 It is now time for question period, the leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Questions for the Premier? Premier at yesterday's budget hearings, aviation sector representatives expressed a serious concern with your government's proposed 148% increase to the province's aviation fuel tax over the next four years. Mark Andre O'Rourke, Executive Director of the National Airlines Council of Canada, collectively represents over 43,000 employees. He said that this tax increase could mean a loss of more than 2,000 jobs and 400,000 air travellers in Ontario alone. Yesterday the Finance Minister was forced to admit that job losses would result from this fuel tax increase. So we blurted out that some airports might be exempt, he just didn't know which ones. So Premier, Ontario can't afford job losses. Will you defer implementing this tax increase until a full economic study is done? Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. Well first let me just say that the modest increase on the tax rate on aviation fuel is part of a comprehensive plan. Order please. And it's a plan that we put forward in our budget when we brought the budget at the beginning of May. It's the plan that we ran on in the provincial election Mr. Speaker. And it's the plan that we have reintroduced in this budget. And it's the plan Mr. Speaker that has led us to a situation where two rating agencies, both S&P, Standard & Poor's and DBRS, have not Mr. Speaker chosen to downgrade Ontario have actually confirmed our outlook. It seems to me that if Standard & Poor's is saying Ontario's fiscal management is strong, this is part of the fiscal management plan that we put forward. So we're going to stick with it Mr. Speaker. Premier, the fact that your finance minister was unprepared to tell us yesterday who would be exempt from this tax increase just demonstrates that once again you're barreling ahead with a tax increase without considering who you're hurting. Don McDougal, Chair of the Canora Airport Board said that this fuel tax increase will be devastating to Canora's small airport and give Americans cause to reconsider flying directly to Canora. Canora is just one of many airports and small communities across Ontario which will suffer from your actions. Premier, if you won't conduct an impact study, will you at least answer the question that your finance minister couldn't answer yesterday, which Ontario airports will be exempt from the aviation fuel tax increase? Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. Thank you Mr. Speaker and I applaud the late breaking concern for the North from the party across the floor Mr. Speaker because the fact is from the outset we have said that small and northern airports would receive special consideration Mr. Speaker because we understand that there is a concern with those airports because we actually care deeply about what happens in the north. We care deeply about the northern economy Mr. Speaker and that is why from the outset we said that that was a concern in this instance. But the fact is that this is a modest increase. The aviation fuel tax has not increased since 1992 and if you look at other jurisdictions, if you look at London, London Heathrow their aviation fuel tax is 69.6 cents per litre. Ours is 2.7 cents per litre Mr. Speaker. We are making a physically sound decision. Final supplementary. Mr. Speaker, we're not only concerned about small airports in the north we're concerned about airports in central and southern Ontario also right from London to Collingwood to Owens Sound to Berry to Buttonville. You name it. You know you said in your budget you weren't going to increase taxes on the middle class. I guess you think just rich people and business people fly. The fact of the matter is more middle class average families fly every year and you're hitting the middle class with this tax increase. People fly to visit their children at university. Kids fly home. They fly to visit a sick parent overseas. They fly to reconnect with family members. That's the vast majority of people. They fly to go on a well-deserved vacation. That's the vast majority of flying. You're hurting the middle class. You failed to consider the impact of this tax increase on the middle class. So will you defer? The Minister of Economic Development come to order. The aviation tax increase until a full study of its economic impact has been undertaken. Thank you. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, again it's very interesting that this reaction is coming from the party opposite when really it's federal taxes and fees Mr. Speaker that actually increase the cost the most Mr. Speaker. This modest increase that we are putting forward in our budget will have a minimal impact on travelers Mr. Speaker and that's up to the organizations to make a decision on how they pass that along. The fact is that the analysis that we have seen shows that there will be very little impact on airlines and on passengers but we've also said that the small and northern airports need special consideration Mr. Speaker but we also know that the transportation and transit infrastructure that we are going to build Mr. Speaker as a result of our plan and this is part of our plan that actually will help the airline industry Mr. Speaker that will actually help our airports. That infrastructure is well needed across the province. Any questions? A member from Kitchener, Connor Stolder. Thanks Mr. Speaker. Any questions to the Premier? Your Treasury Board President claimed yesterday that Metrolinx would not cut service levels to pay for the 8.5% wage increase you doled out to 1850 transit workers in June. Does that mean you're planning to pass these costs on to go riders with even higher fares? Good question Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker I know that the President of the Treasury Board will want to comment on this but I just want to reinforce what we said yesterday which is that we are well aware that in terms of collective bargaining with public sector employees that it is very necessary that we hold to the funding levels that are in place now and that we work to bargain within those funding levels. That's exactly what happened with Metrolinx the increases over the four years because the member opposite is making it sound like that increase is all in one year but it is not, it is over four years Mr. Speaker. So that increase of about 2% a year Mr. Speaker has found within the funding levels that already exist. That's what we have committed to. That's what has been delivered in this collective agreement Mr. Speaker. Premier you should know that millions of dollars for pay hikes can't be created out of thin air. You need to cover these new costs either by cutting services or by raising revenue and so far you've shown that your favorite method to make up for the shortfalls is raising. Premier can you tell this house how much in total your 8.5% pay raise for 1850 workers will cost. So Mr. Speaker let me just use an example because I think this is a broader issue. You know the members on the other side immediately go to cutting and slashing services. That's the framework within which they operate. That was their entire platform. That's what they campaigned for. The member from Renfrew will come to order. Please finish. Let me give you an example of how you can constrain costs change the way services delivered Mr. Speaker at the same time. If you look at the health care system in Ontario you look at the health care system in Ontario you look at the way services are being changed in terms of moving them into the community making sure that people get health care and home care at at home rather than in an acute care bed Mr. Speaker that kind of transformation has the benefit of saving money Mr. Speaker and delivering better service. That's what we're talking about. Final supplementary. Premier you have consistently raised transit fares while adding more than 225 Metrolinx employees to the sunshine list since 2007 with hundreds of Metrolinx staff already making more than 100,000 a year could you explain how many more will soon be added to the sunshine list with your 8.5% wage increase? Well Mr. Speaker let's you know the reality is that we believe that supporting and investing in transit whether it is goal service Mr. Speaker whether it's municipal transit we actually have that as a foundation of our economic plan Mr. Speaker we know how important it is to the people who travel regionally in the greater Toronto Hamilton area and to people across the province so that making those investments in transit and transit and transportation infrastructure is foundational to our plan so the member opposite is going to try to undermine that plan he is going to try to make a critique of that plan that will stick in fact Mr. Speaker we know that people want more investment in transit they want to be able to travel both in a two way go Mr. Speaker and that is the plan that we are putting forward those are the investments that we are going to make and it will benefit his constituents Mr. Speaker Thank you Thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the Premier yesterday I called on the Premier to support a review of the fiscal plan by the Auditor General it's exactly what the Fiscal Transparency and Accountability Act calls for an independent review of the government's budget in each election year it's the only time when the auditor actually examines the government's revenue projections the government's estimates estimates and the government's fiscal assumptions and the Committee for Ontarians to hear from an independent officer about whether the budget can be trusted my question is a simple one Speaker will the Premier submit her fiscal plan for review by the auditor or not Thank you very much Mr. Speaker so we will go over this again the Auditor General looks at our finances every year as part of public accounts Mr. Speaker this is happening now and that report will be tabled in the fall we were on track to have a pre-election audit for the NDP and the PCs decided that it was time for an election Mr. Speaker otherwise that would have happened Mr. Speaker so the fact is that as I said yesterday the leader of the third party is looking for any reason whether it is real or illusory not to support the budget that we have put forward Mr. Speaker not to support the initiatives of the very families whom she references on a regular basis that's what she's doing Mr. Speaker we know that the Auditor General will do her work and that that report will be tabled in the fall last speaker looks to me like the Premier is grasping for any reason not to be up front with the people about the state of the province's finances in 2004 the Premier actually supported the fiscal transparency and accountability act to crack down on the notoriously budget the government's campaign on back then she understood that independent oversight in election years is actually a good idea today the Premier can follow through by requesting under section 17 of the Auditor General Act that the auditor promptly review the fiscal plan and report publicly on her findings will the Premier do the right thing and request that independent review today Mr. Speaker thank you Mr. Speaker so we made it clear that we were on track to have that audit done there was an election that was called Mr. Speaker as a result of the actions of the NDP and the conservatives Mr. Speaker and we made a commitment to come back and make sure the member from Hamilton East Stony Creek come to order the member from Anglican Lawrence come to order the minister of government services come to order and again the member from Hamilton East Stony Creek carry on please finish up thank you very much Mr. Speaker well the fact is that the election happened because the NDP and the conservatives decided not to support the budget the budget that we have introduced I want to quote from the Standard & Poor's report from yesterday Mr. Speaker Ontario's financial management is strong in our view the level of transparency and disclosure in its financial thank you there's a big difference and this premier knows it between the auditor's annual reports and what we are asking for today and what we asked for yesterday Speaker election years are the one time when the auditor looks forward not backward and assesses the government's plan for the next three years that's how the auditor caught this very government in 2011 using overly optimistic projections that put the province at risk for higher deficits in fact the very same higher deficit that we see today Speaker so my question is simple and it deserves a straightforward answer from this premier Speaker will the premier respect the act or will she not thank you very much Mr. Speaker we would have had that review had the election not been called Mr. Speaker and that was the leader of the third party's decision let me quote from Standard & Poor's yesterday Ontario's financial management is strong in our view the level of transparency and disclosure of financial statements is high notes and schedules provide detailed information about core government agencies and boards and business enterprises the independent auditor general audits the province's financial statements Mr. Speaker that is the reality that report will be tabled in the fall we were on track to have that review but the election has happened Mr. Speaker and we made a commitment to bring the budget back that's what we are doing and we are going to work to implement that budget new question leader of the third party Mr. Speaker my next question is also for the premier you know Speaker for weeks new democrats have been asking straight forward questions about the premier's fire sale of public assets her cuts to public services and her layoffs of up to 100,000 people she has refused to answer those questions questions that families are asking that's her decision but it doesn't mean that Ontarians have to live in the dark we can get answers by calling on the auditor general if only this premier will allow it why is the premier refusing to allow independent verification of her election budget Speaker thank you Minister of economic development and employment and infrastructure will come to order please carry on thank you very much Mr. Speaker despite the rhetoric coming from the leader of the third party the fact is that we have put in place a group led by Ed Clark who is looking at our assets and is working to give us advice on how to optimize those assets those are assets that are owned by the people of Ontario and I believe that it is responsible for us to make sure that they are working to the best of the advantage of the people of the province Mr. Speaker the auditor general and the people of the province can see that the details of that are on page 164 of the budget Mr. Speaker but that work is ongoing those decisions have not been made so the suggestion from the leader of the third party that somehow there is a nefarious plot and decisions that have already been made that are being kept from the people of Ontario is just not the reality the work is ongoing we are going to review those assets Ed Clark is doing that work for us he is going to give us advice to make it clear what our intentions are Mr. Speaker what is nefarious is a government that is not prepared to answer straightforward questions about its own budget that is what is nefarious but this premier is refusing to answer those basic questions and she is preventing the auditor general from giving us those answers that is very odd because this very premier supported the auditor's review in 2004 and 2007 and in 2011 why is she standing in the way of the auditor's review now that she is in charge here is a more immediate and puzzling question Mr. Speaker the leader of the third party based her platform on our fiscal plan and then said she was going to cut $600 million more Mr. Speaker and now she is not supporting any part of our plan she is not supporting $2.5 billion in jobs and prosperity fund she is not supporting $130 billion in infrastructure investments she is not supporting a made in Ontario retirement pension plan she is not supporting increasing the Ontario child benefit she is not supporting $810 million in supports for adults with developmental disabilities she is not supporting expanding low income health benefits and she is not supporting $20 million for expansion of student nutrition programs I think it is very puzzling as to why she is not supporting those things maybe she has an answer for the people of Ontario final supplementary of Ontario will be disappointed to see that they have a premier that is not supporting fundamental transparency and accountability in 2004 the member from Eglinton Lawrence supported the budget oversight by the auditor general by saying quote no governing party can again pull the wool over our eyes and quote he was right it is a good idea to get the auditor's look at the books every single election year without exception no one should be above the rules and no election should become an excuse to avoid fundamental oversight why does the premier think that Dalton McGinty's transparency and accountability measures are too good for her own government I actually don't Mr. Speaker and as I said we were on track to have that review but there was an election called Mr. Speaker as a result of the NDP and the concern was not supporting the budget we ran on that budget Mr. Speaker the auditor general is looking at our fiscal fundamentals and that report will be tabled in the fall Mr. Speaker but you know the fact is that the plan we ran on had 50 million dollars for a new local poverty reduction fund in it Mr. Speaker the lead of the third party is not supporting that there's a child care modernization and there are investments in early learning Mr. Speaker the lead of the third party is not supporting that she's not supporting wage increases for personal support workers Mr. Speaker and she's not supporting new funding for long-term care homes and she's not supporting a comprehensive Aboriginal action plan Mr. Speaker I think that the people of Ontario deserve to know why she and her party are not supporting those progressive measures Mr. Speaker Thank you Mr. Speaker My question is for the Minister of Economic Development Employment and Infrastructure in a press conference on Friday the minister admitted that the goal of his government's youth job strategy is to create opportunities and experience not meaningful long-term employment he added that his programs don't have a good long-term success rate but yesterday in a stage set up law ball question in this house from the member for Burlington the minister bragged about the success of his youth job programs saying one thing on Friday and something very different in this house yesterday Thank you Mr. Speaker I might suggest the member directly quote me next time instead of saying things that he's on allegedly saying the fact of the matter is Mr. Speaker our youth job strategy has created 20,000 job opportunities for young people since September and here's the good news because we've been very clear about that when it comes to the youth employment fund it's four to six month opportunities to experience real life employment 95% of the students the 4,800 that have gone through the program so far have been retained by those business or found jobs elsewhere Mr. Speaker I don't expect it to stay at that level of retention I think that would be unrealistic but Mr. Speaker the program's off to a great start 20,000 job opportunities since the fall Mr. Speaker we're proud of the program and we're going to keep working at it Thank you Mr. Speaker the press were at the event on Friday they heard what he said a cynic once said that a political gaffe is when a politician accidentally tells the truth the minister's behavior in recent days serves to reinforce this view the truth is that the youth unemployment rate in Ontario is at more than 15% today surely this is unacceptable to the minister as it should be to all members of this house we've all met bright enthusiastic young people who've gotten their degrees or certificates and who are discouraged because after months or even years of trying can't find that career track first job if the minister knows that his programs aren't working as he seemed to understand on Friday when will he announce a youth job strategy that will work Mr. Speaker 20,000 jobs created for young people Mr. Speaker 20,000 job opportunities for young people created since the fall you find me a program that's been more successful anywhere in North America than our youth job strategy Mr. Speaker I bet you you can't we recognize we recognize that youth unemployment is too high that's why the premier asked myself and my colleagues to move forward Mr. Speaker to bring forward a youth job strategy Mr. Speaker we're responding to opportunities we're increasing entrepreneurial opportunities we're building in our innovation agenda to help those people that want to create jobs or start their own businesses Mr. Speaker you cannot find a program anywhere in North America you've seen it please order I'm going to use this opportunity now that I've stopped the clock to remind all members that this is part of the problem when you don't address the chair when I stand you sit if you end up arguing with somebody across the way you don't see that I'm standing and you're not sitting when you should so all of us would be better served if you direct your questions and answers to the chair new question the member from Toronto Danforth thank you speaker my question to the premier on page 4 of the Liberal Party's infrastructure platform and I took a look at it again this morning clearly says this government's plan is to pocket 3.15 billion from the sale of public assets neither you Premier nor the Minister of Finance have explained how much of this money is going to come from the sale of all or part of LCBO Ontario Power Generation or Hydro One will the Premier finally tell the House how much is slotted into the government's fiscal framework from the full or partial sale of these core public assets good question Mr. Finance Speaker we are doing a full review of our assets for LCBO OLGA and we're looking at all of our assets including real estate and those shares that we own in private companies and we're going to ensure that we maximize its opportunity to increase dividends to the province of Ontario and to the taxpayers who own these organizations and it's prudent for us to do so the member I appreciate has looked at some of the numbers and he'll be able to reflect on the fact that the valuations of many of these organizations are tremendous what we want to do is safeguard the public interest be fully transparent in the things that we do in the meantime some of the things that we're going to roll out are very quick to suggest some of the real estate that is owned by the province and some of the shares that we own as well that is partly of what we're going to be doing in short term Thank you Mr. Speaker Well Speaker that was hardly an answer let's face it when you put that figure into your platform someone hopefully had a sense of the ballpark value of what would be coming from those different asset sales how much of that 3.15 billion dollars from the sale of LCBO OPG and Hydro 1 is allocated to those assets or was your number just a guess in the platform Mr. Speaker so Mr. Speaker we're unlocking value of our assets we're not suggesting that we're going to sell any 3 of those organizations that you've just mentioned we want to maximize the potential of the revenue generated from those organizations we are looking at assets that can be sold in the short term and I've just stated there's a number of properties in the real estate that we own as a landlord that are unproductive we also have shares in various companies that again are passive better reinvest into the Trillium Trust to produce transportation infrastructure that make us competitive those are tabulated and those will be the things that we're going to release it'd be inappropriate for me to suggest anything until the review has been done furthermore it's also implicating the public interest by selling public and some of the valuations of these companies that too is inappropriate Mr. Speaker we are looking after the public interest and we'll continue to do so thank you very much thank you very much Mr. Speaker my question is to the Minister of Transportation Minister Ontario does have the safest roads in North America and something all Ontarians could be proud of and as a member for Glen Gary Prescott Russell and I travel almost 1500 kilometers a week we recognize how important it is in keeping our roads safe contrary to the gorgeous humid weather outside today we know that winters can be harsh in the province and we saw that last winter with more storms than we've been used to in quite some time this affects how people do things every day including business or even going for grocery shopping which I love this speaker some of my constituents have expressed concerns about our roads during winter and particularly after storms and they're concerned about how fast we clean the roadways of snow and ice through you Speaker can the Minister please speak to the improvements that this government has made in our road winter programs thanks very much Mr. Speaker I want to thank the member from Glen Gary Prescott Russell for his question and for his advocacy that member is quite correct Speaker Ontario has some of the safest roads across North America in fact Speaker we are so committed to road safety that here we are in the middle of July or near the end of July talking about winter maintenance even when the temperatures outside today are hovering around 30 degrees our winter maintenance standards are among the highest or best in North America Speaker but we are always looking to improve our winter maintenance program as an example this past winter we added 55 additional winter maintenance units 42 of those additional units were provided to Northern Ontario Speaker we have made significant investments in roads across Ontario to ensure they are safe no matter the season and I'm happy to report Speaker to the House that the Ministry of Transportation will provide all interested MPPs with a technical briefing on this particular issue coming this fall thanks very much thank you very much Speaker and thank you Minister for that very comprehensive answer my writing of Glen Gary Prescott Russell is a great place to live and do business that's why it's important to have safe roads for every type of computer computer Speaker I understand that Ontario's winter road maintenance is performed by maintenance contractors and my constituents are interested in knowing more about these contractors the people in my writing want to make sure that they are getting good value for their tax dollars they also want to know who's keeping their road safe when the snow is falling and on the ground so through you Speaker could the Minister please speak to Ontario's relationships with our contractors thank you Minister and I want to thank the member again for his supplementary question and for the fantastic work that he does on behalf of the people of his community contracts as he mentioned with area maintenance contractors are performance based speaker our contractors bid in a competitive environment and there are 31 performance indicators which contractors are required to meet the number one indicator speaker is making sure that the roads have bare pavement clean of all ice and snow bare pavement speaker ensures safety for all commuters the Ministry of Transportation has always had a good relationship with the contractors association the Ontario road builders association and we look forward to continuing our strong working relationship with this association again leading up to the next winter season although I'm sure we can all agree Mr. Speaker we hope winter doesn't come too soon thank you thank you Mr. Speaker my question to the Premier Premier as you travel the province during the election you're greeted by wind turbine protesters in almost every rural riding obviously these Ontarians are fed up they've watched the pristine rural landscapes destroyed by costly wind turbines that carry a myriad of consequences you have said that you want to improve the approval process for wind developments for more local input however you stated on numerous occasions that you remain fully committed to wind turbines and the fact that you have not given municipalities the final say over wind turbine development indicates to me that this promise is more smoke than mirrors than anything else Premier which is it do you want to continue to push unwanted wind farms in rural communities or will you finally step up and give local municipalities a true say in their communities Mr. Speaker I think we just need to be clear what is happening is the OPA is creating a new Ontario Power Authority is creating a new competitive bidding process in which projects that have the support of local communities will be given priority so when we said that we were going to work with communities and make sure that there was much more buy in that municipalities would have a greater say in citing renewable energy projects that's exactly what we have done Mr. Speaker that's exactly what we've done and in fact the OPA and the IESO have engaged with municipalities with First Nations leaders with community associations and with others to get that input so that's the work that was done in order to come up with the process that actually waits those projects that have community buy in what the member opposite is asking for is a veto and the member opposite is basically saying he doesn't support the renewable energy industry we know that Mr. Speaker but we do and we know how important it is for the future of the problem thank you go back to the Premier I'm not asking for the veto for our municipalities just like rural Ontario vetoed the Liberals Premier the west end of my riding borders on the Chatham Kent region where residents have had hundreds of turbines forced upon them those in my riding live in West Elgin and Dutton-Dudgewick look to the west and fear the same thing will happen to them the developmental proposal currently on the table residents in West Elgin fear for their health they fear for their property values and they fear for the destruction of the social fabric it's one of the reasons West Elgin Council voted to be an unwilling host to this development also municipality Dutton-Dunwich issued a surveyed area residence 84% of the residents do not want wind turbines in Dutton-Dunwich clearly it's an unwanted project Premier will you listen to the will of the local municipalities or do you think the people in my riding are just wrong let me first say that I would love to introduce the member opposite to some of our new members and the members who represent the rural constituents for example in Northumberland Quinty West and in Durham there's some rural constituents who would feel quite insulted by the by the comments of the member opposite Mr. Speaker the reality is that we have made changes to the process we have consulted with communities across the province and the OPA is putting in place a competitive bidding process that actually waits the sighting of projects towards municipalities that are open to them and are interested in having them Mr. Speaker I have said in this house that if I could roll back the clock and we could have had that process from the beginning Mr. Speaker that would be a good thing but the fact is we can't have a process that takes those concerns into account now that's what we have Mr. Speaker and we will continue to work with municipalities to make sure that we have a renewable industry in this province that we have the cleanest air and the cleanest energy anywhere thank you very much Mr. Speaker Thank you Speaker my question is to the Minister of Health when patients need care at a hospital they shouldn't have to pay through the nose just to park their car and get some budgets from this government hospitals are passing the buck to patients by charging up to $25 a day this government's health care austerity has let parking fees get out of control and patients are paying the price will the Minister admit that another year of hospital austerity will only leave families falling further behind Mr. Speaker thank you Mr. Speaker I would like to hear from the third party that there's another piece of our platform that you like because you didn't mention during the campaign nor in your platform capping parking fees it's a commitment that we made during the election and in our platform and we stand by that commitment our government is going to bring in Mr. Speaker a realistic plan to help Ontarians with their living costs today as it pertains to hospital parking fees and I've engaged my ministry to come up with a reasonable plan that reflects not only the needs of hospitals to be able to generate sufficient revenue for their activities but addresses this priority issue to make sure that patients and their families have access to those hospitals and that costs should not and will not be an impediment Mr. Speaker thank you this government has made many promises but they refuse to talk about the actual budget the fact is that this Trojan horse budget continues to squeeze our healthcare system patients and Hamilton have seen a 25% increase in hospital parking fees this spring they're being charged $25 a day before they even enter the hospital to get the treatment that they need that's not what public healthcare should be will this minister tell Ontarians why there is nothing in this budget to get outrageous parking like user fees under control thank you minister we're making our argument well Mr. Speaker I remain confused by the supplementary question because I was very clear I think in my first response that this is an issue that is a priority for this side of the legislature it was not a priority for the third party for the NDP party we made a commitment during the platform to address this issue it's an important issue for many Ontarians and just to repeat Mr. Speaker we remain committed our government will bring in a realistic plan to help individuals across the province address the issue of parking fees in hospitals I don't understand why the third party can't accept this commitment and yes as an answer but if it had to be a priority I wish you had it addressed during the campaign we're falling through on that commitment thank you Mr. Speaker my question is to the minister of education I was very pleased to see the government reintroduce the child care modernization act just a week ago I know that in my riding of beaches east York as in so many of your riding many families and child care operators will benefit significantly from these changes I understand that this bill if passed will strengthen oversight of the province's unlicensed child care sector while increasing access to licensed child care options for families Mr. Speaker I'm even more pleased that our government has placed a priority on reforming a piece of legislation that hasn't been changed for 30 years that neither of the parties opposite had an opportunity to to amend in their time in office so much of this proposed legislation aimed at addressing oversight with the unlicensed sector Mr. Speaker I ask the minister, can she describe how the legislation will strengthen and improve oversight? Thank you Thank you Speaker and congratulations to the members from beaches east York who gave a great name speech last week and the member is absolutely correct this legislation is well overdue for a comprehensive update that's why in December of 2013 our government first introduced the Child Care Modernization Act unfortunately the bill was cut short we had this election happen but I'm proud of the legislation and we have reintroduced it in this house it will if passed improve oversight in the unlicensed sector and modernize the province's child care system Mr. Speaker well over a year ago we had a child care consultant with parents and stakeholders on how to update the legislation and if passed the Child Care Modernization Act will allow the province to immediately shut down a child care provider when a child's safety is at risk it will clarify what Thank you supplementary Thank you Mr. Speaker I thank the minister for her response and particularly for her commendations the government has already taken steps to improve the oversight of child care these include a dedicated enforcement team to investigate complaints against unlicensed operators and the development of online searchable databases of validated complaints Mr. Speaker we need to take further action to strengthen the oversight in the child care sector and can the minister Mr. Speaker through you please share with the house why this piece of legislation is critical to move through the legislative process Thank you Thank you the Child Care Modernization Act makes a number of amendments that will or a number of things that will improve oversight and the organization of the child care sector in addition to those things I already mentioned it will improve access to licensed child care and support current choice it will enhance and clarify the Provincial Municipal and First Nations partnerships and child care sector and it would amend the Education Act to ensure school boards offer before and after school programs for 6 to 12 year olds when there is sufficient demand and Speaker it will also ensure for the first time that Ministry of Education inspectors have the authority to impose administrative penalties of up to $100,000 when people break the unlicensed home care so Speaker it is absolutely critical that we get this act I look for Thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the Minister of Natural Resources Minister the Magnetaon River is a natural feature that shapes a number of communities with headwaters in the Gonkwin Park the river flows through Berks Falls and the Magnetaon First Nation before emptying into Binginlet at Brit on Georgian Bay in recent years there have been issues with increased silt levels being deposited into the river this causes higher turbidity of the water and is plainly visible from a number of locations I met with concerns constituents have spent their life living near the river who know the river they have never seen it muddied up like it has been this year with regard to this important issue Minister what is being done by your government to protect the Magnetaon River Thank you Thank you to the member for the question and an opportunity to respond I don't mind saying it's an issue that I have not been briefed on I have not received any correspondence from the member on this particular issue I guess if I was to look for a parallel I would perhaps talk about what we deal with on a regular basis for higher water levels in the Great Lakes when we are called upon to make decisions on how we are going to maintain the integrity of ecological systems water levels and their impact on local communities as I've mentioned in my opening remark I have not heard from the member on this I'm happy to work with him to see what's possible and what we can bring to the table to help the affected community and the people around there that use this river system and I look forward to discussing it in greater length with the member Thank you Minister Minister, there are currently two solar farms that lie very close proximity to the Magnetaon River near Berks Falls Through your government and the Green Energy Act permits for these projects were approved The removal of natural vegetation is surely a contributing factor to the significant runoff deposited into the river during seasonal rain events so far this summer The full effects of greater sediment levels entering the river and the subsequent impact on the natural ecosystem of the Magnetaon are unknown Minister, will you commit to looking into this issue to ensure that this important natural resource can continue to be enjoyed by future generations Thank you Minister Thank you again, thank the member for the question As I mentioned in the opening remark I have not heard from the member on this particular issue he's now in his supplementary system to a green energy project I would have appreciated having heard from the member on the particular issue, we haven't I commit to working with him and the community on the issue on a go forward basis and I thank him for the heads up through question period Thank you Thank you Speaker to the Premier Speaker, in the recent thrown speech this government reaffirmed its commitment to Ontario's First Nations people and yet last week we learned that public inquest into the tragic deaths of seven First Nations youth in Thunder Bay won't be proceeding now, anytime soon or maybe ever. The Chief Coroner and Officer of this House made the decision not to proceed saying that ongoing issues with the underrepresentation of First Nations on juries in Thunder Bay is an issue and also that the complexity of the issue is a contributing factor as to why there will not be an inquest Speaker, seven youths of their home communities in order to get in high school education have wound up dead Families and Northerners have been waiting for over 10 years for answers and they're still waiting Will this government take immediate steps to rectify the underrepresentation of First Nations on juries so we can finally go forward with this inquest Thank you Thank you Speaker and thank you for that question and thank you for raising this very important issue I can tell the member opposite that about this time last year I was in Thunder Bay and I met with the parents of the students who had been killed. They had been brought into one of the local high schools and they were doing some preparation work getting ready for the inquest which was to start at about this time Along with that we have the Yakubuchi report which made certain recommendations about the selection of jurors on criminal panels and the coroner's jury, the coroner has also suggested that those same recommendations ought to be implemented into coroner's juries so that there is sufficient representation of First Nations members on coroner's jury. Accordingly he has adjourned the inquest so that he can make arrangements to perhaps work with some of the recommendations on the Yakubuchi report to ensure that First Nations participate not only in criminal juries, civil juries but in coroner's juries Thank you Speaker Jethro Anderson 15 Koran Strong 18 Paul Panachese 17 Robin Harper 18 Reggie Bushy 15 Kyle Moriso 17 Jordan Wabos 15 Their mothers and families deserve answers You have to wonder if it was seven kids somewhere in southwestern Ontario who died tragically would there be any hesitation to overcome the roadblocks and call an inquest to get to the bottom of it Speaker will this government finally take action to address the systemic issues with jury selection the coroner cited as preventing a public inquest from going forward and call an inquest into the deaths of these youth right away Minister Minister of Children and Youth Services Minister of Children and Youth Services Thank you Thanks to the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs for providing clarity on the first answer Ontario is very committed to building strong relationships with First Nations, Métis Inua and Urban Aboriginal partners and working together we can improve opportunities and outcomes for Aboriginal youth and their families We are currently developing an Aboriginal Children Youth Strategy to transform how services are designed and delivered to improve outcomes for Aboriginal children and youth and this outcome is underway it's very community driven integrating culturally appropriate supports for children so that services can better meet their needs and as the minister the new Minister of Children Youth Services I work for very much to spearhead this cooperation with my colleagues and my credit for Children Youth Services Thank you The member from Halton Thank you Mr. Speaker My question is to the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and International Trade In my community of Halton there are many examples of outstanding contributions from remarkable constituents who have made our community a better place to work and live Former and current residents like astronaut Chris Hadfield and Olympian Travis Garrett are two examples of exemplary individuals who have made exceptional contributions to our community and our province Honours and awards are one of the best ways that outstanding citizens in Halton and across Ontario can be recognized for their contributions to their communities They acknowledge achievements and celebrate people's deep commitments to making communities like Halton the thriving, caring and communal places they are Mr. Speaker, through you to the Minister how can Ontarians recognize exceptional members in their communities Mr. Speaker Thank you Thank you very much for the question This is the first time I receive a question from the new member I work with member in the past and I can tell you it's going to be a great MPP for the people of Halton Mr. Speaker, Ontario is a land of opportunity incredibly diverse and many people have done great things Mr. Speaker, this is why Ontario has a number of honours and awards that recognize individuals who through exceptional long term efforts have made outstanding contributions to their community The prestigious honours include the Order of Ontario the Medal for Good Citizenship Medal for Young Volunteers Award for Leadership in Immigrant Employment Lincoln Alexander Award June Call Outstanding Achievement Award and the Ontario Newcomer Champion Award Just to name a few Mr. Speaker Thank you Minister for providing great insight to this very important cause Mr. Speaker, Halton's first responders are among the best in the province Every day these outstanding individuals put their lives on the line to protect and serve the great residents of my community Our police and firefighters courage and life saving skills often make the difference between life and death I know firsthand the outstanding work these first responders do in the presence in the community to assisting Halton residents through challenging times of distress they can always be counted on to be there when we need them most When we are in greatest need they are always there to help and protect us and our families Mr. Speaker through you to the minister how does the province recognize the great bravery of police officers and firefighters in Halton and Ontario Thank you Mr. Speaker for the question again I want to also remind all of the members of this house that nomination for the Ontario matter Medal for firefighter and police bravery are fast approaching Both of these honourable medals recognize individual acts of outstanding courage and bravery by members of Ontario firefighting and police services For more information on how to nominate a police officer or firefighter from your community I invite all of you to please visit the Ontario Honours and Awards website today at www.citizenship.gov.on.ca Mr. Speaker I would like to take this opportunity to thank the police and firefighters for their hard work and their effort to serve and protect us all Thank you Thank you Mr. Speaker Thank you Mr. Speaker My question to the Minister of Economic Development Employment and Infrastructure Minister I recently wrote you just as I wrote your predecessors asking you to review a proposal from Georgie College to invest $2 million from the Public Infrastructure Funds Program to move the Marine Emergency Duties Training and Research Program to the Oansound campus compulsory training program for the marine industry and is currently unavailable anywhere in central Canada. It provides jobs such as marine engineers, mechanics, technicians and navigators that are all required to sustain the $6 billion industry Your government opted to give $220 million public dollars to a private firm called Cisco that gave no such support to a public institution that plays a key role in the economy of Bruce Gray owned sound and the province So my question to you is simple Minister, do you agree that public infrastructure should be going to public institutions? Yes or no Minister of Economic Development What I believe Mr. Speaker is that the PC party should be supporting our budget that's going to invest $130 billion over 10 years in infrastructure programs that will be going to public institutions Mr. Speaker including building transit including investing in our training colleges and universities facilities including investing in health care and education buildings That's Mr. Speaker what I believe and I would think the member would agree with that and if he does he should support our upcoming budget That being said the member brought this to my attention in my previous post prior to the election and it's something that we are looking into on his behalf and he did as he said provide me with information on it yesterday. I'm going to refer the supplementary to my colleague the minister of training colleges and universities who has more courage of this matter in the supplementary but I do thank the member for bringing it to my attention Good supplementary Thank you Mr. Speaker Actually I want to go back to the minister of economic development and infrastructure Minister you suggested in yesterday's question period that nobody in North America was doing more for young people than your liberal government I suggest to you that Jordan colleges keep proposes a key investment in our post-secondary education and skills training for our youth. If you make a priority I believe you could actually leverage infrastructure Canada funds and make this project a reality Minister here's an opportunity to take real action as opposed to just talk and make a critical infrastructure investment that would be a key source of jobs at a time and unemployment is stuck at 7% and youth unemployment however is at a critical 21% and Bruce Gray owned sound. Minister with the $130 billion that you've mentioned allocated for public infrastructure are you prepared to support this critical investment in a public institution and ensure that Jordan College remains a key leader in our education sector and supports the sustainability of the education sector in Ontario. Thank you. I'd prefer this to the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities Research and Innovation. Thank you. I want to thank the member opposite for that question. It's crucial for us and also for the industry to make sure that Marine emergency duty training is going on in our colleges including Georgian College. It was the federal government actually who closed this place and it was this government last year with $500,000 Mr. Speaker to continue the course Marine navigation and engineering students at Georgian College. We also help the college Mr. Speaker to transfer some of the equipment from the federal government to this organization. It is the key Mr. Speaker to make sure that Georgian College will continue offering this course and we will work with our federal counterparts and as you know at various levels government takes time and we are in negotiation with the federal governments and also I look forward to talking to municipal leaders in the AMO conference in the future Mr. Speaker. Thank you Mr. Speaker and good morning my question is to the Minister of Finance. Last week we alerted you to the possible financial crisis many communities could face with the callback of the Power Dam Special Payment Program. We urge you to support Wawa which will lose 47% of their tax base. Last week you indicated that you were in communication with Wawa to discuss these matters but the mayor and council have no record of any communication from you on this vital issue zero, nada, goose bubkis, again, nothing. Minister when can the people of Wawa expect to hear from you? Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker the member opposite brings forward in a matter of great importance of people of Wawa and so other communities in the north. I very clearly stated that they will be contacted will have those deliberations. I've noted that we are going to increase funding to the municipalities in fact our budget talks about continuing to support the municipality something which by the way the member opposite is going to reject a budget that's very progressive and talks about the support for the municipalities. Notwithstanding that I will continue to work with the city council. We have made clear that our officials will reach out to the council and to Wawa and to find ways to support the communities that are going to be affected adversely as a result of the extraordinary effects that this would have on that particular community. Thank you Mr. Speaker Thank you Mr. Speaker again to the minister of finance minister you seem to think that is only the community of Wawa that will suffer greatly with the clawback of this program. Wawa may be the hardest hit but other communities will be in dire straits and will lose and will lose significant amount of money from the power dam compensation program and to add insult to injury these communities haven't received a penny of the monies owed to them from this years their cash is drained when will your government make good on outstanding payments so these communities can pay their bills Mr. Speaker maybe he didn't hear the first response I did say communities like Wawa and others that would be affected I did state that there's a consultation process that's going to be underway that they will reach out to those communities that will be affected to ensure that they're not adversely affected I also said that the OMPF funding has been increased and that supports for the municipalities will continue to ensure that the communities are continuing to have what's necessary. Unlike Mr. Speaker what the oppositions have now stated by opposing this budget by opposing the progressive nature of what we're putting forward they are the ones putting them in harm's way we know that some of the effects that would be proposed in the budget would adversely affect certain communities we will address them and we're going through that consultation and the officials will reach out to them they know that and will continue to proceed to protect them but Mr. Speaker the members' options should stand with this budget to support all communities all across the province of Ontario. Thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister last August your predecessor Minister Jeffrey announced our government's intention to begin consultation on changing the land use planning and development charges system now almost a year from that announcement my constituents have numerous questions about what change we may make to the land use planning and appeal system they found that the current process complicated, difficult to navigate and even harder to understand Minister our governments needs to ensure that our planning system works well for municipalities and community group as well as developers while remaining responsive to the changing needs of our community Mr. Speaker through you to the Minister can you explain to my constituents what has happened the feedback that they have given to help change the land use planning system Thank you Minister Mr. Speaker in the 11 seconds I have I want to begin by thanking the Honourable Member for her question our government believes the strong land use planning system gives municipalities the tools to manage growth so our cities can become communities and our streets can become neighborhoods many however find the current system difficult to navigate so we've heard from municipal leaders, planning officials and the public that the rules can sometimes be too complex and delays and appeals too frustrating that's why we're taking the input from consultations held in Kitchener Waterloo Sault Ste. Marie, Mississauga Toronto, Thunder Bay, Ottawa and elsewhere to help our government move forward with a refresh of this important system we'll continue to listen to everyday Ontarians municipal politicians and community groups as we build the stronger more vibrant communities that we all long for Pursuant to standing order Pursuant to standing order 38A the member from Canora Rainy River has given notice of her dissatisfaction with the answer to her question given by the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs concerning the coroner's inquest into the deaths of seven First Nations youth this matter will be debated today at 6pm the member from Algoma, Manitoulin on a point of order thank you Mr. Speaker we all have an opportunity to correct the record and last week the Minister of Finance had indicated that we were taking steps with the municipality of Wawa it is replied to my question this morning it certainly wasn't that excuse me first of all that is not a point of order as the only time you correct the record is your own this house stands recessed there are no deferred another point of order not to that not to that issue sit please there are no deferred votes this house stands recessed until 3pm this afternoon