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February 14, 2006

38th Parliament, 2nd Session

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Hansard Transcripts

Votes and Proceedings

Orders and Notices

Hansard Transcripts 2006-Feb-14 (PDF)

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO

ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DE L'ONTARIO

Tuesday 14 February 2006 Mardi 14 février 2006

MEMBERS' STATEMENTS

FEDERAL MPS FROM DURHAM

ELAINE VOLLETT

SEX OFFENDER REGISTRY

LEGISLATIVE INTERNS

CARNAVAL DES COMPAGNONS /

NIPISSING WINTER CARNIVAL

AGRICULTURE INDUSTRY

WEARING OF PINS

TRANSIT FUNDING

LOCAL HEALTH INTEGRATION NETWORKS

TELEPERFORMANCE CANADA

WEARING OF PINS

LEGISLATIVE PAGES

MOTIONS

COMMITTEE

SCHEDULE

OPPOSITION DAY MOTIONS

HOUSE SITTINGS

STATEMENTS BY THE MINISTRY

AND RESPONSES

YOUTH SERVICES

POLICE

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

HEART MONTH /

MOIS DU COEUR

YOUTH SERVICES

POLICE

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

HEART MONTH

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

ORAL QUESTIONS

OMERS PENSION FUND

MINISTERIAL CONDUCT

VISITOR

NUCLEAR ENERGY

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION

OMERS PENSION FUND

CHILD CARE

MANUFACTURING SECTOR

WASTE DIVERSION

LOCAL HEALTH

INTEGRATION NETWORKS

FOREST INDUSTRY

AGRICULTURE INDUSTRY

OMERS PENSION FUND

HOUSE SITTINGS

PETITIONS

CANCER TREATMENT

SERVICES FOR THE DEVELOPMENTALLY DISABLED

CANCER TREATMENT

OMERS PENSION FUND

GO TRANSIT TUNNEL

MACULAR DEGENERATION

AUTISM TREATMENT

CURRICULUM

FIREARMS SAFETY

CURRICULUM

ORDERS OF THE DAY

ACCESS TO JUSTICE ACT, 2006 /

LOI DE 2006 SUR L'ACCÈS À LA JUSTICE

FAMILY STATUTE LAW

AMENDMENT ACT, 2006 /

LOI DE 2006 MODIFIANT DES LOIS

EN CE QUI CONCERNE

DES QUESTIONS FAMILIALES

The House met at 1330.

Prayers.

MEMBERS' STATEMENTS

FEDERAL MPS FROM DURHAM

Mr. John O'Toole (Durham): It is indeed my pleasure to stand in this Legislature and recognize and congratulate our new Prime Minister of

Canada, Stephen Harper. I also want to recognize two members from the region of Durham who are now MPs and appointed to the cabinet of Stephen Harper. Our colleague Jim Flaherty was elected in the

federal riding of Whitby-Oshawa and is now Canada's new finance minister. I am confident it will help to have a former Ontario MPP and former Ontario finance minister in this portfolio, especially

as Ontario pursues the challenges of fair federal funding for the provinces, the fiscal gap.

Also in my own riding my federal counterpart, Bev Oda, was re-elected last month with an overwhelming majority. She was most recently named Minister of Canadian

Heritage and Status of Women. I congratulate Bev personally for her commitment. I know she will do very well.

Durham region is proud of the fact that two of our federal MPs have been named to cabinet. The ministers will also be strong advocates for not just Durham and

the GTA but all of Ontario, I'm sure. On behalf of the citizens of Durham and the region as a whole, I'd like to congratulate and extend our best wishes to Bev Oda and Jim Flaherty.

I would also like to mention the great work that I expect from all members of the federal Legislature and the cabinet, who are ably represented not just by those

two but by John Baird as well.

ELAINE VOLLETT

Mr. Tony C. Wong (Markham): I rise in the House to congratulate one of Markham's outstanding residents, Elaine Vollett, for being one of only 38

Ontarians to have received the Ontario Medal for Good Citizenship this past Tuesday from our Lieutenant Governor, the Honourable James K. Bartleman.

Elaine's dedication to the public good along with her selfless and generous nature serve as a shining example to us all.

As a mother to an adult with special needs, Elaine was faced with the unfortunate reality that once school ended for her son, so did his dreams. This led Elaine

to start the Centre for DREAMS to give adults with special needs the opportunity to experience life through skills development. These skills include learning basic reading skills, how to use the

public transit system and managing personal finances, to name just a few.

DREAMS stands for developing relationships with exceptional adults in modern society. Since its founding in September 1990, Elaine and her DREAMS team have

created a safe, positive and welcoming environment for young adults with special needs.

DREAMS won the Award of Merit from the Markham Board of Trade in 2005, and in that same year the town of Markham named October the Month of Dreams in honour of

the organization and its hero, Elaine.

Please join me in congratulating a good citizen, a dream-maker, an innovator, a mother, an educator and a hero of mine, Elaine Vollett.

Again, congratulations, Elaine. Ontario needs more people like you.

SEX OFFENDER REGISTRY

Mr. Garfield Dunlop (Simcoe North): Last Friday, February 10, I had the pleasure and the educational opportunity to visit and tour the Ontario

sex offender registry at the OPP general headquarters in Orillia. I was pleased that our new MP for Simcoe North, Bruce Stanton, and the federal Minister of Health, the Honourable Tony Clement, MP

for Parry Sound-Muskoka, were able to join me as well.

I would like to thank a number of individuals for their time and effort in making the tour possible: Deputy Commissioner Maurice Pilon, Detective Staff Sergeant

Terry Nicholls, Detective Sergeant Jim Mascola, Detective Sergeant Robert Downie, Detective Superintendent Director Hugh Stevenson, and Detective Sergeant Steve Hayward.

As you are aware, the Mike Harris government initiated the Ontario sex offender registry when Christopher's Law was passed in this House in 2001. This bill was

named in memory of Christopher Stephenson, who was brutally murdered by a repeat sexual predator.

The Ontario sex offender registry is considered by international experts to be a model registry. Although the Martin Liberals, under constant pressure, passed a

somewhat diluted national registry in December 2004, there is much to be learned from the experience and expertise of the Ontario model. I asked my federal colleagues to accompany me on this visit

because, clearly, the more effective Ontario sex offender registry can be used to enhance community safety throughout our nation. The national sex offender registry should be an effective resource

for all police services in Canada to utilize, as the Ontario sex offender registry is for all Ontario police services.

It is my intention to work with my federal colleagues to improve the national sex offender registry and, for that matter, the other provincial registries so that

all Canadians can feel more protected thanks to the fine work being accomplished by the team at the Ontario sex offender registry.

LEGISLATIVE INTERNS

Mr. Gilles Bisson (Timmins-James Bay): This is both the happiest time and the saddest time in an MPP's life at this time in the Legislature,

because it is a time when interns will be leaving some offices to move to other offices. I want to say on behalf of our office that having Marc Peverini work in our office as an intern has been

nothing but a joy. I say to whatever Liberal across the way is going to get him, you'd better treat him right, because we like him, we want to keep him, and he has done an absolutely outstanding

job.

Interjection.

Mr. Bisson: It's not bad. The Liberals are toying now. I'm trying to do something nice for you, Marc, and the Liberals are giving you a hard

time -- something that might happen in the future.

I just say to all interns who work in the assembly that we as members appreciate the work you do in our offices. You work very hard to learn much about what

happens in the MPPs' offices. You are devoted to the work that you do. You're very non-partisan and professional in how you do it.

I have to say that the experience we've had with Marc has been nothing but exemplary. To his parents, who may be watching this at some time: Job well done. You

raised an excellent son who I know is going to go very far in this world because he certainly has demonstrated in the time in my office that he is both diplomatic and hard-working and, a third

thing, quite a remarkable young man when it comes to his abilities.

Marc, we're going to miss you. Yes, you do have to cross over to the darker side, but then you will know, working on the darker side, why it is so important to

be back with us one day and help us conquer Ontario in the next election.

CARNAVAL DES COMPAGNONS /

NIPISSING WINTER CARNIVAL

M me Monique M. Smith (Nipissing): J'aimerais souligner le lancement d'une activité culturelle historique dans ma circonscription

de Nipissing. Il s'agit du 43 e Carnaval des Compagnons des francs loisirs, qui se déroule du 10 au 19 février à North Bay.

I'm proud to rise today to inform the Legislature of the official opening this past weekend of the 43rd annual French carnival in my community.

Dimanche dernier, je me suis régalée de crêpes à la paroisse St-Vincent-de-Paul avant d'assister à la cérémonie d'ouverture

à l'aréna Memorial Gardens en compagnie d'autres dignitaires et, bien sûr, du Bonhomme Carnaval.

Le Carnaval des Compagnons est enraciné dans nos souvenirs collectifs et dans notre vie communautaire. C'est un rassemblement de francophones et de

talents au moyen de présentations, de spectacles, de sculptures de neige et de décoration d'écoles.

Je félicite les bénévoles, le comité organisateur et le président honoraire du Carnaval, M. Marc Rancourt, des efforts

considérables qu'ils déploient pour assurer le succès du Carnaval des Compagnons.

Congratulations to all the volunteers and organizers and to our honorary chair, Marc Rancourt from Ontera, for their time, their effort and their enthusiasm.

Sur ce, j'encourage les résidents de Nipissing à participer aux activités du Carnaval qui se dérouleront cette semaine, comme les festivals

du livre, les spectacles musicaux, la soirée des arts, les déjeuners, les soupers traditionnels et, enfin, le dévoilement du Bonhomme Carnaval lors de la cérémonie de

clôture le 19. Soyons fiers d'être Franco-Ontariens, et bon Carnaval à tous.

AGRICULTURE INDUSTRY

Ms. Laurie Scott (Haliburton-Victoria-Brock): I speak often in the House on behalf of farmers and rural communities. I do this because

agriculture affects my riding of Haliburton-Victoria-Brock greatly, but I can assure you that it impacts all Ontarians. Just ask the members of the grain and oilseeds producers of Ontario, who are

here today at Queen's Park. They'll convince you that our economy needs a strong grain and oilseeds industry, and that farmers feed cities.

Agriculture is the second-largest industry in Ontario. They employ thousands, and their work spins off into the research, manufacturing and retail sectors. The

Ontario grain and oilseeds producers include canola, corn, bean and soybean growers and wheat producers.

All MPPs, rural and urban, need to talk to these farmers today. You will realize that there is a crisis in this sector. For the second year they are making their

voice heard at Queen's Park, at the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture in Guelph, and in Ottawa later this month. It's a shame that they have to do this yet again.

We owe these producers more than red tape and ineffective programs like CAIS. They were here last year and the government didn't listen to them. The McGuinty

government must listen to the unified voice in the Farmers Feed Cities initiative.

Our farmers work against unprofitable markets, banks repossessing equipment, and imports. They work in spite of government bureaucracy and frustrating and

complicated programs, and they still sell goods at a fair price, while US competitors have huge subsidies. Two decades ago this sector had 1.4% of the provincial budget for their funding. Today

they receive half of that.

Spring planting --

The Speaker (Hon. Michael A. Brown): Thank you.

WEARING OF PINS

Ms. Laurie Scott (Haliburton-Victoria-Brock): On a point of order, Mr. Speaker: I would ask for unanimous consent that the members who have

Farmers Feed Cities buttons could wear them today in the Legislature.

The Speaker (Hon. Michael A. Brown): Agreed? Agreed.

TRANSIT FUNDING

Mr. Bas Balkissoon (Scarborough-Rouge River): I rise in the House today to speak about the tremendous investments we are making in public

transit through gas tax funding. As the member for Scarborough-Rouge River, I am very excited about the progress we have made and the difference this will make in my community.

Investing in public transit is investing in our future. It's an investment in cities. It's an investment in our economy. It means reduced commuting times. It

means having more time available to do what matters most: being with your family.

The past government reduced transit funding, and transit riders in Scarborough suffered. In 1998, the Tory government went from funding 75% of public transit

operating costs to funding 0%. In 2002, they started funding one third of operating costs -- less than half of the original funding.

For 2005-06, more that $120 million in gas tax funding went to the city of Toronto alone. This means more frequent service, shortened wait times, reduced

congestion on buses and increased nighttime services. I've seen the results working. This allows transit riders to travel more easily and with increased convenience.

I'm pleased to acknowledge that this funding is working for Scarborough and that progress is being made. An investment in our public transit was long overdue,

and this Liberal government has delivered on its promises of the gas tax.

LOCAL HEALTH INTEGRATION NETWORKS

Ms. Caroline Di Cocco (Sarnia-Lambton): On November 24, 2005, the Ontario government, under Premier Dalton McGuinty, introduced Bill 36, the

Local Health System Integration Act, 2005. The purpose of this act is to implement a change that is intended to improve how our health care system is managed.

Local health integration networks are not-for-profit corporations that would be responsible to better facilitate local planning, coordinating and funding of

local health services in 14 different geographical areas around this province.

This legislation represents a change to devolve from one decision-making centre for health care at Queen's Park for all of Ontario to 14 smaller decision-making

entities across this province.

There is resistance to change by some groups, and they appear to be threatened by the uncertainty of change. Unfortunately, there's also a lot of misinformation

being perpetuated by the groups who are resistant to LHINs. What LHINs are about is what every jurisdiction in Canada has done, which is to introduce some form of decentralization of health care, a

model that Roy Romanow has been calling for for years.

TELEPERFORMANCE CANADA

Mr. Jim Brownell (Stormont-Dundas-Charlottenburgh): Tomorrow will mark a new beginning -- as they say in French, un nouveau commencement -- in

the city of Cornwall in my riding of Stormont-Dundas-Charlottenburgh. It is with great pleasure that I announce the opening of Teleperformance Canada, a company that is bringing 650 new jobs to the

city.

Teleperformance, which is located just outside the city's downtown core, will, I'm sure, be the first of many companies in the near future to capitalize on the

skills and dedication of Cornwall citizens. In bringing new jobs to the community, it will also be providing the means for its residents to give back to the city in terms of their economic

contribution and social commitments.

Combine these new jobs with construction and spin-off work being provided by the numerous infrastructure projects -- and, I must say, our hospital projects --

happening in the city over the next few years, and I'd say we are looking at a new beginning for Cornwall.

The efforts of the provincial government, the municipal government and, above all, the businesses and citizens of Cornwall themselves are making this new

beginning possible. There will be other difficulties ahead, I'm sure, and certainly we must continue to pursue economic and employment opportunities for the city. Still, there is a sense of hope

and promise in the city, and I am proud to see it.

The last time he visited the city, the member from Dufferin-Peel-Wellington-Grey commented on the recent job losses Cornwall has faced. Today, I would invite him

to join me in congratulating the people of Cornwall and in welcoming this new business and this new beginning in the city.

WEARING OF PINS

Hon. Jim Watson (Minister of Health Promotion): On a point of order, Mr. Speaker: I wonder if there would be unanimous consent in the chamber,

as this is Heart and Stroke Month, to wear this small heart and stroke pin. There are pins available in each lobby.

The Speaker (Hon. Michael A. Brown): Mr. Watson has asked for unanimous consent to wear the heart and stroke pin. Is it agreed? Agreed.

LEGISLATIVE PAGES

The Speaker (Hon. Michael A. Brown): I beg the indulgence of the House to allow the pages to assemble for introduction.

I would like to ask all members to join me in welcoming this group of legislative pages serving in the second session of the 38th Parliament.

From Mississauga East, Yasmeen Almukamis; from Huron-Bruce, Sarah Anderson; from York West, Anindita Asaduzzaman; from Markham, Chelsi Bonair; from Erie-Lincoln,

Mark Both; from Oak Ridges, Michael Bourgeois; from Ottawa South, Nicole Brouwer; from Scarborough Southwest, Hannah Dies; from Simcoe North, Sandy Edmonds; from London-Fanshawe, Ian Fogarty; from

Guelph-Wellington, Jordan Guetter; from Toronto Centre-Rosedale, Samar Haouas; from Scarborough Centre, Marc Lombardo; from Oakville, Katelynne Moors; from Willowdale, Nicholas Morra; from

Etobicoke North, Matthew Paolucci; from Ottawa Centre, William Pigott; from Vaughan-King-Aurora, Junaina Pirbhai; from Brampton Centre, John Raji; and from Hastings-Frontenac-Lennox and Addington,

Amelia Redmond.

MOTIONS

COMMITTEE

SCHEDULE

Hon. James J. Bradley (Minister of Tourism, minister responsible for seniors, Government House Leader): Speaker, I believe we have unanimous

consent to move a motion without notice regarding the standing committee on public accounts and the standing committee on social policy.

The Speaker (Hon. Michael A. Brown): Mr. Bradley is asking for unanimous consent to move a motion without notice relating to the public

accounts and social policy committees. Agreed? Agreed.

Hon. Mr. Bradley: I move that, notwithstanding the order of the House dated Thursday, June 17, 2004, regarding the

schedule for committee

meetings, the following committees be authorized to meet as follows: the standing committee on public accounts on Thursday, February 16, Thursday, February 23 and Thursday, March 2, 2006, at the

call of the Chair, to no later than 6 p.m.; and the standing committee on social policy on Wednesday, February 15, 2006, between 9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. for the purpose of considering Bill 36, An

Act to provide for the integration of the local system for the delivery of health services.

The Speaker: Mr. Bradley has moved that, notwithstanding the order of the House dated Thursday, June 17, 2004, regarding the

schedule for

committee meetings, the following committees be authorized to meet as follows: the standing committee on public accounts on Thursday, February 16, Thursday, February 23 and Thursday, March 2, 2006,

at the call of the Chair, to no later than 6 p.m.; and the standing committee on social policy on Wednesday, February 15, 2006, between 9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. for the purpose of considering Bill

36,

An Act to provide for the integration of the local system for the delivery of health services.

Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? Carried.

OPPOSITION DAY MOTIONS

Hon. James J. Bradley (Minister of Tourism, minister responsible for seniors, Government House Leader): Mr. Speaker, I believe we have

unanimous consent to move a motion without notice regarding opposition day motions.

The Speaker (Hon. Michael A. Brown): Mr. Bradley has asked for unanimous consent to move a motion regarding opposition day motions. Agreed?

Agreed.

Hon. Mr. Bradley: I move that the opposition day provided for in the order of the House dated December 1, 2005, be scheduled for Wednesday,

February 22, 2006, and that all other provisions as set out in standing order 42 shall apply.

The Speaker: Mr. Bradley has moved that the opposition day provided for in the order of the House dated December 1, 2005, be scheduled for

Wednesday, February 22, 2006, and that all other provisions as set out in standing order 42 shall apply.

Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? Carried.

HOUSE SITTINGS

Hon. James J. Bradley (Minister of Tourism, minister responsible for seniors, Government House Leader): I move that, pursuant to standing

order 9(c)(i), the House shall meet from 6:45 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February 14, 2006, for the purpose of considering government business.

The Speaker (Hon. Michael A. Brown): Mr. Bradley has moved government notice of motion number 59. Is it the pleasure of the House that the

motion carry?

All in favour will say "aye."

All opposed will say "nay."

In my opinion, the ayes have it.

Call in the members. This will be a five-minute bell.

The division bells rang from 1355 to 1400.

The Speaker: All those in favour will rise one at a time and be recognized by the Clerk.

Ayes

Arthurs, Wayne

Balkissoon, Bas

Bartolucci, Rick

Bentley, Christopher

Berardinetti, Lorenzo

Bradley, James J.

Broten, Laurel C.

Brownell, Jim

Bryant, Michael

Cansfield, Donna H.

Caplan, David

Chambers, Mary Anne V.

Chudleigh, Ted

Colle, Mike

Craitor, Kim

Crozier, Bruce

Delaney, Bob

Dhillon, Vic

Di Cocco, Caroline

Duguid, Brad

Duncan, Dwight

Dunlop, Garfield

Flynn, Kevin Daniel

Gerretsen, John

Gravelle, Michael

Hardeman, Ernie

Hoy, Pat

Jeffrey, Linda

Klees, Frank

Kular, Kuldip

Kwinter, Monte

Lalonde, Jean-Marc

Levac, Dave

Marsales, Judy

Matthews, Deborah

McMeekin, Ted

McNeely, Phil

Meilleur, Madeleine

Miller, Norm

Milloy, John

Mossop, Jennifer F.

Munro, Julia

O'Toole, John

Ouellette, Jerry J.

Parsons, Ernie

Peters, Steve

Phillips, Gerry

Pupatello, Sandra

Qaadri, Shafiq

Racco, Mario G.

Ramal, Khalil

Ramsay, David

Rinaldi, Lou

Runciman, Robert W.

Sandals, Liz

Scott, Laurie

Sergio, Mario

Smith, Monique

Smitherman, George

Sorbara, Gregory S.

Takhar, Harinder S.

Tascona, Joseph N.

Tory, John

Van Bommel, Maria

Watson, Jim

Wilkinson, John

Witmer, Elizabeth

Wong, Tony C.

Wynne, Kathleen O.

Zimmer, David

The Speaker: All those opposed will please rise one at a time and be recognized by the Clerk.

Nays

Bisson, Gilles

Horwath, Andrea

Marchese, Rosario

Martel, Shelley

Prue, Michael

The Clerk of the Assembly (Mr. Claude L. DesRosiers): The ayes are 70; the nays are 5.

The Speaker: I declare the motion carried.

STATEMENTS BY THE MINISTRY

AND RESPONSES

YOUTH SERVICES

Hon. Mary Anne V. Chambers (Minister of Children and Youth Services): Our government has a vision for Ontario's children and youth. Our vision

is one of hope and opportunity. Over the past two years, since the Ministry of Children and Youth Services was created, we have been transforming and improving the many sectors that provide support

to our young people. This includes sectors that deal with some of our most vulnerable children and youth: child protection, children's mental health and youth justice.

Sadly, we too often see our children and youth appearing in multiple areas of our mandate. That is why we are working with our partners to build a system that

is focused on the needs of our children and youth, a system that provides prevention and early intervention services and more community-based services and programs for youth who need help to

overcome their difficulties so they can achieve their full potential.

That is why I am pleased to announce that I launched our government's new youth opportunities strategy this morning. It is a strategy that responds to what

young people have said they need in order to help them overcome the significant challenges they face in their day-to-day lives. As part of this strategy, we are investing $28.5 million over the

next three years to improve outcomes for these youth. This strategy includes outreach, mentorship and youth leadership programs, job readiness, employment programs and skills training. It will

support the hiring of 39 youth outreach workers in Toronto, expanding to 62 across Ontario. These outreach workers will build relationships with youth, provide advice and connect them to

appropriate services.

It will establish an annual program of summer jobs for youth from marginalized communities. This program will build on our experience with a smaller initiative

funded by our government in 2004-05 and delivered in partnership with the city of Toronto. Starting this summer, the summer jobs for youth program will be expanded to include 750 youth, more than

double previous numbers, expanding further to other areas of the province next year, to include 1,650 youth.

Our government is also partnering with the Toronto Police Service in an exciting, first-of-its-kind youth-in-policing program for 100 youth from marginalized

communities starting this year, and next year the program will be expanded to include more than 150 youth and some other police services in other areas of the province.

We will also be piloting a school-based program in six Ontario high schools to support proactive peer mediation programs for early conflict prevention and

increased student success.

The youth opportunities strategy complements the new youth challenge fund announced by the Premier two days ago, which will help Toronto neighbourhoods most in

need of services to create new programs or enhance existing programs that help young people to overcome the significant challenges they face.

Our government believes in our youth. We will continue to listen to them and we will continue to do all that we can to help them pursue their dreams. In doing

so, we can help to ensure brighter futures for our youth, their communities and our province.

POLICE

Hon. Monte Kwinter (Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services): I'm pleased to rise today to inform the House about a new

resource available to police in the fight against illegal drug operations. I was proud to join senior Ontario police officers and several members of this House last week to open a new clandestine

drug lab training facility at the Ontario Police College in Aylmer. The new lab is another example of our government's commitment to building safer communities by investing in the resources our

police services need.

We are all aware of the dangers that illegal drug operations pose to our communities, and we owe it to those who protect us to give them the tools they need to

do the job. This lab is one such tool in our fight against illegal drugs and the problems of violence, guns and gangs that come along with them.

Ontario Police College instructors will use the new mock drug lab to train officers how to identify, investigate and dismantle these illegal operations. The

mock-up includes a realistic marijuana grow operation and a kitchen-based methamphetamine lab, presenting students with all the challenges they will face dealing with actual clandestine drug

operations. It's another resource the college will use to prepare recruits and seasoned veterans alike for the evolving challenges they face policing our communities.

Clandestine drug laboratories, whether they are growing marijuana or manufacturing methamphetamine, pose a serious threat to the health, safety and economy of

Ontario's communities. Across Ontario, marijuana grow operations cost the provincial economy millions in property losses and stolen electricity. These dangerous operations also pose serious health

and fire risks.

We've all heard about the emerging threat of crystal meth. It's a very dangerous and harmful drug that ruins lives. It is highly addictive and cheap to

manufacture, which means it is a particular danger for youth in our communities. We also know that illegal drug operations act as a catalyst for much of the gun and gang violence we now see in our

cities. Law enforcement officials indicate that most of the marijuana harvested in Canada is exported to the United States in exchange for guns and other drugs, such as cocaine.

Events here in Toronto over the past year underscore the need for the government to take action to limit the flow of illegal guns into our province, and

combating the illegal drug trade is a key step to doing just that.

Helping police with the resources they need to shut down grow-ops and meth labs is a priority for the McGuinty government, a priority we take very seriously.

As well as our investment in this training facility, we have taken several other important steps. Last December, the Legislature passed a bill to make it easier for police, municipalities, hydro

distribution companies and the provincial government to work together to identify, shut down and make safe illegal marijuana grow operations. Last year, I also established the crystal meth working

group. It brings together public safety and health experts to determine the extent of the meth problem in Ontario and to recommend ways the government can assist our community partners to deal with

the production and use of this dangerous drug. We also lobbied the federal government for stiffer penalties for production, possession and trafficking of methamphetamine. We were pleased to see the

maximum sentence raised from 10 years to life in prison.

We are working quickly to help municipalities and police services across Ontario hire 1,000 new police officers. My ministry is investing more money -- an

extra $14 million in 2006-07 -- to accelerate the hiring and training of those 1,000 new officers. This money will make sure that if the police services want to hire their entire allocation this

year, they will be able to do so. Through our Safer Communities-1,000 Officers Partnership program, we are providing more than $37 million every year in perpetuity as an investment in crime

prevention and law enforcement and making our communities safer and stronger.

Under the program, 500 officers are being assigned to duties related to six priority areas, one of which is organized crime, including grow-ops. Officers are

also assigned to youth crime, guns and gangs, domestic violence, dangerous offenders, and protecting children against Internet luring and child pornography. The other 500 new officers are being

assigned to community-based policing, such as street patrols, working with schools, and traffic enforcement. Our program means more police officers patrolling our streets, more officers tackling

illegal drugs, and more officers helping to make our communities safer and stronger. When you add on our ongoing funding for the community policing partnership program, our government is spending

over $68 million every year to help fund 2,000 new police officers across Ontario.

Like all new police officers, recruits under our 1,000 officers program will come first to the Ontario Police College for basic constable training. Four

hundred of the 1,000 new officers have been hired and will have graduated from basic police constable training at the Ontario Police College by spring. Seventy-nine of them are there right now

getting world-class training and instruction. This is a role the college has played for more than 40 years. Over that time, the Ontario Police College has built an international reputation for

excellence in law enforcement training. Indeed, several police services from the United States, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, take advantage of the Ontario Police College's

training expertise. But what is most important from Ontario's point of view is that, for more than four decades, this college has been graduating the exceptional police officers who work tirelessly

every day to protect our communities.

One of the keys to the college's success is the strong support the college receives from the policing community. Indeed, Chief Armand La Barge, as president of

the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police, has been a champion of the new drug lab and continues to be a strong advocate for the college and its programs. I want to thank him for his support and

I also want to express my pride in the work being done at the Ontario Police College to make sure Ontario's police officers remain among the best-trained in the world. The staff and instructors

share a passion for maintaining the college's well-deserved reputation as a world-class police training facility. With them, we share a common goal: to provide our police officers with the

resources they need to protect and strengthen Ontario's reputation as one of the safest places to live in the world.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Hon. Mike Colle (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration): As Ontarians, we are privileged to live in one of the most diverse societies on

earth. Diversity is our heart and our soul. It is our strength. It is our history.

Today, I'm proud to rise in the House to acknowledge the celebration of an integral part of our history, the experience of the black community in Ontario,

during Black History Month, and to pay tribute to the black Ontarians who have helped weave the social, cultural and economic fabric of our society.

The profound impact of these men and women can be seen throughout history, a history that goes back to 1604, when Mathieu Da Costa was the first recorded

and accompanied his masters to New France back in 1632.

The narrative includes trailblazers like Harriet Tubman, who helped 20,000 black men and women seeking freedom to find their way to Canada, and Mary Ann Shadd,

who started the first integrated school in Canada and was the first female newspaper editor and the first female black lawyer in North America. It also includes Delos Roget Davis, who became one of

Ontario's first black lawyers, and William Peyton Hubbard, who was the first black member elected to Toronto city council. It is a long and distinguished list that continues to grow as the torch is

passed to a younger generation that includes artists, playwrights, journalists, musicians, business people and public servants, to mention a few.

Though this history is about individuals, it is also a story about specific black communities throughout Ontario. These great communities include Windsor,

Amherstburg, Chatham, London, St. Catharines, Toronto and Grey county.

Today we will be celebrating this collective contribution at a reception in the legislative dining room at 4:30. I invite all my honoured colleagues in the

House to join with me and the Honourable Madeleine Meilleur, the Minister of Culture, to share in the great celebration. As part of the celebrations we will recognize Alvin D. McCurdy, a carpenter,

historian and collector of historical photographs and documents that chronicle the early black settlements of Ontario, and in particular the great city of Amherstburg, where he was born. Mr.

McCurdy was born in 1916 and passed away in 1989. Upon his death, his estate donated his entire collection to the Archives of Ontario. We owe Mr. McCurdy a great debt. His collection will live on

forever and will be an invaluable resource for researchers, genealogists, scholars and children and will touch us all.

Again, please join with me as we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the national declaration of February as Black History Month in Canada.

HEART MONTH /

MOIS DU COEUR

Hon. Jim Watson (Minister of Health Promotion): February is Heart Month in Canada, and it's only fitting that on Valentine's Day, a day

synonymous with affairs of the heart, we pause to reflect on how important it is for us to keep our hearts healthy. Heart disease remains a leading cause of death in Canada. More than 40% of

Canadians will develop heart disease in their lifetime, and nearly 70% have been affected in some way by heart disease or stroke. Troublingly, a recent Heart and Stroke Foundation report that was

released yesterday showed that 58% of baby boomers think their weight has little or no effect on their health, this despite obesity rates among boomers rising 60% in the last 10 years.

The good news is that 80% of coronary heart disease can be avoided by exercising regularly, eating healthy foods, avoiding smoking and managing stress.

Notre gouvernement s'engage à promouvoir la santé auprès de l'ensemble de la population ontarienne pour une Ontario en santé. C'est

pourquoi nous prenons des mesures pour aider les Ontariens à être en meilleure santé et à mener une vie plus active.

One of our key partners in raising awareness and conducting vital research is the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario. I'd like to acknowledge in the

presence of the House and the gallery the chief executive officer of the Heart and Stroke Foundation, Mr. Rocco Rossi; Justin Brown, manager of government relations; and Laura King-Hahn, senior

specialist, health partnerships. Thank you for the good work that you're doing.

Our government is an active partner in helping to educate Ontarians about preventing heart disease. The Ministry of Health Promotion invests $5.6 million a

year in initiatives designed to promote heart health across Ontario through the Ontario heart health program. The Ontario heart health program is a community partnership that focuses on risk

factors for cardiovascular diseases and other chronic diseases. Last month I had the opportunity to see an example of the Ontario heart health program in action when I visited the Thames Valley

Children's Centre in London, Ontario. The children's centre, which does great work, gives parents and children an opportunity to gather at a centre and participate in physical activity and

rehabilitation. At the Thames Valley Children's Centre, programs through the Ontario heart health program are also designed to allow disabled children to participate in physical activity.

Throughout the province, our government has worked with our partners and stakeholders to introduce Ontario's Eat Smart! healthy restaurant program. The Eat

Smart! designation allows individuals and families to choose from a variety of healthier food choices on the menu and by request at any restaurant featuring the Eat Smart! symbol.

Accroître le taux d'activité physique des Ontariens constitue une autre priorité pour mon ministère. À l'heure actuelle, seulement

48 % des adultes ontariens sont assez actifs physiquement pour rester en bonne santé. Vie Active 2010, notre stratégie en matière d'activité physique, vise à ce que

d'ici 2010 au moins 55 % des Ontariens mènent une vie active.

Last fall, Minister Kennedy and I were pleased to launch 20 minutes of daily physical activity as part of our government's healthy schools program.

Another major cause of heart disease is smoking. I'm very pleased and proud of the McGuinty government's track record on making Ontario smoke-free, the

legislation of course taking effect on May 31 this year. Tobacco is a major factor in heart disease, stroke and diseases of the vascular system. Smoking-related cardiovascular disease is

responsible, sadly, for over 6,000 deaths annually in Ontario. These are financial and human costs that we simply cannot afford.

Our government is taking steps to improve the heart health of all Ontarians, young and old. We're getting the message out that prevention is key, and this

means eating foods that are healthy, exercising for 30 minutes a day and quitting smoking.

As we pause to celebrate the romance of Valentine's Day, let us take a moment to celebrate heart health in the province of Ontario.

As a former chair of Ottawa's person-to-person campaign for the Heart and Stroke Foundation, I encourage residents of Ontario to be generous when a dedicated

volunteer comes to your door seeking support for the tremendous work the Heart and Stroke Foundation does each and every day in this province.

The Speaker (Hon. Michael A. Brown): Response?

YOUTH SERVICES

Mrs. Julia Munro (York North): When it comes to youth opportunities, I'm glad to see the government finally responding to concerns that our

party has been raising for a long time. Our leader, John Tory, has been talking about the importance of helping young people long before today. As he pointed out in this House yesterday, he called

on you in August 2005 to put in place a coordinated program that would achieve results.

Our party's Time for Action report contains 22 recommendations for making our communities safer and helping youth at risk. I encourage you to look at our

report and to remember that fighting youth violence requires both helping youth at risk and a better enforcement and justice system.

POLICE

Mr. Garfield Dunlop (Simcoe North): As critic for community safety and correctional services, I'm very pleased to respond to Minister

Kwinter's announcement.

Minister, in your fourth paragraph you say, "We owe it to those who protect us to give them the tools they need to do the job." I'm curious: Is the

establishment of the clandestine drug lab at the Ontario Police College part of your justice modernization plan?

I think you should be able to recall that that was a plan that has seen $339 million slashed from the justice ministry. You and the Attorney General both

endorsed that plan. You called it "ambitious and comprehensive" in your September 27, 2005, memo.

Although you spent $230,000 on the drug lab, how much would have been available to our justice ministry for fighting illegal drug crimes if in fact you had not

decided to do a lot of slashing with that ministry?

Minister, I'm pleased that you made the announcement at the Ontario Police College. You've actually opened it up, but I'm very curious where we'll see your

government go with your plan to slash $339 million from the justice ministry.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Mr. Frank Klees (Oak Ridges): I join with my colleagues today in celebrating the diversity of our province and our country. We join all

Canadians in honouring the legacy of black Canadians, past and present, during Black History Month.

This is a time to celebrate the many achievements and contributions of black Canadians who, throughout history, have done so much to make Canada the culturally

diverse, compassionate and prosperous nation we know today.

This past Sunday, John Tory attended the 10th annual Ontario Black History Society launch, an event that recognizes the experiences, accomplishments and

achievements of Canadians of African ancestry. He made the following statement, which I would like to read into the record on this occasion: "I believe Black History Month must ultimately be about

the future, about the bright horizons ahead and the great things our African-Canadian communities can achieve and all Canadians can build together."

I too want to join in expressing gratitude to Mr. Alvin McCurdy and his family for their gift of history to our province, and invite all Ontarians to join us

in celebrating Black History Month.

HEART MONTH

Mr. Norman W. Sterling (Lanark-Carleton): I want to add the voice of the PC caucus in support of Heart Month and the Heart and Stroke

Foundation's fundraising campaign. Our party led the way with regard to reforming laws in Ontario to disallow smoking in public and private places. In December 1985, I introduced the first bill in

Canada to control smoking in the workplace and in public places. Our party is proud of our record in terms of this very harmful social habit that led to so much heart disease in the past.

I want to encourage Ontarians to make healthy choices in an effort to prevent heart disease and stroke, simple things like eating less fast food and takeout,

increasing the number of fruits and vegetables you eat, and increasing physical activity by just 10 minutes a day. These are only three of the Heart and Stroke Foundation's 10 suggested ways to

improve your health.

Although we can prevent cardiac disease, it doesn't resolve all the problems with regard to those who require surgery. I am proud of the fact, and I want to

remind all Ontarians, that the Progressive Conservative government, of which I was a member, reduced wait times for cardiac surgery by half between 1996 and 2003.

Before I finish, I would like to recognize the representatives of the Heart and Stroke Foundation and thank them for all the hard work they do on our

behalf.

Ms. Shelley Martel (Nickel Belt): In response to the statement made by the Minister of Health Promotion, I want to refer to some of the

results that were released yesterday by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada in its annual report on Canadians' health, because the results that were released yesterday show just how far every

government, including the Ontario government, has to go to deal with heart health.

The results were shocking: 30% of baby boomers are obese, compared to 19% a decade ago; 24% of today's seniors are obese. Secondly, more than half -- 52% -- of

boomers are physically inactive, up from 43% a decade ago; 50% of today's seniors report a sedentary lifestyle. Thirdly, while smoking rates have decreased among boomers over the past decade, from

29% to 21%, they are still much higher than the 11% of seniors who smoke.

Those results were followed up by commentary by health care professionals who deal with this issue on a daily basis, and I want to read into the record some of

their quotes.

"`This year, every day almost 1,000 Canadian baby boomers will turn 60, entering the prime age for heart disease and stroke,' says Dr. Beth Abramson, Heart and

Stroke Foundation spokesperson and cardiologist. `Rising obesity rates and inactivity among boomers could threaten years of steady progress towards better heart health.'"

Quote number two: "`Boomers are clearly heading towards a downward spiral when it comes to their heart health,' she said. `The picture is not good when

compared to the previous generation, today's seniors. Boomers are certainly not headed in the right direction.'"

Finally, "`We know that 42% of Canadians already in their 60s report having heart disease, stroke or hypertension. Boomers -- with their high rates of obesity

and inactivity -- could be even worse off,' says Dr. Robert Reid, Heart and Stroke Foundation researcher."

I think that's probably why Mr. Rossi, when he came before the social development committee with respect to the LHIN legislation, raised these two concerns and

asked the government to respond to these two very serious concerns:

"One of our concerns about the establishment of LHINs is that there will not be clear accountability at the provincial level to ensure continuing progress with

implementation of the stroke strategy. This strategy must be continued for the sake of today's patients and those at risk of becoming patients in the future. It must continue to be the object of

improvements, such as increased powers for the provincial and regional steering committees to hold health care providers accountable for integration."

The second concern had to do with research. I quote again from Mr. Rossi: "I don't believe that Bill 36 even mentions the word" research. "True integration

must include strong links to research so that we minimize the gap between what we know and what is practical. Good research has been the bedrock of our foundation's success and the wellspring of

innovation and improvement."

I look forward to seeing the government amendments that respond, because so far they haven't been put to the committee.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Mr. Rosario Marchese (Trinity-Spadina): New Democrats join the Minister of Citizenship in celebrating Black History Month. We say, through

Black History Month, that we acknowledge that African Canadians have been here in Canada and in Ontario for hundreds of years. Through Black History Month, we confirm and affirm the contribution of

African Canadians in Ontario.

The Minister of Citizenship mentioned some of the trailblazers. I would add a couple of more names to that list: Rosemary Brown; Zanana Akande; Alvin Curling,

who was a Liberal MPP in this place for a long time; and Lincoln Alexander.

I want to remind the governments of their obligation, and I would remind all the MPPs of our obligation, to do things that celebrate Black History Month. I say

this: In the Toronto Board of Education, we are losing the international language program, including the black cultural programs, because the Toronto board cannot afford to keep them. Unless

provincial governments donate and give some money to the Toronto Board of Education to keep the black cultural programs, they will die.

I will remind the government that we used to have an anti-racist secretariat from 1991 to 1995. We no longer have it. The point of having an anti-racist

secretariat is to say that the government is committed to fighting racism. This government should think about reinstituting an anti-racist secretariat, because as much as we would love for racism

to disappear, it hasn't, and we need to work proactively to deal with it.

I would remind the government that they should employ employment equity principles as we talk about access to jobs and to promotion. I would remind the

government that the salaries of racialized communities are much lower than white society, and that we, as a government and as members, need to deal with these issues and many more issues that I

haven't been able to touch on.

ORAL QUESTIONS

OMERS PENSION FUND

Mr. John Tory (Leader of the Opposition): My first question is to the Premier. Premier, I think that all of us agree that an illegal strike

anywhere, any time, is wrong, and I think it is our obligation to do everything we can to prevent it. When I wrote to you today, I was not suggesting that you should give in or give up; I was

merely suggesting that you try sitting down with all concerned -- officials from the police and fire and other emergency responders, CUPE, municipalities -- and see if we could find a way to

resolve some of these issues and to avoid a damaging and dangerous illegal strike.

Why won't you even consider such a meeting, using your good offices, not to force your way on people, but just to see if we could try to resolve some of these

issues? Why wouldn't we give that a try?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty (Premier, Minister of Research and Innovation): I appreciate the spirit that informs the leader of the official

opposition's question today, but I have an important responsibility. That responsibility is to honour a specific commitment made to both municipalities and workers, a subsection of which is very

important; of course that is CUPE. I further made a specific commitment to introduce legislation that would enable police and firefighters, recognizing the grave risks associated with their work,

to negotiate additional supplemental benefits, including the ability to retire a little bit early.

I've got to live up to that responsibility. That's why we intend to move forward with this legislation. There has been much opportunity, I want to assure the

leader of the official opposition, for discussion and for committee hearings and for amendments and the like, and we are eager now to move forward with this bill.

Mr. Tory: I think we all recognize that we all have important responsibilities. We all recognize, for example, in principle, the desirability

of special recognition being given to those emergency response workers to have separate retirement arrangements. But in the end, you know you have the numbers to pass this bill this month, next

month, June -- whatever. It's obvious from the 100 or so amendments made so far that the extensive consultation you referred to yesterday hasn't been extensive enough. And it's obvious, from the

generally chaotic situation that exists where we're on the brink of an illegal strike, which none of us wants to see and none of us approves of, that the situation has not been the result of

extensive enough consultation.

So I ask you again, notwithstanding the important responsibilities, notwithstanding the points of principle, but recognizing that you have the time to pass

this, you have the numbers to pass this well off into the future, why won't you take a bit of time to listen, to try to cool things down, to try to avoid a much worse situation, including an

illegal strike which we all oppose and must do whatever we can to avoid? Why won't you do that?

Hon. Mr. McGuinty: I say to the leader of the official opposition that I have asked that CUPE members honour their commitment to the people of

Ontario and continue to maintain those services upon which we all rely. I think it's important for all of us to respect the process.

We have done more than that, I would argue. We have had two rounds of committee hearings. The bill will be brought back into the House. There will be an

opportunity for additional debate. We will respect, and we have throughout this matter respected, the process. I would ask that CUPE workers, and Mr. Ryan in particular, also respect the process

and honour the law. We have made a commitment. We are living up to that commitment, and we will continue to do so.

Mr. Tory: Even if it was to make that plea in person -- he's offered to meet you, he's given you his cellphone number, he's made himself

available -- even if it was to make that representation, in which I share, which is to ask him to honour the law and maybe just to spend a few minutes listening to him, would the Premier please

tell me, when you know you have the numbers to pass this bill whenever you want between now and the spring or any time, what do we have to lose if you take the time and make the effort to bring

municipalities, police, unions and other sponsors together in your office and use your good office to try to avoid this illegal strike, try to resolve these issues through means other than these

kinds of chaotic situations like an illegal strike? What do we have to lose?

Hon. Mr. McGuinty: The leader of the official opposition will know that there are always groups that, in one way or another, will be opposed

to any government initiative put forward by any government of any political stripe. They are entitled, of course, to register their concerns. But I think, and I know the leader of the official

opposition would agree with me in this regard, it is unfortunate that one particular opponent -- who represents, by the way, a minority of OMERS plan holders -- would engage in a game of

brinksmanship. I think each and every one of us should respect the process. There has been a process respected by our government. We had 13 separate days of committee hearings. We entertained over

100 various amendments and in fact adopted some put forward by the opposition. We have a commitment. It is our intention to live up to that commitment. But, in doing so, we will always respect the

process and those who might be opposed.

MINISTERIAL CONDUCT

Mr. John Tory (Leader of the Opposition): My question is again to the Premier. We heard a lot from you yesterday about what is not in your

rules and your set of standards for ministerial behaviour. Could you please tell us here today exactly what your standards are for ministerial behaviour, and people staying or going from your

cabinet?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty (Premier, Minister of Research and Innovation): I know that the leader of the official opposition would certainly hold

himself out to be a fair man. And, in fairness, we should respect the findings in the Integrity Commissioner's report.

The leader of the official opposition made three separate allegations surrounding Minister Takhar. One was that he enriched himself or his business. Another

was that he was involved in the management of the business. The third was that the trustee was no longer at arm's length.

The Integrity Commissioner specifically found, on the first two allegations, that there was no complaint. He did not agree, and the leader of the official

opposition knows this. What he did, in fact, find was that there was a breach of the act, and it had to do with the fact that, although he had had his trustee previously approved by the Integrity

Commissioner, he should have brought to his attention that he was no longer in an arm's-length position. That is the subject of the Integrity Commissioner's report and that's why he found that

Minister Takhar was in breach of the integrity act. I just think it's really important that we understand the facts here.

Mr. Tory: I do agree with the Premier that it's important we understand the facts, and the facts are that, for the first time ever, a cabinet

minister has been reprimanded under this act, that the cabinet minister in question has been found guilty of egregiously reckless behaviour and negligence by the Integrity Commissioner --

Interjections.

Mr. Tory: Well, that's what his decision says.

Yesterday, you said that all was fine because his behaviour "does not involve an abuse of taxpayers' money through expensive hotel rooms and steak dinners.

Minister Takhar did not in any way enrich himself; he did not in any way abuse or was even seen to attempt to abuse taxpayer dollars." Since you wouldn't answer my first question, can I assume that

the standard of behaviour that you apply to your ministers is that if it's anything other than steak dinners, expensive hotel rooms, self-enrichment or abuse of taxpayers' money, then it's okay?

Egregiously reckless conduct and negligent conduct is fine; only if it's hotel rooms and steak dinners does it count as being worthy to lose one's job in your government.

Hon. Mr. McGuinty: What the leader of the official opposition can assume is that the facts in each of these matters are important. Again, I'll

repeat this because I think it's very important. The allegations were threefold, coming from the leader of the official opposition. One was that Minister Takhar enriched himself or his business. In

response to that, the Integrity Commissioner said, "In my opinion, there is no evidence, direct or circumstantial, upon which I could find that the minister breached

section 2."

He then said that he was involved in the management of a business -- that was the leader of the official opposition's allegation. The Integrity Commissioner

said, "I can find no more than an error in judgment.... I therefore conclude this aspect of the complaint has not been established." But he did say, in fairness to the leader of the official

opposition, that he should have notified him of the change of status of his trustee. In response to that, he said: "I have to recognize that the minister did not go about intentionally trying to

short-circuit the system. I accept his statement that had he realized that his arm's-length relationship" with his trustee "was compromised, he would have taken steps through his office to

straighten things up." On the basis of those facts, I have come to the conclusion that Minister Takhar should stay in cabinet.

Mr. Tory: I think, whatever the facts are, the one fact that is --

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Michael A. Brown): Stop the clock. Minister of Northern Development.

The Leader of the Opposition.

Mr. Tory: The one fact that can't be contradicted is that, for the first time in the history of this regime and this act, and having an

Integrity Commissioner passing judgment on matters of this kind, a cabinet minister has been reprimanded. Whatever various

interpretations may be of what has been said, that is a fact and you have

accepted that,

whereas before, when a minister was not reprimanded but was found to have breached the very same law, you said it was cause for his resignation.

I think your ministers, Premier, should take great comfort in knowing they can get away with just about anything before you would ask them to step aside. Can

we now conclude that a minister is free to act in a reckless and negligent fashion as long as it doesn't involve public dollars? Can we now conclude that it's okay for your ministers to breach the

Members' Integrity Act as long as it serves the government well politically? This was not your standard when you were in opposition. What are your standards now that you're Premier of Ontario? What

does it take for someone to lose their job in your government?

Hon. Mr. McGuinty: The leader of the official opposition has trouble accepting the facts, and the facts are not unimportant. In fact, they are

important. The important issue here upon which the Integrity Commissioner came to the conclusion that the minister had breached

section 11 of the Members' Integrity Act was whether the trustee,

previously approved by the Integrity Commissioner, was no longer at arm's length from the minister. He says, "I conclude that the minister has breached

section 11 of the act." He goes on to say, "I

have to recognize that the minister did not go about intentionally trying to short-circuit the system." He says, "I accept his statement that, had he realized that his arm's-length relationship

with his trustee was compromised, he would have taken steps through this office to straighten things out." So if the leader of the official opposition wants to know what my standard is on this

matter, I believe that in these circumstances, given those facts, it is appropriate that Mr. Takhar apologize, as he did, and that he remain in cabinet.

VISITOR

The Speaker (Hon. Michael A. Brown): I would take just a moment to draw members' attention to the east members' gallery and introduce a former

colleague, Murad Velshi from the riding of Don Mills, who served in the 34th Parliament.

NUCLEAR ENERGY

Mr. Howard Hampton (Kenora-Rainy River): To the Premier: Last May, your then-energy minister, Dwight Duncan, promised "full public discussion

and dialogue" on new nuclear plants. In December, you promised "a full and open public consultation" before approving more nuclear plants. Today we learn that your electricity generating company,

Ontario Power Generation, has been in the backroom already sizing up plans for two new nuclear plants at Darlington and near Port Hope. Premier, is this what you meant by a full and open public

consultation on nuclear power?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty (Premier, Minister of Research and Innovation): To the Minister of Energy.

Hon. Donna H. Cansfield (Minister of Energy): I thank the opposition member for the question.

At no time did we give any instructions to Ontario Power Generation to participate in any discussions with the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. In fact, the

only time that we had discussion with them was to increase the water power in this province, starting with Upper Mattagami, because renewables is a particular emphasis that we want to have.

If in fact the gentleman is referring to the briefing notes, those notes were not from Ontario Power Generation; they were actually from the Canadian Nuclear

Safety Commission.

Mr. Hampton: I will quote from the briefing note. "Prospect for new build: OPG has two potential sites that may be available for a new build."

But you see, Minister, the McGuinty government is the sole shareholder of Ontario Power Generation, so they couldn't be taking direction from anywhere else, because there's no one else to direct

them but the McGuinty government. So my question is, again: Is this what the Premier meant when he promised a full, public, open consultation on nuclear power, that Ontario Power Generation would

be in the backroom already sizing up sites for new nuclear plants before any consultation process was ever held? Is that the McGuinty promise?

Hon. Mrs. Cansfield: The member again, as usual, has quoted only part of the briefing notes. In fact, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission

has a responsibility, as you know, to be on-site for every nuclear station. They work very closely with all of the plants. They look at the outages and the problems that they have; they look at the

challenges that are facing, obviously, the stations that are older.

But having said that, one of the questions I think we should recognize is that we are currently, in 12 cities across this province, asking Ontarians what they

think. That's what we are doing. Yesterday, I was in Mississauga. I had the opportunity to be there for three hours and listened to the input from Ontarians about what they feel the mixed fuel

supply should be about. I was very interested to find that people were not just relying on a particular fuel; they were looking at all the mixed supply, with a significant emphasis on replacement

for renewables, for conservation, and what else we could do to ensure that the lights are kept on for the people of Ontario.

Mr. Hampton: Well, I say to the Premier, this looks like the biggest fix since Salé and Pelletier got robbed of the gold medal at the

Olympics. You promised people full, open, public consultations on nuclear power. Even months before your sham process begins, Ontario Power Generation is already sizing up site locations for two

new nuclear plants. Premier, given your obvious broken promise, why should people across Ontario believe anything the McGuinty government says about nuclear power?

Hon. Mrs. Cansfield: Again, it's interesting that the member only chooses part. In fact, if you look at the briefing notes, they indicate that

"OPG has a number of initiatives underway to prevent the need for a long outage to replace feeders ahead of the projected date for reactor refurbishment." There are a number of initiatives. It is

part of their responsibility to maintain the generation plants at absolute and uttermost peak. It is their responsibility to work very carefully with the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission on all

of their reactors. It's absolutely no different for Bruce.

There was nothing that came from this government other than that they had the regular meetings they normally do. There was nothing from this government other

than the fact that I met with OPG and asked them to increase the water supply in this province, starting with Upper Mattagami because we know that there's additional water that we can use for

hydroelectricity in this province that has been underutilized and underinvested in for the last 12 years.

The Speaker (Hon. Michael A. Brown): New question, the leader of the third party.

Mr. Hampton: To the Premier: I know the Premier doesn't want to hear about his latest broken promise, but I think it's important that he hear

what people are saying about the McGuinty mega nuclear power scheme. The Toronto Star says that at last night's Toronto open house, speaker after speaker said "nuclear power is expensive,

unreliable and dangerous to the environment and human health."

Premier, you promised to listen to working families. Instead, Ontario Power Generation is already selecting sites for new nuclear plants. Is this what the

McGuinty government meant by full, open and public hearings on nuclear power -- a sham process that starts before any consultations are even held?

Hon. Mr. McGuinty: To the Minister of Energy.

Hon. Mrs. Cansfield: If you recall, under Bill 100 we actually put in place the Ontario Power Authority, which had the responsibility to

engage in a process of consultation to develop a mixed supply option for this province because we actually have to replace 25,000 megawatts of supply by the year 2025. They went out and

participated -- over 40 newspapers; over 280 individuals. The stakeholders actually called in Greenpeace, not once, not twice but three times, and the Sierra Club. They had a broad range of

consultation.

They then came to this government with their recommendations. We posted it on the EBR. My office has been open and I have met with virtually everybody who

wants to meet with me. There were a few who didn't show up. We have had continuous engagement through e-mail. We have had continuous engagement through letters. Now we're participating in 12

communities.

Once that is done, then it goes to the Ontario Energy Board, which in fact engages in another public consultation, and then when the projects are determined,

they engage in another --

The Speaker: Thank you. Supplementary.

Mr. Hampton: I want the Premier to hear what Elizabeth May, executive director of the Sierra Club of Canada, has to say about your process.

She's a respected environmentalist and an Officer of the Order of Canada. At last night's open house whitewash in Ottawa, she said that your consultations are inadequate or, in her words, "a dog

and pony show with no dog and no pony." Premier, Elizabeth May of the Sierra Club wants you to live up to your promise of full, open and public consultations on nuclear power. Will you put your

Ontario Power Authority supply mix report to a full, formal environmental assessment, which Elizabeth May is asking you to do?

Hon. Mrs. Cansfield: I find it absolutely amazing, and maybe just a tad amusing, that the individual who comes out in such strong favour of

this consultation in fact cancelled all consultation on the Ontario Hydro 25-year supply plan, cancelled all of the conservation initiatives and cancelled Conawapa, and doesn't like wind, doesn't

like hydroelectric and doesn't like nuclear.

The fact of the matter is that the one advantage we have in this wonderful province is that people are open and able to give their opinion from a wide range of

perspectives. Certainly I heard that last night. It was refreshing to hear people who wanted to speak about renewable energy and conservation and photovoltaics and what they could do as individuals

to make a difference. Finally, people were talking about the need for transmission to bring all that wind and run-of-the-river that's in the north down to where the power is needed for our

factories. I thought it was one of the best evenings I've spent, and I am looking forward to participating in many more.

Mr. Hampton: The only wind we're getting is the wind from the Minister of Energy. This is what Dave Martin from Greenpeace calls your nuclear

meetings: "totally inadequate." Dan McDermott from the Sierra Club calls them "a sham," and Kim Fry from the Toronto Environmental Alliance calls them "a disgrace." And that was before they learned

that the fix was already in.

Premier, your $40-billion nuclear boondoggle has huge economic and environmental risks. Will you keep your promise? Will you put your Ontario Power Authority

supply mix report to a full, formal environmental assessment, which environmental groups and people across Ontario are asking you to do? Will you keep your promise, Premier?

Hon. Mrs. Cansfield: You know what I will do? I'll keep the promise to keep the lights on in Ontario, leadership that's been lacking in the

energy sector for a long period of time. It's really quite --

Interjections.

The Speaker: We'll wait.

Minister?

Hon. Mrs. Cansfield: I reiterate: It's our responsibility to take leadership and keep the lights on for the people of Ontario, and it is

leadership that we take responsibly. We use their money prudently because we said we would. We will maximize our existing assets both in generation and transmission. We will build new generation,

10,000 megawatts of which is under way. We will put in place a culture of conservation, and we have put that in place as well.

I can appreciate that someone who neglected those before may not be pleased to hear about them now, but the difference is that in the future the lights will

remain on. There will be electricity for our industries, and the people of Ontario will have a strategy in place that will make a difference for them as they plan their future, be it in their

individual lives or in their business plans. They can rely on affordable, clean energy for the people of the province of Ontario.

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION

Mr. John Tory (Leader of the Opposition): Again to the Premier: Yesterday you made reference in the list of accountability measures you claim

to have taken that freedom of information has been improved. I wonder, if that's true, if you could explain to us why, under the freedom of information regime of your government, it took us over

seven months to receive the transportation minister's cellphone bills and

schedule for the time surrounding his visits to his company. Maybe at the same time you could explain how it could be that,

once received seven months later, the phone bills for the relevant period showed absolutely no incoming or outgoing phone calls, even though the evidence shows he did make phone calls during those

periods. Perhaps you could explain those two things.

Hon. Dalton McGuinty (Premier, Minister of Research and Innovation): We are more than pleased to talk about our record when it comes to

accountability. I took the opportunity yesterday to outline some of those for the leader of the official opposition, whether we're talking about our new Fiscal Transparency and Accountability Act

or whether we're talking about our ban on partisan government advertising, which cost taxpayers over $100 million on the Conservative government watch. We brought in real-time disclosure for

political donations, which we thought was a very important step forward. We brought the sunshine in over OPG and Hydro One, which would have been hidden from daylight by the Conservative

government. When it comes to accountability measures, we are very proud of the steps we've taken so far, and we look forward to taking more.

Mr. Tory: Whatever sunshine you claim to have let in, you've brought the curtain down on freedom of information. It's interesting, because it

took seven months to get the phone bills -- well beyond the limits, well in excess of any appeal and extension periods. It took seven months to get the minister's

schedule for the dates in

question. It is very clear that on the day in question, this meeting, which we now know took place because it's in the Integrity Commissioner's findings and in the evidence, doesn't even appear on

the schedule, which raises the issue of whether these are the real schedules that were produced under freedom of information.

Why is your government going out of its way in terms of time taken and these documents being produced that have no record of anything going on, and all the

rest of what is there is blacked out? Why are you going out of your way to stonewall access to information on this? What is your government trying to cover up here?

Hon. Mr. McGuinty: We are more than pleased to comply with any requests that are brought forward and to adhere to the freedom of information

legislation and anything that might flow from that. I know that the leader of the official opposition would be interested in a

section on response rate compliance put out by the Office of the

Information and Privacy Commissioner in their annual report. In talking about our first year of government, they said, "This marked a potential watershed in the compliance rates of provincial

ministries responding to requests. Overall, provincial ministries had a compliance rate of 77.2%. This represents a remarkable turnaround from the compliance levels achieved in preceding years....

They reached a low point in 1996 when only 39% of requests were answered within thirty days."

I'm pleased and proud of what we've been doing, and we look forward to doing more.

OMERS PENSION FUND

Ms. Andrea Horwath (Hamilton East): My question is for the Premier. The tragedy of the OMERS bill, Bill 206, is that the bill is in fact

fixable. In committee, the New Democratic Party tabled many amendments that would have solved the problem, but the Liberal members on the committee voted unanimously against those amendments.

Premier, before it's too late, will you at least take another look at those amendments? Can you at least do that?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty (Premier, Minister of Research and Innovation): To the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

Hon. John Gerretsen (Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing): I'd like to thank the member for the question. As she well knows, there were

legislative hearings both after first reading and after second reading. The devolution of OMERS has been talked about for 10 years by three different governments. None of those governments was

successful in doing it. We intend on doing it. We believe it's those people who pay into the plan, both from the employee and the employer viewpoint, who should have the say over the plan. That's

what the devolution is all about. We intend to live up to that commitment. There have been enough discussions about this, ongoing on a number of different levels. There's been an awful lot of

consultation. There have been 13 days of legislative hearings. We really believe that the final result is a bill we can be proud of in the sense that the payers who are paying into the plan, both

on the employer and the employee side, will have a say about governing the plan in the future

Ms. Horwath: Back to the Premier: You're ignoring the stakeholders and now you're about to download labour unrest to the municipalities as a

result. You don't want to reconsider the amendments that we tabled in committee that are going to solve the problem.

How about another solution? How about honouring some of your own promises that you put together in a letter to OMERS back on October 3, 2002? In that letter,

you promised a dispute resolution similar to the teachers' plan. You also promised a single-based plan, with additional supplemental plans for all employees across the board. Those were your

promises. Will you honour those promises now and save us all a whole lot of trouble in this province?

Hon. Mr. Gerretsen: We are honouring our commitments that were set out by the Premier and by this party when it ran in the election of 2003,

and that is, to devolve the OMERS plan to those people who are paying into it, both from the employer and the employee viewpoint, and also to allow supplemental benefit plans for those emergency

workers to be negotiated at the local level. That supplementary plan, whatever is negotiated at the local level, will not have any impact on the main plan. No one who currently has a pension is

going to have their pension affected in any way whatsoever. The scaremongering that's been going on with respect to pensioners losing their pensions or somehow having their pensions reduced is

totally incorrect and inaccurate. All pensions that are currently in effect will remain in effect and will not be affected at all by any changes being made in Bill 206.

CHILD CARE

Mrs. Maria Van Bommel (Lambton-Kent-Middlesex): My question is for the Minister of Children and Youth Services. I know that our government has

been working very hard to deliver an early learning and child care agreement with the federal government on behalf of parents in Ontario who are looking for high-quality, licensed child care. In my

own rural riding the demand for high-quality child care far outweighs the supply, and I know we have the same situation right across this province.

Prime Minister Harper has said that he plans to cancel these child care agreements, so it's no surprise that, since the election of the Conservative government

in Ottawa, when I speak to parents in my riding, they tell me about how concerned they are for the future of these child care agreements. Minister, can you tell me what this child care agreement

means for the constituents of my riding of Lambton-Kent-Middlesex?

Hon. Mary Anne V. Chambers (Minister of Children and Youth Services): I want to thank my colleague the member from Lambton-Kent-Middlesex.

First, let me tell you what this agreement means to the people of Ontario. Across the province, we're talking about a commitment of $1.9 billion over five years. In the first three years of the

planning process here in Ontario, the objective is 25,000 new, regulated, high-quality early learning and child care spaces, because this is what parents have been telling us they need.

In relation to that particular area, I can give you some stats. The three municipalities of Lambton-Kent-Middlesex stand to lose, if this agreement is not

allowed to continue, 1,975 spaces -- $88 million of investment in early learning and child care for the parents and children of Lambton-Kent-Middlesex.

Mrs. Van Bommel: Thank you, Minister. Obviously, there's a lot at stake for the constituents in my riding, as I'm sure there is right across

this province for all parents. I know parents are counting on these agreements to provide high-quality child care for their families. Minister, what can we do, what can our communities do, what can

parents do to make sure that the federal government understands the importance of this funding agreement?

Hon. Mrs. Chambers: I'm calling upon parents and specialists in this area to make public the concerns they have been raising with me, because

for the people of Ontario. I'm asking the Leader of the Opposition and the leader of the third party to work with us. Work with us, because this is an expectation and a need expressed by parents in

Ontario, parents represented by all of you here in this House. I ask the Leader of the Opposition and I ask the leader of the third party to stand with us, as the government of Ontario, on behalf

of the people of Ontario, stand on behalf of parents and their children for whom we're trying to deliver the best start in life, because this --

The Speaker (Hon. Michael A. Brown): Thank you. New question.

MANUFACTURING SECTOR

Mr. Ted Chudleigh (Halton): My question is to the Premier. January was an especially cruel month in the manufacturing sector in Ontario. We

lost a staggering 33,000 manufacturing jobs. That's over $1,000 a day, Premier. The manufacturing sector is in crisis, and all of Ontario is suffering as a result.

On Thursday, December 8, in this very Legislature a motion was passed with the unanimous consent of this House. It requested of the government a comprehensive

action plan to assist the communities that have been affected by this economic crisis. My question, Premier: Where is the action plan? On what day can we expect to receive the details of this

plan?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty (Premier, Minister of Research and Innovation): To the Minister of Economic Development and Trade.

Hon. Joseph Cordiano (Minister of Economic Development and Trade): Let me just say that with respect to the loss of manufacturing jobs, there

is no doubt that Ontario faces significant challenges, mostly attributable to the high dollar. In fact, many economists have pointed to that as the direct result of the job losses.

When you look at what Ontario is doing, we have on our part made a number of significant moves. The auto strategy we put in place has now secured almost $6

billion worth of new investment. In addition to that is the advanced manufacturing investment strategy I announced in December, which is moving forward and, I'm happy to report, is oversubscribed

already, and will lead to new investments. But as I say, with respect to the challenges that are being faced in this sector, the high dollar is the direct result of those job losses.

Mr. Chudleigh: The high dollar is one thing, but you've also increased taxes to these same companies. You've increased energy costs and

electricity costs. You've driven up expenses to these industries. Among those industries, and this is just January, are B.F. Goodrich in Kitchener, Waterloo, 1,100 jobs gone; Ford Motor Co. in

Windsor, closed, and in St. Thomas, down to 1,200 jobs; John Deere in Woodstock, closed, 325 jobs; Bowater, another shift gone, and Thunder Bay, laid off 280 people; Winpack Technologies in

Toronto, laid off 250 people. The list goes on and on.

These people are from all across Ontario. You said you were going to bring in a plan for the communities that were hurt. I don't see that the dollar exchange

is going to affect that. These communities are suffering. Where's the plan for these families and, in this massive list of companies that have laid off, whereabouts is the plan for these

communities to help them through this desperate situation your government has put them in?

Hon. Mr. Cordiano: Do you know what? We have a real concern for the people who have lost their jobs in these communities that are affected. In

fact, recently I met with the mayor of the city of Cornwall, and we put together an action plan for the city of Cornwall that does a number of things.

Let me go back to the question of the dollar. If you don't believe me that this is what's hurting manufacturing in Ontario, I'll quote from Doug Porter, deputy

chief economist at BMO, who said, "There's no question that manufacturing is struggling and will continue to struggle. The dollar is the overwhelming story."

I would suggest that the member opposite should pick up the phone and call his federal cousins, who are the government today, and ask them what they're going

to do to help Ontario's manufacturing base because, frankly, Ontario is doing a number of things.

Interjections.

Hon. Mr. Cordiano: Mr. Speaker, they're interrupting.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Michael A. Brown): Order. Minister?

Hon. Mr. Cordiano: I would suggest to the member that the federal government has to bring forward some initiatives, just as we have done in

this province. We have an investment strategy for manufacturing, we have an auto sector strategy, we have a forestry sector strategy, and we've capped electricity prices for large industrial users,

a very comprehensive economic set of initiatives that are designed to help Ontario's manufacturing base. We need the federal government to assist Ontario, so pick up the phone, call your federal

counterparts and ask them what they're going --

Mr. Peter Kormos (Niagara Centre): You pick up the phone.

Hon. Mr. Cordiano: I have. I have picked up --

The Speaker: Thank you. New question.

WASTE DIVERSION

Mr. Michael Prue (Beaches-East York): My question is for Minister of the Environment. The city of Toronto's garbage woes never seem to end. A

great part of their problem is funding, or the lack thereof, for waste diversion. During the 2003 election, Liberals promised to divert 60% of the waste from Ontario landfills by 2008. To date, you

and your predecessors have not filed a plan, and to date, you have made no progress reports. When can we expect them?

Hon. Laurel C. Broten (Minister of the Environment): I'm pleased to have an opportunity to speak to the issue that the city of Toronto is

currently facing. As many in this Legislature may be aware, the city of Toronto is currently in contract renegotiation with their hauler that is transporting waste to the US. They have indicated to

me that they do not expect significant waste transportation issues through the transition period from Wilson to Republic, which will be on April 1, 2006. I think it is important to highlight why

this issue is in current discussion.

The city of Toronto, like all municipalities in this province, has been working diligently and working closely with my ministry to develop their alternative

plans. We have all said that transporting waste to Michigan is not a long-term solution, and the member is quite right that additional diversion and increased diversion is a large part of that

solution.

Mr. Prue: My question isn't about the transportation of waste, and yes, I'm aware of the dilemma of the city of Toronto. But in 2003, it was

you and your government, or your government-in-waiting, and not the municipalities, that promised to divert 60% of the waste from landfills. You've failed to ban organic waste from landfills and to

develop a recycling program for used oil, e-waste and tires. There's no plan. The only McGuinty government solution to the pending garbage crisis offered to date is to weaken environmental

assessment rules. That's all you've done.

Toronto has ambitious waste diversion targets and plans, but needs some financial support. Is it your intention to continue with your do-nothing policy, or

will you be providing funding so that Toronto can deal with this crisis?

Hon. Ms. Broten: I think it is imprudent of the member opposite to declare that there is a crisis in the city of Toronto. There is no crisis

in the city of Toronto. There is a contract negotiation in place with respect to the waste hauler. So let's deal with those facts.

The city of Toronto is working hard on one of the best diversion strategies in the province. Each and every municipality across this province is putting

forward plans. My ministry is meeting closely with those plans, focusing in particular on those municipalities that transport their waste to the US. We're encouraged by the progress they're making.

We're working closely with municipalities such as the city of Toronto. There is nothing preventing any of those municipalities from coming forward with innovative and new technology, new solutions,

as long as they're clean and do not take away from diversion.

With respect to the member's comments on the Environmental Assessment Act, I would put him on notice that the environment assessment process is not going to be

weakened; it's going to be streamlined and efficient. A streamlined and efficient process does not mean a weak process. Communities across this province, environmental activists -- all participants

in the environmental assessment process -- need to understand a process that takes place faster and quicker and more efficiently.

LOCAL HEALTH

INTEGRATION NETWORKS

Mrs. Carol Mitchell (Huron-Bruce): My question is for the Minister of Health. I know that it's no surprise to you that the state of our health

care system is front and centre in the minds of many Ontarians. Given this, it's also no surprise to you that our government is improving the health care system. It is the subject of regular

conversations I have with my constituents in Huron-Bruce. You also know that the state of our health care system is one of the major reasons why Ontarians spoke resoundingly for change when our

government was elected just over two years ago. It's clear that the policies and actions of the previous government left much to be desired for patients, and it's also clear that the status quo is

not acceptable. That is why I am so excited, whenever I have the opportunity, to speak with you about how you are moving forward and how our government is bringing progress to our health care

system that works for the patients.

Minister, can you tell me how the Local Health System Integration Act will benefit my constituents?

Hon. George Smitherman (Minister of Health and Long-Term Care): It's a privilege to have a chance to answer the question of the hard-working

and effective member from Huron-Bruce. Her passionate commitment to her constituents on matters of health care is very strenuous.

I think, at its heart, what we seek to do with local health integration networks is to make a significant transfer of power; that is, to delegate the

significant authorities that the Minister of Health has traditionally had the privilege of executing, on the basic premise that it's not appropriate to try to micromanage a $33-billion operation

from head office. So we're going to transfer those powers down to people closer to the action in local communities who are in a much better position to determine -- in a circumstance where

resources will always be more limited than we would prefer -- which local priorities must be advanced first. We do this on the basis of a patient-centred health care where population health will

drive the decisions made at the local level and where the patients once and for all will have a much easier time of being involved in a conversation about health care on a local basis.

Mrs. Mitchell: Thank you, Minister, and thank you so much for communicating. I know my constituents want to be part of a health care system

that is delivered at a local level, and they want health care to be delivered in a way that responds to their needs.

I would like to ask you another question. I know that the legislation is currently being reviewed by the standing committee on social policy. Can you tell me

what we can expect of this process?

Hon. Mr. Smitherman: We know that the members of that committee have been working very hard, through what I believe have been seven or eight

days of public hearings, on the detail of amendments and the like. I just want to thank them for their efforts. Each and every bill that I've had the privilege of bringing into this Legislature,

save one where there was unanimous consent and agreement for it, went out to committee and has been enhanced through the work of those committee members. They're in that phase right now, and I want

to thank them.

Generally speaking, the government has tabled amendments to further enhance principles of community engagement and due process related to any prospective

integration decision. Amendments to guarantee the role, at both the provincial and local levels, for aboriginal and francophone groups to make sure they have all the influence that's necessary

around local planning are the nature of amendments that our government has brought forward, in addition to enshrining the principles of the Canada Health Act and the Commitment to the Future of

Medicare Act. We believe that the advice and direction that has been offered by a variety of people commenting during the process has enabled us to make a better bill, and we're looking forward to

that bill having the opportunity to come back for further debate here in this chamber.

FOREST INDUSTRY

Mr. Norm Miller (Parry Sound-Muskoka): My question is for the Minister of Natural Resources. Where is the Minister of Natural Resources?

Interjection: He's here.

Mr. Miller: Okay, good. I'll wait for the minister to take his seat.

Minister, the situation in the forestry sector has gone from bad to worse in recent months under your government's watch. Every week another mill closes or

layoffs are announced. The Bowater kraft mill in Thunder Bay, putting another 280 people out of work, is a recent example.

Two weeks ago, I was in Timmins for pre-budget consultations. The Ontario Forest Industry Association started out their presentation by emphasizing that the

sector is in a crisis. As I sat there listening to the OFI presentation, I received an e-mail from a forestry company in my riding. It began, "Dear Mr. Miller: Our industry is in a crisis. What

will it take for someone to notice?" Minister, when are you going to get serious about the crisis in the forestry industry?

Hon. David Ramsay (Minister of Natural Resources, minister responsible for aboriginal affairs): First of all, I will say to the member, we

admit there is a crisis in the forest products industry. In fact, I saw that coming about two years ago, and I brought the industry, the workers, the municipalities and the First Nations together

to give me advice as to how to handle that oncoming crisis, as we saw it coming. I got that report, and we have responded almost fully to that report.

I've been working with the Premier and the cabinet to do even more. The Premier has indicated to the public that we are going to be doing more for the forest

industry. We work every day with that industry to make sure that we don't lose any more jobs, that we encourage further investment in the future so that we can sustain this industry for all of this

province.

Mr. Miller: Minister, even your own members say your response has not been adequate. The member from Thunder Bay-Superior North said, "The

$350 million in loan guarantees offered by the McGuinty government in June have not been well received by industry because it would do nothing to reduce day-to-day costs."

I'd like to continue with the letter from my recipient, which exemplifies that point. It goes on:

"My husband and I operate a small forestry company in Huntsville, Ontario.

"We have had concerns for a while now and as these concerns become reality, we wonder what is going to happen in an industry that is largely being

ignored....

"Fuel and insurance costs, equipment repair costs are a daily struggle and affect the bottom line of both big and small companies....

"And it is not only the mills that are suffering, because every mill that closes its doors takes with it not only their employees but also logging and trucking

companies and all their associated employees and subcontractors. As one of Canada's largest industrial employers, why are we being largely ignored?"

Minister, why do you continue to ignore the cries for help from forestry operations, large and small?

Hon. Mr. Ramsay: Respectfully, I say to the member, I don't think the $680 million is ignoring the cry to help. We have a tremendous cash

infusion for this industry and, in fact, we have 18 proposals now before our competitive secretariat that, if they were to go ahead to completion, would lever $680 million of projects -- investment

in a very vital industry across this province, but especially northern Ontario. I am very confident that most, if not all, of those projects are going to go ahead. We're starting to turn a corner

in this industry. I think, with the announcements that are going to come in the next few weeks, the member is going to see that. I ask the member to work together with us to make sure that we have

a bright future in Ontario for our forestry industry.

AGRICULTURE INDUSTRY

Mr. Howard Hampton (Kenora-Rainy River): My question is for the Premier. Again, farmers from across the province have been forced to protest

your government's failure to help farm families deal with the serious financial losses suffered in 2005 and your failure to announce a long-term plan to end the farm income crisis. Today, some

banks are cutting off farmers' credit because of poor commodity prices last year. Meanwhile, farmers need financial help today if they're going to get their crop in the ground this spring. Premier,

instead of wasting time on more photo ops, instead of blaming Ottawa, will your government act today, level the playing field and provide farmers with the $370 million in provincial funding that

they need to stay in business?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty (Premier, Minister of Research and Innovation): I welcome the question and I want to report to the House that we held our

very successful second annual agriculture summit last week. The important dimension related to that summit is that it requires that we work together to look at how we can strengthen the agrifood

sector over the next five, 10, 15 and 20 years. But in addition to that, after the summit I had the opportunity to meet with a number of representatives from the farm groups to talk specifically

about the kinds of assistance that the leader of the NDP raises with me today. As a result of that, I spoke with Prime Minister Harper and asked if we might not immediately arrange a meeting

between his agriculture minister and mine, and that meeting in fact is happening as we speak. I look forward to saying more about that in supplementary.

Mr. Hampton: Well, I spoke with some of those farmers who said they've been to lots of meetings with their government; what they want is an

end to the meetings and some action. These people are on the verge of losing their farms and losing their families' livelihood. They're being faced with higher energy prices, including your

sky-high electricity rates. This year alone, they're facing an additional $300 million in costs. They need action, they need financial support now and they need to see a strategy that will return

to them their costs of production. When are they going to see action, Premier, rather than more meetings and more photo ops from your government?

Hon. Mr. McGuinty: To follow up a little bit more in terms of that conversation, what I said to the Prime Minister was that we are prepared to

bring money to the table as soon as possible. What I would like to do is, if he would come to the table with some money, we could make the assistance that we could provide our farmers with much

more meaningful. That is the subject matter of the meeting being held this very day.

Now, to that end, I will ask Mr. Tory in his capacity as leader of the official opposition if he might implore his colleagues in the Conservative government on

Parliament Hill as well to understand the urgency of the situation here for our farmers in Ontario. I am saying again, we are prepared to bring money to the table. But what I'd like to do, and the

commitment I made to Ontario farmers, is that we want to make that assistance more meaningful by ensuring that we have a federal partner there at the same time. That's the purpose of the meeting

that's taking place right now.

OMERS PENSION FUND

Mrs. Liz Sandals (Guelph-Wellington): My question is to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. My office has received calls from CUPE

members wondering about how Bill 206, the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System Act, would apply to them. They are concerned about their pension plan. They want to know if they can enjoy

their retirement years. Since those individuals are not firefighters, they're not paramedics and they're not police, they are concerned about the stories they are hearing and who is paying for

what. They are hearing stories that they are paying for firefighter pensions. They are hearing stories that police will get a better pension at CUPE members' expense.

Minister, will you stand today and clarify for CUPE members in my constituency, who seem to be subject to a lot of misinformation as to who actually pays for

supplemental plans?

Hon. John Gerretsen (Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing): Once again, Bill 206 does not increase pension contributions for anyone. As a

matter of fact, all it does is give local bargaining to employers and employees to bargain for supplementary benefit plans for our emergency workers; namely, police, fire and paramedics. Anything

that is negotiated locally along those lines is being paid on a 50-50 basis between employer and employees and does not in any way affect the main plan.

Pensioners currently receiving a pension from OMERS: It should be noted that their pensions are not in any way, shape or form affected by Bill 206. They will

continue to receive their pensions, and their pensions are not in any danger whatsoever.

Again, the supplemental plan that has been the main subject of the Bill 206 discussion is completely separate and apart from the main plan and does not affect

the main plan under OMERS.

Mrs. Sandals: That's good news for the constituents in my riding who are retirees and also for those who are CUPE members and are concerned

that somehow they're losing, which is absolutely not true.

But I've also been hearing from municipalities in my riding. Municipal officials have been concerned that somehow their taxes will be going up because of this

bill. They've published some numbers and claim that, as a result of our bill, local citizens will be facing higher property taxes this year.

I have heard you on numerous occasions in this House speak to our government's actions to ensure strong communities in Ontario and our co-operation with

municipalities. But could you please assure our municipal partners that Bill 206 will not result in an immediate massive increase to property taxes?

Hon. Mr. Gerretsen: Let me also suggest to those individuals who are interested in this Bill 206 issue to go to the ministry website, where

there is a factual sheet as to exactly what Bill 206 provides.

With respect to the claim by AMO that this will produce massive tax increases, let me just say that any supplementary plan will take at least two years to come

into existence. Any new benefit can be negotiated only on a once-every-three-years basis, and the kinds of tax increases that AMO is talking about are simply not accurate.

Again, any supplementary plan is for those emergency workers who are at greater risk in the protection of our communities and our lives on a day-to-day basis.

That's why we're granting them the right to negotiate supplementary benefit plans at the local level.

HOUSE SITTINGS

Hon. James J. Bradley (Minister of Tourism, minister responsible for seniors, Government House Leader): I would like to seek unanimous consent

to move a motion respecting the business of the House this afternoon and this evening.

The Speaker (Hon. Michael A. Brown): Agreed? Agreed.

Hon. Mr. Bradley: I move that, notwithstanding any standing order or the order of the House earlier today, this afternoon's debate on the

motion for second reading of Bill 14,

An Act to promote access to justice by amending or repealing various Acts and by enacting the Legislation Act, 2005, shall be deemed adjourned at

6 o'clock and the debate considered to be one full sessional day; and further

That the House sit beyond 6 o'clock for the purpose of completing consideration of the motion for third reading of Bill 27,

An Act to amend the Arbitration

Act, 1991, the Child and Family Services Act and the Family Law Act in connection with family arbitration and related matters, and to amend the Children's Law Reform Act in connection with the

matters to be considered by the court in dealing with applications for custody and access, following which the Speaker shall adjourn the House until Wednesday, February 15, 2006, at 1:30 p.m.

The Speaker: Mr. Bradley moves that, notwithstanding any standing order --

Hon. Mr. Bradley: Dispense.

The Speaker: Dispense? Dispense.

All those in favour? All those opposed? The motion is carried.

PETITIONS

CANCER TREATMENT

Mr. Frank Klees (Oak Ridges): I have a petition to the Parliament of Ontario. It reads as follows:

"Whereas Ontario has an inconsistent policy for access to new cancer treatments while these drugs are under review for funding; and

"Whereas cancer patients taking oral chemotherapy may apply for a

section 8 exception under the Ontario drug benefit plan, with no such exception policy in

place for intravenous cancer drugs administered in hospital; and

"Whereas this is an inequitable, inconsistent and unfair policy, creating two classes of cancer patients, with further inequities on the basis of personal

wealth and the willingness of hospitals to risk budgetary deficits to provide new intravenous chemotherapy treatments; and

"Whereas cancer patients have the right to the most effective care recommended by their doctors;

"We, the undersigned, petition the Parliament of Ontario to provide immediate access to Velcade and other intravenous chemotherapy while these new cancer drugs

are under review and provide a consistent policy for access to new cancer treatments that enables oncologists to apply for exceptions to meet the needs of patients."

I will apply my signature to this petition, and I will ask page Michael Bourgeois from Ballantrae to come forward to present this petition to the table.

SERVICES FOR THE DEVELOPMENTALLY DISABLED

Mr. Howard Hampton (Kenora-Rainy River): I have a petition to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.

"Whereas, without appropriate support, people who have an intellectual disability are often unable to participate effectively in community life and are

deprived of the benefits of society enjoyed by other citizens; and

"Whereas quality supports are dependent on the ability to attract and retain qualified workers; and

"Whereas the salaries of workers who provide community-based supports and services are up to 25% less than salaries paid to those doing the same work in

government-operated services and other sectors;

"We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to address, as a priority, funding to community agencies in the developmental services

sector to address critical underfunding of staff salaries and ensure that people who have an intellectual disability continue to receive quality supports and services that they require in order to

live meaningful lives within their community."

This has been signed by several residents of the town of Fort Frances on behalf of Community Living Fort Frances and District. I have affixed my signature as

well.

CANCER TREATMENT

Mr. Tony Ruprecht (Davenport): I have a petition addressed to the Parliament of Ontario, and it reads as follows:

"Whereas Ontario has an inconsistent policy for access to new cancer treatments while these drugs are under review for funding; and

"Whereas cancer patients taking oral chemotherapy may apply for a

section 8 exception under the Ontario drug benefit plan, with no such exception policy in

place for intravenous cancer drugs administered in hospital; and

"Whereas this is an inequitable" situation, "creating two classes of cancer patients, with further inequities on the basis of personal wealth and the

willingness of hospitals to risk budgetary deficits to provide new intravenous chemotherapy treatments; and

"Whereas cancer patients have the right to the most effective care recommended by their doctors;

"We, the undersigned, petition the Parliament of Ontario to provide immediate access to Velcade and other intravenous chemotherapy while these new cancer drugs

are under review and provide a consistent policy for access to new cancer treatments that enables oncologists to apply for exceptions to meet the needs of patients."

Thank you very much.

OMERS PENSION FUND

Mr. Norm Miller (Parry Sound-Muskoka): I have a petition from CUPE Local 1457, and it says:

"To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

"Whereas CUPE Local 1457 is concerned by the Liberal government's legislation, Bill 206, Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System Act, 2005; and

"Whereas Bill 206 contains a multitude of changes that will cripple OMERS' ability to manage its $40-billion pension assets; and

"Whereas Bill 206 makes no provision for oversight of pension funds or accountability; and

"Whereas Bill 206 changes the rules on resolving differences among sponsors, making it harder for CUPE to find a way to improve and protect pensions; and

"Whereas Bill 206 discriminates against women and lower-paid members while providing for special consideration for police and firefighters;

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

"That the McGuinty government abandon passage of Bill 206."

GO TRANSIT TUNNEL

Mr. Tony Ruprecht (Davenport): I have a petition addressed "To the Parliament of Ontario, the minister of infrastructure services and the

Minister of Transportation," which reads as follows:

"Whereas GO Transit is presently planning to tunnel an area just south of St. Clair Avenue West and west of Old Weston Road, making it easier for GO trains to

pass a major rail crossing;

"Whereas TTC is presently planning a TTC right-of-way along all of St. Clair Avenue West, including the bottleneck caused by the dilapidated St. Clair

Avenue-Old Weston Road bridge;

"Whereas this bridge (underpass) will be: (1) too narrow for the planned TTC right-of-way, since it will leave only one lane for traffic; (2) it is not safe

for pedestrians (it's about 50 metres long). It's dark and slopes on both east and west sides, creating high banks for 300 metres; and (3) it creates a divide, a no man's land, between Old Weston

Road and Keele Street. (This was acceptable when the area consisted entirely of slaughterhouses, but now the area has 900 new homes);

"Therefore we, the undersigned, demand that GO Transit extend the tunnel beyond St. Clair Avenue West so that trains will pass under St. Clair Avenue West,

thus eliminating this eyesore of a bridge with its high banks and blank walls. Instead it will create a dynamic, revitalized community enhanced by a beautiful continuous cityscape with easy traffic

flow."

Since this is such a great petition, I am very happy to sign it as well.

MACULAR DEGENERATION

Mr. Garfield Dunlop (Simcoe North): I want to thank Dr. Timothy Hillson, an ophthalmologist in my riding, for helping with this petition.

"Whereas age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness in the elderly and is present in some form in 25% to 33% of seniors over the age of

75. AMD has two forms: the more common "dry" type and the "wet" type. Although the wet type occurs in only 15% of AMD patients, these patients account for 90% of the legal blindness that occurs

with AMD. The wet type is further subdivided into classic and occult subtypes, based on the appearance of the AMD on special testing. Photodynamic therapy, a treatment where abnormal blood vessels

are closed with a laser-activated chemical, has been shown to slow the progression of vision loss in both types of wet AMD;

"Whereas OHIP has not extended coverage for photodynamic therapy to the occult subtype of wet AMD, despite there being substantial clinical evidence

demonstrating the effectiveness of this treatment in patients with either form of wet AMD. Untreated, these patients can expect a progression in their visual loss, with central blindness as the end

result;

"Whereas affected patients are in a position where a proven treatment is available to help preserve their vision, but this treatment can only be accessed at

their own personal expense. Treatment costs are between $12,500 and $18,000 over an 18-month period. Many patients resign themselves to a continued worsening of their vision, as for them the

treatment is financially unobtainable. The resultant blindness in these patients manifests itself as costs to society in other forms, such as an increased need for home care, missed time from work

for family members providing care, and an increased rate of injuries such as hip fractures that can be directly attributable to their poor vision.

"We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to fund the treatment of the occult sub-type of macular degeneration with photodynamic

therapy for all patients awaiting this service."

I'm pleased to sign my name to this petition.

Mr. Bob Delaney (Mississauga West): I'm pleased to join with my colleague from Niagara Falls and, it would seem, my colleague from Simcoe

North in this petition to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. It reads as follows:

"Whereas the government of Ontario's health insurance plan covers treatments for one form of macular degeneration," which is wet, "and there are other forms of

macular degeneration," such as dry, "that are not covered,

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

"There are thousands of Ontarians who suffer from macular degeneration, resulting in loss of sight if treatment is not pursued. Treatment costs for this

disease are astronomical for most constituents and add a financial burden to their lives. Their only alternative is loss of sight. We believe that the government of Ontario should cover treatment

for all forms of macular degeneration through the Ontario health insurance program."

I affix my signature to this petition and I ask page Yasmeen to carry it for me.

AUTISM TREATMENT

Mrs. Julia Munro (York North): "To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

"Whereas children with autism who have reached the age of six years are no longer being discharged from their preschool autism program; and

"Whereas these children should be getting the best special education possible in the form of ABA within the school system; and

"Whereas there are approximately 700 preschool children with autism across Ontario who are required to wait indefinitely for placement in the program, and

there are also countless school-age children who are not receiving the support they require in the school system; and

"Whereas this situation has an impact on the families, extended families and friends of all of these children; and

"Whereas, as stated on the website for the Ministry of Children and Youth Services, `IBI can make a significant difference in the life of a child with autism.

Its objective is to decrease the frequency of challenging behaviours, build social skills and promote language development';

"We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to fund the treatment of IBI for all preschool children awaiting services. We also petition

the Legislature of Ontario to fund an education program in the form of ABA in the school system."

CURRICULUM

Mr. Norm Miller (Parry Sound-Muskoka): I have a petition to do with education. It says:

"To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

"Whereas the Ministry of Education plans to remove the study of derivatives from the grade 12 mathematics curriculum; and

"Whereas the grade 12 university preparation course Advanced Functions and Introductory Calculus is designed for students intending to study university

programs that will involve calculus; and

"Whereas the course currently provides an introduction to the fundamental concepts of calculus, which are also required in grade 12 physics; and

"Whereas it contains three strands: advanced functions, in which students explore the properties and applications of polynomial, exponential and logarithmic

functions, underlying concepts of calculus, in which students develop an understanding of the basic concepts of calculus by analyzing the rates of change involved in applications; and derivatives

and applications, in which students develop, consolidate and apply to graphing and problem-solving the rules and properties of differentiation; and

"Whereas all of these strands are requirements for most university programs, and to remove any of them from the high school curriculum will leave the students

of Ontario at a disadvantage when compared to the students from other provinces;

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

"To ensure that the Ministry of Education continues to retain all parts of the current grade 12 mathematics curriculum and stop making changes that put the

future careers of Ontario students at risk."

That comes to me from students from my riding.

FIREARMS SAFETY

Mr. Norm Miller (Parry Sound-Muskoka): I have a petition, and it reads:

"To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

"Whereas the practical examination for the handling of firearms is a valuable component of the hunter safety course; and

"Whereas hunters and safety instructors have grave concerns about the removal of the practical examination for handling firearms;

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

"That the practical examination of the handling of firearms continues to form part of the hunter education safety course for Ontarians."

CURRICULUM

Mr. Norm Miller (Parry Sound-Muskoka): I have a petition to do with education from students in my riding of Parry Sound-Muskoka, which

says:

"To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

"Whereas the current Ministry of Education of Ontario has prepared a secondary school curriculum completely devoid of the topic of calculus to be implemented

in September 2006;

"Whereas the changes to the curriculum have been presented to educators only after October 2005, and not yet to the general public;

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

"To ensure that the total removal of calculus fr