 It is now time for Question Period, the leader of Her Majesty's loyal opposition. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. Newfoundland and Labrador paid their hydro-CEO just over $500,000 a year. In New Brunswick, the head of Power Corporation has paid just shy of $425,000 a year. In Nova Scotia, EMRA and Nova Scotia Power, which both happened to be publicly traded companies, paid their CEOs a combined total compensation of $1.8 million. That's four more provincial energy CEOs making less combined than the Hydro-1 CEO in Ontario. And once again, Mr. Speaker, it's no surprise that these provinces pay lower industrial hydro rates than Ontario. Businesses across Ontario are leaving. They're turning their lights off. They're shutting their doors because of Ontario soaring hydro rates. Mr. Speaker, how does the Premier justify these gold-plated paychecks for Hydro-1 executives? Mr. Speaker, let's just do a reality check on some of the things that the leader of the opposition has said. So in terms of the jobs that we have created, that have been created in Ontario since the recession, over $500,000, so the notion that somehow Ontario is not growing, that our economy is not on track. In fact, Mr. Speaker, just is not accurate. The number one jurisdiction for foreign direct investment, two years in a row, Mr. Speaker. So the fact is that, of course, as other jurisdictions in North America and around the world are in a fragile economic state, Mr. Speaker, we understand that, but in Ontario, the investments that we have made, the investments in infrastructure and people's talent and skills, Mr. Speaker, are the fact that foreign direct investment is coming to Ontario, Mr. Speaker. We are on track, Mr. Speaker. And the fact is that the leader of the opposition doesn't support those investments, doesn't support investments in infrastructure and in transit and transportation, Mr. Speaker. We know that they're critical for our prosperity. Mr. Speaker, maybe the Premier misheard my question. My question is about generous executive compensation. I'll be very specific. Hydro-Quebec is twice as large as Hydro-1 in terms of revenue. Hydro-Quebec does twice as much as Hydro-1 since it's responsible for generation, transmission and distribution. Hydro-Quebec has four times more employees than Hydro-1, yet the head of Hydro-Quebec has paid one-eighth of the $4 million that Premier is handing out to the new Hydro-1 CEO. He is responsible for half the size of the organization that Quebec operates, but in Ontario, energy bills are higher than our neighbor to the east. Mr. Speaker, how can the Premier justify paying her new Hydro-1 CEO eight times more than what they're paying in Quebec? It doesn't make sense. My question is for Mr. Speaker. Thank you. I'm going to give the member of reality check. Come to order, member from Renfrew. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I understand that the Leader of the Opposition is asking a very specific question about the executives at Hydro-1. The Leader of the Opposition knows that Hydro-1 in its new incarnation will be regulated by the Ontario Business Corporations Act, the Ontario Securities Act and the Ontario Energy Board, and that they will have to file information with the Ontario Securities Commission and disclose the compensation of their top executives. That is the reality. It will be a different company than the company it is now, Mr. Speaker. It will be a better company than the company it is now. But underlying the question, Mr. Speaker, is the reality that the Leader of the Opposition doesn't support, for some reason, given that he in the past has supported a move like this, Mr. Speaker, but he doesn't support the broader ownership of Hydro-1 in order to invest in transportation infrastructure. That is the reality. We do believe that those investments are critical, Mr. Speaker, and we are going to make those investments. Final supplementary question. Mr. Speaker, again, for the Premier, it's clear the Premier doesn't seem to mind these ridiculous executive compensation paychecks that she's cutting and how they're going to hurt Ontario families, how Hydro rates are going up because of her decisions. There are six other provinces in Canada whose primary electrical company is a Crown Corporation. Those six provinces are able to pay combined their CEO less than what you're paying here in Ontario. There is no reason for the Premier to be paying this much money for her CEO when every other province in Canada can rein in their executive compensation. So, Mr. Speaker, my question to the Premier is, why does she think these salaries are acceptable? Mr. Speaker, you know, being in the gallery today and many, many of those mayors have had meetings with me and with my colleagues, Mr. Speaker, and the number one issue they raise with us is investment in infrastructure, Mr. Speaker. There are roads and bridges and transit projects around this province. Finish, please. I understand that the opposition doesn't want to hear this, Mr. Speaker. I understand they want to shout down anything that would indicate that they don't understand that the investments that we need to make right now are for the future productivity and competitiveness of this province, Mr. Speaker. We're going to make those investments. Yes, Hydro One is going to be a different company, but the leader of the opposition knows full well that the way rates are set now by the Ontario Energy Board is the way rates will be set going forward. That will not change, Mr. Speaker. No question, the leader of the opposition. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier, and since I can't get an answer on the issue of executive compensation, I'm going to try healthcare. The government's cuts to healthcare are hurting patient care in Ontario. I'm going to give an example to the House today. We know of a doctor who was on call for the Telephone Health Advisory Service and he took a call from an ill patient. It was a Sunday afternoon and the doctor interrupted his family time to take this Telephone Health Advisory call. This particular call, like so many others, prevented a patient from having to go to the emergency room. Mr. Speaker, is the Premier prepared to tell the people of Ontario that these cuts to healthcare, like the one we're talking about here today, are going to cause people to wait longer and longer at an emergency room when it could have been dealt with otherwise? Thank you. First of all, Mr. Speaker, healthcare costs are increasing and our investments in healthcare are increasing, Mr. Speaker. We're not cutting healthcare. The funding for hospitals alone has risen from $11.3 billion. It's very difficult when somebody from the government side is pointing and talking and eliciting the response. Just relax. You obviously haven't heard me. Finish, please. Hospital funding alone, Mr. Speaker, has risen from $11.3 billion to $17.3 billion. That's a 53% increase since 2003, Mr. Speaker. Funding for community support services increased to almost 514 million this year. That's an increase of 41.9 million over last year, Mr. Speaker. There were 135,280 nurses employed in nursing in 2014 up from 2.7% from 2013 and up 21.6% from 2003. So the fact is, Mr. Speaker, investments are going up and the leader of the opposition stood with Stephen Harper when he unilaterally slashed the Canada Health Transparency. Mr. Speaker, again for the Premier and no one believes for a second that this government isn't cutting healthcare. We all know you've cut it by $54 million. The government is trying to portray order. The government is trying to portray Ontario doctors as villains and that's certainly not the case. A doctor in Thunder Bay shared a story with me that the latest round of liberal cuts and how it's affecting his health clinics he's going to have to let two staff members go and close his two clinics. That's because he's no longer able to afford the cost associated with running those clinics and when he closes those clinics in Thunder Bay we'll be without a family doctor. Mr. Speaker, there are 800,000 people in Ontario without a family doctor. Mr. Speaker, how can this Premier justify diminishing health care in Thunder Bay? If the leader of the opposition is standing up to stand in opposition to the changes that we are making in terms of doctors pay because we couldn't come to an agreement with the OMA if that's what he's saying we value our doctors the doctors in Ontario are paid more than, on average more than any other doctors in the country Mr. Speaker so they are very well paid as they should be Mr. Speaker so that is a very good thing. If the leader of the opposition is saying, you know we shouldn't transform the health care system because we are making changes we are moving services from hospitals into the community Mr. Speaker because that is what our aging demographic actually requires people want to be at home we're not there yet, it's not done there's more that has to be done but we are in the process of transforming the system if he's standing up and saying we shouldn't do that then Mr. Speaker is out of touch with the needs of people in our community. Mr. Speaker, again for the Premier if transforming the health care system is code for this government to rip in $800 million away from doctors for patient care I don't support this transformation what their transformation means in 2005 an ophthalmologist from Cornell was able to reduce cataract surgery wait time to just one month in the past year under the Liberal Government cuts she has seen her wait time increase in another six months for surgery now the Liberal Government has put a cap on the number of surgeries she can perform she's only able to operate twice a month these cataract surgeries mean all the difference in the world to those that need it Mr. Speaker, how much more evidence does the Premier need till she can appreciate she's cutting healthcare on tarot and it's hurting patients patients thank you Premier you deserve health well Mr. Speaker I'm a little confused because I'm absolutely certain that the member opposite the leader of the opposition is talking about the federal government because it's estimated billion dollars less as a result of the changes that that member opposite supported when he talks about cuts to healthcare he's talking about changes in the federal transfer that's resulting in a 335 million cut to healthcare in this province because of a decision of the government that he was part of with healthcare cuts our budget is increasing our budget for doctors is increasing by 1.25% this year next year it continues to go up as does our healthcare budget year after year after year as we make important investments our doctors are the best paid in this country I'm proud of that I'm a member of that profession but we need to pay attention to other healthcare workers our PSW's our nurses our nurse practitioners as we build the best healthcare system in the world this is this is my opportunity to remind people that you speak to the chair and in the third person new question the leader of the third party the premier is selling off hydro one for a one time cash grab of 4 billion dollars she says will go into her 10 year infrastructure fund speaker that works out to 400 million dollars per year over 10 years but what she won't tell us is that by restoring the corporate tax rate by just 1% we would earn more than 4 billion dollars over the next 10 years speaker and we would retain public oversight public ownership of hydro one which would continue to provide us significant revenues in each one of those years speaker so why is this premier plowing ahead with the short-sighted privatization of hydro one when she could have chosen a reliable long-term plan for the future of Ontario thank you very much speaker well whenever there is an issue about investment the leader of the third party turns to a corporate tax increase she has spent that 4 billion dollars 50 times and the fact is that we have increased taxes in our budget we have increased taxes on the highest income earners in this province she knows that full well what she also knows is that we need to make investments in infrastructure and we were clear with the people of Ontario that we were going to leverage the assets that were built many years ago in order to be able to build the new assets that are needed in this province that's what we're doing and we're making those investments across the province speaker independent experts from KPMG to the premier's own transit advisor and golden calculate that restoring 1% tax rate would raise between 420 and 700 million dollars per year other economists put the figure even higher speaker and by dedicating 400 million dollars to infrastructure we could make the investments that we need and keep hydro-wine transportation hands it's exactly the kind of smart progressive solution that this premier rejects why is this premier selling off hydro-wine when she should be asking the biggest corporations to pay just a little bit more speaker for the infrastructure that they need and the infrastructure that we need we brought in a budget in 2014 that was a progressive budget that actually it did increase taxes it reinvested in people like personal support workers it brought in a plan to index the minimum wage we got no support from the NDP on that budget so in terms of making investments and building this province I do not take any lessons from the leader of the third party the fact is that we have made a decision that we talked to the people of Ontario about we've made a decision that investing in the roads and the bridges and the transit and the hospitals and schools around this province is what is needed at this point and communities have said that to us they need that infrastructure investment and we are going to work with them the bottom line is this premier had better choices but she's choosing a short-term scheme and it is the wrong decision for the people of Ontario the first of five for one protects her small group of powerful friends from paying their fair share speaker but it leaves families and businesses paying the price not just now but for decades to come this premier could be asking the biggest corporations to help tackle congestion and build the infrastructure that we need instead she is giving Ontarians a completely false choice speaker this premier selling off Ontario's most important public asset when she could simply raise corporate taxes by a mere 1% to get all of the money she needs and more Thank you Mr. Speaker as we might expect the leader of the third party is not looking at the whole picture because part of the plan that we put forward to the people of Ontario was to make sure that we had a business environment Mr. Speaker that we work with business to make sure that we drew investment to the province and that businesses could expand it's not perfect Mr. Speaker but the fact is we are we have been the number one jurisdiction for foreign direct investment for two years in a row Mr. Speaker that indicates that people and businesses see that Ontario is somewhere they want to invest they want their businesses to be here so the fact is this is critical to our well-being and the jobs that we have been able to foster and businesses have been able to create is because of that competitive business environment but the leader of the third party never takes that into account Mr. Speaker my next question is also for the premier yesterday's speaker Stephen Harper concluded the negotiations on the secret trans-pacific partnership details of the deal are just emerging but we know that it will be good for big pharma and it will be bad for health care in Ontario the council of Canadians warned that the TPP threatens the possibility of creating a national pharma care program in Canada and the CEO of the registered nurses association of Ontario said that the TPP will kill pharma care speaker yet sight unseen the premier and her federal leader Harper's secret deal why is this premier choosing big American pharmaceutical companies over the health care needs of Ontario's speaker again Mr. Speaker the leader of the third party oversimplifies a very complex situation we haven't endorsed anything Mr. Speaker what we said was that we must compete globally to take the position that she and Tom will care have taken our hands of it we're not going to compete in the global economy we're just going to say forget it we're not going to sign on is ridiculous in 2015 Mr. Speaker you're asking about some of the issues that we believe should have been more transparent I'm not happy with the way Stephen Harper has negotiated this he hasn't talked with the premier he hasn't talked with any of the local communities Mr. Speaker we're concerned about supply management we're concerned about the auto parts sector that doesn't mean we're going to put our hands in the sand and pretend we don't live in the world Mr. Speaker please Mr. Speaker please Mr. Speaker thank you Mr. Speaker doctors without borders issued a statement about the TPP saying and I quote it will raise the price of medicines for millions by unnecessarily extending monopolies and further delaying price lowering generic competition and that quote the big losers in the TPP are patients and treatment providers in developing countries we know that this deal sells out the public speaker consumers and patients not just in Ontario but in countries around the world and yet this premier is quote excited about the TPP and has endorsed Harper's secret trade deal so that she can remain in step with her federal leader why won't this premier listen to the people on the front lines and do the right thing for our serial patients and demand changes to the Trans-Pacific Partnership before Canada signs on thank you so Mr. Speaker the lead of the third party just said this is a secret trade deal I kind of agree with her that it was not transparent we were not able as the premiers and the territories to be able to see the negotiations as they went along that's why we asked the Minister of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs to go to Atlanta Mr. Speaker to make the case for supply management we've been concerned about this deal but the leader of the third party can't say it's a secret deal and then say she knows exactly what's in it and we shouldn't sign on to it Mr. Speaker we have to know what's there there is a ratification period we need to know what the details are we need to consider those details Mr. Speaker to cite out of sight what is that expression cite on scene say we're just not going to take part we're not going to sign on is a ridiculous position to take in 2015 final supplementary case for government negotiated a secret deal that will make it harder for Ontario's future health care challenges to be met and the federal leader that the Premier has been campaigning for is signing on to that deal according to the Ontario Health Coalition the TPP will limit the government's ability to control drug prices which could put a national pharmacare plan out of reach for the province of Ontario and the rest of the country again all quote from doctors without borders the negative impact of the TPP on public health will be enormous and it will be felt for years to come Speaker why is this Premier endorsing Stephen Harper's secret plan instead of standing up for pharmacare in Ontario we need to see the agreement and we need to be able to analyse it because it has been quite secretive as the leader of the third party says which means we don't know all of the details that are there we need some time to analyse it but here's the thing I have a huge amount of confidence in businesses in this province and in this country I believe we can compete globally and as a Premier of the province of Ontario it is absolutely my responsibility to make sure we can compete globally that is the future that's why it's so important that we have foreign direct investment coming to this province that's why we invest in our people's talent and skills so we're going to compete globally we're going to look for the opportunities and seize those opportunities but we need to analyse this deal which was not transparent enough but we don't know all those details and we need to find those out new question from the lead my question to the Premier in late February the Premier held a press conference and said on our review of the matter we don't expect charges to be laid against Pats or Barrow oddly enough the Premier never came to the defence of one of the Liberals biggest fundraisers Jerry Lawhey Jr after 10 months of what the OPP called a complex and very uncommon investigation charges were laid against Mr. Lawhey Jr but not the Deputy Chief of Staff Mr. Premier what did the Premier know 10 months ago did she know that Jerry Lawhey agreed to take the fall for Pats or Barrow well Speaker I'm really puzzled by the nature of the question and the way it's so convoluted because in it I kind of almost read that the member opposite is doubting the good work of the Ontario Provincial Police in this matter the member opposite cited himself that there has been 10 month long investigation in the matter done by one of the most professional police service in this country the Ontario Provincial Police and they have made a determination as to who to charge and who not to charge in this matter I don't think we should be we are in any position whatsoever Speaker to doubt or question that judgment of the Ontario Provincial Police the member opposite to respect the process to respect the investigative work that is being done and let the course decide this matter further thank you again to the Premier the Premier reiterated the fact that she didn't expect charges were going to be laid on Pats or Barrow in this chamber she never defended Jerry Lawhey that same way she never said she didn't expect charges to take place in the orange air ambulance scandal the Premier's never said that she expected charges in the gas plant scandal the only thing she said was that she didn't expect charges were going to be laid against Pats or Barrow the Premier is over and over again said she wouldn't comment on the corruption investigation throughout the last 10 months except to say that Pats or Barrow would not be charged Mr. Speaker despite what everyone and I mean everyone heard on those tapes the Premier must have known something why was the Premier able to claim 10 months ago that there weren't going to be charges laid against Pats or Barrow Mr. Speaker clearly the member opposite is doing what we call fishing he is out there trying to find something that he can talk about because clearly the opposite side has not on both sides carry on so I will say to the members opposite stop fishing and start focusing on real and substantive matters before us in this province that is to build our infrastructure that is to invest in our economy so that we can continue to grow this province so that we continue to create good paying jobs as this government is focused on because their fishing expedition is not going to take anywhere anywhere speaker what we need to focus on is let the police do its work let the court proceedings take its course while we as legislators focus on building Ontario up thank you very much my question is to the Premier Speaker in September Stephen Harper admitted that the auto sector wasn't going to like what was in the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal but then yesterday Justin Trudeau said that he would quote wait and see what was in the TPP before weighing in also yesterday I'm sure the member will tie this into a government question thank you speaker also yesterday the Premier herself referring to the TPP trade pact said quote it's important that we need to be able to seize this opportunity speaker now that the Premier of Ontario is spending so much of her time as Premier on the campaign trail talking up the leader of the federal liberal party will she too wait and see what devastating effect the trade deal will have on the province's automotive and manufacturing sectors to react Premier thank you very much Mr Speaker so yesterday I was I delivered a speech to the Empire Club Mr Speaker I had the opportunity to talk about I had the opportunity to talk about how important it is for provinces and territories to have a working relationship with the federal government I did make that speech Mr Speaker and I was asked questions about the TPP in the aftermath of the speech Mr Speaker and what I said was that it is very important that we are competitive on the global scale Mr Speaker that we understand that in order for our to thrive here in Ontario and for the national economy to thrive that we look for those markets Mr Speaker and that we seize those opportunities I did say that and I believe that Mr Speaker because I have faith in Ontario I have faith in Canada and I have faith in our ability to seize those opportunities but does that mean that everything about the TPP is as it should be I don't think so Mr Speaker but we don't have those details and neither does the NDP Thank you Mr Speaker this morning we learned that Stephen Harper made an election promise for money for the auto industry anticipating the damage done by this trade agreement that the job losses will be roughly around 20,000 the truth is Speaker that the TPP is only the latest in a long list of wrecking balls to hit this provinces manufacturing sector once a driver of our economy the people that filled these jobs in communities like London Essex Windsor and other locations are now frankly struggling to hold on Speaker this is all under the Liberal Government's watch will the Premier speak out in favour of Ontario jobs or will she just say whatever is needed to elect her Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau Mr Speaker we live in a global economy and what the NDP would like to do is just build walls on our borders Mr Speaker keep out everyone else Mr Speaker but the problem with that is that we're 13 point member from Hamilton East Tony Creek 15.5 million people Mr Speaker we need to be a centre of innovation in order to be able to compete we need those markets to sell into Mr Speaker and we need connections with markets around the world so I am very very concerned about some of the clauses in the TPP Mr Speaker we need to analyse those there's a ratification period and we need a sensible conversation with the Federal Government whoever is there Mr Speaker about what's good for the people of Ontario but I do not believe that we can have a global participation Mr Speaker I think that would be irresponsible it would not be in the best interest of industry in this province or in this country so we are going to look to seize opportunities Mr Speaker any questions? Mr Sardis Brampton Mr Sardis Brampton Thank you Mr Speaker my question is for them Mr of Education Mr Speaker as we all know childcare provides a strong foundation for our youngest learners and our government is committed to strengthening childcare in Ontario and I know how important it is for my constituents to have access to safe and modern childcare when families in my riding meet me in my office, community events or at their doorsteps they always talk about the safety of their children especially when they leave them in the care of others Mr Speaker my question through you to the minister is can she please tell my constituents how are we ensuring that we are giving their children the best possible start in life Thank you Thank you Speaker and thank you to the member for Mrs Sardis Brampton South who is a great advocate for schools and childcare in her riding since 2003 childcare funding in Ontario has increased from $530 million to over $1 billion almost double the number of licensed childcare spaces has also grown over the same time to nearly 351,000 which is an increase of 87% in the past year alone we've seen more than 100% increase in the number of licensed childcare spaces and last year our government provided an additional $269 million over three years to support a wage increase of $1 per hour for eligible childcare program staff working in the licensed childcare center centers and home child Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you Can you please explain more about this announcement and how it will help our children to transition from child care to full taken regard? Thank you. Minister? Yes. Thank you, Speaker. And last spring I was pleased to announce that our government is investing 120 million over the next three years to create approximately 4,000 new child care spaces in schools across Ontario. So last week I was pleased to announce the first tranche of that funding which is 13 schools who will be getting new child care, a total of 42 new child care rooms, housing almost 800 new spaces. So with adding that in space in local schools is an important step obviously to getting high quality child care into more neighbourhoods. Over the next ten years the province actually plans to provide school boards with more than 11 billion to help build new schools in areas of high growth. But what's interesting about this particular program that the member talked about is new child care. New question to the member from Oxford. Thank you. Thank you, Mr Speaker. Mr Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Yesterday I asked the Minister about the fact that social housing dollars had been used to pay for a luxury eight-day South African vacation and the Minister just laughed it off. This was a luxury vacation with a private driver, an apartment on an estate, winery tours, whale watching, a visit to a nature preserve, a cable car up table mount and more, paid for by using taxpayers' dollars. We have the expense form right here for the individual building. Now that the Minister has had time to look into it, can he tell us if he has asked for the cost of that South African vacation back? Thank you. This is a good golf trip before we enhance the accountability measures which when you were in government you weren't prepared to do. So Mr Speaker, I sometimes think the Honorable Member Opposite must be misquoted. He is aware that my government took steps to increase the accountability of HSC, steps his government would not take, and yet he says no one has done anything. The member knows that I wrote to the Chair of HSC more than a year ago expressing concerns about some expense policies yet he says no one has done anything. The member also knows that the Board of HSC reviewed its expense policies and brought them into compliance with management board guidelines and yet he says no one has done anything. He also knows that HSC participated in a third party review of its management and policies to ensure effective governance, a review which found the organization today to be well managed. Thank you. Supplementary. Mr Speaker, the Minister has forgotten what year this party became government. This was in 2012, Mr Speaker. Most taxpayers in Ontario can't afford luxury trips to South Africa and certainly the 168,000 people, families waiting for affordable housing can't. We're talking about thousands of dollars that went to a personal vacation instead of affordable housing. Taxpayers' dollars that paid for wine tasting, meals at award-winning restaurants while families on the waitlist struggled to put food on their table. It's a clear misuse of taxpayers' money and the people waiting for affordable housing want to know what the government is doing about it. Again, I ask what steps has the Minister taken to investigate and get that money back? Or does he think that it's acceptable to use affordable housing dollars for South Africa luxury trips? Thank you. Mr Speaker, the member knows, just going on with what I was thrusted by arguments, that HSC has committed to an action plan to address improvements recommended by the third party review, improvements which will make the governance... The member from Oxford come to order. You asked the question, I'm trying to listen to it. The member from Thornhill is not helping. You are also come to order. Finish, please. He's not done anything about it. Can the member explain to this House why he has said no one has done anything about it when the facts so clearly point out otherwise? Speaker, I leave that question with the Honorable Member. What was was, you didn't put accountability measures in place. We did. To the Chair, Best Political Advice Evergot with some answers. Wait, great Sterling Hunt, stop the clock. First of all, your time is up. Second of all, third person to the Chair. New question. Mr. Meefaker. Yesterday, after word of the finalized deal emerged, the Minister of Agriculture, our Minister of Agriculture was very clear about concerns for the TPP's negative implications Ontario Supply Managed Farms. In his statement on the Government of Ontario website, he was very clear that the TPP could undermine consumers' desire to buy local, jeopardizes Canada's supply management system and does not provide Canadian producers reciprocal benefits to export. That's a quote. But in his speech to the Empire Club, the Premier, while discussing the same TPP, stated it is important that we take hold of this as an opportunity. She went as far as to criticize the leader of the Federal NDP for not supporting the deal site unseen. So through you to the Premier, does the Premier agree with the Minister of Agriculture that this opportunity could jeopardize Ontario's supply managed farms? Thank you. Mr. Speaker, here's the thing. It is a complex deal. And the fact is, Mr. Speaker, that there are many parts to it. There's the part where we will have opened markets where we will actually see opportunities, Mr. Speaker, where businesses in this province and in this country will have more opportunity. That's one part of this situation, Mr. Speaker. The other part is we have concerns. We do have concerns. Those things are not mutually exclusive, Mr. Speaker. The fact is we have concerns about the supply managed sector. We have concerns about auto parts, Mr. Speaker. We have been clear about that. But that does not mean that we wash our hands of an opportunity to expand markets. The fact is we live in a global economy and to oversimplify our position in the world would be irresponsible, Mr. Speaker. We're not going to do that, even if that's the NDP's choice. Thank you once again to the Premier. The market access granted to non-Canadian, non-local food will be lost to Ontario farmers forever. Farmers that operate at no cost to the taxpayer until this trade deal was announced. On October 1st, the Minister of Agriculture stated, when you have a really good trade deal in place, you really don't need to discuss compensation. Yet, we're moving from a system where farmers earn enough from their products to a system where the government will have to cover the shortfall. Is the Premier willing to risk on terrorist supply to manage farms on a deal whose details no one has really seen? Or is she too invested in campaigning for a federal account in place? Mr. Speaker, but anyway, the fact is that this is a deal that will have an influence on every province and territory in the country, Mr. Speaker. There hasn't been enough information about it. Stephen Harper has not included premiers of the provinces and the territories in those discussions. I've called for that, premiers have called for that, Mr. Speaker, at the Council of the Federation. He didn't do that, so we don't have all the information. I have concerns, Mr. Speaker. I have concerns about the supply-managed sector. I've been a huge supporter of supply management, along with the Premier of Quebec, Mr. Speaker. I've been very, very clear about that. I have concerns about the auto sector, Mr. Speaker. But the reality is, we don't have all the information. We have to analyze it, and we have to recognize that we are part of a global economy. We need those relationships. We need those markets. We need to seize the opportunities. And at the same time, make sure that the conditions are right for our industry here in Ontario. Any questions? The member from Ottawa, over here. Merci, Monsieur le Président. Ma question est pour l'aide. My question is for the Minister of Social Services. And social service workers perform a vital role serving some of the most vulnerable individuals living in Ontario. Through the work of your ministry, they help serve individuals through the social assistance system, support individuals with developmental disabilities, help women and their children escape violence, and support First Nation and Aboriginal communities towards healing and wellness. Through the work of other ministries, the province, social workers, and social service workers help protect children and support families. Beyond these government programs, there is a larger social work network that serve these individuals in need. Frequently, the people behind these efforts are social workers or social service workers. Minister, you have made a priority to support social workers and social services workers. Can you please share with this House the detail of the professional development fund? Well, I can't minister of community and social services. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the member for Ottawa Orléans for the question. Our government recognizes and values the important contributions made by all our frontline workers, including those who are social workers and social service workers, who deliver the supports and services to Ontarians every day. We are committed to ensuring that they have the support they need to perform their jobs to the highest standard. And that is why earlier this year at the Ontario Association of Social Workers Annual General Meeting, I announced the launch of a two-year, $1 million professional development fund to help with the costs of professional development activities completed by members of the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers by providing financial assistance for professional development opportunities. We are supporting social workers and social service workers' access to advance their skills, knowledge, and practice, and service delivery. Thank you, supplementary. Thank you, Madame la ministre. And certainly from a very personal standpoint as a former social worker, this news is very excited as a professional development fund because it is the first ever opportunity like this in Ontario's history. And it is long overdue and much appreciated. And certainly an opportunity that I wish existed at the time when I was working in this field. As of this September, social workers and social service workers can access professional development dollars that will pay for approved professional development activities. This investment is going to the professional who helped turn this government policies and programs into action at the community level. And their works makes a real difference in the lives of thousands of Ontarians every day. Minister, I understand that individual can now apply for the fund. Can you share the opportunities that will be provided to interested professionals? Thank you, minister. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And as the member from Ottawa, Leanne, has expressed, we rely on highly trained social workers and social service workers at the front line to strengthen our communities. The professional development fund will help to ensure that college members can access professional development tools that will enhance service delivery to these vulnerable populations. The fund will provide financial assistance to successful applicants of up to $300 over the next two years, helping them to participate in workshops, courses and conferences that will advance their knowledge and skills, integrate their learning and help them gain experience working with vulnerable groups. Our government truly values the extensive knowledge and professionalism and the personal attention social work professionals bring to helping families and individuals navigate their way through difficult times. I want to thank social workers and social service workers for their service and encourage them to access the benefits of further professional development. Thank you. New question. The member from Chatterton Essex. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services. Speaker, the tragic crash that claimed the lives of three children and their grandfather in bond is having a deep impact on the brave men and women who answered the call. Ian Park, Deputy Chief for York Region EMS, said that eight of the 15 paramedics who attended the scene took time on to seek for post-traumatic stress disorder. In his 25-year career, he has never seen a single incident affect so many staff members. He said, and I quote, when we have an incident like this, when we have so many that are affected, it gives us the opportunity to start talking about it. Well, Mr. Speaker, the opposition wants to talk about extending PTSD coverage for first responders. We must fast-track bill two. Speaker, the Minister is also the House Leader and it's his file. Will the minister join the opposition and fast-track the bill and help our heroes with PTSD? Thank you. Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services. Minister of Labor, Speaker. Minister of Labor. Thank you, Speaker, and thank you to the Honorable Member for what is a very, very important question that we take very, very seriously on this House. To be very, to summarize my response to you is that I think we can do better than bill two. I think the Member has bought forward bill two and has started the conversation going as I uncover more and more and more about this issue in consultation with our frontline workers, paramedics, firefighters, police officers and those who respond to the front lines. I'm convinced that we must do a combination of what's envisioned in bill two with some improvements to it. I'm also convinced that what we need is a very comprehensive prevention program in this province. I'm committing to bring forward a proposal to this House that I think we'll meet with the intent of what the sincerity behind your question is. Thank you. Supplementary. Thank you very much. Well, we need to see legislation, Mr. Speaker. Deputy Chief Park said, as a profession, paramedics often feel that there's a stigma associated with it. They keep it in sign. Part of the reason for the stigma exists is that the government has yet to fully acknowledge the impact of post-traumatic stress disorder. It takes a special person to be a first responder. The responder. They're human. Our government must send a clear message to our first responders that PTSD is real and it doesn't make you less of a person to admit that you need help. Mr. Speaker, we're once again calling on the minister and House leader to bring the NDP's bill forward. When can our first responders, our heroes, expect to see it before the House? Thank you. Minister. Thank you, Speaker. Once again, thank you to the honourable member for the question. We all know PTSD is a very serious condition. We're finding more and more about it as we uncover the effects that it has on our frontline workers. What we have done at the Ministry of Labour is we had a roundtable a number of years ago. That was people that work on the frontlines, came forward, formed a group and bought us their best advice. One of the things they told us is you need to get everyone together. You need to bring the best advice in. We had General Romeo Dallera came and spoke at a summit that was hosted and attended by some members of this House in Toronto not very long ago. As a result of the information we received to date, we're ready to begin moving on bringing something forward to this House to get it into this House, to get it introduced to this House, to get it through the committee process. I think what you're going to see introduced by the Minister of Labour speaks directly to the concerns that you're raising and the respect we owe our frontline workers, Speaker. Any questions for the members of Toronto then? Thank you, Speaker. My question to the Minister of Energy. Yesterday I asked the Minister to explain an unbudgeted $2.6 billion cash payment to Hydro One. The Minister called my question a diatribe. He said the government was simply paying the money to itself so it was a wash. Mr. Speaker, the government is not quite paying the money to itself. The government is taking $2.6 billion out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund and giving this cash to the Ontario Electricity Financial Corporation, which can only use it to pay down debt. The $2.6 billion in cash will be gone. $2.6 billion in real cash is leaving the Treasury to pay for an unbudgeted expense. This cash will no longer be available to pay for healthcare, education, or transit. Instead the money will go to the OEFC and then to Hydro Bond Holders. Speaker, how is this a wash? Question, thank you. Mr. Mayor. Mr. Speaker, we did deal with this in estimates this morning and in question period yesterday, Mr. Speaker. This transaction will have no fiscal impact for Ontario, Mr. Speaker. We've been clear that the purpose of broadening the ownership of Hydro One is to maximize its value so we can make the largest investment in infrastructure in the province's history. And that's exactly what we're doing. Hydro One will be paying the government the amount it owes to become a public company to a departure tax, which applies to all LDCs in the province, Mr. Speaker. Hydro One is being treated like any other company in this respect. To ensure the value of Hydro One is maximized, the province will provide Hydro One with a capital contribution that is equal to the same value as the departure tax. In return, the province will get shares of Hydro One that are of equal value. Mr. Speaker, I want to be clear that this will have no fiscal impact for Ontario. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, the government's budget forecasts an $8.5 billion deficit based on $131.9 billion in expenses. Now the government says there will be an additional unbudgeted expense. The government will pay Hydro One's $2.6 billion tax bill in cash. This money will not return to the Consolidated Revenue Fund. It will flow to hydro bond holders. The government has refused to give information on this transaction to the Financial Accountability Officer. The Hydro One prospectus says that in return for the cash payment, the government will receive $2.6 billion in shares of Hydro One, a company the government already owns 100% of. Mr. Speaker, does the government plan to pay for its transit investments with accounting trust? Thank you. Mr. Speaker, as a 100% owned Crown Corporation, Hydro One is currently not required to pay federal or provincial income tax. Instead, it makes payments in lieu of tax or pills to the Ontario Electricity Financial Corporation. When the company goes public and becomes broadly held, the market value is compared to the tax value of the company to determine the departure tax payable when leaving the pills system. In Hydro One's case, the company is paying $2.6 billion in departure tax as part of the transition to a broadly held publicly traded company. Hydro One is being treated like any other company in this respect. The company is paying the departure tax. Before the IPO is completed, Mr. Speaker, the province as shareholder will make a capital contribution into Hydro One and receive new common shares of Hydro One limited for a total of $2.6 billion. This will provide Hydro One funds that it will use to pay the departure tax. This is, there's no fiscal impact in any way, shape, or form, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. New question to the member from Barrie. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services. Minister, we all know that Ontario is one of the safest places in Canada to live, work, and raise a family. In fact, my writing of Barrie has been rated one of the safest cities in all of Canada for two years in a row. Thank you to Police Chief Kimberly Greenwood and Mayor Lehman. Since 2003, Ontario's crime rate has dropped by 34%, and Ontario's violent crime rate dropped by 27%. These are statistics of which we can all be proud. But Mr. Speaker, policing is becoming increasingly more challenging in the 21st century. We are seeing a growing number of interactions with vulnerable people, such as those who suffer from mental health and addiction. Question? Mr. Speaker, could you please ask the Minister what he is doing to modernizing policing in the 21st century? Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Speaker. I want to thank the member from Barrie for the thoughtful question. Speaker, the Police Services Act was written in 1990 and has basically remained unchanged over the past 25 years. Speaker, we can all think of example of just how much the world has changed in that time, and that is why it is so important that we modernize how policing is done in our province. That is why, Speaker, we plan to open up the Police Services Act and conduct a thorough review. We have worked with the municipal and policing partners through the future of Policing Advisory Committee to develop our strategy for a safer Ontario. Our new strategy is a government's blueprint of what effective, sustainable, and community-based policing will look like in Ontario. Speaker, it is now time to take the next step. We want to take the strategy out of the boardroom and into the community centres and enable us to consult directly with Ontarians. Starting this fall, our government will be hosting consultations across the province to discuss the key pillars of our new strategy. Thank you, Speaker. Supplementary. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the Minister for that answer. I'm glad to hear that you have been working hard to bring forward a new model of policing for the 21st century. It is vital that we look to tackle more complex community safety issues. We develop better, more efficient solutions to these problems. And I know that as we work to build an even safer community in my writing of Barry, these solutions will have an important impact. But, Mr. Speaker, as the minister begins to consult on this new strategy, I think it is important that communities across our province understand how they will be engaged. After all, the issues that they face are both broad and varied, and they must understand how they can participate in making this an even safer province. Speaker, through you, can the minister please explain what he will do to engage the communities in this new strategy? Thank you, minister. Speaker, it is a strong belief that as we work to build even safer communities, we must engage our communities themselves in that process. The cornerstone, Speaker, of our new strategy will be community safety and well-being plans, which will be in every part of the province. These plans will help to reduce the demand for a reactive resource intensive emergency response. They will achieve this by developing a collaborative and proactive approach to community safety, where community partners share information and work together with police on early intervention opportunities. Speaker, a number of these important projects are already in place. For example, Hamilton's partnerships with mental health nurses and coordination with local hospitals and improving outcomes for citizens and reducing the amount of time offered to spend in waiting rooms. These are the kind of meaningful collaboration, Speaker, that we want to encourage with communities through our community safety and well-being plans as we work to make Ontario an even safer place in the 21st century. Thank you. Thank you. I have a question to the member from Kitchener, Conestoga. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the minister of transportation. Yesterday, we learned the fallout from last November's ICQEW commuter chaos has meant a 500,000 fine for a government road maintenance contractor. Again, instead of government ensuring motor safety ahead of winter snowfall that we get in Canada here, we see the same knee-jerk fine and forget about a routine after the damage is done. It's the same lackluster approach this government has taken since watering down standards and oversight in 2009 with compromised contracts putting motorists' lives at risk to save a few bucks. And every winter we see the same story play out. Treacherous conditions, traffic types, collisions, and sadly, even death. Speaker, it's October. Will the minister commit to Ontario motorists that their safety will not be risked this winter by the cut-rate winter road maintenance contracts they introduced in 2009? Good question. Mr. President, thank you. Thanks very much, Speaker. I want to begin by thanking the member for that question. As I've said many times in this House, making sure that Ontario's roads and highways in all seasons, of course, including winter, are maintained in a proper way so that our motorists and the traveling public have the confidence to drive on our roads and highways is one of my top priorities. And it's worth noting, Speaker, for the last 13 years, this province has ranked first or second across North America for having the safest highways and roads. Specifically with respect to winter maintenance, Speaker, I'm delighted to make sure that the House knows that for the upcoming winter season, we will have more equipment in remote, rural and congested urban areas. We'll have more anti-icing liquids on the roads before winter storms so that highways are less slippery when bad weather begins. We'll have an improved 511 website with live camera images and timestamp road condition info and a new Trap My Plough program and two of our areas and expanding. Thank you. Thank you. Remember from Ajax Pickering on a point of order. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just on a point of order, when we were introducing some mayors, I could not locate visually the mayor of Ajax, Steve Parrish. He's been sitting in the West Gallery and unfortunately, just as I said, go to say that a group of them have departed so I wanted to pass on my good wishes to the mayor of Ajax from the 130,000 people there. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. The deputy health leader on a point of order. Mr. Speaker, I'll let you determine with us as a point of order, but the mayor of the city of St. Catharines, Walter Sencek, was in the gallery. I did not want to interrupt your in question period to introduce him, so I thought it might be appropriate to do so now. Good point. Sir, agriculture? Mr. Speaker, I do apologize I was late today, but I see my good friend, Don McCabe, the president of the federal federation of agriculture is in the east gallery, members east gallery today. Thank you. I wouldn't have let you interrupt question period anyway. There are no deferred votes. This house stands recessed until 3 p.m. this afternoon.