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April 15, 2019

42nd Parliament, 1st Session

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Hansard Transcripts

Votes and Proceedings

Orders and Notices

Hansard Transcript 2019-Apr-15 (PDF)

L093 - Mon 15 Apr 2019 / Lun 15 avr 2019

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO

ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DE L’ONTARIO

Monday 15 April 2019 Lundi 15 avril 2019

Introduction of Visitors

Oral Questions

Education funding

Health care funding

Services for persons with disabilities

Ontario budget

Government advertising

Taxation

Government accountability

Ontario budget

Post-secondary education

Ontario budget

Public health

Dental care

Public transit

Education funding

Northern Ontario

Health care

Visitor

Notice of reasoned amendment

Introduction of Visitors

Members’ Statements

Welland Harm Reduction Society

Martin Lalonde

Anniversary of the Great Fire of Windsor

Anti-Semitism

Burgoyne Bridge

Ontario budget

Children’s Treatment Centre of Chatham-Kent

Sikh Heritage Month

Special Olympics World Summer Games

Vaisakhi

Petitions

Veterans memorial

Fish and wildlife management

Education funding

Gasoline prices

Northern health services

Social assistance

Lyme disease

Services for persons with disabilities

School bus safety

Long-term care

Orders of the Day

2019 Ontario budget / Budget de l’Ontario de 2019

The House met at 1030.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Let us pray.

Prayers.

Introduction of Visitors

Ms. Judith Monteith-Farrell: I would like to welcome two women from my riding here today: Audrey Debruyne, who will receive l’Ordre de la Pléiade today, and Jennifer Nielsen, who is attending the women’s forum at Queen’s Park.

Mr. Sam Oosterhoff: I have the great privilege of welcoming today to the Legislature a constituent of mine, Courtney Aucoin, who is here today with the Remarkable Assembly and is a very good friend. Welcome to the Legislature.

Ms. Teresa J. Armstrong: This morning I had the pleasure of meeting four strong women that are here today along with the other 84 women from the Remarkable Assembly women’s forum. I would like to introduce Chloe Craig, Sandra Holmberg, Krysta-lee Woodcock and Paige Paton. Welcome to the Legislature.

Hon. Lisa M. Thompson: It’s very much a pleasure to welcome Emma Bartz here. She’s participating in the Remarkable Assembly this year. Emma hails from Goderich, Ontario, in Huron–Bruce.

Mr. Percy Hatfield: Good morning. I’d like to recognize Natasha Elizabeth Feghali from Windsor. She’s an educator, a journalist and a poet who is here for the remarkable women’s forum. Welcome to your provincial Parliament, Natasha.

M me Marie-France Lalonde: Il me fait un immense plaisir, moi aussi, d’accueillir Angelica Kalubiaka, qui est ici pour représenter la circonscription d’Orléans et qui est aussi sur le conseil provincial d’Orléans. Merci et bienvenue à Queen’s Park.

Ms. Lindsey Park: I’d like to welcome to the Legislature Hannah Jensen, who’s from my riding of Durham and participating in the 2019 women’s forum, A Remarkable Assembly. Enjoy your day, Hannah.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: I’m very proud to welcome Madi Fuller and Bianca Caramento, two women from Hamilton Centre who are here for the Remarkable Assembly women’s forum. And congratulations to you, Speaker. This morning showed that you put together a fantastic event.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Thank you very much.

Member for Mississauga–Erin Mills.

Mr. Sheref Sabawy: I would like to welcome Denis Wills, sales and channel director at Zebra Technologies, who is here with us in the gallery, as well as Mai Nguyen, senior consultant. Welcome to the people’s House.

Ms. Christine Hogarth: It is my pleasure to introduce my husband, Paul Demers, who is here today. If it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t have dinner every night. He’s a strong man, and he takes care of our house, so thank you very much.

Mr. Chris Glover: It’s my pleasure to welcome Katie Zeppieri, one of the many remarkable women in the House today.

Mr. Robert Bailey: I would like to introduce two young women from my riding of Sarnia–Lambton, Lauren Armstrong and Elleke Belet, here for the Remarkable Assembly of women forum.

Ms. Catherine Fife: I’m pleased to welcome Fiqir Worku from the riding of Waterloo for the remarkable women assembly. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

M me Jill Dunlop: J’ai l’honneur de vous présenter un résident extraordinaire de Simcoe-Nord, qui est un récipiendaire de l’Ordre de la Pléiade grâce à ses contributions à la communauté franco-ontarienne. Je vous présente M. Martin Lalonde.

Ms. Andrea Khanjin: I wanted to welcome all of the students here from Goodfellow Public School as well as the teachers and all of the volunteers.

Ms. Peggy Sattler: I am delighted to welcome four remarkable women from London West, who are here for the Remarkable Assembly: Sam Puchala, Skylar Franke, Tara Webber and Vanessa Dolishny. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Ms. Natalia Kusendova: I’d like to welcome this morning Paige Paton, who is participating in the Remarkable Assembly and who will be shadowing me tomorrow to learn more about what a day in the life of a female parliamentarian looks like. Thank you, and welcome.

Mr. Michael Mantha: I want to welcome Sandra Holmberg from Echo Bay, with the women’s remarkable forum.

Hon. Monte McNaughton: I’m proud to welcome my sister-in-law to Queen’s Park today, Emma Bartz, who resides in the riding of Huron–Bruce. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Mr. Roman Baber: I’m happy to welcome the Diller teens. This is a leadership training program organized by the UJA for high school students. Diller empowers teens to be active, effective leaders with a strong Jewish identity and respect for pluralism. Diller teens, welcome to Queen’s Park.

Hon. Todd Smith: I’d like to welcome Resi Walt, who is from Bay of Quinte, seated right behind me in the public gallery. She’s here for the Remarkable Assembly as well. Welcome, Resi.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Minister of Infrastructure, one more time.

Hon. Monte McNaughton: Thank you again, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to welcome Patricia Nagle, who is here for the Remarkable Assembly. She’s from the riding of Lambton–Kent–Middlesex. Welcome.

Mr. Taras Natyshak: I’d like to welcome Natasha Feghali from Windsor and Elleke Belet from Sarnia to the remarkable women’s forum here today at Queen’s Park.

Mr. Stephen Lecce: I’d like to welcome Eunice Kays and Deborah Nimoh, who are with us today as part of the women’s forum, Remarkable Assembly. Welcome to the people’s House.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I know that many of them have already been individually introduced, but on behalf of the Legislature, I, too, wish to welcome all of the young women who are here from across the province for the first women’s forum, A Remarkable Assembly. Once again, welcome to the Ontario Legislature. We’re delighted to have you here today.

Oral Questions

Education funding

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Speaker, my first question is to the Premier. Parents and students looking for a vision for education in last week’s budget were sorely disappointed. While the Premier focused on the colour of licence plates and easy access to booze, Ontario’s children got cuts in the classroom. The chair of Ontario school boards was clear about what this meant. She said, “There is absolutely really not any increase here.”

School boards everywhere are warning of jam-packed classes, fewer course choices and fewer teachers and education workers. Why is the Premier cutting support to our schools and our kids, Speaker?

Hon. Doug Ford: Through you, Mr. Speaker: What an amazing week for the people of Ontario, for the businesses of Ontario. Our team and our incredible finance minister—the best finance minister I’ve ever seen—delivered an amazing budget. It was a responsible budget, Mr. Speaker. It was a reasonable budget. But most importantly, it was a thoughtful budget. I’ll tell you, it was a thoughtful budget because we increased education by $700 million—$700 million to be put back into the classroom to make sure that half of our grade 6 students aren’t failing math. Not one single teacher in this province is going to lose their job.

I think it caught the opposition totally flat-footed. They didn’t know which way to turn, because we’re investing in education. We’re going to continue to invest in education until our students can be prepared when they get out in the work world.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary?

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Well, Speaker, no matter how much the Premier wants to polish this budget, the facts remain the same: The Ford government is making cuts in the classroom. Just on Friday, we learned from school boards in Hamilton, Windsor, Guelph and Waterloo that have sent out 300 redundancy notices to teachers, and the school board in the education minister’s own riding says—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Government side, come to order.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Maybe she doesn’t want to hear what the school board in her own riding says. What that school board says is that smaller schools will struggle to provide not only specialized classes but “even the core curriculum required to graduate.”

Is the Ford government ready to admit that these changes will leave students with fewer teachers, larger classes and fewer courses, and put students’ ability to graduate at risk?

Hon. Doug Ford: Through you, Mr. Speaker: I can tell you, the scare tactics aren’t working anymore. The people of Ontario saw the figures: very simply, $700 million more into education—taking care of the students, taking care of the teachers, listening to the parents. That’s what happens when you consult with over 72,000 people in Ontario.

It was a great budget because we’re taking care of health care. Our great, great Minister of Health has put together an incredible program. We increased health by $1.3 billion—with a B—to make sure we end hallway health care.

Mr. Speaker, we’re taking caring of seniors. We’re putting over $90 million into the dental program for seniors.

We’re taking care of education, we’re taking care of health, and we’re taking care of people in Ontario so they can thrive and they can prosper—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Stop the clock. Order.

Restart the clock. Final supplementary?

Ms. Andrea Horwath: What the Premier probably should do is go back to school to learn that when you’re funding below the rate of inflation, that, in fact, means a cut. That means a cut.

The sad fact is, however, that we have seen this before. We saw it the last time the Conservatives were in power. We saw cuts and chaos in classrooms. We saw it when the Liberals attacked educators with Bill 115. And now the government is launching a task force into school boards—the same school boards that have been raising concerns about the Premier’s plan for larger class sizes, fired teachers and fewer courses.

This government has already made it very, very clear, Speaker, that they will attack and threaten critics who challenge them. Is the Ford government planning to launch its next attack on school boards?

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Before I recognize the Premier, member for King–Vaughan, come to order. Minister of Economic Development, come to order. Member for Sault Ste. Marie, come to order.

Premier to reply.

Hon. Doug Ford: I’m not too sure about the math with the Leader of the Opposition. We know we have some math issues here in the Legislature, but I just want to refresh the Leader of the Opposition’s memory. We increased spending on education last year by 6.6%, a lot higher than the rate of inflation. This year, we increased it another 2.2%. That’s 8.8%, Mr. Speaker. That’s putting hundreds of millions—to be exact, $700 million—more back into the classroom, supporting the teachers and supporting the students. We want our students to thrive. We want them to be the best in the country.

We don’t want them to be at the lowest tier in the country—where they were at before we took over—when it comes to math scores. We want to make sure we support our teachers.

Mr. Speaker, I’ve talked to hundreds and hundreds of teachers over the last few weeks. They were so happy to hear our budget. They were so happy that we actually are supporting the classroom—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Thank you.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Stop the clock.

Mr. Paul Miller: That’s why 30,000 were in front of the building.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The member for Hamilton East–Stoney Creek will come to order.

Restart the clock. Next question.

Health care funding

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Speaker, my next question is also to the Premier, but I’ve got to tell you, there are teachers in the assembly this morning—the Remarkable Assembly—and they certainly weren’t saying the same thing as what the Premier is saying about the attacks on education in our province.

To the Premier, Speaker: In a report in March, Ontario’s independent Financial Accountability Office reported that health care costs would be increasing by 4% in the coming year. Hospitals in their budget submission said their costs would be increasing by 3.4%. Both said that anything below that level of funding would lead to layoffs of front-line staff, cuts to care and longer waits for patients.

Can the Premier tell us why he failed to meet either of these targets in his budget?

Hon. Doug Ford: Again, we have a little math problem here, but I’ll watch what I say, for you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, again, our budget was incredible. We took care of child care. If you have a child up to seven years old, you’ll get a $6,000 credit. From seven to 16, you’ll have $3,750. And if you have a child with special needs, you’ll get an $8,000 credit.

Even the Toronto Sun was shocked, saying we’re spending too much. You know, when the Toronto Sun is saying we’re spending too much and the Toronto Star is saying absolutely nothing, I think we hit it bang on—absolutely bang on.

I said during the election we would find four cents on the dollar and we were mocked by the opposition, because they’ve never found a penny in their entire lives for driving efficiencies, Mr. Speaker. We found 8% efficiencies, putting that money back into education, back into health care, back into daycare, back into—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Thank you.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Stop the clock.

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Order. The member for Essex will come to order.

Start the clock. Supplementary question.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: I just have to remind the Premier that the average child care rip-off rebate is going to be about 1,250 bucks. So, for a family that’s got expenses of $20,000 for child care, it’s not going to make a hill of beans of difference.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Stop the clock. The government side will come to order and allow the Leader of the Opposition to ask her questions.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): And you don’t heckle the Chair.

I apologize to the Leader of the Opposition. Start the clock.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Thank you, Speaker. The bottom line is that the facts are clear. The Premier’s budget bill will mean cuts to our health care system notwithstanding that he promised during the campaign that he wasn’t going to touch the health care system.

We are already seeing the impact, Speaker, of the government’s cuts. The Grand River Hospital now says more layoffs may be coming after cutting 40 nursing positions earlier this year, and communities are reeling from the news that the government plans to shutter over two thirds of public health units and cut $200 million from their budgets.

Does the Premier understand that his budget will, in fact, lead to health care cuts?

Hon. Doug Ford: Mr. Speaker, the finance minister.

Hon. Victor Fedeli: Mr. Speaker, the people of Ontario should be absolutely insulted by that last comment. Our CARE program is one of the most flexible child care programs in the history of the province, providing up to 75% of child care for 300,000 families in Ontario. It’s designed, Speaker. It builds on the existing benefits while it puts more money in the pockets of families, especially families in need. I think you should be absolutely ashamed of that comment, and I hope you’re going to stand up and retract that. I think you’ve done a disservice to the families of Ontario with that rudeness and that comment.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Final supplementary?

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Well, here’s what people are saying about the Premier’s cuts. The chair of the Toronto Board of Health says—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Government side, come to order.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: The chair of the Toronto Board of Health says, “These cuts are deeply concerning ... and they are dangerous.” The medical officer of health for Simcoe says it means “huge, disruptive change.”

The people of Ontario want schools and hospitals they can count on. That’s what they’ve told me for years now. And instead, they have a Premier who is selling them on a new colour of licence plate while he fires nurses and teachers. How can the Premier justify the cuts to hospitals and public health?

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Stop the clock. Once again, the member for Sault Ste. Marie must come to order.

Mr. Wayne Gates: He’s not even in his seat.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Some members are not always in their seats. I don’t think I need to explain that, either.

Start the clock. The question has been referred to the Minister of Finance.

Hon. Victor Fedeli: The province is building a sustainable future. We’re fighting for Ontario workers, and we’re protecting front-line services. Every single corner of the province of Ontario will receive economic benefits. Speaker, we are adding $17 billion in infrastructure into the health care sector and $13 billion of infrastructure into the education sector. We are adding $384 million into hospitals this year, $267 million into home-care facilities this year and $1.75 billion to build 15,000 home care units and upgrade another 15,000.

Speaker, these are reasonable, responsible and incredible investments by this party, all while protecting front-line health care, front-line education and front-line critical social services.

Services for persons with disabilities

Ms. Andrea Horwath: The government’s fantasy is going to hit people hard, and they’re going to see it pretty soon.

This is to the Premier, Speaker. Families have a lot of questions about the Conservative government’s first budget, and rightfully so. Questions like, what programs are going to be cut as a result of the $1 billion being taken out of the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services?

Families are still being left in the dark about whether they can rely on Special Services at Home. Notwithstanding the fact that the government promised them that they would have an answer in the budget, there wasn’t anything there to give them that answer. That’s a program which supports families who are caring for children with disabilities. They don’t even know if the wait-list for funding is still frozen, Speaker.

My question is, why is the Premier cutting $1 billion from the programs that support the most vulnerable children and families in Ontario while cruelly leaving families in the dark about what will happen to them?

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Members will please take their seats.

Hon. Doug Ford: Minister of Children, Community and Social Services.

Hon. Lisa MacLeod: I completely reject the premise of that question. It is irresponsible and, once again, baseline fearmongering from the official opposition.

Let me be perfectly clear: The Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services is now the third-largest spend in the province of Ontario. It was the fourth-largest spend under the previous Liberal administration. Funding has gone up by $300 million in this ministry.

The Special Services at Home—as I told the members opposite last week, the week before and the week before that—is going to continue to be funded. People are getting their letters and their allocation is happening now.

But let me also be perfectly clear: After 15 years of reckless mismanagement by that Liberal government, their mismanaging the funds of this ministry—that is why we’re dealing with a patchwork, disjointed system where more kids are languishing on the wait-list, just as they did with autism.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary?

Ms. Andrea Horwath: The sad thing is now the families in Ontario are ricocheting into reckless cuts, and that is something that nobody told me they wanted to see.

You know, parents were repeatedly told by this government that they would know more about funding for supports like Special Services at Home after the budget. But the budget has been released, and families are still in the dark.

Since the Premier can’t assure families that Special Services at Home wait-lists are no longer frozen, perhaps he can ease the anxiety of adults with disabilities who are feeling very, very worried about potential cuts to the Passport Program. Is the government cutting the Passport Program, yes or no?

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The member for Ottawa South, come to order.

Minister?

Hon. Lisa MacLeod: No, we are not.

This is the problem. The previous government left 5,700 kids languishing on a wait-list which began in January 2018 after a three-year funding commitment ended in March 2017, well before we took office. Our government for the people is protecting what matters most through the 2019-20 budget, including Special Services at Home.

Again, this is a ministry that has increased its spending, for $300 million this fiscal year. But we’re reforming social assistance. We believe in giving people a hand up. We believe that people should be working when they can.

This is where the previous Liberal government and the current official opposition vehemently disagree with us. They would rather hold people down; we would rather lift them up. That’s what this government is doing. That’s what this budget did.

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Stop the clock. I’m going to ask the member for Waterloo to come to order.

Start the clock. Next question.

Ontario budget

Mr. Stan Cho: My question is for the Premier. Last week, we were all very excited to wear yellow and to support our incredible Minister of Finance as he delivered our government’s first budget.

Mr. Speaker, we knew when we came into government that we had our work cut out for us. The Liberals left behind a $15-billion deficit and a 15-year legacy of tax-and-spend policies with nothing to show for it. Thankfully, on Thursday, we laid out our plan to show the people of Ontario exactly how we will clean up the mess the Liberals left us and protect what matters most to the people of Ontario, like our world-class health care and education systems.

Could the Premier please explain to this House our government’s responsible plan to return our province to balance while providing much-needed relief to families, individuals and businesses?

Hon. Doug Ford: I want to thank our incredible MPP from Willowdale. I’m sure the folks in Willowdale are happy. They’re happy about the transit. They’re actually going to have transit now in Willowdale that they would never have had under the previous government. They’re happy with the health care and the education—making sure we’re taking care of seniors, making sure we have daycare. Most importantly, Mr. Speaker, they’re happy that we’re putting $26 billion back into their pockets and businesses over the next six years to stimulate the economy, to get the economy moving.

Right now, our economy is on fire. Everywhere we’re going, people are saying, “We need to hire more people.” There are not enough people out there to fill the jobs because we have given business owners—small, medium and large—certainty that we have a government that’s going to make sure that we lower taxes, not only on individuals but on businesses, until they can reinvest into equipment, into their people and make Ontario—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Thank you.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I’m going to stop the clock.

I’ll remind the members: When the Speaker stands up, your microphone goes dead and you need to conclude your remarks.

Start the clock again. Supplementary?

Mr. Stan Cho: Thank you to the Premier for his response. It is really exciting to see the progress that our government is making for the people of Ontario. I’m confident that our government will deliver on our promises and bring relief to families and businesses after far too long. Just look at what we’ve already accomplished in 312 days.

Our budget builds off of our early success and lays out our plan for the years to come. After 15 years of Liberal inaction and broken promises, the people of Ontario finally have a government that will keep its word. Could the Premier please inform the House about the types of changes the people of Ontario will see through budget 2019?

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The member for Don Valley East has to come to order.

The Premier to reply.

Hon. Doug Ford: Again, thank you to the MPP from Willowdale.

My friends, when we came into office, there was a financial mess, a financial disaster that the Liberals and the NDP created. The NDP supported the Liberals 98% of the time. They believed in big spending and big taxes. We’re turning the ship around, but we’re turning it around responsibly. We’re turning it around thoughtfully

I can tell you that the Leader of the Opposition and the Liberals were caught, as I said earlier on, flat-footed, along with the Prime Minister; he was caught flat-footed. There was nothing more that they wanted to see than the cuts.

But you know, Mr. Speaker, I said over and over and over again: We are not going to be cutting. We’re not going to be slashing. What we’re going to be doing is investing. We’re going to be investing into the great people here in Ontario. We have the smartest, brightest people in Ontario right here.

We’ve turned the corner on jobs. We’ve created well over 100,000 new private sector jobs, because, again, the companies feel confident because—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Stop the clock. I would ask the Premier to take his seat.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I’m going to ask, once again, the member for Don Valley East to come to order, and I’m going to ask the member for Essex to come to order.

Start the clock. The member for Essex has the floor.

Government advertising

Mr. Taras Natyshak: Thank you very much, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. The Premier’s love of self-promoting and self-promotion is not a really big surprise to any of us in this House. He slapped signs with his campaign slogan on them at border crossings; he slapped his party colours on licence plates and billed it all to the taxpayer. Now we learn that not only has the Premier produced partisan stickers to slap on every gas pump in the province, but he plans to punish any business that refuses to go along with this plan with fines of up to $10,000 a day.

Speaker, can the Premier tell us how he and his team arrived at a $10,000-a-day fine as an appropriate punishment for failing to post campaign advertisements for Andrew Scheer?

Hon. Doug Ford: Minister of Energy.

Hon. Greg Rickford: In this budget, Mr. Speaker, we were protecting what matters most, including the right for the people of Ontario to understand how this job-killing, regressive carbon tax is going to impact them.

I was speaking to an Indigenous leader in my riding this weekend. He owns a groceteria—a couple of stores. One of his employees was increasing the price of everything in the store to reflect the additional costs of getting those goods to those stores out in northwestern Ontario.

Mr. Speaker, let’s make no mistake about it: This is a tax on everything. That $377 postcard from the federal government doesn’t tell the whole story. It’s going to cost school buses more to operate. It’s going to cost ambulances more money to operate. It’s going to cost small businesses more to operate. We’re going to let the people of Ontario know about it at every turn, stickers included.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary?

Mr. Taras Natyshak: I’d say that this is the sort of thing you’d see in a dictatorship, but I think even dictators would be embarrassed—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Order. The member will withdraw.

Mr. Taras Natyshak: I withdraw, Speaker.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Place your question.

Mr. Taras Natyshak: Not only is the Premier spending millions of public dollars on partisan advertisements for his federal counterparts; he’s ready to fine people as much as $10,000 a day if they dare to tell him no. Even this Premier has to know that this is completely wrong. Will he end his infatuation with stickers and withdraw this legislation today?

Hon. Greg Rickford: Well, Mr. Speaker, we can hardly wait for those stickers to pop up in Essex and see that member explain that one of the members in his caucus wants one of the highest carbon taxes—or was it the highest carbon tax?—in the world.

I have heard from people from one end of the province to the other since we introduced this sticker, Mr. Speaker. The right to know: The people of Ontario are going to be paying a price on everything—those buses that take sports teams from Dryden to Thunder Bay, those hospitals that will be making choices as to what programs and services they may have to cut as more than $27 million is compromised by paying this additional tax.

A sticker is our effort to ensure that the people of Ontario know what this job-killing, regressive carbon tax is going to cost.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Response?

Hon. Greg Rickford: It’s a top priority for our government, and we’re going to—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Stop the clock.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The member for Carleton will come to order. The member for Sault Ste. Marie will come to order and stop pulling up props to taunt the other side.

Taxation

Mr. Rudy Cuzzetto: My question is for the great Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. Last week, the Minister of Finance tabled our budget. Our government’s plan focused on affordability and protecting what matters most.

It has now been two weeks since the federal carbon tax came into effect and it is already clear that the tax threatens affordability for families and impacts institutions and services for the people of the province of Ontario. Over the last several weeks, the Minister of the Environment has demonstrated clearly the true cost of the federal carbon tax on nursing homes, colleges and hospitals. None are exempt from this tax.

The people of my riding of Mississauga–Lakeshore have made it quite clear that this extra cost is simply unaffordable for them. Can the minister tell this House what the next steps are in fighting for affordability in this province?

Hon. Rod Phillips: Thank you to the member for Mississauga–Lakeshore. He’s doing a fantastic job representing his constituents.

Mr. Speaker, as my learned colleague the Minister of Energy, Mines and Indigenous Affairs said, we have been pointing out $27 million of charges for hospitals, $20 million for colleges and universities; the cost for those on fixed incomes, the cost for businesses, the cost to families—$648 for the average family in 2022.

Again, as my learned colleague said, as we promised in the campaign, we will be using all the tools at our disposal including, today, beginning our court challenge to the unconstitutional federal carbon tax. We are joined in this by Saskatchewan, we are supported by New Brunswick, and we learned last week we will also be joined by Manitoba—four provinces that stand against this unconstitutional tax. We’ll use every tool at our disposal to stop this job-killing, regressive carbon tax.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary?

Mr. Rudy Cuzzetto: I thank that great minister for being a huge part of this fight to make Ontario an affordable place to live and raise our families.

The people of my riding have been clear: They cannot afford any new tax. They look forward to a time when they are no longer worried about how far they have to drive their car, how much it will cost them to keep their families warm or how they will put food on their table.

For too long, the people of my riding of Mississauga–Lakeshore went unheard. While they asked for lower costs and less taxes, they were met with opposition. It is time that the voices of the people of Ontario are heard and action is taken. Can the minister tell this House what actions our government has taken to make life affordable?

Hon. Rod Phillips: Mr. Speaker, through you to the member: As this House knows, one of the first things we did—a commitment by our leader and now Premier Doug Ford—was to get rid of the job-killing cap-and-trade carbon tax. That put $268 back in the pockets of Ontarians.

The opposition and the former government are out of touch with affordability, as is the federal Liberal government. They continue along with the programs and the policies of the previous Liberal government, adding costs to a program that’s not necessary to fight climate change.

We know you don’t need a carbon tax to fight climate change. Our made-in-Ontario plan is building on the progress Ontario has made. We will hit the targets set by the Prime Minister. We will hit the targets set by the global community—a 30% reduction by 2030—but we will do it without a job-killing, regressive carbon tax.

Government accountability

Ms. Catherine Fife: My question is to the Premier. Businesses making investment decisions are anxiously watching this Ford government’s actions. They see a volatile Premier, and it does not instill confidence.

The Premier is threatening businesses with fines of up to $10,000 a day for failure to participate in his partisan ad campaigns, and now buried in his omnibus budget bill are sweeping changes that will make it next to impossible to sue the government.

The Ford government has already been taken to court by businesses, by citizens, by children. Can the Premier tell us why he is seeking legal immunity for the actions of his government?

Hon. Doug Ford: Mr. Speaker, I can’t believe what I just heard, that businesses don’t like this government. Businesses love this government. They love it. Businesses with one employee, two employees, absolutely love it.

What they don’t love is the socialist mentality that we’ve heard in here many a time. They don’t believe in socialism. Socialism does not work. Empower the businesses, empower the people, put more money into people’s pockets: They’re going to go out and spend it and stimulate the economy, stimulate jobs. The last thing I need is a lesson from the NDP about businesses.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Stop the clock. Members will take their seats.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Order.

Restart the clock. Supplementary?

Ms. Catherine Fife: Well, this Premier certainly is putting the lawyers in this province to work, Mr. Speaker.

Businesses making investment decisions are looking for reliable infrastructure, a talented workforce and a predictable business environment. This government cut funding for infrastructure, they cut support for post-secondary education, and now they are saying that they don’t want to be liable for their decisions that affect the people. Certainly the autism—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I apologize to the member. Stop the clock.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Order. The government side has to come to order and allow the questions to be asked in the Legislature. That’s what we do during question period. The Speaker has to hear the questions.

Restart the clock. I apologize to the member for Waterloo.

Ms. Catherine Fife: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

After these cuts, the people of this province are seeking justice, and they look to the court system. But what does this government do? This government is saying that they do not want to be liable for the decisions they’re making in this Legislature. They have a majority government. They are overriding the rights of the people of this province.

This government will do what it wants, when it wants, and you won’t even get your day in court. Does this government believe that you’re above the law?

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Members please take their seats.

The Premier to reply.

Hon. Doug Ford: Minister of Economic Development. Go get ’em, Smitty.

Hon. Todd Smith: I thought the Premier had a pretty good answer on the first question from the member from Waterloo, but I’ll build on that, Mr. Speaker. We’re doing everything that we can in Ontario to make it more affordable, so that businesses in Ontario can be more competitive than other jurisdictions across North America which we are competing with. That’s why we have eliminated the Wynne cap-and-trade carbon tax. That’s why we have lowered business taxes. That’s why the Minister of Finance brought in a great step last week: depreciation for capital investments. That’s what businesses wanted, Mr. Speaker.

The NDP governments of the past—the current NDP government in Alberta has seen $75 billion in losses to the economy there. That’s exactly what we don’t want in Ontario. We want an Ontario government that is going to make this the most competitive place in North America to do business. We’re well on our way to do that—123,000 jobs created under our watch.

Ontario budget

Mr. Stephen Lecce: My question is for the Minister of Finance. Last Thursday was an exciting day for the people of this province. The Minister of Finance stood in this House and presented our government’s first budget—a plan to protect what matters most; a plan to get these young people working; a plan to turn the page and turn the corner after a decade of Liberal mismanagement; a plan to deliver relief for families and seniors; and a plan that instills confidence and hope in the future prosperity of this province.

To the minister: Could you outline how our government will protect jobs, protect the pocketbooks of families and protect what matters most for the people of Ontario?

Hon. Victor Fedeli: Thank you to the member from King–Vaughan for the question and for having us up at the chamber of commerce there this morning.

Speaker, our government has developed a responsible path back to balance while creating jobs and protecting what is valued most: health care and education. We are ensuring value for money and putting people first in every decision that we make. This has allowed us to find savings of approximately eight cents for every dollar spent. In doing so, we are able to provide $26 billion in much-needed relief to individuals, families, businesses, seniors and students through our LIFT credit, our CARE credit and, as the Minister of Job Creation said, the Ontario Job Creation Investment Incentive. Speaker, we are balancing the budget in a responsible manner without introducing any new tax increases.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary.

Mr. Stephen Lecce: Thank you to the minister for his leadership and for sharing our plan in Vaughan this morning with the Vaughan Chamber of Commerce.

Speaker, accountability is at the centre and at the heart of this budget. That is why budget 2019 proposes the Fiscal Sustainability, Transparency and Accountability Act to ensure political leaders follow through on their word to the people. This act penalizes politicians who break their word to the people. It would require the Premier and the Minister of Finance to pay 10% of their ministerial salaries for each missed public reporting deadline, as required by law.

Minister, accountability has been absent in Ontario’s government for too long. Had such a requirement existed, the previous government would have been forced to pay tens of thousands of dollars for missing these deadlines. Our government is ensuring transparency and accountability is for all Ontarians.

To the minister: Could you affirm our sombre commitment to keep our word and deliver on our promises by restoring accountability and trust back in government?

Hon. Victor Fedeli: The Premier is offering an ironclad guarantee. As part of the proposed legislation, the act would include a Premier and a ministerial accountability guarantee. The guarantee would require the Premier and the Minister of Finance to pay 10% of their Premier and ministerial salaries for each missed public reporting deadline, and the minister would also need to publicly explain why the deadline was missed and when the report would be released.

Now, this accountability has been missing for far too long. In fact, had such a guarantee been in place in the previous Liberal government, the previous Premier and the Minister of Finance would have been required to pay a combined $115,000 in fines for their missed deadlines. Our government is committed to putting people first and restoring transparency and accountability in how we spend every single taxpayer dollar.

Post-secondary education

Mr. Chris Glover: My question is to the Premier. Last Thursday, the Premier made it clear that students pursuing post-secondary education are not a priority for this government by cutting over $700 million from colleges and universities. The majority of these cuts were to non-repayable OSAP grants, leaving low- and middle-income students to struggle to afford post-secondary education and forcing them to seek more private loans. The Liberal government doubled tuition fees and flatlined per-student funding for more than a decade, but this government can’t even manage that.

Why does the Premier think students should be saddled with even more student debt?

Hon. Doug Ford: Minister of Municipal Affairs.

Hon. Steve Clark: I want to thank the honourable member for the question.

Students and their families make great sacrifices to attend university and college. They make those sacrifices because for years they’ve been told that if they work hard and apply themselves and invest in a university or college degree, they’re going to find a high-paying job. Increasingly and unfortunately, in our province, that hasn’t been the case. Students and their families know that many young people are graduating with great degrees, but either they don’t have a job or they’re underemployed.

Quite frankly, there are a number of industries that are starved. They desperately need skilled workers. Our current system is clearly not working for Ontario students or for our economy. We’re embracing changes to our post-secondary system based on outcomes. I would be pleased to provide more detail—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Thank you. Supplementary.

Mr. Chris Glover: So what I heard was the minister saying that the families should make even more sacrifices and take on even more debts.

The $700-million cut to colleges and universities will have a devastating effect on student affordability, but to make matters worse, this government intends to tie as much as 60% of college or university funding to meeting some unspecified and undisclosed performance targets, up from 1% now. Having 60% of funding determined by the Premier’s whims creates instability and makes long-term planning impossible. Taking money away from institutions that don’t meet targets makes it more difficult to achieve those targets in the following year, creating a downward spiral.

Is the Premier trying to create a crisis in our colleges and universities, just as he is with our elementary and secondary schools?

Hon. Steve Clark: The member opposite from Spadina–Fort York called our plan “frightening.” I think the NDP need to clarify what’s so scary about ensuring that students have high-quality jobs in Ontario after they graduate.

Frankly, what’s frightening is the fact that the NDP are opposed to ensuring that tax dollars are actually delivering the results for students and their families. We’re embracing changes to our post-secondary education system that are modern, that are forward-thinking and that actually lead to an outcome of a well-paying job. What we’re trying to do is shift the funding to universities and colleges that are more dependent on student outcomes. It’s clear right from the start that what’s frightening in this province is the fact that the NDP continue to speak for the status quo and don’t embrace actually trying to connect that student with that—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Thank you. The next question is to the member for Cambridge.

Ontario budget

Mrs. Belinda Karahalios: My question is for the Minister of Finance. Our government’s first budget takes clear action to protect what matters most for years to come while providing relief to families and individuals today. We’re also balancing the budget in a responsible manner without introducing any new taxes. This budget puts people first, Mr. Speaker. After 15 years of Liberal waste and mismanagement, we have put forward a plan to restore trust in government and put more money in people’s pockets.

An example of our government’s commitment to spending money responsibly and bringing relief to those who need it most is the Childcare Access and Relief from Expenses tax credit. Could the minister please explain the importance of the CARE tax credit and how our government is supporting parents in Ontario?

Hon. Victor Fedeli: Thank you to the member from Cambridge for the question. We believe that parents, not government, should make the decisions that are best for their children. That is why we are proposing the Childcare Access and Relief from Expenses tax credit—or, thankfully, CARE for short. The CARE tax credit would be one of the most flexible child care initiatives ever introduced. Families could receive up to $6,000 per child under seven, up to $3,750 for children between seven and 16, and up to $8,250 per child with severe disability, regardless of age. CARE would provide about 300,000 families with 75% of their eligible child care expenses.

Choosing appropriate child care is among the most important decisions a parent will ever make. Our plan puts parents—not bureaucrats, not politicians—at the centre of that decision.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Thank you. Supplementary.

Mrs. Belinda Karahalios: Thank you to the minister for his response. We are so excited to see our government proposing thoughtful solutions that respect parents and provide them the support they need. Under the previous government, parents were too often forgotten, suffering under the weight of increasing taxes and increasing expenses with no relief in sight. Thankfully, our government is reversing this trend and bringing relief to the people of Ontario. We are supporting parents and putting them in charge of making important decisions for their children, and we’re helping those who need it most.

Could the minister please explain how the CARE tax credit will bring the greatest relief to those in most need?

Hon. Victor Fedeli: Minister of Education.

Hon. Lisa M. Thompson: Thank you to the member for Cambridge for her question. Speaker, I’m pleased to share with you today that the CARE tax credit will build on the Child Care Expense Deduction, which will continue to provide provincial and federal tax relief towards eligible child care expenses. While the CCED provides greater relief on average to higher-income families, I’m so pleased to share with everyone today that our CARE tax credit will provide a higher credit rate to families with lower incomes, filling the gap in support for these families.

We cannot understate how important this support for lower-income families needs to be. In some cases, the CARE tax credit might mean a parent will join the workforce or decide to work more hours. By proposing this flexible support, we’re empowering parents to make the decisions that are the best for their children and best for their families.

Public health

Ms. Sara Singh: My question is to the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. Last Thursday, the Conservatives revealed their scheme to cut $200 million in health care funding by dropping from 35 public health units to just 10. Public health units protect us and our communities in a very cost-effective way. They administer vaccines that help keep us from getting sick and can help us avoid expensive stays in the hospital. They inspect restaurants to ensure hygienic practices are being followed and they make sure that our water is safe to drink. Public health’s bottom line is to keep us safe, and that’s a hard job to do when more than 25% of their funding is cut.

Does the minister know that her cuts to public health will make us all less safe?

Hon. Christine Elliott: We can certainly agree that the role of public health is very important, and that’s what we’re trying to do with modernizing our entire system of health care, our public health care system, to make sure that people can receive access to better, more connected services. That’s what we’re doing with public health, allowing it to be more responsive by having a smaller number of units being able to mobilize in case there’s a public health emergency.

That’s the goal here, and we have had lots of support for that. Dr. Rob Cushman, a former medical officer of health in Ottawa, is certainly in favour of our plan and points out that smaller health units have long had problems with recruiting staff. We want to make sure that our health units are going to be appropriately staffed and are going to be ready to respond quickly in cases of emergency.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary.

Ms. Sara Singh: Back to the minister: We’ve been here before under the last Conservative government, and the results aren’t good. We know what happens when public health is not funded properly.

Even worse, Mr. Speaker, it is this government’s plan to cut the number of public health laboratories as well. Ontario has 11 public health laboratories all over this province. The labs test for infectious diseases and help public health officials identify disease outbreaks in our province. Our public health laboratory system is one of the best systems in the world. We should be investing in the system, not cutting it.

Can the minister tell us if her government is planning to hand over the keys to our public health laboratories to for-profit companies?

Hon. Christine Elliott: Our public health units and public laboratories will continue to be well-funded and will continue to do the great work that we’re doing. We want to modernize the system so that we can be responsible and responsive to any public health emergencies that come forward. As the member will know, there are situations in Ontario where we’re having outbreaks of things like tuberculosis, measles—people not getting their children vaccinated. That is an important role that public health will continue to play.

As we develop our local public health teams, public health is going to be a key component of that. We greatly value the work that they’re going to do and we want them to continue into our modernized, transformed system of health care. That’s what we’re working on and that’s where we will end up with public health: in the forefront, as it should be.

Dental care

Mr. Daryl Kramp: My question today is to our truly compassionate, capable and caring Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. Last week, Minister Fedeli delivered our government’s first budget and confirmed our commitment to building a connected and sustainable public health care system for the people of Ontario. It’s imperative that our budget protects the core services that matter the most, like health care, while restoring, of course, fiscal sustainability to the people of Ontario.

This budget also acknowledges the importance of supports for low-income seniors. Can the minister please inform the House as to what our government is doing to help low-income seniors with their dental care?

Hon. Christine Elliott: Thank you very much to the member from Hastings–Lennox and Addington for this important question. No senior in Ontario should go without quality dental care.

We know what the figures are, Mr. Speaker. Preventable dental issues lead to more than 60,000 emergency visits per year in our hospitals, a significant portion of which are led by seniors. That’s why we’re going to be investing nearly $100 million per year in dental care for low-income seniors, so that they can receive the high-quality dental care they deserve.

This new program will assist Ontario seniors by increasing funding for dental services in our public health units, in our community health centres and Aboriginal health access centres, and investing in new dental services in underserviced areas with mobile dental buses.

Mr. Speaker, we are building a coordinated, connected public health care system that puts the needs of Ontario’s patients first.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary?

Mr. Daryl Kramp: Oral health is vital for everyone—and I thank you for recognizing that, Minister—because poor oral health can make day-to-day tasks like speaking and chewing very, very difficult, especially for our seniors.

Mr. Speaker, two thirds of low-income seniors in Ontario do not have access to dental insurance. That’s two thirds of seniors who cannot even properly digest their food. This is totally and simply unacceptable.

Can the minister explain how our government’s dental program will enhance the lives of Ontario seniors?

Hon. Raymond Sung Joon Cho: Mr. Speaker, through you: I would like to thank the member for raising a very important question.

As the member stated, two thirds of low-income seniors in Ontario do not have dental insurance. I just cannot believe that the Liberals, supported by the NDP, were in government for the last 15 years, created a huge debt and incredible deficits, and yet they did not allow our low-income seniors on fixed incomes to get the proper dental care that they needed.

During the campaign, our leader, now our Premier, Doug Ford, promised dental care for low-income seniors. This government introduced the program in our first—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Stop the clock. Once again, I had to stop the clock. I could not hear the minister who had the floor because of the ovation from the government side. I had to stand up and interrupt him and cut him off.

Start the clock. Next question.

Public transit

Ms. Jessica Bell: This is a question to the Minister of Transportation. Before the election, the Premier promised to double the transit transfer to municipalities. On Thursday, the Premier gave himself a standing ovation for breaking this promise.

This cut to planned transit funding means the city of Toronto will lose $1.1 billion over 10 years that was going to be spent on investments like repairing buses, making stations accessible, ensuring the subway air conditioning works, and reducing delays and breakdowns on our transit system. Now the city will either have to raise fares, raise taxes, cut service or allow the system to crumble.

Why did the Premier break his promise to Toronto transit riders?

Hon. Jeff Yurek: Thanks, member opposite, for that question. This government has come out with some great transportation announcements throughout this province. We are investing $28.5 billion on four expansions throughout the Toronto area, the GTA. We have expended over $1.2 billion on the Ottawa LRT. We’ve promised $1 billion to Hamilton. We are promising to rebuild the 401 between Tilbury and Elgin county. We are making the investments necessary.

Just last year, with regard to the gas tax program, we gave out over $364 million in gas tax funding to 107 municipalities, to provide public transit service to 104 communities across Ontario.

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite made reference to the TTC. I’m glad she did, because we’re in the middle of a terms-of-reference agreement to create a new partnership with the city of Toronto that would upload the maintenance costs of the subway system to the province. I’d hope she would be supportive as we move forward with this upload.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary?

Ms. Jessica Bell: Back to the Minister of Transportation: The Premier cut over $3 billion in planned funding that was promised for municipal transit systems over the next 10 years. Over 100 municipalities lost transit funding they were promised, money that these municipalities were counting on. They were counting on this additional funding to begin flowing this year: not years down the road—this year. People will feel the impact of this cut immediately.

If the Premier can applaud himself for breaking this transit promise, why should anyone believe that he will keep his other transit promises?

Hon. Jeff Yurek: Thank you again for that question from the member opposite. Our government has invested heavily throughout the entire province with regard to transit and infrastructure, Mr. Speaker. I just announced the $28.5-billion investment in subways, but on top of that, we just recently announced a $1.3-billion investment in the upgrade of highways and provincial bridges throughout the entire province. The Minister of Infrastructure has a number of funds out there that are going to help small municipalities with their infrastructure needs and possibly create new transit opportunities.

Mr. Speaker, we maintained and gave $364 million to 107 municipalities. I don’t know why that’s bad news to the members on the opposite side. We’re committed to the gas tax program, and we’re going to continue to support all the municipalities throughout this province, including Toronto.

Education funding

Mrs. Nina Tangri: Good morning, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Education. Last week, it was great to see a budget that invests in our education system in a responsible and measured manner. I know many parents in my riding of Mississauga–Streetsville were relieved to hear about how we’re building on our plans for education and to hear about the investments we’re making.

Can the Minister of Education tell us about what she’s heard since the government rolled out a path towards responsible and impactful spending in our education system?

Hon. Lisa M. Thompson: I appreciate the question very much from the member from Mississauga–Streetsville, because I was actually in Mississauga on Saturday seeing what we’re embracing come to fruition first-hand with excitement that absolutely filled the arena as I attended the FIRST Robotics provincial championship. I’m so pleased to see that our investment in this type of initiative is paying dividends. Again, the FIRST Robotics provincial championship was held this past weekend. Schools from across Ontario participated, and I’m so pleased to say that we’re going to have great representation in the world competition in Detroit.

While I was at the provincial competition, I saw so many amazing things happening, Speaker. The students were working hand in hand. Professionalism and grace were two founding principles that the teams were evaluated on. Holland Bloorview had a team there. This type of initiative does not discriminate. Children of all ages in high school—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Thank you. Supplementary.

Mrs. Nina Tangri: Through you, Mr. Speaker: Thank you to the minister for that response. It is refreshing to hear that we finally have a government that will put our students first and focus our dollars directly on benefits to students.

I know the previous Liberal government left our schools in a state of disrepair while at the same time failing to support our students. I know the minister has taken steps towards modernizing our classrooms. But can the minister tell us more about what the government will do to invest in our schools and ensure our students are successful?

Hon. Lisa M. Thompson: Absolutely. Thank you so much. This budget that we shared on Thursday is great news for the education system in Ontario. We’re talking about modernizing our education system in order to update curriculum to better utilize technology and give students the skills they need to succeed. You know, with the budget and our plan for Education that Works for You, we’re introducing new measures that will help make Ontario students leaders in education around the world once again. By investing more in education every year, we’re going to be focusing on key pieces to improve our schools.

Due to the previous government’s extreme mismanagement of this file, far too many schools in Ontario were, frankly, left in a state of disrepair. That’s why, over the next year, we are going to be committing another $1.4 billion in renewal, repair and maintenance. This is good news for schools that have been left to crumble under the previous Liberal government. We want to make—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Thank you. Next question.

Northern Ontario

Mr. Michael Mantha: My question is to the Premier. The Conservative government’s first budget is bad news for the north, to say the least. Ministries that are dedicated to the development of the northern economy, like the Ministries of Natural Resources and Forestry and Northern Development and Mines, have been cut by hundreds of millions of dollars. There wasn’t even lip service to the billion dollars in funding needed to build the roads for the Ring of Fire. Even the government announced their own intentions to interfere with the successful Northern Ontario Heritage Fund.

Instead of investing in the north, why is the Premier choosing to cut funding for northern Ontario economic development?

Hon. Doug Ford: Through you, Mr. Speaker, I’ll pass this, after I answer this question, over to the great minister of northern affairs. As he told me this weekend, he travelled in the car 840 kilometres all over the north. He’s an absolute champion.

Mr. Speaker, today, this morning, I went to the prayer breakfast with everyone from all different parties. There are no political stripes, as I said, when it comes to prayer. We’re all of the same stripe, so, Mr. Speaker, I thought I’d do the right thing. It wasn’t the Leader of the Opposition’s fault. She had another event and I respect that, so I did the right thing. I did a prayer for her. I did a prayer, considering the leadership review is coming up in a month. I prayed for the leader that she would be able to be voted in and she stays on for the next three years.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary?

Mr. Michael Mantha: Again to the Premier: Quite frankly, I was there this morning and, yes, we need prayers, but with this Premier, we need a miracle.

Speaker, to make matters worse, this government made deep cuts to infrastructure spending, which will mean less funding to improve northern roads, bridges, schools and hospitals. The government once again refused to commit to reinstating the Northlander passenger rail service—the short line between Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury, the line in regard to the connector between Hearst and Sault Ste. Marie. As we all know, the cuts to education will hit rural and northern schools the hardest.

Premier, why are you making life harder for those who live in northern Ontario?

Hon. Doug Ford: Minister of Energy.

Hon. Greg Rickford: Mr. Speaker, in a marked, if not complete, departure from the truth, the member opposite has chosen to mislead and misguide the people of northern—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The member will withdraw.

Hon. Greg Rickford: I’ll withdraw.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Stand up and audibly say “Withdraw.”

Hon. Greg Rickford: Withdraw.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Please respond.

Hon. Greg Rickford: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

As I have heard from folks across northern Ontario over the past several days, they appreciate the fact that it was actually a Minister of Finance from northern Ontario who authored this plan, supported of course by our entire caucus, creating new opportunities through the Northern Ontario Internship Program, creating new transit opportunities for all of northern Ontario and encouraging the forestry and mining sector with new incentives so that northern Ontario can flourish. I’m pretty sure they got the message loud and clear. It was good feedback, and I appreciate that.

Health care

Ms. Jill Dunlop: My question is to the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. Mr. Speaker, our first budget takes a responsible approach to balancing the budget. It restores confidence in Ontario’s finances while protecting what matters most: our health care and education systems. Every part of our government’s plan to end hallway health care and build a modern, sustainable and integrated health care system starts and ends with the patient. I am proud to be part of a government that is investing in the front lines of our health care system.

Can the minister please inform the members of this House what our government is doing to support Ontario’s hospitals and front-line workers?

Hon. Christine Elliott: Thank you, first of all, to the member from Simcoe North for your great question. We are building a health care system for the people, a public health care system. We are taking a comprehensive approach to modernizing. By relentlessly focusing on the patient experience and on better connected care, we will end wait times and end hallway medicine.

That’s why we are investing in the front lines of our health care system with an extra $422 million for Ontario hospitals, which will receive, on average, a 2% increase in funding, including $384 million as new investments.

We are building a connected and sustainable health care system that will meet the needs of all Ontarians for now and well into the future. Thank you for the question.

Visitor

Mr. Daryl Kramp: Point of order.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Member for Hastings on a point of order.

Mr. Daryl Kramp: A number of years ago I got engaged in politics. At that particular time, one of my first staff—he’s here today on behalf of the snowmobile organization of Ontario, Andrew Walasek Welcome, Andrew.

Notice of reasoned amendment

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I beg to inform the House that, pursuant to standing order 71(b), the member for Hamilton West–Ancaster–Dundas has notified the Clerk of her intention to file notice of a reasoned amendment to the motion for second reading of Bill 100,

An Act to implement Budget measures and to enact, amend and repeal various statutes. The order for second reading of Bill 100 may therefore not be called today.

This House is in recess until 1 p.m.

The House recessed from 1146 to 1300.

Introduction of Visitors

Mr. Jamie West: I’d like to welcome Casey Lalonde from Sudbury to the Legislature. She’s here for the women’s forum, A Remarkable Assembly. Welcome to Queen’s Park, Casey.

Ms. Jill Dunlop: I would like to once again welcome my guest Martin Lalonde, who is receiving l’Ordre de la Pléiade this afternoon. Martin is also accompanied by his wife, Patsy Lalonde; his daughter Céleste Lalonde; son-in-law Rob Burston; son Jean-Marc Lalonde; and daughter-in-law Sarah Koch. Thank you for being here this afternoon.

Members’ Statements

Welland Harm Reduction Society

Mr. Jeff Burch: A newly formed volunteer group in Welland is focusing its efforts on a discarded needle clean-up in hopes of making the city safer for everyone. Katherine Sullivan and her friends have formed the Welland Harm Reduction Society. These residents walk the streets of Welland, the parks, underneath bridges and everywhere in between collecting used syringes and drug paraphernalia. I want to commend them for their efforts.

They are reaching out to the city, Niagara Region Public Health, and other community partners like Overdose Prevention and Education Network of Niagara and Positive Living Niagara, whose executive director is Glen Walker, who I know very well. He spearheaded the safe injection site in St. Catharines, and there are ongoing discussions, with the possibility of similar sites in Welland and Niagara Falls.

As this government reduces the number of much-needed safe injection sites, in Niagara we at least have community groups and people taking ownership. They have feet on the ground and are doing outreach work and education, and I say thank you for all that you are doing.

Martin Lalonde

M me Jill Dunlop: J’ai l’honneur de vous présenter un résident extraordinaire de Simcoe-Nord qui est un récipiendaire de l’Ordre de la Pléiade grâce à ses contributions à la communauté franco-ontarienne. Je vous présente M. Martin Lalonde.

This afternoon, Monsieur Martin Lalonde, who is in attendance with us today, will be presented with the award during an investiture ceremony hosted by the Honourable Lieutenant Governor. L’Ordre de la Pléiade is awarded by l’Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie to those who have distinguished themselves in the service of co-operation and friendship, and promoted the French language in their community. It is an appropriate recognition of Monsieur Lalonde’s decades-long career teaching, advocating and sharing the French language in Simcoe North.

Martin is a pillar of the francophone community in Simcoe North. In the early 2000s, Monsieur Lalonde was integral in founding the living museum and the Festival du loup, both in the community of Lafontaine. As the president of the festival, he organized, led and partook in the annual howling contest in this amazing three-day event—owoooo. Martin is also very active in Club Richelieu and seniors’ residences in Lafontaine and Penetang, and has written for the community newspaper Le Goût de vivre under the alias Igene Arbert.

As an educator and community leader, Monsieur Lalonde has dedicated his life to the continued vitality of our region’s 400-year-old French heritage.

Nous, les résidents de Simcoe-Nord, vous remercions pour vos contributions et aimerions vous féliciter pour vos accomplissements. Veuillez me joindre en félicitant M. Martin Lalonde.

Anniversary of the Great Fire of Windsor

Mr. Percy Hatfield: Tomorrow, firefighters in Windsor and Detroit will hold a special ceremony on the international boundary line of the Ambassador Bridge. This is all connected to the anniversary of Windsor’s great fire in 1849.

A warehouse situated on the site—now the home of the St. Clair College Centre for the Arts—caught fire just after midnight. Strong northwest winds whipped the flames, and in no time, much of the downtown business core was ablaze. Windsor’s volunteer fire brigade couldn’t keep up.

The flames were seen from across the river, and Detroit engine number 5, a hand pumper, two hose carts and the men of engine companies 4 and 5 hopped aboard the ferry Hastings and rushed to Windsor. They saved the Windsor Castle Hotel and other buildings even as their helmets burned to cinders and their hair and beards were singed.

The following morning, most of Windsor’s business district lay in ashes, but the village was saved thanks to the aid of the firemen from Detroit. In appreciation, Windsor citizens gave the Detroit firemen an elegant silver ceremonial speaking trumpet. Speaker, long before electronic bullhorns and PA systems, fire chiefs used speaking trumpets to exhort their men to greater effort. They remain an iconic symbol of command on fire service uniform badges.

The historic silver speaking trumpet will be front and centre at the mid-bridge ceremony tomorrow. It’s a lasting symbol of friendship and co-operation between our two city fire departments. Over the years, firefighters from Windsor provided mutual aid in Detroit as well.

Speaker, what a fitting way for today’s heroes to celebrate 170 years of a shared legacy.

Anti-Semitism

Mrs. Gila Martow: Just over the last couple of days, I was shocked to learn from the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs that a program at Stephen Lewis Secondary School in Mississauga promoted the libel that Israelis harvest Palestinian organs and conduct human testing of pharmaceuticals on Palestinians. These are more than offensive lies; they are contemporary manifestations of a vicious anti-Semitic trope used to justify persecution and violence against Jews for centuries.

The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of anti-Semitism, the most widely used around the world right now, is clear: It is anti-Semitic to use the symbols and images associated with classic anti-Semitism, like blood libel, to characterize Israel or Israelis. That this has reportedly happened in a school in our province, where impressionable minds are being shaped, makes it more distressing.

According to Statistics Canada, an anti-Semitic hate crime occurred, on average, once every 24 hours in 2017. That is up 60% from 2016. When it comes to hate crimes, Jewish Canadians remain the most frequently targeted group.

Mr. Speaker, how we respond to incidents of this kind defines us as a society. The Peel District School Board is investigating; the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs has offered to provide training; and an entire community is waiting for answers. We look forward to hearing what concrete action will be taken to hold those responsible to account and to ensure that this shameful episode is turned into an impactful learning opportunity about anti-Semitic hate.

Burgoyne Bridge

Mrs. Jennifer (Jennie) Stevens: Once again, I am bringing attention to the highly important issue of the suicide prevention barriers that should be installed on the Burgoyne Bridge in my riding of St. Catharines. Since October 2018, six individuals have tragically taken their own lives on the Burgoyne Bridge in St. Catharines—a regional bridge, might I add. Last week, the Minister of Transportation referred to it as a municipal city responsibility.

Expert testimony acquired through the Niagara region states that these barriers will make a difference, just as they have right here in Toronto at the Bloor viaduct. Not only do the barriers prevent further tragedies for the families of St. Catharines; they act as protection for vehicle operators driving directly below the bridge. These barriers will save lives.

The very busy provincial Highway 406 runs directly under the Burgoyne Bridge in St. Catharines, Speaker. I’d like to remind the Minister of Transportation that the ministry absolutely does have a responsibility to protect any driver on the 406 highway. Therefore, the ministry needs to contribute to the barriers and become closely involved in discussions with the region of Niagara surrounding the implementation of these life-saving barriers.

I look forward to discussing this matter further with the minister.

Ontario budget

Ms. Mitzie Hunter: It’s my pleasure to rise in the House today and speak on behalf of my residents of Scarborough–Guildwood. This weekend, the Rotary Club of Scarborough held their annual budget breakfast to talk about what the budget means for Scarborough. Sadly, no PC members bothered to show up for this annual breakfast. Nonetheless, we had a great breakfast with great discussion. What was made clear is that Doug Ford’s austerity budget that was ushered in last week is bringing another era—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I want to remind the member to refer to ministers by their riding name, or the Premier by “the Premier,” and members by their riding names.

Ms. Mitzie Hunter: —in Ontario not seen since 1996 to 1999.

It actually puts forward the most conservative budget despite a growing economy here in Ontario—cuts to post-secondary education of $700 million, cuts to social services of $1 billion, cuts to justice, cuts to education by raising class sizes and giving students less on a per-funding basis, and cuts to Indigenous affairs of 49%.

Speaker, this budget shows where the PC government’s priorities lie based on what they focused on: alcohol, beer and gambling. They didn’t mention poverty—not even one time in this budget. Nothing speaks louder than this about the Ford government’s priorities.

Children’s Treatment Centre of Chatham-Kent

Mr. Rick Nicholls: I rise today to commend the excellent work being done in my riding of Chatham-Kent–Leamington by the Children’s Treatment Centre of Chatham-Kent. Mr. Speaker, the life of every child has value, and the programs offered by the Children’s Treatment Centre work wonders in helping children from birth to age 18 actualize their value and potential. They help our communities know and realize that a child with special needs gives far more to their family and community than they take.

When a family has a child diagnosed with a disability, it can seem like there is a mountain ahead of them. Without proper information and supports, they can easily fall into despair. This problem is exacerbated when the supports that are out there do not complement each other, turning life into a long to-do list, chasing down disparate and unconnected services.

That’s where the Children’s Treatment Centre of Chatham-Kent and similar groups step in. They ensure that all services and supports that a family with a disabled child needs are in one location, locally administered for differing local needs and emphasizing a community experience.

One of the most important things they do is work with school boards to fully integrate students with special needs, training staff and students alike in supporting the transition from earlier supports to a positive and safe learning environment.

Local champions like the Children’s Treatment Centre of Chatham-Kent do great work in helping children with special needs integrate successfully into our schools and communities.

Sikh Heritage Month

Mr. Kevin Yarde: It is an honour to rise in this House in celebration of Sikh Heritage Month. Sikhs have been in Canada for over 100 years, and they have made valuable contributions to Canadian society.

Their contributions enrich our community and make it a better place to live and thrive.

We just celebrated Black History Month in February, and now we are celebrating Sikh Heritage Month. This is very important, Mr. Speaker. In a world of growing divisiveness, hatred and racism, it is more important than ever to take the opportunity to learn about others in our society and be more accepting.

The Sikh community was recently belittled and labelled by the federal government. With growing intolerance, such actions create conditions of racism and hatred and place a target on the community’s back. That is why Sikh Heritage Month is such an important platform for the Sikh community in Ontario—because it allows a platform to educate others about what Sikhs are and what their values and beliefs are.

I want to congratulate the Sikh Heritage Month Foundation, which, in partnership with the city of Brampton, has put forward a calendar of wonderful events in Brampton. I commend the work that the foundation is doing, and I personally look forward to attending great community-based events celebrating Sikh Heritage Month for the rest of April.

I want to wish everyone a happy Sikh Heritage Month and a happy Vaisakhi. Vaheguru ji ka khalsa; vaheguru ji ke fatehi.

Special Olympics World Summer Games

Mr. Will Bouma: It’s always an honour to rise in this House, and today I want to talk about some amazing athletes from my riding of Brantford–Brant.

Neil MacDonald, Kerry Lane and Jacob Potts recently participated in the 2019 Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, this past March. This year’s games had an estimated 7,000 athletes from 170 countries—and 20,000 volunteers—competing in 24 sports.

In the sport of bocce, Neil MacDonald won two silver medals, Kerry Lane won a silver and a bronze, and as a team, they won fourth in the world. That is just amazing.

In track and field, Jacob Potts won fourth in the 4x100 relay, sixth in the 200-metre run and seventh place in long jump. What an achievement.

Prior to competing, athletes were taken to Dubai, where they did a variety of activities, including seeing the grand mosque. After the games were over, they did more unique things, like driving over dunes, witnessing native entertainment and camel riding.

These athletes truly are remarkable, and I want them to know that Brantford–Brant is proud of them for their dedication, commitment and passion.

Congratulations, Neil, Kerry and Jacob. You give me my juice.

Vaisakhi

Mr. Deepak Anand: This past weekend, I had the opportunity to celebrate Vaisakhi. On the day of Vaisakhi in 1699, the 10th Sikh guru, Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji, created and initiated the Khalsa, a warrior with a duty to protect the innocent from any form of religious persecution. Sikhs all around the globe come together to commemorate and reflect on this significant historical event.

Vaisakhi is a day of celebration, the beginning of the harvest period. Families gather at their local temples with flowers and offerings to thank God for this year’s plentiful crop and to pray for future prosperity.

It is also believed that the goddess Ganga descended to this planet, and devotees take the ritual dip in the holy waters of the Ganga.

This festival is also celebrated amongst the Tamil community as Puthandu, by the Nepalese community as Nepalese new year, and by the Buddhist community as Vesakha or Buddha Purnima to commemorate the birth, enlightenment and death of Gautama Buddha.

Irrespective of religious belief, it is an occasion for celebrating the community’s growth and for remembering a set of shared values and united memories. In both its cultural and religious context, Vaisakhi is essentially about community, progress and celebration.

Mr. Speaker, I believe festivals are stress relievers and help us balance our emotions. More positivity naturally lowers negativity and brings us together.

On this auspicious week, I’d like to urge everyone: Let’s celebrate each other’s celebrations and festivals together. Let’s build a better world full of happiness and joy.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): That concludes our members’ statements for this afternoon.

Petitions

Veterans memorial

Mr. Percy Hatfield: “To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas during the war in Afghanistan, Canada lost 159 military personnel; and

“Whereas those brave souls were driven along the Highway of Heroes between CFB Trenton and the coroner’s office in Toronto;

“Whereas since Confederation, 117,000 Canadian lives have been lost in military conflict; and

“Whereas there is a recognized and celebrated plan to transform the Highway of Heroes into a living tribute that honours all of Canada’s war dead;

“Whereas that plan calls for the planting of two million trees, including 117,000 beautiful commemorative trees adjacent to Highway 401 along the Highway of Heroes;

“Whereas this effort would provide an inspired drive along an otherwise pedestrian stretch of asphalt;

“Whereas the two million trees will recognize all Canadians who have served during times of war;

“Whereas over three million tonnes of CO2 will be sequestered, over 500 million pounds of oxygen will be produced and 200 million gallons of water will be released into the air each day, benefiting all Ontarians in the name of those who served our country and those who gave the ultimate sacrifice; and

“Whereas there is a fundraising goal of $10 million;

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

“That the current government of Ontario put its financial support behind this fundraising effort for the Highway of Heroes Tree campaign.”

I fully support it. I’m going to sign it and give it to Liv to bring up to the front.

Fish and wildlife management

Mr. Will Bouma: “To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas the ban on hunting and trapping in sections of Ontario to protect the eastern hybrid wolf was put in place without regard for the overall ecosystem;

“Whereas this ban has adversely affected the ability of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF), hunters and trappers to properly manage animal populations and Ontario’s ecosystem;

“Whereas this ban is no longer needed and is in fact causing more damage to Ontario’s ecosystem and increasing unnecessary encounters between wildlife and Ontarians;

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

“That the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry immediately lift the ban on hunting and trapping set in place to protect the eastern hybrid wolf.”

I fully support this petition. I will place my signature upon it and give it to page Greyson.

Education funding

Ms. Bhutila Karpoche: This petition is titled “Don’t Increase Class Sizes in Our Public Schools.”

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas the vast majority of parents, students, and educators support smaller class sizes and the current model of full-day kindergarten and want the best education possible for the students of Ontario; and

“Whereas larger class sizes negatively impacts the quality of education; reduces access to teaching resources and significantly diminishes teacher-student interactions; and

“Whereas the impact of larger class sizes will be particularly detrimental to students who need additional support; and

“Whereas Ontario has an internationally recognized public education system that requires careful attention and the investment to ensure all of our students can succeed;

“We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to commit to reducing class sizes, maintain the current model of full-day kindergarten, and make the necessary investments in public education to build the schools our students deserve.”

I wholeheartedly agree with this petition and will affix my signature in support.

Gasoline prices

M me France Gélinas: I would like to thank Nicole and Michel Lavallée from Hanmer in my riding for this petition—a petition on the price of gas.

“Whereas northern Ontario motorists continue to be subject to wild fluctuations in the price of gasoline; and

“Whereas the province could eliminate opportunistic price gouging and deliver fair, stable and predictable fuel prices; and

“Whereas five provinces and many US states already have some sort of gas price regulation; and

“Whereas jurisdictions with gas price regulation have seen an end to wild price fluctuations, a shrinking of price discrepancies between urban and rural communities and lower annualized gas prices;”

They petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:

“Mandate the Ontario Energy Board to monitor the price of gasoline across Ontario in order to reduce price volatility and unfair regional price differences while encouraging competition.”

I fully support this petition, will affix my name to it and ask my good page Katherine to bring it to the Clerk.

Northern health services

Mr. Jamie West: I want to thank Margaret Arnold, who collected 26 pages of petitions from Sudbury.

“Save the Breast Screening and Assessment Service.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas Premier”—and the Premier is named—“promised that there would not be cuts to nurses’ positions; and

“Whereas in Sudbury we have already lost 70 nurses, and Health Sciences North is closing part of the Breast Screening and Assessment Service; and

“Whereas cuts to the Sudbury Breast Screening and Assessment Service will result in longer wait times, which is very stressful for women diagnosed with breast cancer; and

“Whereas cuts to the Sudbury Breast Screening and Assessment Service will only take us backwards;

“We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to:

“Provide adequate funding to Health Sciences North to ensure northerners have equitable access to life-saving programs such as the Breast Screening and Assessment Service.”

This is timely with the release of the budget. I’ll affix my signature and give it to page Erynn.

Social assistance

Ms. Bhutila Karpoche: This petition is on social service cuts.

“Whereas we, as a community, have not been consulted at all by our current provincial government regarding revisions to social assistance” as part of “the government’s ’100-day review.’ As a result of our exclusion in this decision-making process ... any changes that are made to our social assistance programs will not include input from the very people who are at their very core, know the most and are the most affected by these programs. Our government can and must do better;

“Whereas members of our community were consulted on recommendations to forming a clear path forward to social assistance and income security reform. These recommendations were put forward October 2017 in Income Security: A Roadmap for Change. They spelled our truths, addressed some of the most difficult corners of the system, while still staying very conservative in terms of the proposed rate increases.... Regardless, we were still going to be well below the poverty line for a while;

“Whereas before the June 2018 elections, the Liberal government passed several recommendations from or inspired by the Roadmap, including 19 improvements to the ODSP and OW that were to start this fall.”

Whereas “Minister MacLeod announced that the rate increases would be cut to a one-time, across-the-board ‘compassionate’ increase of 1.5%, and the 19 improvements were ‘on pause,’ pending the ... review on which our community has not been consulted;

“We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario” as follows: “to reinstate all 19 improvements to ODSP and OW on which our community was consulted, including, but not limited to:

“—3% increase to basic needs and shelter rates;

“—2% increase to other allowances;

“—changing the definition of ‘spouse’—from three months of cohabitation to three years (as per family law);

“—replacing the board and lodge rate with full basic benefits;

“—doubling of the ODSP/OW earning exemption and reducing OW waiting period;

“—full exemptions of TFSAs, RRSPs, gifts and voluntary payments;

“—expansion of remote communities allowance;

“—allowing dependent adults to get OW on their own when living with family due to lack of housing.”

I support this petition and will affix my signature to it.

M me France Gélinas: J’aimerais remercier l’ACFO de Windsor pour les pétitions.

« Ensemble, résistons!

« Attendu que les Franco-Ontarien(ne)s qui, jour après jour, doivent se battre pour maintenir leur droit d’avoir accès à des services de santé et d’éducation dans la langue officielle qui est la leur; et

« Attendu que les Franco-Ontarien(ne)s occupent une place importante en Ontario, et méritent d’avoir leurs droits linguistiques constitutionnels respectés, protégés et défendus; »

J’appuie cette pétition, je vais la signer et je demande à Mathew de l’amener à la table des greffiers.

Lyme disease

Ms. Catherine Fife: “To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas Ontario does not have a strategy on Lyme disease; and

“Whereas the Public Health Agency of Canada is developing an Action Plan on Lyme Disease; and

“Whereas Toronto Public Health says that transmission of the disease requires the tick to be attached for 24 hours, so early intervention and diagnosis is of primary importance; and

“Whereas a motion was introduced to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario encouraging the government to adopt a strategy on Lyme disease, while taking into account the impact the disease has upon individuals and families in Ontario;

I fully support this petition on behalf of the people of Waterloo and will give it to page Gajan.

Services for persons with disabilities

Mr. Percy Hatfield: “To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas over 1,300 Ontarians and their families rely on independent facilitation, a service that helps those with developmental disabilities pursue work or school, live independently, enjoy hobbies and participate in their community;

“Whereas by cutting funding to independent facilitation, families will only be able to access this support through an inequitable fee-for-service model;

“Whereas the ... cuts to the independent facilitation program means fewer resources will now be available to people with developmental disabilities and their families;

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

“To provide permanent funding for independent facilitation services and support to be offered province-wide so all Ontarians with developmental disabilities and their loved ones can access this important service without financial or geographical barriers.”

Speaker, I agree 100%. I’m going to sign it and give it to Liv to bring down to the table.

School bus safety

Ms. Bhutila Karpoche: This petition is titled “Support Seat Belts on School Buses.”

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas approximately 830,000 students are transported in school buses every school day in Ontario; and

“Whereas the safety of Ontario’s students should be the top priority of the government of the day, to ensure that every preventative measure is taken to protect them from harm or death on our roads and highways while travelling on school buses; and

“Whereas recently revealed evidence has demonstrated that compartmentalization is ineffective in protecting” students “in school bus side collisions, rollovers and vertical lifts, and that the use of three-point seat belts has been scientifically proven to mitigate the risk of potential injury or death in such events; and

“Whereas the number of 6,696 injuries and 19 fatalities across Canada since 1999 as a result of school bus accidents and collisions demands immediate action to prevent any further casualties; and

“Whereas the US National Transportation Safety Board and the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have released reports and statements recommending the installation of lap and shoulder belts on all school buses due to improved occupant protection; and

“Whereas several states in the US already have signed legislation in place that requires three-point seat belts on school buses; and

“Whereas Ontario has both the responsibility and an opportunity to be a national leader in ensuring that no student is unnecessarily at risk of injury or death in a school bus accident or collision; and

“Whereas numerous education, transportation and parent groups have voiced their support in making sure no effort is spared in protecting Ontario’s students;

“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to engage in any required consultation process with all relevant stakeholders, and to mandate the installation of three-point seat belts on school buses.”

I support this petition and will affix my signature to it.

Long-term care

M me France Gélinas: I’d like to thank the parishioners of St. Peter’s church in Goderich, as well as Louise Levesque Breault from Hanmer in my riding, for these petitions. It reads as follows:

“Time to Care.....

“Whereas quality care for the 78,000 residents of (LTC) homes is a priority for many Ontario families; and

“Whereas the provincial government does not provide adequate funding to ensure care and staffing levels in LTC homes to keep pace with residents’ increasing acuity and the growing number of residents with complex behaviours; and

“Whereas several Ontario coroner’s inquests into LTC homes deaths have recommended an increase in direct hands-on care for residents and staffing levels and the most reputable studies on this topic recommends 4.1 hours of direct care per day;

They “petition the Legislative Assembly to amend the LTC Homes Act (2007) for a legislated minimum care standard of four hours per resident per day, adjusted for acuity level and case mix.”

I support this petition, will affix my name to it and ask my good page Katie to bring it to the Clerk.

Orders of the Day

2019 Ontario budget / Budget de l’Ontario de 2019

Resuming the debate adjourned on April 11, 2019, on the motion that this House approves in general the budgetary policy of the government.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Further debate?

Ms. Sandy Shaw: It is my honour to rise today to talk about the budget for the people of Ontario and also for the people that I represent in Hamilton West–Ancaster–Dundas.

There’s a good expression that says you should not judge a book by its cover, and I would say that couldn’t be more apt than it is with this budget before us. If you looked at the cover of this budget, you would think that this budget was about the future of our children. You would think that it was about quality education. You would think that it was about protecting what matters. But you certainly cannot judge a book by its cover.

This budget has been described in many areas—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I’m sorry to interrupt the member.

The government side will come to order.

The member can continue her presentation.

Ms. Sandy Shaw: I’ve only just got started, Mr. Speaker. It’s going to be a rough hour for the government side.

The other thing that this budget has been described as is the booze budget—the fact that there are almost 400 pages in this budget and reference to alcohol happens about 35 times. And guess what? The mention of poverty doesn’t happen once in this budget. Do you know what it reminds me of? Have you ever seen those movies, or even in the Simpsons, where they take a book and hollow it out. You open it up and guess what’s inside there? A flask. My guess is that would be the best use of this book. It would be a good use of taxpayers’ money as that service.

It’s quite clear that this book, this budget book, is about booze and rebranding. It’s not about investing in the vital programs and services for the people of Ontario. While the Conservatives may try to deflate and deflect what they’re doing, while there are a lot of gimmicks in here, this budget actually creates real harm to the things that happen most to the people of Ontario. Try as I might, there is no polishing this dud, Mr. Speaker.

Over the past year, we’ve seen Ontarians growing more and more concerned about the things that matter most to them; and since this government has been elected, I hear more and more from my constituents about how they’re really concerned about the direction that the Premier is taking this province. They feel that their concerns are not being heard. I have to say that in a budget that is almost 400 pages there is a lot of information missing and there are a lot of things that matter to the people of Ontario, a lot of people’s concerns, that are missing from this budget.

As I said, we know exactly what the priorities of this government are: It’s booze and rebranding. But with this budget, it’s quite clear what they don’t value. Despite what is on the cover, Mr. Speaker, this is not a budget that values our kids’ futures. It’s not a budget that values education at all. This budget has been described in some circles as mean-spirited. It’s even been described as a callous and cruel budget.

I’ll tell you exactly why people feel this way. That’s because after 15 years of disappointing Liberal governments, families were feeling that they were left behind. They were struggling with things like paying their hydro bills, finding affordable housing, finding affordable child care, not to mention the crisis in our hospitals and some of the other issues that were most pressing to everyone’s daily lives.

But after 15 years, this is a budget that has disappointed people. It has not brought relief to those key issues for the people of Ontario, and it eliminates beyond a shadow of a doubt that—this Conservative government doesn’t feel like it’s their job to help you or to help your family. We see with the budget that things are being taken away from people in the province of Ontario. Things are being taken away from the most vulnerable people in Ontario. We see cuts to programs that impact children, cuts to programs that impact students in public schools. We see cuts in our post-secondary schools.

We see things that are going to impact people living in the Far North and rural communities, and most certainly we see for the Indigenous population of Ontario nothing that is going to give hope in this budget. Mr. Speaker, just so that I can be clear about what we are talking about here, I’m going to highlight some of the cuts that are identified in this budget.

At the very top, there are a billion dollars in cuts from the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services.

Mr. Percy Hatfield: A billion.

Ms. Sandy Shaw: A billion dollars. These are our most vulnerable people. These are children. These are people who are living with disabilities. They are people who rely on this government at the most vulnerable point in their lives, and this government is taking a billion dollars away from programs that they rely on.

We have $1.3 billion being taken away from rural affairs, northern development and forestry, the two ministries most directly responsible for our environment and climate change. We are now losing $1.3 billion from that budget.

As I mentioned earlier, the Indigenous affairs budget has been slashed. This ministry is already a third of a ministry, with it being combined with the other two priorities, and now what we’re seeing is a slash to this budget that clearly shows that this government is not truly committed to our truth and reconciliation efforts.

There are $700 million from the training, colleges and universities budget gone, and included in that $700-million cut is a threat from this government to withhold as much as 60% of what’s left if universities don’t perform to the standards that this government will determine.

We already have seen health care and education being squeezed, and this budget holds them to less than inflation. When you are spending less than inflation, that means cuts. That means we will be creating real job losses for front-line workers in Ontario.

We’ve heard this government talk about their super health bureaucracy or the super-agency they’re creating, upending our world-class public health system and opening the door to private companies. We are concerned that the words “not for profit” are not put in any legislation, and this budget does nothing to allay fears that they are taking our public dollars and putting them at risk for private profits.

In Hamilton and across Ontario, we struggle with schools that are not in good repair. We already saw a minister who took $100 million away from the program to fix these crumbling schools. And with these cuts—

Hon. Lisa M. Thompson: That’s not true.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The Minister of Education has to come to order. The member for Hamilton West–Ancaster–Dundas has the floor.

Ms. Sandy Shaw: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Despite what the minister says, people in the city of Hamilton are going to schools, our kids are going to school in Hamilton, where 31 of the schools in Hamilton failed the lead test. These cuts to the infrastructure have real and serious health impacts to our children.

Now, we’ve learned recently that in this budget we find, sort of hidden in the budget—it took us a while to dig through it to find that there are massive changes in here, which essentially are trying to, and we’ll just say it, kneecap the ability of Ontarians to hold this government to account in the courts.

This is why people are describing this as a very mean-spirited budget. But I have to say, the thing to me that is most mean-spirited is the fact that this does nothing to allay the anxiety and worry of the people of Ontario. We have heard time and time again from families with children living with autism that they don’t know what the future will be for their children. They don’t know what these budget cuts will mean, or these changes to the program will mean. They have been here on the front lawn. They have been in this Legislature with anguished pleas to help them understand what this is going to mean for their children. This budget does not answer any of those questions.

There’s no answer for people living with disabilities. Special Services at Home and the Passport Program, things that people rely on to live lives of dignity, are not mentioned at all in this budget. Again, it’s cruel to keep people in suspense, in the dark, when these cuts will mean very real things to their lives.

But, Mr. Speaker, don’t get me wrong—I’m talking about a lot of cuts in this government. This government is spending big in this budget, but they’re just not spending money on you, me or our families. It seems to me that it’s ironic that only the Conservative government could spend more than the Liberals and still cut things that matter to people.

In the lead-up to this budget, we had a good look at the spending priorities of this government, and I can pinpoint billions in costs and handouts that this government has already announced. We’ve heard time and time again about Kathleen Wynne’s $6-million man at Hydro One. This government managed to turn Mr. Mayo Schmidt into a $9-million man to make him go away.

The Ford government seems to be meddling in our hydro system. There was a story that was reported on—it seems a very long time ago, Mr. Speaker, but it was a big deal here for a while in the House, and that was the fact that at OPG, an old political foe of the Premier’s was fired, and that cost $500,000 in severance. This constant meddling that we’re talking about is what led American regulators to block Hydro One’s acquisition of the Washington-based corporation Avista. That cancellation of the deal cost $138 million in penalty fees, and this cost actually balloons to a whopping $191 million when you factor in the finance charges and the interest on that.

Then there are the famous tickets to the Ford gravy train that we’ve been hearing about, particularly from the member from Essex. These patronage and favour-trading appointments are adding up to millions of dollars. The former PC Party president, Rueben Devlin, apparently will be collecting about $1 million over the course of three years to upend our health care system.

Mr. John Vanthof: A million here, a million there.

Ms. Sandy Shaw: Yes, a million here, a million there—amongst friends. What’s a million amongst friends?

We have the former Ford campaign tour director, Ian Todd, now getting a $350,000-a-year payday, which is a huge bump in salary, for the gig as the trade representative to Washington. We’ve even seen that Ford’s former principal secretary is making $197,000 a year after she was appointed to the Ontario Energy Board. These are just a few of these sweet gigs and penalties and costs that are starting to add up for the people of Ontario.

But I have to say that one of the biggest handouts of all was that this government cancelled a tax increase to the wealthiest among us. That cut has resulted in a revenue loss of about $308 million. It’s starting to add up; right?

And can we just say on top of all of that, the cost to Ontario families with this government cancelling the cap-and-trade program is going to cost about $3 billion? Instead of a program that paid the taxpayers of Ontario, we now have a scheme that in fact will have us spending about $400 million a year to pay polluters rather than us collecting revenue.

As I said before, this is money that is adding up, and it could have gone to repair the crumbling schools that I talked about. I know that in the city of Hamilton, we would like some of that money to make sure that kids can go to school and drink water lead-free.

While this budget takes away from those services that I’ve already highlighted, this is a budget that says that the cupboard is bare, that we all have to tighten our belts. Clearly, not everyone in the province of Ontario is being asked by this government to tighten their belts.

I just want to say that there are real cuts identified to programs in this budget, but somehow this government is trying to spin this as a government that’s reinvesting.

The bottom line is that this government’s budget is more than the Liberal spending, but not on programs. There are two things in this budget that account for this bump—the largest budget in the province of Ontario—and those two things really boil down to accounting—not services that people rely on, not supporting the people of Ontario, but accounting changes.

The first one is the treatment of the teachers’ pension plan, something that has been discussed a lot, especially on the Select Committee on Financial Transparency. That has come back on the books and accounts for a significant amount of the spending.

Then there is the Liberal’s Fair Hydro Plan—

Ms. Catherine Fife: Not so fair.

Ms. Sandy Shaw: Not so fair. And apparently, now it’s the Conservative’s Fair Hydro Plan—

Mr. Percy Hatfield: Still not so fair.

Ms. Sandy Shaw: Still not so fair.

This government had a promise to come up with a 12% reduction in the hydro rates for the people of Ontario; the budget doesn’t address that. But what it does do is it shows that this government is prepared to continue to borrow billions—about $2.5 billion, if not more, in this budget—to continue to subsidize hydro rates.

The important thing to note here is that the previous Liberal government, starting with the Conservatives before that, began the privatization of our hydro system. Now what we have is a borrowing scheme in this budget that continues to subsidize hydro rates, which, in essence, is subsidizing the profits of the corporations that are profiting from our hydro system.

The people of Ontario were outraged by Kathleen Wynne and the Liberals when they took that borrowing and moved it off-book. But now that that borrowing is in the budget—billions of dollars in borrowing—and it has gone from the ratepayers to the taxpayers, somehow this government is trying to spin it like it’s a gift, that this government has given the people of Ontario a gift. But they’re using their own taxpayer dollars, their own money, to present it back to them as a gift. That’s something that the people of Ontario saw through with the Liberals, and they’ll see through that gimmick with this government as well.

I just have to say that in virtually every ministry, as I have said, there are cuts. And where there are increases, they’re held to below the cost of inflation. So in real, practical terms, if you are only funding below the cost of inflation, that means cuts. We’re talking about cuts to things that people count on—cuts in our quality, affordable, public education; cuts to the health care system, that is already so drastically underfunded. These are the choices that this government has made, and they are going to impact the people of Ontario.

So while this budget presents lots of cuts—believe me, this budget is showing spending, but it’s not spending on the priorities of the people of Ontario.

If I could just focus on the children, community and social services budget for a minute, as we talked about $1 billion in cuts in that most—

Ms. Catherine Fife: Unbelievable.

Ms. Sandy Shaw: Yes. Children, community and social services—$1 billion of cuts.

There are estimates that poverty can cost the province of Ontario between $32 billion and $38 billion, so just ignoring this is not going to make it go away. It’s going to have real impacts on the GDP of the province of Ontario, but this government does not seem to understand that. They don’t seem to understand the root causes of the kinds of poverty that people are experiencing—child poverty—in the province of Ontario.

As I said before, the fact that this budget continues to leave people in the dark is really, really a huge disappointment. There are no details in this budget about, as I said, the Special Services at Home, about the autism supports, about Passport. These are answers that people have been waiting for and desperately need to know—not in this budget.

The Income Security Advocacy Centre said that this budget “creates even more uncertainty for people who receive benefits from the Ontario Works (OW) and Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) system.” The cuts represent “a shockingly high 11% reduction in spending on benefits and services to some of the most vulnerable low-income Ontarians.”

Clearly, the impact of this budget will be devastating for people who rely on social services. This is $1 billion. I won’t say it again—maybe I will: It’s from the most vulnerable people. This is our social safety net—the things that, as decent human beings, we think governments should provide—and yet we are slashing it. Why? It’s clearly not a priority for this government.

Madam Speaker, health care is the number one issue for the people of Ontario. It’s the number one issue in my riding of Hamilton. We know that the Liberal government has left our world-class health care hanging by a thread. We also know, and it’s important to note, that Ontario has the lowest per capita spending in the country of Canada on health care. We spend less than any other province; we come 10 out of 10 in investing in our health care system.

We have a system that’s drastically underfunded after years of the Liberals. And now, with this PC government, we do not see anything in this budget that’s going to even begin to address this crisis in the health care system.

In the province of Ontario and in Canada, inflation is running at about 1.9%, give or take. It’s going down as the outlook starts to get changed daily. According to the FAO, health care inflation has a different number because of the importance of health care and because of the impacts of our aging demographic. According to the FAO, in order just to keep pace with health care spending, that inflation rate is 4.3%. In the budget, this 1.2% increase that this government is touting is below the rate of inflation and will result in clear cuts—not just in the spending, but it will result in layoffs in hospitals.

We’re already beginning to see those layoffs. We heard this morning about Grand River Hospital losing—how many? I forget the number.

Ms. Catherine Fife: It’s already 40.

Ms. Sandy Shaw: It’s 40-plus. And other hospitals are already feeling the impacts of these cuts. They’ve been hanging on for some relief from this government. Front-line workers—nurses, doctors, PSWs, technicians; some of the best in the world—have been helping to keep this system afloat, looking for an answer from this government for relief, and this budget does not deliver it.

I’m on the finance committee. We toured the province of Ontario and heard from all kinds of people all across Ontario. Health care was the number one thing that people were concerned about.

During the pre-budget consultation, we had a deputation from the Ontario Hospital Association, and they said that they would require $656 million just to stay at the same place, just in order to prevent layoffs.

Ms. Catherine Fife: Just hallway medicine.

Ms. Sandy Shaw: Exactly—just to hang on to hallway medicine. In fact, this increase this government is presenting is almost half of what the Ontario Hospital Association said was the bare minimum that they required.

So people will continue to suffer with long waits. They’ll continue to be treated in hallways. They’ll continue to be treated in converted closets, as was my father. My father was recently in emergency and he was treated in a converted closet. Nothing in this budget is going to change that. What the people of Ontario were looking for is not here.

The government can bray all they want, but do you know what? All the bluster and all the braying is not going to change the fact that this is not a budget that will do anything to fix our health care system. We’re looking at longer wait times and more Ontarians treated in hallways and closets.

That brings me to the opioid crisis. Of all the things in this House that have been so egregious to me, it’s what seems to be a tone-deaf, almost—

Ms. Catherine Fife: Callous, cruel.

Ms. Sandy Shaw: —callous, cruel response to an opioid crisis that is in this province, in every one of our communities. This budget has zero information on opioid treatment sites—clearly continuing to ignore this health care emergency. There’s zero information on the 21 consumption and treatment sites. This continues to be the response of this government. If they ignore it, they think it will just go away. But this is a crisis that is impacting families all across Ontario.

Mental health: We hear a lot about mental health. There probably is not one of us in this House who hasn’t had an issue of mental health impact them personally. This is very real and very personal to the people of Ontario. But really, we already know that this government has cut $330 million from the planned spending on mental health, and there is zero information in this budget on the government’s plans to address our mental health crisis.

Another surprise announcement in this budget is the cuts to local public health units. Nobody was expecting this. The government clearly knew, but this was not something that was being expected in communities across Ontario. So this government plans to cut the number of public health units from 35 to 10, cutting that many public health units with no real rationale, no evidence produced as to the reason why. That also includes cuts to public health laboratories. Currently there are about 11 public health laboratories in the province of Ontario.

There is zero information on how the $200-million cut from local health units will be implemented. It’s really not clear, again, how this government plans to change the funding formula for these really important public health funds.

Mr. Speaker, I have to say that they are cutting funding—

Interjection: “Mr. Speaker”?

Ms. Sandy Shaw: Sorry—Madam Speaker. It was written here. I have to change that.

You know what? The very fact that these are the organizations that would be around to help us prevent a future tragedy like Walkerton—I just ask, have the Conservatives not learned anything from past mistakes and past tragedies?

I have to quote the medical officer of health from Middlesex-London: “Public health teams help stop the spread of infectious diseases like SARS and meningitis, they inspect pools and spas, prevent the next Walkerton. We have programs that offer vaccinations, we support early childhood development, breastfeeding support, prenatal support.” And now, thanks to their cuts to health and their backdoor hidden legislation, the government is creating the conditions for another Walkerton. This is described as nothing short of shameful, and I couldn’t agree more.

The people of Ontario deserve better than this. They deserve better than a government that feels that they know all the answers. They don’t seem to like to listen to evidence or listen to experts, and I hate to say it, but this is a recipe for disaster.

We talk a lot about seniors, seniors living in poverty. There needs to be more recognition of the contributions that seniors have made in the province of Ontario and in Canada. We need to be doing more to support seniors to live in dignity, which they have earned. They built this province, and t