 Thank you therefore it is now time for a question period the leader of Her Majesty's Royal Opposition Mr. Speaker my question is for the Minister of Finance Yesterday the Toronto Star noted that Canadian incomes have risen by more than 10% over the last decade But according to Statistics Canada the number of low-income persons is rising in Ontario where growth has been sluggish The fact of the matter is we bucked the national trend when it comes to growth And now the FAO says the latest liberal policies do nothing to help low-income families Mr. Speaker how can Ontario afford to continue down this road? Will the Minister of Finance please enlighten us? Mr. Speaker I appreciate the question from the Leader of the Opposition And his newfound concern for those of low-income, for those individuals who are most vulnerable in our society This is the member who is saying to them do not That's not helpful carry on please So the question is the member from the P. and Carlton will come to order And we'll move very quickly carry on So the question then is what are the members of the opposition going to do in regards to minimum wage and helping those most in need Are they going to support increasing minimum wage to increase consumer spending to grow our economy and to enable all of us to be better off Mr. Speaker Ontario's economy is growing we have the lowest unemployment rate in 16 years at 5.7% People are looking for companies and businesses are looking for employment Mr. Speaker back to the Minister now the liberal talking points when it comes to this tends to be that we're leading the G7 in growth But we're not even leading Canada let alone the rest of the world Now to quote the stats the medium income in Ontario was up just 3.8% over the last decade The slowest growth out of any province or territory over the last decade in which they have been in power I'll repeat the slowest growth of any province or territory in the last decade That is their legacy that is their record this number has been attributed to the liberals I quote gutting of the manufacturing sector and the loss of 318,000 jobs Mr. Speaker, how can the liberals possibly be proud of this? How can they be proud and say that we lead the G7 when we're last in Canada? It's unacceptable we have to do better Mr. Speaker the opposition has voted against a number of initiatives that helps those most in need They voted against equal pay for equal work They voted against increasing vacation time They're not supporting survivors of domestic and sexual violence And in fact they are voting against being more and open transparent with regards to unionization and our labour movements Mr. Speaker in our last budgets in our last many budgets in fact We have put programs and initiatives to grow the economy And Mr. Speaker we are leading Canada We're leading Canada in economic growth We are leading the G7 in economic growth We have a debt-to-GDP ratio of about 39% And it's tempering down much more effective than it is in other provinces and around the world for that matter We'll take the effective initiatives that we put in place We are the lowest per capita cost government anywhere in Canada And we're growing the economy No thanks to the member's office to vote against those measures Mr. Speaker again to the Minister of Finance And you get the liberal spin that everything is rosy But you look at Stats Canada and it paints a different picture This is actually in the Toronto Star I'd encourage the Minister of Finance to maybe read the Toronto Star a little bit more Because it actually says out of all the provinces in Canada And all the territories we have the slowest growth over the last decade And whatever spin you see you can't change the fact that we're falling behind in Ontario And so rather than try to pitch some other story How do you acknowledge the Stats Canada says that we are dead last And is the Minister of Finance willing to settle for our great province being last in Canada I'm never willing to settle for Ontario being last in Canada We must be better than this Mr. Speaker, Ontario is one of the best jurisdictions around the world We are number one in North America when it comes to economic growth We've had over 720,000 net new jobs in the depths of the recession And every year, even when we qualified for equalization We were a net contributor to the Federation Mr. Speaker And we always have been And in this last budget, in this last public account We beat our target by $3.3 billion With over $190 billion more investment for infrastructure And that member opposite sat in the federal party that voted in the largest deficit In Canada's history Mr. Speaker He doubled debt for all of Canada We need Ontario Any questions for the Leader of the Opposition? Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs And I know the Minister is probably just as excited as I am To head next week to the beautiful riding of Huron Bruce You know, I love attending the international plowing match And I love to see all the amazing work that our farmers and agricultural sector do And I know they have a few questions for the Minister and the government The Local Food Act passed in 2013 And in the law there is a section for the Minister to set goals for I quote Encouraging increased use of local food by public sector organizations But four years later nothing has happened This section of the law has not been proclaimed Mr. Speaker, why not? And will the Minister have this section proclaimed before he goes to the IPM? Thank you Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the Leader of the Opposition First question this morning And of course we have been outreaching over the last four years I think of Cisco Foods We have been dealing with Gordon Food Services And all the big suppliers in the province of Ontario To continue to make sure that they work with our local farmers in the province of Ontario 50,000 family farms Contributing $37 billion to Ontario's GDP And while I got the floor this morning I am very proud to say that one of the BMO farm families of the year That will be recognized in the international plowing match Is the Crowley family from the great riding of Peterborough Mr. Speaker, again to the Minister Previously with the Liberals we had stretch goals Now we have outreach goals They come up with new terms Why they can't honor their commitments And I would have hoped the Minister has said he would have proclaimed that aspect of that But we didn't get that This summer I had the opportunity to meet with the Ontario Greenhouse and Vegetable Growers And they had a number of concerns with liberal policies and the impact on farmers They said I quote Their recent changes greatly inhibit the ability of farmers to plan for their investments At a provincial level the result will be less investment Less investment in Ontario And less stability for rural Ontario You know we are seeing growers courted all the time to go to Mexico To take care of the environment Mr. Speaker Personally I love locally grown food I love locally grown food in my hometown And in Simcoe County And I want all of Ontario to continue to enjoy Ontario grown produce But if the Liberals are intent on driving this investment out of Ontario It's not going to be here So what is the Minister going to do to make sure we keep that investment in Ontario Mr. Speaker again I want to thank the member The Leader of the Opposition for his question this morning First recently we put in place a support for our greenhouse sector The province of Ontario Some 19 billion dollars that we asked the greenhouse sector to design themselves To continue to make investments And innovation and productivity And Ontario's very robust greenhouse sector The province of Ontario Whether you're in southwestern Ontario Or the Niagara Peninsula Other parts of Ontario to see this grow Well the question I have this morning The Leader of the Opposition was in Ottawa For four straight years We asked our Ottawa And Jerry Ritz when he was the Minister To fund 60% of the risk management program For our farmers and the province of Ontario He sat there Didn't support it and said no Every time he was brought to his attention Final supplementary to the member from Huron Group Back to the Minister I'm going to read to you a quote from Ken Wall From the Asparagus Farmers of Ontario Several years ago The Premier encouraged us in agriculture She said Listen, I want you by 2020 To produce 120,000 new jobs Here in the province In the field of agriculture Ken Wall went on to say Do you have any idea how ridiculous That sounds to farmers like myself We've got increased costs From hydro and cap and trade And now we've got a 32% increase To our minimum wage rate So Speaker How can they grow Let alone survive When you continue to attack their industries Speaker, I ask the Minister as well As an advisor to the Premier Have you told her How ridiculous this sounds to farmers Thank you Minister Well thank you very much Mr Speaker And I want to thank the member From Huron Bruce For a question of the sporting I continue to engage In agriculture I engage the National Farmers Union The Christian Farmers This past week I had the opportunity To meet with other groups That are part of the leading driver In Ontario's economy today $37 billion to Ontario's GDP 800,000 jobs each and every day At a sector that's known around The world for quality and safety We will be Through these representations We've certainly heard The potential impacts of increases In minimum wage I think the Premier said very clearly We'll be looking at Mitigation measures as we go forward On a sector by sector basis As I said I want to thank the member For a question this morning New question the leader of the third party Thank you so much Mr Speaker My question is for the Deputy Premier This morning I was joined By 22 people from all across the province Who have a loved one in long-term care Many of them are here in the gallery now And I personally want to commend them For the advocacy that they undertake On behalf of their loved ones Each and every day Speaker they came to Queens Park today To tell the government That their loved ones are not getting The care that they deserve Our long-term care system is broken And we need a broad public inquiry To begin undoing some of the damage That has been done By the Premier's commitment To immediately broadening the scope Of the narrow long-term care inquiry Already underway To finally start fixing the mess That our long-term care system is in Thank you Minister of health and long-term care Minister of health long-term care Thank you Mr Speaker And first of all I would also like To acknowledge and thank the advocates The care partners, the caregivers The family members The patients that are here with us And importantly I also want To again express my sincerest And deep condolences To the families, to the loved ones And the communities In and around Woodstock And London and the other areas That were affected by the horrible Tragedy that led to the Creation of the public inquiry In the first place Mr Speaker we have created A public inquiry to look into The events surrounding the Offences committed by Elizabeth And who as we all know Was a long-term care RN convicted of the murder and assault And many patients Who entrusted her with their care Mr Speaker And I'm happy to speak in more detail About the inquiry in the follow-up Supplementary Speaker these people didn't come here Because they think that the Liberal Government Is doing everything that it can do To make sure that their loved ones Are properly cared for They came here today And every one of them can tell you About a time that their parent Or grandparent or spouse Was left in bed for 17 hours Without being moved Or when they missed a meal Or more than one meal in a day Or in some heartbreaking cases Speaker when their loved one Was abused Frontline staff are doing the best That they can but they are run Off their feet and they need help Will this Liberal Government Commit to expanding the public So that Ontario families Can get an honest picture An honest picture Of the expanse of this crisis Thank you Minister Mr Speaker The public inquiry While I appreciate We do have visitors here Just as a reminder that there are no Public displays whatsoever Allowed in the House and I'd appreciate it If you followed that rule We make sure that we have Civility in the House So I appreciate you not participating In that minister Thank you Mr Speaker And the public inquiry As we know will be led Is being led by the highly capable And honourable Justice Eileen Gilles And this inquiry will help to Ensure that we get the answers That we do need to prevent a Tragedy like this from happening again But Mr Speaker Will have a broader scope It will have a broader scope Than a police investigation Or a prosecution It will not only look into what occurred But also look for any underlying Issues that need to be addressed To ensure that the objectives Of the long term care homes act Were and are being met And will make recommendations As to how to address them Mr Speaker And it will provide the government With specific recommendations For the safety and well being of residents By reviewing the policies and procedures And practices and oversight mechanisms For long term care homes Final supplementary Speaker the public inquiry That this minister and this government Has called is simply not brought enough It is tied to the wet law for murders We know that work needs to be done But a broader inquiry Needs to happen in the province of Ontario Seriously breaking point Speaker These families see it Each and every day And they are a small proportion Of the hundreds and thousands of families Around the province That are seeing the exact same thing Happening in community From community across Ontario Every family with a loved one in care Sees it every day It's time to get to the bottom Of the problems in seniors care In these problems And then actually do something about it Why won't the government take This crucial, this important Honest step and look at this In a broader perspective Through the public inquiry Can you see it please Thank you minister Well Mr. Speaker I fundamentally disagree With the assumption being made By the leader of the third party Because Mr. Speaker The terms of reference for the Gilles inquiry were intentionally Drafted to be very broad Including the potential to look And this is at the discretion Of the commissioner herself To look at systemic issues Of oversight and accountability In the long term care system We want to allow the commission The freedom to follow whatever Direction the evidence requires And this includes specifically In the terms of reference To be able to address the Circumstances and contributing factors Allowing these events to occur Policies and procedures and others But also Mr. Speaker In the explicitly and I know Our visitors to read it as well If they haven't already It allows the commissioner To look at any other relevant Matters that the commissioner Considered necessary to avoid Similar tragedies If that isn't broader Mr. Speaker I don't know what is New question The leader of the third party This is for the deputy Premier Speaker And I can tell the minister Exactly what is broader And what is more The minister is looking at The funding levels Looking at the for profit Versus non profit model These are the kinds of things That are systemic issues in our System that need to be reviewed For too long this government Has heard these wrenching These heart wrenching stories But they've only made the Problems worse They've continued with Conservative policies Their loved ones are living Without dignity in long-term care Why is the acting premier And the liberal government content To just sweep this problem under the rug Instead of actually fixing it Thank you Minister of health and long-term care Minister of health and long-term care Well Mr. Speaker All of the issues that the member Opposite has articulated Are absolutely at the discretion Of Judge Eileen Gillies But it is almost an insult I think to the justice herself To suggest that when explicitly In the terms of reference It gives her that degree of latitude As I've said To actually address and investigate Any other relevant matters That the commissioner considers necessary And it includes policies And procedures and practices And accountability It allows her to look at the Long-term care homes act To ensure that its objectives Are being met broadly across this province So Mr. Speaker To suggest otherwise Just simply isn't an accurate Reading of what the terms And what the inquiry itself Is allowed to do It's absolutely at the discretion Of the judge to look at the issues That the member obviously is asking for So what's it in self-speaker That this government did not have the courage To do the right thing Giving it up to the discretion Of someone else to do their damn job What's wrong? Look, it is vital That we expand the scope Of the public inquiry into long-term care To look at the systemic problems We have residents living in fear Of resident on resident violence We have staff living in fear Of going to work And experiencing violence We have severely understaffed homes With frontline workers And more and more burnt out by the day How can the government Continue to ignore this crisis Continue to refuse To take an honest, full look Through this public inquiry Why will they not do the right thing Speaker Thank you Mr. Speaker Ontarians want an answer They want an answer To how possibly a single individual A trusted individual A registered nurse In a number of nursing homes And in the community could possibly Be allowed to carry out The atrocious and tragic acts That resulted in the deaths And the assault of so many innocent And vulnerable individuals That's what Ontarians Are asking for And it doesn't matter What the third party thinks About that issue We know that Ontarians Want that horrific Set of circumstances That we've all witnessed Over the course of the past year Mr. Speaker That's why we've appointed Justice Eileen Gilles Who is highly capable And even from the local area Mr. Speaker With remarkable expertise That can address this effectively Thank you Final supplementary No doubt that people Are asking for answers To so much more Of what's going wrong And love like this It does not have to be this way We can actually take action To fix seniors' care In Ontario We can give our loved ones The care and the dignity Speaker The dignity every single day That they deserve So will the acting premier Do the right thing That people have About our failing long-term care system And take this important moment And seize this important moment Take the chance And make this long-term care Better for seniors in Ontario Commit to the broader inquiry And then commit to fix the system Mr. Speaker I am absolutely confident That Justice Gilles Will be addressing the issues That are critically important For Ontarians To ensure the safety and security And the quality of care For individuals That we entrust to our long-term care homes To provide them with that Highest quality of care Particularly when they're vulnerable And Justice Gilles Who has enormous experience Both at the superior court And appeals court But she was dean And professor of law At the University of Western Ontario Of the world in 2008 And was one of Canada's top 100 women Shortly before that She has an impeccable legal record And I have no doubt at all And I hope that all of us Can trust this remarkable individual To do the work that's required Mr. Speaker Thank you New question My question is for the president Of the Treasury Board The Premier was adamant That she was testifying At the Sudbury bribery trial As the leader of the Ontario Liberal Party In fact she swore an oath on the Bible And opened her testimony By saying I am the leader Of the Ontario Liberal Party So Mr. Speaker I want to ask Who paid for the Premier's flights And accommodations in Sudbury Who paid the Liberal Party Or the taxpayers of Ontario Or the deputy Premier Deputy Premier Well thank you Speaker And thank you for the question And thank you for clarifying the role Of the Premier yesterday Unlike what your leader has done Speaker there has been This has been in the public realm For some time All sites That is not appropriate Finish please Speaker the Ontario Liberal Party Is paying for The Premier's Liberal Bill And for the Premier's Liberal Bill Speaker Supplementary Thanks back to the minister The Premier as the leader Of the Ontario Liberal Party Didn't travel alone to Sudbury So I ask Mr. Speaker Who paid for the Premier's Staff's flights And accommodations in Sudbury Who paid the Liberal Party Or the Ontario Taxpayer The Ontario Liberal Party And this is where And this is where we want to go I'm not Every member knows better Every member knows better Don't turn this into something You would regret The member should not have done that Carry on The Ontario Liberal Party Is paying for those bills Thank you new question The member from London Fanshawe My question is to the Acting Premier The Lyoti family has recently Reached out to my office Their mother Joanne Was living in a long-term care in London The Lyoti family expected that Their mother should have received The best care possible But when their mother Joanne Suffered a stroke She waited hours Before receiving any medical attention Or assistance In fact it was discovered By a privately hired companion Who finally brought Her mother to hospital As a result of their mother Joanne being left unattended She suffered irreversible brain damage And later passed away That kind of tragedy Should never happen To anyone in a long-term care Home in Ontario Is the Premier Is the Acting Premier Ready to listen to families Like the Lyotis And take action To fix the crisis in seniors' care Thank you To the Minister of Health And long-term care Thank you Mr. Speaker And first of all my Sincere condolences My heart goes out to this family That has had to bear An extremely unfortunate tragedy And I'm sorry to hear that Mr. Speaker We are making significant investments In the long-term care system We've been doing that since 2003 When we first came into office Where we have approximately Doubled our investments in long-term care We have increased The number of long-term care beds Right across this province By 10,000 beds Since that time Mr. Speaker We are in the process Of redeveloping a further 30,000 beds Even in this year's budget Mr. Speaker We had a significant allocation And increased to long-term care homes That the third party voted against Which would continue to demonstrate That this is a high priority for this government Supplementary Speaker The Lyotis family is not alone There's many more families here today And thousands of families And their loved ones have experienced This in seniors' care across Ontario For some of those families That are here with us today To speak up for the care That our parents and grandparents deserve And what I want to do, Speaker Is thank them for their courage For doing so Front-line workers are doing the best they can But homes are chronically underfunded And understaffed 30,000 people Can't even get a long-term care bed That they need Instead of families spending quality time With their loved ones They are spending sleepless nights Worrying about the safety Of our parents and grandparents In long-term care Is the action premier prepared To do the right thing for families Here today And expand the mandate Of the public inquiry To look at the systemic problem In long-term care Speaker There's nothing more important to me as minister And us as government Than the safety and security of Ontarians Including, especially Our seniors Who find themselves In our long-term care system We have a debt of responsibility We owe them a debt of gratitude And we have responsibility to ensure That that cares of the highest quality This year we increased The budgets of our long-term care homes 60 million new dollars For the care that the president Care needs including specialized Supports for those most complex Individuals An additional 10 million For more than 50 million for behavioral Supports which is important because Of the increased number of seniors With dementia, Mr. Speaker We increased the raw food envelope For the diet, for the meals By 6.5 percent this year Those are just three examples How we continue to invest But three examples that the third Minister Mr. Speaker, my question Is for the minister of tourism, culture And sport It's an important question For those of us from the Ottawa region Who are affected By the story of Rowan Stringer And for all parents like me Who want to encourage their children To be active, to participate in sports And team sports But who are worried for their safety It's an important question For all Ontarians Who are interested in safety And sports In May 2013 17-year-old Rowan Stringer's life Was cut short as a result Of a head injury She sustained while playing rugby With her high school team The coroner's inquest was conveyed And in 2015 To look into the circumstances Of Rowan's death Rowan Stringer's jury Made 49 recommendations For government, school boards And sport organization To prevent concussion The Rowan's law advisory committee Was created to a private members bill That the MPP may cloud MPP Fraser Minister of tourism, culture And sport Thank you Mr. Speaker I'd like to thank the member For her question I want to recognize and thank The members who are here today For their critically important work In particular, I'd like to thank Dr. Dan Cass, VP Medical At St. Joseph's Health Centre For his leadership And I especially want to thank Rowan's dad Who was able to channel his grief Into this work that will have a lasting And meaningful impact The committee met eight times this year And the unique perspective of its members Have all contributed to a comprehensive Report which we were proud Of as a member of the House And the community And the people and community safer Every Ontarian should have the Opportunity to safely participate In sport and we expect the Committee's thoughtful input Will make Ontario a national Leader in concussion safety Speaker I hope all members of The House will report and I Look forward to adding more Information in my supplementary Thank you Mr. Speaker And again, I'd like to thank The member for her question Our government understands the Importance of creating a world Class amateur sport system where Athletes can play safely That's why I'm happy to inform The House that our government Can play safely In order that sports be played Safely it's important that all Sectors work together and be Supported by coordination Minister may be to update this House on the government's And our government is taking Decisive action informed by the Comprehensive feedback in this Report. Working with sport and Healthcare leaders the province Will review and work to implement The report's recommendations to Make our sport system as safe As possible. As part of this Our government intends to Introduce legislation that if Passed would govern amateur sport Across Ontario and serve to Change the conversation about Concussion protocol in Ontario To ensure that athletes and Families are spared such an Agonizing loss. Thank you. Thank you. My question is for the Minister of Health and Long-term care. The current long-term care Act includes enforcement tools Like license suspensions, Financial penalties, duty to Report, and the residents bill Of rights. Yet life for seniors And long-term care is getting Harder and more tragic. Sadly Cases of vile abuse, neglect And sexual assault persist. I want to know, Speaker, why isn't The minister and his government Protecting seniors and long-term Care by enforcing the existing Law? That's a great question. Thank you. Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker And we are enforcing the law And in fact I will be later This fall I'll be introducing Legislation to further And our ability as a government To oversee and inspect And protect long-term care Well, I mean, I know there's Hacklin coming from the official Opposition. In fact, unlike The progressive conservatives, We were the first party to Actually implement that 100% of long-term care homes In this province would even Have to undertake an annual Inspection. Under the Progressive conservatives, they Were not inspected, Mr. Speaker. So the long-term care homes Are being inspected. And what we're seeing, we're Already seeing the results of those Inspections because we're seeing That the orders that are being Issued by my ministry inspectors That year over year, the number Of orders that need to be Issued is going down. And that's because through the Inspection process our long-term Care homes are getting better. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. On the one hand, the Inspection process was a Blueprint for change to protect Seniors in long-term care. From the 2005 Casavirde Inquest into murders in long-term Care, less than 30% of the Recommendations have. To the Shirley Charkey and Gail Donner Reports, this government and Minister have had hundreds of Recommendations from the Multiple task forces inquiries And reports over the last not help our senior citizens and residents. Well, there have been a lot of reports and we've benefitted from the expertise behind them. It's easy for the member opposite to cherry pick the ones that he wants, but what we're doing, Mr. Speaker, is this fall we're introducing further legislation beyond the 100% inspections that we implemented under the previous Ministry of Health, just to my left. We are implementing further measures to further strengthen our ability to oversee and to ensure that the long-term care act is enforced and adhered to 100% by 100% of our long-term care homes, Mr. Speaker. So consistent and consonant with our—at the same time, Mr. Speaker, as we invest in our long-term care system, we are tightening and improving and strengthening the regime. A regime that didn't exist under the progressive Conservatives, they did not see this as a priority whatsoever. When they were closing 10,000 hospital beds, they ignored the long-term care sector. We're investing in overshadding as well. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Deputy Premier. Yesterday, the Premier of Ontario took the witness stand in the Sudbury bribery case. Her testimony leaves Ontarians with even more questions. She seemed to have forgotten quite a few of the details of the interactions between herself and the Minister of Energy during the time that her party was courting him to run for them. For example, the Premier couldn't remember if she ever talked to the Minister about paid jobs for his staffers. Does the acting Premier know why she has so much trouble remembering details yesterday on the stands? Well, thank you, Speaker. The Premier win has been very open with the legislature, with the media, with the public, about the allegations related to the Sudbury by-election. Speaker, as I'm sure everyone knows, parliamentary privilege extends to all members of the legislature and really exempts a member from the normal obligation to attend court if summoned as a witness. The Premier, however, chose to waive that privilege and appeared yesterday, Speaker. She was open, she was transparent, and everything that she said is on the public record. Speaker, this issue is before the court. We must let it—that's where it must be. Thank you. Supplementary. Again to the Deputy Premier. The Premier has claimed over and over again throughout this entire scandal that she has been transparent here in this House and with the media. But yesterday, when she was on the stand, we learned a whole slew of new information from her that she had not disclosed in this House. Her recall was inconsistent. Does the acting Premier think that the Premier just suddenly remembered those details, or does she care to explain where the Liberal Party's definition of transparency is different from everyone else's in this province? This has been said multiple times. This is an issue before the courts, and that's where it will stay. Thank you. No question. The member for beaches is short. Well, thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Minister of International Trade. Now, Speaker, it's well known that the process of modernizing the North American Free Trade Agreement is currently well underway. And the overarching benefits of this agreement for all three parties are well documented. In 2016, in fact, Speaker, the trilateral trade among Canada, the US, and Mexico reached Canadian $1.4 trillion, more than a three-fold increase since 1995. And is this trade interdependence that supports millions of jobs across North America and strengthens trade and investment in Canada? Unique in its makeup, NAFTA is a robust trade agreement that covers a wide array of sectors, many of which are the backbone of local economies across Ontario, such as the auto sector. Now, Speaker, our Premier and Minister Chan have worked tirelessly to ensure that the views of un-chairs on this important trade agreement are brought to the negotiation table week in and week out. Question. So, Speaker, will the Minister provide the House with an update of the ongoing negotiations process? Thank you. Minister of International Trade. Thank you. Thank you, Speaker, for the opportunity. Before I answer the question, allow me to say a couple of words of the passing of un-chair. He was a good friend of mine, a great colleague. He was my first Chief of Staff, a great personal loss to my family, and he would talk to the committee. I ask the member to ask a second question, please. Ask the second question, please. Thank you. Supplementary. Well, thank you, Speaker, and I too know Mr. Chan, and he was an extraordinary Ontario, and he worked in the Premier's office, and I had a pleasure on many occasions. And if the Minister would like to take another minute and a half to talk more about Mr. Chan's legacy, I would be happy to ask him this question on another date. As important as our North American Free Trade Agreement negotiations are, nothing from personal relationships in this house or in our lives. And with great respect, I would allow the Minister, if he'd like to say a few more words, be welcome to or speak to the agreement as he wishes. Thank you. Minister of International Trade. I know he's a great guy. He's a person who never stopped talking during his two years with me and because of the culture that he was able to give me so much advice, so much meaningful direction of running my ministry. And three weeks ago, he gave me a phone call and got my family to his house, and he told me it's no more, no more medicine. The doctor advised him after five doses of trial medicine, they decided it's no more. So at that time, he told me the fight, the battle, will be between his body and the cancer. Needless to say, I expect this. And he told me that, Michael, I'm dying, I'm dying. And that's a message from him. So we had a very good talk. It will be a good funeral. I talked to the family. So you know what? Speaker, life to everyone is short. So enjoy it. Thank you. Thank you. New question. The leader of the opposition. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the acting premier. More than 5,000 basements were flooded by a record-breaking rainfall in Windsor Essex. The Windsor Star noted, the disastrous storm of the century that swamped Essex County in late August caused $175 million in damage to homes in Windsor alone, and that number is likely growing. According to the Windsor Star, even the minister doesn't hold out much hope. The province's disaster assistance program will be able to cover the cost and help those impacted. Mayor Dilkins told the reporters it's likely there is going to be thousands of people in Windsor and Essex who simply can't get insurance, who can't get help. The province must step up and must help these families. Mr. Speaker, will the acting premier promise they won't turn their back on the people of Windsor during this hour of need? Thank you. Thanks very much, Speaker. I'm happy to take this important question on behalf of our colleague, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. I know that he's over the last number of days had the opportunity to not only respond to questions on this very grave and important topic that's affecting the people of Windsor and Essex, I know that he's had the chance to speak to municipal representatives and leaders in that part of the province about the challenges that the people of their respective communities are facing. I know he's also paid a personal visit down to the area to see firsthand about exactly what the circumstances look like on the ground. I know that just, I believe yesterday the Minister of Municipal Affairs did reference specifically that the program, the Disaster Recovery Assistance Fronterian's program has gone forward. It is performing as the program is designed to perform, Speaker. But having said all of that, I know that the Minister, again yesterday, spoke to some of the challenges with respect to what's taking place around private insurance, which is not. But I know this Minister and his team, his officials, are on the ground. They're doing the work that needs to be done. They'll continue to talk to the Mayor of Windsor and other mayors in the area and the residents to make sure that we strike very balanced. Thanks very much, Speaker. Supplementary, the member for the Charter of Charter of Essex. Speaker, back to the Acting Premier. The Disaster Relief Program does not cover damages to homes that were flooded due to sewage system backups. But according to one restoration company, every home we've been to, it's been due to sewage backup. Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkins is asking the province to create a comprehensive, affordable insurance package homeowners can buy if they can't get flood insurance. But instead of taking action, the Premier only issued a vague tweet about the flooding and would rather be in Washington than Windsor. Pretending to care on Twitter or leaving the country just isn't good enough, Acting Premier. So Acting Premier and Speaker, what assistance will the Acting Premier actually provide to the people of Windsor hurt by the flood? Thanks very much, Speaker. As I said in the initial answer to the first question from the Leader of the Opposition, Minister Moro has been to the area he's spoken to the mayors. He referenced this exact issue around sewer sewage backups yesterday in this legislature in response to a question from the member of the NDP caucus from the Windsor area. He did say, Minister Moro did say yesterday that insurance coverage for damage that's caused by sewer backup is widely available. The program that we have in place, Speaker, is there and it's designed to help deal with what's known as overland flooding, Speaker. This is not to suggest in any way, shape, or form that there is not a great deal of concern on the part of the minister or our government or the Premier or everyone on this side of the house with respect to the challenges of the people of this region of the province are facing. It's why the Minister spoke very, very quickly to all of the mayors in the area. It's why he's paid a personal visit to this particular area, Speaker. It's why he and our government championed the need to invest significantly more money, hundreds of millions of dollars more, Speaker. And dealing with issues relating to water and wastewater, which will help improve some of the challenges in the law. In terms of Speaker, I know the Minister will continue to be vigilant and work with the communities that are affected to make sure that we get it right. Thank you. Thanks very much. New question. The leader of the third party. Thank you, Speaker. I'd like to actually begin by extending sincere condolences on behalf of my NDP caucus and new Democrats around on Ontario to the Minister of International Affairs, the Minister of Economic Development and Trade, and all of the friends and family and loved ones of MP Arnold Chan. His loss, I'm sure, would be very great. But I do have a question, of course, Speaker. And my question is to the Deputy Premier. My hometown of Hamilton has had 79 Code Zero events this year so far. For those of you who aren't aware of what a Code Zero is, a Code Zero is when one or even zero ambulances are available to be dispatched when someone calls 911. Hamilton is a community of over 525,000 people, Speaker, over half a million people. There are life-threatening events that occur sometimes two or three times per week. These are life-threatening events that occur, rather. Sometimes two or three times a week in Hamilton, a Code Zero two or three times a week. People deserve to know that when they call 911 in an emergency, that helps going to be there for them. Of course. Why won't the Liberal government do the right thing? Stop underfunding healthcare in this province and make sure that when there's an emergency, Ontario families have the confidence that they need to know that help will come when they call 911. Well, Mr. Speaker, I'm always concerned whenever I hear messages like this. I'm well aware of some of the pressures that exist around the province. Fortunately, Mr. Speaker, our municipalities across the province work well together. So if there's a challenge faced by one, another municipality often and generally has the opportunity to step up without any negative impact on patient care response. But, Mr. Speaker, the leader of the third party raises an important issue where we know that we can do better when it comes to dispatch and fully utilising and effectively utilising our paramedics and our EMS services. So in fact, in a number of weeks, I'll be introducing legislation that I referred to back in June, which will allow our EMS workers to do a number of things that will make them more available, allow them, for example, to treat and release low-acuity patients, particularly individuals that don't require medical care, or divert them to places other than hospitals, which might be more appropriate. This is what we'll be introducing shortly. Speaker, perhaps the Minister of Health doesn't realise that a woman in Hamilton lost her life recently because it took almost an hour for an ambulance to get to her, and now the coroner is actually reviewing this set of circumstances. It is unacceptable, unacceptable, that anyone has to wait that long for an ambulance. An ambulance has to offload patients in the hospital before it can be dispatched again. Everybody knows that. But frozen hospital budgets have meant that this process is taking longer and longer and longer. Hamilton paramedics and city staff attribute our Code Zero incidents largely to these increased hospital waits, and the Ontario Hospital Association itself has said that without immediate action, this crisis will only get worse. Can the acting Premier tell me, was it the Liberals' plan to put the bottom line ahead of people's lives when they cut health care services for families? The big families count on in Ontario? And Mr. Speaker, it's hard not to find a fence with that question, but that... Leader of the third party, please come to order. And the member from beaches east York, carry on, please. So I was going to say, Mr. Speaker, that despite the nature of the question, I was choosing to answer it in a respectful way, that we are working across the system, Mr. Speaker, and I'm happy to understand now that this is really a question about hospital funding. But we're investing in our ERs, Mr. Speaker, for what's known as pay for performance, where we are directly addressing the offloading challenges that certain hospitals face. But Mr. Speaker, we are implementing a new answer algorithm that is going to divert, it's going to be able to predict the patients that need the support quickly, but we're making important things. And I think probably the most important things paramedics will tell you is the diversion where individuals, paramedics, you're going to be able to take people away from hospitals in the first place. Thank you. New question, member, from the top of yourself. Long-term care. Speaker, I begin by quoting the late MP Arnold Chan from Scarborough Asian Court, who said in his final address to the federal parliament, I would ask Canadians to give heart to their democracy, that they treasure it and they revere it. Like former MP Chan, Speaker, I know that our government believes that everyone in the province deserves high quality healthcare, that is compassionate, timely, equitable, research-based, and in the best interests of our patients. In particular, that includes those fighting substance use disorders, which are increasingly prevalent. Speaker, we've been clear as a government through the past year that what we're dealing with is a crisis. The opioid crisis has unfortunately taken far too many lives and led to debilitating dependence and addictions. Last year, our government put in place the most comprehensive opioid strategy in the country and also announced additional investments in this file. Would the minister please inform this House about the critical investments our government is making to provide urgent support to those affected by the opioid crisis? Thank you, Minister of Health, long-term care. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the member from Etobicoke North as well for giving me this opportunity. And I want to start, if I can, Mr. Speaker, by acknowledging those who have tragically and needlessly, Mr. Speaker, lost their lives due to the public health crisis that we're facing, the opioid crisis, Mr. Speaker. Regrettably, 865 precious souls, individuals lost their lives last year. That's a 19% increase from the previous year. Nothing like what they're seeing in BC, where they saw an 88% year-over-year increase, but nonetheless a single life lost is a tragic loss to that individual and their loved ones. And I want, Mr. Speaker, also to acknowledge and recognize the true heroes of our healthcare system, the frontline workers whose commitment and compassion under extremely difficult circumstances have saved the lives of so many. Mr. Speaker, the lives of those with opioid use disorder, substance use disorder, they, those lives matter. Those people are valued and they're important and they are not alone, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Speaker, and thank you as well, Minister, for your stewardship of this important issue. As we know, we've attempted to bring to bear a number of investments critical as they are in the healthcare system to ultimately benefit individuals, families, and the communities that are fighting these substance abuse disorders. And I have to say, Speaker, that I have personally witnessed in both the parliamentary and professional capacity the results of those investments. Speaker, our sloganeering opposition believes that merely banning pill presses is the answer to the opioid crisis. In contrast, our government recognizes, as with all things concerned in medicine, that we need to address the spectrum of issues, in particular to prevent new instances of opioid dependency and also to care for those already affected. Speaker, I'd like to ask the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care to weigh in on why banning pill presses is merely a band-aid solution to a public health crisis that deserves a full spectrum treatment. If I can't let me be clear on one thing, focusing on restricting access to pill presses in Ontario is not going to solve this issue. In fact, the federal government has already passed legislation that prohibits and bans and makes illegal the importation of pill presses anywhere into this country without a license, Mr. Speaker, but this is an issue which is far more complex and multifaceted and can't be, in fact, I would argue that a legal drug manufacturer in his basement, the last thing that he's concerned about is the legality of the pill press that he's using to make illicit drugs for distribution on our streets, Mr. Speaker. But this opioid use disorder crisis deserves much more from us, and that's why we've invested to date almost $300 million over the next two and a half years, Mr. Speaker. And it's everything from the distribution of naloxone, more than 7,000 doses of naloxone going out each and every month to making rapid access to medical treatment, support, detoxification available to those who do seek help, and many, many other things, Mr. Speaker. Question and member from Prince Edward Jesus. Thanks, Mr. Speaker. My question this morning is for the Acting Premier. Yesterday, a major international energy company started construction activities in Prince Edward County, and I know that the Minister of Energy has said on numerous occasions that we don't need more power. We have an oversupply in Ontario, and I know that you know that the company isn't welcome in Prince Edward County. Prince Edward County is an unwilling host community. Your government even had grounds to kill this project when the environmental review removed more than 60% of its generating capacity recently, removing the number of wind turbines from 29 down to 9 in this environmentally sensitive area. But what did you do? Your government changed the contract for them to allow them to continue and build this unnecessary wind project. Speaker, the government knew that the company was violating the terms of its contracts. Why did it refuse to do the right thing? Why did it not step in and protect electricity customers in Ontario for another expensive, unreliable unwanted... Thank you. Deputy Premier. A Minister of Economic Development and Growth. A Minister of Economic Development and Growth. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And I can't opine on this specific contract. The Minister of Energy might have some more specific information he could share with the member on this. Other than say that this government has prioritized environmental protection as part of our renewable project considerations. And we've amended our system significantly over the years to accommodate as much as possible municipal input. But the fact is, Mr. Speaker, and I hear the members opposite squawking about not caring. But the fact is, what we do care about, Mr. Speaker, is having a clean future for the province of Ontario. What we do care about is the health of each and every Ontario man, woman, and child. And, Mr. Speaker, most of us spent the last weekend riveted to CNN watching the ravages of climate change as it hit Texas, as it hit Florida. Mr. Speaker, we're going to do what we need to do to build renewable energy in this province because it's the right thing to do, Mr. Speaker. Supplementary. Speaker, the government has said on a number of different occasions that these wind turbines are producing unwanted unreliable, unnecessary electricity, and we know that it's driving up our skyrocketing cost of electricity in Ontario. This one has been reduced by an environmental review tribunal in Prince Edward County that said this is the wrong place for environmental reasons to locate a wind turbine project. Speaker, the Ministry of Energy has told me and the IESO has told residents of the county that they take the long view on commercial operation dates, often extending them by 18 months. This project is behind by more than three years, yet the government has given it the rubber stamp and actually made the case that it should go ahead with less capacity. This is an unnecessary project. Could it be that the fact that this foreign company donated on five separate occasions to the Ontario Liberal Party that the government has made this adjustment to the contract in Prince Edward County? Thank you. Minister. Mr. Speaker, that party will go to any lengths to discredit anything that we've tried to do over the last dozen years to reform our energy system and remove us from coal to cleaner sources of power. But Mr. Speaker, as I said in my first answer to the question, Mr. The member from Huron, Bruce, will withdraw. Withdraw. Orn. It's been a good part of the last week looking at the ravages, Mr. Speaker, of those incredible hurricanes, record hurricanes that have taken place, taken lives in the Caribbean, taken lives in Florida, and taken lives in Texas, Mr. Speaker. We have an obligation to do everything we can to reduce climate change. The leadership that we have taken, Mr. Speaker, it's the single greatest climate change initiative during our time and that's getting us off the call, proving us to cleaner sources of power like wind. We're proud of that commitment, Mr. Speaker. The leader of the opposition on a point of order. Mr. Speaker, just briefly, I wanted to say on behalf of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Caucus our deepest, deepest condolences for the loss of Arnold Chantu to the Liberal Party that he worked with to his friends and family. I had the opportunity to serve with Arnold in Ottawa for close to a year and seen him at community events. There was no one more decent and devoted, always putting partisanship aside and, frankly, the gold standard of what you'd like to see in a human being and a public servant. So our condolences with everyone feeling this loss today. That's the end of the question period and I would entertain a point of order from the member from Grant and Springdale. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I was running a little bit late for introduction so I wanted to introduce a few of the guests here in the gallery. I want to welcome our member of the Legislative Assembly, Punjab Bhatti, who's here with us today, Mr. Harminder Singh Gill and his wife, Mrs. Parmjeet Gill, along with their daughter, Mekleen Cor Gill, and also my good friend Raj Sandhu, who's the City Council from Bradford, his wife, Mrs. Rana Sandhu, Mr. Shiv Gill and Mr. Gripreet Singh. Thank you so much. There are being no deferred votes this house stands recess until 1pm this afternoon.