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December 6, 2005

38th Parliament, 2nd Session

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Hansard Transcripts

vol. A

Hansard Transcripts

vol. B

Votes and Proceedings

Orders and Notices

Hansard Transcripts 2005-Dec-06 (PDF)

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO

ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DE L'ONTARIO

Tuesday 6 December 2005 Mardi 6 décembre 2005

ORDER OF BUSINESS

MEMBERS' STATEMENTS

VETERANS

INTERNATIONAL PLOWING MATCH

CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING

LONG-TERM CARE

HOSPITAL SERVICES

RIDE PROGRAM

HOSPITAL SERVICES

HOSTAGES IN IRAQ

VISITORS

INTRODUCTION OF BILLS

VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS

EMPLOYMENT PROTECTION ACT, 2005 /

LOI DE 2005

SUR LA PROTECTION DE L'EMPLOI

DES POMPIERS VOLONTAIRES

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY

AMENDMENT ACT

(HARASSMENT), 2005 /

LOI DE 2005 MODIFIANT LA LOI

SUR LA SANTÉ ET LA SÉCURITÉ

AU TRAVAIL (HARCÈLEMENT)

MOTIONS

OPPOSITION DAY MOTIONS

PRIVATE MEMBERS' PUBLIC BUSINESS

HOUSE SITTINGS

ANNUAL REPORT, AUDITOR GENERAL

WEARING OF BUTTONS

DAY OF REMEMBRANCE AND ACTION ON VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

ORAL QUESTIONS

DRIVER LICENCES

GOVERNMENT SPENDING

AMBULANCE SERVICES

DRIVER LICENCES

UNPAID TAXES

OFFICE OF THE REGISTRAR GENERAL

ECONOMIC OUTLOOK FOR CORNWALL

HEALTH CARE

AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE

HIGH-OCCUPANCY VEHICLE LANES

CAMBRIDGE MEMORIAL HOSPITAL

EDUCATION FUNDING

POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION

CONSUMER PROTECTION

NOTICE OF DISSATISFACTION

PETITIONS

CAMBRIDGE MEMORIAL HOSPITAL

DIABETES TREATMENT

SERVICES FOR THE DEVELOPMENTALLY DISABLED

MACULAR DEGENERATION

GAMMA FOUNDRIES

MACULAR DEGENERATION

SERVICES FOR THE DEVELOPMENTALLY DISABLED

CANCER TREATMENT

ONTARIO FARMERS

MACULAR DEGENERATION

HIGHWAY 35

ORDERS OF THE DAY

RESPECT FOR

MUNICIPALITIES ACT, 2005 /

LOI DE 2005

SUR LE RESPECT DES MUNICIPALITÉS

The House met at 1330.

Prayers.

ORDER OF BUSINESS

Mr. Bill Murdoch (Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound): On a point of order, Mr. Speaker: I would like unanimous consent to stand down my late show from

tonight until next Tuesday night, if that is permissible.

The Speaker (Hon. Michael A. Brown): Mr. Murdoch has asked for unanimous consent to move his late show from tonight to next Tuesday night.

Agreed? Agreed.

MEMBERS' STATEMENTS

VETERANS

Mr. John O'Toole (Durham): This month marks the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the valiant Canadians who were taken prisoner after

fighting in the defence of Hong Kong.

I'm proud to say that approximately 200 students, staff and family members from Durham region joined veterans of the Hong Kong campaign in paying their respects.

Doddridge, Gerry Gerrard, George MacDonnell, Douglas Rees and Ed Shayler.

In November 1941, Canada sent 1,975 soldiers to help garrison the British colony of Hong Kong. On December 11, 1941, they became the first Canadian troops to

fight in the Second World War. Sadly, more than 550 Canadians died in the battle or in Japanese prisoner of war camps. In this Year of the Veteran, I would like to pay tribute to the veterans who

served in the defence of Hong Kong and, indeed, all veterans.

I would also like to commend the students from Durham region who travelled to join the veterans to show their respect.

Congratulations to Dave Robinson and Nancy Hamer-Strahl of Port Perry High School, who organized the tour to augment the grade 10 history curriculum. Mike Strahl

is the coordinator for Courtice Secondary School. Sinclair Secondary School, Father Leo Austin Secondary School, Paul Dwyer high school, Donald Wilson school are other Durham region high schools

that participated in the tour.

Students created a "We Remember" memorial capsule that was enshrined at the Sai Wan War Memorial and Cemetery in Hong Kong on December 4.

This is truly an intergenerational act of remembrance, and I pay tribute to all those who were part of the pilgrimage to Hong Kong and those in our community who

supported the students in this worthwhile project.

INTERNATIONAL PLOWING MATCH

Mr. John Wilkinson (Perth-Middlesex): "Come Be Amazed." That was the slogan of the 2005 International Plowing Match and Rural Exposition held

this year in my riding from September 20 to 24 at the Carson family farm in Listowel.

In its 92nd year, the International Plowing Match and Rural Expo is the largest trade and farm machinery show in the province, and is held annually in a

different county of Ontario.

Attracting more than 160 plowing competitors and approximately 700 exhibitors each year, this year's event provided an excellent opportunity for the urban

community and our youth to become more familiar with the agriculture industry and heritage of Perth county.

Highlights of this year's match included Premier Dalton McGuinty unveiling, on opening day, a new Foodland Ontario advertising campaign encouraging consumers to

"Pick Ontario Freshness."

Days later, Agriculture Minister Leona Dombrowsky unveiled details of the new $6-million agricultural drainage infrastructure program. These are both welcome

investments which will help agricultural landowners, strengthen rural communities and build economic prosperity in rural Ontario.

Coupled with these good announcements, overall attendance for this year's match was estimated at 97,000. Jeff Waldroff, president of the Ontario Plowmen's

Association, said this year's match drew the best response since 1995.

In view of this success, I want to commend and thank all of the volunteers and organizers for their dedication and hard work, especially this year's co-chairs:

Dave Shearer, Doug Aitcheson and Bert Vorstenbosch. Special thanks must also be given to Dave Carson and his family for bringing the IPM back to Perth county.

I also want to thank my colleagues in the Legislature who had a chance to visit this year's plowing match, and I encourage you all to visit next year's plowing

match in Peterborough.

CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING

Mr. John Yakabuski (Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke): I rise to draw the attention of this chamber and all Ontarians to a wonderful event taking

place this Saturday, December 10, in my riding of Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke at 6 p.m. at the Logos Land Resort just outside of Cobden.

The switch will be turned on, lighting the tallest Christmas tree in all of Canada -- a 74-foot-high blue spruce. Local school children will be decorating the

tree this week, and the child with the most original decoration will have the honour of tripping the switch.

This magnificent tree was transported to the site last Friday, and that was an event in itself.

Heartiest thanks and congratulations to all involved in this celebration of Christmas in the Valley, including: Logos Land for hosting and also for building an

Olympic-size outdoor rink for the event; Renfrew Home Hardware for donating the Christmas lights; Hydro One for the removal; McLaughlin Haulage for the transportation of the Christmas tree; Valley

Crane Rental for supplying the crane; and the Salvation Army brass band, which will be playing a medley of Christmas songs.

A special thanks to Warden Bob Sweet and county media relations coordinator Bruce McIntyre for their work in spearheading this effort.

Renfrew county is Ontario's largest county in the heart of the Ottawa Valley, which has been rated as one of the best 10 places to live in Canada. This community

project is another example of why.

I urge all members of this House and all Ontarians to be in Cobden this Saturday, which Harold Dobson has deemed the "centre of the universe." Harold Dobson will

be 90 this Friday and will be here for this spectacular Christmas in the Valley event.

LONG-TERM CARE

Ms. Shelley Martel (Nickel Belt): The crisis facing alternate level of care patients in our community continues to grow. One year ago, in the

face of acute bed shortages at the Sudbury Regional Hospital and at long-term-care homes in the city, the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care applied a crisis designation.

When ALC patients need to leave the hospital but there is no long-term-care bed in the city to go to, they can be sent to long-term-care homes in Espanola or

Manitoulin Island. In recent weeks, the boundary has been expanded to include Parry Sound too.

This is a terrible way to treat our seniors and the frail elderly. They deserve to be cared for as close to home as possible. Family members who are able to lend

a hand with the care of their loved ones find it impossible to travel these distances on a regular basis to provide care. They worry about the emotional well-being of their loved ones when they are

so far from home and a support network.

The McGuinty Liberal government has failed to solve this serious problem. Last fall, the government funded 10 interim beds at Pioneer Manor. The municipal home

had space for 30 beds, and this is the number that city council requested funding for.

Finally this fall, the government added 15 more interim beds, but this is still short of the 30 beds originally requested a year ago and still short of what's

really needed in the community.

City council has asked the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care for a meeting to offer solutions of their own. Maybe the minister will listen to council this

time. What is clear is that a long-term, comprehensive, permanent solution is required as soon as possible to ensure that we stop sending the frail and elderly to long-term-care homes outside our

community.

HOSPITAL SERVICES

Mr. Bob Delaney (Mississauga West): Last week, I spent two and a half hours in the operating room at Mississauga's Credit Valley Hospital. I was

as close as you can get without being a surgeon and saw how the men and women whose job is to keep us from dying work every day.

I changed into my surgical gown in a cramped locker room that used to be a storage area. The halls leading to the eight operating theatres are stacked on both

sides with shelves of equipment and supplies. Of our recovery room, one surgeon said that the patient density was the same as a hospital he worked in in Africa in the 1970s. That is the sorry state

into which our surgical facilities have deteriorated during the 13 lost years of NDP and Tory government.

Our surgeons, nonetheless, have a fine esprit de corps. There is an easiness and confidence that comes with competence, experience and a track record of

success.

They performed three operations using arthroscopic procedures. Those patients were at home in their own beds that night. I saw surgeons repair someone's jaw,

replace a woman's hip joint and replace a man's artery after opening his chest.

Help is on the way to Credit Valley and dozens of other Ontario hospitals with capital projects such as phase two at Credit Valley and better local health care

delivery through 14 local health care integration networks across Ontario.

I thank the surgeons at Credit Valley Hospital for their great work and for hosting me last week in the operating room.

Mr. Gerry Martiniuk (Cambridge): As patients and some 1,500 health care workers walk through the halls of Cambridge Memorial Hospital, buckets

fill the corridors to catch the falling rain.

This is the state of our hospital in Cambridge, which is 55 years old -- a full decade older than most hospitals in Ontario. This is the state of our hospital,

which is in one of the fastest-growing and most prosperous regions in our province.

A couple weeks ago, our hospital had to close down one third of the intensive care unit because of rain leaking through the 33-year-old roof. The patients from

the ICU were moved to emergency, and the people waiting in the emergency ward -- well, they waited longer.

It would take an estimated $13 million to bring the present building and fixtures up to standard. Close to $10 million has already been spent on preparatory site

work and plans for the approved expansion.

There is a fiscal imbalance between the region of Waterloo and Queen's Park. Tax revenues from our region far exceed the investments made by this government in

our region.

The good people of Cambridge won't stop fighting for funding that has been postponed by the government of the day.

I'd like to thank the hospital funding task force members in our gallery today: Mayor Doug Craig, Mayor Kim Denouden, Bill Davidson, Susanne Friedl, Dr. James

Gowing, Donna Gravelle, Carrie Hoto, Helen Jowett, Tom LeBrun, Claudette Millar, Bob and Ann Miller, David Smart, Paul Spencer and Lina Veglia.

The people of Cambridge stand united and demand their fair share. Later today, I will be presenting a petition that has more than 20,000 names --

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

RIDE PROGRAM

Ms. Monique M. Smith (Nipissing): As we enter the holiday season, it is time to remember that we must celebrate responsibly. On Saturday night,

I had the privilege of joining members of the North Bay Police Service, the Ontario Provincial Police, the Anishinabek police, Mothers Against Drunk Driving and Operation Red Nose to bring to the

attention of residents of North Bay and area that the RIDE program is once again in full swing.

For the second year in a row, I joined our local law enforcement agencies and volunteers on a brisk December evening on Trout Lake Road to greet drivers. As the

officers checked the drivers for drinking and driving, Louise Ranger, president of MADD Nipissing, her daughter, other MADD volunteers and I provided drivers with Mothers Against Drunk Diving red

ribbons and reminded them of the need to celebrate responsibly over the holiday season.

We were quite a sight near the Green Store in North Bay: Chief Cook of the North Bay police and his officers, chief superintendent Al Dawson of the OPP northeast

region and his officers, the Anishinabek police force members, the Mothers Against Drunk Driving volunteers, the Operation Red Nose reindeer and I standing on the yellow line and stopping traffic.

It was all for a good cause, and if, through our media partners who braved the cold with us, we were able to convince a few more people not to drink and drive, it was time well spent.

I want to remind the residents of Nipissing and across the province: As you enjoy this holiday season -- and we do wish each and every one of you a very happy

holiday -- if you drink, don't drive. Have a safe and happy holiday.

HOSPITAL SERVICES

Mr. John Milloy (Kitchener Centre): As members are aware, this government has made a firm commitment to provide the best health care possible.

We've taken incredible strides to ensure that our most vulnerable citizens are receiving high-quality care in our publicly funded health care system. To shorten wait times and strengthen our

hospitals we have provided over $2.35 billion in additional funding for hospitals across the province. We are committed to a compassionate health care system even in the face of the fiscal

constraints inherited from our predecessors.

It is in that context that we need to look at the situation facing Cambridge Memorial Hospital, whose supporters are with us today at Queen's Park. I appreciate

the passion that the Cambridge community, and indeed all of Waterloo region, bring to this issue in order to draw attention to their hospital's needs, and I support their efforts to have progress

on the hospital occur as quickly as possible. The government is working on a case-by-case basis to ensure we get it right the first time.

Since coming to office, we have provided Cambridge Memorial Hospital with over $11 million in new funding. We have also provided the hospital with money for wait

times, for safe needle sticks, for MRIs and CTs, for nurses, and to reduce wait times in hip and knee surgeries. The Premier and Minister of Health are both committed to continue supporting the

hospital. I'm pleased that both said that it's not a question of if but when the project can proceed. We know that Cambridge Memorial Hospital has pressing infrastructure needs -- for example, a

new roof -- and our government will continue working with the community and the hospital board toward a resolution. I encourage everyone involved to continue to work collaboratively to find real,

workable solutions to ensure a strong Cambridge Memorial Hospital for Waterloo region.

HOSTAGES IN IRAQ

Mr. David Orazietti (Sault Ste. Marie): I rise in the House today to express support for my community and our government for the group of

individuals from the Christian Peacemaker Teams who were kidnapped on November 26 and are presently being held hostage in Iraq. These individuals are not spies, nor do they work in the service of

any government; they are people who have dedicated their lives to fighting against war and have clearly and publicly opposed the invasion and occupation of Iraq. They are people of faith but not

missionaries; they have a deep respect for the Islamic faith and for the right of Iraqis to self-determination.

One of the individuals is James Loney, who is from my riding of Sault Ste. Marie. In the time since Mr. Loney was taken captive, there has been an outpouring of

support in my community, in Ontario, in Canada and internationally for Mr. Loney, his colleagues and his family. Mr. Loney is described by his friends as an extremely hard-working, conscientious

individual who has dedicated his life to promoting peace and helping people in need.

Our society needs more individuals like Mr. Loney. I ask that people sign the petition requesting the release of Mr. Loney and his colleagues. The petition,

which has quickly gained 15,000 signatures, has the support of many informed and influential individuals who are appealing for the safe release of Mr. Loney and his friends. The petition can be

found at www.petitionspot.com.

I admire the work and character of Mr. Loney and ask that his captors recognize that they are making a grave error in holding these individuals hostage. I want

Mr. Loney's family to know that our thoughts and prayers are with them during these very difficult circumstances.

VISITORS

Hon. John Gerretsen (Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing): On a point of order, Mr. Speaker: I wonder if you would help me welcome the

former base commander at CFB Kingston, Brigadier-General Thibault, who currently is the commander of the Land Force Central Area here in Ontario. He's accompanied by Chief Warrant Officer McGregor,

the LFCA RSM, and Captain Morawiec, the personal assistant to the commander. I wonder if you could welcome them with me, please.

The Speaker (Hon. Michael A. Brown): Welcome, gentlemen.

We have with us in the Speaker's gallery a parliamentary delegation from the Eastern Cape provincial Legislature, Republic of South Africa, led by the Honourable

Johny Makgato, chair of the portfolio committee on finance and provincial expenditure. Please join me in welcoming our guests.

INTRODUCTION OF BILLS

VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS

EMPLOYMENT PROTECTION ACT, 2005 /

LOI DE 2005

SUR LA PROTECTION DE L'EMPLOI

DES POMPIERS VOLONTAIRES

Mr. Arnott moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill 44,

An Act to amend the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997 in order to protect the employment of volunteer firefighters / Projet de loi 44, Loi

modifiant la Loi de 1997 sur la prévention et la protection contre l'incendie afin de protéger l'emploi des pompiers volontaires.

The Speaker (Hon. Michael A. Brown): The Speaker: Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? Carried.

Does the member have a brief statement?

Mr. Ted Arnott (Waterloo-Wellington): I'm confident that the government House Leader is going to allow a free vote when this bill comes

forward at second reading.

This bill amends the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997, with respect to salaried firefighters who also work as volunteer firefighters. If a person is

denied membership in an association of firefighters, is expelled or disciplined by the association or engages in reasonable dissent within the association in connection with this kind of dual

employment, the association is not permitted to require the employer to refuse to employ the person as a salaried firefighter, terminate the person's employment as a salaried firefighter or refuse

to assign the person to fire protection services. The person is also entitled to fair representation by the association. A person who believes that any of these rights has been contravened may file

a complaint with the Ontario Labour Relations Board.

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY

AMENDMENT ACT

(HARASSMENT), 2005 /

LOI DE 2005 MODIFIANT LA LOI

SUR LA SANTÉ ET LA SÉCURITÉ

AU TRAVAIL (HARCÈLEMENT)

Ms. Horwath moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill 45,

An Act to amend the Occupational Health and Safety Act to protect workers from harassment in the workplace / Projet de loi 45, Loi modifiant la Loi

sur la santé et la sécurité au travail pour protéger les travailleurs contre le harcèlement dans le lieu de travail.

The Speaker (Hon. Michael A. Brown): Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? Carried.

The member may have a brief statement.

Ms. Andrea Horwath (Hamilton East): This bill was originally brought forward by former provincial member and soon-to-be federal member Marilyn

Churley. When the member left, it became necessary to reintroduce the bill, which amends the Occupational Health and Safety Act to require employers to protect workers in the workplace from

harassment; to give the workers the right to refuse work in certain circumstances after harassment has occurred; to require an investigation of allegations of workplace-related harassment; and

finally, to require employers to take steps to prevent further occurrences of workplace-related harassment.

MOTIONS

OPPOSITION DAY MOTIONS

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

move a motion without notice regarding opposition day motions.

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

Hon. Mr. Bradley: I move that, notwithstanding standing order 42(l)(ii), there may be designated one opposition day by the official

opposition, to be debated the week of December 5, 2005, and that the notice requirement shall be waived.

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

PRIVATE MEMBERS' PUBLIC BUSINESS

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

to put forward a motion without notice regarding private members' public business.

The Speaker (Hon. Michael A. Brown): Mr. Bradley is seeking unanimous consent to put a motion regarding private members' public business

before the House. Agreed? Agreed.

Hon. Mr. Bradley: I move that, notwithstanding standing order 96(d), the following change be made to the ballot list of private members'

public business: Mr. Yakabuski and Mrs. Witmer exchange places in the order of precedence such that Mr. Yakabuski assumes ballot item 15 and Mrs. Witmer assumes ballot item 62.

The Speaker:

Shall the motion carry? Carried.

HOUSE SITTINGS

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

order 9(c)(i), the House shall meet from 6:45 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 6, 2005, for the purpose of considering government business.

The Speaker (Hon. Michael A. Brown): Mr. Bradley has moved government notice of motion 48. Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion

carry?

All in favour will say "aye."

All opposed will say "nay."

In my opinion, the ayes have it.

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

The division bells rang from 1357 to 1402.

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

Ayes

Arnott, Ted

Arthurs, Wayne

Barrett, Toby

Bartolucci, Rick

Bentley, Christopher

Berardinetti, Lorenzo

Bountrogianni, Marie

Bradley, James J.

Brownell, Jim

Bryant, Michael

Caplan, David

Chambers, Mary Anne V.

Chudleigh, Ted

Colle, Mike

Cordiano, Joseph

Crozier, Bruce

Delaney, Bob

Dombrowsky, Leona

Duguid, Brad

Duncan, Dwight

Dunlop, Garfield

Fonseca, Peter

Gerretsen, John

Gravelle, Michael

Hardeman, Ernie

Hoy, Pat

Jackson, Cameron

Jeffrey, Linda

Kennedy, Gerard

Klees, Frank

Kwinter, Monte

Leal, Jeff

Levac, Dave

Marsales, Judy

Martiniuk, Gerry

Matthews, Deborah

Mauro, Bill

McNeely, Phil

Miller, Norm

Milloy, John

Mossop, Jennifer F.

Munro, Julia

O'Toole, John

Orazietti, David

Ouellette, Jerry J.

Patten, Richard

Peters, Steve

Peterson, Tim

Phillips, Gerry

Pupatello, Sandra

Qaadri, Shafiq

Ramsay, David

Rinaldi, Lou

Runciman, Robert W.

Ruprecht, Tony

Sandals, Liz

Scott, Laurie

Sergio, Mario

Smith, Monique

Smitherman, George

Sorbara, Gregory S.

Sterling, Norman W.

Takhar, Harinder S.

Tascona, Joseph N.

Tory, John

Van Bommel, Maria

Watson, Jim

Wilkinson, John

Witmer, Elizabeth

Wong, Tony C.

Wynne, Kathleen O.

Yakabuski, John

Zimmer, David

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

Nays

Bisson, Gilles

Hampton, Howard

Horwath, Andrea

Marchese, Rosario

Martel, Shelley

Murdoch, Bill

Prue, Michael

The Clerk of the Assembly (Mr. Claude L. DesRosiers): The ayes are 73; the nays are 7.

The Speaker: I declare the motion carried.

ANNUAL REPORT, AUDITOR GENERAL

The Speaker (Hon. Michael A. Brown): I beg to inform the House that I have laid upon the table the 2005 annual report of the Auditor General

of Ontario.

WEARING OF BUTTONS

Hon. Sandra Pupatello (Minister of Community and Social Services, minister responsible for women's issues): On a point of order, Mr. Speaker:

I hope that we would have unanimous consent that all of us may wear these buttons, which signify the remembrance and awareness that we're going to be discussing in unanimous consent shortly.

The Speaker (Hon. Michael A. Brown): Ms. Pupatello has asked for unanimous consent to wear the buttons. Agreed? Agreed.

DAY OF REMEMBRANCE AND ACTION ON VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

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

consent for all parties to speak for up to five minutes to recognize the remembrance of the Montreal massacre.

The Speaker (Hon. Michael A. Brown): Do we have unanimous consent for all parties to speak for up to five minutes? Agreed.

Hon. Sandra Pupatello (Minister of Community and Social Services, minister responsible for women's issues): Today marks the 16th anniversary

of the horrifying events at l'École polytechnique de Montréal, when 14 students lost their lives solely because they were women who dared to aspire to professional careers. The

consequences of that tragic day continue to be felt in our community. That day jolted Canadians out of their complacency. It's fair to say that we were shocked. We resolved then that this must

never happen again.

In 1991, the Parliament of Canada declared December 6 as the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women so that we will never forget. We

are today, all members of this House, sporting buttons that say that, in remembrance of this day. It's a day to remember all the women who have suffered or are now experiencing violence or the

threat of violence in any form. Ontarians recognize that violence against women is a profound social challenge. It rises above partisan politics and extends beyond national borders.

In Canada, in Ontario and elsewhere, this is a time of reflection on violence against women, a time to redouble our commitment to supporting women who have

been victims and to seek solutions.

We're in the midst of 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence, a global campaign that runs from the International Day for the Elimination of Violence

Against Women on November 25 to International Human Rights Day on December 10. The White Ribbon Campaign now underway signals men's opposition to men's violence against women. Finally, the Rose

Button Campaign, organized by YWCA Canada, commemorates the victims of the Montreal massacre and all other women who have been victims of violence.

We've arranged for each member of this House to receive a rose button. Let's wear them to show our conviction that the violence must stop. Women and their

children have the right to live free from violence and free from fear.

Ending violence against women is everyone's responsibility. No one group can make it happen, but all of us collectively can. Each of us can make a difference

every day by supporting the right of women to lead lives of their own choosing.

Again this year, I'd ask you to rise so that we may read the names and perhaps, when the three parties have finished speaking, we can call for a moment of

silence to commemorate these 14 women who lost their lives on this day: Geneviève Bergeron, Hélène Colgan, Nathalie Croteau, Barbara Daigneault, Anne-Marie Edward, Maud Haviernick,

Barbara Klucznik Widajewicz, Maryse Laganière, Maryse Leclair, Anne-Marie Lemay, Sonia Pelletier, Michèle Richard, Annie St-Arneault and Annie Turcotte.

For the many times that we read these names, we again remember their families who are still suffering from their loss. May their names never be forgotten and

may they not have died in vain.

Mrs. Elizabeth Witmer (Kitchener-Waterloo): I'm pleased to rise today on behalf of our party to recognize December 6 as the National Day of

Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women in Canada. Established in 1991 by the Parliament of Canada, this day coincides with the anniversary of the Montreal massacre, when a gunman murdered

14 young women at l'École Polytechnique in Montreal. These 14 women were killed simply because of their gender.

Today I also want to recognize and remember all of the women and children who have been victims of violence: for example, Lori Dupont, the Windsor registered

nurse who was murdered at her workplace by her ex-partner last month; Lorraine Egan, a registered nurse in Sarnia who was killed by her stepbrother; and Sandra Schott, who was murdered by her

estranged husband. These recent examples are a reminder that abuse and violence against women, both inside and outside of the workplace, is still prevalent.

Indeed, women and girls continue to make up the vast majority of victims of sexual assault, 85%; criminal harassment, 78%; kidnapping and abductions, 62%; and

other sexual offences, 74%. Today as well, the vast majority of women feel worried and concerned when they walk alone, when they walk in the dark or when they wait for public transit. Clearly,

these statistics are unacceptable. Violence against women affects everyone in this province, this country and our world, and it can prevent women from making a full and positive contribution to the

development of our society.

Unfortunately, many women do not report violence to employers due to feelings of embarrassment or fear that they will be treated differently by their

colleagues. Domestic violence continues to be under-reported because victims fear for their life or have been isolated from family and friends and oftentimes are totally unaware of the community

supports that may be available to them. It is important that we all do what we can to address violence against women, both inside and outside of the workplace.

All parties must continue to work together to ensure that women are more economically independent and that they have the supports in place so that they will

report violence in the workplace, or that women and their children are able to leave abusive environments. It is important to eradicate gender-based forms of violence, because all women deserve the

right to live without fear and without violence. Equally important is the need to educate the public about what they can do to help change attitudes and behaviours that contribute to the

continuation of violent and abusive behaviour against women.

Today as we in this House, all three parties, remember the 14 women who were killed in Montreal simply because they were women, and as we remember all of the

other women and girls who have been killed in senseless acts of gender-based violence, I would encourage all of my colleagues in this House and all people in Ontario to reaffirm their commitment to

do what they can to prevent violence against women and girls.

Ms. Andrea Horwath (Hamilton East): On behalf of the Ontario New Democratic Party, I rise to again express our pain and sorrow over the horror

of the 14 young women who were massacred in Montreal 16 years ago. It was an event that left an indelible, horrible imprint on our memories. We again extend our condolences to the families of the

women who were brutally gunned down that day, and we will forever mourn the loss of these bright, innocent young women who were murdered just because of their gender.

This one terrible incident brought the scourge of violence against women into the direct glare of sunlight across Canada. Collectively, we pledged as a society

to take the problem seriously and to work together to stop violence against women, but how far have we really come when there is an eight-month delay in having a peace bond issued to protect a

woman's life, when breaches of family court restraining orders are not treated as enforceable criminal offences, when women are harassed and assaulted in their workplaces? I say this not in a

partisan way but simply to illustrate that there are things we need to do to truly eradicate violence against women. On December 6, at l'École Polytechnique, women died at the hands of a

stranger for no other reason than that they were women. Anything less than the most full and comprehensive response to violence against women would insult the memories of these young women whom we

commemorate today.

Tragically, women continue to be murdered. They continue to die at the hands of their partners, of men who were their spouses, who were their boyfriends, who

were colleagues, who were employers and who were co-workers. The reality is that many women still remain trapped in violent relationships from which they cannot escape.

The stats tell the story:

-- A 17% increase in the number of women being served by shelters.

-- On average, one woman in Ontario will be killed in a domestic homicide every week.

-- The rate of spousal homicide is increasing. Six out of 10 spousal homicides involve a history of domestic violence.

-- Fifteen per cent of all homicides involve female victims being killed by male spouses during the relationship or after separation or divorce.

There are many recommendations that we've heard over the years from stakeholders, experts and coroners' juries. Those recommendations need to be taken

seriously and implemented. All of us want to see the violence against women in this province, in this country and across the world eradicated, but it can't happen unless we make sure that we put

our nose to the grindstone and put those recommendations into place in every place that we can. In every gesture that we make, every bill that we pass and every effort that we undertake in this

House, we need to remember that we can do things proactively to address the issue of violence against women.

Women don't have opportunities to feed and house their children if, when they leave a relationship where there is violence, those resources are not available

to them in communities. We need to make sure they are available to them in communities. We can do that, and we should make a commitment to be doing that. We need to get serious about making sure

that not just the programs are there -- and some are, and I'll acknowledge there have been some changes in a positive way in that regard, but we need to make sure that the bricks and mortar are

there also, so that when women leave these situations, they can be assured that there is a place where they can have a roof over their heads and their children's.

I wanted to mention one last thing in regard to the efforts we can make in the House. That's why I chose to reintroduce today Marilyn Churley's bill on

harassment in the workplace. That's one other small thing that this House can do: support that kind of legislation that acknowledges that harassment in the workplace is a serious assault against

women and needs to be addressed.

Ontario needs to protect women from all forms of violence and harassment, including sexual harassment and sexual violence. On this sombre and significant day,

I urge the Legislature to make sure that we commit to making all the efforts that we can to eradicate violence against women in the province of Ontario, not only with the bill that I introduced but

with all the efforts that all of us bring forward in this regard.

The Speaker: I'd ask that all members and guests stand for a moment of remembrance.

The House observed a moment's silence.

ORAL QUESTIONS

DRIVER LICENCES

Mr. John Tory (Leader of the Opposition): Given the Premier's urgent, last minute, out-of-town speaking engagement, I will direct my questions

to the Acting Premier.

I would like to acknowledge the presence in the Speaker's gallery of the Auditor General, the taxpayers' best friend. The Auditor General's report this year is

a damning indictment of the way this Liberal government is grossly mismanaging some of the most important areas of its responsibility.

Let's turn, first, to page 127 of his report: "We concluded that the Ministry [of Transportation] needs to strengthen its systems and procedures if it is to

ensure that only legitimate and safe drivers are licensed to drive in Ontario."

With you guys in charge, it seems that if you have the money and a pulse, you can get a licence -- and even the pulse can be overlooked. Acting Premier, why

are those illegitimate and unsafe drivers on our roads under your watch, and what are you going to do to protect public safety and get those people off the roads?

Hon. Gerry Phillips (Minister of Government Services): To the Minister of Transportation.

Hon. Harinder S. Takhar (Minister of Transportation): We take the issue of issuing drivers' licences seriously. We had a system left to us

that was in a complete mess. There have been problems and we have almost fixed most of those problems already. I have ordered audits, which have increased 20 times in 2004 and have gone up almost

38 times in 2005. So we have increased the audit of these PINs. We want to make sure that we have a consistent identity that should be provided before a driver's licence can be issued. We want to

make sure that PINs are in a position to do that.

Mr. Tory: The minister has been in charge for more than two years, and he's fixed absolutely nothing.

Here specifically is what the Auditor General has found: "... licences from a number of jurisdictions were exchanged without transferring the driver's

conviction record from or validating the driver's status in the other jurisdiction. In 2004" -- you were in charge the whole year and you had been in charge before that -- "the ministry exchanged

30,000 out-of-province licences ... without such record transfers."

I quote again: "There is also a risk that Ontario residents who fail multiple road tests in Ontario can obtain licences through out-of-province licence

exchange agreements without proof that they have completed a road test. ... one driver failed the Ontario road test 15 times but received an Ontario driver's licence by ... presenting a licence

from another jurisdiction."

My question is this: Will you guarantee that immediate steps are taken and a full report delivered to this House before we rise for the winter session to

ensure that only drivers who are entitled to be there are on our roads? Will you do that?

Hon. Mr. Takhar: Let me just put the Tories' record right on the record here. What they did with the primary issues network was to decrease

the audits of the primary issues network to almost nothing in 2001, 2002 and 2003. What we have done is that we have increased the audits of the primary issues network. We have a zero tolerance

policy with them, and we're going to make sure that drivers' licences are only issued to people who are eligible to get them. We also want to make sure that if people go outside the province to get

it, we have their records to ensure that these are eligible people and we are issuing the right licences.

Mr. Tory: These were 2004 figures, on your watch -- a man who claims great experience in management. If you gave that kind of excuse, blaming

everybody in the past except taking responsibility yourself, you'd be fired in business, and you know that.

Turning to page 118, a total of 56,000 licence plates, stickers, vehicle permits and drivers' licences --

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Michael A. Brown): Stop the clock.

Interjections.

The Speaker: I can wait.

The Leader of the Opposition.

Mr. Tory: On page 118, it says that 56,000 licence plates, stickers, vehicle permits and driver's licences have been found to be missing or

stolen from private offices that issue drivers' licences. Six of 280 offices are implicated by the auditor as being primarily responsible for what he calls 49,000 high-risk missing items and 7,000

high-risk stolen items.

Minister, the public needs to know, where are these offices from which this stuff was stolen, where are the stolen 56,000 high-risk items, and what are you

doing to ensure that these offices are identified and investigated, the people are brought to justice and we find the forms?

Hon. Mr. Takhar: I think it will be helpful if the Leader of the Opposition had read the report: 56,000 pieces went missing in 2002. I want to

know, who was in charge at that point in time? I am prepared to put my management record against the management record of the Leader of the Opposition at any time.

GOVERNMENT SPENDING

Mr. John Tory (Leader of the Opposition): Some 56,000 items not found: that's the answer.

Again to the Acting Premier: What is your explanation to taxpayers who are struggling to pay your $2.4-billion McGuinty health tax? How do you explain to those

taxpayers that a small group of ministers secretly approved a record $3.85 billion in unplanned, unbudgeted, undisclosed spending in the course of the past year? How do you explain that?

Hon. Gerry Phillips (Minister of Government Services): The Minister of Finance.

Hon. Dwight Duncan (Minister of Finance, Chair of the Management Board of Cabinet): Our government's plan is on track and it's working. We are

eliminating the $5.5-billion deficit that party left Ontario with. We are making crucial investments in health care to help undo the 39 hospitals they closed on their watch, to help undo the 8,000

nurses they laid off on their watch, and are reinvesting in schools to bring peace and prosperity to our schools in a way that we never saw under the Conservatives.

It's been a long road to fix the mess they left. We're moving down that road prudently and responsibly. We'll balance the budget by 2007-08, and by then we

will have undone at least a part of the horrible legacy of the Harris-Eves Tory government that ruled this province for far, far too long.

Mr. Tory: A plan is no plan when you have $3.9 billion in secret, unplanned expenditures approved by a tiny group of ministers. A treasury

board order, as the minister knows, authorizes spending in excess of the amounts approved by the Legislature as part of the open process of approval of spending. On one day alone this year -- March

15, 2005 -- you secretly approved $561 million in unplanned spending. Even for you guys, that's a staggering amount. It's like you have a pad of these treasury board orders, and it's just any one,

anytime, anywhere; no questions asked.

My question is, given the McGuinty Liberal promise of a more open, transparent government, how can you justify spending almost 5% of your entire budget in

secret, unplanned, unbudgeted spending without any transparency or disclosure whatsoever? How can you justify that $3.9 billion?

Hon. Mr. Duncan: There was nothing secret and nothing unplanned about any of it. They voted against fixing education. They did that. They

voted against improvements to health care. They voted against reducing the provincial deficit they left us with. There was nothing secret. Every estimate was approved in this House, and every book

has been audited; even the auditor's report today said no rules were broken at all. In fact, the CICA set those rules.

This government is committed to improving our health care system, our education system and our economic infrastructure, and all his protestations, all his

opposition to that won't deter us from the priorities of the people of Ontario: better health care, better education and improved economic circumstances and infrastructure.

Mr. Tory: Some $3.9 billion in secret, unplanned, undisclosed spending. Acting Premier, in your budget two years ago, you forced every

taxpayer in Ontario to cough up up to $900 per year in the McGuinty health tax, after Dalton McGuinty looked taxpayers in the eye and said he would not raise taxes. The McGuinty health tax brings

in $2.4 billion a year, and behind closed doors your ministers managed to spend $3.9 billion in secret, undisclosed spending. On page 364 of the Auditor General's report, when you talk about the

rules, he says these orders are to be printed in the Ontario Gazette, and the auditor notes this has not been done.

How could they possibly exercise any care at all when, in one meeting, from a bunch of ministries, $561 million in one day was approved in spending that was

secret, undisclosed and unplanned? What kind of a way is that to run it, and why aren't you publishing the details in the Gazette?

Hon. Mr. Duncan: For instance, part of that money was agriculture money, which you told us to spend. Were you opposed to that investment in

agriculture? Part of that money was to help hospitals deal with their deficit. Were you opposed to that? I challenge the member opposite to come clean with Ontarians and tell them where he is going

to get the $2.4 billion that he wants to cut, and just reaffirmed, out of health care.

Our health care system needed the investment. Our education system needed the investment. Our budget needs to be balanced because of the $5.5-billion mess you

and your party left behind when you were thrown out of office unceremoniously.

We're proud of our record. We are for public education, we are for public health care, and we are investing in economic infrastructure. Those are the

priorities of the people of Ontario. We stand behind them. We do it in an open, accountable and transparent fashion, something you --

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

AMBULANCE SERVICES

Mr. Howard Hampton (Kenora-Rainy River): My question is for the Acting Premier. People count on ambulances when there is an emergency. When

your father has a heart attack, when your child suddenly becomes very seriously ill, people count on an ambulance arriving in time to help. But in Ontario today, the Auditor General tells a very

troubling story. The Auditor General says that in two thirds of Ontario's communities, ambulances fail to meet provincially mandated response times. They don't arrive in time.

The McGuinty government promised better public services. Why do two thirds of Ontario communities experience ambulances that don't arrive on time?

Hon. Gerry Phillips (Minister of Government Services): To the Minister of Health.

Hon. George Smitherman (Minister of Health and Long-Term Care): I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Auditor General and the

staff of that unit, who have done important work on behalf of Ontarians. The reality of their insight is clear. It is that we have work to do. That work has been undertaken, but we will, in

response, redouble our efforts alongside our partners at the municipalities who are primarily responsible for the provision of ambulance services in our province.

I am pleased to say that through the leadership of my colleague the Minister of Municipal Affairs, we are in the midst of establishing, with our municipal

partners, a land ambulance table to address many of the very particular issues that were brought forward in the report. At the same time, we're also working hard on ambulance off-load delay

challenges, which are a very significant contributing factor.

We take the report seriously, and I will be looking forward to opportunities to demonstrate to the people of Ontario that we can and will make improvement in

this area.

Mr. Hampton: Not only do ambulances not arrive on time but the McGuinty government isn't paying its fair share of land ambulance costs. In

2003, when the McGuinty government took office, the province was paying 47% of the cost of land ambulances. Today, going into your third year in office, in some municipalities you pay only 28% of

the cost of land ambulances, forcing cash-strapped municipalities to pick up all the rest. What this means is that your failure to adequately fund land ambulances is putting the health and

well-being of Ontario residents at risk.

So my questions is this: Given the ambulance response time crisis, and given your failure to adequately fund the land ambulance system, when are you going to

live up to your obligations and adequately, properly and fairly fund our land ambulance system?

Hon. Mr. Smitherman: I always like to hear from the honourable member from the New Democratic Party, who now is all on about this issue of

proper and adequate funding, but seems to have forgotten the role he played while in government in this province. There have been no strokes taken to health care in Ontario under our government

that can come anywhere close to the vicious swords that you wreaked in those days.

The circumstances with respect to funding are one element of that, which we must work on at the table with our municipal partners. There has been a very

significant increase in the amount of resource that has been laid out for the provision of land ambulance services, yet it has not resulted in the improvement in service that one might have hoped

for or anticipated. The honourable member raises important questions. As I said, the Auditor General has done an excellent job in that regard, and I'm very much looking forward to working through

the issues at the table with our partners, who are the primary deliverers of this service.

Mr. Hampton: The municipal partners aren't impressed with the McGuinty government. Under the McGuinty government, you are dumping the cost of

land ambulance on to municipalities that can't afford to pay for it, and here is the result: In Ontario, under the McGuinty government, we now have two standards of ambulance service. In one third

of communities, the ambulance arrives on time, but in two thirds of communities, it doesn't arrive on time. Fairness demands that we have one standard for ambulance service and that it be met

across the province.

The question, minister, is this: When is the McGuinty government going to stop dumping the cost of land ambulances on to municipalities that can't afford it?

When are you going to start keeping the promise you made to fairly and adequately fund land ambulances so that people's lives aren't at risk?

Hon. Mr. Smitherman: As I had an opportunity to say a moment ago, there's quite a bit of evidence, which abounds, of additional investment in

the area of land ambulance. The challenge we must face down -- and we must do that alongside our partners, who are the primary deliverers of this service -- is to ensure that additional resources

flow to improving the situation. This is a priority that we place on this issue, as I've said a couple of times now. I'm very keen to continue to work with municipal partners to enhance financial

resources as one element of an overall strategy. The NDP brings only one solution to every issue, and it is to pour money into the situation, but even in this situation with land ambulance, we must

recognize that there have been substantial increases in the amount of resource here. The Auditor General has gone much further than talking only about resources and has talked to some of those

partners on behalf of the patients of Ontario.

DRIVER LICENCES

Mr. Howard Hampton (Kenora-Rainy River): To the Acting Premier: The Auditor General's report paints a deeply troubling picture of Ontario's

driver licensing system. At private licensing operations across the province, fake driver's licences have been created and circulated, and 56,000 licences, plates and permits have gone missing or

have been stolen in the last four years. This means that people who shouldn't be driving are in fact out there driving and possibly placing the lives of other drivers at risk, and it means that

fraud artists have access to a key piece of identification that can be used to gather other kinds of vital documents, such as a birth certificate. How could the McGuinty government allow this to

happen under your watch when you promised people better public services?

Hon. Gerry Phillips (Minister of Government Services): To the Minister of Transportation.

Hon. Harinder S. Takhar (Minister of Transportation): First of all, I want to thank the Auditor General for his report. I have actually met

with him and discussed all the issues with him. My feeling is that he is satisfied with the actions we have taken.

Let me tell you, I think this a serious issue. We need to address this issue head-on and we have taken all the right steps to do that. One of the issues is

that there are about 300 in the private issuing network in this province. We want to make sure those people are properly trained, so we have set up training courses for them. We also want to make

sure their records are properly controlled and we are working with them to do that. We have also set up a hotline for them, so they can get the assistance they need in order for us to protect these

drivers' licences. We take these issues very seriously and are absolutely determined to make sure that those issues don't happen again.

Mr. Hampton: Minister, the Auditor General tells a different story. He says that not only do you have a case of 56,000 missing or stolen

licences and permits, but things get worse. It turns out that under the McGuinty government, all you need to get a driver's licence in Ontario today is a Costco club card. That, I think, is

serious. He also says, having reported on this, that the province has "neither investigated these stock discrepancies nor made attempts to recover on losses."

Once again the McGuinty government promised better public services. How do you justify a situation that the Auditor General says is deplorable?

Hon. Mr. Takhar: Let me just come back to this private issuers network issue again; about 300 in this province. These contracts were given for

life at a certain point in time. We have changed that process as well. Now we are giving them only for five years. We hold them strictly accountable. We train them properly. The 56,000 documents

that have been missing were stolen from this private issuers' network. That is being investigated by the police right now.

What we are doing is to make sure that we have standard documents that are quite in order to get your driver's licence. We want to make sure that all the

documents are properly controlled in these offices. I have increased the orders of these offices already, and, for the first time in the history of this province, I have actually adopted a zero

tolerance policy and dismissed a few private issuers' networks as well.

Mr. Hampton: The minister makes reference to the previous government. Look, we all know that they were about privatization. You promised

better public services.

Let me give you an example of something that happened on your watch. One driver failed the Ontario road test 15 times but received an Ontario driver's licence

by subsequently presenting a licence from another jurisdiction. The auditor "concluded that the ministry needs to strengthen its systems and procedures if it is to ensure that only legitimate and

safe drivers are licensed to drive in Ontario." I agree.

What happened to the McGuinty government's promise of better public services? What happened to the McGuinty government's promise of "Choose change"? Let's hear

your explanation, Minister.

Hon. Mr. Takhar: I couldn't agree more with the Auditor General. We need to make sure that the drivers' licences are for skill and are only

issued to people who really deserve them. We're going to make sure that happens. The previous government didn't do it and the transportation minister --

Interjections.

Hon. Mr. Takhar: There is laughing now.

Let me say a few things. There was a report done on what needed to be done with the private issuers' network under the auspices of the previous government that

was never, ever tabled. As soon as we came into power, I asked my parliamentary assistant to do another report, and we have implemented most of the recommendations of that report.

We are going to make sure that the private issuers' network is financially stable. We're also going to make sure that the records are properly controlled and

only people who really deserve licences get them. For out-of-province licences being exchanged in this province, if it's less than 24 months, we get a legitimate --

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

UNPAID TAXES

Mr. John Tory (Leader of the Opposition): Again to the Acting Premier: Page 365 of the auditor's report indicates that over the past two years

your Liberal government has written off more than $422 million in uncollected taxes and loans. Given that you managed to find an easy time increasing taxes by thousands of dollars -- the McGuinty

government has increased taxes by thousands of dollars on families across the province; that's after you said you wouldn't raise taxes -- and given that your government spent close to $4 billion

secretly and without any plan, without any approval or any budgeting, behind closed doors, how can you possibly justify simply flushing $400 million of taxpayers' money down the toilet? How can you

justify that?

Hon. Gerry Phillips (Minister of Government Services): The Minister of Finance.

Hon. Dwight Duncan (Minister of Finance, Chair of the Management Board of Cabinet): It's important that all taxpayers meet their obligations,

and from time to time, taxpayers don't. The revenue portion of my ministry has a number of steps we take to collect unpaid taxes, and I think it's important to note that the auditor points out to

us that we can do a better job, and we will do a better job. We're looking forward to responding in a complete fashion to the recommendations of the auditor. We believe that we have to take every

reasonable effort to collect those taxes that aren't paid in order to ensure fairness for all taxpayers.

We welcome the auditor's report, we welcome his recommendations and, as my colleagues have said, and I will reaffirm, we look forward to responding

affirmatively to these recommendations and to making sure that we continue to improve the job we do as the government of Ontario.

Mr. Tory: The member has had two years in government, during which time this number of written-off taxes -- hard-working taxpayers' money

flushed down the toilet -- has gone up by millions and tens of millions of dollars.

During the 2003 election, it was your Premier, Mr. McGuinty, who told the people of Ontario that you were going to do everything in your power to ensure that

all taxes owed by Ontario employers were repaid. In fact, we have a quote here from Hansard, December 3, 2002: "How in the world could you allow ... corporations in this province ... to not be

filing corporate income tax, when people in this province are begging for money for health care and education?" Guess who that was? The Honourable Gerry Phillips. Despite this rhetoric, you wrote

off a staggering $208 million last year, including $45 million in uncollectible corporate taxes.

How can you justify this massive broken promise -- another broken promise -- while taxpayers sit out there struggling to pay their bills and to pay your

massive McGuinty health taxes and everything else? How can you justify flushing their money down the toilet like this?

Hon. Mr. Duncan: One is reminded that under the Tory government literally hundreds of thousands of companies weren't even looked at -- they

were left on the books. What we did was improve accountability and transparency in all the province's works. What did their party do when we brought forward that legislation? They voted against it.

They voted against it because they didn't want people to be reminded of their $5.5-billion deficit. They didn't want the people of Ontario to be reminded that they added more to the provincial debt

than any government, save and except the Bob Rae NDP government of the early 1990s. They didn't want people to be reminded of the $30 billion in special warrants that they did in this House when

they didn't have approvals for budget measures related to their own budget. They didn't want to remind people that not only did they not want transparency and accountability, they didn't even want

to do the budget in the House; they took it to Magna.

We have committed ourselves to cleaning up the mess --

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

OFFICE OF THE REGISTRAR GENERAL

Ms. Shelley Martel (Nickel Belt): Minister, the Auditor General audited the Registrar General's office and found a litany of problems. By

December, 2004, 178,000 vital events were awaiting registration; in addition, 8,000 registrations required corrections. There were 3,000 cases where applications for certificates had been submitted

to the office, but the office had no record of registration data being received. Call centres couldn't handle inquiries or complaints: 99% of telephone calls were blocked with busy signals or

disconnected before callers could talk to a live body. Most importantly, the office was taking 48 weeks to process applications; that was up from five weeks in November 2003.

Minister, how could your government let this office deteriorate to such a state?

Hon. Gerry Phillips (Minister of Government Services): I do want to thank the auditor for his report and to say to the public that we take his

recommendations seriously, and I will say we're acting on all of the recommendations.

The challenges in the office are well known and well documented. I spoke here in the Legislature just two weeks ago or maybe three weeks ago to say that we are

systematically fixing the problems. I will say that the backlog has now been dealt with. We are meeting our standard -- eight weeks -- on both registration and issuing certificates. As the member

knows, we also introduced another system where you can apply on-line for birth certificates. We said, "You'll get this in 15 days," and it is happening. Virtually 100% of them are being delivered

within 15 days.

We take the auditor's report seriously. The entire House knows we had some challenges there, and I just want to say that the challenges are --

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

Ms. Martel: It's true you had challenges, and the problem is that the challenges were of your own making. The auditor reported that under your

watch, a new computer system was implemented; it continues to suffer from serious flaws. Under your watch, a reorganization of the office took place which the auditor describes as a "poorly-planned

organization restructuring with questionable promotion practices." Staff were processing 350 certificates a month before you came to office; under your watch, this dropped to 75. The challenges are

of your own making.

Ontarians deserve to receive their identity documents in a timely manner. First Nations deserve to receive their identity documents in a timely manner, because

they need birth certificates, for example, to get status cards.

When will you give a money-back guarantee to Ontarians that the mess at this office is finally fixed?

Hon. Mr. Phillips: You must have written the question before I answered, because I think I answered you: Thanks to the good work of the staff

in Thunder Bay, the problems are virtually behind us. I will say here what I said in the Legislature two weeks ago: We still have some challenges with the call centre that will be very much solved

by the latter part of December when we move to a new system. But apart from that, people are getting their certificates. As I said before, if you apply on-line, we are delivering virtually 100% of

the certificates within 15 days.

I acknowledge the problems. I also want to get on the record that the auditor did point out some challenges in the computer, so we did have an outside

consulting firm take a look at our computer to satisfy ourselves that it can deliver the service in the future. Among other things, they said there was strong evidence the system supports business

ECONOMIC OUTLOOK FOR CORNWALL

Mr. Jim Brownell (Stormont-Dundas-Charlottenburgh): My question is to the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities. As you know, Domtar

Specialty Fine Papers recently announced that it will be shutting down operations in the city of Cornwall in my riding of Stormont-Dundas-Charlottenburgh. I know that the employees of Domtar are

worried about their future, since their current jobs there will soon be gone. These are hard-working, dedicated people, and each of them is ready and willing to work and learn new skills or upgrade

skills so that they can make this happen. They want to provide for their families and contribute to their community.

Minister, can you tell me what services the ministry has that would help these people in my riding?

Interjection: Good question.

Hon. Christopher Bentley (Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities): It is a good question. I remember when I toured the plant with the

member about a year and a half ago and met many of the hard-working people at Domtar.

The ministry has had a program called the adjustment advisory program, and what it does is essentially provide assistance and information to hard-working

people who are faced with the loss of their jobs. It helps them transition to new jobs, helps them transition to upgrades in skills and helps them transition to the future.

I think what the member and I were talking about was his advice on how we make it work even faster so we can identify some skills training and upgrading

opportunities for some of those workers before they actually have to leave their jobs at Domtar. That was very good advice. It's the type of common sense approach I expect from the member and that

we received from the member, and we're going to make sure that happens to help the people in his community even faster than they would otherwise have been assisted.

Mr. Brownell: Thank you for your response.

In the spring of this year, the Minister of Economic Development and Trade came to my riding for a summit with leaders from the municipal and business

communities. The purpose of this meeting was to brainstorm ideas in the areas of economic development and trade that could be used to invigorate my riding. During this visit, the minister had the

opportunity to visit and tour several outstanding businesses in the region. He saw first-hand that there is a knowledge base, a dedication and a willingness to make things happen in my riding.

Minister, can you tell us how the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade is building upon that roundtable and what other measures can be taken to assist

the people of Cornwall?

Hon. Mr. Bentley: This is a question for the Minister of Economic Development and Trade.

Hon. Joseph Cordiano (Minister of Economic Development and Trade): I want to thank the member for Stormont-Dundas-Charlottenburgh for the

great work that he did to organize the roundtables that took place in the spring. He has done an outstanding job with his community. As well, I want to commend him for bringing together the reeves

and mayors of many townships in the region to develop an economic plan for the region, both for the short term, the immediate problems that are being faced by the community, and for the longer

term.

I want to inform the member that we have assigned a deputy minister in my ministry to take a series of additional steps. A steering committee has been

established within the ministry to look at what can be done with the community, developing a plan for, as I say, both the short term, dealing with the immediate problems, and the long-term.

I want to again thank the member for Stormont-Dundas-Charlottenburgh.

HEALTH CARE

Mr. John Tory (Leader of the Opposition): My question is for the Minister of Health. I'd like to return to the matter of the ambulances. On

page 43 of the auditor's report, it says, "Prompt responses are critical to the survival and well-being of patients with certain types of injuries or illnesses, particularly those experiencing

cardiac arrest." Yet the Auditor General found in his report that 44% of municipalities saw their response times increase on your watch in 2004, and that's even added to all the figures that were

cited previously by the leader of the third party.

Minister, we've heard a lot from you about your so-called plan to reduce wait times in priority areas but nothing about wait times in an area like this. We can

now add ambulance times to the long list of things people wait for.

You've talked today about meetings, letters and roundtables. What specifically are you going to do, given that people's lives and health are at risk because of

this deteriorating situation? What, specifically, are you going to do about it now?

Hon. George Smitherman (Minister of Health and Long-Term Care): Another thing that Ontarians are waiting for is for the honourable member to

pop up and produce that list of the $2.4 billion he intends to cut from health care in the province. Now the honourable member, who usually stands in his place and makes it seem like everything

will go away with just one phone call, acts derisively in response to the idea that when you're trying to plan a land ambulance system for the breadth of a province of 12.5 million people, you

should construct a table and bring all people together around it with a view toward resolving the issues once and for all.

The circumstances are clear, as the Auditor General's report indicates: Some of the challenges that are being experienced by patients as relates to land

ambulance are not about funding, they're not about the province of Ontario not doing this or doing that, but they're circumstances that arise because municipalities choose, on their own, as an

example, not to cross a boundary line.

The point simply is: It's a big issue. You have to take it seriously and we do. Accordingly, we're going to put the resources, including our time and our

energy, behind finding resolutions that are lasting. Accordingly, I think it's appropriate that we work with our municipal partners, who are the primary delivery agent for the service.

Mr. Tory: It will be great, for a change, to hear a very specific date on which we can hear the results of that work.

Now the Auditor General can be added to the list of those, as well, who are looking at other issues to do with mismanagement in health care. The emergency room

doctors were here a couple of weeks ago talking about wait times in ERs that are literally twice as long as the standards your government has adopted, and you failed to make it a priority. In fact,

the Auditor General says here that 40% of high-priority patients, the sickest and most in need of urgent care, transferred to hospital by ambulance are having to wait 40 minutes just to be accepted

into the hospital, let alone get any care. Why? It's because of overcrowding in emergency rooms, something that the doctors raised and you dismissed in this House out of hand two weeks ago.

My question is this: What specific action are you taking to improve ambulance response times and the emergency room waiting times, which you said two weeks ago

weren't a problem?

Hon. Mr. Smitherman: The honourable member is trying a little bit too hard today. Firstly, he uses a figure of 44% and doesn't stand in his

place and acknowledge that that's a figure of increase in time from 2000 to 2004. For three of those four years, the honourable member beside him was the Minister of Health. It was the honourable

member who sits beside you who dumped hundreds of millions of dollars into emergency rooms with no net effect. What I did say, when you trotted out a selection of doctors, was that here in this

province when we're the government, as when you were the government, we work through the auspices of the Ontario Medical Association. Those doctors who came forward are part of an organization that

represents something like 15% or 20% of emergency room doctors. Accordingly, we work through the organization that it's appropriate to work through. We work through our hospitals and we work with

the Ontario Medical Association.

What do we do specifically? We put additional resources into the emergency department alternate financing agreement with a view toward providing more resource

for it. We are working on a report right now by Dr. Brian Schwartz from Sunnybrook on ambulance off-load delays. It's coming forward soon. I hope the honourable member --

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

AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE

Mr. Gilles Bisson (Timmins-James Bay): My question is to the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care in regard to ambulances.

Today, the Auditor General's report found that the Ministry of Health was not monitoring dispatch reaction times adequately to see if they met the provincial

standard. Where the ministry did monitor air ambulance operators, they found that the provincial standards regarding reaction time were met only 38% to 67% of the time.

Minister, you know that much of northern Ontario relies on air ambulance service, but in Dalton McGuinty's Ontario up to two thirds of the time wait times for

ambulances are much longer than the provincial standard.

My question is this: Could you tell this House what concrete steps you're going to take to make sure that dispatch reaction times meet the provincial standard

100% of the time?

Hon. George Smitherman (Minister of Health and Long-Term Care): I've already had a chance to speak to this somewhat today. But specifically on

the issue of air ambulance, I think it's important to note that when we came to office, we inherited a circumstance where, in 2001, a coroner's inquest had been very critical about the misalignment

of rules within air ambulance. The honourable member knows that in the course of two years I worked very hard on that, and an air ambulance system in our province is coming to life with unified

responsibilities so that there is some accountability for those service delivery targets which are so essential.

I can say to the honourable member, as I said at the first question I answered today, that when you have the benefit of the Auditor General taking a very

specific look at a program or service, it's an opportunity and an obligation to make sure that we respond on point to those observations and criticisms that are brought forward.

As I've indicated already to this House, and I'm happy to indicate one more time, we will look carefully at it and we will work and respond on point with a

view toward enhancing service for the patients of Ontario.

Mr. Bisson: Minister, this is the 2005 annual report of the Provincial Auditor. We're not talking about the Tory government, we're not talking

about the NDP government and we're certainly not talking about Leslie Frost. We're talking about the Dalton McGuinty government, which has been in power for two years. The auditor is saying that

you guys have messed up and that you've not done what you're supposed to be doing. In fact, there were recommendations made by the public accounts committee that are referred to in this report that

were never met.

I'm asking you the question: If up to two thirds of the time patients in northern Ontario are not able to be transported by air ambulances in the regular time

set out in your own standards, what are you going to do to fix it? I want to know concretely, what are you going to do now, under your watch, to fix the problem?

Hon. Mr. Smitherman: The member wants to challenge me in his question by making some reference to Tories and New Democrats, when in my earlier

answer I spoke about a coroner's inquest from 2001, my point simply being that there are a lot of bodies -- coroners' inquests, special reports, the Auditor General -- that offer recommendations to

the government in terms of areas where improvements can be made. We've worked diligently on the issue of air ambulance with a view toward creating a seamless administration of air ambulance

because, under your governments, you tolerated --

Interjections.

Hon. Mr. Smitherman: They don't like it, Mr. Speaker. They don't like this.

Interjections.

Hon. Mr. Smitherman: They can dish it out.

The point is that substantially, when a coroner's inquest or an Auditor General comes forward with a report, it's our obligation to take seriously the advice

and direction they offer. In the case of air ambulance, we have done that. We've created a unified air ambulance system with appropriate accountability so that we have capacity to address the

service issues which the honourable member is very appropriately calling to attention.

HIGH-OCCUPANCY VEHICLE LANES

Mr. Peter Fonseca (Mississauga East): My question is for the Minister of Transportation. Yesterday you announced plans to introduce new HOV

lanes on Ontario highways. This is in an effort to ease congestion, improve air quality, save time, improve commuters' quality of life and save money on gas.

As someone who commutes from Toronto to Mississauga, I'm proud of this government's commitment to easing congestion on our roads. I know that my constituents

will be very happy to learn about the HOV lanes, as they will make commuting in the GTA a lot easier.

However, I was very surprised yesterday to read in the Toronto Star that existing lanes on the 401, the province's busiest road, would be restricted to

high-occupancy vehicle lanes. Minister, can you tell me if the ministry plans on only putting HOV lanes on highways where we are building additional lanes, or will we be converting existing lanes'

capacity to HOV?

Hon. Harinder S. Takhar (Minister of Transportation): First of all, I would like to thank the member from Mississauga East. He is very much

aware of the congestion issues we have on Highway 403.

I have been very clear with regard to my stand on new HOV lanes. We want to make sure the congestion issues get addressed in this province, and especially in

the GTA, but we have also made very clear that the HOV lanes will be new lanes. We will not take capacity from existing lanes and convert them into HOV lanes. So the HOV lanes we are creating on

Highway 403 and Highway 404 are new HOV lanes. This is our pilot project. We want to make sure we get the advantage we are hoping for, which is reduced congestion and cleaner air. We also want to

make sure people and goods can move from one place to another more quickly and efficiently. So these will be new lanes, and we will not convert the old lanes.

Mr. Fonseca: Minister, thank you for your clear clarification. I was really concerned that restricting lanes on Highway 401 would affect the

flow of traffic on our already busy roads through the GTA. Minister, can you now outline for us future plans for high-occupancy vehicle lanes across the GTA?

Interjections.

Hon. Mr. Takhar: I want to thank the member again for asking the question. I know the opposition members don't want us to address these

issues, but congestion is a serious issue in the GTA. It costs about $2 billion of lost productivity, and we are very serious about addressing this issue.

As I said earlier in response to the question, we want to make sure this pilot project is successful. If this pilot project is successful and congestion issues

can be addressed, then we will look at other 400-series highways, and maybe even the QEW, to see if we can add HOV lanes to these highways so that some of the congestion issues can get addressed.

Our hope is that the new HOV lanes will address congestion, clean air and save time.

CAMBRIDGE MEMORIAL HOSPITAL

Mr. Gerry Martiniuk (Cambridge): My question is to the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. I will today be presenting a petition, signed by

20,000 good citizens of Cambridge and the region of Waterloo, asking the government to proceed immediately with the expansion of Cambridge Memorial Hospital. We need our Cambridge hospital

expansion as part of the integrated Waterloo regional health system. The Cambridge Memorial Hospital is in a poor state of repair that is aggravating the overcrowding and deteriorating health

services. Minister, what do you have to say to the good citizens of the city of Cambridge, the city of Kitchener, the city of Waterloo, the township of North Dumfries, the township of Wellesley,

the township of Wilmot and the township of Woolwich?

Hon. George Smitherman (Minister of Health and Long-Term Care): I'm not sure the member alluded to it, but I believe there may be some people

from those communities here today. I want to welcome them to the Ontario Legislature.

First, I acknowledge, and I have, I think, many times by now in the local press, the extraordinary love and commitment the people of this community enjoy for

their hospital. That is to be celebrated. I acknowledge, and the Premier has as well, that there are circumstances at that hospital which are challenging from the standpoint of its repair and

maintenance. There are also challenges in terms of our overall fiscal capacity to address all of those commitments that were made on the eve of the last election. There were opportunities by your

government, sir, to do the project that you had joy in announcing. That was not done and, regrettably, we inherited quite an overwhelming amount of hospitals that it seemed had been promised,

although fiscal resources were short.

We recognize there are some more pressing and urgent needs. We're working very closely with the hospital, and I hope to be in a position to make some progress

on the capital circumstances there, but we are not, at present, in a position to be able to see the whole project go forward in one fell swoop.

Mr. Martiniuk: Cambridge and the region of Waterloo suffer from a severe lack of physicians and specialists. The delay in the expansion of

Cambridge Memorial Hospital will make it much more difficult to keep qualified physicians in Cambridge and to attract them to our region, as our region is already designated an underserviced area.

Minister, what plans has your government made for Waterloo region to address this additional obstacle to attract and keep qualified doctors?

Hon. Mr. Smitherman: I might say, sir, that just a tiny bit of soul-searching would indicate to you that a bigger reason for the challenge

that your community and other communities in Ontario are experiencing with physician shortages is that under this party's actions -- and your delay in responding to it -- we have --

Interjection.

Hon. Mr. Smitherman: The honourable member from Waterloo likes to ditz about it, but the reality is that for eight years in our province,

there was a substantial reduction in our capacity to produce doctors. Unlike the honourable Leader of the Opposition, who probably thinks that, like Pizza Pizza, you can just make them in 30

minutes, the circumstances are clear that Ontario communities are being deprived by the short-sighted decision on the part of your government to stick with their decision to shrink our medical

schools.

We've made a lot of progress on this. We've seen some advance on the number of physicians active in your community. But the circumstances are clear that what

is necessary for the people of Waterloo-Wellington to experience more doctors in their communities is more years of a Liberal government.

EDUCATION FUNDING

Mr. Rosario Marchese (Trinity-Spadina): My question is to the Minister of Education. I know the minister is here, but in the meantime, I'll

information be submitted on how much of the grant is actually spent for the intended purpose. Minister, why are you underfunding school boards and forcing them to divert funds that should be going

to ESL students?

Hon. Gerry Phillips (Minister of Government Services): To the Minister of Education.

Hon. Gerard Kennedy (Minister of Education): I think if the member is accurately reading the Auditor General's work, instead of saying we're

underfunding, he'll find that for the first time in a number of years, we've increased funds to school boards for ESL, also noting that the eligible population of people needing help has gone down.

So actually, the dollars available have increased. We have also now put boards under new conditions, so that all the new ESL funds we've provided have to be spent solely on ESL. It's not a question

of reporting; the new funds can only go to that purpose.

There were problems under the previous government. We have moved to correct those. We increased the eligibility. The important thing is that this year, for the

need help are doing better than they were before.

Mr. Marchese: You missed the first part. He said that the ministry permits boards to reallocate ESL grants to other programs. That's what the

literacy development students were discontinued prematurely due to budget considerations. The government -- you Liberals -- is very fond of talking about transparency and accountability, and, based

on the auditor's report, there is no transparency in ESL funding. You know that many ESL students are failing and are at risk of dropping out. When will you fix this funding problem so that ESL

students get a chance at success?

Hon. Mr. Kennedy: Again, I want to say to people out there, to parents and others who should be concerned, that there's no worse reason for

someone not to succeed in school than to not have the language of instruction. What we did first was make sure that boards had access to funds that would improve programs that cause students to

notice last June, far before the Auditor General's report, that we're reforming that grant and we'll expect accountability, not just for the new dollars we've given them but also for the dollars

that went before. The previous government did underfund school boards. We understand that. It's a hard concept for the member opposite to understand, but we will make sure that vulnerable students

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

POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION

Ms. Kathleen O. Wynne (Don Valley West): My question is for the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities. As you know, we have many

students from around the world who choose Ontario to come to school and advance their education, and our institutions encourage foreign students to come to Ontario schools. This is a great time for

these students to get a high-quality education and learn about another culture. It's also a great opportunity for our students to get to know students from other countries and diversify their

knowledge of the world.

Like our students here, some of these international students need to have a part-time job to make some extra money; however, being able to work on university

campuses remains the only option for these students. With some of our smaller schools especially having few job opportunities, this has left international students without the ability to have a

part-time job. Minister, can you tell my constituents and the people of Ontario what's being done about this?

Hon. Christopher Bentley (Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities): I'd like to thank the member from Don Valley West for the question

and also for her advocacy on behalf of international students. It's very unfortunate that international students have been able to access our post-secondary institutions but have not had the

opportunity to participate in work life off-campus, particularly when the opportunities are limited. So I was very pleased, just the other week, along with the Minister of Citizenship and

Immigration, to be able to announce that the government of Ontario has reached an agreement with the federal government to allow international students to work off-campus.

We are now working on the individual agreements with post-secondary institutions in Ontario that will allow the individual application of the agreement to

campuses. The federal government has one or two things to conclude -- they were interrupted, unfortunately, by an election -- but we're very hopeful that this will be concluded in time for those

students to engage in work by the summer.

Ms. Wynne: Thank you, Minister. I know that the 30,000 international students across Ontario will be very glad to hear this news.

Of course, it's important that we keep the quality of our schools high in order to attract students from around the world. Minister, can you tell me what our

government is doing to improve quality? We made a huge commitment to post-secondary institutions last year. Can you talk about what we're doing to improve our institutions after so many years of

Tory and NDP neglect?

Hon. Mr. Bentley: Actually, I'd be pleased to. Just the other week, the member for Don Valley West, the Premier and I were at the Glendon

campus of York University. The Premier was announcing, and we were applauding, the first instalment of the additional quality money that the government of Ontario is investing through the Reaching

Higher plan.

Applause.

Hon. Mr. Bentley: It is reason to applaud. The first instalment of almost $10 million went to York University -- $10 million for this year

alone. What are they doing with that money? They are investing it in more faculties so there's better interaction between faculty and students. They're investing it in additional support services.

They're investing it in the type of specialty programs one expects of an internationally renowned campus such as York University. In fact, this additional money will ensure an even better and

higher quality education for the students not only of Don Valley West but on every campus in the province of Ontario.

CONSUMER PROTECTION

Mr. Joseph N. Tascona (Barrie-Simcoe-Bradford): My question is for the Acting Premier. On the front page of the Saturday, December 3 edition,

a Toronto Star investigation found that rogue tow truck operators and body shops are preying on unsuspecting motorists, charging exorbitant fees and holding vehicles hostage. This is a

province-wide problem, not a city bylaw problem. The yet-to-be-proclaimed

section 20 of government Bill 169 will leave vehicle owners defenceless against rogue tow truck operators and body shops.

Why is there no provincial legislation to regulate this problem and protect consumers?

Hon. Gerry Phillips (Minister of Government Services): As a member, I think it is now something that is regulated by the municipalities. I'm

aware of the concerns of consumers. I would say two things to them. One is that, as I say, this is regulated by the municipalities. On the other hand, if they feel they have been unfairly treated

by tow truck operators, we do have a service in the ministry where we can investigate. So if it's happened to someone, they should feel free to be in touch with us, the Ministry of Government

Services, www.mgs.gov.on.ca, and we will look into it. But again, I would say to the member that the regulation of the tow truck operators is done by the municipalities, and I would hope that he

might also direct his concerns to them.

Mr. Tascona: The Toronto Star investigation found that many unwitting accident victims had their cars towed to the nearest shop on the

recommendation of the tow truck driver only to find that getting it moved the next day to a different shop approved by their insurance company can cost $1,500 or more in various fees, including

secondary tow storage, administration, consultation, fuel and insurance surcharges and after-hour fees.

The Collision Repair Standards Act received royal assent already. It would protect consumers from being defrauded, but it has not been proclaimed by your

government. Why is the Liberal government allowing consumers caught in an emergency situation to be defrauded, and when will it proclaim the Collision Repair Standards Act to clean up this

industry?

Hon. Mr. Phillips: I repeat what I said earlier, that the regulation of the tow truck industry is done by municipalities. I would also say

that earlier this year, the government did expand the unfair or deceptive acts and practices regulation to cover certain practices in the towing industry. The member should be aware that, effective

March 1, 2006, it will be an unfair act for towing providers to demand a referral fee from collision repair shops and for shops to accept such payment.

NOTICE OF DISSATISFACTION

The Speaker (Hon. Michael A. Brown): Pursuant to standing order 37(a), the member for Simcoe-Grey has given notice of his dissatisfaction with

the answer to his question given by the Minister of Culture yesterday concerning the Frederick Banting Homestead Preservation Act. This matter will be debated at 6 p.m. this evening.

PETITIONS

CAMBRIDGE MEMORIAL HOSPITAL

Mr. Gerry Martiniuk (Cambridge): I have a petition from the Cambridge Memorial Hospital. It's addressed to the Legislative Assembly of

Ontario.

"Whereas the $72-million expansion of Cambridge Memorial Hospital was announced in 2002 pursuant to the directive of the Health Services Restructuring

Commission 1998 report, with a provincial government allocation of $47 million; and

"Whereas the plans for the project have been underway for the past two years; and

"Whereas the residents of the city of Cambridge and the township of North Dumfries, the corporation of the city of Cambridge and the regional municipality of

Waterloo have committed their required share of the project as per provincial guidelines; and

"Whereas the decision to delay the expansion of Cambridge Memorial Hospital will adversely affect health care in the region of Waterloo; and

"Whereas the region of Waterloo is recognized as the fastest-growing economic region in Canada, and further delay in providing effective health care in the

region may negatively impact Ontario's prosperity;

"We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly ... as follows:

"Be it resolved that the government of Ontario commit to the HRSC directive of 1998 and proceed immediately with the Cambridge Memorial Hospital necessary

expansion plans and infrastructure upgrades, as was approved and committed in 2002."

I'm pleased to join the 20,000 good citizens of the region of Waterloo in supporting this petition.

DIABETES TREATMENT

Mr. Jeff Leal (Peterborough): I have a petition -- the last of them -- to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

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

"We are suggesting that all diabetic supplies as prescribed by an endocrinologist or medical doctor be covered under the Ontario health insurance plan.

"Diabetes costs Canadian taxpayers $13 billion a year and increasing! It is the leading cause of death and hospitalization in Canada. Many people with diabetes

cannot afford the ongoing expense of managing the disease. They cut corners to save money. They rip test strips in half, cut down on the number of times they test their blood and even reuse lancets

and needles. These cost-saving measures often have tumultuous and disastrous health consequences. Persons with diabetes need and deserve financial assistance to cope with the escalating cost of

managing diabetes. We think it is in all Ontario's and the government's best interest to support diabetics with the supplies that each individual needs to obtain optimum glucose control. Good blood

glucose control reduces or eliminates kidney failure by 50%, blindness by 76%, nerve damage by 60%, cardiac disease by 35% and even amputations. Just think of how many dollars can be saved by the

Ministry of Health if diabetics had a chance to gain optimum glucose control."

I'll sign the petition.

Mr. Joseph N. Tascona (Barrie-Simcoe-Bradford): I have a petition to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario which reads as follows:

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

"We are suggesting that all diabetic supplies as prescribed by an endocrinologist or medical doctor be covered under the Ontario health insurance plan.

"Diabetes costs Canadian taxpayers $13 billion a year and increasing! It is the leading cause of death and hospitalization in Canada. Many people with diabetes

cannot afford the ongoing expense of managing the disease. They cut corners to save money. They rip test strips in half, cut down on the number of times they test their blood and even reuse lancets

and needles. These cost-saving measures often have tumultuous and disastrous health consequences.

"Persons with diabetes need and deserve financial assistance to cope with the escalating cost of managing diabetes.

"We think it is in all Ontario's and the government's best interest to support diabetics with the supplies that each individual needs to obtain optimum glucose

control. Good blood glucose control reduces or eliminates kidney failure by 50%, blindness by 76%, nerve damage by 60%, cardiac disease by 35% and even amputations. Just think of how many dollars

can be saved by the Ministry of Health if diabetics had a chance to gain optimum glucose control."

I support the petition and sign it.

SERVICES FOR THE DEVELOPMENTALLY DISABLED

Mr. Kevin Daniel Flynn (Oakville): I have a petition signed by, among other people, Steven Muir of the town of Oakville.

"To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

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

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

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

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

government-operated services and other sectors;

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

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

live meaningful lives within their community."

I agree with this petition and affix my signature.

Mr. Jerry J. Ouellette (Oshawa): I have a petition that reads:

"To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

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

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

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

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

government-operated services and other sectors;

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

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

live meaningful lives within their community."

I affix my name in full support.

MACULAR DEGENERATION

Mr. Kuldip Kular (Bramalea-Gore-Malton-Springdale): I join my colleague the member from Niagara Falls in presenting this petition.

"To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

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

degeneration ... that are not covered,

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

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

is astronomical for most constituents and adds a financial burden to their lives. Their only alternative is loss of sight. We believe the government of Ontario should cover treatment for all forms

of macular degeneration through the Ontario health insurance program."

I put my signature as well on this petition.

GAMMA FOUNDRIES

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

"Whereas all residents in the town of Richmond Hill have the right to enjoy their homes, property, neighbourhood and to breathe clean air; and

"Whereas Gamma Foundries, a division of Victaulic Co. of Canada Ltd., is clearly the identifiable and documented source of noxious fumes and odours in the

Newkirk Road area of Richmond Hill; and

"Whereas Gamma Foundries has persistently failed to respond to the legitimate concerns of the community regarding these odours and emissions; and

"Whereas Gamma Foundries has refused to initiate engineering solutions to these issues as identified in a report by Earth Tech and as ordered by the Ministry

of the Environment; and

"Whereas the Ministry of the Environment has specifically directed Gamma Foundries to initiate engineered controls to address the adverse effects of these

pollutants;

"We, the undersigned, petition the Parliament of Ontario and the Minister of the Environment to take all measures possible to enforce the provincial officer's

order issued on November 3, 2005, and to ensure that residents are afforded the right to enjoy their property and neighbourhood, as is their right under law."

I'm pleased to affix my signature to this petition and to hand it to page Jeremy for delivery.

MACULAR DEGENERATION

Mr. Bas Balkissoon (Scarborough-Rouge River): In support of my colleague from Niagara Falls, I have a petition to the Legislative Assembly of

Ontario.

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

degeneration (dry) that are not covered,

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

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

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

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

I'm prepared to sign this petition and be in support of it.

SERVICES FOR THE DEVELOPMENTALLY DISABLED

Mr. Robert W. Runciman (Leeds-Grenville): "To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

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

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

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

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

government-operated services and other sectors;

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

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

live meaningful lives within their community."

This is signed by a significant number of my constituents. I affix my signature in support of the petitioners.

CANCER TREATMENT

Mr. Tim Peterson (Mississauga South): I have a petition on behalf of my constituents:

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

"Whereas cancer patients taking oral chemotherapy may apply for a

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

place for intravenous cancer drugs administered in hospital; and

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

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

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

"We, the undersigned, petition the Parliament of Ontario to provide immediate access to Erbitux, Avastin, Velcade and other intravenous chemotherapy while

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

I give this petition to page Stephen.

ONTARIO FARMERS

Mr. John O'Toole (Durham): "To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

"Whereas thousands of Ontario farmers and rural Ontarians have been forced to take their concerns directly to Queen's Park due to a lack of response from the

Dalton McGuinty government; and

"Whereas the Rural Revolution believes that rural Ontario is in crisis and they" have demonstrated their concerns "at Queen's Park on March 9;

"Therefore we, the undersigned, ask the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to deal with the serious issue of farm income, as brought forward by the Rural

Revolution's resolutions to respect property and prosperity as follows:

"Resolution number 4: Federal and provincial governments have created a bureaucratic environment that legalizes the theft of millions of dollars of rural

business and farm income. All money found to be removed from rural landowners, farmers and business shall be returned."

I'm pleased to support that, and present it to the House on their behalf.

MACULAR DEGENERATION

Mr. Bob Delaney (Mississauga West): It's my pleasure to support my seatmate and colleague from Niagara Falls with this petition to the Ontario

Legislative Assembly. It reads as follows:

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

degeneration (dry) that are not covered,

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

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

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

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

It's my pleasure to sign this petition and support it, and to ask page Helen to carry it for me.

HIGHWAY 35

Ms. Laurie Scott (Haliburton-Victoria-Brock): "To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

"Whereas modern highways are economic lifelines to communities across Ontario and crucial to the growth of Ontario's economy; and

"Whereas the Ministry of Transportation has been planning the expansion of Highway 35, and that expansion has been put on hold by the McGuinty government;

and

"Whereas Highway 35 provides an important economic link in the overall transportation system -- carrying commuter, commercial and high tourist volumes to and

from the Kawartha Lakes area and Haliburton; and

"Whereas the final round of public consultation has just been rescheduled;

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

"That the Liberal government move swiftly to complete the four-laning of Highway 35 after the completion of the final public consultation."

It's signed by hundreds of people from my riding, and I affix my signature.

ORDERS OF THE DAY

RESPECT FOR

MUNICIPALITIES ACT, 2005 /

LOI DE 2005

SUR LE RESPECT DES MUNICIPALITÉS

Resuming the debate adjourned on December 5, 2005, on the motion for second reading of Bill 37,

An Act to amend the Taxpayer Protection Act, 1999 in relation

to municipalities / Projet de loi 37, Loi modifiant la Loi de 1999 sur la protection des contribuables en ce qui concerne les municipalités.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ted Arnott): Further debate on Bill 37.

Mr. Toby Barrett (Haldimand-Norfolk-Brant): We are commencing debate on Bill 37,

An Act to amend the Taxpayer Protection Act, 1999 in relation

to municipalities. This is a piece of legislation -- a bill, I should say; proposed legislation -- also known as the Respect for Municipalities Act, and in some quarters I hear it referred to as

disrespect for municipalities.

We know that this piece of legislation, if it goes forward, will present certain additional powers for municipalities to raise fees and to tax. I find that

somewhat disingenuous, that in a sense we see this government perhaps bringing forth a piece of legislation that allows municipalities to do some of the dirty work for this government. I may remind

you, Speaker, that it's been over a year now since I've had an opportunity to make reference to a volume, a book, entitled The Book of Virtues. I have quoted from this book in the past, as I

recall, in evening debate, when you were in the chair. It contains a number of cautionary tales with respect to issues that are ethical, cautionary tales that I feel relate to what I refer to as

this government's fairy tales -- "Fairy Tales in Liberal Land" -- with the introduction of Bill 37, the Respect for Municipalities Act. We may need a refresher.

Bill 37 proves once again that instead of beginning with "Once upon a time," in Dalton McGuinty's Ontario fairy tales now begin with words like "I, Dalton

McGuinty, leader of the Liberal Party of Ontario, promise, if my party is elected as the next government, that I will not raise taxes or implement any new taxes...." From my reading of this

legislation, what I see is granting the power to municipalities to implement new taxes, new fees, new levies. There are different names for these implementations.

Further to the promise from the present Premier that "I will not raise taxes or implement any new taxes without the explicit consent of Ontario voters; and not

run deficits" -- that's a whole other story, the issue of deficits. I will focus on the taxing powers found in this provincial legislation. To continue the quote from the present Premier, "I

promise to abide by the Taxpayer Protection and Balanced Budget Act." That was a pledge that was signed on September 11, 2003.

As you will know, this debate follows the period for petitions, where as elected representatives we bring forward petitions, an ancient, time-honoured

mechanism for our constituents to make their views known, petitions that contain tens of signatures, hundreds of signatures, thousands of signatures. Our constituents feel very strongly that their

signature, putting their name, affixing their name to a document means something. As MPPs, when we conclude reading these petitions to those assembled, we invariably also affix our name to that

document. In fact, as I understand it, that petition would not be able to go forward to the Clerks' table without the signature affixed by the elected representative who read that petition. I feel

a person's signature is very important. I feel a person's word is very important.

With respect to that piece of legislation I mentioned earlier, the Taxpayer Protection Act, 10 years ago I had an opportunity to discuss that particular piece

of legislation. It didn't exist at that time. I called for it to come forward because that was something we talked about in our election, the importance of protecting taxpayers from further

spending, to protect taxpayers, whether they be provincial or municipal taxpayers, from further spending and from net tax increases in this great province of Ontario. At the time, I felt very

strongly -- I had only been a member for several months -- that our provincial and federal politicians and our municipal representatives, and attendant staff -- bureaucrats, if you will -- were

behaving like drug addicts. I referred to them as tax-and-spend addicts. They were addicted to taxes, they were addicted to borrowing, and all concerned, in my view, were addicted to spending.

As I recall, we affixed our signatures to this proposed piece of legislation. At that time we felt that taxpayers needed statutory protection from the kind of

behaviour we are seeing in this House today, and that was 10 years ago. We called for, obviously, continuing action at that time to stop our rising debt and deficit problems, which are two

different issues -- debt and deficit -- something I find myself explaining to members opposite. That was part of the Taxpayer Protection Act. The other part, of course, was the taxing powers that

were so readily available to those in power.

At that time, Ontario had the worst annual deficit in Canada, compared to the size of our economy. If you recall, back in the summer of 1995 it was projected

to reach $10.6 billion in that particular year. At that time, more than 18 cents of every dollar the government received in revenue had to go to pay interest on the debt, so obviously we needed

legislation. The average taxpayer was handing over $800 every year just to pay the interest. How long could we afford to do that?

Again, 10 years ago, Ontario was in the midst of a very serious recession. It was felt at the time that the previous government of the day had pretty well

destroyed the economy in Ontario. Between 1985 and 1994 -- and that's under both Liberal and NDP reigns in Ontario -- we saw 65 tax increases. Ontario was clearly one of the highest-taxed

jurisdictions in North America. People felt it was time for fresh horses, really; time for a change and a positive change. On July 21, 1995, the Minister of Finance had to announce spending cuts of

$1.9 billion -- the goal to reduce the deficit from $10.6 billion to $8.7 billion.

Just to fast forward 10 years, here we are again with a Liberal government. We see quite a contrast to the work that was being done 10 years ago and the

behaviour of Premier McGuinty.

I, as well as those assembled, perhaps those listening this afternoon, will remember the message we received from our television sets, a message from the

Premier of the day promising, "I won't cut your taxes, but I won't raise them either." That sounds very familiar. We see that pledge today for what it was worth. Very simply, I assume it was an

election strategy. It certainly got this government elected. People voted for something that actually wasn't true and we now see it for what it was. It was a made-for-TV message designed to get

votes. I would suggest it worked, and it didn't protect taxpayers one bit, as evidenced by the series of tax hits culminating in the so-called Ontario health tax -- that's a year or a year and a

half ago -- and the attendant and resultant delisting of health-related services: optometrist services, chiropractic services and physiotherapy. In a sense that's old news.

Everyone knows they're now paying more. People are paying more for necessary health services that they had previously relied on government to support. Everyone

knows they're paying more to a government that promised they wouldn't have to for services that government pledged to improve. We're still waiting for those improvements.

You know, today it's not so much about the health tax, but about the further continued destruction of a promise to uphold the values of the Taxpayer Protection

Act, the destruction of a promise, a destroyed promise, that we see rising again within this particular piece of legislation, Bill 37, that would amend the Taxpayer Protection Act. It would exempt

municipal governments from the provisions of the Taxpayer Protection Act.

If you recall, the Taxpayer Protection Act, passed in 1999, limits the ability of the province to increase taxes governed by any of the following statutes. I

would like to read these titles in: the Corporations Tax Act, the Education Act, the Employer Health Tax Act, the Fuel Tax Act, the Gasoline Tax Act, the Income Tax Act, the Provincial Land Tax Act

and the Retail Sales Tax Act. Further to this point, one of the restrictions is that it makes it unlawful for the province to introduce legislation, like we're seeing today, that would grant taxing

authority to another entity, such as a municipal government. That's exactly what this piece of legislation does.

This is a piece of legislation that flies in the face of the Taxpayer Protection Act, which, as we all know, was solemnly signed by Premier McGuinty. There was

a ceremony, and we now have a Premier who is not abiding by a document he affixed his signature to. We have heard in recent weeks that instead of keeping their pledge, Bill 37 does exactly the

opposite: It allows government to violate the Taxpayer Protection Act and gives municipalities the ability to levy new taxes. It violates the act; it violates this Premier's pledge not to allow new

taxes to be levied.

This is a time when I would usually break open that Book of Virtues I mentioned earlier: a book warning against the dangers of breaking one's word, a book that

impresses the importance of honesty and truthfulness.

Interjection.

Mr. Barrett: When I mention the words "truthfulness" or "honesty," I get a rise from those assembled opposite. I've related the story of

Pinocchio in the past. I've talked about lessons of honesty, those age-old lessons, children's stories about George Washington, for example, and Abe Lincoln. These are people whom we in North

America look to for direction as we attempt to follow our moral compass.

There was one story in that book that was titled The Boy Who Never Told a Lie -- these were all very important lessons. I wish to continue to refer to these

cautionary tales and hope that some of this does rub off.

Just to break away from that, it really is a sad day, with respect to the breaking of that Taxpayer Protection Act, when the people of this province are told

by a judge that they cannot expect their elected representativ