 It is now time for oral questions. I recognize the leader of the official opposition. Speaker, can I just start by saying that although the Tiger Cats lost last night at the Great Cup, we are very proud of our team. They had a great season and we'll get them next time. My first question, of course, is to the Premier Speaker. Last week, the people of Ontario first learned that the Premier was spending at least $231 million cancelling and daring down renewable energy projects. Since then, the Premier has repeatedly refused to let the auditor in to review the cost of cancelling these contracts, including by blocking RUC just this morning. So my question is, what is the Premier trying to hide, Speaker? The question is addressed to the Premier. Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. And the Leader of the Opposition knows that we're saving $790 million for the taxpayer. So proud to go around and tell people how we're saving energy costs by getting rid of the wind turbines, getting rid of these solar farms that have made our electricity costs the highest in North America, putting it on the backs of the hardworking men and women in this province, putting it on the backs of companies small, medium and large, making them uncompetitive in the global market. But, Mr. Speaker, if we could cancel another $790 million and save the taxpayers, that's not just saving the $790 million. It's when they get up and running another hundreds of millions of dollars. So I'll do that all day long, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. A supplementary question. Well, Speaker, I want to just take a moment to remind the Premier that last year, when the Premier first announced that he would be tearing up contracts and tearing down wind farms, the Ford government insisted that it wouldn't cost us a dime. And when they found out it would cost us at least $231 million, they quietly buried that number and hoped that no one would notice it. Now the Premier says the costs won't climb higher. Why should anyone take the Premier's word? Order. Call in the Auditor. Call in the Auditor. Premier, do you have fun? Mr. Speaker, what the Leader of the Opposition isn't telling the people why they're doing their laundry at 9 and 10 o'clock at night is because the Paul sees the NDP and the Liberals went into these ridings without any approval of the municipalities and rammed it down their throats. What the Leader of the Opposition isn't telling people that through the wind turbines and solar panels, we're paying 10 times the amount of electricity what it should cost 80 cents to 89 cents a kilowatt when it should be costing 6, 7, 8 cents. That's what the Leader of the Opposition isn't telling the people of Ontario that they've been getting gouged for the last 15 years under the NDP and the Liberals. The final supplementary. Well, Speaker, when the previous Liberal government first announced they would be scrapping the gas plant contracts, the Liberals insisted that the price would be $230 million. The Liberals insisted that the Auditor had reviewed the numbers in public accounts and signed off on them. Yet when the Auditor was actually able to look at the real cost, that price tag ballooned to a billion dollars. Now we have the Ford government making the same claims that the Liberals used to make and refusing to let the Auditor in. The Premier promised change, Speaker. Why is he repeating the exact same Liberal tactics he used to criticise? What is he trying to hide? Premier. The Minister of Energy. Referred to the Minister of Energy. It's actually what we're trying to expose. Just one of my favourite periodicals, the climate change dispatch here. It says Germany pulls plug on wind energy as industry suffers severe crisis. Quote, power grid operators have been struggling to keep the grid stable due to erratic feed-in and the subsidised feed-in of wind energy caused German electricity prices to become amongst the most expensive worldwide. Well, I'll be a chicken fried in goose fat, Mr. Speaker. It turns out that there's another jurisdiction that's having the same challenges we are. We saved the rate payer $790 million, Mr. Speaker. Looking up those contracts and making sure that we have an electricity system that is less complex and more affordable. We'll continue to do that all day long, Mr. Speaker. The next question, once again, to Leader of the Opposition. Thank you, Speaker. My next question is to the Premier as well, but I'm going to say the people of Ontario have seen this movie before. It was called the Gas Plant scandal. Now it's called the Wind Farm scandal. People deserve better than this, Speaker. Order. The Premier claimed that the blowing $231 million, ripping up contracts and tearing down windmills, was actually a plan to lower hydro rates. When he was looking for votes last year, the Premier promised to lower hydro rates by 12%. Can the Premier tell us have the hydro bills gone up or down since he became Premier? Questions to the Premier. Through you, Mr. Speaker, they're talking about the movie. The Leader of the Opposition was the producer of the movie for the last 15 years. She was the executive producer. I'll tell you, Mr. Speaker, there's never, ever been in the history of Ontario a larger transfer of wealth from the hard-working rate payers of this province to the political insiders of the NDP and the Liberals ever. They made hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars on the backs of the hardworking people. And they're happy about doing that. We aren't happy about doing that. We're lowering hydro rates. We'll hit our target at 12%, Mr. Speaker. We can assure you that. Thank you. The supplementary question. Well, Speaker, what the Premier forgot to mention is that the bills are actually going up in the province of Ontario since he became the Premier. And families across Ontario know this, even if the Premier does not know it. As one Ontario farmer told OntarioFarms.com this week, and I quote, this government was supposed to clean up hydro, saying they inherited a mess from Kathleen Wynne's Liberals. Instead, the Conservative government is just creating more of a problem. The Premier said bills would come down by 12%, Speaker. Was that a stretch goal? Or can the Premier tell us when bills are starting to decline? I promise. Premier? Minister of Energy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for that. Let's review some of these increases here. November 1, 2009, 5.5% increase. November 1, 2010, 6.25. November 1, 2011, 8.7. November 1, 2012, 8.8% increase. November 1, 2013, 8.9% increase. November 1, 2014, 8.2% increase. You're sitting down for this one, Mr. Speaker. November 1, 2015, a 22% increase. Authored by the previous Liberal government, supported 100%, Mr. Speaker, as it pertains to its energies by the NDP, Mr. Speaker. We will never miss an opportunity to reduce costs in this complex system. It runs the risk of putting Ontario out of business. We're open for business, Mr. Speaker. And we're going to see to it that energy costs are reduced for people across Ontario. The final supplementary. Well, Speaker, here's the facts. At a time when the world is embracing clean renewable power, the Premier is literally tearing it down. And Ontario families are not just getting stuck with the $231 million bill for this, they're also seeing the cost of electricity continue to climb. The fact is the Ford government has no plan for the climate crisis. Hydro bills are continuing to climb. In fact, just a couple of weeks ago, November 1, 2019, the bills went up again under this government's watch. And we're paying, we're literally paying clean energy companies millions of dollars, not to generate power. How does the Premier justify this? A question to refer to the Minister of Energy, Northern Development. We take the OAB's decision to raise it to the rate of inflation, which isn't even a fraction of those previous years very serious. And our plan, Mr. Speaker, is focused on reducing costs introduced by the former Liberal government and supported 100% by the NDP. That's why those pressures keep bearing down on the price of electricity, Mr. Speaker. We aim to fix it. In the meantime, Mr. Speaker, let's talk about the 6,000 workers in Pickering that would have been put out of business last year, a year and a half ago, Mr. Speaker. On June 9, 2018, they'd have got their walking papers, Mr. Speaker, because they don't support one of the cleanest, safest forms of green energy in the world, Mr. Speaker, nuclear energy. We stand up for the workers in Pickering across the Durham region, Mr. Speaker, and we're hopeful to continue our investments in those refurbishments that will see the province of Ontario do even better than 92% emissions-free in the production of our energy. It has nothing to do with it. Thank you. Once again, the leader of the judicial opposition. Thank you, Speaker. My next question's also for the Premier. On Friday, the Premier met with the Prime Minister in Ottawa. Insiders with knowledge of discussions report that the Premier told the Prime Minister that Ontario already had robust drug coverage and that Ontario families wouldn't be interested in a national pharmacare program. For Ontario families spending thousands of dollars to get the prescription drugs that they need, can the Premier confirm that he told Ottawa not to move ahead with the national pharmacare plan, because Ontario didn't want one? The question is to the Premier. Well, first of all, I'm glad the leader of the opposition knew what was saying in a private office, but that's another whole story. Anyways, what I was saying is we're going to discuss the national pharmacare program. We don't believe the federal government should be spending $20 billion when we do have a robust private sector plan that takes care of a lot of prescriptions and private through companies, because not everyone works for the government, by the way, Mr. Speaker. A lot of people are working in the private sector. Plus, Mr. Speaker, we do have a strong OHIP plus plan, but the 4% that may not be covered are covered under a trillion. That was the discussion in there. We'll have a robust conversation when the Premier's get here on December the 2nd. The supplementary question. Well, Speaker, I find it quite worrisome that this Premier has just acknowledged his plan to continue to privatise more and more of our healthcare system, although that's not what he told the people of Ontario during the election. He's bragged about the key role Ontario would be playing on the national stage. Leader of the Opposition? No, the House must come to order so I can hear the person that's asking the question. Again, apologise. Leader of the Opposition, start the clock. He's spending millions of dollars fighting a losing court battle with his fellow Conservative Premier's. He's sent fundraising emails complaining about equalisation payments to Alberta, but when the Ontario seniors and families in our province struggling with serious illnesses and the cost of medication with someone to speak up for them in Ottawa, the Premier told the federal government to do nothing. His private sector buddies, apparently, are going to fix the problem. Why is the Premier willing to fight for Alberta's equalisation payments but not for Ontario families struggling with the cost of prescription drugs? Premier, your reply? For you, Mr Speaker, here's a perfect example for the world to see how they spin the words. I said the private sector, people working in the private sector, all of a sudden turned into private healthcare. 1,000% we're not touching the healthcare sector, making it a private sector as the leader of the NDP want to fear monger to the people of Ontario. Sad. Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Mr Speaker, the Premier had an historic meeting with the Prime Minister, his first meeting since the election this Friday. The Premier discussed the role of Ontario in the Federation and how it is of vital importance. Ontario is a major driver for economic strength and success of this country. Our province is one of the job leaders in this country thanks to the policies that our government has put in place. Nearly half of all immigrants to Canada in 2019 settled in Ontario. As you have stated, what's good for Ontario is good for Canada and what's good for Canada is good for Ontario. With that in mind, can the Premier please share with this Legislature more about your meeting with the Prime Minister and your advocacy for key Ontario priorities? Questions to the Premier? I want to thank a great MVP from Oakville and out there last week they absolutely love them. Out in Oakville, through you, Mr Speaker, we had a very collaborative meeting, a very productive meeting with the Prime Minister. We talked about things that we can agree on. Many things, one being transit, our $28 billion transit plan, the infrastructure plan that we have over 350 projects that we're waiting to get approved and funding through the federal government. We talked about healthcare, Mr Speaker, and we talked about economic development jobs, and I'm sure he was just as proud as I am about creating 252,400 jobs. The largest economic growth we've seen in North America, many of the states or the provinces because we're making sure we create an environment for companies to thrive, prosper and grow. Some romantic questions. Thank you again, Mr Speaker, and thank you for the response to the Premier and for your continued strong example of leadership on the national stage. I know in Oakville and Halton region the need for expedited approval and action when it comes to infrastructure and transit projects is of critical importance. Mr Speaker, the Premier, along with other prominent Canadians, have raised the issue of division and disunity in this country since the election. Mayor Neshi from Calgary recently spoke with the Prime Minister about his concerns on Western alienation stating, quote, careless words and careless thoughts if left unchecked could easily rend us under what has taken generations to put this country together. Mr Speaker, we know the Premier has great relationships with the other premiers of the First Federation. Can the Premier speak to his views on the importance of those relationships and national unity? Premier? Thank you for the question from our great MPP and in that spirit we had a call with Premier Pallister putting a little wager on the game and I want to first of all congratulate the Hamilton Tiger Cats for doing an incredible job and I want to congratulate Winnipeg Blue Bombers for winning the great cup. I've agreed if they won I'd have to wear their jersey for a little bit of the day so I'm sure he'll be bringing a jersey over on December the 2nd for me to wear but in saying that we have to be united we have to send a message around the world of certainty that Canada is open for business and nothing scares businesses more when we give them uncertainty but I'm going to show you that we're united Canada because united we stand divided we fought and we'll always be united here in Ontario with Canada. We start the clock. Next question is for Hamilton West and Caster Dundas. Thank you Mr. Speaker. My question this morning is for the Premier. This past weekend I toured Coots Paradise with the Royal Botanical Gardens representatives. It was an incredible facility with public works officials. It was important for me to understand the magnitude of this disaster and estimated 24 billion litres of raw sewage seeped into Hamilton's water systems for over four years. I learned that the Royal Botanical Gardens was not notified by the ministry or by anyone else that this disaster had taken place. So Mr. Speaker my question this morning is for the Premier. What steps did he take to inform the community directly and I mean directly about these dangers? Questions to the Premier. Minister of Energy. Thank you Mr. Speaker well our government continues to take the health and safety of all Ontarians very seriously and it's unfortunate that the city chose to keep this information from the public however we are ensuring that the city of Hamilton is taking every necessary step to clean up the sewage spill, repair and fix the combined sewage overflow tank equipment and prevent failure discharges. As soon as we learned about the spill Mr. Speaker we directed the city of Hamilton to report back to us on steps that were being taken that wasn't enough for us Mr. Speaker when this failed to happen we ordered again that this be done an additional follow-up was requested and the incident was forward to the minister's investigation and enforcement branch Mr. Speaker thank you. The supplementary question. Well Mr. Speaker I think I understand that the ministry has initiated an investigation and it would be very helpful for the residents of Hamilton to make that investigation public we don't even know if it's complete so that would be something that we would expect from this ministry you know but it wasn't just the Royal Botanical Gardens that were kept in the dark lives in the affected area and she and her family get their household water directly from a well that draws from Coots Paradise Diane contacted my office and she was very alarmed and upset that they were not notified once by anyone or made aware of the risk and she says to this day I'm the only one that has bothered to return any of her calls so I would like to ask the premier again Mr. Speaker and make perfectly clear people have a right to know water and the provincial government has a responsibility to protect the residents of Ontario the ministry has the power to notify the public about significant health and environmental risks why were the people of Hamilton not notified that 24 billion leaders of raw sewage flowed into our water system for over four years. Mr. Speaker begs the question why would the NDP members of Hamilton not take their city council to task for keeping this information from the public Mr. Speaker as this investigation seriously conveniently overlook those facts again still on the fact free diet Mr. Speaker but as the investigation is ongoing would be inappropriate to comment further but I want to be clear that the role of the ministry is to ensure that the city of Hamilton is taking all the necessary steps to clean up the sewage spill our government is committed through the draft made in Ontario plan the ministry is committed to increase transparency and accountability by mandating real time monitoring of sewage overflows and making sure that the city of Hamilton has helped the task on cleaning this mess up. Thank you Mr. Speaker The next question the member for Don Valley East Mr. Speaker we've heard a lot today about collaboration and working with other levels of government so my question is to the attorney general the attorney general can you please tell us why you continue to fight losing battles against student governments the city of Toronto and the federal government The question is addressed to the attorney general Thank you Mr. Speaker and I thank the member for the question as the member knows the decision has come out recently and as we're in an appeal period it's difficult to address that question directly so I'll maybe ask that he pose another question that I can answer Thank you Mr. Speaker I do have another question Mr. Speaker we've seen massive cuts to climate change mitigation programs to legal aid services we've seen cuts to municipalities so my question to the attorney general is this can you tell us how much we've actually spent on these losing port battles over the last year General Thank you Mr. Speaker it's the member well knows all of our costs are put out in estimates to be reviewed every year everything's fully disclosed we disclose everything that we can in terms of transparency for the government and the estimates committee is meeting currently now and so Mr. Speaker all I can say is the member opposite knows where to find the answers and I look forward to discussing them with him further Thank you Mr. Speaker Thank you Mr. Speaker business and open for jobs means being open for trade India is a country of 1.3 billion people and represents one of the fastest growing markets in the world Ontario is also home to a proud vibrant community of over 830,000 Indo-Canadians the minister recently had a trade and investment mission to India including 12 Ontario businesses and 30 sectors can the minister inform this house about the recent successful trade and investment mission to one of the world's most important markets Mr. Economic Development Thank you Speaker and thank you to the member from Kitchener South Hespler we're pleased to be able to speak to the new investments that we secured during our business mission to India following months of engagement our government was able to announce that the Indian technology would be opening their engineering centre in the Kitchener Waterloo area their new facility will create over 200 new high value engineering jobs for local residents these are jobs for people with masters and engineering degrees 200 new engineers Premier Ford and our team understand that provinces must take a greater role in economic development and trade given we live in a globally competitive world actions like these show our government's commitment to attracting investment opportunities and working with our global partners to bring prosperity to the families of Ontario The supplementary question Thank you minister for that answer and also thank you for securing that deal for the people of Kitchener and all of Waterloo region Strong local economies for everyone here in Ontario My question is back to the minister of economic development, job creation and trade Our province does $3.2 billion of two way trade with India Can the minister explain his approach to securing trade and investment opportunities in key international markets Mr economic development We took a hard look at the trade relationship between Ontario and India before we left We were surprised, I might say shocked to learn that of that $3.2 billion Ontario only exports $389 million to India country of 1.3 billion people We see that speaker as a blank canvas full of new trade and investment potential that's why missions like these are so very important We want to ensure that Ontario businesses have access to these key markets like India During our successful mission the business delegation was able to secure 150 business to business meetings and expand their footprint in the key international market They had huge success from their trips as well Our government is taking a proactive lead when it comes to international trade and strengthening job creation in Ontario Building a strong presence in these key markets is vital to our open for business open for jobs open for trade plan Next question for Davenport Thank you Mr. Speaker Last week we learned that this government's obsession with taking our school system from bad to worse had resulted in a school in Ottawa being closed for two days because of mold from leaky pipes Students in classrooms across this province are wearing coats and mittens to class It isn't working Buckets catch drips from the leaky school rooms and even the water fountains aren't safe to drink from To the Premier Mr. Speaker under this government's watch the school repair backlog that got out of control under the Liberals has grown by $400 million to a whopping $16.3 billion When are you going to stop making our kids suffer and start reversing your heartless cuts to education Questions to the Premier Minister of Education We are absolutely committed to ensuring that children are able to learn in a positive and safe learning environment which is why some months ago I announced the opening of a $550 million capital investment on an annualized basis to make sure that we remediate the backlog that we inherited after 15 years of the former Liberal government We're also committed to meet the broader general's request of 2.5% in allocation We are doing that through a $1.2 billion annual allocation to maintain our schools because we expect schools in this province to be a positive learning environment for every child in Ontario Supplementary Questions Mr. Speaker, those numbers don't take into account that you're also covering new school bills If the Premier won't listen to my numbers maybe he will start listening to Ontarians The Public School Board's Association released new public opinion data that makes it crystal clear Ontarians don't see education as a place to make cuts In fact, they overwhelmingly see it as a place to invest But this government continues to push ahead with plans for fewer teachers bigger classes and a risky mandatory online learning scheme Mr. Speaker, last week the Premier stood in this place bragged about how proud he was that he had funds earmarked for school repairs Why does the Premier think that moldy schools, overcrowded classrooms and chaos in our education system are anything to be proud of? Mr. Speaker Members, please take your seats Mr. Speaker Ontarians, through that the OSPA report have suggested they support more investments in public education in the future of this province which is why, Mr. Speaker, under this Premier's leadership we are investing more than $1.2 billion more this year than we did last year Mr. Speaker that very survey suggested overwhelming support for expanding opportunities in the skilled trades. It's why, under this government more students, over 50,000 women and men will be in skilled trade programs in this province under our leadership. Under that report they support more investments in special education and mental health. It is under this Premier's leadership we have more than double the investment in mental health and increased special education to the highest level ever reported in Ontario history. In that report they also support standardized testing a question I'd ask members opposite if they too support, silver 70% of families support that we believe in measuring success we believe in ensuring accountability for all members of education and we believe in listening to those we serve we're going to continue to invest in education in the defence of public education in this province Thank you. The next question the member for Darlington My question is for the Minister of Finance our government has a plan to build Ontario together and with every day that passes we see more and more examples of how our plan is working we're making life more affordable we're building smarter government and we're preparing people for jobs speaker a large part of the work our government is doing is supported by our plan to create a more competitive business environment earlier this month there was a number of initiatives outlined in the fall economic statement to this end could the Minister please highlight our plan to create a more competitive business environment thank you speaker great question Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the member from Burlington last week I spoke at the Ontario Securities Commission Dialogue Conference and we shared some of the key elements of our plan to create a better business environment to create more jobs in particular our plan addresses the need to modernize the financial services sector to reduce regulatory burden foster competition improve investor experience and investor protection the securities act is long overdue for a comprehensive review in fact the five year review cycle is 15 years out of date the legislation needs to be modernized and that's why we're establishing a securities modernization task force that will solicit input from stakeholders to inform the creation of a 21st century securities regulatory framework we want to harness Ontario's potential Ontario's potential for investment and business so we can keep the good news about jobs growing here in Ontario the supplementary question Thank you speaker and thank you to the minister for his answer his continued dedication and hard work for the good people of Ontario the work being done to improve Ontario's competitiveness is exciting there is no doubt that we can make our province a top global destination to invest, work and create jobs our government's vision is becoming a reality speaker the minister mentioned our government's capital market plan as an important part of our plan to create a more competitive business environment could the minister please inform the house about some of the work the Ontario securities commission has recently completed as part of our capital market plan thank you speaker again the minister finance thank you again to the member from Burlington as she mentioned the capital market plan is part of our plan to make sure that Ontario is the kind of location where people invest earlier this year the OSC undertook unprecedented consultation regarding capital markets mr. Speaker nearly 70 comment letters were received 750 participants in three round tables talking about burden reduction and I'm pleased to acknowledge the receipt of the OSC's report last week 107 constructive recommendations mr. Speaker recommendations that I will be ruined about investor protection about reducing the cost of investing in Ontario about bringing us in to the 21st century from a regulatory perspective mr. Speaker the government will work diligently review the reports recommendations and we thank the OSC for the detail and scope of their work we look forward to continuing to work with the securities commission and other regulators to make sure that we continue on the path to job growth in this province in the great province of Ontario the next question the member for Spadina for York thank you mr. Speaker my question is to the premier in January your government launched an attack on student unions and the Ontario in a unanimous decision last week the Ontario superior court ruled in favor of the Canadian federations of students legal challenge and overturn this attack because as they said the minister had no statutory or statutory authority to interfere with democratic decisions made by students respecting their student association membership fees the judges also wrote that the government's defense of their attack was repugnant to the core principles of parliamentary democracy so my question to the premier is will the premier respect the court's decision and the rights of students and not waste more taxpayers' dollars on an appeal questions addressed to the premier minister of colleges and universities minister of colleges and universities thank you very much mr. Speaker the ministry of colleges and universities is currently reviewing the decision and we will have more to say about this later date but I would like to remind the member opposite and everyone watching at home if you go back about 18 months and you remember the course of the election we made a number of promises five critical promises to the people of Ontario one of those promises was to restore trust and accountability in government that is what the student choice is all about mr. Speaker the student choice initiative is about ensuring that students have clarity with respect to what ancillary fees are clarity to know what it is they're spending their money on and the ability to choose whether or not they want to spend their money on it is critical that we respect our students and allow them the opportunity to choose how it is they spend their dollars that is why we moved forward with the student choice initiative and we are currently reviewing and we'll do so thank you thank you mr. Speaker you know for the last year and a half your government has attacked the legal and constitutional rights of the people of this province and their attack on the student unions and the services they provide on campuses has created chaos there are shortfalls for funding for food banks for LGBTQ2 and indigenous centers for campus newspapers and campus radio stations just to name a few in the middle of a mental health crisis on campuses research where research that 46% of students are at risk of anxiety or depression your attack has led to the shortfall in funding for peer to peer counseling and other support services since it was this government's unlawful actions that led to these funding shortfalls will the premier do the right thing and fully restore funding for these services without burdening students with retroactive fees minister with mine thank you again mr. Speaker going back to that election once again another promise our government made to the people of Ontario was with respect to health care we talk about mental health and the importance of it we've learned so much over the last number of years and how critical it is that people have come forward and are willing to talk about what ails them this is so critical and that is why our government has made investments and pursuant to a 3.8 billion dollar landmark investment our government has made over the course of years and mental health and addictions our government has specifically earmarked 16 million dollars of that this coming year towards mental health and awareness on campuses and we continue to make these investments because we know how critical it is for our students to have the opportunity to go to school and get all the supports they need while they're out school mr. Speaker and that is why response choice initiative we ensured that is an essential element of that that mental health on campuses would be maintained such as programs for mental health and counseling that is why we do thank you very much next question the member for Northumberland Peter Burrow south Mr. Speaker my question this morning is to the associate minister of mental health and addictions minister each year 2.5 million Ontarians that's one in five Ontarians will experience a mental health or addiction challenge it has been reported that one in 20 can experience symptoms of major depression in any given year I know that our government has pledged to make substantial new investments in mental health and addiction services over the coming year minister can you please tell the members of this legislature more about mental health and addiction services available to Ontarians and how our government plans to strengthen supports for those experienced mental health and addictions challenges this year of mental health and addictions thank you Mr. Speaker I'd like to thank the member for Northumberland Peter Burrow south for the great question Mr. Speaker our government is continuing to make mental health and addictions a priority in the province Mr. Speaker due to the lack of action that we've seen by previous liberal governments propped up by the NDP Ontario has been faced with a mental health and addiction system that is overwhelmed by extensive trade times significant barriers to access a lack of standardized data and widespread fragmentation Mr. Speaker that is why our government is continuing to make mental health and addictions a priority this year alone Mr. Speaker we've invested an additional 174 million dollars in more on the ground mental health services to support people families and caregivers in communities across Ontario to consult with local frontline care providers and listen to the people who are impacted the most to ensure that Ontario has better access to appropriate mental health care in our communities where and when they need it this supplementary question Minister for his response and for being a true champion and advocate for mental health and addiction supports in the province of Ontario it's reassuring to hear that under the leadership of Premier Ford and our government to address ongoing mental health and addictions a priority I know that constituents in my writing of Northumberland Peterborough South are finally going to receive the necessary tools and resources that they need to address ongoing mental health and addictions concerns in our community Minister could you please provide the members of this legislature with an update on the work that you're doing to address long standing gaps and barriers to access in Ontario and within mental health and addiction to apply Thank you Mr. Speaker and thanks again to the member for that great question as Ontario's first Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions I'm honored to have the opportunity to work alongside the Deputy Premier and Minister of Health to address mental health and addictions in the province. Recent data reveals that between 2016 and 2017 roughly 158,000 Ontarians visited an emergency department for a mental health or addictions related issue this number continues to increase steadily each year these are staggering numbers our government will always place a high priority on the needs of people and Mr. Speaker we're committed to building an integrated mental health and addiction service system that will support people throughout their entire lives and will continue to work together to make sure that the response is left behind working together with my colleagues Mr. Speaker from partner ministries we're going to build a system where services are easier to access are of high quality and focused on better outcomes for the Thank you very much. The next question the member for Toronto Centre Thank you Speaker My question is to the Premier Last year the Premier scrapped rent control for new buildings in this province in Boston we're facing double-digit rent increases last week What's worse is that the developer received millions of dollars in grants from this provincial government Why does the Premier think it's okay to hand out public money to developers who then turn around and gouge their tenants Questions to the Premier Minister of Municipal Affairs Thank you Speaker I want to thank the member for that question She's the tenants rights critic for the official opposition and as I addressed a question from her last week I want to reiterate that our government is committed to the well-being of the people of Ontario and we're also committed to have a system that protects both tenants and landlords and as she knows we consulted broadly for our housing supply action plan we're analyzing many things that both tenants and landlords have said and I know that she expressed dissatisfaction in that answer and she's having a late show tomorrow night I can't tell you Speaker how encouraged I was when I heard the deputy leader of the official opposition the member for Brampton Centre and my new housing critic when she said this I'm sure that members of the opposite side of the aisle don't expect us to be advocating for landlords as well but I understand that they need to have both parties protected in order to find and address the affordable housing supply problem that we have here in the province I'm encouraged by those type of word speaker by the deputy leader and I look forward to working with her thank you if this government was so concerned about making sure we have enough supply you could ensure that buildings that are being built have affordable housing by allowing for inclusionary zoning rules but instead of requiring developers to include affordable housing in their buildings the premier pushed through a law that rolled back inclusionary zoning then he went on to scrap rent control and now tenants at 22 John Street which is just the first of I'm sure many substantial increases we're going to see over the course of the coming months they're facing steep rent increases even after the same landlord collected millions of dollars from the province in exchange for the promise of affordable housing will the premier admit that he does not care about tenants and only cares about doing favors for his developer friends minister again to the member opposite I've made it very clear in this house what our government wants to do in terms of affordable housing and I've stated very very emphatically how that we are willing to work with any partner I stood at World Habitat Day and held up a model developer the Daniels Corporation who has done tremendous work with Habitat for Humanity for Toronto and I've said it that day and I'll say it again to the member opposite we will work with any partner any nonprofit any Habitat for Humanity any co-op anyone whether they be in the private sector or the public sector I look forward to working with my new colleague at the federal government we need to leverage every federal dollar every provincial dollar and every municipal dollar to build affordable housing in this province and I call on that member and that party opposite to work with us the next question the member from Mrs. Saga Centre thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the associate minister of children and women's issues speaker today is the UN international day for the elimination of violence against women and this month is women abuse prevention month violence and abuse against women does not discriminate it crosses every social, economic and cultural boundary in our communities and unfortunately it is happening in Ontario speaker one in three women will experience sexual violence in their lifetime and women are three times more likely to be stalked and four times more likely to be a victim of intimate partner violence if you are an indigenous woman belong to a visible minority or the LGBTQ2S community the risks are even higher can the minister please tell this house what she is doing to combat violence and abuse against women thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the member from Mrs. Saga Centre for that important question the safety and security of all women in Ontario is a top priority for myself as a woman and a mother of three daughters I want to acknowledge O8 who is here today at the legislature to raise awareness for their wrapped encouraged campaign and I encourage all members to join us on the staircase after question period for a picture abuse comes in many forms psychological, sexual, emotional psychological and financial which is why today and every day we need to raise awareness and to call out every kind of abuse we are committed to preventing and addressing violence against women in all its forms I had the opportunity this summer to meet with some of our violence against women coordinating committees to speak with frontline workers on how we can improve and better serve those who are fleeing for their safety Speaker, our government is investing more than $166 million in support for survivors and violence prevention initiatives this is just one step in how we can combat abuse and I will have more to say in my supplementary supplementary question thank you Speaker and thank you to the minister for her answer and advocacy on this file this summer I had the honour of hosting roundtables on combating human trafficking with frontline workers, law enforcement and in some cases survivors including representatives from the indigenous and francophone communities they spoke at length about the tragedy that is human trafficking and how it robs the safety, livelihood and dignity of victims as young as 12 years old who are being exploited and abused Speaker, this is a crisis happening right in front of our eyes across our province in our biggest cities like Mississauga and smallest towns and it will not be tolerated in my city of Mississauga I spoke to an outreach worker who spoke about how it sometimes takes up to 12 interventions to help victims exit their situation and seek help and how supports need to meet the victims exactly where they are at Speaker, can the minister further explain how human trafficking impacts our province Minister Thank you Speaker and thank you again to the member for the question I also want to thank the member as well as a member for Cambridge for your work on this important file Speaker, in total we held 13 roundtables with those who have been impacted by human trafficking These roundtables are helping to inform a more responsive and supportive system for survivors of violence and trafficking and to change the attitudes that give rise to violence against women I want to thank all of the stakeholders who participated in these roundtables including indigenous partners who face a higher risk of violence and trafficking I would also like to thank the Minister of Education for placing an emphasis on teaching children and youth what sex trafficking is in the health and physical education curriculum Speaker, we all need to work together across sectors and across jurisdictions so we can raise awareness and put an end to human trafficking and violence against women and children in all its forms The next question, the member for Toronto St. Paul Mr. Speaker, my question is for the premier Today is the international day for the elimination of violence against women and while the government might want to pat themselves on the back their shameful records show they've got nothing to brag about One of the first things the government did when they got into government was slash the roundtable on violence against women Since then, they've doubled down by slashing funding for rape crisis centres They've cut essential supports for survivors including victim compensation funds The housing crisis for goodness sakes disproportionately impacts women there on the hook as well too Today on a day where the rest of the world is working together to eliminate violence against women will this government finally stop working against us reverse their reckless cuts and start putting their money where their mouths are Thank you, Mr. Speaker Minister of Children and Community I apologize Minister of Children and Women's Issues Associate Minister of Children and Women's Issues As I've said the safety and security of all women in Ontario is a top priority for me as a woman, as a member of this legislature I have three daughters and we look at the numbers one in three women are affected by sexual violence I find that very disturbing and I take it personally We are committed to preventing and addressing violence against women in all its forms and it's important to make sure and exploitation receive the supports they need while offenders are held accountable through the justice system I have met with five of our violence against women coordinating committees this summer to see how we can improve and better serve those who are fleeing for their safety I've also visited with over 15 women shelters across the province this summer to get their feedback on how we can better support those who are fleeing violence The supplementary question Thank you Mr. Speaker Thank you to the Associate Minister for visiting those shelters She's probably learned that some shelters have one staff for 30 clients and they have PTSD Emergency shelters across the province are over capacity and this government's cuts are taking things from bad to worse In Timmins, the closure of Tranquility House means shelters are struggling to meet the demands and women are getting turned away In London, the cuts resulted in a women's shelter laying off front line workers despite a growing number of women needing their services As of this June the shelter had to turn away more than 2,500 women because they didn't have enough beds Supporting women fleeing from violence shouldn't be a conservative speaking point We need action and we need it now Will the Premier invest in these essential front line services and reverse these callous harmful cuts Thank you The question can refer to the Associate Minister Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you again to the member for your question We are investing in violence prevention and community support that support women and their dependents This year the Ministry is investing more than $166 million in supports for survivors and violence prevention initiatives For example, we fund supports such as emergency shelters counselling, 24-hour crisis lines safety planning and transitional housing We have boosted support for rural front line agencies to increase collaboration and reduce geographic and transportation barriers The Ministry is also funding 18 Indigenous agencies that provide emergency shelter, counselling, child witness programs and other supports both on and off reserve We are looking and working with our municipalities on how we can be supporting those We do respect women and children experiencing violence and will do everything that we can to support them Thank you Thank you Mr. Speaker My question is for the Minister of Heritage Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries Recently the Minister led a delegation to Los Angeles to meet up with top film, TV and music executives to drum up more business for Ontario At the end of the mission the Ontario's culture industries and Canadian Motion Pictures Association Wendy Noss said the studios we represent make substantial investments in Ontario through the production of long-running television series and major feature films as well as post-production visual effects and digital animation projects Minister McLeod's mission to LA demonstrates the Ford Government's commitment to grow and support the film and television industry And the Canadian Film Centre echoed these sentiments by saying it was encouraging to see Minister McLeod's passion for the industry and her commitment to break down barriers to continue their valuable work Can the Minister tell us what she is doing to attract more film and television productions in Ontario and to the many studios in my riding of Etobicoke Lakeshore The Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture It is a real pleasure to have the opportunity with the member from Etobicoke Lakeshore to attend the Canada's Walk of Fame of this past Saturday as we celebrated Canadian talent and Canadian unity When I had the opportunity to go to Los Angeles on our mission with the film, television and music industries I was grateful to the Motion Picture Association of Canada as well as Canadian Film Centre and Ontario Creates to put together amazing roundtables in top level meetings with senior executives at those ranging from Netflix to Apple TV to NBC Universal, CBS Sony and so many others What we heard is they wanted stability on their tax credits and I was able to deliver the message that Ontario remains open for business and we remain committed to the stability of the tax credits We heard about the labour shortage below and above the line in film and television and I remain committed to working with the Minister of Labour and Skill Development to ensure this We also heard that there is a shortage of film stages and we are doubling that capacity We are open for business, open for jobs and we are open for the best movies in the world Thank you very much Supplementary questions Well Mr. Speaker, that is great news for Ontario and that is great news for the hardworking people in Etobicoke Lakeshore The Minister's tour also included the President of the Canadian Independent Music Association who noted that the association was impressed by our Government's enthusiasm for independent artists entrepreneurs and companies within the industry Canada also echoed those sentiments by saying we are thrilled to be involved in Minister McLeod's tour to see once again firsthand how the music industry operates and how deeply interconnected it is across borders and between cultural industries Maintaining the health of our entire creative ecosystem has never been more important to the future of our cultural economic community Can the Minister tell us how the music industry in Ontario could benefit with greater consultation? Thank you very much, I appreciate the opportunity as the member knows we had some time with the Canadian Tenders on the weekend and we are very proud of them and so many others from the province of Ontario Music Canada and the Canadian Independent Music Association with Ontario creates set up some amazing meetings for us with so many that are putting music into movies and television and I'd be remiss not to say that but Ontario generates 75% of Canada's total music industry revenue think about the Big Bang Theory the theme song to that music is from the Bear Naked Ladies from right here in the province of Ontario you can't listen to a radio station anywhere in North America and not hear Alessia Cara, Drake or Sean Mendez speaker we have homegrown talent like Serena Ryder who I'll be spending some time with later this week so that we can continue to listen to Canadian artists right here in Ontario and around the world the next question is for Niagara Falls Thank you Mr. Speaker Porter Thank you Mr. Speaker my question is to the Premier the WSIB experience rating rebate program leads to claim suppression of workers injured on the job because it gives financial incentives to employers to file further claims not providing safer workplaces under the Liberals claim suppression and chronic underfunding of the WSIB to drastic rate cuts paid by employers was already bad but under the Ford government it is getting worse and now the Ford government is promising even more millions in giveaways to employer at the expense of workers safety and that's after the government has already cut 16 million in safety prevention resources and allowed even more self-regulation of important safety measures these changes will continue to make Ontario workplaces less safe will the Premier reverse his deep cuts to workplace health and safety programs yes or no questions addressed to the Premier Minister of Labour Minister of Labour training thank you very much Mr Speaker as the member opposite knows currently there is an operational review of the WSIB which I look forward to receiving by the end of the year but Mr Speaker let me make it perfectly clear health and safety is a top priority for me as Minister of Labour training skills development a top priority of Premier Ford in our entire government Mr Speaker I'm always proud to join with workers on Friday with small businesses medium-sized businesses and large businesses Mr Speaker to introduce a first of its kind program in Canada Mr Speaker that's going to improve health and safety in the workplaces Mr Speaker we are now going to move to recognize health and safety champions in this province who excel at improving occupational health and safety in the workplaces Mr Speaker this is a great day for workers in the province and it's also good for business the supplementary question I'll certainly agree with the minister it's good for business not necessarily workers particularly workers at Fair Foods or the young electrician that was killed on the job recently Speaker the workplace safety insurance board was set up so when someone was hurt on the job they didn't have to resort no workers should be sentenced to poverty because they were injured on the job instead the Liberals and now this Conservative government has treated WSIB like a slush fund for their well connected friends this government last week last week announced millions in rebates for employers taking money away taking money away that should be available for injured workers at the same time WSIB is refusing to cover injured workers' claims it's going on all the time in Ontario why is this government carving out millions millions in WSIB funding to go to employers and not to injured workers well Mr Speaker obviously the member opposite didn't read the press release that went out last week Mr Speaker this is going to improve the health and safety of every worker in the province of Ontario businesses get rebates when they improve their occupational health and safety program in that specific business but Mr Speaker apart from the announcement we made on Friday the other exciting thing Mr Speaker that's great for workers in this province great for businesses Mr Speaker is that on January 1st of 2020 to a new rate framework in the province of Ontario Mr Speaker those businesses who improve health and safety ensure a safer workplace for every worker in the province those businesses will be recognized Mr Speaker will pay lower rates those will be the health and safety champions that we recognize here in the province of Ontario that concludes question period for this morning this house stands in recess until 1pm