 It is now time for Question Period, the leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the acting Premier. The Premier got caught. She got caught giving away millions of dollars to teachers unions with nothing in return. And then her government came up with a multitude of excuses. Let's go over the timeline. On Wednesday it was business as usual. Last Thursday it was we don't need receipts. Monday it was this is certainly not business as usual. Tuesday it was it will never happen again. Yesterday it was the unions must produce receipts. Every day it's a different storyline. Even soap operas have longer storylines in this government. Seriously Mr. Speaker, it is unbelievable. Will the acting Premier confirm that the government's position hasn't changed again today because there's been six positions in a week? Thank you Speaker, and good morning. I think what we have demonstrated Speaker is a firm commitment to the well-being of students in our classroom and we have demonstrated evidence of the success of students. And this process Speaker has been successful. Students have remained in the classroom. They are getting the education that they need to be successful. So let's just remember these negotiations have been difficult. We are it is in line with our net zeroing bargaining process that I would hope the leader of the opposition would support a net zero bargaining process. We have done this without making any cuts to the classroom whatsoever. This new process did require resources. We are in a time of transition so that in future negotiations will go much more smoothly and require much less time Speaker. Mr. Speaker, again to the acting Premier. The only commitment this government has demonstrated is to the Liberal Party. The government said $2.5 million was to go for pizza parties and sleepovers. If that excuse was real the government would have asked for receipts from the start. Even though the public now suspects the money was really just for the government's own purposes for their own partisan purposes, the arrogance is astounding. This government is eroding public confidence in the education system. Mr. Speaker, does the Premier not understand that her multi-million dollar union payouts have undermined the integrity of our education system and the people that work in it? What this party and what this leader wants to do is continue the attack on our partners in education, the unions and Federation and describe it as a sleepover and pizza party demonstrates as clearly as anything he said that he has no respect whatsoever for the collective bargaining process or for the Federation that represent our teachers. Thank you. Final supplementary. Mr. Speaker, again to the acting Premier, this party values our educators. What we will not stand for is the attack on the classroom. And you know what, if this government doesn't want to listen to the public, if they don't want to listen to the constructive advice of the official opposition well maybe you can listen to the Toronto Star. The Toronto Star Off-Ed yesterday said, I quote, if the payments made from the governments to the unions were really necessary then there is no reason they should have been kept hidden from the public. The payments of 2.5 million which were kept hidden from the public seem almost impossible to defend. End quote. The payments are impossible to defend because they are made for political purposes. Mr. Speaker, will the deputy leader of the Ontario Liberal Party commit to giving back the millions of dollars she has taken from Ontario's classrooms no more spend, no more excuses, yes or no, will you pay the money back? Deputy Premier. Speaker, the member opposite talks about his party's commitment to the classroom. Well, let me just remind the third party of what their record was when we took office back in 2003. At that time, three kids was not graduating from high school. One in three high school students did not graduate, Speaker. We have been able- Shouting down is not helpful nor is other heckling from the government side helpful. Please finish. We have been able to raise the graduation rate to 84% Speaker and will continue to improve progress there. So let's make it very clear the cost of this successful process with unions was offset by savings in the collective agreement including early discounted payment of retirement gratuities, lowering the cost of sick leave and making the delivery of professional development more efficient. Speaker. Thank you. New question. The member from Kitchener class told us. Speaker, my questions to the acting Premier. Can the acting Premier with a straight face guarantee us today that not one red cent of the millions of dollars funneled to teachers' unions was spent on third party election ads that benefited the Liberal Party? With a straight face? Yes. Thank you, supplementary. Speaker, she can't guarantee us because she's part- No trust you. Start the clock. Supplementary. We'll see how their votes are on Wednesday when the auditor's asked to look at these- Yeah, exactly. The financial accountability officer this morning when it comes to trust- No trust. Government. Zero trust. She's part of a chain that sees teachers' unions spend millions of election ads one year and receive millions back to cover hotel and pizza costs the next. You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours, leading to questions of taxpayers' money funding election ads. Yet just this month, her government again reminded us the Liberal Party will be strengthening Ontario's rules on third party advertising only minutes before rejecting our call on proposed strengthening restrictions. Speaker, they understand there's a problem. The only ones who don't understand there's deeply something here inherently wrong is them. If she can't guarantee our money's been spent, will the active Premier deliver on it? Thank you. I'd like to remind everyone that where this whole discussion started was on the implementation of a new collective bargaining act. That act, the bargaining under that act in question actually has led to three successful ratified collective agreements with the English Catholic teachers, with the secondary teachers in the English public system and with the French teachers in both the French public and French Catholic teachers. Those were long processes because we were working through a new process and yes, we were pleased to invest in making sure that process happened and as the Premier said yesterday, there will be a count. Final supplementary. It also led to millions of dollars to unions to run election ads that benefit the Liberal Party. Even the Toronto Star is calling on the Premier to deliver on that pledge and to ensure no future government will be tainted by the suspicion of unfairly funding lavish third party campaigns. We agree, Speaker, yet instead the Premier refuses to live up to her word and diverts attention to flip-flop on the need for receipts just to justify those continued payouts. Just follow the money speaker and she'll know what's on those receipts. Millions of dollars plus in partisan third party election advertising bills. It's time to end this tired taxpayer funding charade. Will the acting Premier tell us if we will see the promised new regulations to halt potential government payouts for third party advertising before any further millions are handed over to those unions? I would like to repeat that what we have done is transformed the collective bargaining system. We were able to get net zero. As the Premier said, the particular payments in question have not yet flowed. There will be an accountability process. As I said yesterday, there will be accountability. There will be a schedule of permissible things which certainly do not include... A member from Redford, come to order. Thank you. And that there will be verification required of those permissible payments which are allowed. But I think what we need to understand is that in fact that is part of our net zero. And the net zero payments and increases to composition are offset by early discounted payout of retirement gratuity lowering the cost of sick leave. Thank you. New question in the leader of the third party? Thank you very much, Speaker. This morning's FAO report... Sorry to the acting Premier, Speaker. This morning's FAO report shows what new Democrats have been saying all along, Speaker. We have been saying it for months. The sell-off of Hydro-1 is a bad deal for the families and businesses of this province. While the Premier has been telling Ontarians over and over again that the sell-off will raise $4 billion for infrastructure and transit, the FAO report shows, Speaker, that the sell-off could raise as little as $1.4 billion, a fraction of what she has been promising. Will this Premier and her government stop the unnecessary and short-sighted sell-off of Hydro-1? Thank you, Speaker. And I do want to take this opportunity to thank the financial accountability officer, Stephen LeClaire, for his report. I welcome his assessment of our plan to broaden the ownership of Hydro-1. Let's not forget, Speaker. This is all about building infrastructure. We're making historic investments in infrastructure, $130 billion over the next 10 years to build that badly-needed infrastructure right across the province. We need to build that infrastructure. Broadening the ownership of Hydro-1 allows us to make those investments today, not 10 years down the road, Speaker. You know, experts have called for an increase in infrastructure spending. They're up to 5% of our GDP. This will help us get there, Speaker. I think the member also has to recognize that not making investments in infrastructure has a cost as well. Thank you. Speaker, the Premier has been claiming that the sell-off of Hydro-1 will raise $4 billion for transit and infrastructure. But the FAO clearly shows today that the sell-off could generate just $1.4 billion, Speaker. $1.4 billion is just 1%. 1% of the Premier's $130 billion of infrastructure and transit promises. And yet the Premier would have the people of Ontario believe that it is essential for her to sell off our most trusted, most important public asset for that 1%, Speaker. Just 1%. And the Premier wants us to lose control of our electricity system and put the future of Ontario's financial well-being in jeopardy. This is a terrible deal, Speaker. And it makes no sense whatsoever will the Premier and her government stop this insane sell-off of Hydro-1. Thank you, Deputy Premier. Well, clearly what the leader of the third party does not understand is that there is a link between the broadening the ownership of Hydro-1 and investments in infrastructure and investing in infrastructure has a payoff as well, Speaker. The Conference Board of Canada says that for every $100 million invested in infrastructure, about 114 million is produced in real GDP, a payoff of a 14% Speaker. That is a real return on investment. That is a return on investment that benefits all Ontarians. We do need to make investments in infrastructure. The leader of the third party has a couple of ideas neither of which hold water. Speaker, we're moving forward with our plan to build up Ontario. We're moving forward with our plan to build badly needed infrastructure. And the people of Ontario report that infrastructure investment, Speaker. Thank you. Final supplementary. The FAO report provides Ontarians with the very first independent analysis of this Premier's wrong-headed sell-off. At $4 billion, this sell-off was unnecessary in the first place, Speaker. And it was a bad deal at $4 billion. At $1.4 billion, it is ludicrous, ludicrous that the Premier would even consider it, Speaker. $1.4 billion works out to $140 million per year over 10 years, Speaker. If the Premier cannot find $140 million from other sources than she and her Minister of Finance and her Minister of Energy and her Chair of Treasury Board should just step aside, Speaker. Will this Premier and your government commit to Ontarians today to stop the unnecessary sell-off of Hydro-1? Thank you. Mr. Finance. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to thank the Financial Accountability Officer for his report. I recognize how important it is for us to have that open and transparent engagement. We've had a strong and positive relationship with the FAO, and it is indeed the first such report by any province recognizing that we're building on the very things that we've enacted. Furthermore, it is also important to note that the Financial Accountability Officer made no reference, and he purposely said so in terms of the net benefit that comes from the broadening of ownership and the reinvestment of those dollars into new investments and new issues to stimulate the economy. Nor does it talk about the appreciation of the value of this company, because we recognize that Hydro-1 has been underperforming and can do better, of which, by the way, we will continue to own and still benefit from dividends over time. Mr. Speaker, this is going forward for the benefit of the people and for the reinvestment. Thank you. Your question? She is also for the Acting Premier, Speaker. The FAO report shows once again the contempt that this Liberal Government and this Premier have for the people of Ontario, and it has been repeated by this Finance Minister and by this Chair of Treasury Board just this morning, Speaker. They have been promising $4 billion from the sell-off of Hydro-1 at every opportunity, and yet we now learn that they could get $1.4 billion spread over 10 years. That $140 million a year, that's only 0.001% of the province's budget, Speaker. That's gross incompetency if you cannot find room in your budget without selling Hydro-1 to fund $140 million a day to stop the sell-off of Hydro-1 and finding a better way to raise that money, Speaker. It clearly states and affirms that the valuation of Hydro-1 is going to net the province a substantive amount of dollars to reinvest in infrastructure and the member opposite is speculating on the valuation of Hydro-1 which we'll know in short-order because the market will bear that price but more importantly the member from Timmins James May. Finish, please. We are on track to provide over $9 billion in receipts to this government of which $5 billion will go towards debt to be reinvested in infrastructure. Mr. Speaker, what we want to ensure is that we build without borrowing. Member from Essex. Finish, please. And Mr. Speaker, we're taking a very careful and stage approach by broadening the ownership of Hydro-1 unlike the reckless plan that was proposed by the official opposition. We recognize that these things are important and we have a greater benefit for society. Thank you. Supplementary. GDP demanded the creation of the financial accountability office so that we could catch up with what we did, Speaker. Without the FAO we would never have known that the sell-off of Hydro-1 would earn billions of dollars less than what the Premier has promised. This time we can actually stop another bad deal before it costs Ontario families and businesses billions and billions of dollars. Will this acting Premier commit today to stopping the unnecessary the wrong-headed the financially inappropriate sell-off of Hydro-1 before it's done? The member from Trinity Spadina and the member from Hamilton Eastoni Creek would you please come to order while the question is being put and the answer subsequently. Minister of Finance. This is one of the largest investment transactions in the history of our province and it is because we recognize that this asset is underperforming and we know we can do better and that is why we proceeded in this way and we're taking only a 15% state so we can see an exactly assess its value. So we are taking proper and careful approach and we're on track to achieve the results. But, Mr. Speaker, what this is about is investing in Hamilton, investing in public transit investing in families so that they get to and from home more quickly and more safely. It is about making us more competitive Mr. Speaker, that is what we're doing. We're ensuring that we continue to build without boring the member opposite and the champagne socialists would prefer us to borrow a perpetuity, Mr. Speaker. We cannot do that. We've got to be physically responsible and we are doing so here. I would remind all of us but I'd like to acknowledge to the minister that those are the kinds of things that don't help and engage a good dialogue and a good debate and that I would challenge all of us to raise to the top and not to the bottom. I'll wait. Start the clock. Final supplementary. Speaker, when the premier formed her privatization panel she said that the process would quote be transparent and independently validated. It has been anything but transparent, Speaker. Even now the government is withholding documents from the financial accountability officer. Now the first independent analysis even without those documents has been done, Speaker and it clearly says that this is a bad deal for Ontarians and that the premier should keep Hydro public. Will this liberal government follow the advice of the financial accountability officer and commit today to stopping the sell off of Hydro 1 before this project that the liberals have on their docket actually turns into the next liberal boondoggle, billion dollar liberal boondoggle for the province of Ontario. Mr. Speaker we've acted in accordance with and consistent with the 2013 financial accountability act which we brought forward and which was agreed to by this entire host unanimously to ensure that the confidentiality of cabinet documents are withheld and I will not break the law that I'm entitled to report to and I will continue to abide by that but more importantly Mr. Speaker we are investing in the things that matter most to Ontarians. We are taking an asset that is underperforming recognizing that we can do better and ensuring that we protect others. We're going to be competing with Toronto Hydro Horizon as well as Rampton Hydro all of which are actually performing much better than Toronto Hydro. This is an opportunity for us to provide greater discipline and in the end more value for that operation greater dividends to shareholders of which we will own 85% of after the first tranche and Mr. Speaker the member opposite is actually suggesting that regulated companies should be owned by the province. In that regard we nozzle by Inbridge Gas Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker my question this morning is for the acting premier not only is the sell off of Hydro one the worst deal in the province's history it's resulted in another scandal this morning. Mr. Speaker you think this government would have learned this week about doing things behind closed doors but I guess some people never learn. We learned from the financial accountability officer this morning in his report to the legislature that the FAO cannot reproduce council's estimate because the province has deemed this methodology to be a cabinet record and has chosen not to release it. Once again this week a member of the government has to stand up here in the legislature and ask the government what it's hiding. Why is there so much information that government doesn't want the public to have. But I guess I'm asking the minister responsible for orange this question this morning. Speaker will the acting premier commit to turning over all of the cabinet documents related to the sale of Hydro one to the financial accountability officer. Deputy premier. I'm going to talk about the worst deal in government in the history of Ontario. Finish please. I'm reminded that the 407 was valued at about 12 billion dollars and I believe you sold it. We'll do it again. And when I said if it continues I'll stand again. It's your time. So it was sold for a fraction of its value. Like maybe about 25 percent of its value it was sold once. The whole thing a hundred percent is what my colleague likes to say. First we paid to pave it. Now we pay to drive on it. The worst deal ever. Perfect. Supplementary. Speaker I know that asking this government to be transparent is quite an ask. And asking them to be transparent is kind of like taking business ethic lessons from Bernie Madoff. That's what this is like asking you guys to be transparent. In his report this morning the FAO goes on to state that the FAO has requested more information on the calculation of future net income. But the province has determined this information to be a cabinet record and has chosen not to release it. It turns out if you work for the financial accountability officer the government doesn't want to give you any information but they can't slip it to their friends in the media fast enough. Asked about the leak to the Toronto Star this morning the FAO said he would have to rethink releasing documents to the government 48 hours before the public even officers of the legislature Mr. Speaker can't trust these guys. Speaker will the minister commit to releasing all cabinet documents about the sale of Hydro 1 to the public or is she actually going to stand and replace and tell the public. Thank you. Mr. Speaker three important numbers here 407 they put the O in on 407 Mr. Speaker we got squat we got a donut out of that deal. We've been very open and transparent we've worked very closely with the FAO throughout this process to the extent that we can by law and furthermore Mr. Speaker we do have a prospectus we have full information as outlined for the benefit of the entire public and as a result of the quiet period we also must abide by the OSC so the members opposite wants us to break the law we will not do that we're protected interest of the public and we're going to reinvest New question member from Kitchener Waterloo Mr. Speaker my question is to the acting premier Mr. Speaker the premier has stubbornly stood by her plan to sell Hydro 1 because of today's report of the financial accountability officer on the premier's plan to sell Hydro 1 and Terrians now know that the province's finances will actually be harmed by the sale is that why the premier chose to prevent the financial accountability officer from accessing information needed to assess the province's estimate of the market value of Hydro 1 can the acting premier tell Terrians why she chose not to disclose information about her privatization plan either from the ministries of finance from energy from Mr. Ed Clark's panel or even the $7.5 million in consultant reports that the people of this province already paid for Hydro 1 belongs to the people of this province and they have a right to know what's going on Mr. Speaker the FAO makes reference to the flow of funds recognizing that the province will net a tremendous amount of appreciation in its value with the broadening of its ownership the fur tax benefits and the net proceeds will be invested dollar for dollar into the Trillium Trust the amount of the book value goes to pay off debt which I know the third party loves to increase but we are not going to bore to keep building Mr. Speaker and we must find ways to improve the benefit the net benefit as we proceed forward so the foregone revenue that the member opposite talks about doesn't recognize the re-investment value and the increased dividends that are appreciated from the young going operations of this company which we will continue to own Mr. Speaker so that will provide great benefit overall thank you Mr. Speaker the FAO is very clear this morning the net debt will eventually be higher he also said that it's a question of simple math clearly this finance minister does not get that Mr. Speaker the financial accountability officer's role is to provide independent financial analysis about the provinces finances to the people of this province this is one of the reasons why it's so important that we now have this office this government needs all the help that they can get Mr. Speaker if the acting premier has so much confidence in her plan to sell off hydro one why does she need to rely on cabinet confidentiality to shield it from the people of this province what is she hiding Mr. Speaker we've responded to this effect we do have confidentiality requirements within the cabinet as also established in the FAO act which we all agreed to we also recognize that we have a prospectus and we have to abide by the OSC in regards to what we do next so we have a quiet period but at the same time we want to maximize the net benefit on this transaction that would be harmed based on what this member is asking us to do but furthermore what we do want in the end is to maximize the revenues long term stimulate the economy improve our net benefit by reinvesting it and the FAO makes it very clear that he did not assess the net benefits or the ongoing opportunity just the existence of the company as it stands today so we know and he's admitted that this deal will have a positive effect for the province immediately and the net benefit can be had as we proceed forward and reinvesting dollar for dollar for in other assets to appreciate greater value all of Ontario Mr. Speaker Member from Brampton Springdale Thank you Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker my question is for the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services Minister of the police officers in my community of Brampton Springdale have a difficult job to do and work very hard every day to keep us safe I often hear about the interactions between police officers and my community members many of which are positive however over the last several months we have also heard from many Ontarians in communities across the province about the impact of street checks in their lives Mr. Speaker I had the opportunity to attend one of the street check consultations which was held in my community of Brampton Springdale where many people shared their lived experiences with these interactions from these stories I could appreciate just how deep the impact of street checks is not just the people of my community but people across our province so Mr. Speaker through you can the Minister please explain what he is doing to resolve this important and ongoing concern Thank you Thank you very much Speaker and I want to thank the Member for asking a very important and relevant question Speaker I would like to first thank the hundreds of people who came out to the consultations that were held across the province those who provided their feedback and submissions through the online process and most importantly Speaker the young people I got the opportunity to meet with who shared their lived experiences during this entire process Speaker I'm going to be very honest with you those were very difficult conversations and they were very emotional conversations I want to thank them for coming forward and sharing their stories with us Speaker we heard very clearly from the community that carding or street checks by definition are arbitrary as well as discriminatory and therefore cannot be improved or regulated this simply must be ended and that is why Speaker our regulations have some important features that I will present to you during the supplementary Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the Minister for that answer I'm glad that the voices of my community across our province have been heard and that you are taking action to prohibit random and arbitrary stops this is an important step in ensuring a bias free policing in Ontario in helping to build trust between our police officers and the communities that they serve I know that police officers in my community will be able to continue to do the excellent work that they do keeping us safe while having clear and consistent rules to follow when engaging in public interactions but Mr. Speaker the changes that the Minister is proposing and the draft regulation are considerable and Ontarians need to have confidence that the officers will have the necessary skills to adhere to them Ontarians also need to know whether this training has been effective in removing bias from policing so through you Mr. Speaker can the Minister please explain the training that the officers will undergo and what will be done to study the outcomes Thank you Minister Thank you Speaker and we had the opportunity to of course work with our policing partners and community human rights Speaker there's three key parts to this regulation number one that there is an express prohibition on random and arbitrary collection of personal information by the police Speaker we're also introducing new rules to protect civil liberties during voluntary public police and public interactions where there is a valid policing reason such as informing individuals that they are not legally required to provide their information to the police officer and Speaker as the member mentioned we're also introducing new training data management reporting and other requirements to strengthen accountability and public confidence Speaker we're asking the Ontario Police College to develop this new and mandatory training we'll also be creating a panel of experts who are made up of police human rights experts, race relations who will work with the Ontario Police College in developing those training and we're also launching a multi-year study to look into the effectiveness Thank you a new question from the member Good morning Speaker my question is for the Minister of Finance the financial accountability officer confirmed today that the hydro on fire sale is a terrible deal for Ontario Stephen Leclerc told us quote you will have immediate gains but a loss of revenue over the long term he was very clear quote the province would realize a permanent deterioration in budget balance as a result of the transaction further he said quote the province would experience an ongoing negative impact on budget balance from foregone net income and payments in lieu of taxes from Hydro One Speaker it cannot be any clearer than this Minister the jury's in will you advise the Premier to stop this rock headed fire sale to the chair please wow this is great the member opposite comes from the party that was proposing to sell 100% of this company with a reckless plan as I mentioned before and they had the history of doing so in fact they're finished please furthermore they actually filled in holes on infrastructure projects that would have been great benefit for society in our community today we will not be wrong headed and we are not going to put our heads in that sand I don't tend to shout over people that are shouting but I will get attention and I'll ask the member from Simcoe Gray to come to order finish please the FAO validates our approach in a stage and careful way to ensure that we protect the interests of the parties of concern the member from Prince Edward Hastings the FAO makes it clear we are reducing debt we are paying down debt and we are retaining a substantive amount for reinvestment to produce new assets the FAO didn't go on to the issues around what those assets may be he didn't talk about the fact that foregone revenue will be replaced with new investments, new revenue stronger dividends, a stronger company that benefits everybody well thank you Speaker to the minister that report that minister read but Stephen Leclerc told us this will create quote permanent deterioration to the budget this is strictly a financing decision nothing to do with infrastructure so now their plan is clear the actual proceeds from this Hydro One sale are very little but it's just enough to make their books look good for a couple of years bringing us to the next election then it all goes downhill for Ontario from there Speaker the minister and the premier have been exposed yet again so I ask will you put an end to this charade and stop the fire sale thank you Mr. Finance Mr. Speaker we are going to build and we're not going to keep boring to build we're going to ensure that we reinvest assets that we own and we can do better than what Hydro One is doing right now and that's exactly why we're taking a very careful stage approach to ensure greater value for that operation and reinvest dollar for dollar into our economy the FAO made it clear that he did not assess what those real assets are doing and that's exactly why we're taking a very careful stage approach to ensure greater value for that operation and reinvest dollar for dollar into our economy needs a clear that he did not assess what those re-investments would accrue to the province that stimulus that would be created and he didn't assess also the valuation of those dividends over time nor should we speculate at this time because there's a quiet period but we know because a lot of people recognize that Toronto Hydro horizon and Prime Minister koska Deputy Premier, you know that the Financial Accountability Officer works for this House. You know that the Financial Accountability Officer tables his report here in the Legislature why because he works for us the members. Imagine the surprise of many this morning when they wake up to find out in the paper that his entire content of his report has been leaked to the paper. So it begs the question because we know the Financial Accountability Officer said he didn't leak the information. He said so at the press conference this morning. So who is it in your government that leaked that information to the paper? Will you come clean and tell us who that is? Thank you. Thank you. Minister of Finance. Mr. Speaker, we're very concerned about that report having been leaked as well. I can assure this member, I can assure everyone the minister of energy, the minister of finance or offices did not leak the report. We did not walk the halls of Queens Park yesterday. We are very sensitive to that secrecy. We respect the FAO. We respect his position. We want to ensure that we continue to operate in an appropriate manner and we want to ensure that that doesn't happen again, Mr. Speaker, because that is confidential information which we respect in this House. Thank you. Supplementary? Somehow I think most of the people of this province would tend to trust the Financial Accountability Officer when it comes to that he didn't leak the report. So somebody in your government leaked that report because they're the only people that got the copy. So I'm going to say again, you're denying that you're the guys who did it. If it wasn't the FAO, the only person that could have been is somebody within the Ministry of Energy or somebody within your own ministry. So will you come clean and find out who that person is and let us know who leaked that report out to the public? Mr. Speaker, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Energy did not leak the report. We want to make certain that those practices are speed protected and I have no interest in investigating. That's the third time. The member from Hamilton, East Stony Creek, come to order. Second time. Finish, please. And I have no interest in investigating the media on this as well. The member opposite is making accusations. I swine offensive because that is not the practice of this House. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Transportation. Mr. Speaker, as the member for Halton and as a daily commuter, I know well just how important transit and transportation are to those living in my community. In fact, I often hear from my friends, neighbours and local residents about the impact their community has on their lives. My constituents want accessible and reliable transit at convenient times. They want to get to work quicker in the mornings and they want to get home faster at night so they can spend more time with their friends and families. This is good for families. This is also good for our economy. Mr. Speaker, with this in mind, can the Minister please tell members of this House how our government is investing in transit and transportation in Halton and elsewhere to make the commute easier for Halton residents? Thank you. Minister of Transportation. Thanks very much, Speaker. I want to begin by thanking the member from Halton for her strong representation for her community. Of course, Mr. Speaker, this government continues to make key investments in transit and transportation infrastructure in Halton. With this 2004 Speaker, we have committed over $5 million through the Gas Tax Fund to the town of Milton to help improve and expand its transit services. And as part of Budget 2015, our government announced an investment of $13.5 billion to increase transit ridership and reduce travel times across the GO network. And this Speaker would include service every 15 minutes or better during the morning and afternoon peak periods along the Milton Corridor. On top of these investments, Speaker, we have committed over $540 million in Halton region to improve and expand local highways like the 401. Speaker, we know the importance of investing in transit and transportation infrastructure, and we will continue to make sure that these investments count for the people of Halton. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I want to thank the Minister for his response. I am pleased to hear about the investments our government is making for those living in my community and our province. These investments will significantly improve the daily lives of commuters and riders and their families. Over the summer, I was lucky to have a number of opportunities to speak with my constituents about the issues that matter to them. I heard about the need for increased GO service for those travelling from Halton to Toronto. People want more train trips, more bus trips and more comprehensive service. I also heard about the need for more parking for commuters using GO transit. As a commuter myself, I know firsthand just how important this issue is. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister please tell members of this House how we can address some of the challenges those in my community are currently facing? Thank you, Minister. Thanks very much, Speaker. Again, I thank the member for her question. We understand the challenges that those in Halton are facing, whether it be the need for increased GO service or for additional parking. Speaker, we have identified the potential for an additional 600 to 800 spaces at the Milton GO station, and we're currently undertaking feasibility studies to determine how these might be accommodated. These are concrete steps, Speaker, and I also certainly look forward to being in Milton later this evening with the member from that community at a town hall meeting, Speaker. This will give me the opportunity to hear from residents about the concerns they have on a wide variety of transportation issues, Speaker. But more than anything else, Speaker, I am extremely proud to serve alongside this member and all members on this side of the House, because we understand the importance of building the province up, Speaker, and the members opposite from both opposition parties could take a page out of our book when it comes to making hard decisions to invest in building this province up. Thanks very much, Speaker. The question is for the acting Premier. All along this government has been spinning a tail that the sale of Hydro One would bring in $9 billion of new money. Today's report from the financial accountability officer puts a stop to that government spin. Mr. Leclerc confirmed that $2.2 billion of that $9 billion figure is not new money. Mr. Speaker, how can the government be so short-sighted? At best, they're going to get a temporary boost of $1 to $2 billion, but they're losing an asset that produces $700 million a year in revenue for years going on. Mr. Speaker, will the acting Premier finally admit that they have not been giving the people of Ontario the straight goods on this bad fire sale? Thank you. Deputy Premier? Well, Speaker, in fact, the financial accountability officer today affirms our valuation of Hydro One, Speaker. We are on track to realizing our $9 billion target through the broadening of ownership of Hydro One. But, Speaker, I really think it's important that we look at what the lessons we learned from the mistakes you made when you were in government, Speaker, particularly with regard to the 407 lease. The government of the day did not implement any regulations for price setting, for example. In fact, Hydro One does not set its own rates. It will continue to be set by the Independent Ontario Energy Board. And we will introduce legislation to strengthen the regulatory oversight authority of the Ontario Energy Board to protect rate payers. Speaker, the province does not receive any from the 407 lease. In contrast, Hydro One, Speaker, the province does continue to receive revenue from Hydro One. Thank you. Supplementary? Mr. Speaker, back to the acting Premier. Dodge, deflect, deny, you know, how many governments in the past can you blame? Are you going to go back to Mitch Hepburn and John Roberts? Can we just try to stick to this decade? This government has known all along that the most important was limited new money on the fire sale of Hydro One. When you deduct the $5 billion that this government committed to putting towards hydro debt, it only leaves $1.4 billion in new money. It makes no sense to sell an asset that will only net $1.4 billion while you lose an asset that brings in $700 million each and every year. Mr. Speaker, will the acting Premier stop this madness and put an immediate stop to the sale of Hydro One? If there's ever a day to stop, there's ever a day to pause and recognize given the facts this is not in the best interest of Ontario, do the right thing. Stop the fire sale. Give me a reason to throw them out. Deputy Premier. Mr. Finance. Mr. Speaker, we talk about transparency. We recognize and remember that when this government came into power, there was a $5.6 billion hidden deficit that they hid from accountability. We are going to ensure that that never happens again. We were closely with the Financial Accountability Officer. Mr. Speaker, as we put forward legislation to protect the interests of the public by being more open. Member from Leeds, Grenville, second time. So we've taken those steps. In fact, we brought forward the Financial Accountability Officer to provide information prior to these assessments. And one thing that's critically important that the opposition never talks about. And that's the fact that we are going to retain 85% ownership of this company after the first launch. We'll assess effectively what that means going forward. Thank you. New question? Member from Oslo? Thank you, Speaker. Speaker, my question is to the Acting Premier. This morning's FAO report shows that the sale off of Hydro One is a bad deal for Ontario businesses. But this Liberal government continues to ignore that. In fact, Speaker, if they were listening, they would have heard that Ontario businesses cite soaring electricity costs as the number one factor hurting business competitiveness. This government sell-off won't even ensure relief from the debt retirement charge for these businesses. And on top of that, businesses are going to lose the Ontario Clean Energy benefit. Will the Acting Premier finally listen to the people of this province and stop the sale of Hydro One? Thank you, Deputy Premier. Well, Speaker, you know, there's a myth that the third party is trying to perpetuate across this province. And that myth is that Hydro One sets its own rates. In fact, the truth is Hydro One does not and will not set its own rates. So anyone who's drawing the link between the broadening of the ownership of Hydro One and increased rates is simply trying to create... I'm being careful, Speaker, in the choice of my words. They are creating a myth that actually is false. The OEB sets the rates for utilities. The OEB sets the rates now. The OEB will set the rates in the future. And as Hydro One becomes a stronger, better company, Speaker, that will actually reduce the upward pressure on rates. Thank you. Stop the electric. Thank you, Speaker. We already know that because of the rising cost of electricity, nearly 40% of Ontario businesses will delay or cancel investment in the province. This morning's report confirms that businesses will continue to face increasing expenses because of this government's reckless and short-sighted decision to sell off Hydro One. Business competitiveness is hurting in this province. So will the Acting Premier finally do something about this and stop the sale of Hydro One? Thank you. So, Speaker, I think that anyone who does business in this province will tell us that investment in infrastructure is one of the most important things we can do to improve our productivity, Speaker. And what this does, Speaker, what the revenue from Hydro One will allow us to do is build the infrastructure that is desperately needed. There is a real cost to not investing in the infrastructure. As I said earlier, for every $100 million invested in public infrastructure, there's an increase in real GDP of $114 million. So, Speaker, we're making investments. We're taking some assets, putting them into other assets that will yield an important return on investment fiscally and also significantly improve the quality of life of people who are asking for improvements in our infrastructure. Thank you. New question to the member of Mrs. Saundra Branson. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Labor. Last year, students from across Ontario participated in the Ministry of Labor's It Is Your Job video contest. In fact, Brené Noel and Martin Checker, two students from St. Francis Xavier Catholic Secondary School in my riding, won first prize for their video on workplace safety. They worked hard and dedicated their time to plan, film, and direct their video and learned a great deal about workplace safety. Conquests like this one are a great way to engage our students and empower them to learn about workplace hazards and safety. This year, I hope that even more students participate in this contest. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister provide more information so that students can start preparing for this year's contest? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Speaker, and thank you to the member for that very important question about engaging young people in health and safety. I was able to visit St. Francis last year, personally congratulate Brené and Martin, and I want to congratulate all the winners from last year and all those students that took time to create the videos. I would also like to mention that our second place winner, who came from Trenton High School, and the member from Northumberland-Winkey West Riding, went on to win first place in the All-Canada National Contest. Now, you can still see these video speakers. You can still see them on the website at the Ministry of Labor. I'd ask all members of the House, they're really well done, really impressed by the quality of the video speaker, the knowledge, the awareness that students really demonstrate about workplace safety. So I'm happy to announce today that the Students' Video Contest is taking place all over again this year. I'd ask all members of this House to encourage students in their own writing to participate, Speaker. Thank you. Thank you, Minister. I'm happy to hear that the Ministry of Labor continues to emphasize the importance of our students learning about workplace health and safety. Young workers need to know that they are protected against workplace health and safety hazard now and even after school. Mr. Speaker, I know that the Ministry of Labor is always looking to promote workplace health and safety. How is this Ministry working with people after they leave school to ensure that they understand health and safety in workplace? Thank you, Speaker, and thank you. Thanks again to the member for that great question. I'd ask all members of the House to assist me in getting the message out to young people because, Speaker, we must ensure that Ontarians, including our young workers, know that they've got rights to protect them against workplace health and safety hazards. It's an important part of our job, Minister of Labor. Last July, we made basic health and safety awareness training mandatory in this province for all workers and for all supervisors. Last night, Speaker, I was really proud to attend the fifth annual Safest Employer Awards Gala in Toronto. It recognizes those companies from right across Canada that have outstanding accomplishments in promoting the health and safety of our workers. I really want to say, if you start with the young people, you end up with results like this, Speaker. I was happy to see so many Ontario workplaces, such as the Sewer Area Hospital, the resident in by Marriott Downtown London. They took home Gold Awards last night, Speaker, in safety. We can all learn at a young age, continue it on, we get health and safety results that all Ontarians can be proud of. Thank you. The question is the number from Swan Hill. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Education. Former Liberal Finance Minister Greg Sorbara appeared on the agenda with Steve Paken this week. When asked about the millions of dollars this government promised to the teacher unions, he said, and I quote, the way it was done, it doesn't feel good. It doesn't look good. And there is a better way of doing it. Mr. Sorbara suggested that a better way would be to say, quote, let's put our expenses before an independent third party, and that independent third party will come up with a number and it will be transparent, open. Mr. Speaker, is the Minister prepared to take her former colleagues advice and designate a third party to review this apparent misappropriation of education tax dollars? Yeah. Yeah, great. Great. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I've heard this a couple of times and I'm just gonna make comment on it. The use of some words could imply something different and I would caution the member to make sure she stays on the other side of the withdrawal issue. Minister of Education. First off, I think it's important to understand that we have said repeatedly that because negotiations are ongoing, that we will not discuss the details of contracts. And in fact, the mediator has actually imposed a blackout on the discussions that are going on this week. And the point that, the reason I mentioned this is because we have always said that we would be quite happy to explain the net zero construct in the collective agreements once we have finished the negotiations. The payments in question are part of the net zero construct and I remain here. He's never from Renford, second time. Committed to. Answer? However, with respect to accountability, as both the Premier and I said yesterday, the money has not. Supplementary. To spin, this is a new one and we've been hearing it about the OPP investigations where we're often being told it's ongoing investigation so we can't comment. Well, now we're hearing it's ongoing negotiations, they can't comment. We know, Mr. Speaker, that net zero means the money came from somewhere and that money is coming from the classrooms. The public works long hours, Mr. Speaker, to make the money they contribute to government revenue. They deserve assurances that their education tax dollars go to direct education costs. They expect teacher union dues to cover the cost of negotiations as much as possible and should the education ministry need to cover any costs, that receipts will be submitted. Former Finance Minister Sabara seems to agree when he says, and I quote, put it in front of a third party. Get the receipts in there so that one can report fully on what happened. Mr. Speaker, is the minister going to show us the receipt for all expenses not already covered by the ministry? Thank you, Mr. President. The Premier said yesterday, as I said yesterday, the money has not flowed. There will be an accountability process, as I explained yesterday. There will be a schedule of allowable, allowable expenditure areas and that we will be verifying that. So, in fact, we are going to go through an accountability and verification process. But I repeat, this was part of net-zero. And we have already said repeatedly that as part of that net-zero construct, we actually do have offsets in terms of early discount retirement, perjury payouts, reductions in sick leave usage, more efficient delivery of professional development. And we will discuss that more fully when bargaining is complete in the blackout areas. Thank you. Send the member for message. Thank you very much, Speaker. With today's shocking revelations that, through the report, through the FAO, that the fire sale of Hydro-1, Speaker, to the acting Premier, thank you very much. Thank you. With today's shocking revelation through the report from the FAO, that the fire sale of Hydro-1 will only net $1.4 billion for government coffers, for infrastructure planning going forward. Will you do the right thing? Will you listen to the report of the FAO? And will you reverse the decision to sell Hydro-1? Thank you. Deputy Premier. Well, I guess my question to the member opposite is will you read the report of the FAO? Because he actually says that we're on track to achieve the $9 billion in revenue, Speaker. So I know there is a narrative that they are trying to drive, and I think it's really important that the public in Ontario understands that this is a decision that allows us to build an important infrastructure across this province, Speaker, and the FAO did his job, did a report, but it's incumbent upon every member of this legislature to actually understand what he said and not miscontrue the findings of the FAO. Thank you. Point of order, member from Nicobill. It gives me great pleasure to introduce my sister, Daniella Gelina, and her husband, John Hype, who just made it. One moment, please. It's the last day for somebody that has been sitting in here for a long time. Richard Brennan from The Star is leaving. So I think maybe we should say goodbye. Being from Brantford, I would hope I would get one good line out of the guy out of these years. The Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. To point of order, we're very pleased today that the page captain, Sebastian Ligertat, is from Peterborough, and that the members of his gallery joined by his grandfather, Dr. James Van Lee Ewen, his grandmother, Irene Van Lee Ewen, and his aunt, Annette Van Lee Ewen. We certainly welcome them to Queen's Park today. Mr. Speaker, I missed it earlier, and I just want to say that the mother of Cathy Morside, or Cathy Morside's, the page here, her grandmother is in the gallery today. We'd like to welcome Gerta Steffen here today. There are being no deferred votes. This house stands recessed until 1 p.m. this afternoon.