 It is time for a question period. The leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. The government could be fighting climate change by investing in Ontario. Instead, I've learned the Liberals think the best way to fight climate change is by sending hundreds of millions of dollars to California. In fact, according to industry experts, by 2020, Ontario will be spending nearly $300 million a year to buy emissions credits from California in order to meet their emissions targets under the Western Climate Initiative. Where is that money coming from, Mr. Speaker? It's being paid by Ontario businesses and families. So, Mr. Speaker, instead of fighting climate change in Ontario, why does the Premier insist on sending $300 million to California? Can you see the police? Can you see the police? Thank you. I'm going to be jumping on any time in which I'm standing and when I sit and if it starts, I'm going to get you. Premier. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Well, last time I checked, Ontario was part of the globe, Mr. Speaker. Ontario is part of a world that is facing the greatest threat to humanity that we have ever faced, Mr. Speaker. Now, if the leader of the opposition wants to deny that we face that challenge, if the leader of the opposition wants to suggest that somehow, if we just say, oh, well, you know, climate change is a problem and then do nothing about it, Mr. Speaker, he could not be... Remember, from rents to come to order. It is our responsibility to tackle this threat. It is our responsibility to put in place a system that is going to advance innovation, Mr. Speaker, and reinvest in companies that are going to develop innovation and are going to develop technology, Mr. Speaker. That's why we're linking our markets to California and Quebec because we understand that this is a globe... Remember from Prince Edward Hastings' second time. We'll threat and we each have to do our part, Mr. Speaker. Well, Mr. Speaker, the Premier hasn't denied her plan to help California's economic development. So I'll be a bit more specific, Mr. Speaker, to the Premier. The people of this province deserve a climate change strategy that reduces emissions, create jobs and save people money in Ontario. Instead of fighting climate change in Ontario, the Liberals plan on sending $300 million a year to subsidize the wealthiest in Beverly Hills. People in Milton and Orangeville will be sending millions of dollars to Malibu and Orange County. Mr. Speaker, on the Premier's last jump to California, did the Governor thank her for her $300 million that she will be subsidizing California with? Mr. Speaker mentioned Orangeville. My grandchildren live in Orangeville, Mr. Speaker, and I have to tell you that there are nieces and nephews and children and grandchildren who are going to benefit from the plan that we're putting in place because, Mr. Speaker, we're going to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We're going to invest in companies that are developing technology that, yes, will reduce greenhouse gas emissions here in Ontario, but will offer solutions around the globe, Mr. Speaker. That's our responsibility. We have one of the most highly educated populations in the world. It is our responsibility to tackle this challenge and do it in partnership with jurisdictions around the world, Mr. Speaker. I'm sorry, the Leader of the Opposition does not get... Final supplementary. Mr. Speaker, again to the Premier, sending $300 million to California will do nothing to reduce emissions in Ontario, and that money is just the beginning. It actually gets worse. Experts suggest by 2030 Ontario companies will be paying almost $3 billion a year to buy credits from California. $3 billion that companies could be spending right here in Ontario to fight climate change and create jobs. And there are different approaches. You look at British Columbia, where the money collected from carbon pricing is spent... They're from Trinity, Spadina. British Columbia. In British Columbia, they're not sending money to California like this Premier wants to do. Instead, our Premier wants to subsidize, wants to send $3 billion to San Diego and Santa Cruz. Mr. Speaker, it's bad enough that this government's been killing jobs for 13 years. Why is this government subsidizing California? Thank you. Member from Renfrew, Nipissing, Pembroke, second time. And I'm desperately close to warnings. And that's my signal to you. Premier. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. This is a market that we are entering with Quebec in California. Mr. Speaker, there's an exchange of credits. Mr. Speaker, the revenue to Ontario will be $1.9 billion. That money will be reinvested in green technology, Mr. Speaker, in retrofitting businesses and homes, Mr. Speaker. You know, the difference between this jurisdiction and other jurisdictions is our greenhouse gas emissions are going down, Mr. Speaker. And that is the point of the cap and trade system, Mr. Speaker. I am so committed to working in conjunction with other jurisdictions. You know, the weather, Mr. Speaker, the weather here we don't live in a state that's separate from the rest of the globe, Mr. Speaker. We can't cut ourselves off from the rest of the planet. That may be the kind of... You're not helping. Wrap up sentence, please. That may be the kind of isolation that the leader of the opposition thinks is possible, but it's not reality, Mr. Speaker. We live in the real world, and we have to tackle climate change. New question? The leader of the opposition. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. Obviously, the government made a miscalculation. They didn't realize they'd be sending $3 billion to California. In B.C., B.C. dollars stay in B.C. to fight climate change, which is appropriate. Under this government's plan, they are subsidizing California. The right thing to do is acknowledge they made a mistake. Of course. In fact, the Institute for Competitiveness and Prosperity revealed there was no guarantee that under the Ontario Plan, emissions will be reduced in Ontario's borders and that Ontario won't meet its reduction's targets. While this government is unlikely to meet their emissions, they're actually going to be helping put convertibles on the road in California. So, Mr. Speaker, my question is, it's still not clear why the Premier believes it's appropriate to help California, to subsidize California to create jobs and fight climate change, why she doesn't want to do it here in Ontario. I would not be more wrong. We met our 2014 reduction targets, Mr. Speaker. For climate change, it was a privilege for me to be able to attend the Paris Summit, Mr. Speaker, with Prime Minister Trudeau and to work with the other provinces to make sure that we meet those targets, Mr. Speaker. So, the work that we've done so far has been without the support of the former government, Mr. Speaker. We are on track to reduce our targets by 2020. And, Mr. Speaker, this is... this is humanity's challenge. This is humanity's challenge across the globe. If the leader of the opposition is not interested in joining us, we'll go it along with that. Supplementary. Mr. Speaker, again to the Premier. There was no... Minister of Finance, second time. Mr. Speaker, there was no denial by the government that they are sending $3 billion by 2030 to California. Ontario deserves a climate change strategy that reduces emissions in Ontario. A plan that actually creates jobs and saves people money. Today, the environment minister's plan will be before the Liberal Caucus. Will the energy minister vote against a plan that will drive hydro prices even higher? Will the economic development minister vote against a plan that kills thousands of auto jobs? Or will they instead vote for a plan that will send almost $300 million a year to subsidize the wealthiest in Beverly Hills? So, Mr. Speaker, my question to the Premier is why does she think it's appropriate for Ontario to be subsidizing Beverly Hills? Thank you, Premier. Mr. Speaker, I think it's appropriate to fight climate change. I think it's appropriate to join a market to join a market with Quebec and with California. You know, the leader of the opposition says, in Ontario, Mr. Speaker, you can't fight climate change in Ontario. Full affairs and housing will come to order. And the member from Renfrew Nipissing, Pembroke, warned the minister of the minister of natural resources and forestry come to order. In that market, that will flow back and forth. We will reinvest $1.9 billion in Ontario and Ontario businesses and Ontario residents, Mr. Speaker. Final supplementary to member from here, members. Back to the Premier, Speaker. Not only is this government continuing to dodge the truth that $3 billion of taxpayers' money will go to California every year, but yesterday, Speaker, we received a letter from the Financial Accountability Officer. Mr. Leclerc said that the Liberals twisted his committee testimony in which he detailed the serious lack of transparency with the government's cap-and-trade scheme. I was shocked to hear that the member for beaches east York twist the words of the Financial Accountability Officer and claim that he consulted with Mr. Leclerc when, in reality, no consultations ever took place. Speaker, why is this Premier allowing the member from beaches east York to misrepresent the testimony of an independent... The member will withdraw. Withdraw? Carry on. Why is this Premier allowing the member from beaches east York to twist the testimony of an independent officer of this level of nature? Here, here. Can you give him back an explanation? Don't risk one more comment for a warning. Minister. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the support from the party. It's too bad they're not so enthusiastic about the climate today. So, Mr. Speaker, the investments that we make with the proceeds here create pools of capital here that attract capital. As you may know, California and Ontario are the two leading jurisdictions in direct foreign investment, Mr. Speaker. And when you see the action plan, you'll have a sense of the private and public partnerships in pooling capital. Yes, there will be money that flows back. The member from here on Brustcom North, you asked the question. But, Mr. Speaker, without a linked market, the cost of price carbon per ton would skyrocket to exorbitant and unavoidable levels, which is what they're suggesting. Thank you. New question from the member from Brownlee Gore-Moulton. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Today, we're joined by nurses from Hamilton. Last year, St. Joseph was forced to cut 52 nurses. This year, the schedule to cut a further 61 nurses. They're being cut in the recovery room, the operating room, the kidney program, cardiology, acute mental health, complex care, respiratory, pre-surgery assessment, dialysis, day surgery, medicine, medical rehab, and geriatric outreach. Will the Premier agree to stop the cuts to healthcare services in Hamilton? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And, you know, we've answered this question a number of times. The leader of the third party is simply wrong. There are more nurses working in Ontario this year than there were last year. Mr. Speaker, we're making a $1 billion investment in healthcare as a result of our budget, and of that $345 million, Mr. Speaker, is for hospitals. So we have increased the number of nurses year over year. We continue to invest in the healthcare system. But you know what is really critical to understand, Mr. Speaker, is that if we do not transform our healthcare system, if we do not work to change the healthcare system so that it delivers healthcare where people need it, when people need it, understanding the demographics, Mr. Speaker, then our healthcare system will not be able to respond to the realities of our population. So that transformation is underway. There are hospitals being built around the province. There are hospitals being renovated, Mr. Speaker, and there are more nurses this year than there were last year in the system. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, it doesn't help when the Premier doesn't talk about the realities of people in this province and in Hamilton. It's not just St. Joseph's. Hamilton Health Services was forced to cut 25 nurses. These are real cuts. This is going to impact cancer patients, adults with mental health, people with heart disease, kidney issues, people going for surgeries. These are all the people that are going to feel these cuts. Will the Premier stop the cuts to Hamilton's healthcare services? Thank you. Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I want to thank the member opposite for the question and the opportunity to clear up the misconceptions that are being presented. My ministry, as you can imagine, Mr. Speaker, is being constant communication with St. Joseph's health system in Hamilton during and through these staffing changes. And I'm happy to announce that vacancy and early retirement absorbed all nurse staffing changes, Mr. Speaker. No nurse who wished to continue working faced a job loss or labour disruption. And, Mr. Speaker, I think that shows the difference between how our government is managing the system and, quite frankly, St. Joseph's in Hamilton is one of the leaders in that transformation of care, moving more care out into the community through an integrated model. But it demonstrates the difference that we're taking compared to both the parties opposite, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Final supplementary. Mr. Speaker, I don't know how the Premier and her minister have stood up in this House and said that hospital services are not being cut. Ask any of the nurses here. Ask the patients who are being treated in hallways or in hospital conference rooms. These cuts are real and people are baiting them. Will the Premier really look people in the eye and deny that healthcare cuts, that hospital cuts are actually happening? Well, Mr. Speaker, and I want to acknowledge the nurses who are with us here this morning, there won't be changes or cuts to services being provided as a result of these changes, Mr. Speaker. We're increasing the budget of St. Joseph's healthcare by $3 million this year. It's almost a 50% increase since 2003. But I want to remind the third party of their record in Hamilton when they were empowered. They cut $8 million from what was known as the Hamilton Civic Hospital, the General Hospital, and the Jervinsky Hospital. They cut $5 million from St. Joseph's healthcare in 1994 when they came into power. In Burlington, of course, they also cut as well as Joe Brandt by $2 million. But there were layoffs as well. 115 RNs received layoff notices at Shidok McMaster. They laid out 61 RNs at the Hamilton Civic Hospital. They closed 124 beds and 71 layoffs at St. Joe's. So we're not going to take lessons from their record, Mr. Speaker. We're doing it in a much more responsible way. New question. Members and members, welcome. Hospital funding should keep up with inflation. This question, again, is to the Premier. Hospital funding should keep up with inflation. Hospital funding should also keep up with population growth. The Liberal government likes to talk a lot about hospital increases in terms of funding. Will the Premier answer the simple question? Will you commit to ensure that funding for hospital care keeps up with population growth and with inflation? Mr. Speaker, as I have said, we have increased funding for hospitals year over year. For healthcare year over year, this year, Mr. Speaker, a billion dollars for healthcare and $345 million for hospitals alone. We understand that there have to be changes in the healthcare system. The member opposite does not seem to understand that there has to be a transformation of the way we deliver services in healthcare. People demanded, people want a different delivery service they want healthcare. Where they are living, Mr. Speaker, they want it in their homes, they want it in the community. That's the change that we're undergoing right now, Mr. Speaker, as we continue to increase the funding for healthcare year over year. Thank you, supplementary. Mr. Speaker, the Premier and the Minister see healthcare as a PR exercise. Announcing funding that doesn't keep up with population growth or inflation may make a great headline for the Liberal Party and the Liberal government, but it certainly doesn't help patients. So the question is this, will the Premier make healthcare about the patients in Ontario and not about the government's PR machine? Mr. Health and Long-Toon Care. Mr. Health and Long-Toon Care. Well, Mr. Speaker, I just wish the third party would talk about the whole picture and not just the gross layoffs that they are drawn to. That they admit, Mr. Speaker, that we're increasing the line item for hospital operating funding by more than 2%. They keep insisting that it's 1%. We are increasing base by 1%, but an additional 1.1% for other operating costs. We're investing $12 billion over the next decade in capital investments to add to the 35 major projects that are currently underway, the capital investments, new hospitals, renovations, expansions that are taking place all over the province. We're investing in our nurse practitioners an additional $85 million for recruitment and retention. We're investing $75 million in palliative care. So a total investment of an additional $1 billion into our healthcare budget. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Let's vote again. Stop the call. Minister Turzlin, culture and sport, come to order. Final supplementary. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is the reality. Verses are being fired at a rate of 3 a day or 90 a month. Beds are closing and people are being treated in hallways. The Liberals want to talk about objective measures. Let's tell you about those objective measures. Per capita hospital spending has decreased the last three years. And listen, the last time this happened was under Mike Harris. So this is cold, hard evidence that hospital spending is not keeping up with population growth or inflation. Will the Premier do the right thing and commit today to ensure hospital funding keeps up with population growth and inflation? Thank you. I think it's important because nurses are here that we talk about the changes in the nursing complement in this province. And I'm going to actually quote from what's readily and publicly available the College of Nurses of Ontario. And in the past year alone, there were 2,800 new nursing positions for nurses in this province. And in fact, in the last five years, we've increased just in the hospital sector than that, not the gross, because I know you love to talk about the gross numbers. But the net nursing positions in the hospital sector in the last five years filled, the majority of them filled by our ends was 7,625 net new positions and increasing the complement of nurses working in our hospitals. That's the kind of commitment we have. That's the kind of investment that we're making in this province, Mr Speaker. Thank you. My question is to the Minister of Children and Youth Services. Yesterday, Ontario's provincial advocate for children and youth released his report entitled We Have Something to Say, which outlines the challenges facing young people in our province with special needs. We heard in the report from Cliff McIntosh. I want to read an excerpt from Cliff's mom. I think we spent between $50,000 and $70,000 on private therapy when we were literally on the verge of selling our house. When we were in the process of listing our home, we got the call that Cliff's number had come up and that we would start receiving government funded intensive behavioral therapy. We held on to our house with our fingernails. Now that you have removed kids over the age of five, you're out of luck. Minister, when will you stop forcing families to sell everything and take out loans just to give their kids IBI therapy? Thank you. Thank you, Speaker. And I really appreciate this question being asked this week because yesterday our provincial advocate did release the report titled I Have Something to Say. And many youth with special needs were directly involved in developing and writing that report. And I was very honored to join them yesterday in the listening circle to hear from the youth that contributed that report and talked about the issues and challenges that children with special needs across the spectrum face, whether that is before school, during school life and beyond. We heard from incredible stories about how they are focusing on their abilities and recognizing that their environment needs to be there to adequately support them, whether that's getting access to services, whether it's getting diagnosis. I was very impressed with the work yesterday and I was very proud of the advocate. Invited me to the meeting and I'll talk more in the supplementary. Member from Hamilton Mountain. Thank you. I'm glad that the minister heard the report. I just want her to act. The provincial advocate has all the new autism strategies and I quote a mugs game. To quote the provincial advocate, don't pretend this is about the child and providing them what they need. It isn't. That is an independent officer of this assembly. The minister has said she is open to suggestions. Well, here's ours. Stop removing kids over the age of five from receiving IBI therapy until we have a coordinated provincial autism strategy that covers all ministries, everyone in Ontario, regardless of their age or developmental stage, because we understand autism doesn't end at five. Thank you. I think it's important to acknowledge that we do have a special needs strategy in Ontario. Autism is part of that, of course. We have made significant investments hundreds of thousands of dollars every year in three key area speaker, which is identifying kids needing connections early and assessments early. Secondly, coordinating service planning for them for children with multiple or complex needs and making the delivery of rehab services more seamless. That's where our special needs strategy is all about. Yes, there were some voices there yesterday as well in terms of autism. I'm continuing to engage in discussions with youth-facing autism, their families as well as associations and stakeholder groups that are helping guide us and want to be part of the implementation of the new autism strategy going forward. I welcome their suggestions. I welcome their feedback. We'll work with everyone to make sure we support. Thank you. New question? The member from Toronto, Dan Forth. Thank you speaker. My question to the Premier. As stakeholders have pointed out, the 2016 Ontario budget again squandered any chance to make childcare a priority in this province. We know families in Ontario are paying the highest childcare fees in the country. They're on the longest waiting lists and we know some parents, particularly women, are being forced to delay getting back into the workforce because they can't find a spot for their child. To make matters worse, parents are being forced to pay fees just to get on these overwhelmingly long wait lists. Will the Premier immediately ensure that parents are no longer forced to pay fees just to get on a wait list for their childcare? Thank you very much Mr. Speaker and I appreciate the question from the member and I know that he's introducing a private members bill. I also want to acknowledge the member for Beaches East York who raised this issue with us Mr. Speaker. It's an issue that crosses party boundaries Mr. Speaker. We understand that. We're committed to modernizing childcare in Ontario Mr. Speaker. We've doubled the funding for childcare Mr. Speaker. 90% increase since 2003 we continue to provide more money to municipalities Mr. Speaker and the overall increase of funding of $16.3 million over last year and Mr. Speaker we've listened to parents. We're committed to eliminating the childcare wait list fees in Ontario and we'll work with providers to get that regulation posted very soon Mr. Speaker. Thank you supplementary. Speaker, childcare is a smart investment. For every $1 spent the province can see $1.50 return. The member from Beaches East York is warned. Please finish him. Well thank you Speaker. I just want to make it clear to the Premier. Introducing regulations that childcare experts and stakeholders strongly disagree with is not a childcare policy. Allowing wait lists for subsidized spaces to grow and grow is also not a childcare policy. Forcing parents particularly women to stay home can't find a childcare space is also not a childcare policy. Ontarians deserve a comprehensive evidence based long term plan for universal high quality childcare in this province. Will the Premier take the first step? Will she ensure that families are not forced to pay fees just to sit on waiting lists? Well Mr. Speaker, this is an example of you can't take yes for an answer. I've already said that Mr. Speaker that yes the issue has been raised by the member for Toronto Danforth the issue was raised by the member for Beaches East York Mr. Speaker and we have already said that we've listened to parents, we're committed to eliminating childcare wait list fees in Ontario. We'll continue to work with parents and childcare providers to move forward on our commitment very very soon Mr. Speaker. So yes we are going to do that and at the same time Mr. Speaker we are going to increase funding in childcare and the childcare and early years act provides a new legislative framework to increase access and oversight in Ontario's childcare sector Mr. Speaker. That put together is a childcare strategy and that's what we've implemented Mr. Speaker. Thank you. The question is for the Minister of Citizenship Immigration and International Trade. International markets play a critical role in the growth of Ontario's economy. They are also a part of the government's plan to boost Ontario's economy by attracting new investments, facilitating innovative partnerships and helping the provinces businesses export globally. There is the company called Meridian Lightweight Technologies. They have a plant in Strathaway, Ontario. On your recent trade mission to China you toured the headquarters of Wang Fang the parent company in Meridian to learn about the future. Mr. Speaker could the Minister please outline and provide more information on agreements that were made during this trade mission. Thank you. Minister of Citizenship Immigration and International Trade. Thank you Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the member from Premtons Springdale for asking the question. The Deputy Premier and I had a wonderful 10-day productive trade mission in China and Hong Kong. We toured about its investment in Ontario and the potential plan for expansion creating even more jobs. We signed a significant a significant MOU between Ontario and China National Serial, Oil and Food Staff Corporation to build new trade and investment opportunities with these leading supplier of upgrade product, diversified food staff and food services. Speaker while in China we also agreed on the Ontario Friendship Agreement to strengthen ties between the two provinces and encourage economic cooperation investment and trade. Thank you. Thank you Mr. Speaker. According to the Conference Board of Canada every $100 million increase in exports creates approximately a thousand new jobs. China is a priority market for Ontario. Over the course of the 2015 business mission we signed more than 100 agreements with an estimated value of $2.5 billion and deals that may create as many as 1700 jobs. In 2014 Ontario's total agri-food sales to China including exports to Hong Kong reached 832 million representing Ontario's second largest export market for agri-food products. Speaker will the minister tell us about the result of business missions to China? We are meeting with the Chinese Federation of Overseas Entrepreneurs to bring a delegation of 80 entrepreneurs to Ontario. We promote the Toronto Business Investment Forum that will be held in 2017 as part of Ontario 150 celebrations. Overall, Speaker we bought 220 million worth of investment to the promise. Speaker let me share with you how powerful trade missions could be. During our mission in 2017, we met a company called Perfect China, encouraging the company to set its award-winning employees to Ontario. Speaker, I'm happy to report that. Starting today 5,000, yes, 5,000 visitors from Perfect China will spend the next few days in Ontario. Speaker, trade missions create relationships. Speaker, trade missions create jobs. Thank you. Any questions? Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. We know that for two years your government has a consultative committee on post-secondary education in French. We also know that this committee has already tabled their final report. And it has been hidden from the public. Franco Ontarians have been asking for years a French language university and a better access to post-secondary programs in French. I would then ask you when will you make public this report? Thank you. It is very important to have this conversation. I am proud of our work, the work that we do with the Francophone community in order to establish those programs for post-secondary students at the University of Ottawa and Glendon College here in Toronto. But Mr. Speaker it is very important to continue this work in order to see if we have enough programs for those Francophone students for all their needs, all their post-secondary needs. And this is a conversation that we are pursuing. Supplementary to the Premier again. Maybe she heard a different question. My question was when will the government make public this report? For months the government has been saying that it is too early to act even though they know that a lot of young Francophone people do not have access to French programs. The Francophones of Ontario deserve a better access to a Francophone university. And they want to do it themselves. And the government has said that they support this Francophone university. But the question is will you start this process this year or is this another false promise? I think it is very important to have a strong Francophonie a strong Francophone community here in Ontario. I have always said it is very important to have access to French language programs. I have never said that it has to be a building but there has to be some programs. There are some at the University of Ottawa and Glendon College. We have worked with them but there is still a lot of work to do and I would like to work together with the Francophonie in order to give access to those French language programs. Thank you. I under to the chair please when you speak. New question to the member from Niagara Falls. Thank you Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Transportation. Yesterday we learned that Metrolinx is trying to jack up the fees that charges OC Transpo for the privilege of using Presto. Metrolinx currently charges 2% of the fare revenue. Now it wants to charge 10%. Wow. The first version of Presto was obsolete upon delivery and full of bugs. Then Metrolinx gave a costly sole source contract to the same company that built the first one. Now as costs overruns have piled up the audio general says that by the time it is fully developed Presto will be among the most expensive fare card system in the world. Why is Metrolinx forcing the Ottawa transit riders to pay for its own costly mistakes? Thank you Mr. Transportation. Thanks very much Speaker. This is a question from the member from Niagara Falls that's eerily reminiscent of the questions that he asked at Estimates Committee. In fact Speaker the questions that I've now heard from that member over the last couple of days on a number of occasions without any particular merit I think in this particular case he's deriving a great deal of his information from a media report that may have appeared over the last day or two. What I know is that Metrolinx and the team at Presto are working very closely with the City of Ottawa with all of our 905 municipal service providers we are engaged in a renegotiation with respect to the Presto contract speaker at the end of it all making sure that we have a fare card system or platform that works effectively for Ottawa and for all of the transit systems in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area is an important companion piece to the unprecedented transit investments that this government is making in Ottawa in the GTHA and across the province of Ontario and I would have thought that member would support making transit more Thank you. Supplementary. That was a non answer but thank you Mr. Speaker Negotiation this is back to the minister Negotiations with Metrolinx are always one sided Metrolinx and the government can force transit agencies to take whatever deal they want In 2010 the Premier who was then the Minister of Transportation told the TTC to stop shopping around for a better smart card She said the TCC had better take Presto or else it would cancel funding for this transit city She eventually killed transit city anyway but only after TTC had been bent to her will and agreed to take Presto Metrolinx currently charged the TTC 5% of fare revenue for Presto When that agreement runs out will Metrolinx also demand 10% of the TTC fare revenue Minister There are so many inaccuracies in that question that it's hard for me to know exactly where to start I guess I shouldn't be surprised considering that the NDP traditionally never present a clear plan for transit investments here in the province of Ontario Certainly not in their last election platform or the one before that speaker Having said that because this question deals more specifically with Toronto and a future potential renegotiation of a contract that's not yet expired I know as every member on this side of the house know speaker that having a fare card system in place is a key component of making sure that we deliver on fare integration for this region speaker that will mean that transit becomes a more popular, more viable, more affordable more enviable option for people to leave their cars at home and you know speaker traditionally I would have thought that that would be something that NDP would support but alas I was wrong speaker Thank you Thank you Mr. Speaker My question is for the Minister of Health in long term care We know that infertility is an issue with which one in six Canadian families struggle and Mr. Speaker I have a close family member who knows this struggle all too well With private in vitro fertilization services costing as much as $10,000 per cycle fertility services would be out of reach for many people who dream in the family and that's why it's encouraging to see that Ontario is making fertility treatments more accessible by contributing to the cost of one in vitro fertilization cycle The province is also ensuring that fertility services are accessible to everyone regardless of sexual orientation, gender or family status Mr. Speaker can the Minister of Health in long term care share with this house how his plan is improving access to fertility services Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the member from Kitchener Centre for this important question Mr. Speaker we know that access to fertility services was not equitable in the past and our government has taken action That's why today over 50 different clinics across this province now offer government funded fertility treatments It's why our government is investing 50 million new dollars to expand access to IVF treatments in addition to the 20 million dollars a year we've already invested in the past and I'm happy to say that we're providing this expanded access for Ontarians regardless of sexual orientation, gender or family status In addition in budget 2016 Ontario committed to investing 1 million dollars in new funding to support those women and their families whose pregnancies unfortunately end in miscarriage Stillbirth Mr. Speaker Thank you I'd like to thank the minister for his answer and for giving hope to so many families in Ontario It's important to note that this new program to expand access to fertility services is going to help over 5,000 Ontarians each year who are trying to start and grow a family I know that the ministry is working with the College of Physicians and Surgeons in Ontario to ensure that patients do get the highest quality fertility services Next week is Canadian Infertility Awareness Week and it really is an ideal opportunity to raise awareness about infertility It reminds us of why it is so important to undertake high quality research on infertility and pregnancy loss Can the minister please provide an update to this house on how Ontario compares to the rest of Canada by accessing these kinds of services Thank you Minister Thank you again to the member for this supplementary question As a family doctor I've worked with many families, couples and individuals struggling with infertility and I believe that every person should have an equal opportunity to grow their family and income should never be a barrier On the occasion of Canadian Infertility Week our government has committed to ensuring that all Ontarians have equal access to high quality healthcare services regardless of income, geography or any other factor Mr. Speaker Thank you Minister Thank you Minister Thank you Minister Thank you Minister Thank you Minister Thank you Mr. Speaker My question today is to the Premier In March 2014 after flip flopping on the MPP from Vaughan's important private members bill your government announced an independent review of the construction lean act The former bill 69 clearly identified a need to close gaps in Ontario's construction laws in order to better protect workers in Ontario's vital construction sector This review was announced over two years ago and I understand your Attorney General now has a final copy Speaker, how many small and medium sized companies have to go out of business before this overdue report is brought forward and acted upon or will the government be burying it like the report of the expert panel examining Ontario's business support program Thank you Minister of Labor Thank you Mr. Speaker and thanks to the member for that excellent question it's an issue we're all engaged in in this house and I think when you look at the experience of the province of Ontario when it comes to labor peace when you look to productivity when you look at the way we work together with government and business on projects we understand the business one of the things that keeps business going obviously is the need to get paid in a timely manner we understand that the work is being done in a very professional manner it's going to give this house and all members of this house the information it deserves to have in order to make the sort of decision that is so important to the future of Ontario construction companies I know on this side of the house we're committed to this the Premier has spoken publicly on this issue we're prepared to move ahead Speaker on this very important issue Thank you Back to the Premier and after many announcements re-announcements and delays I'm told the government now has a final copy of the report nearly 26 months later when it takes the government 26 months in several announcements just to get their own report it's no wonder Ontario's construction workers can't count on getting paid on time Speaker, there are over 400,000 workers in Ontario's construction industry every one of these people in their families are directly impacted by late and delayed payments prompt payment Ontario is here today with a clear message that contractors suppliers, workers and their families are being put at risk and need action today Speaker, the Attorney General has a report now how many more people have to lose their job before this Liberal government will take any action on prompt payment Thank you Minister Mr. Transportation Thank you very much I want to take a moment to thank the member opposite for the question and also to thank the Minister of Labor for his first answer I was as was mentioned in the first question before becoming Minister of Transportation I was very proud to bring forward Bill 69 regarding the prompt payment issue I know Speaker that the MPP for Brand also prior to Bill 69 brought forward private members legislation on the same topic it's important for us to recognize that there has been a very genuine effort on the part of our government for both the construction and the prompt payment question certainly with my own experience in the sector prior to becoming an MPP and frankly representing a community for which the construction industry is so crucial by way of employment we want to make sure at all times that we get this right Speaker it's why the review has been conducted it's why this government under the leadership has taken the issue back we will get it right we'll continue to make sure that Mr. Speaker New question the member from Thank you very much Mr. Speaker my question is to the Premier Speaker today the Greater Toronto Airport Authority holds its annual meeting in 2015 airport employees handled more than 41 million passengers it's the largest transportation hub in Canada and one of Canada's largest workplaces with over 4,000 employees many of whom are from my riding and from the Peel region they all work directly for the airport they actually don't in fact it's a complicated system of contractors and subcontractors that run the airport this means that for thousands of employees there is no job security no sick days no guarantees and scheduling and what's worse a wage that's very difficult to live on to make matters even more difficult the current system of contract flipping where contract for services are turned over to the lowest bidders and makes it precarious employment will the Premier call for an end to contract flipping in the Greater Toronto Airport Authority since forming government this government has realized that the workplace that a lot of people are entering today and particularly the young people in this province are entering today simply isn't the workplace it was many years ago we haven't looked at the Employment Standards Act since the mid 90s we haven't looked at the Labor Relations Act since around 2000 speaker we understand that the workplace is changing we understand that there's global competition that is driving an awful lot of that in response to that speaker what we've done is we've implemented the changing workplaces review two very esteemed individuals one that's associated with the business community one that's associated with the labour community they've spent the last year traveling the province of Ontario hearing from experts in this regard they're preparing a report that will be out very, very shortly speaker which will outline some of the changes addressing some of the concerns that have been addressed by the member of the leadership speaker airport workers screen passengers for safety they handle our bags they refuel our planes their work brings in billions in dollars in revenue into the GTA every year the minister of tourism, culture and sport second time they deserve at least $15 minimum wage and this is my question to the premier does the premier support the call for Toronto airport workers for at least the $15 minimum wage does the premier support this call speaker the province of Ontario as I understand it has the highest minimum wage in the country if not the continent and continues to lead in that regard we've put in a system speaker that the business community and the labour community have praised us for and that these changes take place to the minimum wage in a very predictable way and a fair way it's indexed to the consumer price index it's announced in April it's implemented in October of that year that allows businesses to prepare for those increases but speaker the member seems to be dwelling on issues that fall primarily within the federal domain I quite prepared to maybe Ottawa isn't the answer here somewhere speaker but certainly I look forward to the report that's coming out from the changing workplaces review which is going to address concerns that are being brought to our attention as a government specifically as it relates to the purview of the province of Ontario not the government of Canada speaker thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the minister of community safety and correctional services minister every day correctional officers across Ontario work hard to keep our community safe and for that we are all very grateful theirs is a difficult job and we thank them for their tireless efforts and dedication that's why I was proud to bring forward my private members bill to establish an annual correctional services staff recognition week so that every Ontario can recognize the hard work and dedication of correctional staff in our province but as we contribute to those who keep our community safe it is important that we also work hard to keep our institution safe Mr. Speaker my riding of Halton is home to the Maplehurst correctional complex and the Vanier centre for women and I often hear from my community members about the need to improve safety at these institutions and others across the province so would the minister please update this legislature on what he is doing to make our institutions safer thank you minister thank you very much thank you very much speaker and I want to thank the member from Halton for the important question and for introducing bill 116 the correctional services staff recognition week speaker our government very much supports the bill and hopes that it passes soon speaker we are working hard to transform corrections to create a system that truly enhances rehabilitation and reintegration programs strengthens inmate mental health supports promotes diversion and enhances staffing levels and institutional safety last week speaker I was joined by the member from Halton along with Monty Wieselmeyer and Tammy Carson from Opsu and I made an important announcement that would enhance staff and institutional safety by investing 9.5 million dollars to install full body extra scanners in all of our correctional facilities over two years speaker it is expected that a body extra scanner will be installed at Maplehurst correctional complex in 2016 and 2017 and the various center for women in 2017 and 2018 Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the minister for his great work I was pleased to join the minister last week to announce the new body x-ray scanners that will help keep our institution safe I am glad that the minister will be taking the next step to transform our correctional system and help build stronger and safer communities across our province I know that many of Ontario's correctional officers have been calling for these devices and I know the minister worked closely with them on this important safety improvement but Mr. Speaker, Ontarians know that installing x-ray body scanners in all of our correctional institutions is only one part of the transformation of our correctional system in Ontario to make our community safer we need to hire more correctional officers offer more training offer more mental health supports and better rehabilitation for inmates through you Will the minister please explain what he is doing to implement these important changes Thank you minister The member from Halton is absolutely right x-ray body scanners are a key pillar for transformation of corrections but we are also hard at work on a number of other elements to transform our correctional system and make our community safer Recently we announced the training of 24 new correctional officers for institutions in the north to further increase staffing levels in the provinces northern correctional facilities which is part of our plan to hire 2,000 new correctional officers over the next three years We have also worked closely with the Centre for Addictions and Mental Health to develop additional mental health training for those who work in our institutions and have added 32 new mental health nurses to our facilities and are continuing to hire more We will also be bringing forward more programming to enhance rehabilitation and reintegration for all transformative changes and they will not happen overnight but we are committed to working with our partners to transform corrections to build stronger and safer communities across Ontario and I welcome ideas from all members in this House to make that work happen Thank you Thank you My question is to the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services On January 14th of this year the Fire Marshal's Public Safety Council received a $1.5 million fund for educational materials on fire safety for local fire departments The helping Ontario municipalities educate or home offer would provide credits to fire departments to obtain free public fire safety education materials from the Council's Education Centre Speaker, why did the Fire Marshal's Council abruptly cancel the home offer just two months later on March 24th Thank you Thank you Speaker and I thank the member opposite for asking the question Our government is very much committed to supporting public education around fire safety in Ontario The members write in January the Fire Marshal's Public Fire Safety Council established a $1.5 million fund for the Ontario Fire Service to educate the public about fire safety Speaker, however we are more communicated to the Fire Marshal about the structure of the program So the Fire Marshal heard those concerns and is restructuring the program and will be announcing those changes in the near future Speaker The Fire Marshal further advised that the Fire Marshal's Public Safety Council would be exploring other options to provide public education materials for fire services in Ontario Speaker, let me be absolutely clear this money will still be provided for public education about fire prevention We are just restructuring the program to make sure that we get it right Thank you Thank you very much Speaker, back to the minister Last month the coroner's inquest was completed into the tragic fire deaths of three young people in Whitby and four members of the same family in East Willembury The jury in the inquest recommended that both the Fire Marshal's office and the Fire Marshal's continue to develop public education programs and materials on fire safety The jury was pretty clear that more needs to be done to teach fire safety Mr. Speaker, no one does that better than our local fire departments When the coroner's office says more needs to be done why is the minister eliminating this much needed fire safety education program Mr. Speaker, I think the member and I come in from the same place I agree with the member that fire safety and fire prevention training is absolutely essential and I'm cognizant of the recommendations that were made Hopefully he'll be satisfied with my answer that the program is not being cancelled, it's just being restructured because of the concerns that the Fire Marshal heard from municipalities I think the speaker is very prudent of the Fire Marshal to pay attention and to take the fund back to make sure that we get it right he's working closely with the Fire Safety Council as well, the program will continue because you're absolutely right I think all members will agree in the House that fire safety and prevention through you the fire safety and prevention is absolutely important but we want to make sure that the $1.5 million are being invested appropriately and actually does fulfill the purpose of ensuring the local municipalities to the local fire services and to prevent fires and promote fire safety Thank you Thank you My question is to the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care Speaker, hospital transfers continue to jeopardize the health of patients in Northern Ontario In one case, an elderly man suffering from cancer was sent to another hospital for a CT scan In the words of his daughter at 2.30pm transporters from Miracle Falls to Timismy Shores by ambulance on a stretcher all cozy wrapped in blankets as it should be but at 9.30pm he was sent back with no coat no boots in a taxi in a snowstorm a ride that took 3 hours and the saddest thing this isn't an isolated case this happens all the time in our area I have two other examples I'd like to make one thing very clear the health care workers involved all that they were allowed to do they went above and beyond but what will it take for this government to fix the hospital for a system in Northern Ontario Trans-Turban Health and Long-Term Care Well, Mr. Speaker I absolutely agree and I'm aware and familiar with this particular case that is unacceptable what this individual and his family and loved ones had to go through and I'm not going to provide any excuse for what happened but I am intent on doing my best to ensure that it doesn't happen to other individuals for people that are in to begin with such a fragile state so the issue of non-urgent land ambulance and non-urgent land ambulance transfers is an important one across this province, particularly in the north because of the distances that are traveled and because of circumstances precisely like the member opposite has described and I know that in partnership with the Ministry of Transportation and others that we are working hard to create and make improvements to this issue so we can avoid the sorts of challenges described Mr. Speaker thank you regarding the earlier question on children's special needs I'd like to correct my record I believe I said we invest hundreds of thousands of dollars per year it's actually hundreds of millions of dollars per year Speaker in response to the member from Bramley Gore-Malton I'd like to correct my record I said we had the highest minimum wage in the country if not the continent the minimum wage of any province in the country Thank you Member from here on Bruce on a point of order Point of order Will the member from BGC's JARC apologize to the FAO? That's not a point of order and the member knows there are no further excuse me on a second point of order the member from here on Bruce Thank you very much I would like to introduce on behalf of Toby Barrett Steven Dennis he's going to be here speaking about food safety today Thank you There will be no deferred votes this house stands recessed until 3pm this afternoon