 It is now time for a question period. The Leader of Her Majesty's Royal Office. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. I'd like everyone in this House to think about where they were on November 10th, 2016. It was a particularly windy day in Ontario, and I can tell you what this government was doing on November 10th. This government was exporting surplus power. So much surplus power that Ontario might have set a record for power wasted. How much power did they waste, Mr. Speaker, on November 10th? They wasted $9.4 million worth of power. Now, Mr. Speaker, that might have been a record day for this government in terms of wasted power. So, Mr. Speaker, my question to the Premier... Stop the clock. I'm... You're not helping. I'm getting attention for your leader. It does seem like my calm request is not going to be heard, so I may have to move as quickly as possible to get control, so please don't make me get up again. I appreciate that. Please finish. Mr. Speaker, I guess the government's a little bit touchy when it comes to their power of giveaways, the electricity giveaways. My question, Mr. Speaker, was the government trying to set a new Ontario record that day for surplus electricity? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm very pleased to be able to stand and talk about remembering, Mr. Speaker, because I know every Ontarian remembers where they were in August of 2003 when that government actually let our system disintegrate, Mr. Speaker, right out, Mr. Speaker. We will continue to ensure that we invest in a system that is clean and reliable, Mr. Speaker. The member from Renfrew Nipissing Pembroke will withdraw, and the member from Renfrew Nipissing Pembroke is warned. We're now moving to warnings, and if it continues, we'll go into naming. I'm getting control today. Finish, please. You have one rep up. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Speaking of touchy, you know what, Mr. Speaker, we make sure that we have a reliable system, Mr. Speaker. We invested, we've made it clean, Mr. Speaker, and we're going to continue to have a great system, something that we can be proud of. When it comes to exports, Mr. Speaker, we are an ex-exporter, and the net benefit of those exports to ratepayers was $230 million in 2015, Mr. Speaker. Much better than actually having to spend $500 million like they used to. They used to have to pay to import electricity, Mr. Speaker. We've got it. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, I have a serious question for the Premier. Rather than re-eventing history and talking about a power failure in Ohio, I would appreciate an answer. We have a serious problem with surplus power in the province. So on November 10th, we gave away $9.4 million worth of surplus power. How much did we get for that? Any guesses? $144,000. We gave away $9.4 million worth of surplus power, and we got back $144,000. This is embarrassing for the province of Ontario. We are hurting our businesses. We are subsidizing competitors. And so my question to the Premier, and I know she's going to want to pass this off because she doesn't want to assume responsibility for this failure, but my question is, did the governors from New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania actually send us a thank-you note? And if so, what did the thank-you note say for all your great work on behalf of Pennsylvania and New York? Thank you. Minister? Mr. Speaker, it's obvious that the leader of the opposition has no idea how the system works, Mr. Speaker. At the end of the year, when you actually look at the books, Mr. Speaker, we make $230 million. But let's not forget, so in 2003, Mr. Speaker, when they had the blackout, when they let the system crash, Mr. Speaker, they spent $400 million. The member from... The member from Cinco Gray is Warren. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I was saying, in 2003, Ontario paid $400 million to import electricity, Mr. Speaker. We've made the investments now to ensure that we don't have to import electricity, that we're an ex-exporter, Mr. Speaker. We create a system in which we can make money now. We make $230 million at the end of the year, Mr. Speaker. 2015, $230 million. 2014, $300 million, Mr. Speaker. We've made sure that our system is clean. We no longer have coal, Mr. Speaker. It is reliable, and it is something, Mr. Speaker, that they left in tatters, and we had to fix, Mr. Speaker. Again, to the Premier. And once again, I hope that the Premier eventually will answer one of these questions rather than passing the buck. And so it's bad enough that we have... We're giving away surplus power, subsidizing our competitors and the states, and the government doesn't want to answer that. But we also have this fire sale of Hydro One, which has been denounced. 200 municipalities passing resolutions saying it's a bad idea. 80% of Ontarians and Poles saying, don't proceed. Stop the clock. The Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Sport and the Minister of Housing are warned. Now go ahead and blame each other, but you all have control of yourselves. Finish, please. Mr. Speaker, the Financial Accountability Officer saying this fire sale of Hydro One is a bad deal. Then you've got the cloud over the fundraiser for the Liberal Party that happened just after the fire sale by high-powered bankers. And now we have a lawsuit. Mr. Speaker, now the government is under a cloud of a lawsuit alleging wrongdoing with this fire sale. So my question, Mr. Speaker, is with all these concerns, with all this opposition, both inside Queen's Park, legislative officers, municipalities, and now a lawsuit. Mr. Speaker, will the Premier do the right thing and put a pause on the fire sale of Hydro One? Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. When it comes to Hydro One, Mr. Speaker, the broadening of the sale is actually allowing us to invest in infrastructure and transit, Mr. Speaker, and so much of it, Mr. Speaker, that I think it's important for me to talk about some of the great work that's being done by the Ministry of Transportation to address this issue. Mr. Speaker, I'm going to go ahead. The member from Leeds Grandville is Warren. The member from Chatham Kent Essex is Warren. Carry on. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So here's just some of the projects that were committed through the 2015 and 2016 Ontario budgets that come from this, Mr. Speaker. $13.5 billion for Go Regional Express Rail, 12 new Go stations along Kitchener, Berry, Lakeshore East Go, train service, Go Rail service. We're going to play. I'm going to win. The member from Dufferin Callaghan is Warren. Carry on. Bus service between Go Bus service between Cambridge and Milton. $43 million for proposed multimodal hub and Kitchener. Double the number of weekday trips along the Kitchener Go corridor. As well, Mr. Speaker, Highway 69 is being four-lane turning into a 400 series of highways. There are investments happening in the community of the opposition. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. Three questions on hydro and no answer. Obviously, the Premier does not want to be on the record on hydro. So I'm going to try something different and maybe the Premier will choose to answer this. This time on health care. Now, hopefully you don't pass this question as well. The government's talking points has been that the wait times are the lowest. But we found out in the Auditor General that this liberal talking point is... Stop the clock. The member from Etobicoke North is Warren. If you haven't got the message, I'll move rate to naming. Which I loathe to do. Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General said that patients visiting the emergency room or having surgery are now waiting longer now than any time in the past 20 years. This is directly from the Auditor General in complete contradiction that the Liberals have been saying on wait times. Patients are being rationed health care in this province. Patients are suffering. So Mr. Speaker, my question to the Premier directly. The Auditor General says the wait times are the worst in 20 years. Will you tell us the truth? How have you allowed this to happen? Go ahead. Mr. Speaker, it gives me the opportunity to say thank goodness we started measuring wait times in this province. It was that party the opposition party that didn't even bother to measure wait times for important surgical procedures for wait times in ERs. What we found when we came into office in 2003 as a result of that opposition party when they were in government under Mike Harris, we found that we had the longest wait times in all of Canada. Now as we measure those consistently year after year and make that information publicly available we have some of the shortest if not the shortest wait times for surgical procedures Mr. Speaker, for ER wait times Mr. Speaker, we have the shortest wait times in the entire country for access to MRI and CT and ultrasound and we've seen a decrease despite increasing population in the wait times in our ERs. That's because we're measuring it and that's because we fixed their mess so we mentioned. Mr. Speaker, again to the Premier, this is my fifth question today and I've yet to receive an answer from the Premier. So, you know, a story that was shared with my office was the story of Filomena Zeta. She's 81 years old and she was taken to the hospital last week after suffering a stroke. MZeta was placed on a stretcher along the hallway of an emergency room against a wall. She remained there for 32 hours with the hospital down tucked under her head as a pillow. When her family asked if this was normal, the hospital staff said, I quote, this is our Ontario healthcare system, yes it is. Mr. Speaker, I didn't get an answer on having the longest wait times in 20 years according to the Auditor General. Now we've got the story of Filomena Zeta and my question directly to the Premier and I would appreciate an answer is how can you allow this to happen in the province of Ontario? Well, thank you Mr. Speaker. The Auditor General has pointed us in the direction of how we can continue to make improvements. But it's important to remind the public Mr. Speaker that the leader of the official opposition who speaks so eloquently about the need for healthcare services, in 2013 it was Patrick Brown's government in Ottawa that closed the National Aboriginal Health Organization. He was part of a government that cut hundreds of jobs from Health Canada Mr. Speaker. He voted for a budget that acts the Canadian immigration interim federal program for healthcare for refugees. Mr. Speaker, and in 2011 he was part of a government that unilaterally announced they would scale back federal healthcare services. Costing the province is $36 billion. Thank you. Please tell me no. Recognize a new voice. Order please. What do you think? Order please. Final supplement. Mr. Speaker for the sixth time I have a question for the Premier. I have yet to have a single question answered today. Maybe on the sixth time I'll answer or a response. You know, hearing these liberal spins all of a sudden I was leading a government. You shake your head. You want to take that chance? The Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation is warned. Finish please. In each of the hospitals the Auditor General visited only one operating room remained open on evenings, weekends that was just for emergency surgeries they closed operating rooms for March break from anywhere between two and ten weeks in the summer. That's unacceptable. Doctors are willing to work. They want to work. Hospitals have the rooms and space available. Patients need the surgery but it's this liberal government that is stopping them. So Mr. Speaker for the last time today will the Premier finally answer a question and say how has she allowed this erosion of health care to take place? So we need to remember that it was his party in the last election that promised to cut 100,000 jobs many of them Mr. Speaker in health care. In fact it was his party Mr. Speaker that fired 6,000 nurses in this province and it was his party that closed 10,000 hospital beds Mr. Speaker so I have no doubt that just like under their party leadership and government we had electricity brownouts and blackouts with that party in power again we will have a health care brownout Mr. Speaker New question for the Premier the Premier began this session by promising a reset I hoped that this would signal that people would see the bold change that they would see in the future and I hope that that people would see the bold change that is needed in this province but since September instead of making Hydro more affordable the Premier is still selling Hydro 1 instead of fixing our health care system new data shows that 60% of our hospitals have an unsafe level of overcrowding instead of creating opportunity in good jobs young people are earning less and struggling to find work people can't wait forever then will Ontarians see some action on these files that they need to see action on Mr. Speaker on a range of issues that the leader of the third party has referenced we are working so I don't know if the leader of the third party remembers the throne speech but we made an announcement in the throne speech that we would be reducing the electricity costs as of January 1 taking the PST the provincial portion of the HST off their bills Mr. Speaker and that was an idea that had come from many places including from the third party so Mr. Speaker we are moving forward we are taking action but Mr. Speaker we need to look at what's happening in the economy in Ontario look at the number of jobs that have been created look at the fact that we are leading that growth Mr. Speaker we recognize that there is more to be done we recognize that everyone needs to feel that growth Mr. Speaker but we are on a path that is leading to economic growth in this province that is leading the country thank you people across Ontario want to have a reason to be hopeful the thing is they know what a great place this can be but they're worried they're worried that even though life is tough today for their kids the next generation won't have the opportunities they did unless we see some big changes it's only going to make life harder here in Ontario it's going to make it harder to create a good life here will this Premier tell Ontarians why she didn't use this past session to make the changes that people need to see the changes that we're making let's talk about the investment in 100,000 child care spaces Mr. Speaker that we are making let's talk about the fact that we are just this morning Mr. Speaker we made an announcement about community benefits projects that are going to tie job creation for young people who otherwise would not have access to the job market are going to tie those training opportunities to the building of infrastructure infrastructure Mr. Speaker that the third party does not support building but we are building and we're tying job creation infrastructure Mr. Speaker so those are the kinds of changes that are leading to the growth that we are seeing in the province those are the kinds of changes that we are making that will ensure a bright future for this province Mr. Speaker and that is exactly what government exists to do final supplementary people who own or work for a small business know that skyrocketing hydro costs are threatening their future hospitals are overcrowded the premier who is a former education minister and trustee has let schools crumble and repair backlogs grow and it is harder than ever to get a good job in this province a good job in this province with benefits and decent wages and that's not what people voted for Mr. Speaker they're disappointed because they expected so much more from this premier with one more day in the session Mr. Speaker will the premier commit to the action that people need to see to make life better for them and their kids here in Ontario if the leader of the third party is asking whether we will commit to rebuilding and renovating and building new schools yes we will we're doing that Mr. Speaker will we work on wait times will we make sure that people have access to primary care Mr. Speaker will we make sure that they have more direct access by putting in place that yes we will Mr. Speaker the member from Kitchener Waterloo is warned carry on the leader of the third party is asking whether we will make tuition free for low income students in this province Mr. Speaker you see it please thank you new question the leader of the third party Mr. Speaker my next question is for the premier as well but what I have to ask is why is it that after 13 years of liberals in charge in this province things have gotten so bad hospitals are dangerously overcrowded St. Mary's hospital and Kitchener the grand river hospital in Waterloo are regularly overcrowded but that's okay because I guess people can just go to Guelph right no Guelph general has been overcrowded for two and a half years how many people in Kitchener Waterloo and Guelph have been treated in hallways or gotten an infection in an overcrowded hospital the leader of the third party referenced my work as a school trustee and I know she will understand that as a former educator and school trustee she'll understand that when we came into office and the graduation rate in this province from high school was 68% Mr. Speaker we thought that was not adequate and Mr. Speaker the graduation rate now is 85% electricity grid that's reliable Mr. Speaker those are all changes that affect people's lives every single day now is there more to do is there more that we need to do to make sure that healthcare and education and electricity that all of those things work for people absolutely Mr. Speaker but has there been improvement on our watch absolutely Mr. Speaker you see any police start the clock new question oh sorry supplement Toronto hospitals are overcrowded as well Speaker and it means going to the hospital could leave you sicker than when you went in here in Toronto North York general sick kids St. Joseph's healthcare Toronto general Sunnybrook and St. Mike's are all overcrowded will the Premier tell us how many people in these hospitals here in Toronto have been treated in a hallway and how many got an infection because of the hospital overcrowding in Toronto's hospitals you know I do understand that negativity is up it's a tactic it's a strategy it's something that opposition parties choose to choose to use Mr. Speaker and I understand that it is their job to point out where there are challenges and where there needs to be improvement but I am not going to buy into the denigration of the healthcare system in this province I am not going to buy into a notion that somehow the hospitals and the healthcare workers in this province are not doing an excellent job because they are Mr. Speaker and I know that because I go into those hospitals I talk to the people who are working in those hospitals my grandchild my first grandchild was born in North York general Mr. Speaker it's a fantastic hospital Sunnybrook Hospital is in my ride delivers wonderful service that's the healthcare system in Ontario is there more to do absolutely 345 million for hospitals in the budget another 140 million thank you thank you final supplementary Mr. Speaker it's the government that's not doing a good job with the hospital system and it's leading to a crisis of overcrowding and the premier is denying it yet again just as she did yesterday consider it a safe lever for hospitals but according to the auditor general 60% of Ontario's hospitals are overcrowded some are filled to over 100% capacity speaker in 2014 the president of the Canadian Medical Association described how hospitals deal with occupancy rates that are over 100% and people being put in over capacity beds here's what he said what they really are are windowless nooks, crannies and room closets anywhere we can squeeze in a structure or a bed when will this government when will this government fund hospitals properly and develop policies to stop you see it in place thank you thank you Mr. Speaker and of course there's always more work to be done and that's why we introduced and will be voting on the patients first act shortly and I look forward to the response of the third party but I actually would prefer to take the perspective Mr. Speaker I actually prefer to take the perspective of my critic in the NDP party and I agree with her on this point that she was speaking initially about Ontario's cancer services saying they are one of the best in the world which is true and then she went on to say we have an excellent health care system and an excellent cancer care system I happen to agree with that assessment Mr. Speaker and in fact literally every third party analysis of our health care system ranks it as the best or one of the best in the entire country thank you Mr. Speaker thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the Premier this Liberal government doesn't want to take a clear stand when it comes to road tools that's because Liberal members outside of the downtown court know their constituents can't afford them because they know they can't afford stop the clock please the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services is warned carry on it's because they know that they can't afford to pay new tools those members need to stand up for their constituents Mr. Speaker will the Premier allow her members to vote with their constituents and against road tools on our leader's private members motion tomorrow much you know it's interesting I know over the last couple of days this topic has come up a number of times what confuses I think not only me Speaker but I would argue it confuses most people across the province of Ontario as it relates to where the leader of the opposition stands on this particular issue I'm looking at a quote from Patrick Brown from the Leader of the Opposition from the Flamborough Chamber of Commerce July 25th of this year here's the quote I read Speaker I don't think it's appropriate for the province to come in and say we know best when frankly it should be the local issues that have the best sense of where the gridlock exists Speaker interesting just a day later a day later in the Hamilton Spectator another quote from the Leader of the Opposition of municipalities if the mayor and council have stated very clearly that's where they want the provincial partnership to be Speaker that's where it'll be Speaker and this morning on CBC's Metro Morning Speaker that leader said what I have said on road tools is that I'm not against them completely Speaker Speaker the members for Durham Region York Region, Brampton Mississauga, Oakville, Scarborough Etobicoke and Warler Region need to stand up for their constituents they need to vote for their constituents constituents who want no part in highway tolls now Speaker something tells me they will be forced to vote the way the Premier's office tells them they need to decide if they're with the constituents or Premier Catherine Winn Mr. Speaker I'll ask again will the Liberal members be allowed to stand up and vote with their constituents and against road tolls Speaker I thank the member for the follow-up question here's another quote from the Durham Chamber of Commerce Durham in the 905 August 29, 2016 Speaker from the leader of the opposition quote we have to reflect what the top priorities are in each community by looking at what the council is saying and if there's a resolution of council saying that this is where the top priority is then governments should try to work with our municipal partners to respect the municipal wishes Speaker I think there's additional confusion Speaker because the only party that's ever come forward with a plan to toll in this province at the provincial level broadly speaking has been the Conservative Party with the 407 and then Speaker not more than a year or two later they sold the 407 they killed the Eglinton Subway they didn't just kill the Eglinton Subway Speaker they killed it and they filled it Speaker both of those transportation needs continue to haunt the people of this region and the people of this province we will not go back to those days Speaker we're building the province up and we're moving forward New question to member from Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you My question is for the Premier I have a question on behalf of the Premier's own constituents Aidan Weilsman is just 16 he was going blind and desperately needed surgery but his family was shocked and appalled to learn that OHIP wouldn't pay for the surgery to save Aidan's sides his parents were forced to choose between thousands of dollars out of pocket or let their son their child go blind it was an absolute nightmare no parents in this province should be let down so badly by their own government How can the Premier say that she believes in Medicare where care is based on needs not on ability to pay and at the same time refused to cover Aidan's surgery a surgery that is covered by many other provinces Thank you My heart goes out to the family to this young man and to his parents I know that the Minister of Health will speak to the specifics of the way decisions are made around these very very difficult difficult issues but what I will say is that it is extremely important in a healthcare system as large as ours that we have evidence based decision making that we have a system that relies on the expert evidence and that those decisions are made in as objective a way as possible based on the evidence that is paramount in a system as large as we have in Ontario Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Health will speak to that decision making process in the supplementary Thank you I believe in decision made based on evidence no problem about that but exactly how much effort is the Premier putting in developing the body of evidence that would allow us to make that decision it has been five long years studying these procedures every other provinces have concluded their body of evidence and supported the surgery but we are still reviewing meanwhile Aidan well deserve a bright future in his time of need this province said that he would have to go blind first before he could get any help from this government this is senseless and frankly this is mean Aidan face the first dilemmas of them all let your child go blind or pay for a surgery that you can't afford member premier with Medicare carries based on needs not on ability to pay why is this government putting the future of kids like Aidan at risk by refusing to cover the surgery to save them Thank you Mr. Speaker I am sure you all know that you are not only looking at the needs of people who need but based on evidence and science and expert advice Ontario health technology advisory committee or OTAC we took the politics out of the decision making for these procedures OTAC recommended this is for corneal cross-link surgery it be made available in a limited fashion because they determined appropriate alternative treatment pathway for patients with certain medical conditions so not withstanding that decision by the technical advisory committee we made corneal cross-link surgery available through Kensington on a conditional funding program not through OHIP because the science wasn't there but we made it available we quadrupled the funding for it anticipating having the results of that pilot available in the next few months and we will make an evidence and science decision based on the results of that report Thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the Minister of Transportation I know that the members of my community rely on transport each and every day whether they are a student who commutes from Barrie to York University or a parent who works in downtown Toronto or a senior who can now visit their grandchildren in Toronto they need a reliable way to get from Barrie to school and back home again when members of my community first heard about our government's 10 year goal regional express plan an investment of $13.5 billion they were absolutely thrilled that is because they knew that this investment would have a meaningful impact on their everyday lives and the way in which they move around the region ever since that announcement I hear often from constituents who are eager to know what they can expect when they can expect increased service along the Barrie line Mr. Speaker can the Minister please tell us when the residents of Barrie will see service improvements as part of our government's GoRER plan Thank you Mr. Chancellor Thank you very much I want to thank the member from Barrie for her question today and also for welcoming me to her community just a couple of days ago where we made a very important announcement I know she's been advocating for starting December 31st this New Year's Eve we are introducing new all year round weekend and holiday Go Service to Barrie Speaker this service this important service will include three trips from Allendale Go Station in Barrie to Union Station in the morning and three back in the evening for customers traveling between Toronto back home to Barrie Speaker this is an extremely important step this is an important demonstration of meaningful progress with respect to delivering two way all day Go Service on the Barrie Corridor Speaker it means for the first time ever year round on weekends and holidays that the people of Barrie will be able to get downtown to see a sports game, have dinner, see a show and be able to get back home safely in the evening Speaker Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the Minister for that answer I was very pleased to have the Minister in Barrie on Monday for such an important announcement and I've already heard from residents who plan to take full advantage of the new weekend and holiday service while I know this investment means a great deal to go train riders in my riding it also means the world to our local businesses for them increased weekend and holiday service means new people from across the GTA coming to Barrie to experience all that my city has to offer for instance this opens the door for more people to come to Barrie to attend classic like Kempenfest an arts and crafts festival that also features great food and entertainment Torontonians would also enjoy the wonderful protections of talk is free theater if it's too hot in Toronto in the summer families are now able to ride the go to the beautiful sandy Centennial Beach which is right across from the go stage Will the Minister please provide members of this House with information on the service announcement he made yesterday at the site of the future Downsview Go Station Thanks very much speaker I thank the member from Barrie for the follow-up question speaker in addition to the announcement that we made on Monday in Barrie I was pleased yesterday to join the member from Newmarket Aurora the Minister of Housing and the Minister responsible for poverty reduction and our member from York Center Speaker to announce that also starting this December 31st this New Year's Eve we will be introducing weekend and holiday year-round go train service for the next 25-minute intervals or better between Union Station and Aurora Station Speaker these service improvements are yet another example of our plan at work speaker I think it's important to stress and I can see nodding heads right around this chamber members of every caucus supporting the fact that we're delivering more speaker I would simply say that I call on opposition parties to join with us to support budgets to support the investments we're making in critical work. I would like to thank the members of the City of Toronto in York Region in Toronto and Kitchener Waterloo right across the greater Toronto and Hamilton area have the transit network that they need. Thank you Mr. Speaker my question is to the premier a group of constituents from the riding of Peterborough including Mayor Jero and council members from the township of Havelock Belmont Methune are here today calling the township has been campaigning for a long-term care home in the community and they have partnered with AON Inc to build it. They presented their application for 128 bed facility in 2011 but the ministry eventually responded by saying that they are not issuing any new licenses for new long-term care homes. In Peterborough area there's currently a wait list of over 2,700 people in need of long-term care which has the longest wait list for long-term care beds in the whole province and here we have a well prepared plan ready to go yet the government has done nothing. Will the premier commit to overturning her government's decision on this application and tell the good people from the township gathered outside that they will be getting their long-term care beds that they so desperately need. Thank you Mr. Speaker and I appreciate the question because it gives me the opportunity to express my gratitude and appreciation to the MPP from Peterborough because he and I have been discussing this issue intensively Mr. Speaker it's unfortunate that it took individuals coming to Toronto for the first time to actually raise this. The MPP from Peterborough Mr. Speaker and I have been working on this issue. We had a meeting recently specifically on the Havilok proposal I directed my office to become directly involved as they are. They've spoken my office has spoken with the mayor my office has spoken with the chief administrative officer as well we're looking at working to see if we can find a solution a solution Mr. Speaker that I believe meets the community's needs but also understands that there are a variety of mechanisms in place that can address this need Mr. Speaker Thank you Mr. Speaker a little bit below the belt the members have been working this for a very long time and you know that back to the Premier Mr. Speaker in terms of very weary of her government everything it touches ends up in scandal waste a mistake or a broken promise from you Premier your government wasted 8 billion dollars on a flawed e-health system frail seniors continue to go without access to a nursing bed this is unacceptable Speaker I've been trying valiantly to get this government to show us their capacity plan and say where they will build the promised new long-term care beds considering the Premier does not intend to put the needed beds in Havilok, Belmont, Metham will you admit that there never was a capacity plan for new beds and that your government has no plan to house the frail seniors on the way here here go plan Well Mr. Speaker we have been working hard over the past years where to the point where we have roughly doubled our investments in long-term care we've built since coming into the office 10,000 long-term care beds we're in the middle of a process now where we're redeveloping an additional 30,000 long-term care beds we are adding staff to our long-term care facilities including importantly and we added to that investment this year with new dollars importantly for behavioral supports because we recognize that the acuity is becoming more challenging there are more individuals in our long-term care homes with dementia with Alzheimer's forms of dementia Mr. Speaker but we are making those important investments we're adding the staff in fact we have added 1,200 nursing positions in our long-term care homes since 2008 there's more work to be done we have both a growing population and an aging population but that's work that we're undertaking including capacity planning Thank you very much Mr. Speaker my question is to the Premier Premier workers appeal region children's aid society have been on strikes since September not about wages but about workload yesterday the workers voted on the employer's last offer and they rejected it with 93% of the vote now the workers want to get back to bargaining they've looked to the minister and they've received nothing Premier with the vulnerable kids and families in appeal desperate for help and the workers wanting to get back to work where has your government been Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank the member for the question I just want to take an opportunity to thank the men and women and the society here joining us in the legislature today I recognize that they are hard workers and they're working evenings and evenings in many cases to protect our children and I just want to say on behalf of the government thank you for the work that you do Mr. Speaker I understand that there's efforts that are underway we need to make sure that process is followed I'm optimistic that the union and the employer are going to be able and I believe that Mr. Speaker we've put in place the proper oversight to ensure that the services are continuing to be served we've made sure that we monitor the society on a daily basis and that we're confirming the mandated services are being delivered Mr. Speaker and that the contingency plan is being followed Thank you Mr. Speaker Thank you Mr. Speaker back to the Premier Families and children don't want to be thanked they want to see this issue resolved the vote can be proposed a compromise and the strike and let everyone get back to work by sending a few outstanding issues to binding arbitration but the employer refused CIS management wanted to force a vote and now they have a result but it's still unresolved Speaker why did the Premier let caseload sore, morale sink work stoppage, drag on affecting the most vulnerable kids and families in peel Minister of Labour Minister of Labour thank you to the member for that question Speaker last night a vote was held QP was able to vote the QP members took place in a vote I think they clearly expressed their will in that regard Speaker and we certainly respect that I know this morning the parties have been in touch with the ministry I have assigned my senior arbitrator to the case Speaker I think that both parties as a result of the vote last night are taking a look at this through fresh eye Speaker at the Minister of Labour what we want to ensure is that in the vast majority of cases in the province of Ontario 98% Speaker of collective agreements are put in place with no strike with no resort to lockout in this case Speaker that hasn't happened we think that the parties can come to agreement we're prepared to work with them this morning they both have been in touch with my ministry we're prepared to support that resolution Speaker because we need these workers back on the job new question member from Kitchener thank you Speaker my question is for the Minister of Energy many of us will remember how gasoline prices soared a few years ago we were paying up to $1.30 a liter to fill our tanks but gas prices in Ontario have fallen sharply in recent years regular operation of the market has ensured that these savings are being passed on to consumers at the same time many families have expressed concern over the fluctuating cost to gasoline prices sometimes spike unexpectedly and often have great variation from one area to the next without any obvious explanation to consumers the minister recently announced that he's seeking a review of the transportation fuel market to provide greater insight for Ontario drivers Speaker could the minister please tell this house how this review is going to provide consumers with more transparency of the fuel market Minister of Energy thank you Mr Speaker I'd also like to thank the hardworking member for Kitchener for that question families in Ontario what the prices they face at the pump and I know Mr Speaker particularly in northern Ontario they have asked for more information on just how these gasoline and diesel prices are set so Mr Speaker I've heard these concerns and so I asked the Ontario Energy Board to conduct a thorough review of the Ontario fuels market and transparency Mr Speaker will be the cornerstone of this report so in the coming months the Ontario Energy Board will consult with key stakeholders and reveal three items first Mr Speaker they will explore the causes of price variations across the province second they will identify how the Ontario market compares with other jurisdictions Mr Speaker and finally they will examine what information is made available to consumers about pricing and price variation so Mr Speaker the Ministry of Energy plans to use this report to identify gaps in information about the fuel market and as a better result serve customers thank you Mr Speaker thank you Mr Speaker and I'd like to thank the Minister for his answer and let him know that we miss him here in the back seat we know that there are a number of factors that go into retail gas prices in Ontario you've got crude oil costs taxes and the retail margin these are all components of the price that consumers pay at the pumps historically our provinces gasoline market has fared very well Ontario cities often have the lowest gas prices in all of Canada a detailed report of the gasoline market will certainly help consumers identify these price components and understand how Ontario compares to the rest of the country Mr Speaker the Minister referred to stakeholders being consulted as part of this retail process could he please identify some of the stakeholders who he's going to be consulting in this upcoming review Mr Speaker thank you Mr Speaker and again I want to thank the member for that question and for the supplementary as well Mr Speaker as the member indicated our ministry is listening carefully to the stakeholders most affected by varying fuel prices Mr Speaker in addition to consulting with the general public the OEB will start conversations with the retail transportation fuels industry the Federal Competition Bureau Mr Speaker there are reports that are on this issue the ministry Mr Speaker is also in the midst of consultations on the next long term energy plan the review will be complimentary with this planning process Mr Speaker contributing to a greater understanding and a path forward to the transportation fuel sector Mr Speaker when I was at the Federal level I was a vocal advocate on this topic about gasoline prices in Ontario and now as Minister Mr Speaker I am pleased to be part of a plan which will be more transparent for Ontario's on this important issue Mr Speaker thank you very much thank you very much Mr Speaker my question is to the Minister of Health and long term care this morning we've witnessed another example of how this government uses studies and committees to delay and ration healthcare Aiden we've heard about a healthy young high school has degenerative eye disease and if left untreated he'll legally go blind when Aiden's parents met with ophthalmologist to review his options they were told there is hope there is a surgery that is available that can save Aiden's eye set but OHIP doesn't cover it Speaker other provinces have studied the scientific evidence backing this procedure and are covering it why is the Minister using more of the precious healthcare dollars to study it further so they could actually go to the procedure and give this child as I say will the Minister act and give this child a procedure well Mr Speaker it's because we're following the advice of the Ontario Health Technology Advisory Committee we didn't make a political decision I didn't make a decision on whether or not to fund this we followed the advice of our scientific and clinical evidence based experts who told us that we should on a basis an experimental basis that we should fund in a limited fashion this procedure which is one of a number of options that's available for individuals with particular medical conditions and so on that basis following the direction of the advisory committee which I would hope that members of this legislature would agree is an appropriate approach to take for coronal cross link surgery and quite frankly anything we do in healthcare but on that basis we funded a conditional limited pilot program specifically for patients with progressive corneal thinning disorders we funded that through the Kensington eye clinic we continue to fund that we've quadrupled the funding and we're close to seeing the results of that pilot thank you supplementary back to the minister I don't think there's any common sense left in this government every other province has looked at this procedure researched the scientific evidence and said it's a good bonus let's do it let's fund it but this government wants the tail wagging the dog the bureaucracy that they keep developing and growing as we see with bill 41 today is hurting patients across this province it's time for a change this government's ways mismanagement in this province has become so rationed that kids like aid and another one bail in who has the same problem their health outcomes rely solely on the generosity of others the province has been studying this issue since 2011 how many years it take to realize this treatment is critical for suffering families when will the minister act when will the minister listen to other provinces across this country fund the treatment and give kids their eyesight thank you minister the speaker and I believe that Ontario patients are best served when we make our decisions based on science and based on evidence we have an explicit direction of a technical scientific clinical expert committee that has guided us in this particular procedure which is one of a number of procedures Mr. Speaker that are available I know that the member opposite would like to fund anything that comes before him we have a process we've taken the politics out of the process it's clear to me that that party would bring the politics back in and instead of allowing clinicians experts technical committees established to make these difficult decisions instead of allowing that process to take place it's clear that the member opposite in this party would make these decisions based on politics alone thank you thank you speaker my questions to the premier last month a regulation was quietly introduced that will change how much unpaid leave is available to workers in this province now interesting the change only impacts one small part of one sector the non unionized auto sector the change affects the amount of personal leave time unpaid leave a non union worker can take and it limits bereavement leave for these workers to three days the very next week the premier was off to a trade mission in Japan and Korea where she met with auto industry executives my question is why was this change made why was it made in this way so quietly and why now well mr. Speaker I know that the minister of economic development and growth is going to want to comment on this but I will just say mr. Speaker that the trip that the mission that we that I led to Korea and to Japan mr. Speaker was largely to meet with companies in the auto sector mr. Speaker companies that are investing in Ontario companies that are expanding their footprint in Ontario mr. Speaker creating jobs and really fueling part of that economic growth that we are seeing in Ontario that is leading the way in the country mr. Speaker so it was a very worthwhile mission it was very worthwhile to enhance those partnerships and mr. Speaker I will just say in general that we are working to find ways to help businesses to remove regulatory burden mr. Speaker where it is getting in the way of businesses and at the same time make sure that workers are kept safe and that they have decent working conditions mr. Speaker that balance is what we strive for thank you supplementary well how progressive is actually supporting recessionary issues like this for workers in this province you know it's funny this government has been asked whether it will commit to make progressive changes new democrats have called for like a $15 minimum wage making it easier to join and stay in a union and the answer has been we can't commit now the changing workplaces review is underway well I can tell you the changing workplaces review authors have been clear employers didn't engage in the review process not a auto manufacturer made a submission on changing unpaid leave or bereavement leave for workers it isn't even at anywhere near close to the top of the list so why was this made mr. Speaker and why when faced with doing the right thing for hard working Ontarians and what's best for the powerful friends of the liberal party why does this government in thank you mr. Speaker so when the government has a choice whether to actually work with workers or choose their powerful friends why does the government continue to choose their friends over the people and the workers in this problem Speaker the changing workplaces review now is being underway for some time Speaker and we've had engagement from Labour we've had engagement from advocates we've had engagement now from the business community Speaker everybody is bringing their best to the table they're bringing their best ideas Speaker the emergency leave in the province of Ontario Speaker it's been around for some time it's used by employees the way that it should be used what was suggested was that we might want to do a pilot project we might want to see if we can bring in personal emergency leave that works in a different way but provides the same services to those people that are employed in that industry Speaker we made this decision based on good advice we asked the advisors to bring forward their recommendations we asked if they bring it forward and I would outline and I want to be very very clear that this is a pilot project Speaker to see if it works in this particular industry well thank you Speaker my question is to the Minister of Housing and the Minister responsible for the poverty reduction strategy now Speaker we all know that it's important to have solutions across the housing spectrum to ensure that every person has a affordable home and very recently I had the opportunity to participate in a groundbreaking event at the village by the main station in my riding of beaches east York where I was pleased to learn about the great work that the non-profit housing developer Options for Homes is doing to make home ownership a reality for low income residents since 1994 Speaker Options for Homes has helped thousands of low income people and families obtain home ownership and beaches east York at this particular development we're building 275 low income units where people are stepping up and buying them for their families and I'm very very proud of you so Speaker will the Minister please explain to our House how the government is helping low income families purchase a home thank you well thank you and thank you to the member from beaches east York for that question and for his festive tie the member is correct providing access to affordable home ownership for low income families is an important part of Ontario's long-term affordable housing strategy Speaker today the Government of Canada in Ontario announced $865,000 in funding for Options for Homes through the investment in affordable housing program that program improves access to affordable housing for households across Ontario we've invested over $1.6 billion that's $1.6 billion in the investment in affordable housing program the program gives service managers the flexibility to choose what components to fund in their own communities because we understand they know best well thank you Speaker and thank you to the Minister I'm so glad to hear that our government is making these investments in affordable housing I know that my constituents in beaches east York who purchased this unit extremely appreciate very much appreciate the hard work the Minister is doing to bring affordable housing in Ontario this funding does help strengthen the economy and it will improve the quality of life for all Ontarians and I've heard from so many of my constituents and others across the province that we have a need to create inclusive communities with a range of housing options and that's why Speaker I was so pleased to see that our government passed the promoting affordable housing act yesterday afternoon in the House Bill 7 as you know will allow municipalities like the City of Toronto to use inclusionary zoning as a tool to create more affordable housing can the Minister explain to the House how Bill 7 will help create even more affordable housing across Ontario thank you Minister well thanks again to the member from beaches east York for that question and an opportunity to talk a little bit about Bill 7 the promoting affordable housing act which is a landmark piece of legislation Speaker it's going to help increase housing access and affordability for all Ontarians Mr. Speaker one of the new tools now available to municipalities is inclusionary zoning Bill 7 gives municipalities the option to require affordable housing units to be included in residential developments this would enable the private sector to play a much larger role in providing affordable housing and Speaker before I end I just wanted to recognize the work of the member from Parkdale High Park for her advocacy on inclusionary zoning you know she brought forward a number of bills inclusionary zoning is just one of the many tools that the province is moving forward with to increase the supply of affordable housing I beg to inform the House that pursuant to standing order Bill 7 the Bill 8c a change has been made in the order of the President's on the ballot list for the private members business such that Mr. Fidelli assumes ballot item number 37 and Mr. Yakubusky assumes ballot item number 42 we have a point of order from the Deputy Premier just love to welcome two members of my constituency office staff Neil Whirly and Adam Wall welcome I'm delighted to have you here today the principal of my son's school Southwood secondary school Kelly Kemple thank you my position the final report on the August 14th 2003 blackout printed in 2004 and I'd love to give a copy to the Minister of Energy first of all first of all when I stand you sit I'm sure you are and also that's not a point of order we have deferred vote on the motion the third reading of bill 41 and act to amend various acts in interest of patient care center patient centered care calling the members this would be a five minute he wanted to do the vote all members please take your seats we are today Mr. Hoskins move third reading of bill 41 and act to amend various acts in interest of patient centered care all those in favor please rise one at a time may be recognized by the clerk Mr. Hoskins Mr.halμhoto Mr. Factory Mr. stakeholder. Mr. Mr. Praise Mr. Mr. Mr. Coddwell. Mr. Dixon. Mr. Dixon. Ms. Mangat. Ms. Manga. Mr. Crack. Ms. Crack. Madam LaLong. Madam LaLong. Ms. Domela. Ms. Domela. Ms. McGarry. Ms. McGarry. Ms. Mora. Ms. Jassett. Ms. Jassett. Ms. Jassett. Mr. Zimmer. Ms. Zimmer. Ms. Albanese. Ms. McMan. Ms. McMan. Mr. Ballard. Mr. Ballard. Ms. Nidu Harris. Ms. Nidu Harris. Ms. Wong. Ms. Wong. Mr. Fraser. Mr. Potts. Mr. Wynaldi. Mr. Wynaldi. Ms. Verneel. Ms. Verneel. Madam DeRosier. Madam DeRosier. All those opposed, please rise. One at a time. Mr. Yura. Mr. Yura. Mr. Mrs. McLeod. Mrs. McLeod. Mr. Wilson. Mr. Wilson. Mr. Jones. Mr. Brown. Mr. Brown. Mr. Clark. Mr. Clark. Mr. Fidelli. Mr. Fidelli. Mr. Yacobaske. Mr. Yacobaske. Mr. Miller. Perry San Mascoka. Mr. Miller Perry San Mascoka. Mr. McNaughton. Mr.Usdewa. Mr. Osterho. Mr. Walker. Mr. Walker. Mr. Smith. Mr. Smith. Mr. Harris. Mr. Harris. Mr. Nichols. Mr. Nichols. Ms. Marto. Ms. Martot. Mr. McDennell. Mr. McDinell. Mr. Koe. Mr. Koe. Ms. Lady Patty. Mr. Herp. Mr. James Chung. Mr.pp instruct. Mr.zą structure. Mr. ONES dampon country. Mr.马ten. Mr. Lopez. Mr. Nort. Take It. Mr. Go Apollo. Mr. Kujo Marasca. Mr. arrives. Mr. Hatfield, Ms. Gretzky, Mr. Gates, Ms. French, the eyes are 53 the nays are 42 The eyes being 53 and the nays being 42 I declare the motion carried Third reading of the bill, 20th lecture, Proje de Monde Resolved at the building This house stands recessed into 1 p.m. this afternoon