 It is now time for oral questions. I recognize the leader of the official opposition. Thanks very much, Speaker. Today my question is to the Premier. Today the government's mega health bill is being discussed at committee. This should be an opportunity for everyday people to express their views on the government scheme. But while 1,594 people asked to appear at committee, the government will only allow 30 people to speak, less than 2% of the people that signed up. One woman who has come to express her view is Patricia. She has come to Queen's Park today because she opposes the government's decision to collapse Cancer Care Ontario and pull the rug out from under thousands of cancer patients and their families across the province. There are many, many more voices that must be heard before the government plows ahead. Will the Premier agree to hear those voices? Questions to the Premier. Minister of Health. Minister of Health and long-term care. The official opposition for a question and certainly there is an opportunity for people to present that. Again, through you, Mr. Speaker, as the leader will also know, this is a situation where in every case when we are in committees on bills, not everyone is going to have the opportunity to appear to make a presentation. However, they do have the opportunity to make written presentations. So anyone who wishes to do so of that number that the leader of the official opposition has mentioned, I can assure her that we will take every submission into consideration, whether it's verbal or written. Supplementary. Well, I want to read to the House some of what Patricia, a cancer survivor from Toronto, said before committee. Quote, I don't want to live in an Ontario in which the needs of cancer and transplant medicine are lumped in with every other aspect of health care and forced to compete for the attention of a small appointed centralised board. That makes no sense. In fact, it feels to me like a crime against the people of our province. Speaker, will the Premier listen to Patricia and others like her stop ramming this bill through and instead listen to the patients and experts who have come forward in droves with very, very serious concerns? Questions been referred to the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. Thank you. Well, certainly it is important to listen to Patricia's concerns. We are listening to people across the province, but what we are doing is strengthening our public health system and making sure that it responds to the needs of patients, families and caregivers. And while I understand that Patricia is concerned about cancer care Ontario, she need not be because those services are going to continue. The leadership is under one administration now, but the work that is being done will continue. The excellent quality cancer care services that Cancer Care Ontario has provided in the past will certainly be continuing into the future. Great. Final supplementary. Well, Speaker, Patricia isn't the only patient hoping to be heard today. Kenneth from Etobicoke is fighting a long and difficult battle with cancer. Kenneth says that Cancer Care Ontario has been there for him every step of the way. Kenneth is extremely concerned about Cancer Care Ontario being folded by this government into their super agency. Not just for him, but for his children and his grandchildren. What does the government have to say to Kenneth and his family from Etobicoke today? Again, it is important to listen to the concerns of anyone who wants to appear before committee, and we are listening to what they have to say. However, I could say again, through you, Mr. Speaker, to the leader of the official opposition and to Kenneth and his family that the excellent care that he has been receiving will continue as will Cancer Care for anyone else in Ontario that needs it. Cancer Care Ontario is a great organization, provides great services, but also can serve as a template for other issues, other areas, chronic disease management, where we don't necessarily have a great system and great infrastructure, and we look forward to working with Cancer Care Ontario learning lessons from them about what an excellent chronic disease management strategy should look like so that we can expand that so that people with other issues can receive help and Kenneth can certainly continue to receive the services that he needs from Cancer Care Ontario. Thank you. Thank you. Next question, the Leader of the Opposition. Thank you, Speaker. My next question is also to the Premier, but I have to say to the Health Minister that giving 2% of the people who want to have a voice heard at committee is not fair for the people of Ontario. The wrong thing is yesterday in response to the opioid crisis and unprecedented public health emergency, the Premier said that he was cutting funding to six overdose prevention sites because, and this is a quote, not in my backyard. The Premier has heard from health professionals, nurses and experts warning him that people could die as a result of this decision. How does he justify his priority, Speaker? Questions to the Premier? Thanks for you, Mr Speaker. I actually, she misquoted, not in my backyard. I was referring to one of the media that were asking me, but we're putting together a great system. I had an opportunity to speak to the Cabbage Town community and said their MPP wasn't returning their calls. The Federal MP wasn't returning their calls. They couldn't believe I returned their calls. They're telling me that they have four safe injection sites all within a kilometre. We believe in having a wraparound facility to make sure that we help people with addictions and there's no one more passionate about trying to help people than myself, Mr Speaker. Opposition come to order. Mr Speaker, I found it so disturbing yesterday when the Leader of the Opposition wanted to get personal and bring my family into discussions. That was pretty disgusting. Rob, my brother, had an issue in front of the whole world. He dealt with it and I just found it disgusting. You bring family members into the chamber. Government side, come to order. Restart the clock. Supplementary? Well, I have to say that I think the entire world felt a lot of deep sympathy with Mr Ford and his family as he went through that crisis, Speaker, and that's what I was referring to. But what I do need to say is that same kind of compassion and empathy needs to be thought about right now with all of those other families who are also facing the same kind of face so publicly not so long ago. This opioid crisis is claiming lives every single day, Speaker, and health experts say that this government's decision will result in increased deaths. In fact, those were the exact words of Toronto's Chief Medical Officer of Health. You will see more deaths. Quote, is the Premier ignoring these warnings or does he simply not care about them? Premier, Minister of Health. Questions referred to the Minister of Health and long-term care. Well, thank you. First of all, through you, Mr Speaker, I'd like the leader of the official opposition to know that we take the opioid crisis very seriously. We know this is a major public health emergency. That's why we took the time to do the consultations to make sure that the decisions that we were making and the criteria that we were developing for the consumption and treatment service sites were legitimate that were based on data and evidence. I would remind, again, the leader of the official opposition that we still have... ...demonstrate from the gallery. Sergeant arms. The Minister of Health and long-term care was in the midst of an answer. We are certainly aware that this is a major crisis, a public health emergency, and that is why it was important to consider and to visit. I visited a number of the consumption and treatment sites to understand myself and to listen to staff and to listen to some of the people who were using the sites and to speak with people with lived experience. I had a long conversation with them. And so the decisions that were made were based on proximity to make sure that we didn't have too many in one area that they were geographically dispersed, that we were able to provide the wraparound services to save lives, of course, that's a first priority, but also to make sure that they could provide the rehab services that people need when they are able to make that decision. Thank you. Well, Speaker, the opioid crisis did not happen overnight and I don't think anybody can choose where somebody might overdose, Speaker. It won't go away just because the Premier pretends it's not happening. Overdose prevention sites will save lives. But instead of listening to doctors, nurses, health experts, mayors, councillors, local elected officials and families who risk losing loved ones to overdose, the Premier is trying to limit the response even as the crisis continues to grow. When will the Premier realize that if he wants to save lives we can't turn our backs on people and say not in my backyard? Thank you. Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. Thank you, Speaker. And again to the Leader of the Official Opposition, what she is suggesting is absolutely not the case. It is not an issue of not in my backyard. It is where is it appropriate and where the greatest need is. And I would remind again through you, Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Official Opposition that there are six sites open in Toronto with another site being under consideration working with the City of Toronto because we know that it helps many people and it needs to continue to do so but there are other issues that need to be resolved. But there have also been three new sites that have been opened, one in Thunder Bay, one in St. Catherine's and one in Parkdale. We recognize that there are needs across a variety of communities and we want to make sure that we can continue to serve those communities. That's what we're doing and we want to make sure that as we are developing the consumption and treatment services site I think it's really important for everyone to remember that this is part of a much bigger picture of mental health and addictions that we are trying to provide support for. Thank you. Once again, the Leader of the Opposition. My next question is also to the Premier but I would say to the Minister of Health that it's appropriate to save lives wherever they need to be saved. Wherever they need to be saved. Today is World Autism Day. It's a day when countries around the world strengthen our commitment to the full inclusion and participation of people with autism. This year the Ford government has become a focal point for activists and parents for all the wrong reasons. Now the government is finally admitting that their scheme to take funding away from children with autism was just plain wrong. Will the Premier commit today that funding to fully meet the needs of Ontario children will be included in the upcoming budget? Premier. Through you Mr. Speaker we have a great team working on the autism file. We've actually, we're doubling the funding. It's going to be an excess of $600 million. We're consulting with parents. We're consulting with therapists. We're consulting with organizations that work with children with autism and we're passionate about it. I can't even begin to tell you Mr. Speaker how many people have talked to until all hours of the night and telling them that help is on its way. We're going to make sure that we're listening and I think the announcement was incredible today. We're taking a 3-prong, 4-prong approach to this, getting education involved, health involved along with our all-star minister sitting right over there incredible person. Minister of Social Services we've been going through this for months trying to make sure that we get this right and we won't stop until we get this right. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Supplementary? Well thank you Speaker. Parents have watched as this government has done everything they could to impose their cruel autism funding scheme on parents. I'd say that's not so great. They threatened experts to refuse to endorse it. I'd say that's not so great. They told parents they were moving up the waitlist even as they froze it. I don't think that was great. They told everybody hoping for better not to have false hope. That wasn't great either. Today we can see that the first parents never gave up, not withstanding the way this government dragged the asking parents to trust them yet again. But this government and especially this minister who I also think is not that great have done little to earn their trust. Will the Premier commit today to fully funding the April in the April 11th budget a new program that is actually based on children's needs at their age and on social services? I have been in this assembly. This is always an emotional issue one that can be easily politicized. Announcement that myself, the Minister of Health as well as the Minister of Education made today was to lower the temperature to include people across Ontario to take part in our largest consultation on autism in the history of the province so that we can best assess how we can build a needs based approach that looks at the wraparound services and what we announced and what the Premier was talking about is on May the 1st we are going to have an online consultation we would ask parents and all Ontarians to be part of. The second thing is we're asking where we're going to be creating a panel across this province of experts, clinicians, parents, and those with autism and the third thing is and this is the most important thing for every member of this assembly speaker is we are asking all MPPs regardless of political affiliation in the official position in the independent caucuses and as well as in the government caucus to participate in roundtables we believe we all have a role play Thank you. Order Order. Mr. Nat's resources and forestry come to order Member for Orlea Order. Member for Ottawa South come to order. Restart the clock next question the member for a topical lecture. My question is for the Premier. For 20 years drivers across Ontario have been required to take time out of their busy lives to get an admissions test for their vehicles while the program was effective in 1999 when it first was introduced for many years has been called outdated and ineffective. Yesterday I was pleased to welcome the Premier, the Minister of Environment the Minister of Transportation and the Minister of Infrastructure to the Thorncrest dealership in my right of Etobicoke Lakeshore to announce the official end to the drive clean program we were given a mandate to make life more affordable and to reduce the burden to taxpayers can the Premier tell this house how ending this program will make life easier for Ontarians Premier Through you Mr. Speaker I want to thank the great member from Etobicoke Lakeshore we had a great great announcement yesterday with the three ministers and I can tell you all the things we've done some really great we talked to the common folk nothing is more important than getting rid of this drive clean drive clean was just a cash grab a 40 million dollar cash grab that dug into everyone's pockets and again Mr. Speaker people can't stand when the government sticks their hands in their pockets unnecessarily we finally finally got rid of drive clean it's done it's gone we're putting more money into people's pockets and the time it took to go into the drive clean and the hours you'd have to wait it was totally unnecessary we're moving forward we're making sure that we're listening to the taxpayers listening to businesses and everyone's happy about this drive clean it's finally gone Thank you Speaker I have heard from my constituents that they are thrilled that they won't have to waste their time and money on this outdated service as our government continues our efforts to make life more affordable for the people of Ontario it has been made clear that the federal government would rather move forward on their carbon tax plan the federal government claims families will be better off and they will be reimbursed for this tax they have legislated this tax with many questions still remained unanswered for example the impact of this tax what impact will it have on businesses and institutions and how will this impact the day to day lives fixed incomes and those with families it has become very clear that this incentive plan was hastily put together and left provinces with more questions than answers can the Premier tell this House what impact we know this carbon tax will have on the good people of Ontario Premier Through you Mr Speaker yesterday was a great day for the people of Ontario when it came to drive clean and absolutely terrible and sad day for the people of Canada people of Canada saw prices drive been driven up by four and a half cents actually it's five cents with the HST at their gas pumps not to mention diesel going up and my friend Mr Speaker I can tell you people are frustrated people are frustrated right across this country with this carbon tax and it's amazing when the Prime Minister says this carbon tax is going to help you well he's sadly mistaken Mr Speaker it's hurting the people of Canada it makes us uncompetitive around the world when we have this tax and by the way Mr Speaker it does nothing nothing for the environment at all all it does is hurt businesses it hurts families everything is going up in the grocery store no matter if you're taking little Johnny the hockey game or if you're going to work everything is going to cost more thank you very much Speaker my question is to the Premier Speaker last week when the news broke it seemed so unbelievable that even the Premier's own media staff couldn't believe that it was true they were tweeting it out but now it's been confirmed that the Premier's response to thousands of auto jobs have been lost in Windsor and Oshawa is to put his ever original open for business campaign slogan on Ontario license plates can the Premier tell us how much this vanity project will cost the taxpayers of Ontario that businesses are making investment decisions based on license plate inscriptions Premier to you Mr Speaker and to the member of Essex I can tell you that people across this province they want change they voted for change and they're getting changed and when I saw Mr Speaker position come to order Mr Speaker when I had an opportunity to speak to the President of Chrysler what he actually told me it was 15 years of high taxes high hydro rates endless regulations that is what hurts the economy that's what hurts the car companies and I can tell you on the other note when we went to Toyota they were happy about getting ready regulations getting rid of the cap and trade making sure we're lowering the hydro rates they're actually investing in the new draft law they're expanding so throughout the automotive industry we are doing well we're doing well we're going to support the people in Windsor thank you this is probably one of those ideas that sounds good when you're reclining in the back seat of your personal pleasure wagging on the leather couch but to people facing the loss of good paying union jobs in Windsor it's like a tone deaf premier and a government without a plan how can the premier tell a working mom who just lost her job that their plan to save jobs is a cheesy catchphrase on a license plate is that really the best that your government could do premier members please take the seats order premier through you Mr Speaker I just want to remind the House and the people of Ontario changing the license plates doesn't cost a penny to the taxpayers they're still producing the plates it's going to be the same cost I can tell you Mr Speaker there's over 200,000 jobs out there available I spoke to the mayor of Windsor he feels confident that he's going to support the people on the third shift over at Chrysler that were laid off he feels confident that they're going to get jobs I told him we're at their disposal anything they need we will be standing beside him but right now Mr Speaker it's on fire in Ontario it's on fire we have more jobs and we have people to fill them and everywhere we go everywhere we go when we talk to business owners they say keep going thank you for the tax cuts thank you for lowering hydro rates thank you for getting rid of the cap and trade we need more people I have to say there are a lot of comments coming from the opposition when the government ministers are answering their questions I need quiet start the clock next question the member for Cambridge my question the federal carbon tax has officially taken effect our northern communities cringe at the thought of their gas prices rising any further than they already have the minister of energy northern development and mines has been very passionate about the heightened cost to gas in these areas and has been dedicated at finding an answer for the people he represents with the rollout of the Trudeau carbon tax these areas are now going to face even higher prices can the minister of energy northern development and mines tell this house how our northern communities will be impacted by this carbon tax minister of energy northern development and mines and in British New York Cambridge for this question and her hard work in her community I'm not just about Canora or any river it's about Kiwet and it's about Thunder Bay and it's about requests from people from those regions who called out to me and said stand up against these gas prices that's why I called and wrote the competition bureau and immediately following Mr. Speaker he agreed to launch a full investigation let me rattle off a few prices outside of potential unfair pricing a buck 35 in Canora today Mr. Speaker a buck 40 in Thunder Bay a buck 40 in your Falls a buck 32 9 in Wawa a buck 30 in Timmins a buck 26 in Sudbury and a buck 29 in Cochrane can you imagine filling a full size Dodge Ram pickup truck in Timmins today Mr. Speaker this is not responsible this is not right we can be responsible our environment and not gouge the pockets of northern Ontario thank you Mr. Speaker it's clear that the minister feels strongly in northern communities everyone across the province had hoped it would be an April Fool's Day joke but we were quite disappointed when we awoke to see gas prices had skyrocketed overnight the people of Ontario were clear when they elected our government they voted for change they voted for jobs and they voted for affordability our government has been working tirelessly to keep our promise to the people of Ontario to make life more affordable after bringing an end to the job killing regressive cap-and-trade carbon tax the people of Ontario are once again met with uncertainty of how the Trudeau carbon tax will impact them can the minister of energy, northern development and mines tell this house what the true cost of this carbon tax will be on the people of Ontario minister for applause thank you Mr. Speaker just a few more moments just to expound on the situation in northern Ontario this isn't just about how much it's going to cost us more at the pumps it gets colder up in northern Ontario the heat is on a little longer at the beginning and ending of each season their forecasting costs in the range of $100 to natural gas bills for families and small businesses can you imagine that kind of increase we're hearing from seniors and small businesses we're hearing from mining and forestry operators about the consequential cost as the Premier said make no mistake about it this isn't just the price of gas and natural gas and propane companies who distribute products and services all across northern Ontario are going to incur higher costs that's going to put a high cost on everything Mr. Speaker we're not going to stand for it the problem is the NDP is in cahoots and the member from Ottawa Centre wants the highest carbon tax in the world that's why the rest of the... member for Hamiltonese Stoney Creek has to come north start the clock next question the member for Windsor West thank you speaker my question is to the Premier last week auto workers at Fiat Chrysler Windsor assembly plant were told that 1,500 direct jobs are on the chopping block come September those workers produce the award winning Pacifica and Pacifica hybrid after strong advocacy from my federal NDP colleagues the federal government has included the Pacifica hybrid in their rebate program the Premier can easily do the same here in Ontario industry experts warned last year that scrapping the EV rebate would hurt sales it happened in BC they brought the program back and as a result they brought sales back up again will the Premier actually do something helpful bring back the rebate and encourage Ontarians to purchase greener made in Ontario vehicles thank you question to the Premier Minister of economic development thanks very much we're actually doing better than that we brought in our first phase of our auto plan we're so committed to the auto sector that that is the first strategic plan that we brought in Mr. Speaker making great steps to remove red tape working alongside of FCA Fiat Chrysler and all of the other auto dealers auto manufacturers I should say that are located in Ontario I can tell you that when I meet with FCA when I meet with Ford and General Motors and Toyota and Honda what they tell me what they tell the Premier when they meet with the Premier is that putting a carbon tax on their business when no other major automaking jurisdiction in North America has a carbon tax makes it extremely uncompetitive for them to do business in Ontario so what does the federal government do they bring a carbon tax in yesterday that makes it more uncompetitive for those automakers in Ontario Mr. Speaker thank you back to the Premier Speaker thanks for all that word solid minister you really didn't say what you're doing to help these workers the Premier knows that there are many things that he could do to support not only the 1,500 workers at Windsor Assembly but also the estimated 9,000 workers in my community that could lose their jobs when GM Oshawa announced it was closing its doors the Premier gave up in a flash and now with Windsor Assembly he's missing in action again we know that one of the easiest ways to support workers in Windsor is to incentivise Ontarians to buy award winning made in Windsor vehicles by bringing back the EV rebate he could finally create a provincial auto strategy and he could work with FCA Uniform and the workers to secure a new product for WAP to build on their full flex line the government claims to be fighting for auto jobs are they acting on options like these including an auto strategy thanks again and thanks to the member officer who clearly hasn't been paying attention over the last couple of months here at Queen's Park because the new government of Ontario has been doing exactly what the auto makers want and need and that is bringing in an auto plan that's going to make it more competitive for them to do business in Ontario we launched driving prosperity back on February 14th at an auto facility up in Ontario on Woodbridge and it was a great day we received glowing marks from everyone in the auto sector including those downstream in the supply chain to make Ontario a more competitive jurisdiction to make sure that we're investing in the talent that they need and the innovation that they need Mr. Speaker all of what the auto makers have heard in our plan is exactly what they've been asking for for 15 years and exactly what the Liberal government was ignoring for 20 years Mr. Speaker what we're going to do is ensure that Ontario is a competitive jurisdiction not the highest priced carbon tax jurisdiction in the world like the NDP want Mr. Speaker next question the member for Gwell thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the Premier government has a responsibility to be honest with people about how their tax dollars are being spent it's bad enough that the Premier has a lawsuit against the federal government now we are learning that the government is planning to spend millions more on a partisan ad campaign against the federal government Mr. Speaker can the Premier tell the people of Ontario how much of their money he is spending on his political campaign to sabotage climate solutions at a time when we are experiencing a climate emergency Questions for the Premier another treasurer Thank you Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the member opposite for that question Government advertising as you know is used to tell the people about their rights and responsibilities as well as government programs and services Mr. Speaker we will continue to review advertising to ensure it's delivered in the most efficient and effective way and it delivers for the people of Ontario but let me talk a little bit since you raised it about the carbon tax as I understand the federal carbon tax program the idea is to take a little bit of money out of this pocket, process it through government and then put it back the same amount in this pocket well let me tell you one thing I have learned in government is that maybe the government takes a little processing fee, a little administration fee, not the same amount ends up in this pocket but then they have to reach it in another pocket Mr. Speaker supplementary Mr. Speaker I appreciate the minister reminding us that the Premier is against making polluters pay but I thought the Premier was for saving taxpayers dollars as well no one gave the Premier a mandate to spend our money on his political advertising campaign just last year a member from Dufferin introduced a private member's bill to restore the auditor general's oversight of government advertising a great private member's bill Mr. Speaker will the Premier pause his anti-climate ad campaign against the federal government until legislation is in place to restore the auditor general's oversight over government advertising Mr. Speaker Minister thank you Mr. Speaker thank you again for the follow up you know it's brought to my attention that the federal government is mailing postcards to households and have an extensive online advertising campaign promoting their carbon tax wow I also understand can you settle down my side Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker you know I understand under the previous liberal government there was a huge jump in advertising spending right before the election I'll let you the House determine why that may have been the reason but what I will say is that the government is exploring all options for review under all forms of government advertising and I will tell you this as well we've introduced the Audit and Accountability Committee we're going to let the auditor general's report languish in someone's drawer we're going to actually act on the auditor general's recommendations and to provide value for money for taxpayers of Ontario Mr. Speaker thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the Minister of Economic Development Job Creation and Trade under the liberals the number of regulations in Ontario ballooned to 380,000 wow more than any other province the second most regulated province British Columbia employers in my riding have been struggling to cope with the burden of government regulation including members of the Canadian Franchise Association have joined us here today our government promised to make Ontario open for business open for jobs regulatory reform is an important part of keeping that promise can the Minister outline for the House the importance of cutting red tape and restoring Ontario's economic competitiveness thanks Mr. Speaker and I sympathize with the member and his Peterborough Pete's I'd like to welcome the members of the Franchise Association to Queens Park that are here today there are job creators Mr. Speaker there are small and medium-sized businesses right across Ontario and we're trying to make life easier for them so they can continue to create good jobs 725,000 people work directly employed by the Franchise Association of Ontario we're doing what we can do to make sure that we protect those jobs and we create more opportunities in Ontario our province spent 15 years speaker falling behind but now we have a premier and we have a government that understands business that understands how we need to be more competitive and the importance of creating an environment where businesses want to invest and create jobs we're going to continue to work for the people of Ontario Mr. Speaker and make sure we're open for business thank you supplementary thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the Minister for his answer I know employers and their staff in my writing are glad that our government is making Ontario a better place to invest grow a business and ultimately create jobs the previous Liberal government introduced policy after policy that harmed entrepreneurs and job creators a job killing carbon tax burdensome regulations their hydro mess and increased taxes making it harder to get ahead and forcing us to fall behind thousands of jobs left Ontario because of Liberal mismanagement our government is committed to bringing jobs back can the Minister please inform the House what steps he and our government are taking to reduce red tape and bring good paying jobs back to Ontario Minister thanks again to the member from Peterborough, Cawortha for the great question here I can tell you that our government has been hard at work since we were elected on June 7th of last year after 15 long years Liberal waste mismanagement scandal over 300,000 manufacturing jobs leaving Ontario we're bringing in policies that are going to make it more competitive to do business here in Ontario the making Ontario open for business act bill 47 and a little bit later on this morning we're going to be voting on bill 66 restoring Ontario's competitiveness act that will support this bill 30 different pieces of legislation across 12 different ministries that are going to ensure that Ontario is a more competitive jurisdiction we're going to reduce the cost to business owners by 400 million dollars as a result of these initiatives that we're taking to reduce red tape by 25% we're doing everything we can to make sure there are great jobs in Peterborough, Bay of Quinty and every region of Ontario restart the clock the next question is the member for Hamilton Mountain thank you speaker my question is to the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services earlier today the minister announced that she would be consulting on further changes to her disastrous and poorly planned changes to supports for children with autism the minister who once said that she wouldn't offer any false hope for changes is now once again making promises and insisting that she will listen to families speaker why should families believe the minister now I want to start off by saying that the system that we inherited was broken and broken I was able to go to the Treasury Board and the President of the Treasury Board the Finance Minister injected an additional and emergency 102 million dollars so we could keep the existing program afloat in addition to that we announced that we had a $321 million program to clear the waitlist of 23,000 children in the last couple of weeks we made a decision thanks to our Premier Doug Ford that we would have additional flexibility and enhancements of an additional $300 million this is going to be an over $600 million program just within the Ministry of Community Children and Social Services today we announced that we are going to provide some wraparound supports with the Minister of Education and the Minister of Health and that would be part of a consultation process speaker I'll get into more details in the supplemental about what our government is doing in terms of consultations but I can tell you and I can assure you this is going to be the best Ontario autism program this province ever seen supplementary I think it's really unfortunate that the Minister didn't start with the best program from the beginning instead of pushing through with the program that had nothing to do with banking because she didn't consult with families to start with parents remember the Premier's words from the campaign quote I promise you you won't have to be protesting on the front lawn of Queens Park like you have with the Liberal Premier end quote parents have learned their lesson when it comes to this government and quite frankly I'm not sure parents are trusting in this Minister if the government is serious about this commitment will they back it up in the April 11th budget with a concrete funding commitment to meet the needs of all children Minister I just announced that this ministry is working with four other ministries as well as the Premier we work with the Treasury Board President and the Finance Minister to keep the existing program solvent we're working with the Minister of Education and the Minister of Health in order to provide wraparound support the Premier then provided us with an extra 300 million dollars so we can expand the program and that's what I'm really excited about today we've announced that we're going to consult with an online survey that starts on May the 1st at Ontario.ca forward slash autism we're going to do tell a town halls right across the province which I hope is part of I have offered to work with all members of this assembly not just progressive conservatives but also with the opposition come to order and the independent members of this assembly so that we can make sure that we get a full consultation that happens right across the province we have indicated that we are going to create a panel of experts so we can discuss how we can spend the money but this member can either continue to yell at me or she can work with me her choice thank you very much Mr. Speaker my question is for the Deputy Premier and Minister yesterday April 1st OHIP Plus and universal drug coverage for people under 24 essentially ended the government is now the government is no longer the government is no longer the pair of first resort and the minister knows that not all insurance plans are the same and that there are gaps there are differences between what a drug company will pay and what the drug costs so what happens now is as pair of first resort the insurers always covered that gap the Ontario government does not right now which leaves a gap for families that are insured but no gap for families that aren't insured that's not equitable can the minister please explain to me who is going to address that Minister of health and long-term care thank you Speaker again through you Mr. Speaker I would say to the member opposite that OHIP Plus has not been stopped it's just that the regime that was developed under the Liberals previous government has been stopped because it's not providing the service and the value to taxpayers that they expect having the insurer that the pair of first resort just makes sense however it's also important to remember that children young people under 24 will receive the services that they need if they don't have insurance that's what we need to make sure is covered that people who don't have coverage will get coverage that is what we're dealing with with respect to any gaps if there is a difference between what the insurer will pay and what the family that's having difficulty in that difference absolutely has the option of applying to the Trillium network in order to receive that assistance and funding there is help available that is how they can deal with it thank you supplementary thank you very much to the minister for the answer and I have a great deal of respect but universality for children under 24 the Trillium will not address the graph because it will not, it's not designed to do that and that's what I was asking of greater concern Mr. Speaker coming up in a week and so now that the Ontario government is no longer pair of first resort for people under 24 is the government going to make the same decision for seniors over 65 are you going to make it so that employers are going to be the first pair for people over 65 is that the intention of the government number one first question and the second question is August 1st of this year minister through you speaker the deductible pay were to be eliminated as in the 2018 budget is it your intention to continue with that thank you thank you the minister to reply well the question under discussion I would say to the member opposite through you Mr. Speaker that the idea of universality has not ended young people are receiving coverage for their drugs where they did not before but if they have an insurer if their parents have an insurer they should be paying first that just makes sense however if there is a differential there is an option for people to get the help that they need to recognize some medications are very expensive and that some may be difficult for families to pay but again the trillium outlet is still there for people that need help they will assess those applications and they will assist with payment the next question the member from Milton my question is the minister of agriculture food and rural affairs over the past 40 years Foodland Ontario has made our communities stronger and healthier and we have a lot of experience on how to recognize, prepare and enjoy locally grown foods each year thousands of Ontario retailers enter the Foodland Ontario retailer awards which run from mid-April to November these awards serve as the province produce industries top competition for excellence Mr. Speaker and I am pleased to hear that the minister recently put consumers back into the picture and contributed them in the participation of this amazing program could the minister please tell the house how the consumers choice award will benefit Ontario AgriFood business including farmers and retailers Minister of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs I want to thank the member for Milton for that excellent question Mr. Speaker firstly I want to congratulate all the retailers that will be awarded this year and thank them for their hard work and the dedication in serving our communities through inviting consumers to partake in the Foodland Ontario Retail Awards program we are looking at raising awareness of local food and supporting local grocery stores back after more than 30 years consumers will now be able to vote for a new consumer choice award an award which will be given to the best retail display of Ontario's fresh produce Mr. Speaker these grocery stores are fixtures in the community they not only keep our communities healthy they create jobs and poor money back into the towns and cities they serve increasing the presence of local food in our home schools and public institution is a top priority for this government Thank you Mr. Speaker I want to thank the minister for his answer and I appreciate all of his hard work for advocating on behalf of the agricultural community including Ontario's produce retailers Mr. Speaker not only does the creativity and variety of each year's submissions leave the judges impressed but the sheer volume of contenders from across the province only goes to show how active our grocery stores are in promoting local foods in 2018 alone over 4,250 entries were submitted along with 6,000 photos of captivating displays showcasing fresh homegrown Ontario produce could the minister please share with the house the changes our government has made to the food land retailer awards program Minister Thanks again Mr. Speaker and I thank the member for the question it's no secret that the previous government never turned down an opportunity to wind and dine themselves on the taxpayers dollars as this closed in the public accounts last year the previous government spent $50,000 in taxpayer money to host these retail award events in the luxury Liberty Grand complex in Toronto in order to attend these lavish lunches a select group of people had to travel in from out of town through Toronto while taxpayers had to pay the cost our government is taking a different approach instead of travelling to us we will be visiting our hard working food land retailers I'm pleased to say that this summer my parliamentary assistant and I will be visiting stores across the province to congratulate the winning retailers we will see the stores their products and displays and thank the staff who built the displays I look forward to meeting with them and I'm happy to do for the people of Ontario to present us with the best and safest food in the world next question for Hamilton West and Kaster Dundas I want to thank the minister for the financial accountability Mahesh chose Ontarians will see fewer benefits from the lift tax credit than they would have if the government didn't freeze 300,000 Ontarians that would have benefited from a higher minimum wage will see no benefits at all under the government scheme that puts workers last. And those that do get something will be more than $400 worse off than they would have been if they could have just earned a $15 an hour wage. Does the minister continue to stand by a plan that these hundreds of thousands of Ontarians worse off? Questions to the minister of finance? Thank you, Speaker. Let's start with the facts. The financial accountability officer confirmed that our government's Lyft credit will put $2 billion back in the pockets of low-income earners over the next five years. Speaker, we will never apologize for bringing relief to families who need it most. The FAO recognized that over 1 million people will receive tax relief thanks to our government Lyft credit. He also previously recognized the damage of increasing the minimum wage too quickly. I'll quote what the FAO said. Quote that Ontario's proposed minimum wage increase will result in the loss of approximately 50,000 jobs with job losses concentrated amongst teens and young adults. Speaker, we took a balanced approach by pausing the increase in minimum wage. Our government has given businesses time to adjust to avoid further losses while still providing relief to low-income earners. We start the clock. Supplementary. The minister, well, Mr. Speaker, the facts are in and they're supported by the FAO that Ontarians are left worse off because of the government scheme to rip away a living wage from workers. To add insult to injury, the minister is pretending that his tax credit will make families whole again after his decision to freeze the minimum wage. But the financial accountability officer makes it painfully clear today that families will not be made whole. Why is the minister defending a plan that will leave minimum wage earners over $400 poor? Good question. Minister. Well, thank you. First of all, they have a job under this government, 132,000 jobs created. The lift credit provides $850 in tax relief to over 1 million people. The FAO also recognizes the targeted benefit of our lift program. Here's his quote. The lift credit provides a greater portion of its overall benefits, 97 percent, to the individuals with below median incomes compared to a minimum wage increase. In other words, our government's lift credit provides more targeted support to those who need it the most. Now, it's unfortunate that the NDP member from Hamilton West, Ancaster Dundas, thinks we're, quote, talking about people who earn so little that in fact they don't need a tax break, quote, rather than punishing businesses and causing further job losses Our government is providing relief to low-income workers while ensuring they actually have a job. Our government will always stand up for those who need it the most, Speaker. We'll never apologize for letting the people of Ontario keep more of their hard-earned money. Thank you. Next question. The member for Perry Thomas-Colter. Restart the call. My question is for the Minister of Energy, Northern Development, Mines and Indigenous Affairs. Mr. Speaker, all of the members of this House are well aware of the challenges faced in Northern Ontario. The previous government constantly put up new barriers to prevent resource developers and entrepreneurs from creating new economic opportunities. This made investment in the North extremely difficult and prevented businesses from creating good jobs. Our government was elected to cut red tape and break down barriers to build a strong northern economy, and that's exactly what we're doing. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister tell us more about how our government is making strategic investments in Northern Ontario? Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Perry Thomas-Colter for his question, his great representation, not just for Perry Thomas-Colter, but across Northern Ontario. He had an opportunity to celebrate Lake of the Woods Brewing Company, a fast-growing company that employs a lot of people in downtown Canora, and is expanding into Manitoba and Minnesota. Their delicious beer, Mr. Speaker, is making its way in LCBO and brewer's retail outlets across this province. We invested a million dollars, Mr. Speaker, to take them from a craft brewer to a mid-market player, Mr. Speaker, a legitimate beverage company. This is going to employ 19 new people. Now, we've solved that problem. We've created an opportunity for them. The next challenge, of course, is the job-killing carbon tax. As he ships that delicious beer to all of these jurisdictions, especially across Northern Ontario, Mr. Speaker, he's going to incur significantly increased costs. What is the NDP Ontario caucus going to do about it, Mr. Speaker? We don't know their position. It sounds like it's on WWW. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the Minister for that response, so that he's making me thirsty. It's clear that our government is making Northern Ontario open for business. Craft beer is rapidly expanding industry on Ontario, and it's exciting that our government is making targeted investments in a growth sector. The craft beer industry contributes approximately $1 billion towards Ontario's economy. That's a fantastic contribution to our province and one worth investing in. Most importantly, our government is delivering on our promise to create good jobs, Mr. Speaker. I know that's not all our government is doing to support Canora, Mr. Speaker. Can the Minister tell the members of this House about how our government is supporting jobs in the Canora area? Mr. Speaker, on a more serious note, downtown Canora, of course, was hit with a tragic fire right in the middle of the downtown. It resulted in the loss of life. It tapped front-line workers, and we do a shout-out for them. Half the town could have literally burnt down. A heritage place was lost, Mr. Speaker, so they needed a hand up, and they were pleased at this Lake of the Woods Brewing Company announcement to also support another local business. A sweet Lake of the Woods specializing in high-end chocolates and delicious Americano coffee to serve our tourist demands in the summer and all of us year-round. $150,000 to increase their manufacturing capacity, Mr. Speaker. A couple of full-time jobs, a couple of part-time jobs, and more than a dozen seasonal jobs when everybody from around the world comes to visit that beautiful Lake of the Woods destination. Mr. Speaker, this has given small-town businesses a hand up. We're very pleased to support them, Mr. Speaker. It was a great day, and we had chocolate and beer pairing, Mr. Speaker, and we all had a great day. Thanks. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Seniors and Accessibility. Through freedom of information requests, our office learned that the government is considering cutting elder abuse Ontario's funding by 15 percent. Elder abuse Ontario trains thousands of frontline workers across the province and how to identify and prevent elder abuse. They run a senior safety hotline for older adults who are victims of abuse or at risk of being abused. This government campaigned on a platform pledge to commit resources to domestic abuse, including elder abuse. Speaker, a 15 percent reduction in elder abuse Ontario's budget will have a devastating impact on this organization and its work and its crucial work for our seniors. I know this Minister understands how important this issue is. Will you talk to your colleague, the Minister of Finance? Will you talk to your colleague, the Premier of Ontario, to make sure this crucial organization's budget stays the same it is right today? No 15 percent cut. Minister for Seniors and Accessibility. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to thank the member of our position on raising an important question. First of all, I really question whether the question was any foundation. I never heard from my minister that we're going to cut the 15 percent in the budget. Our Minister of Finance will make an announcement on the budget on the 11th and we'll make sure that we work very hard for the seniors in Ontario. Thank you. My job. Question period has concluded. The member for Stormont Dundas, South Glen Gary, has a point of order. I want to welcome today Chelsea Thompson up there with her daughter, Celie, and she's mother Paige Grayson, who's here for my writing. Member for Perth Wellington? Nope. Okay. We have a deferred vote on a motion for closure. On the motion for third reading of Bill 66. Calling the members. This is a five minute bell. Members, will members please take their seats? We have a deferred vote on a motion for closure. On March 25th, 2019, Ms. Scott moved third reading of Bill 66, an act to restore Ontario's competitiveness by amending or repealing certain acts. Mr. Crawford has moved that the question now be put. All those in favour of Mr. Crawford's motion, please rise one at a time and be recognised by the clerk. Mr. Smith, Bair Quincy. Mr. Smith, Bair Quincy. Mr. Walker. Mr. Walker. Ms. Thompson. Mr. Thompson. Mr. Bethan Fawley. Mr. Bethan Fawley. Mr. Fidelli. Ms. McClelland. Ms. Moklau. Mr. Clare. Ms. Clark. Mr. Yakobusky. Mr. Hardyveis. Mr. Hard bunun. Mr. neck and neck. Mr. Terry. Mr. Murderous. Mr. J Lanford. Mr. Parsons. Mr. Emma Crowd. Ms.zeit Tech. Trustee Ja relatable. Mr. WEB. Mr. Britt Taylor Schervs, Mr. Crawford. Mr. Renan. Mr. Renan. Mr. Guzzetto. Mr. Guzzetto. Ms. Dunlop. Ms. Dunlop. Mr. Canapathic. Mr. Canapathic. Mr. Babiki. Mr. Babber. Mr. Babber. Mr. Payne. Mr. Payne. Mr. Tanigasa. Mr. Roberts. Mr. Roberts. Mr. Sabali. Mr. Sabali. Although both of the motion, please rise one at a time and be recognized by the clerk. Mr. Shibisong. Mr. Shibisong. Mr. Nameshela. Mr. Nameshela. Mr. Tabbings. Mr. Tabbings. Ms. Horvath. Mr. Sh blond. Mr. Sermonti. Ms. Armstrong. Ms. Armstrong. Ms. Stiles. Mr. Kernaghan of all time. Mr Churnahan of all time. Mr. Wes. Mr. Wess. Ms. Stevens. Ms. Stevens. Mr. Gates. Mr. Gates. Ms. Yes. Ms. by Gretzky. Ms. French. Ms. French. Mr. Miller Hamiltonese. Tony Creek. Mr. Miller Hamiltonese. Tony Creek. Mr. Singh Bramptonese. Mr. Singh Bramptonese. Ms. Andrew. Ms. Andrew. Mr. Hatfield. Mr. Hatfield. Ms. Taylor. Ms. Taylor. Mr. etwa. Ms. Wynn. Ms. Hunter. Ms. Hunter. Mr. Schreiner. Mr. Schreiner. Ms. Androsia. Ms. Androsia. Mamuz El-Simar. Mamuz El-Simar. The ayes are 68, the nays are 40. The ayes being 68, and the nays being 40. I declare the motion carried. Through the third rating of Bill 66, an act to restore Ontario's competitiveness by amending or appealing certain acts, is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carried? It's a no. All those in favour of the motion will please say aye. Those opposed will please say nay. Nay. By opinion, the ayes have it. Call in the members. This will be a five-minute bell. All in the members, this will be a five-minute bell. Thank you. Ms. Scott has moved third rating of Bill 66, an act to restore Ontario's competitiveness by amending or appealing certain acts. All those in favour of the motion will please rise one at a time and be recognised by the clerk. Mr. Smith, be acquinting. Mr. Smith, be acquinting. Mr. Walker. Mr. Walker. Ms. Thompson. Mr. M shores候ld. Mr. Fredell. Mr. Faddell. Mr. Ford. Mr. Ford. Ms. Elliott. Ms. Elliott. Mr. Yance it. Ms. Morroney. Ms. moral. Mr. McLeod. Mr. Clark. Mr. Clark. Mr. Yaakabusky. Mr. Harden. Mr. Harden. Mr. Tobola. Mr. Tebola. Mr. Barrie. Mr. Barrett. Mr. Pettipiers. Mr. Meartow. Mr. Meartie. Mr. McDonnell. Mr. playlist. Mr. Bailie. Mr. McLeod. Mr. McDonnell. Ms. Scott. Mr. Rashid, Mr. Sandu, Mr. Crawford, Mr. Renan, Mr. Guzzetto, Mr. Dunlop, Mr. Canapati, Mr. Mabikian, Mr. Babur, Mr. Babur, Mr. Payne, Mr. Tanigasso, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Sabawi. All those opposed to the motion, please rise one at a time and be recognized by the clerk. Mr. Fykes, Mr. Fykes, Mr. Tavres, Mr. Tavres, Mr. Horvath, Mr. Nanesha, Mr. Sattler, Mr. Sattler, Mr. Shaw, Mr. Momakor, Mr. Mommikor, Mr. Carpoche, Mr. Carpoche, Mr. pocket, Mr. Matting, Mr. Armstrong, Mr. Stiles, Mr. Kernaghans, Mr. Kernaghans, Mr. West, Mr. West, Mr. Steven, Mr. Gates, Mr. Gretzky, Mr. French, Mr. Miller Hamilton-East, Tony Creek, Mr. Singh Brantonese, Mr. Singh Branton-East, Mr. Andrew, Mr. Hatfield, Mr. Hatfield, Mr. Taylor, Mr. Berch, Mr. Berch, Mr. Burns McGowan, Mr. Bourguin, Mr. Burguin, Mr. Bell, Mr. Glover, Mr. Glover, Mr. Mr. Morris. Mr. Rokosovic. Mr. Harden. Mr. Montiaferro. Mr. Esaim. Mr. Esaim. Mr. Frazer. Mr. Frazer. Mr. Frazier. Mr. Frazer. Ms. Wynn. Ms. Wynn. Ms. Hunter. Ms. Hunter. Mr. Shriner. Mr. Shriner. Butte and Rosier. Ande Rosier. Ms. Alsimar. Ms. Alsimar. The ayes are 68, the nays are 40. The ayes being 68, the nays being 40. I declare the motion carried. The 3rd meeting of the bill. Tois in lecture. Du Poirier de Lois. in the motion. And since today is Tuesday, this House stands in recess until 3 p.m.