of this legislature a little bit more about the memorandum of understanding that was signed and how we are promoting the development of artificial intelligence in the province of Ontario Thank you Minister of Research Innovation and Science I want to thank the member for that question Mr. Speaker I am sure my colleagues have heard me say this time and time again that the key to innovation is collaboration and that is exactly why I was in Quebec City signing a memorandum of understanding with the minister I am glad of the Quebec government this MOU Mr. Speaker with Quebec will allow each province to build on its existing strengths in the field of artificial intelligence and the multi sector collaboration Ontario and Quebec Mr. Speaker are being presented with an incredible opportunity to work together in creating expertise in the field of artificial intelligence expertise that will keep the jurisdictions competitive around the globe for the years to come Thank you Mr. Speaker Thank you Mr. Speaker Thank you of course to the minister for his answer and for the great leadership he is showing on building capacity in artificial intelligence Ontario is well regarded as a leading jurisdiction in AI research Now last week I read that the minister signed another memorandum of understanding between Ontario and the British High Commission in Ottawa and I am pleased to see the minister is doing everything in his power to build these important relationships with other jurisdictions around the world and as I said earlier it's a time when the world is increasingly becoming closed off and isolationist and it's wonderful to see that this government and our representatives are pushing for collaboration on issues important to all Canadians So Mr. Speaker could the minister please elaborate on the memorandum of understanding that was signed by the minister Thank you Mr. Speaker again I want to thank my colleague for that question as well as I want to thank him for sharing my opinion on collaboration as key for innovation Mr. Speaker Last week I signed the memorandum understanding with the British High Commissioner to enhance and strengthen our efforts to pursue common goals in the field of transformative technologies Mr. Speaker passed investments by the government of Ontario for $130 million for next generation network $80 million for automotive vehicles $50 million for vector institute for artificial intelligence $50 million for perimeter institute for fundamental physics and $20 million for quantum value ideas lab collaboration between Ontario and the UK Mr. Speaker will yield sustained economic relations encourage industrial relations development and help us both harness best scientific practices Mr. Speaker Thank you Mr. Speaker Thanks Mr. Speaker and thanks to the Ontario general for her report today we know that the premier and the liberal government blew a billion dollars in the gas plant scandal to get re-elected now we know that they're going to double down as a result of the report they're not even going to double down Mr. Speaker they're quadrupling down today in the last minute and the minister community safety and correctional services will come to order and the president treasury board will come to order we know that the premier was responsible for the billion dollar scandal with the gas plants we now know that this scandal that's been uncovered today by the auditor general is a $4 billion scandal this government is doubling down it's quadrupling down using taxpayers dollars for its re-election ploy and if the auditor general's report isn't scathing enough we have a report from the financial post this morning that released stats on the loss of manufacturing jobs as a result of the green energy act which got us into this mess in the first place the report states that we have lost 75,000 jobs in Ontario in the manufacturing sector a direct result why is the premier continuing to defend this policy thank you premier minister of economic development and growth Mr. Speaker I just came from the Canadian manufacturer and exporters annual general meeting and Mr. Speaker I can tell you one thing our exporters our manufacturers are tired of opposition members talking down the incredible progress they have made working through the picture alone in the last year alone Mr. Speaker to talk down that hardworking sector leading the country in growth helping us create 800,000 net new jobs Mr. Speaker across this province it's time for that party to start supporting our manufacturers rather than denigrating them thank you Mr. Speaker back to the premier we're getting a very very different story on this side of the house it comes to job losses in Ontario and companies that are hanging on by a threat in Ontario because of the policies of this government the green energy act in this study done by the financial post shows shows that 75,000 manufacturing jobs left Ontario as a result a direct result of the green energy act it's a mess Mr. Speaker it's a mess for our employers over there for our manufacturers and the auditor general has pointed out today that this government is willing to blow another $4 billion that's $800 per household in Ontario for their re-election platform it's unheard of it's disrespectful and it has to stop but there's no sign of them stopping they got away with it once with the gas plants they're going to do four times the damage with this unfair liberal hydro plant will they stop it now thank you Minister where was the opposition when we invested $1.9 billion in our manufacturing sector to leverage $18 billion in private sector investment and support 90,000 jobs Mr. Speaker there were nowhere there were opposing those investments where was the opposition when we were reducing regulatory burden on the manufacturing sector when we brought in the industrial exemption Mr. Speaker they were absolutely silent where was the opposition Mr. Speaker when our finance minister provided some pension solvency relief to this sector saving them hundreds of millions of dollars where were they Mr. Speaker when we brought in the smart green program run by our Canadian manufacturers and experts nowhere Mr. Speaker where were they when we brought in three different initiatives in the ICI the industrial conservation initiative to save our manufacturers billions of dollars Mr. Speaker nowhere Mr. Speaker they're all talk no action we stand up for our manufacturing sector and that's why this province is up thank you thank you thank you Speaker and my questions to the premier on Friday an Ontario Superior Court approved a motion permitting Sears Canada to shut down operations leaving 12,000 people with no job and no severance and thousands of pensioners with the total pension shortfall of more than 260 million this will have a devastating impact on families in my community of Oshawa and across the province that have worked their whole lives counting on their pension being there when they retire last year I introduced a motion to ensure that pensioners are given top priority ahead of large corporations during bankruptcy proceedings this government supported my motion unanimously but I guess they've changed their mind or gone back on their word will the premier do the right thing honour the commitment she made and stand up for Ontario's pensioners so Mr. Speaker the Minister of Finance is going to speak to the specifics of the financial situation but let me just first say that it is obviously very very hard on families when a business of this magnitude shuts down Mr. Speaker I my heart goes out to all of the people who are affected we are working with the situation we are working with all of the players and we will do everything that we can but Mr. Speaker in the first instance the economy is shifting there's no doubt about that there was just a lively exchange with the Minister of Economic Development and Growth and the Opposition the reality is that the nature of our economy is changing jobs are changing there are jobs coming to Ontario investment in artificial intelligence but there are jobs there are jobs that are are no longer Mr. Speaker because of the nature of the economy the nature of retail the nature of work Mr. Speaker but my heart goes out to the families who are affected thank you supplementary thank you Speaker and again to the premier it's lovely that her heart goes out to them but we hope that help would go out to them as well for pensioners this isn't just an outstanding debt on a balance sheet it's about keeping food on the table and a roof over their families new democrats have called for any revenue from liquidation sales to be used to fund Sears employees pensions first not more executive bonuses and will continue to fight for laws that make this the case for all workers does the premier think that big corporations and executive bonuses should be the priority over pensioners Minister of Finance thank you Mr. Speaker I think the question and the concern and I know that members of the Canadian Federation of pensioners are here today one of them is a pensioner from Sears who is being affected by it as we speak today and only in Ontario will he have the benefit of a pension guaranteed fund nowhere else in Canada is that available furthermore we are looking at making reforms to provide even greater support for pensioners going forward I know the member opposite is talking about the change that should be enacted by the laws of Canada and we recognize that and support that but right now we need to help the pensioners today as it affects them today and we are doing just that by the reforms we are making working alongside the members of the pensioners and knowing that we must do our utmost to protect those pensions and I can assure the members of Sears that over 80 to 90% of them will get their full pension because of Ontario's guarantee and furthermore their pension assets are not affected by the bankruptcy and we will fight for them all the way thank you Mr Speaker thank you Speaker my question is for the Minister of Environment and Climate Change as you may know today marks the second day of waste reduction week in Canada and over the course of this week Canadians will be holding events to challenge themselves and encourage others to reduce waste and just to be clear there is no solid waste not time in 2014 alone 11.5 million times of waste was generated in the province of Ontario that means on average every person generated approximately 1 ton of waste per year the events this week serve as opportunities for Ontarians to learn how they can reduce waste and their homes and communities and businesses and through the Waste-Free Ontario Act we are making it easier for Ontarians to do just that and with the recommendation of Waste-Reduction Week can the Minister please explain to this House what the government is doing to help Ontarians reduce waste thank you Minister of Environment and Climate Change well thank you Speaker and thank you to the member for that very important question you know we're happy here to recognize Waste-Reduction Week today it really is an opportunity for all Ontarians to take the challenge to reduce waste in their daily lives as I mentioned Ontario generates millions of tons of waste each year currently Speaker only 28% of that waste is being diverted from landfills the result is this results in $1 billion in valuable resources lost each year to landfill however it's estimated that for every 1000 tons of waste diverted from landfill we could create 7 jobs $700,000 in additional GDP Speaker our government recognizes the value of reinvesting these resources in the economy Speaker that's why we took action by introducing the Waste-Free Ontario Act so that Ontarians could be proud of the work being done to reduce waste across the province thank you Speaker I'd like to thank the Minister for his response and Speaker as you will know that climate change is of course becoming an increasingly apparent global threat but we know that managing waste and reusing our resources is a critical part of achieving our goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and moving towards a prosperous low carbon economy our climate change action plan commits to reducing emissions from waste and moving Ontario towards a circular economy we recognize that diverting waste from landfill is not just about protecting our land environment it's also Speaker central to fighting climate change and creating a better future for our planet that's why we're transitioning towards this circular economy reusing and reinvesting resources allows us to keep resources within the economy benefiting both the environment and the economic productivity of Ontarians can the Minister please tell the House how the circular economy will improve Ontarians economy and the lives of Ontarians thank you Minister well thank you to the member for Topoko North for that follow up question Speaker you know our government is committed to moving beyond the linear make use disposal model to a new model that we refer to as the circular economy where we make productive use of materials for as long as possible we're also lowering the cost of recycling for Ontarians and providing them with more convenient recycling options by increasing significantly increasing diversion efforts Ontario will be supporting 13,000 jobs and adding 1.5 billion dollars to the province's GDP we've also committed Speaker to reducing emissions of greenhouse gases from landfills which account for about 5% of our total greenhouse gas emissions here in Ontario however not everyone has joined the movement to reduce waste here in Ontario in fact the members of both parties opposite Speaker voted against the waste free Ontario Act in 2016 during waste reduction week Speaker it's all members to consider waste reduction New question the member from Dufferin Caledon Today Opsu members join us at Queens Park to highlight the important issue of mental health in the workplace I'd like to highlight one of your so-called state-of-the-art provincial facilities a facility that itself has been used as a weapon one resident made a homemade sword out of the wall at waypoint centre the provincial investigator found that quote the patient was able to destroy their room to the point of accessing metal supports from behind the drywall including the removal of a towel rack and proceeded to construct weapons out of these materials no worker in this province should fear being attacked by homemade weaponry in any provincial facility let alone homemade weaponry fashioned from the facility itself can the minister explain how the government allowed this to happen Thank you Thank you Thank you to the member for this very very important question and Speaker as we learn more about mental health in our society some of the treatments have to be provided in secure facilities Speaker and we trust the care of those individuals to some of the people that have joined us here today some of the people that have joined us for breakfast this morning from Opsu Speaker and let me tell you I visited waypoint myself personally I plan to return in the fall some of the things we were hearing some of the complaints we were hearing out of the institution Speaker were ones that we didn't want to hear at the Ministry of Labor we sent our inspectors in we realized that was some changes that needed to be made Speaker what I've done is I've talked to the heads of all four hospitals in the province Speaker Cam H, Brockville Ottawa and Waypoint what I've asked them to do what I've asked Waypoint specifically to do is to come back with a plan that deals with these issues Speaker once that plan is in place I understand it will be very shortly I will return to Waypoint Speaker and take a look at the facility myself back to the minister of infrastructure frontline workers know that the minister has not done enough the ministry failed to provide a facility that would keep our workers safe our frontline workers and our nurses are not being put first by this government this government is prioritizing the interests of liberal insiders over the interests of Ontario will the minister promise that any facility will be put putting people first not a liberal insiders Thank you Minister Thank you Speaker thank you to the follow up and thank you for the concern Speaker because nobody should go to work in the province of Ontario Speaker no matter what job they do nobody should go to work in the province of Ontario thinking that they may be in danger there's some unique hazards that are associated with these institutions with this environment Speaker in the past it was accepted for our nurses for people that looked after patients in these facilities it was accepted that there would be a certain risk there was a tolerance to that risk there was almost an expectation you would get hurt Speaker that is simply not good enough it's not good enough for me it's not good enough for the ministry of labor it's not good enough for this government Speaker we're working towards rectifying some of the problems that have come forward today Speaker they're right they're telling us about things that need to be corrected we should be proud of the work we've done today not satisfied but proud of the progress we've made today on this issues thank you no question to the member from our Gomer Manitoulou Speaker my question is to the minister of environment and climate change yesterday we heard the minister promise a study on air pollution for chemical valley unfortunately his government promised a similar study back in 2009 and it remains nowhere to be seen the government also promised to update its sulfur dioxide standard by the end of 2016 the current standard dates back to 1970s and is nearly four times higher than the Canadian ambient air quality standard sulfur dioxide has been blamed for increased rates of asthma and other health problems in South Sarnia and Vietnam first nation is it now it's now 2017 why has the minister failed to implement the new standards minister of the environment and climate change well thank you and thank you to the member opposite for that very important question because we do know that sulfur dioxide SO2 is not something that in any concentration above about 40 parts per billion should be breathing on a regular basis so that's why we continue to emphasize that clean air is critical for human health and to the environment I want to say that Ontario's actions have improved significantly air quality across Ontario over the past ten years with significant decreases in harmful pollutants like nitrogen dioxide carbon monoxide fine particulate matter sulfur dioxide the closing of coal plants is one of the main reasons we don't have the smog across much of southern Ontario and all of the ensuing positive benefit health benefits that come for that so speaker we are looking at SO2 standards new SO2 standards again to the minister flaring is a relatively common occurrence in chemical valley when sour gas is flared it releases sulfur dioxide and the unregulated flaring along with the weak sulfur dioxide standard is putting the health of Sarnia and Amgenon families at risk the Amgenon First Nation the Anishinabek Nation Grand Council and the assembly of First Nations have called on the minister to update the sulfur dioxide standards the government promised a new standard by the end of 2016 this government broke their promise when will the minister stop his promise and finally update the sulfur dioxide standards well thank you speaker and again a very important question when it comes to air quality here in Ontario and all of the positive things that this ministry this government has been doing to reduce a particulate matter and sulfur dioxide matters across Ontario in fact speaker you know Sarnia itself has seen some substantial reductions in emissions in just recent years sulfur dioxide has been reduced by 64% nitrogen dioxide has been reduced by 23% particulate matter has been reduced by 43% so clearly speaker there's a lot of good things going on in Sarnia but we need to do more not only in Sarnia but right across Ontario not only with sulfur dioxide but with any chemical that is admitted by industry speaker we're on it we're going to get this done thank you speaker my question is for the minister of international trade our government through its foresight and prioritization of building relations with the worlds established in emergence global markets created a dedicated ministry for international trade the ministry has worked hard to firmly establish its roots and has placed great emphasis on diversification just as diversity is a staple of our culture in Ontario it too has become a characteristic of the way in which we do trade upon the minister's return from trade missions I'm always amazed to hear not only of the significant amount and scale of agreements being generated but also the overwhelming interest in the growing amount of sectors that Ontario businesses have spanned speaker can the minister elaborate on the importance of trade diversification and the implications it will have for Ontarians thank you speaker I understand the member for asking the question speaker the member is correct our ministry recognizes the need for diversification and its important role in enhancing our economic success we focus on diversification through two approach speaker first we must diversify our markets currently we have free trade agreement with EU NAFTA and South Korea among others speaker Canada is also in exploratory discussions with India, China Japan with these agreements in place Canada will have preferential market access to over 1.2 billion customers secondly speaker we must diversify the types of goods and services we wish to export sectors such as clean tap, AI e-commerce lab tap, financial technology are resaping the business landscape speaker in broadening our trade horizons we are both thank you supplementary speaker it's wonderful to hear that the ministry's strategic plan to engage diverse markets is inclusive of all sectors and regions that contribute to the economic growth of our province diversity means nobody is left behind no business, no sector and no riding this week we are celebrating small businesses small and medium size enterprises make up 99% of Canadian businesses and thus supporting SMES is integral to our economic prosperity through small business week I continue to learn more about our government's efforts to support and help develop small industries I'm curious to learn of the contributions which the Ministry of International Trade makes to the overall growth of our SMES speaker could the ministry kindly expand on the array of supports his ministry provides to new and potential exporters looking to engage with the world emerging markets I want to thank the member from Barry for her advocacy new and potential exporter can find the notion of engaging in export opportunities overwhelming however our ministry have implemented effective and reliable supports to ease this process our ministry has stationed international trade and investment officers in 15 key markets such as Mexico the EU, China, Japan, India and others that work to enhance Ontario businesses internationally as part of Ontario international operations we also have strategically placed in market trade development representative in priority in market like Chile the Gulf region and Southeast Asia we encourage business owners across Ontario to conduct our ministry to contact our ministry to find out how they can take advantage of these resources thank you you have a question? the minister of transportation Ontario's drive test licensing services are governed by a ministry oversight program that expects 90% of customers to spend 20 minutes or less waiting for the testing services all motorists require will the minister tell us the average wait time Ontario motorists are currently forced to endure in lines winding out the doors of our provincial drive test centers thank you minister I appreciate the question from the member there are drive test centers as he pointed out in every corner of the province of Ontario and he is right if I heard correctly and what he said with respect to the standard that exists for those drive test centers I know that there are a number of communities for example speaker in the Brampton area is one example where there are some challenges some of the wait times that exist I also know and I've said this to media over the last number of weeks that have asked this question and I know that there are a number of people who are using the drive test centers and I expect over the next few weeks that I will have an update to provide with respect to this specific issue but again I do appreciate the member asking the question and hope to have an update relatively soon with respect to some of the improvements or enhancements that we anticipate that we'll be making to the system thank you it's this government minister that failed to ensure we're getting the services that we're actually paying for visit any one of these centers speaker and you'll see long winding lines and camp out hues of young and old waiting hours or even days to book and take a test that they require them to drive here in the province of Ontario the cost of time off work stress and frustration is mounting while driving school instructors I met with from the minister's own riding say his inaction has left their students in costly drive test gridlock speaker the contract with circle provides the government auditing performance penalty and warning notice powers as the wait times continue to grow will the minister tell us when he will deliver those penalties to end the drive test gridlock we're all at end more and more for here in the province of Ontario thank you thank you much speaker I appreciate the members second question on this particular topic as I said my original answer I anticipate I'll have an update that can be provided publicly in the next number of weeks and in the meantime I will say to people using our drive test centers that we are aware that in some of those centers there's an ongoing challenge we're Thank you. Time for question period has ended. We have a deferred vote on the motion to second reading of Bill 163 and act to enact the safe access to abortion services act 2017 and to amend the freedom of information protection of privacy act in relation to abortion services. Calling the members, this will be a five minute bell. All members, please take your seats. On October the 16th, 2017, Ms. Nerdo Harris moved second reading of Bill 163 and act to enact the safe access to abortion services act 2017 and to amend the freedom of information and protection of privacy act in relation to abortion services. All those in favour, please rise one at a time and be recognized by the clerk. Mr. Natalie. Mr. Bradley. Mr. Dall doco. Mr. Dall Ducca. Mr. Sandy. Mr. Sander. Mr. Susan. Mr. Susan. Ms. Wynne. Ms. Wynne. Ms. Matthews. Ms. Matthews. Mr. Hoskins. Mr. Hoskins. Mr. Shirelly. Mr. Shirelly. Mr. Shirelly. Mr. Dugut. Mr. Dugut. Mr. McCharles. Mr. McCharles. Mr. McMeekings. Mr. McMeekins. Mr. Ticak. Mr. Ticak. Mr. Coal. Mr. Cole. Mr. Beardenetti. Mr. Beardenetti. Mr. Dillon. Mr. Dillon. Mr. Baller. Mr. Balla. Mr. Chan sait Favorite. Mr. MuririChatal. Mr. Kotto. Mr. Cootoot. Mr. Gunner. Miss Hunter. Mr. Hunter Flin. Mr. Flynn. Mr. Tybo. Mr. Tebo. And I'm alone. And I'm alone. Mr. Kajur. Mr. Kajur. Mr. Kraig. Mr. Kraig. Mr. Crag. Ms. Domrela. Ms. Domrela. Ms. McGarry. Ms. McGarry. Mr. Morrowo. Ms Jassek. Ms. Jassek. Mr. Zimmer. Mr. Sattler. Mr. Bissau. Mr. Tabbis. Mr. Miller Hamilton East Stoney Creek. Mr. Taylor. Mr. Nattishak. Mr. Nattishak. Ms. Armstrong. Ms. Armstrong. Ms. Amjelina. Ms. Amjelina. Ms. Fife. Ms. Fife. Ms. Forrester. Ms. Forrester. Ms. Campbell. Ms. Campbell. Ms. Campbell. Mr. Monta. Mr. Monta. Mr. Hatfield. Mr. Hatfield. Ms. Gretzky. Ms. Gretzky. Ms. French. Ms. French. All those opposed please rise one at a time be recognized by the clerk. The bill is being won. I declare the motion carried. Is it election 2.8 or not? Pursuant to the order of the House, dated October 16, 2017. The bill is referred to the Standing Committee on General Government. The member from London fan shop on a point of order. Speaker, I'd like to welcome some special guests here today from the Co-op Housing Federation. Mary Ann Hannett. Simone Swale. Denise McGacken. Jacob LaRocque. Graham. Welcome to the legislature. Thank you. The Minister of Innovation, Science and Research. Mr. Speaker, please join me in welcoming Brother Aslam Badat, visiting the House today. And on this very occasion, as you know, Mr. Speaker, October is the Islamic Heritage Month, and scholars from India, Islamic community of India, they are visiting the House as well. So welcome. Thank you. We welcome our guests. There are no further deferred votes. This House stands recess until 2 p.m., 3 p.m. this afternoon. That's all right.