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October 25, 2010

39th Parliament, 2nd Session

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Hansard Transcripts

Votes and Proceedings

Orders and Notices

Hansard Transcripts 2010-Oct-25 (PDF)

L059 - Mon 25 Oct 2010 / Lun 25 oct 2010

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO

ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DE L’ONTARIO

Monday 25 October 2010 Lundi 25 octobre 2010

INTRODUCTION OF VISITORS

ORAL QUESTIONS

CONSULTANTS

CONSULTANTS

CONSULTANTS

CONSULTANTS

CONSULTANTS

NUCLEAR ENERGY

ENERGY POLICIES

HEALTH CARE

POVERTY

IMMIGRANT SERVICES

LOCAL HEALTH

INTEGRATION NETWORKS

HYDRO RATES

AGRI-FOOD INDUSTRY

LOCAL HEALTH

INTEGRATION NETWORKS

LOCAL HEALTH

INTEGRATION NETWORKS

AIR QUALITY

VISITORS

INTRODUCTION OF VISITORS

MEMBERS’ STATEMENTS

TIGER JEET SINGH

HEALTH CARE

GOVERNMENT SERVICES

ONTARIO PARLIAMENTARY FRIENDS OF TIBET

SENIOR CITIZENS

FUSION YOUTH ACTIVITY

AND TECHNOLOGY CENTRE

RENEWABLE ENERGY

IMMIGRANT SERVICES

MISSING CHILDREN

NOTICE OF DISSATISFACTION

INTRODUCTION OF BILLS

EXECUTIVE COUNCIL AMENDMENT

ACT (MINISTERS’ ATTENDANCE

AT QUESTION PERIOD), 2010 /

LOI DE 2010 MODIFIANT LA LOI

SUR LE CONSEIL EXÉCUTIF

(PRÉSENCE DES MINISTRES PENDANT

LA PÉRIODE DES QUESTIONS)

PETITIONS

PROTECTION FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

HIGHWAY IMPROVEMENT

EDUCATION FUNDING

PROTECTION FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

ONTARIO SOCIETY

FOR THE PREVENTION

OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS

HIGHWAY IMPROVEMENT

HOME WARRANTY PROGRAM

PENSION PLANS

WIND TURBINES

ONTARIO SOCIETY

FOR THE PREVENTION

OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS

EDUCATION FUNDING

MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS TREATMENT

PROTECTION FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

ORDERS OF THE DAY

SECURING PENSION BENEFITS NOW

AND FOR THE FUTURE ACT, 2010 /

LOI DE 2010 SUR LA PÉRENNITÉ

DES PRESTATIONS DE RETRAITE

ROYAL ASSENT /

SANCTION ROYALE

SECURING PENSION BENEFITS NOW

AND FOR THE FUTURE ACT, 2010 /

LOI DE 2010 SUR LA PÉRENNITÉ

DES PRESTATIONS DE RETRAITE

The House met at 1030.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Good morning. Please remain standing for the Lord’s Prayer, followed by the non-denominational prayer.

Prayers.

INTRODUCTION OF VISITORS

Mr. John Yakabuski: I’m pleased to introduce a number of office staff and caucus staff—Kris Barnier, Kelly Harris, Daniel Gordon, David Donovan, Sarah McMaster and Anthony Rizzetto—who are joining us today in the public galleries. They will be here all day. They will not be out campaigning for George Smitherman in the mayoral office on the taxpayers’ dime. They will be working here.

Mr. Jim Wilson: I’m very pleased to introduce a member of the PC caucus staff, Mr. Dave Prisco, who’s here working hard on behalf of the taxpayers of Ontario. He’s not out campaigning for George Smitherman.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): I just remind the honourable members that this is introduction of guests, and there should not be any commentary with it.

Mr. Ernie Hardeman: I’d like to introduce Tara Barry, a hard-working member of our office working for the PC caucus, who’s here working for the taxpayers today and not out campaigning for the next mayor—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): I again remind the honourable members that we are introducing our guests to the Legislature. It’s not intended to be used for other purposes.

Mr. Peter Shurman: I’d like to introduce two people in the west members’ gallery: my wife, Carole Shurman, and for the first time in this Legislature since I was elected, my son Brian Shurman, recently returned to Toronto from Dubai.

Applause.

Mr. Peter Shurman: I’m sure Brian thanks you.

I would also like to introduce Noah Ng, Ari Laskin, Marcia Morrison and Jen Andrew, all hard-working members of the PC caucus staff who are here working for taxpayers today, not out campaigning for George Smitherman.

Mrs. Joyce Savoline: I’d like to introduce Don Jackson and Colleen Chutko. Both are hard-working members of our PC caucus staff. They are—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Introduction of guests?

Mr. Steve Clark: I’d like to introduce Nick Koolsbergen, Amanda Meek and Dianne Tominac, who are definitely hard-working members of our—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you. Introductions?

Mr. Frank Klees: Someone who is well familiar to members of the Legislature, hard-working, dedicated executive assistant Dr. Alex Roman, is with us today.

Mrs. Elizabeth Witmer: I’d like to introduce a very hard-working member of my staff, Dan Powers.

Mr. Norm Miller: I’m pleased to introduce Marcia Morrison in the west visitors’ gallery, a hard-working member of the PC staff, and also Daniel Gordon, who’s also an important part of our staff.

Mr. Norman W. Sterling: I’m pleased to introduce Lesley Daw, a hard-working member of the PC caucus staff, who, I might add, has been out at nights canvassing for municipal—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Member from Wellington–Halton Hills.

Mr. Ted Arnott: I’d like to introduce my legislative assistant, Stephen Yantzi, who does an excellent job on behalf of the people of Wellington–Halton Hills. He’s in the gallery too, not working on the election campaign today.

Mr. Toby Barrett: I wish to introduce Robert Willett from Hamilton. He works for me, not Smitherman.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): On behalf of the member from Welland and page Ffion Hughes, we’d like to welcome her mother, Joyce Little; her father, Alun Hughes; and her sister Nia Hughes to the members’ gallery today. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

On behalf of the member for Guelph and page Calder Morton-Ferguson, we’d like to welcome his mother, Mavis Morton; his brother Ader Morton-Ferguson; his grandfather Ross Morton and his grandmother Geraldine Morton to the members’ gallery today.

The five minutes for introductions having been expired, it is now time for oral questions.

ORAL QUESTIONS

CONSULTANTS

Mr. Tim Hudak: My question to the Minister of Health: Minister, no doubt, in light of the scathing auditor’s report on eHealth 2.0 last week, you’ve done calculations in your office this week. Could you perhaps inform the House: How much did Ontario families shell out for all of the consultants hired by your Ministry of Health, your local integration networks and Ontario hospitals?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: Let me begin by thanking the auditor for the job that he did. As the member opposite might remember, when they were in government the Auditor General could not go into hospitals. The Auditor General did not have the authority to go into hospitals. It was our government that gave the Auditor General the responsibility of looking at hospitals.

The Auditor General has the authority, and because we asked him specifically to go in and report back on the use of consultants in our hospitals, in our LHINs, in our ministries, we now have the recommendations from the Auditor General that we are acting on. We have introduced legislation that will put an end to the practices that he has revealed.

I think what’s important to note is that under their government, none of this would have been open to public scrutiny.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary?

Mr. Tim Hudak: It’s sad but not surprising that the minister has no information to share with the House today. You’d think the minister, upon receiving this latest scathing report about Liberals’ spending abuses, would have had the staff burning the midnight oil to find out exactly how much was wasted by their feeding frenzy with Liberal-friendly consultants. The auditor says that over a quarter of a billion dollars that could have gone to front-line health care went to consultants through your own ministry. Public accounts—a simple study shows some $33 million to consultants and untold millions from hospitals.

Minister, west Niagara families have raised almost $14 million towards a new hospital that you promised back in 2005, but you still haven’t come forward with a single dollar of spending. How much longer do West Niagara families have to wait for you to get your priorities straight?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: When it comes to spending in health that does not go to the very kinds of services that we’re all committed to, which is front-line care, I cannot take lessons from the party opposite. I think it’s instructional, if nothing else, to note that under their watch, they had over 600 consultants at work. We have half that number today, so they were spending twice as much as we are on consultants. They can be sanctimonious. They can be on their high horse, criticizing our government, but it was under their watch where they were spending twice as much as we spend today on consultants.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Final supplementary.

Mr. Tim Hudak: It’s disappointing that the minister refers to legitimate concerns of Ontario families who are paying more and getting less under the McGuinty government as “their high horse.” We’re going to stand on the side of Ontario families, who have seen their health care service on the front line cut while you gave out hundreds of millions of dollars to Liberal-friendly consultants.

Just look at Fort Erie and Port Colborne in the Niagara Peninsula. George Smitherman, the then Minister of Health, ordered $11.4 million to be cut from front-line health care services, and since then, they’ve closed down the ERs in both of those communities. It would cost approximately $1 million to upgrade those facilities back to ERs, but the Ministry of Health spent 225 times that on consultants alone from what the Auditor General discovered.

Minister, why is it Dalton McGuinty’s priority to line the pockets of—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): I’d remind the honourable member of the use of titles.

Mr. Tim Hudak: Why is the Premier prioritizing his Liberal-friendly consultants instead of front-line health care for—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you. Minister?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: I understand that the member opposite is continuing his drive-by smear campaign of our health care workers this afternoon. I understand he is going into his riding, but he is not actually going to be talking to any patients. He’s not going to be talking to any health care workers. He’s not going to be talking to any administration. He’s going to continue his practice of driving in, setting up a podium and a microphone and slamming the people who are delivering excellent care in his own community.

I do not think that that is behaviour that is becoming in a man who aspires to be Premier of this province. I think he needs to take the time to go in and actually talk to the front-line health workers, because what he will find is that wait times have come down, that patients are getting better care, that there are more doctors working, there are more nurses—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you. New question.

CONSULTANTS

Mr. Tim Hudak: It’s sad that the Minister of Health is giving these types of nonsense answers on a very serious issue.

Families are waiting longer to get front-line patient care. They’re seeing their emergency rooms closed down in Fort Erie and Port Colborne, and here in the city of Toronto, Toronto families are dealing with the McGuinty government cuts to front-line health care at Toronto East General Hospital. Toronto East General, under the McGuinty government, is no longer providing outpatient rehabilitation care. The five nights that a consultant out of the McGuinty government spent in Singapore would have paid for 100 hours of rehab with a physiotherapist for hard-working Toronto families.

Minister, why did you let expensive insiders cheat honest, hard-working families who need front-line patient care?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: As I have said, we are the government that gave the Auditor General the authority to go into hospitals. We are the government that asked him specifically to look at the use of consultants in our hospitals.

We are acting on all of the recommendations because we think that will result in better health care for the people of this province, in stark contrast to the party opposite that has committed—they’re going to tell you, “Oh, no, no, no.” They are committed to cutting health care spending by $3 billion. So he can talk about being very sad about cuts that he has identified, but a $3-billion cut to health care will have a devastating impact in our health care system.

Ontarians do not want to go back to the days of cuts and chaos—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Stop the clock for a moment.

I just would remind honourable members that some of the interjections and some of the comments that are being made on both sides of the House are certainly bordering on being unparliamentary. Whether you say it in the form of a question, say in an answer or say it under your breath, some of those words are not parliamentary.

Supplementary?

Mr. Tim Hudak: It’s disappointing, in light of the scathing eHealth 2.0 report, Minister, that you use rhetoric that doesn’t even have a passing acquaintance with the truth, to be polite.

Let’s get back to the facts here. On the very same day that the auditor released the eHealth 2.0 report, the Peterborough—

Interjections.

Hon. Dwight Duncan: Point of order.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Stop the clock. I remind the Minister of Finance that it has been understood in this chamber that if you have a point of order, you can raise it following the question period.

Please continue.

Mr. Tim Hudak: The facts on the ground, Minister, indicate that on the very same day that the auditor released the eHealth 2.0 report, the Peterborough Regional Health Centre cut 12 full-time and two part-time registered nurses.

Let me put this in perspective: For the $1.6 million that the auditor found that a mere handful of hospitals used to lobby you and to lobby Premier McGuinty, Peterborough could not only have kept the nurses, they could have hired 16 more. Why do you prioritize the Courtyard Group and Liberal-friendly consultants while patient care is being cut by Premier McGuinty?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: It’s kind of remarkable, frankly, that we’re getting this line of questioning from a party that, when they were in government, made a practice of cutting health care services. They left our health care system in terrible shape.

The practices that the Auditor General revealed, and revealed because we asked him to go in and tell us what to do, have been going on for a long time. They were going on when this party was in power, when this party was in power, and when our party was in power. They were going on under governments of all stripes, but we are the government that is going to put an end to these practices. We have introduced legislation that puts an end to practices that have gone on far too long. We have continued to improve accountability and transparency, and only because we have taken those steps do we have this information—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you. Final supplementary.

Mr. Tim Hudak: Here’s the problem, with all due respect to the Minister of Health: It keeps happening over and over and over again. You had the billion-dollar eHealth boondoggle; now you have eHealth 2.0. You’ve had three consecutive scandals with the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp.

Things have become so bad under Premier McGuinty that even his scandals are starting to have sequels, and the only way to bring change is to change the government in the province of Ontario.

So let me give the minister one more example: In the Premier’s own riding, we’ve seen the McGuinty government cut 190 registered nurses who provide front-line health care at the Ottawa Hospital. If you took only one third of what the LHINs have spent on sweetheart deals with consultants, Ottawa families would have every one of those nurses back. Why, Minister, does the Premier prioritize Liberal-friendly consultants instead of Ontario—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you. Minister?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: Let’s be really clear: Under our watch, we have rebuilt the health care system. Let’s just do a little compare and contrast here. Under their watch, 6,200 nurses fired; under our watch, 10,000 more nurses working today than when we took over from that government. Under their watch, 28 hospitals closed; under our watch, we’ve opened 18 hospitals. Under their watch, they actually changed the freedom-of-information law to exclude Hydro One. We have reversed that decision. We have opened up FOI to Hydro One.

We went further and we expanded FOI to cover OPG, universities, Cancer Care Ontario, local public utilities and, if our legislation passes, hospitals will be open to freedom of information.

CONSULTANTS

Ms. Andrea Horwath: My question is for the Acting Premier. This government promised change after the auditor exposed the billion-dollar eHealth scandal. The Premier said at the time, “I take responsibility for this.” Last week, the Auditor General’s report showed that not much has changed at all since eHealth. Just this past weekend, the Ottawa Citizen reported that the Champlain LHIN doled out $600,000 to nine well-connected consultants.

When can Ontario finally expect the change that has been promised by our Premier?

Hon. Sandra Pupatello: To the Minister of Health.

Hon. Deborah Matthews: It is exactly because we now know that practice is going on that we have introduced legislation to address that very issue. The Auditor General did us all a very big favour by going in and looking carefully at where these precious health care dollars were being spent. He looked at 16 hospitals. What he determined was that we have a problem not just in those 16 hospitals; we have a problem across the system. That’s why we are taking the action we are taking. It is strong action. It is bold action.

It is another step in improving transparency and accountability, and it will put an end to practices that have been under way for far too long under parties of all stripes. We are making the changes that people expect of us. We’re making the changes that taxpayers expect of us, because when people pay their taxes, they want—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you. Supplementary?

Ms. Andrea Horwath: For seven long years, this government allowed our public health dollars to be diverted to well-connected consultants and lobbyists. For every million dollars squandered on insider lobbyists, 25 more long-term-care beds could have been provided for patients and seniors in places like Thunder Bay or Windsor.

How could this government not have known that well-connected consultants and lobbyists were lining their pockets with money that should have gone into front-line care for Ontario families?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: I think we’re all getting a bit tired of the suggestion that this is something that we invented on this side of the House. This is a practice that has been going on for decades under all governments of all stripes.

The NDP, when they were in power, did nothing to stop the hiring of lobbyists with public dollars. The 1991 Auditor General’s report found that in the NDP’s first full year in office, they spent more than $240 million in consulting fees for everything from designing highways to preparing news releases. In 1994, the NDP Minister of Transportation hired a lobbyist firm with over $13,000 in taxpayer dollars to lobby the federal government for taxpayer—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you. Final supplementary.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Instead of blowing $2.6 million on a sole-sourced consultant deal, families in Toronto or Ottawa could have had 90,000 more hours of home care provided to them and their loved ones. Over 30 nurses could have been hired to help their kids when they were sick.

Why won’t the McGuinty government own up to this outrageous misuse of public funds, public health care dollars?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: We have done exactly that. We asked the Auditor General to go in and shine a light in a corner that had been dark for far too long. We knew that when we gave him the power to look at hospitals, he would find things that we did not find acceptable. That’s exactly what he did. He did not disappoint us.

The difference between our government and the others is that we took action. We have put an end to the practices, if this legislation passes, and I’m going to ask the leader of the third party this: Will her party support this legislation that expands freedom of information to hospitals, or does she, like her colleague, consider this worthless and not worthy of support?

CONSULTANTS

Ms. Andrea Horwath: My next question is also to the Acting Premier. The Premier and his cabinet ministers have repeatedly said that publicly funded organizations should not hire lobbyists. “Pick up the phone,” they tell hospital, college and university presidents. If that’s the case, why has this government proposed legislation that will still allow public sector lobbyists to be hired after all?

Hon. Sandra Pupatello: To the Minister of Health.

Hon. Deborah Matthews: I think if the member opposite perhaps hasn’t already had a briefing on the legislation, that might be helpful to explain exactly where we set the threshold. We want this legislation to be enforceable. We are including the vast majority of public health care dollars. Hospitals will be included. Broader public sector organizations are included. There are some organizations that receive under $10 million that are not included in the legislation but, trust me, they understand the spirit of the legislation.

The other important piece is that we have instructed all of our staff and ministry staff to embrace the new way of doing business, and that is not working with lobbyists. So, if organizations wish to hire lobbyists, I suppose they can do it, but nobody will be answering the phone at the other end.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary?

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Perhaps the minister needs to have a bit of a briefing on the legislation. This government’s so-called lobbyist crackdown lets hospitals, colleges and universities—all of those organizations—hire lobbyists as long as the money comes from other sources, like tuition fees and perhaps donations.

If lobbyists aren’t needed at all, the question is, why does this government’s bill let public money be diverted to insider lobbyists instead of things like student aid, for example, and front-line care?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: I want to be really clear about this, and this is important: Hospitals get about 85% of their money from us. They cannot use that money to hire lobbyists anymore. We do not have jurisdiction over the money they get from their foundations, for example, so we can’t pass a law prohibiting that.

What I can tell you is the spirit of the legislation is very clear. I have spoken to hospital board chairs and hospital CEOs and I have made it very clear: Don’t start looking for loopholes here because the principle remains the same. Lobbying takes two. They can lobby us but we won’t be responding because we think that money can be spent better elsewhere.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Final supplementary.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: The government’s bill has so many loopholes in it you could drive a Mack truck through it. That’s the point.

When students and their parents pay tuition fees and families make donations to their local hospitals, they don’t expect the money to go to insider lobbyists—that’s the bottom line. If the Premier and his cabinet ministers are opposed to lobbyists in public sector institutions on principle, why doesn’t their bill simply ban the practice entirely instead of letting insider lobbyists in through the back door?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: The auditor, because we gave him the authority and because we asked him to specifically go in and look at this issue, reported to us on practices that were going on that were unacceptable—unacceptable to us as a government, unacceptable to the members opposite and unacceptable to taxpayers. That is why we are making the changes we are making. We are opening up hospitals to freedom of information. This is a step that will have significant impacts on the way hospitals do business. We are requiring that expenses be posted publicly. We are asking that hospitals report on the use of consultants.

We do have work to do, and we are doing that work. I’m proud that we were able to respond as quickly as we did and as—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you. New question.

CONSULTANTS

Mr. Peter Shurman: My question is to the Minister of Health as well. In the seven years since the Vaughan Health Campus of Care was created for the purpose of bringing a hospital to Vaughan, families in the region have raised over $6 million. In addition to fundraising, Minister, Vaughan families have been paying for a new hospital with a special assessment on their property taxes. Your ministry approved and funded master planning and a plan for Vaughan hospital to work in tandem with York Central Hospital.

Why have the McGuinty Liberals spent the money that hard-working Vaughan families pay for a hospital on eHealth and all the consulting and expense boondoggles of eHealth 2.0?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: That does not bear a passing resemblance to truth. This is a government that has very deliberately improved our health care system. We have more than 10,000 more nurses working in the system. We have close to 3,000 more doctors working in the system.

When this party left office, people were waiting an unconscionable—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Stop the clock. The members will please come to order, and the Minister of Finance will please come to order as well.

Mr. John Yakabuski: A little respect for the Chair.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): That’s from all sides.

Minister.

Hon. Deborah Matthews: We have improved the quality of care in this province and we are continuing to improve the quality of care. When we took office, people simply could not find a family doctor. Now we have a much, much better—almost a million more people attached to primary care. Every step we have taken, they have—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you. Supplementary?

Mr. Peter Shurman: Your channel changer isn’t working. It’s not just the families of Thornhill and Vaughan who have been cheated of front-line health care by your decision to spend on greedy consultants instead. McGuinty Liberal health care cuts forced Cornwall Community Hospital to reduce surgeries by 10% and close eight beds. Northumberland Hills Hospital has had to close a diabetes clinic and cancel outpatient rehabilitation care.

While you couldn’t find money for front-line health care, you handed one consultant $422,000 in salary and fees, plus more for his junket to Chicago and long-distance bills. You even paid $600,000 to a consultant who advised on how to deal with budget shortfalls. Why did you spend millions of dollars on consultants who cheated Cornwall and Northumberland families out of front-line care?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: Any way you measure it, front-line care in this province is substantially better than the way we found it. We’ve got 19 more MRI machines. We’ve got double the number of MRI hours. We’ve been able to make a dramatic difference for people who are waiting for hip replacement surgery, waiting for cancer surgery, waiting for cataract surgery.

This party left our health care system in shambles. We’ve spent the last seven years cleaning it up, and you know what? They want to do it all over again, because they want to cut health care spending by $3 billion. You cannot cut $3 billion out of health care and improve quality of care at the same time.

The people of this province deserve to hear from these folks, because they say they can cut $3 billion and not cut service. I don’t believe them and I don’t think there’s anybody in this province that does. They owe it to the people of this province to say what—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you. New question.

NUCLEAR ENERGY

Mr. Michael Prue: My question is to the Minister of Energy. The refurbishment of Bruce Power has been delayed again. This is not surprising, though, because every nuclear project in Ontario’s history has been delayed and over budget.

Given that the cost of building and refurbishing nuclear plants has doubled and the cost of renewable energy is falling, why has this government ruled out increasing renewable power and reducing nuclear in advance of its electricity plan consultations?

Hon. Brad Duguid: There’s so much there for me to dive into; I’m trying to figure out where I want to start. Let me start with this: Let me start by answering the question. I think it’s something that Ontarians would be very, very pleased to hear.

Yes, indeed, we’re very much aware that the Bruce refurbishment has been delayed. That’s not news to anybody. We knew that was taking place. That’s something that’s been known for some time.

I think the key here is that our contract with Bruce has ensured that taxpayers, ratepayers, will not be left on the hook for any overruns with regard to that contract. That speaks to the responsible way that this government is doing energy, and it stands in stark contrast to where we were seven years ago and where we were, prior to that, under the NDP.

We’re very proud of the fact that we’re going to continue to invest in nuclear, we’re going to continue to invest in renewables and we’re going to have a very responsible and balanced mix—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you. Supplementary?

Mr. Michael Prue: The minister says that Ontario ratepayers won’t pay for cost overruns on the Bruce refurbishment, but that’s only because the government signed a sweetheart deal that overpays Bruce Power for electricity it doesn’t even produce and because federal taxpayers are subsidizing the refurbishment through the AECL. Now the McGuinty government plans to refurbish the Darlington nuclear plant at a cost of $10 billion, before the cost overruns even occur.

Why won’t this minister hold a public inquiry into the cost of refurbishing Darlington before committing Ontarians to another nuclear boondoggle?

Hon. Brad Duguid: I know somehow the NDP thinks there’s an energy fairy out there that can somehow provide us with half of the power that we’re going to need going forward into the future in this province. It’s very clear that the NDP policy is simply irresponsible. We need that nuclear baseload in our power system. We know that. The opposition knows that. I’m surprised that the NDP has not learned that yet. It’s very, very important.

We will be moving forward in the future with a refurbishment of Darlington because we need to. And will it cost? We know that it will. We know that it’s an important investment. But if we were to listen to them, we would place our entire energy system in dire need, at risk and in distress.

I’m looking forward to moving forward with our long-term plan. It should be before this Legislature very, very soon. In that plan, Ontarians will see what real planning is all about—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you. New question.

ENERGY POLICIES

Mr. Michael A. Brown: I too have a question for the Minister of Energy.

Ontario’s energy system has changed dramatically over the past seven years. From bringing over 8,000 new megawatts of generation online, to upgrading our outdated transmission and distribution infrastructure, to conservation programs that have saved over 1,700 megawatts so far, it has come a long, long way. It may be fair to say that the energy picture in Ontario has finally turned the corner from the unreliable disgrace it became during the 1990s.

Monumental transformations like this take a bold vision and prudent planning. The minister often speaks of a long-term energy plan. Can the minister provide details on the progress of that plan?

Hon. Brad Duguid: Absolutely. Speaking of our long-term energy plan, I very much appreciate the question from the member from Algoma–Manitoulin and I share his enthusiasm for the monumental improvements that are taking place in Ontario’s energy system.

I can tell the member that the updated long-term energy plan is coming together nicely and I’m pleased to be able to say that we’ll be releasing it very soon to Ontarians. That’s going to be very important to our future together and I’m looking forward to releasing that plan very soon.

It’s important to remember that energy planning of any kind is relatively new to this province. It really began seven years ago when this government took office. I can recall, and I’m sure the member does as well, the sort of knee-jerk and fly-by-night decisions that were being made by the government of the day just seven or eight years ago. After their deregulation scheme imploded and they came up with a plan to freeze electricity rates, it ended up costing us $900 million that we see on our energy bill every day—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you. Supplementary?

Mr. Michael A. Brown: Thank you, Minister. I know that all members of this House look forward to seeing that tangible product and to seeing this plan tangibly continue to move Ontario forward.

It’s clear that the long-term energy plan is going to touch on a great many points. One, though, that I think is particularly important is the issue of value for money in the investments. Given what we inherited seven years ago, the critical need for the investments is obvious. Will the long-term energy plan touch on the need for value for money spent in the energy system?

Hon. Brad Duguid: I thank the member for the question. Absolutely, value for money is one of the most important motivations behind each and every decision we make. At a time of rising costs, we’ve directed our energy agencies to freeze management salaries and lower their expectations on potential rate increases, and we’ve opened them up to freedom of information. That stands, frankly, in stark contrast to the Tories, who kept Hydro One and OPG from being subject to freedom of information.

We know why that was happening: because there was a $10-million expenditure going on within Hydro One to help Tory operatives out after they finished their work here at Queen’s Park. I can give examples of that, like Mike Harris, for instance, who got a $20,000 consulting contract from Hydro One, after leaving the Premier’s office, to do nothing—not a single document has ever been shown of any advice that he gave—or Mike Harris’s campaign chair, Tom Long, who got $2.3 million to improve insight and leadership techniques—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you. New question.

HEALTH CARE

Mr. Ted Arnott: My question is for the Minister of Health. Last Thursday, the Toronto Star quoted the minister as having said that MPPs should lobby for their hospitals. In fact, she said, “I urge the hospitals to make use of the best lobbyists they have and that’s their MPPs.”

That same day, in a spectacular display of legislative incompetence, Liberal MPPs were whipped to vote against my resolution on our local hospitals. In effect, Liberals were whipped to vote against the health care needs of the people of Wellington–Halton Hills.

Why did she say MPPs should lobby when she evidently didn’t mean it?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: I find that to be, frankly, a very disappointing question. The member from Wellington has on several occasions spoken to me in the Legislature and outside about how we can improve health care in his community. It is a relationship that I have thought was a good and strong one and one that I do want to continue to build on.

I do want to say to all MPPs in the Legislature that you are the best lobbyists that organizations in your riding could have. I commit to continue to work with MPPs from all parties in this House, as I have done in the past.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary?

Mr. Ted Arnott: It’s not just my riding. I’m told that in Hamilton, the local community care access centre is being forced to ration baths for seniors to just one per week in an effort to manage its $5-million deficit.

The Auditor General’s report last week cited a $215 bar tab expensed by one consultant. That would have paid for five hours of respite care for a Hamilton family, or it would pay for four baths for a senior. Last year, Premier McGuinty said he had ended these kinds of expense abuses, but a year later nothing has changed.

How can the government defend paying an expensive bar tab over providing respite care for Hamilton families?

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): I’m going to give the member 10 seconds to rephrase that. I’m trying to tie the question into the supplementary.

Mr. Ted Arnott: To rephrase it, how can the government rationalize spending money like this, $215, on an expense bill expensing the consultant’s bar tab and leaving important health care priorities left waiting?

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): I’m going to move to the next question because there is no relation.

POVERTY

Mr. Michael Prue: My question is to the Acting Premier. People in Ontario continue to struggle to pay the rent and provide food for their families. Meanwhile, this government’s poverty reduction strategy has stalled: no action on the promised welfare review, no action on the affordable housing strategy, no action on a replacement for the special diet allowance.

The question: In all its pre-election posturing and fear-mongering, has poverty reduction fallen off the government’s radar?

Hon. Sandra Pupatello: To the Minister of Children and Youth Services.

Hon. Laurel C. Broten: I’m so pleased to have a chance to stand in this House and perhaps refresh the mind of the member opposite as to what our government has done in this province to improve the lives of families in Ontario.

In the last six months, we’ve introduced full-day kindergarten for four- and five-year-olds, beginning in September of this year. It is an investment of $200 million and $300 million next year that will support early learning programs. Experts around the province indicate that if you want to lift families out of the circumstances in which they live, if you want to help moms go back to school or gain employment, this program does that.

We’ve raised the minimum wage in the last six months. We have increased the shelter allowance by 1%. We have committed to investing $6 million over two years to expand protection for some of the province’s most vulnerable workers. That’s in addition to—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you. Supplementary?

Mr. Michael Prue: This minister talks—I don’t know what she says when she talks over there because none of it makes any sense to the poor. It’s been almost two years since the government announced its poverty reduction strategy. People living in poverty are waiting for answers. Those who rely on the special diet allowance—real people with real needs—are now crushed by anxiety over losing their badly needed support.

The Premier used to say that poverty is unacceptable in this wealthy province. Poverty reduction has fallen off this government’s radar in this pre-election year.

When will Ontarians know how our poorest and most vulnerable citizens will pay the rent and put healthy food on their tables?

Hon. Laurel C. Broten: I’m pleased to compare our record to the record opposite any day. Our side of the House has taken concrete action to improve the lives of families and children in this province.

Let’s reflect on the actions that have been taken by the other side. That side of the House voted against our—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): The member from Hamilton East will please come to order.

Minister?

Hon. Laurel C. Broten: That side of the House voted against our creation of 22,000 new affordable child care spaces. That side of the House voted against stabilizing the rent bank and providing over 30,000 rent supplements. They voted against minimum wage increases. They voted against taking 90,000 low-income Ontarians off the tax rolls. They continue to act in a blind, partisan way, attacking the strategy simply because it isn’t theirs.

We stand with Ontario families. We’re trying to help those families lift themselves up and give a better life to them and their kids. We’re very proud of the steps that we take every single day, in contrast to the inaction and partisanship on the other side of the House.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Stop the clock. Order.

New question.

IMMIGRANT SERVICES

Mr. Bas Balkissoon: My question is for the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. Minister, my riding of Scarborough–Rouge River is home to many new immigrants. Immigrants in my riding come to Ontario to create a better life for themselves and their families. Once immigrants arrive in Ontario, they depend on settlement service support to integrate socially and economically.

Recently, the CBC reported that the federal Conservatives are cutting funding to immigrant settlement service agencies. This concerns me and it concerns agencies such as Settlement Assistance and Family Support Services because it means they will have fewer resources to help newcomers succeed.

Can the minister tell newcomers to Ontario what the government is doing to stop the Conservative funding cuts?

Hon. Eric Hoskins: I am very concerned that the federal Conservative government has decided to cut $53 million next year and a further $59 million in subsequent years from immigrant settlement service agencies. New immigrants in Ontario rely on settlement services to access language training, job search, housing and other vital services. The Conservative cuts will hurt the ability of settlement agencies to deliver these important services to newcomers.

As Ontario emerges from this economic downturn, our future economic prosperity depends on putting the skills of our newcomers to work. That’s because within this decade, immigrants will make up 100% of Ontario’s labour force growth, and that’s why all governments must provide our newcomers with the best resources to succeed.

I urge the federal Conservatives to immediately reverse their decision and reinstate the funding for Ontario’s newcomers.

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Stop the clock. No, I was listening carefully to the question, and it was certainly a question directed at the minister, with his ministerial responsibilities.

Supplementary?

Mr. Bas Balkissoon: Newcomers in my riding will be pleased to hear that the minister is calling on the federal Conservatives to reverse their funding cuts.

Immigrants in Scarborough have told me first-hand about the meaningful impact that settlement agencies make in their lives. In the past, I’ve met with settlement agencies in Scarborough to learn about the important front-line work they do every day. Now that the federal Conservatives have cut settlement service funding, settlement agencies will need to make up the federal shortfall. Some have suggested that the province may be able to help with this. Will the government make up the funding shortfall now that the federal Conservatives have decided to shortchange Ontario newcomers?

Hon. Eric Hoskins: Unlike the federal Conservatives, the McGuinty government will not cut vital funding that our newcomers depend on. We will continue to build on the $900 million we have already invested in our newcomers since 2003.

With our immigrants disproportionately affected by the economic downturn, Ottawa’s cuts have come at the worst possible time. Already, the federal Conservatives have shortchanged Ontario’s newcomers by failing to spend $207 million under the Canada-Ontario immigration agreement.

While we will continue to invest in our newcomers, we cannot commit more funding every time the federal Conservatives withhold crucial funding and download their funding responsibilities to us. It’s not fair to Ontario and, more importantly, it’s not fair to Ontario’s newcomers.

LOCAL HEALTH

INTEGRATION NETWORKS

Mr. Steve Clark: My question is for the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. Hospice North Hastings program coordinator Heather Brough says that she spends 80% of her time on LHIN paperwork and meetings, taking her away from helping people. She’s fed up with the LHINs and is willing to forgo the $52,000 a year the hospice gets from them.

Minister, why did you say the LHINs would make things easier for community care organizations when they don’t? Why did you do that?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: This is a case that I will look into. I don’t quite understand that particular argument, but I will undertake to do that.

What I can tell you, though, is that it is the LHINs’ responsibility to improve the integration of care, to build the continuum of care in our health care system, and that includes hospices. We know we need to do a better job building the continuum of supports between hospitals and long-term care. There are people in hospitals who do not want to be there, who should not be there, who could be better served elsewhere. We also know there are people in long-term-care homes who could, with the right combination of supports, get the care they need at home, in the community.

The responsibility of the LHINs, and they have embraced this responsibility, is to build that continuum of care so that the health care system—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you. Supplementary?

Mr. Steve Clark: The LHINs get millions of taxpayers’ dollars from your ministry for administration. Now the South East LHIN is forcing a community support agency like Hospice North Hastings to redirect time and money from patient care to jumping through bureaucratic hoops at the risk of losing the $52,000 it gets. Community care agencies are willing to forgo money that’s available to them rather than having to deal with the mess you created with the LHINs.

Why did you say the LHINs would make things easier when they don’t?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: The LHINs are making it easier for people who are accessing the services that the LHINs are providing.

Let me talk about our aging at home strategy. Over a billion dollars is being invested to drive the creation of services that people who are aging need in their homes to keep them at home.

The LHINs are working very hard at bringing the health care silos together so it works for people. I met a gentleman not too long ago who, because of the LHINs, because of the services that he was able to access through the LHINs, has actually been able to move from long-term care into his own apartment. Keith Cooper is happier today because he’s in his own home, he’s independent and he’s free to socialize with his friends and his community, only because of the work of the LHINs—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you. New question.

HYDRO RATES

Ms. Andrea Horwath: My question is to the Acting Premier. Sky-high hydro bills are hurting families and seniors across the entire province. Irvine Cowell from Chatham writes this: “My bill has gone up $100 a month and every time something goes up, that is that much less to live on.”

When will this government give us one good reason why it can’t give people like Mr. Cowell a break by taking the HST off hydro?

Hon. Sandra Pupatello: To the Minister of Energy.

Hon. Brad Duguid: I’m pleased to respond to that question. Indeed, I’m still waiting to see the leader of the third party’s next newsletter, where I’m sure it’s going to explain to her constituents who are writing to her on this, and who may not be aware, that the Ontario energy property tax credit is something we announced just a few weeks ago. That tax credit is going to benefit two thirds of Ontario seniors. Two point eight million Ontarians will receive tax relief to the tune of about $1.3 billion in total. Seniors will receive up to over $1,000 in tax relief. That’s going to be of assistance to those residents.

We understand that we’ve been through tough times. We understand that Ontarians are coping with the past recession, that it has been tough, and we understand that energy rates are increasing. That’s why we’re providing assistance for those very individuals.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary?

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Mr. Cowell isn’t alone in feeling a pinched pocketbook. Dorothy Turk from Hastings writes this: “If something isn’t done to lower my hydro bill soon, I’ll not be able to afford to keep it on and still meet my other bills. I’m a widow on a disability pension, with no drug benefits, lung disease and expensive medication. How am I or any other person on a fixed income supposed to pay these high rates?”

Mr. Cowell and Ms. Turk need a break. They need a break now. Why won’t this government give it to them and simply take the HST off of hydro bills?

Hon. Brad Duguid: Day in and day out, the leader of the third party gets up in this place and opposes the important and critical investments that we’re making in our energy system to ensure that we have reliable energy and to ensure that we can clean our air and impact the health of our residents by getting out of dirty coal. You cannot do that without making those critical investments. Let me quote Rick Smith, the director of Environmental Defence, who said, “More clean energy jobs in Ontario isn’t just good news for workers. It’s good news for everyone who wants cleaner air and lower emissions.

Across this province, we’re creating jobs and replacing old, polluting energy like coal with clean, modern energy like wind and solar.”

When did the NDP lose their way? When did they part ways with the environmentalists of this province? Clearly, they’ve lost their way. They’re looking for short-term political gain at the—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you. New question.

AGRI-FOOD INDUSTRY

Mr. Bruce Crozier: My question is to the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The food and beverage processing industry is a major economic driver in our province, employing over 100,000 people and purchasing 70% of Ontario’s farm production. Investments are needed to help our agri-food sector remain strong in today’s economy and also to help them grow and expand. I know that in order to take advantage of the new markets and remain competitive, businesses throughout the province often need to modernize their operations for increased productivity and upgrade equipment for increased efficiency.

Minister, please provide this House with an update on the role the province has played in working with processors across Ontario to help them find new markets and new opportunities for growth.

Hon. Carol Mitchell: The food and beverage processing industry is Ontario’s second-largest manufacturing sector. We continue to support improved competitiveness in Ontario’s food and beverage processing sector, and support economic development throughout the province. We have invested over $290 million in the food processing sector. That has created or retained almost 6,200 jobs. We have established the food processing sector as a priority for investment under the rural economic development plan.

We are committed to working with municipalities, regions and other ministries to identify potential opportunities for growth within the food and beverage sector in Ontario. It’s about creating jobs in our communities.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary?

Mr. Bruce Crozier: The Ontario economy has faced some significant challenges caused by the global recession, and our rural communities are certainly no exception. Moving forward, we’re now looking for new opportunities. Our province is demonstrating its commitment to meeting these challenges head on.

I’m pleased to see that under OMAFRA’s rural economic development—RED—program, food processors in rural communities are benefiting from provincial investments that will go a long way to improving production and expanding their processing capacities. This will make them more competitive in the marketplace. This also means more jobs and more opportunities for residents in our communities.

I ask the minister to provide more information on what actions our government has taken and will be taking in the future to work with our partners on initiatives in the food processing industry?

Hon. Carol Mitchell: There are more than 3,000 food processing businesses in the province, of which 700 are located in rural communities. Our government is continually working with the industry to help make very positive results that benefit both businesses and our province.

In 2009-10, the ministry committed approximately $22 million to 33 food and beverage processing companies. This was through the rural economic development plan. Through the RED program, our government is helping companies to create and retain jobs, improve industry competitiveness, open new markets for our local farmers and our local product, and also reduce their environmental impact. Also, through our Open Ontario plan, we will continue to work with the Ontario processors, the producers and our communities to open up and increase the access to even more new markets throughout Ontario and throughout the world.

LOCAL HEALTH

INTEGRATION NETWORKS

Mr. Frank Klees: To the Minister of Health: David Brock is 28 years old. He has Duchenne muscular dystrophy. He’s in a wheelchair and has serious respiratory, heart, bowel and urinary problems, and requires continuous, mechanical ventilatory support 24 hours a day. His parents, now both over the age of 60, can no longer provide the complex continuous care that he needs.

The CCAC, after concluding that there is not one facility in the Central LHIN that can accommodate David’s care, directed the parents to the Central LHIN. The LHIN sent them back to the CCAC, leaving the family desperate.

Is this an acceptable response by an organization charged with the responsibility to assess local needs and to plan for local health services?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: This is a case, the member opposite knows, that I am not familiar with. He has not raised this case with me before. I will most certainly look into the particular case.

What I can tell you is that ours is a party that is committed to improving health care in this province. We have measured wait times that we never measured before. We’re significantly expanding access to all types of care. We are committed to continue improving health care in this province.

I find it confusing, I guess is the right word, that a party that is advocating cutting health care is also the party that is advocating, on a case-by-case basis, for improving health care. It doesn’t make sense that they would both want to cut and then want to spend.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary?

Mr. Frank Klees: I did make the minister aware of this on October 6; I copied her on my letter to the LHIN.

David’s parents wrote to the Central LHIN. In those letters, it was pointed out that the only alternative for David is a hospital ICU at a cost of more than $3,000 a day. The ministry’s own chronic ventilation strategy task force graphically pointed out the enormous costs associated with that alternative in June 2006.

Given the mandate of the Central LHIN as a “system-planning organization” and given the glaring need for a facility to provide for long-term care with complex needs throughout York region, why, after so many years as York region’s planning agency, has the Central LHIN not provided an appropriate care facility for people like David?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: I would be the first one to say that we’ve still got a lot of work ahead of us when it comes to improving care for people right across this province. What I can tell you is that the LHINs are very focused on one of the issues that the member opposite raised, and that is getting people into the right care setting. Too many people are in hospitals who do not need to be in hospitals if they had the right supports outside of hospitals. It may well be that this gentleman falls into that category, that he could get the care outside of the hospital, and that is what our LHINs are very focused on doing.

We’re seeing success. The Hamilton Niagara LHIN has actually reduced the ALC rate from 23% to 13%. It is precisely by providing the right combination of care outside the hospital setting that they are—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you. New question.

LOCAL HEALTH

INTEGRATION NETWORKS

Mr. Howard Hampton: My question is for the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. At Lake of the Woods District Hospital in Kenora, currently half of the medical surgical beds are occupied by 27 alternate level of care patients. Most of the 27 alternate level of care patients in medical surgical beds are seniors who are waiting for a long-term-care bed. Some of those seniors have been waiting now for five months—130 days.

My question is this: How much longer will they have to wait before a long-term-care bed becomes available to them?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: The member opposite raises an issue, as I said in the earlier question, that we are very focused on. People are staying in hospitals for far too long because the other supports are not available for them. That is the challenge that we have set ourselves to. The LHINs’ number one priority right now is reducing the number of people who are in hospitals who ought not to be, do not want to be in hospital, and are not getting the best possible care in hospitals.

The solution to that is multi-faceted. It includes better home care. It includes assess-and-restore beds. It includes a range of supports outside the hospital setting, including the building of more long-term-care beds.

What I can tell you is that all LHINs, including the North East LHIN, are very focused on reducing the ALC rates in their hospitals and they are seeing success. Have we got to where we need to be? Not yet, but we are going—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you. Supplementary?

Mr. Howard Hampton: I have to tell the minister that the North East LHIN won’t do much for people who live in northwestern Ontario.

The continuing problem is this: For example, Kenora has some supportive housing, but there’s not enough supportive housing so there’s a long waiting list for supportive housing. The town of Rainy River has worked with the district social service board to re-equip some seniors’ apartments, but the LHIN has not come forward with funding to turn them into supportive housing. In Fort Frances, where the waiting list is equally long, they’re interested in supportive housing but they have put proposal after proposal after proposal to the North West LHIN without much of a response.

So, Minister, how long are people supposed to wait when they’re not getting a positive response from the North West LHIN?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: First, let me correct myself; I did say North East and I think the member opposite knows I did mean North West.

What I can tell you is that we now track ALC rates. The LHINs have all developed strategies to bring those ALC rates down. The important thing is that the solutions are different in every community. That’s why it’s so important that the LHINs at the local level develop strategies to improve the supports outside of hospitals to reduce those ALC rates.

People who work in health care understand that this is a complicated and challenging initiative. But we’re up to it. There are strategies in each and every LHIN, and I would be more than happy to share the North West LHIN strategy with the member opposite. We are determined to do better when it comes to ALC rates in this province.

AIR QUALITY

Mr. Phil McNeely: My question is for the Minister of the Environment. Minister, we know that air and water quality are pressing national concerns. The Canadian Medical Association suggests that health care costs associated with just air pollution exceeded $8 billion in 2008 alone. I know that you recently met with your provincial and federal counterparts at the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment conference in Newfoundland, and that air pollution was on the agenda. But actions speak louder than words.

Minister, what are the provinces, and especially Ontario, doing to improve air quality?

Hon. John Wilkinson: I want to thank my colleague for the question.

Last week, I had the opportunity to engage in what was, I believe, an historic meeting of the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment. It’s not every day in our country when you have all 10 provinces, three territories and the federal government agree to do the same thing and all go in the same direction, and that’s what it is about: the fact that we were able to move forward on the proposal to have comprehensive air management systems and standards right across this country, and Ontario was pleased to play its role.

It builds on the work that we’re doing about eliminating dirty coal-fired generation. It ensures that we have a standard that allows our federal government now to negotiate with the American government.

As we know, here in Ontario, over half of our population has air pollution that actually comes from across the border from our cousins to the south. This will strengthen that. As well, we have our new three-year water strategy, building on the work we’re doing right here in Ontario, being a leader in Confederation.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Time for question period is ended.

VISITORS

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): We have with us today in the Speaker’s gallery a delegation visiting from Nepal. The delegation is led by the Right Honourable Subas Nembang. Visiting us as well are Dr. Bhoj Raj Ghimire, Nepal’s first and current ambassador to Canada, and John Sims, former Deputy Minister, Justice Canada, and other guests. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

There being no deferred votes, this House stands recessed until 1 pm this afternoon.

The House recessed from 1145 to 1300.

INTRODUCTION OF VISITORS

Mrs. Liz Sandals: I’m pleased to be able to introduce the family of page Calder Morton-Ferguson, who’s just delivering water to me. His family will be here in the gallery with us momentarily: his mom, Mavis Morton from Guelph; his brother Aden; and his grandparents Geraldine Morton and Ross Morton.

MEMBERS’ STATEMENTS

TIGER JEET SINGH

Mr. Ted Chudleigh: Today, I would like to acknowledge the long-standing humanitarian work of Tiger Jeet Singh and to congratulate him after the Tiger Jeet Singh Public School was officially opened on Friday.

Tiger Jeet Singh came to Canada from the Punjab area of India at the age of 17. Today, after almost 40 years as a world-famous wrestler, he attended the official opening of Tiger Jeet Singh Public School. Tiger was honoured for his long-standing commitment to philanthropy and humanitarian work, which is typically directed towards parents and their children. Tiger also serves as Milton’s economic development ambassador to Southeast Asia and as its leader in Canada’s Southeast Asian community. He has donated funds to Milton’s hospital and to the Milton Historical Society, and he continues to support the humanitarian work in India.

Friday’s official opening of the Tiger Jeet Singh Public School began as Roger Hadfield, father of Colonel Chris Hadfield, Milton’s astronaut, flew overhead in his biplane. This was followed by a bhangra dance group and the official opening ceremony led by the students. Tiger was surrounded by his family and dignitaries from across Canada. Representatives of India, South Africa and Japan were also present to recognize Tiger’s charity and success.

Most importantly, however, Tiger was welcomed by the children whom he endeared as part of his own family. To them, his message is his mantra: Stay in school, stay away from drugs and stay Tiger fit.

I would like to congratulate Tiger Jeet Singh for what he has done and continues to do for our community. We are all eternally grateful. Thank you, Tiger.

HEALTH CARE

Mr. Dave Levac: Since 2003, the McGuinty government has made tremendous improvements in the health care system in Ontario. There’s always room for more, though. We have created 200 family health teams, one of which is in Brant, that could provide care to more than 2.5 million people, and have begun implementation of 25 new nurse practitioner-led health clinics, the first of their kind ever. By 2013, 100 more first-year medical spaces will be available in Ontario. There will be twice as many doctors graduating from Ontario medical schools than in 2003.

We have also expanded MedsCheck programs to provide more service to Ontarians, especially our seniors who need that help. Most recently, we have introduced funding for programming in 13 more elderly persons centres in Ontario. This means that 273 centres across Ontario are receiving funding for maintenance, operations and programming to ensure the best experience for their residents.

It’s important to do a little contrast here. The previous government, the Conservative government, closed 28 community hospitals, including St. Joe’s in Brantford, while the McGuinty government has opened the doors to 18 new facilities. While we want to invest in patients and their needs, the opposition wants to cancel $30 billion worth of care that could be on the front lines. This would be a loss and translate to 11,000 doctors or closures of more than 30 rural hospitals.

We can’t it have both ways. It’s clear that our government has strengthened the public health units and we want—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you.

GOVERNMENT SERVICES

Mr. John Yakabuski: I want to give you an example of what happens when bureaucracy closes its eyes and lives by its computer and a rule book. Earlier this year, the government passed the bill that would authorize the northern Ontario tax credit, the northern energy tax credit, which applied throughout northern Ontario, including the district of Nipissing, of which my riding has a portion.

When residents from the Whitney area of the township of South Algonquin applied for their energy tax credits, they received the reply from the Ministry of Revenue: “No can do. Can’t do that. You’re not eligible.” To which they replied, “Why? We’re in the district of Nipissing; that’s northern Ontario.” “No, you can’t do that because your mailing code doesn’t start with the letter P.”

It was brought to our attention in our office. We spoke to people in the Ministry of Revenue. They said the same thing: “Can’t do it. The mailing code doesn’t start with the letter P.” We got it moved up the food chain, as they say, and finally last week, they relented and said that people in the townships of South Algonquin, in the district of Nipissing, would now be eligible to receive the northern energy tax credit.

My message to the government is: When you’re drafting legislation, take a look at the map of Ontario and check where the ridings are. Don’t look at mailing codes. And I give the same advice to the bureaucrats: “Get out from behind your computers”—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you.

ONTARIO PARLIAMENTARY FRIENDS OF TIBET

Ms. Cheri DiNovo: It’s with great pleasure that I rise on behalf of the Ontario Parliamentary Friends of Tibet, who were acknowledged in a special, private audience with His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama, on the weekend. Members of this House will know about the Ontario Parliamentary Friends of Tibet, and certainly, I would encourage all members to show up for our next meeting. There will be a monthly newsletter that goes out, Butila Carpacci, part of their initiative and ours to let the House know about the activities of His Holiness and also the activities of the Tibetan people in Toronto.

We were delighted to be shown the special privilege by the Nobel laureate and certainly, again, would recommend to everyone, if they can see YouTube videos of his speech at the Rogers Centre or at his private functions or teachings at the Tibetan Canadian Cultural Centre, that they certainly should tune in.

Finally, I’d like, on behalf of the Ontario Parliamentary Friends of Tibet, Tibetan people, anyone who values the principles of peace, non-violence and freedom, to thank His Holiness for his visit to Toronto, which truly was a blessing to our city and to all of us.

SENIOR CITIZENS

Mr. Michael A. Brown: Over the next decade, Ontario will see a demographic shift in our population where we will have more people over 65 than under 15.

This government is committed to expanding services for this growing demographic. Ontario’s elderly persons centres are the community hubs that maintain services in health and recreation as well as social services for Ontarians over 65.

On Friday, the McGuinty government announced an additional $550,000 to 13 elderly persons centres, bringing the total number of centres to 273 serving over 150,000 seniors. This recent investment continues on the McGuinty government’s proven track record of enhancing funding and opportunity for Ontario’s seniors.

Ontario’s groundbreaking aging at home strategy is part of our broad community-based supports, which include significant energy and property tax credits, income tax cuts and pension reforms that will allow more seniors to remain in the comfort of their own home with the dignity they deserve.

We’ve also opened 8,200 additional long-term-care beds and have bolstered long-term care with an additional $1 billion since coming to office in 2003.

This government has put seniors first. I congratulate the government on their efforts and investments.

FUSION YOUTH ACTIVITY

AND TECHNOLOGY CENTRE

Mr. Ernie Hardeman: I rise today to recognize the fifth anniversary of Ingersoll’s Fusion Youth Activity and Technology Centre.

Five years ago, it started as a two-room centre, with limited programs but a goal of giving youth a safe place to learn and grow. Today it is an example that many communities are looking to follow. They offer programs in music, art, technology, cooking, sports, business and leadership, and even broadcast a radio station from the centre. Today, more than half of the youth in Ingersoll have a membership at the Fusion centre. I want to commend the staff and volunteers who have made this such a success.

On October 14, I was pleased to attend the fifth anniversary celebration. It was an opportunity for the youth members to show off their talents. From artwork to recording video messages, they demonstrated the skills they have learned at the Fusion centre.

It was also an opportunity to celebrate the many people and organizations that have contributed to the success of the centre—from the Royal Bank, who announced a $10,000 donation, to Cory and Tim Parrow, who raised $4,500 through the Harvest Run, to Heart FM, who provided scholarships to help youth continue developing the skills they learn at the centre—and to celebrate the many community partners who were in attendance, including the Ingersoll OPP, board of education, town of Ingersoll, and people who provided counselling and training.

I want to congratulate the Ingersoll Fusion centre, and all the youth who are a part of it, on a very successful five years and offer them best wishes for many more.

RENEWABLE ENERGY

Mrs. Liz Sandals: Thanks to the efforts of the McGuinty government, I am proud to announce that Guelph has recently attracted two solar energy manufacturers: Sustainable Energy Technologies and Canadian Solar Inc.

Sustainable Energy Technologies will create up to 300 direct and indirect jobs, and Canadian Solar will create up to 500 jobs in my community.

Sustainable Energy Technologies is partnering with Melitron, a high-tech Guelph sheet metal fabricator. Melitron will manufacture the boxes and assemble the inverters.

Attracting companies such as these is part of our Open Ontario plan to build an affordable, reliable and clean energy economy which will create well-paying jobs as well as protect the environment for our children and grandchildren.

The McGuinty government has been phasing out coal-fired generation and replacing it with clean alternative energy sources like wind, water and sun. More than 8,000 new megawatts of clean energy have been introduced since 2003. But most importantly, we are entering into an exciting new era for Ontario’s economy as we aim to capture a healthy share of the clean energy market.

In fact, both Sustainable Energy Technologies and Canadian Solar chose to open manufacturing plants in Guelph and provide up to 800 Ontarians with jobs because of our Green Energy Act.

IMMIGRANT SERVICES

Mr. Ted McMeekin: Today I rise to speak on the issue of newcomers. The province of Ontario is certainly enriched by the contributions of new Canadians, and the delivery of services by local community organizations is crucial to the success of these newcomers.

In Hamilton, there is an organization called SISO, the Settlement and Integration Services Organization. Since 1993, SISO has provided valuable services to thousands of newcomers, services such as settlement, employment and language assistance.

I’m proud to say that the McGuinty government, through the Ontario Trillium fund as well as the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration, has been a strong supporter of SISO. We provided an investment of half a million dollars and partnered with the federal government in terms of service provision.

I was deeply concerned to hear that the federal government has now chosen to withdraw funding for SISO. The importance of targeted services for newcomers like those provided by SISO cannot be understated. These services are critical to the success of new Canadians with respect to their transition into their new community, building new lives and, indeed, thriving. Through their work, newcomers and their communities both continue to be enriched.

It’s my hope that the leaders of all political parties—especially the opposition—will approach whatever contacts they have in Ottawa to have this situation revisited.

MISSING CHILDREN

Mr. Khalil Ramal: I rise today to comment on every parent’s nightmare: a missing child. I know my heart skips a beat to just consider such a thing.

In 2003, the Ontario government launched the Ontario Amber Alert program with its partners in broadcasting and law enforcement to help speed up the return of missing children. Amber Alerts are issued when a child has been abducted and local law enforcement, as well as the Ontario Provincial Police, believe that information being issued to the broader public will assist in the rapid recovery of the child. Since its launch in 2003, 19 activations of Ontario’s Amber Alert system have occurred. Of these, 16 Ontario children have been safely returned to their families, at least in part due to the Amber Alert system.

As of 2009, new guidelines were established about issuing an alert. They are:

(1) The law enforcement agency must believe a child under 18 has been abducted;

(2) There must be a belief that the child is in danger;

(3) There is a description of the child, vehicle or abductor that is believed will help locate the child.

This month, the Ontario government teamed up with Facebook to launch an online way of distributing Amber Alerts to the public. Ontario is the third province, joining New Brunswick and PEI, to partner with Facebook for the distribution of Amber Alerts. Through our partnerships like Facebook, we now have the ability to reach thousands of Ontarians.

I applaud our partners and the OPP for their leadership in protecting our youth and helping us to return all the children safely to their parents.

NOTICE OF DISSATISFACTION

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Pursuant to standing order 38(a), the member for Beaches–East York has given notice of his dissatisfaction with the answer to his question by the Minister of Children and Youth Services. This matter will be debated at 6 p.m. tomorrow.

INTRODUCTION OF BILLS

EXECUTIVE COUNCIL AMENDMENT

ACT (MINISTERS’ ATTENDANCE

AT QUESTION PERIOD), 2010 /

LOI DE 2010 MODIFIANT LA LOI

SUR LE CONSEIL EXÉCUTIF

(PRÉSENCE DES MINISTRES PENDANT

LA PÉRIODE DES QUESTIONS)

Ms. MacLeod moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill 123,

An Act to increase legislative accountability for the Premier and Cabinet / Projet de loi 123, Loi visant à augmenter la responsabilité législative du premier ministre et du Conseil des ministres.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? Carried.

First reading agreed to.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): The member for a short statement.

Ms. Lisa MacLeod: This bill is similar to a bill put forward by the former member for Toronto Centre. The bill amends

section 7 of the Executive Council Act to increase from $500 to $1,000 the daily fine for a minister of the crown who does not attend question period in the chamber on at least two thirds of the days on which question period is held.

The Liberal staff may have taken today off, but we’re going to make sure that the Liberal members stay here and work.

PETITIONS

PROTECTION FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

Mr. Steve Clark: I have a petition to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.

“Whereas the picketing of the homes of people with intellectual disabilities alienates people from their autonomy; security; privacy; relationships with staff, neighbours and community; and also causes discrimination and harm to citizens who should be free to enjoy their homes without harassment and intimidation;

“We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:

“To support Bill 83 and prohibit the picketing of vulnerable people’s residences during a strike.”

I want to support Ms. Jones’s Bill 83. I’ll sign the petition and send it to the table with page Anika.

HIGHWAY IMPROVEMENT

Mr. Norm Miller: I have petitions to do with paved shoulders on provincial highways.

“Petition in Support of Bill 100 (Paved Shoulders on Provincial Highways)

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas pedestrians and cyclists are increasingly using secondary highways to support healthy lifestyles and expand active transportation; and

“Whereas paved shoulders on highways enhance public safety for all highway users, expand tourism opportunities and support good health; and

“Whereas paved shoulders help to reduce the maintenance cost of repairs to highway surfaces; and

“Whereas Norm Miller’s private member’s Bill 100 provides for a minimum one-metre paved shoulder for the benefit of pedestrians, cyclists and motorists;

“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:

“That Norm Miller’s private member’s Bill 100, which requires a minimum one-metre paved shoulder on designated highways, receive swift passage through the legislative process.”

I obviously support this.

EDUCATION FUNDING

Ms. Sylvia Jones: My petition is, of course, to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.

“Whereas we are the parents, educators and friends of students in the Peel region public school system; and

“Whereas Peel students have historically received less funding per pupil per annum when compared to their peers in other district school boards and, in particular, have inadequate special education resources; and

“Whereas all students in Ontario are entitled to equal opportunities in education;

“We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:

“To recognize and provide for the $18-million learning opportunities grant”—retroactively—“owed to Peel students;

“Implement measures to ensure ongoing funding is based on current census data and other key demographic indicators of student needs to ensure that Peel students receive a fair share of provincial education funding.”

I affix my name to it and give it to page Kieran.

PROTECTION FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

Mr. Ted Chudleigh: I have a petition to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from a number of my constituents.

“Whereas the picketing of the homes of people with intellectual disabilities alienates people from their autonomy; security; privacy; relationships with staff, neighbours and community; and also causes discrimination and harm to citizens who should be free to enjoy their homes without harassment and intimidation;

“We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:

“To support Bill 83 and prohibit the picketing of vulnerable people’s residences during a strike.”

I’m pleased to sign this petition as I support it. I’ll pass it to my page, Haadiyah.

ONTARIO SOCIETY

FOR THE PREVENTION

OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS

Ms. Sylvia Jones: My petition is to the Parliament of Ontario.

“Whereas the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA) recently and unilaterally announced that it would euthanize all animals in its care at its Newmarket shelter, citing a ringworm outbreak as justification;

“Whereas the euthanasia plan was stopped in the face of repeated calls for a stay in the Legislature and by the public, but not until 99 animals had been killed;

“Whereas the Premier and Community Safety Minister Rick Bartolucci refused to act, claiming the provincial government has no jurisdiction over the OSPCA;

“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Parliament of Ontario to immediately implement the resolution tabled at Queen’s Park by Newmarket–Aurora MPP Frank Klees on June 1, 2010, which reads as follows:

“‘That, in the opinion of this House, the Ontario Legislature call on the government of Ontario to review the powers and authority granted to the OSPCA under the OSPCA Act and to make the necessary legislative changes to bring those powers under the authority of the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services to ensure that there is a clearly defined and effective provincial oversight of all animal shelter services in the province, and to separate the inspection and enforcement powers of the OSPCA from its functions as a charity providing animal shelter services.’”

I affix my name to it and give it to page Harnameh.

HIGHWAY IMPROVEMENT

Mr. Steve Clark: I have a petition to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, which reads as follows:

“Whereas pedestrians and cyclists are increasingly using secondary highways to support healthy lifestyles and expand active transportation; and

“Whereas paved shoulders on highways enhance public safety for all highway users, expand tourism opportunities and support good health; and

“Whereas paved shoulders help to reduce the maintenance cost of repairs to highway surfaces; and

“Whereas Norm Miller’s private member’s Bill 100 provides for a minimum one-metre paved shoulder for the benefit of pedestrians, cyclists and motorists;

“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:

“That Norm Miller’s private member’s Bill 100, which requires a minimum one-metre paved shoulder on designated highways, receive swift passage through the legislative process.”

I agree with the petition, will affix my signature and send it to the table with page Jonathan.

HOME WARRANTY PROGRAM

Ms. Cheri DiNovo: This petition has to do with extending the Ombudsman of Ontario’s jurisdiction to include the Tarion Warranty Corp.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas homeowners have purchased a newly built home in good faith and often soon find they are victims of construction defects, often including Ontario building code violations, such as faulty heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, leaking roofs, cracked foundations etc.;

“Whereas often when homeowners seek restitution and repairs from the builder and the Tarion Warranty Corp., they encounter an unwieldy bureaucratic system that often fails to compensate them for the high cost of repairing these construction defects, while the builder often escapes with impunity;

“Whereas the Tarion Warranty Corp. is supposed to be an important part of the consumer protection system in Ontario related to newly built homes;

“Whereas the government to date has ignored calls to make its Tarion agency truly accountable to consumers;

“Be it resolved that we, the undersigned, support MPP Cheri DiNovo’s private member’s bill, which calls for the Ombudsman to be given oversight of Tarion and the power to deal with unresolved complaints;

“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to amend the Ontario New Home Warranties Plan Act to provide that the Ombudsman’s powers under the Ombudsman Act in respect of any governmental organization apply to the corporation established under the Ontario New Home Warranties Plan Act, and to provide for necessary modifications in the application of the Ombudsman Act.”

I couldn’t agree more, will affix my signature, and I’m going to give it to Harnameh to be delivered to the clerks.

PENSION PLANS

Mr. Ernie Hardeman: I’m pleased to rise to present this petition on behalf of a lot of good folks around the province who have signed a petition dealing with defined benefit pension plans.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas the Pension Benefits Act (PBA) regulations for ‘loss of sponsor’ of defined benefit pension plans only permit windup and annuity purchase; and

“Whereas in the present economic climate the cost of annuities is at a 25-year high with no relief in sight;

“Therefore the purchase of annuities exacerbates the punitive impact of windup on Nortel pension plan members and others in similar situations, and increases the costs passed on to the taxpayers of Ontario;

“We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:

“To amend the PBA regulations to permit the Administrator and the Financial Services Commission of Ontario (FSCO) to apply other options in the ‘loss of sponsor’ scenario which will provide more benefits to Nortel pension plan members and others in similar situations, such as the continuation of the pension plan under responsible financial management by a non-government institution.”

I affix my signature as I agree with the petition.

WIND TURBINES

Ms. Sylvia Jones: My petition is to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas municipalities have always had control over planning matters in their communities; and

“Whereas community consultation and engagement is essential for successful green energy projects; and

“Whereas local residents should be actively involved in all discussions about wind turbine projects in their community;

“We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:

“That the Liberal government return planning power for renewable energy projects to municipalities and local residents by passing Bill 29, Planning Amendment Act (Renewable Energy Undertakings), 2010, Sylvia Jones, MPP for Dufferin–Caledon.”

Obviously, since it is my private member’s bill, I support the petition, affix my name to it and give it to Anika.

ONTARIO SOCIETY

FOR THE PREVENTION

OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS

Mr. Ernie Hardeman: I have a petition here to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.

“Whereas the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA) recently and unilaterally announced that it would euthanize all animals in its care at its Newmarket shelter, citing a ringworm outbreak as justification;

“Whereas the euthanasia plan was stopped in the face of repeated calls for a stay in the Legislature and by the public, but not until 99 animals had been killed;

“Whereas the Premier and Community Safety Minister Rick Bartolucci refused to act, claiming the provincial government has no jurisdiction over the OSPCA;

“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Parliament of Ontario to immediately implement the resolution tabled at Queen’s Park by Newmarket–Aurora MPP Frank Klees on June 1, 2010, which reads as follows:

“‘That, in the opinion of this House, the Ontario Legislature call on the government of Ontario to review the powers and authority granted to the OSPCA under the OSPCA Act and to make the necessary legislative changes to bring those powers under the authority of the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services to ensure that there is a clearly defined and effective provincial oversight of all animal shelter services in the province, and to separate the inspection and enforcement powers of the OSPCA from its functions as a charity providing animal shelter services.’”

I’m pleased to present this petition on behalf of all the people who sent it to me. I affix my signature, as I agree with the petition.

EDUCATION FUNDING

Ms. Sylvia Jones: “To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas we are the parents, educators and friends of students in the Peel region public school system; and

“Whereas Peel students have historically received less funding per pupil per annum when compared to their peers in other district school boards and, in particular, have inadequate special education resources; and

“Whereas all students in Ontario are entitled to equal opportunities in education;

“We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:

“To recognize and provide for the $18-million learning opportunities grant retroactively owed to Peel students;

“Implement measures to ensure ongoing funding is based on current census data and other key demographic indicators of student needs to ensure that Peel students receive a fair share of provincial education funding.”

I support the petition, affix my name to it and give it to page Haadiyah to take to the table.

MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS TREATMENT

Mr. Steve Clark: I have a petition to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario that reads as follows:

“Whereas thousands of people suffer from multiple sclerosis;

“Whereas there is a treatment for chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency, more commonly called CCSVI, which consists of a corrective angioplasty, a well-known and universally practised procedure that is low-risk and at relatively low expense;

“We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:

“That the Minister of Health agrees to proceed with clinical trials of the venoplasty treatment to fully explore its potential to bring relief to the thousands of Ontarians afflicted with multiple sclerosis.”

I will affix my signature and send it to the table with page Emmett.

PROTECTION FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

Mr. Ted Chudleigh: I have a petition to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.

“Whereas the picketing of the homes of people with intellectual disabilities alienates people from their autonomy; security; privacy; relationships with staff, neighbours and community; and also causes discrimination and harm to citizens who should be free to enjoy their homes without harassment and intimidation;

“We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:

“To support Bill 83 and prohibit the picketing of vulnerable people’s residences during a strike.”

I agree with this, sign my name and will pass it to page Anika.

ORDERS OF THE DAY

SECURING PENSION BENEFITS NOW

AND FOR THE FUTURE ACT, 2010 /

LOI DE 2010 SUR LA PÉRENNITÉ

DES PRESTATIONS DE RETRAITE

Ms. Smith, on behalf of Mr. Duncan, moved second reading of the following bill:

Bill 120,

An Act to amend the Pension Benefits Act and the Pension Benefits Amendment Act, 2010 / Projet de loi 120, Loi modifiant la

Loi sur les régimes de retraite et la Loi de 2010 modifiant la

Loi sur les régimes de retraite.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Debate?

Hon. Monique M. Smith: I am delighted to be able to speak to this bill ever so briefly this afternoon. I will be sharing my time with the member for Kitchener–Conestoga.

Before I hand it over, I’d like to welcome the students who are in the gallery today. It’s always nice to have our visitors with us, and I hope you enjoy your stay at Queen’s Park.

Ms. Leeanna Pendergast: Thank you to the government House leader for your eloquent words and sharing your time. I’d also like to welcome the students in the gallery on the other side. Welcome today, folks. Thanks for being here.

I’m pleased to stand in the House today for second reading of Bill 120, the Securing Pension Benefits Now and for the Future Act, 2010. This act is part of this government’s comprehensive plan. It’s a comprehensive plan to improve Ontario’s retirement income system and to strengthen our employment pension plan through modernization and through innovation.

As you know, making it easier for Ontarians to save for their retirement has been an active file for the McGuinty government, particularly in this past week. Our government has taken significant steps to make it easier for Ontarians to save for retirement. On the provincial-federal-territorial front, this government continues to call for significant improvements to Canada’s retirement income system. Thanks to urging by Premier McGuinty, the Council of the Federation endorsed the idea of a national summit on Canada’s retirement income system.

Federal-provincial-territorial finance ministers are now developing options for reform and will discuss these options at the upcoming federal-provincial-territorial finance ministers’ meeting.

Specifically, we are calling for a modest, fully funded, phased-in expansion to the Canada pension plan; tax and regulatory changes to expand the range of institutions that can act as pension plan administrators; and to extend plan coverage to a broader range of people, including the self-employed. Such changes could also help lower the cost of providing defined contribution plans. That’s why, this past Monday, my colleague the Honourable Dwight Duncan, Minister of Finance, introduced a motion in this House calling for a modest and gradual expansion of the Canada pension plan.

We know how important this is for future Ontario retirees, as about two thirds of all Ontarians do not have a workplace pension, and we hope to receive the support of the Legislative Assembly in passing this important motion.

Indeed, we’ve been busy on the pension reform file this year. In May of this year, the House unanimously passed Bill 236, entitled the Pension Benefits Amendment Act, 2010. It built upon the recommendations of the Expert Commission on Pensions, and extensive consultations with stakeholders will help the pension system adapt to economic changes while balancing the need for benefit security.

Specifically, the reforms enacted in Bill 236 upon the drafting of necessary regulations will make it easier to restructure pension plans affected by corporate reorganizations while protecting benefit security for plan members and for pensioners. It will clarify and extend the benefits to plan members affected by layoffs and eliminate partial windups. It will increase the transparency and access to information for plan members and for pensioners. It will enhance the pension regulator’s ability to oversee pension plans and it will improve plan administration and reduce compliance costs.

We’ve been clear from day one that Bill 236 was the first part of a multi-step process to update and improve the employment pension system, a point we reiterated in the 2010 budget, where we committed to introducing further pension reforms. The introduction of Bill 120, the Securing Pension Benefits Now and for the Future Act, 2010, fulfills that commitment.

This is an appropriate time for me to give some more specific details on the amendments to the Pension Benefits Act that we are proposing under the Securing Pension Benefits Now and for the Future Act, 2010. At present, there are two types of pension benefits that pension plans are authorized to provide under the act. The first is defined benefits, or DB for short, and the second is defined contribution benefits, or DC for short. The Pension Benefits Act also authorizes pension plans to provide other benefits that are called ancillary benefits.

The amendments would introduce two new categories of benefits into the act. The first category would be target benefits and the second category, optional benefits.

The amendments also relate to the payment of defined contribution benefits. The new

section 39.2 of the act would establish that for a benefit to be a target benefit, two criteria need to be satisfied. The first is that the employer’s obligation to contribute to the pension fund would be limited to a fixed amount set out in one or more collective agreements. Secondly, the administrator has unrestricted authority under the pension plan to reduce benefits.

The new

section 40.1 of the Pension Benefits Act would govern optional benefits. The new rules would provide that if a defined benefit pension plan provides for optional benefits, members could obtain them by making optional contributions in accordance with the pension plan. Optional contributions can only be used to provide optional benefits.

The new

section 39.1 of the Pension Benefits Act deals with defined contribution benefits and would govern the payment of pensions and pension benefits under pension plans that provide defined contribution benefits.

Bill 120 also deals with funding requirements. Lower than usual returns in equity markets and low long-term interest rates have left many defined benefit pension plans less than fully funded. This government recognized that if funding rules were strengthened, plans would be better positioned to withstand market downturns and promised benefits would be more secure.

The amendments would change certain funding requirements under the Pension Benefits Act relating to the funding of solvency deficiencies of certain jointly sponsored pension plans: the funding of benefit improvements for defined benefits, the authority for contribution holidays and the authority to use letters of credit in specified circumstances.

The amendments include a new subsection 1(2.1) and changes to

section 10 of the Pension Benefits Act. These changes would enable pension plans that are jointly sponsored pension plans on August 24, 2010, to cease requiring contributions to be made for solvency deficiencies.

If enacted, a new

section 14.0.1 of the act would restrict the circumstances in which a pension plan can be amended to authorize benefit improvements.

The amendments also include a new section, 55.1 of the act, which sets out the circumstances in which employers and members would be permitted to reduce or suspend contributions under a pension plan, otherwise known as contribution holidays. However, contribution holidays would not be allowed if prohibited by the pension plan.

If enacted, a new

section 55.2 of the act would prescribe the circumstances in which an employer would be permitted to provide a letter of credit to partially cover contributions under a pension plan that has a solvency deficiency. Multi-employer pension plans would not be permitted to use letters of credit. Also, public sector pension plans, except certain prescribed public sector pension plans, would not be able to use the letter of credit.

We’re also addressing the issue of entitlement to surplus. The Expert Commission on Pensions had this to say: They observed, “Employers, active members and retirees have been engaged in conflicts over surplus use and distribution since at least the mid-1980s.” Long-standing debates about surplus entitlement and the costly litigation that often results underline the need to reform a process that the commission called “unnecessarily cumbersome, time-consuming and expensive.” If passed, Bill 120 would address these issues for both ongoing plans and plans that are being wound up and provide a binding dispute resolution mechanism to address surplus allocation issues when a plan is wound up.

The amendments that we’re proposing today would include changes to the current requirements of the Pension Benefits Act that govern the payment of surplus to employers. Currently, the requirements are set out in sections 78 and 79 of the act. The revised requirements are set out in the new sections 77.11 and 77.12 of the act, as well as in the amended sections 78 and 79.

As it now stands, the act specifies that surplus may be paid to an employer if the employer can establish entitlement or if there is an agreement of the employer and certain specified persons. If Bill 120 is passed, the amendments, along with the corresponding changes to the regulations, would clarify the rules for surplus distribution.

If enacted, a new subsection, 77.11(5), of the Pension Benefits Act would clarify that a written agreement may be used to authorize the payment of surplus to an employer out of a continuing pension plan as well as out of a pension plan that’s being wound up in whole or in part. The subsection sets out requirements that would apply with respect to the agreement. If these provisions are enacted, the agreement would prevail over the documents that create and support the pension plan and the pension fund.

The introduction of a new section, 77.12, of the act provides for the use of arbitration to allocate surplus in connection with the windup of a pension plan. The circumstances in which arbitration could be used are specified in the amendments. An arbitration award would prevail over the documents that create and support the pension plan and the pension fund.

In the past few years, the McGuinty government has made great strides to stabilize and to improve the pension benefits guarantee fund, or the PBGF for short. The pension benefits guarantee fund provides protection for Ontario members and beneficiaries of most registered single-employer defined benefit pension plans in the event of a plan sponsor insolvency.

It’s the only fund of its kind in Canada, and it operates at a subnational level, unlike its counterparts in the US and in the UK. Participation is mandatory for most registered single-employer defined benefit pension plans, with annual premiums based on per-member and partially risk-related fees.

The Expert Commission on Pensions was established by this government and recommended a study of the PBGF to be undertaken in its 2008 report. The name of the report was, A Fine Balance: Safe Pensions, Affordable Plans, Fair Rules. We heeded the commission’s advice, which resulted in the report Looking Ahead: Projecting Ontario’s Pension Benefits Guarantee Fund. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the sustainability of the current PBGF structure. Based upon the recommendations of this report, we’re proposing to make amendments to the Pension Benefits Act as part of our four-point plan to strengthen the PBGF over the long term, as we announced in August.

Paragraph 1 of

section 85 of the act currently specifies that the fund does not guarantee pensions and pension benefits under a pension plan established for less than three years on the date of the windup; paragraph 2 of

section 85 currently specifies that it does not guarantee increases to pensions and pension benefits that take effect within three years before the date of the windup. Amendments would extend these three-year periods to five years.

Additional steps to strengthen the PBGF, such as increases in assessments, would be made in the regulations.

Our proposed amendments contained in Bill 120, the Securing Pension Benefits Now and for the Future Act, 2010, also include changes with respect to the administration of pension plans. The enactment of new

section 22.1 of the act would clarify the circumstances in which fees and expenses may be paid from the pension fund in respect to the administration of pension plans. The new

section provides that reasonable fees and expenses for the administration of the pension plan and the administration and investment of the pension fund would be payable out of the pension fund. Certain exceptions are specified in the amendments.

Clause 42(1)(

a) of the act currently authorizes a former member of a pension plan to require an amount to be transferred to another pension plan if the administrator of the other plan agrees to the transfer. A new subsection 42(1.1) specifies the classes of the pension plan to which such a transfer could be made.

Subsections 78(4) and (5) of the act currently provide for the reimbursement of an employer for overpayment into a pension fund. Those provisions would be re-enacted as a new

section 62.1.

A new

section 80.3 of the act would apply when Ontario public sector employees are transferred as a group to the federal public service. This new

section would govern the transfer of assets in these circumstances.

We’re proposing in the Securing Pension Benefits Now and for the Future Act, 2010, to make positive changes to improve regulatory oversight and enforcement.

Amendments to

section 8 of the act would authorize the superintendent to appoint an administrator for a pension plan or to act as an administrator in certain prescribed circumstances. Currently,

section 71 of the act authorizes the appointment of an administrator by the superintendent only in connection with the windup of a pension plan in whole or in part.

Section 71 would be repealed.

The proposed amendments also include changes to subsection 87(4) of the act and a new clause 115(1)(

h) of the act whereby restrictions could be imposed on the actuarial assumptions and methods that may be used in the preparation of reports about pension plans. Amendments to subsection 87(4) deal with the superintendent’s authority to make an order in a particular case, and clause 115(1)(

h) would authorize regulations to be made.

Technical changes would be made to the terminology used in

section 89 of the act. This

section imposes requirements on the superintendent when he or she proposes to make certain decisions under the act.

The superintendent is currently authorized under

section 105 of the act to extend procedural deadlines. A new subsection 105(2) of the act would authorize the superintendent to extend deadlines for filing documents, of course subject to certain restrictions.

Finally, this government is proposing changes in Bill 120, the Securing Pension Benefits Now and for the Future Act, 2010, to ensure that Ontario’s employment pension plans would continue to evolve and modernize. As we know, prior to the McGuinty government enacting reforms under the Pension Benefits Amendment Act, 2010, which passed the House and was given royal assent in May of this year, there had not been significant pension reform undertaken in the province of Ontario for more than 20 years.

We recognize that regular assessment and improvement of pension laws are required in order to ensure that pensions in Ontario remain strong and able to meet the needs of their members and of pensioners. That’s why, if enacted, a new

section 116 of the act would require the Minister of Finance to initiate a review of the act and the regulations or a review of portions of the act and regulations every five years.

The proposed Bill 120, the Securing Pension Benefits Now and for the Future Act, 2010, would continue our efforts to modernize Ontario’s pension system and balance the concerns of workers, retirees and employers. That’s why I’m asking for the support of this Legislature in passing this important bill.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Cheri DiNovo): Questions and comments?

Mr. Ted Chudleigh: This is another one of those bills that are put before the Legislature that are highly technical in nature; however, there are no regulations that come with the bill. Whether this bill is effective or not will, of course, depend on what kinds of regulations are put before the House.

The other problem with pensions that we’re seeing in the province today is, of course, the Nortel situation, where many pensioners are in jeopardy of losing a lot of the assets that they have built up in their Nortel pensions. That would cause them very great hardship. This government has put together this package which includes this bill. They could have been working on the Nortel situation, which they obviously haven’t done. They’ve promised a review. I haven’t heard what that review has yielded yet.

I know the Minister of Finance said he wasn’t going to review it—any further review—and then the Premier said that he would review it. Under questioning by our member, the Premier said he would review it, give it one more review, and it would fall upon the Minister of Finance to review that pension plan for Nortel employees. Whether or not that is ongoing and whether or not it’s going to be a fair review, given the fact that the Minister of Finance said he wasn’t going to review it and the Premier told him, “I don’t think so. I think you are going to review it”—I wonder what kind of review that would result in.

Pensions are very important to people, especially in the Nortel situation, where they stand in jeopardy of losing a good deal of their pensions. We’ll be interested to hear the debate on this bill and to see whether the government is going to come up with anything that is worthwhile.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Cheri DiNovo): Questions and comments.

Mr. Howard Hampton: I listened to the highly technical explanations given by my colleague from the Liberal Party. Sometimes, when you get into the highly technical explanations, you can miss the main thrust of what is there and what’s not there.

There are three very important things that are not here in this legislation, three things that Professor Harry Arthurs, when he did the pension review for the government, strongly recommended needed to be there. One of his recommendations is that the pension benefits guarantee fund should be increased from $1,000 to $2,500. His reason for that, as he said, is that the figure of $1,000 was set in 1980, 30 years ago. I don’t think anyone needs to think very long or very hard to reflect upon how much the cost of living or how much the cost of retirement has gone up in 30 years.

Yet this government seems to believe that a pension benefits guarantee amount of $1,000 which was set 30 years ago is still adequate today. I can only say to government members, I hope you never have to call on the pension benefits guarantee fund because I don’t think it will be adequate for you, just as it’s not adequate for anyone else who is looking at their pension not meeting what was promised to them.

The second thing which Professor Arthurs strongly recommended was the establishment of an Ontario pension agency, an agency which would devote itself to looking after those pension funds that are in trouble. God knows, we need one in Ontario today, but that is nowhere to be found in the legislation as well.

Those are two areas where I think this legislation falls far short of what we need in Ontario today.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Cheri DiNovo): Questions and comments.

Mrs. Liz Sandals: I’m pleased to be able to comment on the remarks by my colleague from Kitchener–Conestoga on Bill 120. As my colleague noted, this whole area of pension reform is something that really has been literally stalled for decades until our Minister of Finance asked Professor Harry Arthurs to review pension legislation in Ontario. He wrote a very extensive report, made about 142 different recommendations, and we announced that we would be addressing those in a phased manner.

Between Bill 236, which was the first bill that was phase 1 of those reforms, and this bill that we’re debating today, which is the second phase, about two thirds of Professor Arthurs’s recommendations are now being addressed, so we are making good progress at working our way through this very complex report.

There are a couple of things here that are of particular interest to my constituents in Guelph. One of them is the whole issue around full funding of pensions and what the rules are around that, because one of the major employers in Guelph is the University of Guelph and there have been some issues about the rules around whether it is fully funded and what needs to be done to top it up. So the added clarity that’s coming with these new rules will be very helpful to my constituents in sorting out that problem.

I also have constituents who will welcome new rules around multi-employer pension plans, because unfortunately, when the multi-employer co-operatives pension plan failed, I had a number of constituents who were affected by that, and they will be pleased to see that we’re fixing those problems.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Cheri DiNovo): Questions and comments?

Mr. Jerry J. Ouellette: I appreciate the opportunity to speak on Bill 120.

There is a bit of concern that we haven’t had the opportunity to caucus this as of yet to get a full understanding of what is taking place. I certainly hope the Minister of Education comments on it, as she said last week, and gives some more insight into what took place, because I found that the depth was a little bit lacking in the explanation that came forward.

Some of the concerns, of course, are coming from Oshawa and General Motors—what took place in the early 1990s with the pensions and what happened there. They were allowed to use pension funds to reinvest in General Motors itself, as opposed to ensuring that the pension fund was fully funded to a level that would ensure that the individuals working there were secure in their retirement. Of course, there was a lot of concern.

I know that previously, at Algoma Steel in Sault Ste. Marie, there was a lot of concern with what took place with the pensions and the restructuring there because the funds weren’t in place. When we had the privilege and honour to govern, we certainly assisted Algoma in ensuring that those individuals had a pension. Mind you, it wasn’t to the level that they had anticipated because of the change in the economy and everything else that had taken place within that industry.

Also, the pension contribution aspect is very concerning in that there was a holiday period that took place in the past, when we had the privilege and honour to govern, whereby municipalities were given exemptions because of the investments in what was paying off at that time. Had there been some sort of contribution at that time, it would probably have buffered the downturn in the economy for a lot of other areas and would have been very supportive for a lot of individuals.

The individuals who were retired who contributed to the pension and the new ones who were contributing didn’t have to contribute, because the investments made by previous individuals were very successful in ensuring that the funds were there.

Hopefully, this bill will go on to elaborate and expand on what can be done to ensure there is consistency within the funds.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Cheri DiNovo): The member from Kitchener–Conestoga has up to two minutes to respond.

Ms. Leeanna Pendergast: I’d like to acknowledge the member from Halton, the member from Kenora–Rainy River, my colleague the member from Guelph and the member from Oshawa for their comments.

There are a couple of things I’d like to sum up within the two minutes I have. First of all, the Arthurs report was published prior to the economic downturn and under very different circumstances. I would also like to stress and reiterate what the member from Guelph said: This is the second phase of reforms that this government has undertaken. We have a plan, and we are already addressing almost 40 recommendations from the Expert Commission on Pensions.

That means that our reforms to date will have responded to about two thirds of the 142 recommendations in that report, and the remaining recommendations will be considered for inclusion in future reforms. This really supports the fact that we have a plan. We have a long-term plan that we are looking at. The first stage of the plan, Bill 236, passed unanimously on May 5, 2010; the second phase of the plan, Bill 120, is in the House today. Looking at the demographic of Ontario, the baby boomers are looking toward retirement and planning for that in the future.

Ontario is the only Canadian jurisdiction with the PBGF. In fact, the McGuinty government has proposed a broad package of reforms that continue to further strengthen Ontarians’ pensions, and continue to address the concerns of workers, retirees, employers and the self-employed; basically, all the people of Ontario.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Cheri DiNovo): Further debate? The member from Parry Sound–Muskoka.

Applause.

Mr. Norm Miller: A very enthusiastic crowd in here this afternoon—on our side, anyway. Maybe it’s a good thing, because we’re talking about pensions again, and I’m sure anyone watching—their eyes might be glazing over about now as we discuss pensions once again.

Mr. Norman W. Sterling: Not at my age.

Mr. Norm Miller: The member from Carleton–Mississippi Mills points out that this is a bill that people his age would very be interested in. It may be a little boring for those watching, but it is important information that we’re discussing this afternoon.

We’re discussing Bill 120,

An Act to amend the Pension Benefits Act and the Pension Benefits Amendment Act or, as it’s called, Securing Pension Benefits Now and for the Future Act, 2010. That may be a bit of a lofty title; I don’t think the provisions in this bill actually accomplish that particular aim. I’m not sure how any bill could, but this government likes to be creative in the names of its bills. I know that we spent a fair amount of time last week discussing Bill 110, the good government bill, and the opposition certainly had a lot of fun giving examples of less than good government by this government.

When you first read Bill 120, you might ask, “Where’s the rest of it?” That is because this is a framework bill and the details are in the regulations. So, you know, the devil is in the details. Of course, we don’t see the regulations yet. At some point, when they’re done, they will be posted and there will be a 45-day period for the public and interested stakeholders to look at them, but legislators won’t get an opportunity to debate the regulations. So, the devil really is in the details. This is just framework legislation.

I might point out that the first government pension bill that was passed was Bill 236, and we’re still waiting for the regulations to that bill. In fact, there’s apparently a big backlog on processing the writing of these regulations. At some point, if I have time, I will cite a letter that I received from MPAC employees in my riding who are concerned about the split pension issue, which they’re anxiously waiting to be addressed by regulations from that bill. So, it very well might be that with this bill the regulations won’t be written before the next election, I would hazard to guess.

What does Bill 120 do?

According to the technical background or the news release issued in August, this bill will modernize funding rules; look at contribution holidays; clarify surplus entitlements; provide new rules for multi-employer pension plans or MEPPs and jointly sponsored pension plans or JSPPs; address the funding shortfall of the pension benefits guarantee fund or PBGF—we have a lot of various initials here; provide temporary funding relief for the broader public sector, including universities; and a number of other measures, such as permit irrevocable letters of credit to be used to cover solvency liabilities and require that pension legislation be reviewed every five years.

I’ll go into each of these areas in more detail.

First of all, modernizing funding rules. Due to the fact of low interest rates and investment returns on plan fund performance, the government proposes tightening funding evaluation rules and, in particular:

(1) Restrictions on the averaging