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April 21, 2005

38th Parliament, 1st Session

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Hansard Transcripts

Votes and Proceedings

Orders and Notices

Hansard Transcripts 2005-Apr-21 (PDF)

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO

ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DE L'ONTARIO

Thursday 21 April 2005 Jeudi 21 avril 2005

PRIVATE MEMBERS'

PUBLIC BUSINESS

KHALSA DAY ACT, 2005 /

LOI DE 2005

SUR LE JOUR DU KHALSA

FIRE PROTECTION STATUTE LAW

AMENDMENT ACT, 2005 /

LOI DE 2005 MODIFIANT DES LOIS

EN CE QUI A TRAIT À LA PROTECTION

CONTRE L'INCENDIE

KHALSA DAY ACT, 2005 /

LOI DE 2005

SUR LE JOUR DU KHALSA

FIRE PROTECTION STATUTE LAW

AMENDMENT ACT, 2005 /

LOI DE 2005 MODIFIANT DES LOIS

EN CE QUI A TRAIT À LA PROTECTION

CONTRE L'INCENDIE

MEMBERS' STATEMENTS

LABOUR DISPUTE

PASSOVER

BLOOD DONATION

AFFORDABLE HOUSING

NORTHERN ONTARIO

MUNICIPAL FINANCES

HEALTH CARE

FEDERAL-PROVINCIAL

FISCAL POLICIES

STATEMENTS BY THE MINISTRY AND RESPONSES

EARTH DAY

SMALL BUSINESS

ORGAN AND TISSUE DONATION

EARTH DAY

ORGAN AND TISSUE DONATION

SMALL BUSINESS

EARTH DAY

SMALL BUSINESS

ORGAN AND TISSUE DONATION

LEGISLATIVE PAGES

VISITORS

ORAL QUESTIONS

MUNICIPAL FINANCES

LONG-TERM CARE

AUTISM TREATMENT

WATER QUALITY

ANTI-SMOKING LEGISLATION

EARTH DAY

ROYAL BOTANICAL GARDENS

MUNICIPAL FINANCES

HOSPITAL FUNDING

LABOUR RELATIONS

SMALL BUSINESS

LABOUR LEGISLATION

PETITIONS

SPORT PARACHUTING

PIT BULLS

SENIOR CITIZENS

CREDIT VALLEY HOSPITAL

REGIONAL CENTRES FOR THE DEVELOPMENTALLY DISABLED

ANAPHYLACTIC SHOCK

PIT BULLS

ANAPHYLACTIC SHOCK

WILDLIFE PROTECTION

ANAPHYLACTIC SHOCK

REGIONAL CENTRES FOR THE DEVELOPMENTALLY DISABLED

ORDERS OF THE DAY

FAMILY RESPONSIBILITY AND

SUPPORT ARREARS ENFORCEMENT

AMENDMENT ACT, 2005 /

LOI DE 2005 MODIFIANT LA LOI

SUR LES OBLIGATIONS FAMILIALES

ET L'EXÉCUTION DES ARRIÉRÉS

D'ALIMENTS

BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE

PRIVATE SECURITY AND

INVESTIGATIVE SERVICES ACT, 2005 /

LOI DE 2005 SUR LES SERVICES PRIVÉS

DE SÉCURITÉ ET D'ENQUÊTE

The House met at 1000.

Prayers.

PRIVATE MEMBERS'

PUBLIC BUSINESS

KHALSA DAY ACT, 2005 /

LOI DE 2005

SUR LE JOUR DU KHALSA

Mr. Dhillon moved second reading of the following bill:

Bill 189,

An Act to proclaim Khalsa Day / Projet de loi 189, Loi proclamant le Jour du Khalsa.

Mr. Vic Dhillon (Brampton West-Mississauga): Wahe Guru Ji Ka Khalsa. Wahe Guru Ji Ki Fateh.

I want to tell you how proud I am, as a Sikh Ontarian, to bring this bill forward in the House: Bill 189,

An Act to proclaim Khalsa Day. This bill, if passed,

will proclaim that April 13 of every year will be officially recognized in Ontario as Khalsa Day. Khalsa Day is the establishment of Khalsa.

On April 13, 1699, Guru Gobind Singh Ji, the 10th guru of the Sikhs, founded Khalsa, which signified the Order of Pure Beings. The Order of Pure Beings is

capsulized by the five Ks: the kirpan, a sword representing indomitable spirit; the kesh, which is unshorn hair; the kara, a steel bangle worn as a sign of the eternity of God; the kanga, a wooden

comb worn to represent a clean mind and body; and the kaccha, which are short breeches representing hygienic living.

In the international community, many states and cities are honouring this auspicious and important date. It is a great honour that the Legislative Assembly of

Ontario will soon recognize the importance of this historic Sikh nations day with this bill.

From that day on April 13, 1699, the Sikh nations proclamation has become a turning point in its history as it leads to the democratic process of social

equality, freedom of beliefs and worship, civil rights and cultural integration.

society woven by multicultural fabric. Ontario citizens of Sikh faith have made and continue to make tremendous contributions to the growth and development of the province of Ontario and our great

country. It is important to recognize and celebrate those contributions.

Although the Sikhs first arrived in British Columbia at the beginning of this century, their presence in Ontario came to be felt only in the 1950s, when the

immigration laws were somewhat liberalized with the introduction of a quota system. In 1965, there were only 400 Sikh families in Ontario. Compare that to over 300,000 Sikhs living in Ontario

today.

I can speak from my heart as a Sikh Canadian that Khalsa is a day that holds tremendous significance for the Sikh community in Canada, Ontario and the world. On

April 13 every year, Sikhs in Ontario celebrate Vaisakhi, a day to recognize the birth of Khalsa in a grand way. Thousands of Sikhs turn out for a parade which starts at the CNE grounds and ends at

Nathan Phillips Square. As a matter of fact, this year's parade is this coming Sunday, April 24, and I invite all member of the House to come out and enjoy the festivities that will celebrate

Khalsa.

This topic has never been brought forward on the floor of this House. However, in the House of Commons seven private members' motions concerning Sikhs have been

brought forward since 1996. The federal government has also provided recognition of the 300th anniversary of Khalsa through Canada Post, which released a stamp recognizing the importance of Khalsa

in 1999. The heritage department in Ottawa recognized BC's Abbotsford gurdwara. This was the first Sikh temple, built in 1911. On July 31, 2002, the federal government officially recognized this

gurdwara as an official historic site. This made me really proud to be a Canadian. The Sikh community was very pleased to get this recognition.

The wearing of a turban is one of the most important and sacred manners to devote oneself as a Sikh. It is a vital symbol identifying that a person is Sikh. The

RCMP and many other police forces have allowed the turban to be their formal headdress, instead of caps that are normally worn by police officers. In 1999, the government of British Columbia

changed its legislation to make accommodations for turban-wearing Sikhs to be exempt from wearing a helmet. The government of British Columbia took many facts into consideration, including health

care costs, exposure to civil and criminal liability and other societal costs. They concluded it was the right thing to do in allowing a small number of turban-wearing Sikhs to ride their

motorcycles without compromising their religious convictions.

I had the pleasure of representing a large group of turban-wearing truck drivers who were being forced to wear hard hats on top of their turbans when they

entered construction sites. Wearing hard hats on construction sites is a law in Ontario, as safety is most important. When I brought up this issue with Mr. Bill Galloway, of Dufferin Aggregates,

who is a major employer, he quickly agreed to make adjustments so that turban-wearing truck drivers would not have to remove their turbans on the construction sites. A compromise was reached so

that safety and religious observance could co-exist. I was very thankful to Mr. Galloway and the company that he represents.

However, this is not enough. I firmly believe that we in Ontario need to look at this law. I say this because a large majority of the Sikh population have chosen

to be truck drivers, and by forcing them to remove their turbans, we are infringing on their right to practise their religious beliefs. If British Columbia can do this, why can't we?

I would like to conclude by thanking those who will be speaking on this bill, and members of the Sikh community who have worked hard to find recognition for the

contributions they have made to our great province of Ontario and the nation.

I would now like to pass the floor over to my colleagues here in the House.

Mr. Michael Prue (Beaches-East York): It is indeed an honour to rise today to speak to this particular bill. Some members of the House may be

aware, and some may not, that prior to my time of becoming a full-time politician, I worked for 20 years in the immigration department and in that period of time met a great many people from all

around the world, including a great many Sikhs who had chosen Canada as a place to immigrate to.

The immigration to Canada of Sikhs, as the previous speaker has said, happened over a period of many, many years, but it behooves me to tell this assembly that

it was not always as easy for Sikhs to immigrate to Canada as it is today. There is a very sad history in this country of Canadians, particularly in British Columbia, trying to keep Sikh people out

of this country. There is the famous history of the ship Kamagata Maru -- I'll get the spelling for Hansard in a few minutes -- which arrived at Victoria with hundreds of Sikh men and a few women

on board seeking to immigrate to Canada. Of course they were allowed to immigrate to Canada because the laws of this country at that time said that it was open to immigration for anyone who was a

resident and a citizen in the British Empire. India was at that time, and continues to be, a member of the Commonwealth, a member of the British Empire. Therefore, those individuals were perfectly

within their right to seek to settle in Canada. They were denied entry to this country. They were there for many days and weeks, and finally were forced to sail back to India.

That was not the first and it was not the last, but it is probably the strongest evidence that we have of the difficulties of the Sikh community coming to

Canada. That, of course, has changed, and since the early 1960s, people have been allowed to immigrate to Canada on the basis where they cannot be denied for any reasons that we acknowledge here in

Ontario under our charter or that are found in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms; that is, they are chosen on the basis of merit like citizens of every other country on earth, and the

Sikh community has come and has made a remarkable community here in Ontario and in Canada. One can go into the gurdwara and find that one is treated just as a Sikh. You go in, you can sit down with

them and you can have a meal with them at the end of the service. They treat all people in terms of a brotherhood.

Sikhs have a religion that's a fairly new one. It goes back now some five centuries. The establishment of the Khalsa, or the house of the pure, was instituted by

its 10th and final guru. Sikhs are known to people. Not all Sikhs today wear a turban but many still do. It is not one of the requirements, and people are surprised at that. They think that is a

requirement of being a Sikh, but it is not. There are five requirements if one is to be part of the Khalsa, or the pure, and they are all Ks. We called them the five Ks in immigration and we could

always determine very simply which person was a Sikh, whether they wore a turban or not.

The first is the kirpan, the small ceremonial dagger that Sikhs carry to fight for the oppressed. It is a small sword. It did cause some consternation, I will

tell you, from some of the airlines that brought Sikhs to Canada when they discovered this little knife that they had with them. Oftentimes the knife was taken away and then given back to them once

they arrived in Canada, and I think people around the world can understand today why airlines felt that they needed to do that. But I have to tell you, I don't remember, at any point in all the

time I worked in immigration, anyone actually using the kirpan to violent effect. I cannot tell you of a single incident that I ever read about in the paper or knew of where that actually happened.

It is a religious symbol that they carry with them.

There is also the kanga, or the comb in the hair, to show a clean and simple life.

They have the kara, or the steel bangle. You can see almost every Sikh male wear one of those. They wear them quite proudly. It is a steel bangle around their

wrist that symbolizes the eternity of God.

They have the kesh, or unshorn hair, which is for the simple life.

Finally, they have the kaccha, or the breeches, to show cleanliness and hygienic living.

Sikhs in Canada have made remarkable contributions. Most Sikhs have come within the last 30 or 40 years or so, although certainly there was a community there,

particularly in British Columbia, for a much longer period. As I said, it was very difficult for them to come to this country.

I have a story here, taken from Sikh history, just to show how difficult and lonely it was for some of those first individuals who came here. I'd like to quote

this just in closing, because I want to leave some time for my friend from Hamilton East, who also wishes to comment on this bill. This is the story of a man by the name of Dharam Singh Parmar. He

tells his story of the difficult life he had here because of the problems with immigration at the time. He says:

"I came to Canada as a student" in 1929. "I was alone and couldn't call her over" -- he's talking about his wife -- "because I stayed here illegally. At that

time, there were scores of men who were my age who had also left their wives behind. We were lonely but we were helpless. My daughter was only seven days old when I left India; my son was two years

old. We could only exchange five or six letters in a year because it took a long time for them to arrive. My wife sent me pictures of my children. After I became a legal resident, I couldn't go

back because of the pressure of business. My son came to Canada in 1949 when he was 20, and we went to India in 1951. So much had changed. When I saw my wife, all the members of the family were

delighted. We had been separated for 22 years. When I left, we were youngsters. When I came back, we were all grown up. My daughter was married and had one child. I brought my son and wife back

with me, but my daughter stayed in India because she had her own family."

That's the end of the quote. That's the sad story of what happened to this man and his family. In spite of that, he came back to Canada with his wife, came back

with his family, and I'm sure he was successful. Although I know nothing more about him, I am sure he was successful in his life and in his adopted country.

I know that all members of the Sikh community are proud of their heritage. I know they are proud of their contribution to this country and continue to do

everything they can to build a wonderful Canada and a wonderful Ontario.

It is time to recognize this tradition. It is time to right some of the wrongs of the past century. It is time to say to the people of Sikh heritage that Canada

welcomes them, that we admire them, that we know they are proud and great Canadians and that, as part of the Canadian family, we should recognize Khalsa and all it stands for.

Mrs. Linda Jeffrey (Brampton Centre): I'm happy today to have the opportunity to speak in support of Bill 189,

An Act to proclaim Khalsa Day,

which, if passed, would make April 13 Khalsa Day in Ontario.

Before I carry on, I'd like to recognize the vision of my colleague from Brampton West-Mississauga in bringing forward this important legislation. As a fellow

Bramptonian, it's easy for me to identify the significant and meaningful contributions that the Sikh community has made to our province and to our country as a whole. This bill would provide

Ontario with the opportunity to recognize these important contributions in a very significant way.

The Sikh religion has a worldwide following of over 20 million people, and it's ranked in the world as the fifth-largest religion. Sikhism preaches the message

of love, understanding, devotion, remembrance of God, truthful living and the equality of mankind.

The first Sikh pioneers settled in Canada over 100 years ago, and since then, the Sikh community has become an integral part of Canadian society. Today, more

members of the Sikh community call Brampton home than any other municipality in Canada. They have chosen Brampton as the place where they want to build community institutions, set up their

businesses and raise their children. The results have been the establishment of a very vibrant community that I'm proud to represent.

Many organizations across the province already celebrate Khalsa Day, and today I would like to share with you the efforts of two groups. The Guru Gobind Singh

Children's Foundation and the Sikh Centennial Foundation showcase the pride and richness of the Sikh culture on Khalsa Day annually. The ideals of Sikhism and the fundamentals of good humanitarian

service are key to these celebrations.

In 1999, the Canadian Sikh youth from my riding, as well as neighbouring ridings, including the riding represented by the creator of this bill, the member from

Brampton West-Mississauga, celebrated the 300th Vaisakhi by running a 582-kilometre run from Toronto to Ottawa. Inspired by the teachings of the Sikh gurus and motivated by Guru Gobind Singh's

fundamental teachings of seva -- community service -- the 300 Sikh youth participated in the relay run over a seven-day period in which 51 runners ran all seven days. A total of $118,000 was

raised, with the focus on children helping children, and the Guru Gobind Singh Children's Foundation was formed.

Today, the Guru Gobind Singh Children's Foundation provides long-term financial aid worldwide to support 104 children in poverty through existing charities such

as World Vision, the Foster Parents Plan, and the SOS Children's Villages, which is a foster home village and provides hostel services for children, as well as the vocation rehab centre.

As they have done since 1999, the youth from the Guru Gobind Singh Children's Foundation have taken an active

part in Vaisakhi celebrations, such as the Nangar

Kirtan, which is the peace parade on April 24; a Vasakhi food drive at the Nangar Kirtan in which the Premier took

part in 2003; as well as other events outside of the Sikh community, such as the

Enbridge CN Tower climb for the United Way, in which 173 youth from the Guru Gobind Singh Children's Foundation will take part this Saturday.

Another group is the Sikh Centennial Foundation, founded in 1997. The organization has been privileged to be at the forefront of promoting Sikh heritage and

culture by celebrating the participation and excellence achieved by Sikhs in all aspects of civil, social and cultural life, and honouring non-Sikhs as well who have lived their lives in accordance

with Sikh ideals.

Sikh heritage and history is promoted and made accessible to Sikh youth through the events put on by the foundation, and this year at the ninth annual Vaisakhi

gala, Stephen Lewis, the UN representative on AIDS, spoke about global activism. Mr. Lewis was recognized for his seva, community service, to people around the world, and for raising his voice in

support of various humanitarian causes around the world; in particular, his work in Africa on HIV and AIDS.

The most recent thing that I would recognize my Sikh community for is that in April, the William Osler Health Centre proposed an idea for a naming opportunity

that was a first for our hospital. The William Osler Health Centre announced that its board of directors wanted to recognize the Canadian Sikh community and the service they provide to our

community by approving the name of the Guru Nanak Emergency Services Department at our new Brampton hospital campus. This modern 608-bed facility is scheduled to open in 2007.

The idea was to recognize Guru Nanak, who was the founder and first guru of the Sikhs. He was born and raised a Hindu in the Punjab district of India.

Reflection, meditation and spiritual study are the elements that Nanak preached. He taught that the most profound spiritual experience does not come from self-denial but from connecting with the

family, living for the good of the community and following a strict code of ethical behaviour.

The idea to recognize Guru Nanak was brought to the attention of our then William Osler president Bob Bell by a physician at William Osler Health Centre, Dr.

Bajinder Reen. A similar naming recognition opportunity has occurred at Soldiers' Memorial Hospital, St. Joseph's Health Centre and Villa Colombo, among others. This was in recognition of the

50,000 Sikhs who live in the immediate community surrounding the new hospital.

I wanted to offer my congratulations to the William Osler Health Centre board of directors on this fitting and lasting tribute to the Canadian Sikh and South

Asian community. It was a very well-thought-out idea and clearly ahead of its time.

It's a privilege today to speak in support of Bill 189,

an act to proclaim April 13 as Khalsa Day, and to congratulate the member from Brampton

West-Mississauga.

Ms. Andrea Horwath (Hamilton East): It's certainly my pleasure and privilege to be in the House today to speak to the private member's bill that

seeks to recognize Khalsa Day here in the Legislature of Ontario. I think the speeches by some of the other members have very well explained exactly what Khalsa Day is all about and why it's an

important effort by the member opposite to bring this forward.

I can tell you that I've had the opportunity, the honour, of visiting several times the gurdwaras in my own riding -- one on Lake Avenue, one on Covington

Street; there are several others I haven't had a chance to get to yet. What I have always found is every time I've had the opportunity to attend services, I have been welcomed wholeheartedly by the

Sikh community. I have been welcomed with warmth and treated with great dignity. I have always had the opportunity after services to do what is traditional in the Sikh community, which is to share

some food, and I have often had the opportunity to spend some social time afterwards with the community. It's been my pleasure to be able to become more informed and intimate with the Sikh

community. They are a wonderful group of people and they have treated me very, very well. So I thought it would be important to rise today and acknowledge the respect I have for them and to thank

them for taking me into their community in such a wholehearted way.

It's unfortunate, though, in my discussions with members of the Sikh community in Hamilton, that they still face many struggles and barriers in terms of their

ability to achieve the things they want to achieve for themselves and their families. One of the biggest ones in Hamilton East that I hear about from the community is still a frustration around an

inability to find decent-paying jobs that support their families. Added to that, there is still a constant struggle and a constant fight to be able to have their various degrees and skills that

they attain from their home countries recognized here in Toronto and Hamilton and Canada.

So while we celebrate Khalsa Day, I think we really need to recommit ourselves to working with the Sikh community, and other communities, quite frankly, to make

sure that we are not only talking about the fact that we need to address some of the ongoing struggles that they're having but actually doing something about it. It's easy for announcements to come

and for governments to say, "We are doing something," but when you go to the community and talk to the people and find out that after, frankly, decades of frustration their issues are still not

being adequately addressed, that's really not appropriate.

There are a number of engineers, doctors and other professionals I've met in my community who are simply not able to practise in their fields because of an

inability to have their degrees or their credentials recognized. It's not only a loss for them but a loss for us as a community, as a society, that we do not have their contributions in our economy

and into our way of life that we should have. That's totally disappointing at this point in time.

I thought I would take the opportunity to thank some specific people who have been working with me in the last little while since I was elected, and maybe even

just a little bit before, and say hello to some of the people in Hamilton who I hope are watching today on this auspicious day. That would be Tom Varmaa, Tajinder Singh and Nick Bhalsar. Nick

actually runs a restaurant on Queenston Road and Highway 20, and I've had the opportunity to dine there many times. It's wonderful food. These are just some of the people. There's the Punjabi

seniors which operates out of a community centre in my riding. I have to say that they have, in all cases -- there are many others that I can name. I could be here all morning, but these people

particularly have taken it upon themselves to show me the ropes, if you will, welcoming me into the community, and continue to do so.

To all of those people -- Tom, Tajinder, Nick, and the Punjabi seniors -- I just want to say how proud I am to be able to stand up in the Legislature today and

support not only in my debate -- oh, thank you, Michael. Two of the most important people -- how could I forget? -- are Gurpreet and Sodhi.

Mr. Prue: Gurpreet is right over there.

Ms. Horwath: Gurpreet is right over here. She's on staff with our communications and cultural outreach department for the NDP caucus. Gurpreet

and her family have been very supportive as well.

I really look forward to standing up and being recognized as someone who fully and wholeheartedly supports this bill. Again, I congratulate the member for

bringing it forward.

Mr. Cameron Jackson (Burlington): As the Progressive Conservative advocate for citizenship in our caucus, I'm very pleased to rise in the House

today and offer my support for private member's Bill 189,

An Act to proclaim Khalsa Day in Ontario, and to congratulate my colleague the member for Brampton West-Mississauga for taking this

important initiative to pay tribute to Ontario's Sikh community and its many historic and ongoing contributions to our province and to our great nation.

It's been my privilege to stand in this House on many occasions in support of the multicultural fabric of Ontario, as it continues to grow and strengthen, to

remind us that we are in fact a complete province and nation of immigrants, and as such we're fortunate to be able to pay tribute to yet another group that has made Ontario what it is today.

This bill would establish an annual provincial recognition on April 13, Khalsa Day, that commemorates the founding of the Sikh religion by Guru Gobind Singh.

This bill is deserving of all-party support in Ontario and is an additional way of celebrating the multicultural fabric of our society, of which the Sikh community is an integral part, and has been

for many, many years.

The Ontario government has a very solid record of being in support of the traditions of multicultural celebrations here in the chamber at Queen's Park through

various events, marking important religious and cultural days that punctuate the lives of Ontarians. As a proud Canadian of Ukrainian background -- my own Ukrainian ancestors first came to Canada

in 1893 -- I had the privilege of joining with my long-time parliamentary colleague John Yaremko in 1993 to help mark the 100th anniversary of the coming of the first Ukrainian pioneers to Canada.

The plaque that was made and subsequently unveiled at that auspicious event now hangs near the main doors of the Ontario Legislature. For those members who are unaware, it's a very difficult thing

to get a new plaque put on the walls in the Legislature. In fact, we had to take down an old one in order to put up a new one. But it's been my privilege over the years to participate in having

three plaques placed inside this building, which is a rare privilege for a member, and I very much appreciate that.

My life as a cabinet minister, a legislator and a member of the House has been tremendously enriched by the privilege of attending many multicultural events

throughout our province. These have all served to help us to better understand, through tolerance and understanding, the various aspects of Ontario's religious fabric, its political events and so

on.

It has been my privilege to stand in the House, as many members have, to comment on global events and how they affect people who live in Ontario who still have

many family members in their native country. For me, that was a very difficult and challenging period, which culminated finally in the fall of the Russian Empire and its control over the nation of

Ukraine. So it's been my privilege to stand in the House to comment on those important events in the life of my particular heritage background.

The Ontario PC government began the traditions at Queen's Park of celebrating such important days as Eid-Ul-Fitr and Eid-Ul-Adha with our Muslim community, for

example, including the reservation of a separate room here in the Ontario Legislature for anyone who wishes to observe the traditional daily Muslim prayers.

Canada's first African-Canadian television station celebrated its inauguration here at Queen's Park on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, an event organized by a former

member for Scarborough West, Jim Brown, who himself marched in support of Martin Luther King when he was young.

Flag-raising ceremonies to honour the national days of Portugal, the Philippines, Poland and many others at Queen's Park also form a part of the multicultural

legacy that we have experienced here on the floor of the Ontario Legislature.

I'm also very proud that the Ontario PC government enacted into law a large number of bills that likewise help celebrate our province's history and multicultural

heritage -- more so than any other government, I might say, in Ontario's history. Here's just a short list:

Among them is Holocaust Memorial Day or Yom Ha-Shoah, which remembers the six million Jews and other victims of the Holocaust of 1933 to 1945. That was

initiated by my colleague the member for Halton, Ted Chudleigh. It received, I am very pleased to say, great all-party support in the Legislature. That bill made Ontario the very first jurisdiction

outside of the state of Israel to honour the memory of the six million who perished in the Holocaust, and that is according to the lunar Hebrew calendar; in other words, the date for this annual

provincial commemoration changes each year.

Thanks to the efforts of my former colleague in this House the member for Hastings-Peterborough, Harry Danford, Ontario now observes June 19 as United Empire

Loyalist Day in honour of Canada's first multicultural immigration from the United States.

Following the American Revolution, as we know, American loyalists of 10 cultural groups, including Dutch, Highland Scots and others, came to Upper Canada where

they were assisted in their settlement efforts by Ontario's first Lieutenant Governor, John Graves Simcoe. I might just say that the other half of my family are United Empire Loyalists, which

speaks to my great love of the monarchy that comes from my cultural heritage, as my family on my father's side came from Pennsylvania during the American Revolution and settled in Gananoque. We

still have a very large graveyard with all of our ancestors there. We're very proud of that aspect of our contribution, both our loyalty to the crown and being able to count among our family some

of the earliest pioneers in our province.

Thanks to Wayne Wettlaufer, the former member for Kitchener, Ontario now observes the first day of Oktoberfest as German Pioneers Day. This day has been

especially gratefully received by the many German companies that invest in Ontario's economy, and is still widely covered on European television as a prominent example of Canada's commitment to

multiculturalism and of the fact that Ontario is perhaps one of the best tourist attractions in Canada. I always like to get that plug in.

I'd like to thank my colleague the member for Durham, John O'Toole, because now Ontario observes Irish Heritage Day on March 17, in honour of the tremendous

Irish cultural impact on the very foundations of our province and our nation. On the day of second reading debate of that bill in the House, I remember with great fondness how all of the members

present broke out into a rendition of When Irish Eyes are Smiling.

My colleague the member for Grey-Bruce-Owen Sound, Bill Murdoch, is responsible for the provincial observance of Tartan Day in Ontario on April 6. As in Nova

enduring Scottish heritage, which is likewise an integral part of the fabric of Canadian life. Again, I want to say on behalf of my wife's family, who are Scottish, that my father-in-law, who just

passed away five weeks ago, was a direct descendant of Robert the Bruce. He was extremely proud of that, and there wasn't a Sunday dinner went by that we didn't get a revisiting of the history of

the Bruce family and of the great contribution that Scotland has made here and abroad.

My former colleague from Bramalea, Raminder Gill, put forward his bill to declare South Asia day on May 5, and the entire month of May as South Asian Heritage

Month, to pay tribute to those vibrant cultural traditions shared by this great group of Canadians.

It was my former colleague from Lanark-Renfrew, Leo Jordan, whose resolution for the completion of the Ontario coat of arms with appropriate augmentations

included symbolism that celebrated Ontario's First Nations, French and multicultural people in the ongoing development of our province.

The current bill before us highlights yet another aspect of the great multicultural fabric of Ontario, the Sikh community. More than half of Canada's 150,000

Sikhs live in Ontario today. Even though the first Sikhs arrived in British Columbia at the beginning of this century, mainly as soldiers who supported the crown, their presence in Ontario came to

be felt by the mid-1950s. The birthday of Guru Nanak was first celebrated in Toronto in 1954 at the residence here in Toronto of Kuldeep Singh Chatwal. By 1965, there were more than 400 Sikhs in

Toronto, and in 1969 the first gurdwara, or Sikh temple, was established on Pape Avenue. At present, there are 25 gurdwaras that serve as multi-use community institutions for about 60,000 Sikhs in

Ontario. These institutions offer a wide variety of religious, educational and cultural programs that maintain and foster the Sikh identity. The exposition of the scriptures, known as katha, are

delivered by the readers of the gurdwaras; the rituals are observed by the religious leaders or by visiting Sikh scholars from India, known as the gyani. The scriptures themselves are the Guru

Granth Sahib, followed by the distribution of sanctified food, and for those of us who have had the privilege of attending Sikh temples on their holy days, it is a wonderful experience to

participate in that ceremony. Afterwards, Sikhs and non-Sikhs sit together in an egalitarian spirit to share a common meal of Indian vegetarian food, such as flat breads, stew and curry. I

recommend it to anyone to try; it's very good.

The rite of initiation into the Khalsa, or the "pure," must observe the code of conduct known as the Rahit. The most significant part of the Rahit is the

obligation to wear the five items of eternal identity known as the five Ks. These are: unshorn hair, symbolizing spirituality and saintliness; a wooden comb, symbolizing order and discipline in

life; a miniature sword, or kirpan, signifying divine grace, dignity and courage; a steel bangle, symbolizing responsibility and allegiance to the guru; and a pair of short breeches, symbolizing

moral restraint. Putting on the five Ks, along with the turban, in the case of male Sikhs, symbolizes that the Khalsa Sikhs are dressed, in their words, "In the word of God."

The significance for full commitment to the Khalsa discipline has received new recognition by Sikhs in Ontario, especially young adults, after the Indian

army's attack on the Golden Temple of Amritsar in 1984. Although the wearing of the five Ks has been supported in principle under the Canadian Charter of Rights, the Khalsa Sikhs have sometimes

encountered problems wearing the kirpan, which is wrongly thought to be a weapon.

Ontario's Sikhs celebrate the annual Vaisakhi festival in the middle of April with a colourful march through the streets of Toronto and to the Ontario

Legislature right here at Queen's Park. The procession is always led by the five beloved ones, followed by a float carrying the Sikh scripture. This procession is participated in by thousands of

Sikh Canadians, who also mark this festive occasion with charitable donations to food banks, the United Way, blood donor clinics, the Red Cross and the Canadian Cancer Society.

The Sikhs of Ontario also take a keen interest in Canadian economic or religious matters by participating in inter-religious dialogues, and they have organized

multi-religious services at their functions.

Sikhism emphasizes tolerance and the acceptance of diversity of faith and religious practice on the basis of universal brotherhood and humanitarian service

ideals. The Sikh ideals are therefore most congenial to the Canadian way of life. It has been my privilege to stand in support of Bill 189,

An Act to proclaim Khalsa Day in Ontario, and I commend

it to all members of the House.

Mr. Bob Delaney (Mississauga West): It is a pleasure and a privilege to rise in the House today to speak in support of Bill 189, a proposal by

my colleague and long-time friend Vic Dhillon that Ontario annually celebrate Khalsa Day in tribute to the contributions, sacrifices and achievements of our province's vibrant and dynamic

300,000-strong Sikh community.

I also draw members' attention to the east members' gallery to recognize some friends of Vic's also here to help him support the bill. Please welcome Mr. Kewal

Singh, Mr. Nachhear Singh-Chohan, Mr. Fauja Singh-Bains, Mr. Joginder Singh-Bains, Mr. Tara Singh-Bains and Mr. Ranjit Dulai.

The word Khalsa means "pure." Khalsas are Sikhs who have undergone the sacred Amrit ceremony initiated by the 10th Sikh guru, Guru Gobind Singh. The Khalsa

order was initially created on Vaisakhi Day, March 30, 1699. That day, Guru Gobind Singh baptized five Sikhs and then asked the five Khalsas to baptize him. The guru then baptized thousands of men

and women into the Khalsa order.

The Khalsa baptism ceremony is undertaken as part of one's personal spiritual evolution when the initiate is ready to live up to the high expectations of Guru

Gobind Singh. All Sikhs are expected to be Khalsa or to work toward attaining it. The Khalsa baptism ceremony involves the drinking of Amrit, or sugar water stirred with a dagger, in the presence

of five Khalsa Sikhs as well as the Guru Granth Sahib. The initiate is instructed in the following: never to remove hair from any part of the body, not to use tobacco, alcohol or other intoxicants,

not to eat the meat of an animal slaughtered incorrectly, and not to commit adultery. Baptized Sikhs may choose to wear the physical symbols of a Khalsa at all times and to follow the Khalsa code

of conduct. Let's review one more time these symbols of Sikhism.

"Kesh" means long, unshorn hair and is a symbol of spirituality. Kesh reminds a Khalsa to behave like gurus and shows the acceptance of God's will. Jesus,

Moses and Buddha also wore their hair long, to put it into perspective.

The Sikh turban is probably the most visible symbol of the Sikh people. It denotes royalty and dignity. Few types of headdress make a man look more

distinguished. Though the turban is a common feature in Eastern and Middle Eastern cultures, Guru Gobind Singh used this cultural symbol as a religious hallmark to enhance the self-esteem of Sikhs.

It differentiates Sikhs from other religions whose followers have long hair and cover their heads in different way. The turban cannot be covered by any other headgear and should not be replaced by

a cap or a hat. Today the turban is widely worn by Sikh men. In Canada, our institutions have adapted to the turban for Sikh men. Our armed forces and police forces now allow Sikh men to substitute

a uniform turban for the uniform headgear worn by non-Sikhs and, quite frankly, it looks terrific.

The kanga is a comb that is a symbol of hygiene and discipline. The kara is a steel bracelet, to remind the wearer of restraint in their actions and

remembrance of God at all times. The kaccha is an undergarment signifying self-control and chastity.

The kirpan is a ceremonial sword. It is worn as a religious symbol and not as a weapon. The kirpan is a symbol of dignity and of the Sikh struggle against

injustice. When a Khalsa meets another Khalsa, he will greet him by saying, "Wahe Guru Ji Ka Khalsa. Wahe Guru Ji Ki Fateh," which means, "The Khalsa belongs to God, victory belongs to God."

Sikhs first came to Canada to build the transcontinental railway in the 1880s and stayed to keep building Canada. Canada's oldest gurdwara is in Abbotsford,

Today, Canada in general and Ontario in particular are blessed by the contributions of hundreds of thousands of Sikhs, not merely those who came here from the

northwest Indian province of Punjab, but those who have built their lives, their careers, their families, and our communities, here in Ontario and in every Canadian province. All our institutions,

our charities, our hospitals and our schools know about the generosity of our Sikh community. My colleague the member from Brampton Centre has mentioned how generous the Sikhs have been in the

building of the new William Osler Health Centre, and their generosity just begins there. Not a single charitable institution, especially in our vibrant multicultural region of Peel, has been

untouched by the generosity of our Sikh community.

It's the generation born here, or raised and educated here, like Vic and his children, who are putting a distinct Sikh taste in what it means to be Canadian,

just as my own forebears did five generations ago, when they showed Canadians how Irish Catholics could embrace this cold land with their humour and warm it with their legends and their culture,

and how they, like our Sikh community, could make Canada their home too.

We all celebrate St. Patrick's Day, and my colleague the member from Durham has moved a bill to make that day Irish Heritage Day. On that day, Canadians make

everybody Irish for one day, and I say let's celebrate Khalsa Day every April 13 and let's make all Canadians Sikhs for a day. I have been told that the Punjabi translation of my own Irish name is

Balbir Singh.

Like St. Patrick's Day, Khalsa Day doesn't ask our Legislature for a statutory holiday, merely a day to commemorate a magnificent and proud people, a community

whose symbols and prosperity are among the most visible in our multicultural Ontario.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ted Arnott): Further debate? OK.

I will return now to the mover of the motion, the member for Brampton West-Mississauga.

Mr. Dhillon: I'd like to thank the members who have spoken in favour of my bill: the member from Beaches-East York, the member from Brampton

Centre, the member from Hamilton East, the member from Burlington and the member from Mississauga West.

I'm very proud to have had the opportunity to introduce this bill in the House. It means a lot to me and to my community. The member from Hamilton East

mentioned that there are some shortcomings and difficulties that the community is facing. I am going to do whatever I can, along with the support of our Premier. The Premier has supported and I'm

sure will support the initiatives that will be needed to address some of the shortcomings that we have. For example, our government has taken action with the upgrading of skills of new immigrants,

and we've contributed significantly toward funding for ESL in our schools. So we are taking action to support the new communities that are arriving in Ontario.

The Premier has attended past Vaisakhi celebrations, and I understand he will be attending this coming Sunday. That goes to show our support for the Sikh

community. I want to thank Mr. Kewal Singh, who is here from Winnipeg -- he was of great support to me in doing some of the research -- and Mr. Baldev Sandhu. They helped me quite a bit with the

introduction of this bill. I thank all of the members of the House.

FIRE PROTECTION STATUTE LAW

AMENDMENT ACT, 2005 /

LOI DE 2005 MODIFIANT DES LOIS

EN CE QUI A TRAIT À LA PROTECTION

CONTRE L'INCENDIE

Mr. Prue moved second reading of the following bill:

Bill 184,

An Act to require the Building Code and the Fire Code to provide for fire detectors, interconnected fire alarms and non-combustible fire escapes /

Projet de loi 184, Loi exigeant que le code du bâtiment et le code de prévention des incendies prévoient des détecteurs d'incendie, des systèmes d'alerte d'incendie

interconnectés et des sorties de secours incombustibles.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ted Arnott): Pursuant to standing order 96, the member for Beaches-East York has 10 minutes for his presentation.

Mr. Michael Prue (Beaches-East York): This morning at 9:30, there was a news conference in this building. I would like to thank at the outset

the people who attended that news conference. Present were Fire Chief William Stewart of the Toronto fire department and Scott Marks, the president of the Toronto Professional Fire Fighters'

Association. He was also the captain on duty -- I'm going to refer to it -- during a very tragic and historical fire in the Beach in 1999. I had Gail Nyberg, executive member of the Metro Tenants'

Association, and Mr. John Argue of the Ontario Coalition for Social Justice. Their insight was extremely valuable and was very much appreciated.

There was another speaker at the press conference this morning to whom a simple thank you does not properly express my gratitude for the work he has done in

improving fire safety in the province and bringing this bill forward today. His name is Tom Steers. Tom is here in the members' gallery today.

In 1999, Tom was engaged to Linda Elderkin, a resident at 2362 Queen Street East, in the Beach. At approximately 3 a.m. on January 14, 1999, a fire started in

the living room of the apartment directly below Linda's. The fire spread quickly and the residents fled the building. No one, however, activated the manual pull stations that would have triggered a

building-wide alarm. Meanwhile, Linda and her roommate, Paul Benson, remained unaware of the fire. Finally, the heat from the fire became so intense that it began to melt the system's wiring. The

building's alarms were finally triggered. This occurred far too late in the lifetime of the fire. Linda and Paul's exit down the main hallway was blocked, and they eventually discovered that the

rear wooden fire escape had become engulfed in flames and was therefore inaccessible. They died waiting for rescue.

Following the terrible events of that night, Tom, along with the family of Mr. Benson, fought hard to have an inquest into Linda's and Paul's death. That

inquest took place in 2000 and produced 28 recommendations for change in the Ontario fire code. Upon receiving the results of that inquest, Tom has devoted an enormous amount of his time and energy

to battling to see them implemented so that others need never experience the personal tragedy that he did on that terrible night. I believe that a lesser man would have given up years ago. But

thanks to him, we are today able to bring forward a bill that would implement two of the chief recommendations of the coroner's inquest: first, that interconnected fire detectors be made mandatory

in rental buildings, and second, that the fire code be amended to ensure that fire escapes are made of non-combustible material. It is my belief that these two recommendations make good sense and

would work to save lives in our province.

I would now like to talk about the provisions. The first was suggested by the inquest jury. They discovered that the manual pull stations in use at 2362 Queen

Street were never activated during the fire. There are many reasons why this happens. It's not hard to imagine that tenants leaving a building are in a panic. Their building is on fire. They run

out the door and forget to pull the alarm themselves, or, even if they remember, they think someone else is going to do it. The sad reality is that no one did. Had an interconnected alarm system

been in place, the moment the fire got out of control the entire building could have been notified and Linda and Paul would have had a much greater chance of escape.

Bill 184 amends the fire code and the Fire Protection and Prevention Act to ensure that interconnected fire detectors are made mandatory in the common areas of

a building with more than one rental unit.

I suspect that many people's initial response to this provision is somewhat skeptical. The first thought that goes through your head, if you've lived in an

apartment, is that if they're interconnected, what happens if someone burns the toast and then everybody's alarm goes off? But that is not the case here.

I want to make it clear that what is being called for in this bill is that the interconnected alarm system be installed in the common areas of the rental

buildings, that is, in the hall and the foyer, so the burning of toast or a small kitchen mishap isn't going to set off every alarm in a building. If a fire is intense enough to send smoke into the

hallways of a building, then I believe every resident of the building should know about that right away. This bill provides for that.

The second provision of the bill would outlaw wooden fire escapes for any building in the province. The need for this

section of the bill is obvious. Had

wooden fire escapes been deemed unacceptable in this province in January 1999, Linda and Paul might still be with us today.

Section 9.4.7.13(3) of the Ontario fire code currently reads, "Fire escapes shall be of metal or concrete, except that wooden fire escapes may be used on

buildings of combustible construction if all posts and brackets are at least 89 millimetres in their least dimension and all other woodwork is 38 millimetres in its least dimension."

This regulation is weak. It opens up the door to inadequate fire protection, and it needs to be changed. This is especially true when you think of who is

living in the buildings that are made of wood and still have wooden fire escapes. The reality of these types of buildings is that they often house low-income residents, students, families on social

assistance and new Canadians.

Bill 184 is a small, simple, effective way of increasing safety for a vulnerable population.

The city of Vancouver has realized this. They have tremendously strong safety legislation. Their fire laws not only make provision of interconnected smoke

alarms mandatory, but they also require the installation of home fire sprinkler systems in new buildings. It has been an enormous success there. Last year, the number of fire-related fatalities in

Vancouver, the third-largest city in Canada, was zero. In 2003, fires in Ontario took the lives of 110 people and seriously injured scores more. Obviously there is a desire to implement some

similar forms of legislation that would seek to mimic Vancouver's fire bylaws and, hopefully, its low fatality rate.

I commend the member for Brampton Centre for her Bill 141, the Home Fire Sprinkler Act, which she brought forward earlier this year that would require the

installation of fire sprinklers in new detached, semi-detached and row houses in Ontario. It is an absolutely excellent idea and would complement Bill 184. I wish it speedy passage.

However, it brings me back to my point about the need for legislation that provides fire safety for our most vulnerable populations. The lowest-income

residents of Ontario are not moving into new houses, semi-detached or otherwise. They are living in overcrowded wooden apartment buildings with wooden fire escapes and shoddy alarm systems. They

need a better level of fire protection than they are currently getting from our government. I would therefore respectfully call upon members from all three parties to join and pass Bill 184. Your

support is greatly appreciated, not only by me but by all Ontarians who know the terrible consequences of inadequate fire safety standards.

The tragedy that took place on Queen Street in January 1999 need not be repeated. We have an opportunity here, with the passage of a very simple bill, to make

sure that people's lives are protected. We know there may be some costs involved for landlords and people who rent out these apartments. We know it will cost some money to rewire an apartment

building. We know it will cost some money to take down wooden fire escapes and put in metal or concrete ones. But I will tell you, how much money is going to be spent is infinitesimal in comparison

to the lives of the people we hopefully will save by this bill.

Please ensure that the tragedy that happened to Mr. Steers, who is here today, to his loved ones, to the people in my riding, does not recur. I ask for

all-party support to put an end to this hazardous situation.

Mrs. Linda Jeffrey (Brampton Centre): I'm pleased today to speak to Bill 184, the Fire Protection Statute Law Amendment Act, 2005. I would

like to congratulate the member from Beaches-East York for his vision. I'm very happy to see any fire protection legislation come forward.

In 2003, fire claimed the lives of over 110 Ontarians, and over the past five years, 661 Ontarians have died due to fire. In 2003, the property damage caused

by fire was estimated at $457 million. Since 2001, residential fires alone have cost Ontario almost $1 billion in property damage. This figure does not include the significant cost to our health

care system and doesn't represent the human cost for the families and friends who lose their loved ones in fire. Further, the most vulnerable in our society, our seniors and our children, made up

40% of the fatalities due to fire in 2003. In 2003, more than 87% of fire deaths occurred in a residential building.

We must prepare for future growth now. Urban sprawl has made it difficult for our emergency services to keep up with the residential buildings that are

springing up across Ontario, especially in the GTA.

There is no single answer to the fire problem; rather, for Ontarians to effectively protect themselves from fire, we need to use a number of strategies. It's

clear that simply having a smoke alarm is not enough. Fire alarms cannot protect you from fire, and often a fire is out of control by the time people in the residence are warned by a fire alarm. By

the time a parent realizes the house is on fire, it's too late to save her children. By the time a child realizes there is a fire, it may be too late to save an elderly parent. By the time an

elderly couple realizes their home is on fire, they may already be trapped.

Installing both smoke alarms and a fire sprinkler system reduces the risk of a fire death in a home by 82% in comparison to having neither, which is why in

November I introduced Bill 141, the Home Fire Sprinkler Act, 2004, into the Legislature, where it received second reading on November 25 and was sent to the standing committee on the Legislative

Assembly.

Smoke alarms definitely help save lives, but the number of smoke alarms that have not been maintained properly is staggering. Sprinklers are an automatic

device, a technology that requires no human intervention or reaction. Sprinklers are like having a firefighter in your home 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is a proven technology, like air

bags, that doesn't rely on changed human behaviour to prevent an accident or a loss of life.

In 1990, Vancouver, BC, became the first Canadian city to enact a residential sprinkler bylaw. In the 10 years since its enactment, while there have been a

number of deaths in homes that were unsprinklered, there hasn't been a single fatality in a home that was sprinklered.

A national study commissioned by Duracell and the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs revealed that 48% of Canadians feel that they have almost no chance of

being in a house fire. The study also found that while 64% of Canadians claimed to have a fire escape plan in place, 63% of those Canadians actually failed to practise their escape plan even

once.

According to CAFC, one of the most crucial precautions is having a working smoke alarm. Only 28% of Canadians surveyed had replaced the batteries in the alarm

twice; 19% admitted to never having replaced their batteries. Reliance on smoke alarms is clearly misplaced. Frequently, they aren't functioning and receive little or no maintenance to ensure that

they're working.

The age group of 65-plus constitutes 25% to 30% of fire fatalities in Ontario every year. This demographic is getting older and they're having more difficulty

hearing working smoke alarms. As well, the reaction time is likely slower. The installation of home fire sprinklers would allow seniors to remain in their homes longer and enhance their quality of

life.

One in 10 Canadians has experienced a home fire and, sadly, on average, over 100 people in Ontario die in a fire each and every year, with the vast majority of

these deaths occurring in a home, the very place that people should feel safest and have the greatest amount of control or influence.

I guess my question on this particular bill to the member for Beaches-East York is the terminology. I'm a little confused on the difference between a fire

detector and a smoke alarm, and I believe the wording is likely based on the coroner's report and recommendations.

Fire detectors are connected to fire alarm systems, which have bells and panels and a manual pull system at all the exits. I think the member is talking about

a smoke alarm that's in your home or in a group or lodging house and small dormitories. Those only cost a couple of hundred dollars,

whereas fire detectors and fire alarms are an $8,000 to $10,000

cost. I believe that isn't what the member recommends. So if there could be clarification in his bill, that would be appreciated.

Fire alarms would be connected to a panel, and they always have been interconnected. Smoke alarms aren't. The recommendations, I believe, have come from

laypeople. So that's a confusion that I would like some clarification on. Because it's the fire code that is being amended, is it the intention of the mover of this bill to make these provisions

retroactive? That would be my question.

I agree with the member from Beaches-East York that this is important legislation. I'm happy to support it, and I believe the time is right to make Ontario a

national leader in home fire safety. I'm happy to support this legislation.

The Acting Speaker: Further debate?

Ms. Laurie Scott (Haliburton-Victoria-Brock): I'm pleased to rise today to speak in support of the bill being brought forward by my colleague

from Beaches-East York, the Fire Protection Statute Law Amendment Act, 2005, and I want to point out that he is wearing a tie with a fire engine. He is always very good at dressing with appropriate

ties for the topic of conversation. So I just wanted to point that out.

Being serious and getting back to the bill, when a fire takes a life, it is a tragic thing, and it's especially upsetting when it's a death that could have

been prevented.

Prior to coming here, I've spoken many times about the fact that I did nurse in various places around the world and I've certainly seen injuries that took

place as a result of -- fires were the most traumatic that we could see. I remember working on one of the cruise ships, where there was an explosion in an engine room, and the fire burns and the

trauma experienced by all of us in trying to get adequate medical care when we were out at sea, and the good resources that were available to us in the short time and the airlift that took place

there. So they are quite devastating, and I think the more awareness we can have to prevent such burns from occurring and such loss of life we need to bring forward.

That's a great part of this day on Thursdays, the private members' bills, where we're allowed to debate some issues that are of concern in our communities and

to bring them forward. Bills like this address the health and safety of people in our communities and individuals and groups who don't get addressed in the normal legislation of the government. I

know there are several members who have tried to bring forward their bills on different occasions, and some of the time those efforts are rewarded and their bills are passed, or, as is more often

the case, the government recognizes that something does need to be done and they introduce their own legislation, which I think we're hoping for here today. That recently happened to the member for

Toronto-Danforth when she introduced a bill, and I hope the member for Beaches-East York will get a faster result than her bill did.

The first step, however, is for this group of members to examine the proposed legislation to see if the bill raises issues that are worthy of closer study by a

committee. In this case, I think the member from Beaches-East York has brought forward a bill that does deserve further study.

I recently had a fire on my own property, just over a year ago, and certainly there was a lack of appropriate detectors in that situation or we would have been

alerted sooner to the situations that were there. The local fire department of Galway-Cavendish-Harvey did respond promptly and in a truly professional manner for a volunteer fire department, so I

thank them for that.

I could not begin to imagine what it must have felt like for Linda Elderkin and Paul Benson to know that there was a fire in their building and that their only

route to safety had been burned away. It must have been terrifying for them to lose their lives in this way, waiting for help that could never get to them. I'm quite frankly shocked to learn about

the fire escapes that are made of wood, the things you find when these private members' bills are introduced and when you do some research. It's just a totally counterintuitive idea to have a

wooden fire escape. Why wouldn't we ask builders to find better materials to use in the construction of fire escapes?

I worry a little bit about the bill's wording: "non-combustible." I worry because almost everything is combustible at some point if exposed to high enough heat

for a long enough time, and that certainly happened in the 9/11 situation. This is something that I think could be ironed out when we take it to committee for further study. Clearly, wood is not

the answer, but we need to define more clearly what is meant by "non-combustible material."

I noticed as well when reading through the bill that the coroner's inquest had recommended there be mandatory interconnected alarm systems in multi-residential

buildings of six or more units. In this bill the number has been dropped to two, and there is good reason why the member from Beaches-East York has decided to take this route. But it's not

information that we have here today, and I would certainly be interested in further study that would come out of that.

The member for Beaches-East York has worked hard to obtain the support of several groups for this bill, including the Toronto Professional Fire Fighters'

Association, the Federation of Metro Tenants' Associations and the Ontario Coalition for Social Justice.

For something like this to move forward and eventually become a law, I think we need to hear what the building code commission thinks of this bill. We should

also know how fire departments and fire chiefs will respond, not just here in Toronto, but across the province. We should also try to find out what the builders think. I was meeting with the

Haliburton builders' association last night and did ask them, and they were quite supportive of this bill, just to get the feedback from a builders' association. All of these perspectives need to

be heard, and I'll certainly be supporting the bill and moving it on to the next stage in the committee.

But I want to bring up an issue that I know is very close to the Speaker today and myself, and that is the issue of the double-hatters.

Interjection: Hear, hear.

Ms. Scott: Absolutely. I hear it from my other caucus members too.

It's a little confusing when it comes to fire safety issues in rural communities. We depend largely on fire departments staffed by volunteers. I mentioned my

own personal case, but I see them all the time across our rural communities. The double-hatter firefighters need help to protect our communities. I think we've lost 15 double-hatters in the city of

Kawartha Lakes. It really threatens our safety and security in our small communities. So I'm giving a plug to the member from Beaches-East York to please keep in mind our rural areas and that our

need for double-hatter firefighters, for our own safety and protection, is there. I want to commend my colleague Ted Arnott for all the work he has done in drawing it to the attention of the

Legislature.

Applause.

Ms. Scott: There's support on the other side, Ted. I'm happy to see that.

I think 166 municipalities have passed resolutions supporting the double-hatter firefighters bill. They play a role in terms of public safety, in terms of

providing expert support to the other volunteer firefighters in our communities.

One of the points raised in the letter from the Toronto Professional Fire Fighters' Association is that they support having trucks respond to fires with a

minimum of four personnel. As someone who comes from the rural community, it's hard to maintain that staffing level in the full-time fire service. I cannot understand why we cannot recognize that

in different communities one size does not fit all in respect to fire services.

When we set up rules in this place, we have to remember that settings apply not just in Toronto; they apply in Cannington, they apply in Lindsay, they apply in

Woodville, as well as in London and Verner. So I would like the member for Beaches-East York to re-examine his stand on double-hatter firefighters right now, as we're supporting his bill for

safety. I think he should look at some of the rural concerns that we have.

I would be willing to support this bill. He spoke very passionately, when he introduced this bill, about the need for changes in the fire code. I'm pleased to

have the opportunity today to bring some more issues to the forefront and to support the member from Beaches-East York.

Ms. Andrea Horwath (Hamilton East): It is my pleasure to speak to Bill 184, presented by my colleague from the riding of Beaches-East York

this morning. I think it's obvious that firefighters in communities across the province are, to most of us and our constituents, local heroes. They really do a lot of hard work in our communities;

they do a lot of dangerous work in our communities. When a fire is happening, most people are running away from it. But it's the firefighters who are running into it to try to deal with the

property and also the people who might be caught in that tragic situation.

I know that my opportunities locally working with the staff who work in our firefighting service in the city of Hamilton have been great. The people there are

very dedicated. They do not only their professional work as firefighters, but they so often participate in many other ways in the life of our community, through various fundraising and charity

efforts. I can remember taking my son many, many times when he was young to a firefighters' variety show, the purpose of which was to raise funds for the burn unit in Hamilton. That's just one

example of the great work that the firefighters do. I wanted to take the opportunity to thank some of the firefighters in my local community before I start speaking to the bill specifically.

Currently, the city of Hamilton has a city manager who was the previous fire chief. Mr. Glen Peace was our fire chief for several years, in fact was a

firefighter for a while, went to Burlington and worked there for a while, came back to Hamilton as our fire chief and is now our city manager at the city of Hamilton. His shoes were filled in the

fire department by a fellow named Jim Kay, and both of them have provided some excellent leadership to our fire department from the perspective of being chief.

We also have a very active professional firefighters association in Hamilton, very engaged in the Hamilton community, very much working with not only the

people of Hamilton, but the Hamilton councillors. That was my experience when I was there, so I thought I should mention them, because they are a great group of guys. The president is currently

Henry Watson, who, if I'm not mistaken, spent some time at the provincial organization, as the president provincially. He's back in Hamilton as the local president. His treasurer is a fellow named

Brian Stark; the secretary is a good friend of mine, Ron Summer; the first vice-president is Stanley Double; the second vice-president is Tim Rankin; and the trustee is Ed McGrane. I just wanted to

mention those guys, as well as another fellow named Larry Staples, who for a long time was active on the association.

These are the people who do their work on the line when they're called to a fire. They are there fighting fires, but they're also the people who provide the

leadership within the association. They spend a great deal of their own personal time working on improving the framework we work under in communities in regard to firefighting. I know that

sometimes there has been tension between what the associations want and what the cities are able to provide in terms of staffing, equipment and those kinds of things, but those people are there

constantly making sure that not only the public, but also the councillors and city representatives are being educated as to what's happening in modern firefighting.

I can tell you that they also spend some time working with children and in schools, trying to make sure children are aware of the dangers of fire and of the

kinds of trouble they can get into if they're not being safe around things like candles or other kinds of flames.

I'm very pleased to be able to speak to this bill and I look forward to supporting it in every way I can. As has been mentioned, it comes as the result of a

coroner's inquest. It's the result of a fire that took place in the riding of the member for Beaches-East York. He has taken the initiative, with the help of one of the people who lost a loved one

in the fire, to bring this forward.

If I can just say what some of the recommendations were from the coroner's inquest, I think it is important.

A coroner's inquest was held into the 2362 Queen Street East fire in the year 2000 and it produced a full 28 recommendations for amendments to the Ontario fire

code. The coroner's jury recommendation 1 made it clear that the need for mandatory interconnected alarm systems was imminent, stating that, "The Ontario fire code should provide that in multi-unit

residential buildings of six or more units, the following requirements need to be met: (

a) approved interconnected automatic fire and smoke detection equipment with audible alarms installed in the

common areas of each and every floor, and (

b) the smoke detection equipment in the common areas should be directly connected to the fire alarm system to eliminate the need for occupants to activate

pull station alarms."

The coroner's jury recommendation 4 describes the need to outlaw wooden fire escapes, stating that, as the jury heard, fire spread to the wooden escape and

rapidly made escape impossible. They recommended that, "The retrofit provisions in

part 9.5 of the fire code be amended to require that fire escapes be made of non-combustible material."

As the member for Beaches-East York mentioned in his remarks, the city of Vancouver has already undertaken updates to their fire code to make sure these kinds

of issues have been covered off. It's a long time coming. It's now five years since that fire occurred, and there's no doubt in my mind that these recommendations in Bill 184 should be implemented

immediately.

To be specific, the bill almost completely reflects those recommendations. It seeks to implement recommendations 1 and 4 that I spoke of. The purpose is that

the language in the act would be introduced so that there would be an assurance that, "Every residential building with two or more dwelling units is equipped with fire detectors in all public

corridors and common areas of the building and interconnected fire alarms that are audible throughout the building," and, "Every fire escape is constructed of non-combustible material."

It's really interesting to see who has come out to support this bill. It's interesting because those of us who represent ridings that have an older stock of

housing will know that, in many cases, these kinds of problems exist in older units that have, over time, for one reason or another not been updated or upgraded. Unfortunately, it is often people

who are fairly vulnerable who live in those kinds of units.

I say that because I know quite clearly that in Hamilton there are a number of units, a number of buildings -- and you can't generalize that it's this kind of

building or that kind of building. There are low-rise walk-ups, for example; there is old stock from the 1960s, what we would call medium- to high-rise; there are single-family homes that are large

Victorian-type homes that have been converted into smaller residential units or flats. There are a number of different types of housing that exist, and the unfortunate thing is that oftentimes it

is the lower-cost housing that is this older stock. The lower-cost housing, then, sometimes becomes home to people who we can call very vulnerable. Who are those people? They are people like new

immigrants, who might not have a good grasp, at their initial move in, as to the procedures for a fire emergency. They are people who are low-income, people who are senior citizens, oftentimes

isolated people who are unable to have the contacts that give them the supports to make sure that their accommodation is appropriately fail-safe or safetied with appropriate fire alarms and smoke

detectors and those kinds of things, as is required by law.

I wanted to take the opportunity to just read a couple of letters that were sent in support of this bill, because I think they really reflect some of the

issues that I was just talking about. The first one is from the Ontario Coalition for Social Justice, and it is to Mr. Prue. It says:

"Dear Michael,

"Thanks for informing the Ontario Coalition for Social Justice ... of your initiative in tabling the Fire Protection Statute Law Amendment Act, 2005.

"Persons who have been active in the OCSJ and who live in various locations in Ontario support two aspects of your bill in particular. The requirement for

interconnected fire alarms in residential buildings with two or more dwelling units and the requirement that fire escapes be constructed of non-combustible material seem elementary precautions to

offer more protection to residents. Indeed, we are surprised that these requirements are not mandatory already." I think that's probably the sentiment of many people.

"The OCSJ is concerned especially with the lives of low-income persons in Ontario because they are more likely to live in buildings which are less safe than

homes whose owners can afford to install up-to-date safety equipment. The passage of your bill would assist the very population in Ontario which needs help with elementary safety, because

low-income persons are less likely to be able to afford such protections or to have the confidence to demand such protection from landlords on their own.

"As well, we want to note that statistics are clear about the increased danger which older residents face about residential fires, and we believe that your

bill will ensure greater protection to seniors in Ontario as well.

"We do hope that MPPs from all political parties support your sensible measures."

The other one is from the Federation of Metro Tenants' Associations. It says:

"Dear Mr. Prue,

"The Federation of Metro Tenants' Associations welcomes the opportunity to support your private member's bill, the Fire Protection Statute Law Amendment Act,

2005. We also congratulate you for bringing the matter forward.

"It is our firm belief that these regulations:

"(1) every residential building with two or more dwelling units to be equipped with interconnected fire alarms, and

"(2) that every fire escape to be constructed of non-combustible material;

"are entirely appropriate and the fire code should be amended to include them.

"The Federation of Metro Tenants' Associations will be sending a representative to the Legislature on April 21 for the debate in the Legislative Assembly.

"Thank you once again for bringing forward these valuable amendments."

That's signed by Vivienne Loponen, the chair of the FMTA.

As you can see, it's the people who are intimately aware of what's happening in the residential stock -- particularly in Toronto, but certainly many other

older communities as well face the exact same problems and the exact same dangers in older residential stock. Unfortunately, the code, as it sits, does not force these repairs to be made unless

there are major renovations taking place to a unit.

Coming from the municipal sector, I can tell you that the other challenge we're going to face is providing supports to municipalities to be able to carry out

some of the inspections that are going to be required to make sure that this bill is realized, that it's not just accepted here in Queen's Park, but that once passed by the Legislature, which I'm

sure it will be, it is actually implemented. The only way to ensure the implementation is to make sure that municipalities are provided with some supports and resources to be able to be proactive

in ensuring that these measures are undertaken by landlords and owners of residential rental units in our communities.

I know that municipalities are very challenged these days. We hear about it quite often in regards to lack of funding from the provincial government, a concern

about their lack of ability to meet even the basic needs of their communities, having to cut back on budgets or being in deficit positions with their budgets. I would only hope that as we move

forward with this initiative Mr. Prue has so appropriately and wisely come forward with, we also recognize that in order to ensure that it is implemented to its fullest extent, thereby protecting

all tenants in rental housing in Ontario, the resources and commitments to those resources need to be put in place so that municipalities can then enforce the new legislation that is before us,

once it passes all the processes and receives third reading and royal assent.

Once again, I want to thank the member from Beaches-East York, Michael Prue, for bringing forward this bill. I look forward to assisting him in making sure it

gets all the support that's necessary in this Legislature.

Mr. Dave Levac (Brant): I appreciate the opportunity to make comment on Bill 184. Let me start by offering to the families of Linda and Paul

my own, my caucus's and the House's condolences for the suffering that you've endured and continue to endure while looking for some solutions and answers. I want to commend the member from

Beaches-East York for responding to that need, and also for responding to a provincial need.

The member from Hamilton East spoke on the social aspects. I fully agree with her that in this particular era -- I want to go out on a limb and simply say to

you that it's time for us to end this slum landlord activity that's been going on in the province. It's not just with one area of the province; it's in many areas of the province. I would suggest

very clearly that we need to tighten up and strengthen these bills wherever we have an opportunity to make sure that people understand that we're not going to tolerate these kinds of actions.

Enforcement is another part of that. The building code has been reviewed and improved upon, and I'm happy to say that all governments of all stripes have been

continuing to add to the safety of the people of Ontario. Let's make sure we understand that this isn't just about one insular issue, that the families are going beyond their tragedy and asking for

these reforms so that it doesn't happen again to somebody else in the province.

I want to commend the member for bringing that to our attention. I also want to suggest to the member -- in my brief conversation with him, I made a commitment

to him and I got that commitment, and that was that the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing's staff, along with the staff of the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services, will

be reviewing and meeting to discuss your bill. I've asked them to include you in briefings to ensure that we get the best bill possible. I think that's what we should be working for in this House.

That's what we're looking for: to achieve the best we can for the people of Ontario. I commend him.

This is private members' time. That's when we get the best legislation: when we get all parties talking in the same voice at the same time about the same

issue. The people of Ontario need to see more of this than the little raucous stuff that goes on back and forth in question period, although that has a role; it's important.

I want to commend the member for bringing this very important bill forward that speaks to the people of Ontario, that says to the people of Ontario, "Not only

will we be reviewing what's already presently done in the building code, the fire protection act and all of those things that are there for our public safety, but we will be wise enough to

recognize there are flaws." We would do that, and we should be doing that, on a regular basis.

I have one more quick comment, and I know my time is very limited. Another example: my colleague from Brampton Centre, Linda Jeffrey, has offered us Bill 141,

the very companion to the member's bill about sprinkler systems. What we should be doing is making sure that we do a full analysis of these wonderful private members' bills, particularly -- I want

to stay focused -- the member's bill. He has pointed out some flaws in the building code. He has asked us to consider those things. I've got assurances from both ministries that they will be

participating in this, and I support the other members' comments about making sure that we get this to committee, so that we can analyze and improve the bill -- not bury the bill; improve the bill

-- and come out with legislation that protects the citizens of Ontario. I commend the member highly for bringing this forward, for taking a tragedy and turning it into something that I know the

families want to do, and that is to make sure that it doesn't happen again in the province of Ontario, to the best of our abilities.

I want to make one last comment about this slum landlord activity. It is about their ability to take money out of people's pockets as cheaply as they can. I

say, "Shame on you. Shame on those people out there who put people at risk, just so you can make a few bucks and live somewhere else, high on the hog." Let's get this thing done so that we can

force the people to take care of those buildings once and for all.

Mr. Tim Hudak (Erie-Lincoln): I'm pleased to rise and contribute to the debate on Bill 184,

An Act to require the Building Code and the Fire

Code to provide for fire detectors, interconnected fire alarms and non-combustible fire escapes, standing in the name of the member for Beaches-East York.

I want to commend the member from Beaches-East York, who has brought this important and weighty matter for debate as part of private members'. I know in his

career as a municipal leader as a former mayor, and here in the Legislature, it has been an issue very close to his heart, and it's very fitting that this is the topic that he's chosen for his

private member's bill today. Like my colleagues, I will be supporting the member's bill and hope that we will see action on it.

I was pleased to hear the comments from the member from Brantford in his passionate speech from just a few moments ago, and to hear those commitments that the

Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing will be following up on this legislation. I see that the hard-working Chair for the general government committee is standing there. She runs a strict and

on-time committee. Maybe they'll send it to the general government committee, and we'll look forward to participating in that.

A few of the observations I would have in my time today -- and hopefully, from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs' commitment we heard about a few moments ago,

the processes will mesh together. I understand that, typically, fire code and building code amendments are looked at by a multi-stakeholder committee. These seats would usually be designated to

various experts in the various administrative groups, or code enforcement officials. For example, building inspectors would be part of that committee; architects, engineers, and industry

representatives. That way you would have a comprehensive look at improvements to the fire code and to the building code. You want to be sure that any changes are written in a logical and sensible

manner, and fulfill the objective of protecting the safety of building occupants. You want to take a holistic approach to make sure the parts all work together to protect the safety of the

residents of these buildings.

I know that the bill as written would directly amend the Ontario building and fire codes with specific prescriptive requirements. I don't know if that is the

usual course, if that's one the government is contemplating adopting. I'm seeing some positive signs from across the floor, so congratulations to the member from Beaches-East York in moving this to

this level of interest on the government side, and certainly the official opposition is supportive of that progress.

I would add a few other comments as well. We need to ensure that the costs of implementation are done in such a way that any investments in fire code

improvements or building code improvements maximize the benefits to residents and minimize the impact on property or damage -- hopefully not any damage to individuals -- that whenever you make an

investment in improving public safety, you do it to maximize the benefits among the series of options. That's why, if the ministry is looking at this and uses a multi-stakeholder approach from

those who have a great deal of expertise in the field, that's probably the best way of doing so, to make sure that the cost of implementation is done to maximize the benefits to individuals and

their property.

I think there's no doubt, if we have what sounds like all-party support and potentially all-member support for this bill, what a strong signal of encouragement

to the ministry and to the committee this would send. It sounds very encouraging that that may be the case as we move to our vote in a few short minutes.

Whenever I look at you, Mr. Speaker, I can't help but think of Bill 52, on the topic of fire safety. I do want to compliment the Speaker on that initiative. I

was just at the Lincoln firefighters' awards ceremony two weekends ago, where Chief Ken McMullen was awarding firefighters for their years of service: the volunteers who do an outstanding job

protecting the people of Beamsville, Vineland, Jordan and Camden throughout the Lincoln area. In my thanks to those firefighters -- and my congratulations to them and their families for their

efforts to protect the community -- I also thank them for their support of a petition calling for protection of double-hatter firefighters, and resounding applause, because of very strong support

in the community of Lincoln for double-hatter firefighters. We're now getting applause from across the way, which is very encouraging.

Next weekend there will be a volunteer firefighters' award at the beautiful Leisureplex in Fort Erie, Ontario, the town in which I was born and raised.

Similarly, Chief Douglas and his firefighters deserve provincial recognition for the outstanding work they have done under some very difficult circumstances in tragedies in Niagara recently. We're

blessed to have our firefighters there to try to mend these difficult circumstances to the best of their ability to protect the citizens. I look forward to bringing greetings from the province to

the Fort Erie firefighters.

A short while ago, Port Colborne had their awards banquet.

Mr. Jeff Leal (Peterborough): Everyday heroes.

Mr. Hudak: Everyday heroes, the member from Peterborough said quite accurately. I had the opportunity to be at Port Colborne to deliver that

message to Chief Cartwright and his team. Incidentally, Chief Cartwright is also the chief for the Wainfleet firefighters, who stumbled upon the massive grow operation in Wainfleet that I've

addressed in speaking to the bill to curtail grow-op operations. The firefighters, there to put out a fire, were the ones who stumbled upon a massive marijuana grow operation.

In conclusion, I appreciate the opportunity to commend the firefighters I recently visited in Niagara. I look forward also, hopefully, to attending the

Dunnville and West Lincoln ceremonies in the near future.

To the issue at hand, I do commend the member from Beaches-East York for bringing this bill forward. He has made a very convincing case, obviously, by the tone

of debate today, and I'm very encouraged to hear that the Minister of Municipal Affairs seems to be very interested in moving this bill forward to the next stage.

Mr. Khalil Ramal (London-Fanshawe): I have the pleasure today to stand up and speak about Bill 184, which has been proposed by the member from

Beaches-East York, whom I always listen to when he stands up and speaks, and most of the time he makes sense.

Today, when I heard about this bill, I went to the legislative library and started gathering some information about the two acts the member from Beaches-East

York is recommending to be amended: the Building Code Act, 1992, and the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997.

I went to Hansard and gathered some information. I was astonished when I read some kind of speaking notes being said on December 9, 1996, by the member Gilles

Morin. He said: "During a speech he was delivering to an audience in British Columbia recently, Ralph Nader said it was puzzling how often Canadians try to fix things that aren't broken, how many

things we do well and then we want to change for the sake of changing. Firefighters have been able to provide exemplary service to the people of Ontario under the existing act."

Having said that, I also went to the two bills from 1992 and 1997, from which I got the sections mentioned by the member of Beaches-East York:

section 34 and

section 12. In reading, I discovered that both the building code and fire code which protect the people of this province have some kind of flawed issue or provision that has to be adjusted, which

means I applaud the member from Beaches-East York for bringing it to this House to be looked at. I'm looking forward to seeing this bill go to committee in order to study it more. We'll see what we

can fix and what we can strengthen in both bills.

As I said, I went to the building code and found that smoke alarms have to be installed in all residential area buildings, even in single-family homes. Also,

the smoke alarms must be interconnected where more than one is installed in the dwelling. It generally requires fire escapes to be constructed of metal or concrete, and it contains requirements to

protect fire escapes from fire. I know that the member from Beaches-East York requires the bill to be amended to include that the fire escape has to be constructed from non-combustible

materials.

I also went to the 1997 bill, and I read about this very important provision in

part VI, which says that the fire marshal and the chief are inspectors: "An

inspector may, without warrant, enter lands and premises for the purpose of assessing fire safety. An inspector may order the owner or occupant to repair the premises and, with the approval of the

fire marshal, close the premises until the repairs are made."

All these provisions in both acts have been imposed and established in 1992 and 1997. But as many people in this House have said, most of that stuff is not

being enforced. I'm looking forward to seeing this bill go to committee, and hopefully we can strengthen whatever provisions are not being enforced.

I want to commend, before I finish, the member from Beaches-East York for bringing this before this House to be addressed. It's a very important issue, not

just concerning one area but all parts of the province.

The Acting Speaker: The member for Beaches-East York has two minutes to respond.

Mr. Prue: I would like to thank everyone today who has spoken to this issue: the members from London-Fanshawe, Erie-Lincoln, Brant, Hamilton

East, Brampton Centre and Haliburton-Victoria-Brock.

But I would also like to thank the people who did not speak today. I'd like to again thank Mr. Tom Steers, who is with us to witness what goes on in the

Legislature and hopefully to see his hard work come to fruition. I'd like to thank Mr. Ben Rossiter, a legislative intern who has done most of the work around this bill. He's a tremendous asset to

our office. I would like to thank Laurie Orrett, my executive assistant, who has worked hard on this bill as well. Her husband is a captain with the Toronto fire department, and she understands it

very well.

The members have spoken to a great many issues, and I thank them for their many good thoughts. Yes, it is our intention that this go to committee. We know that

this is going to require work, and we know that it's going to require a great many people coming together to talk about this. It's going to require landlords and bureaucrats, it's going to require

lawyers, but the reality is that we think the bill is absolutely necessary.

The question was asked, "Is it going to be retroactive?" Yes, it would involve literally every rental unit in the province at some point. The bill itself makes

provision for six months -- it comes into force six months after it being proclaimed, should it be proclaimed -- but we anticipate that it will take some time to remove combustible staircases. I

leave that to the committee to decide the appropriate time.

There were some questions about fire detectors. We used those words, quite frankly -- fire detectors are under the Ontario fire code as being both heat and

smoke detectors. We used the recommendations from the committee, in line with the Ontario fire code and in line with the building code. So this is not a mistake; this is purposely how it is worded

in the legislation.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

The Acting Speaker: The time provided for private members' public business has expired.

KHALSA DAY ACT, 2005 /

LOI DE 2005

SUR LE JOUR DU KHALSA

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ted Arnott): We will first deal with ballot item number 61, standing in the name of Mr. Dhillon.

Mr. Dhillon has moved second reading of Bill 189,

An Act to proclaim Khalsa Day.

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

Pursuant to standing order 96, the bill is referred to the committee of the whole House.

Mr. Vic Dhillon (Brampton West-Mississauga): On a point of order, Mr. Speaker: I would ask that the bill be referred to the social policy

committee.

The Acting Speaker: Shall this bill be referred to the standing committee on social policy? Agreed.

FIRE PROTECTION STATUTE LAW

AMENDMENT ACT, 2005 /

LOI DE 2005 MODIFIANT DES LOIS

EN CE QUI A TRAIT À LA PROTECTION

CONTRE L'INCENDIE

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ted Arnott): Now we'll deal with the second item, ballot item number 62.

Mr. Prue has moved second reading of Bill 184,

An Act to require the Building Code and the Fire Code to provide for fire detectors, interconnected fire alarms

and non-combustible fire escapes.

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

Pursuant to standing order 96 --

Mr. Michael Prue (Beaches-East York): On a point of order, Mr. Speaker: I would like to move that Bill 184 be referred to the Legislative

Assembly committee.

The Acting Speaker: Shall this bill be referred to the standing committee on the Legislative Assembly? Agreed.

All matters relating to private members' public business now having been completed, I do now leave the chair. The House will resume at 1:30 p.m.

The House recessed from 1156 to 1330.

MEMBERS' STATEMENTS

LABOUR DISPUTE

Ms. Laurie Scott (Haliburton-Victoria-Brock): I rise today to bring the attention of this House to an issue that may have a profound effect on

the people of my riding who live in the city of Kawartha Lakes. Right now, the city is hours away from a possible municipal strike that could affect the local water supply. We all hope that

everything will be resolved before it gets to the stage of a strike, but the city needs to prepare for the possibility that an agreement will not be reached.

A strike would affect about 7,300 customers and the 12 water systems the city operates. It would affect local residents, businesses and the Ross Memorial

Hospital, as well as our jail and our schools. Can you imagine running a hospital without clean water?

This is not a labour relations issue; this is a health and safety issue.

A strike would affect the water systems of Birch Point, Highview, Kinmount, Norland, Sonya, Southview Estates, Sturgeon Point, Oakwood, Springdale Gardens,

Western Trent and Palmina.

Today, I'm alerting the government and the minister to the possible crisis that is developing, and I call upon the government and the Minister of the

Environment to put an emergency action plan into place to make sure that the people of the city of Kawartha Lakes will not see their water quality compromised.

The current rules allow you to mandate the Ontario Clean Water Agency to operate the water systems. I call upon the minister to make preparations to put this

solution into effect in the event of a strike. This solution would allow local residents the peace of mind that comes from knowing they will have access to clean and safe water.

Hopefully, there will not be a strike, but if there is, the people of the city of Kawartha Lakes are depending on your government to make sure they can rely on

a clean water supply.

PASSOVER

Mr. Mike Colle (Eglinton-Lawrence): At sundown this Saturday evening, Jewish families in my riding of Eglinton-Lawrence and across Ontario

will share together in a special dinner, known as a Seder, to celebrate the tradition of Passover.

Passover is the celebration of the Jewish people's freedom from Egyptian bondage 3,500 years ago, as recounted biblically in the book of Exodus. It takes place

on many levels, first as a historical and religious festival, but also as an agricultural festival to celebrate the season of spring and new growth.

In homes and communities the world over, Passover ceremonies will reflect local customs and culinary traditions. Prayers will be recited, blessings will be

given, and those of the Jewish faith will sing songs as they relive the ancient traditions of their forefathers.

I, along with members of my own family, will be joining the Waxberg family at their Passover Seder, where we will break matzo bread together and enjoy other

traditional and specially prepared foods to celebrate this special time of year.

I also would take this opportunity to send special greetings to my many good friends and seniors celebrating and observing Passover at the Baycrest Centre for

Geriatric Care, one of the most wonderful hospitals in the whole world.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for making people think of this important time of Passover.

BLOOD DONATION

Ms. Andrea Horwath (Hamilton East): On April 5, Hamilton held its first workers' memorial blood donor clinic. I was proud to work on

establishing the clinic, together with author and CUPE activist Ed Thomas. Our goal was to stage a tribute leading up to the National Day of Mourning, April 28, that would be meaningful and befit

the importance of this day.

Our friends in the labour movement and the great citizens of Hamilton came to give blood in honour of workers who have been killed or injured on the job.

Canadian Blood Services of Hamilton offered us tremendous support. I want to thank all the people there who helped us launch this important life-saving

mission. I want to thank Ed Thomas for his inspirational idea. And thank you, Hamilton, OSSTF District 21, Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario, United Steelworkers of America Local 1005,

COPE Local 343 and CUPE Local 5167 for leading the way. Organized labour is the bedrock of Hamilton.

I urge citizens to give blood generously throughout the month of April in support of the working people who confronted danger every day on the job and

ultimately paid with their lives. I challenge all MPPs to hold their own worker memorial clinics every April as an annual province-wide expression of public gratitude for the men and women who

build our communities. An Ontario-wide MPP blood donor challenge would do good work, make an important statement and collect vitally needed supplies of blood all at once. With the gift of life, we

show respect to the workers who lost their lives and ensure their memory lives on.

To commemorate the National Day of Mourning on April 28, there are copies of a book in the lobby for every MPP, with my compliments, written by Ed Thomas. The

book Dead, But Not Forgotten shows monuments to workers that exist around the world.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING

Mr. Peter Fonseca (Mississauga East): I'm thrilled to stand in the House today to speak about an important event that took place in

Mississauga East, my riding.

Last Friday, I had the opportunity to attend the opening of the Summerville Pines, an important affordable housing initiative. Located at 1749 Dundas Street

East, this development provides 136 units of affordable housing to seniors in Mississauga and the region of Peel. This $14-million project was made possible in part through the Canada-Ontario

affordable housing program, a partnership between the federal and provincial governments committed to creating affordable housing here in the province of Ontario.

The opening was attended by myself; the MP for the area, Albina Guarnieri; Councillor Prentice; Keith Ward, commissioner of housing; the region of Peel; local

trades; others; and the residents of Summerville Pines.

I want to acknowledge the contribution and hard work and dedication of all of those individuals without whom this project would not be possible. I also want to

thank David Caplan, the Minister of Public Infrastructure Renewal, for his efforts and his work to make this vision of Summerville Pines a reality in Mississauga East.

Summerville Pines is a perfect example of what can be accomplished through partnership and community involvement. Summerville Pines demonstrates this

government's commitment to addressing the shortage of affordable housing for Ontarians and looking after vulnerable and low-income seniors. This project will help those seniors to continue to lead

active and independent lives in our community.

NORTHERN ONTARIO

Mr. Norm Miller (Parry Sound-Muskoka): This government is helping to create the perfect storm in northern Ontario with large increases in

energy prices for industrial users and reductions in the wood supply for the forestry industry, and the recent announcement of new municipal funding, the Ontario municipal partnership fund, will

only make matters worse.

The Minister of Finance, in his answers to opposition questions, talks about the funding formula and special considerations for northern Ontario. Well, I'd

like to go through the numbers and show what it means for northwestern Ontario. Let's look at individual municipalities.

Atikokan received $1.653 million in 2004; they will receive $1.393 million in 2008, a 28% reduction. Fort Frances goes from $3.1 million in 2004 to $2.6

million in 2008, a 26% reduction. Rainy River, which can't even afford to upgrade its sewage treatment system to attract new business, is facing an 11% reduction under this government. The remote

northwestern community of Pickle Lake is facing a 29.5% reduction in funding. Greenstone, which faces many challenges, including attracting doctors and upgrading municipal water systems, will see a

38.8% reduction in funding with the McGuinty government's raw deal. Red Lake will see a 15% reduction; Sioux Lookout, a 30% reduction; Kenora, a whopping $2-million cut or 42% reduction in

provincial funding. Thunder Bay will have to deal with a $3.4-million cut.

I ask the minister, why is your government picking on northwestern Ontario? These funding cuts will mean an increase in taxes, a cut in services, or both for

northwestern communities and will reinforce the perfect economic storm that is forming in the north.

MUNICIPAL FINANCES

Mr. Jeff Leal (Peterborough): I'm happy to announce and to especially clarify that Peterborough and surrounding communities are to receive

greater provincial assistance under the new, fairer municipal spending model. The Ontario municipal partnership fund is a much fairer, simpler, clearer and more transparent program that provides

similar municipalities with similar funding.

Under the new Ontario municipal partnership fund, Peterborough will be receiving $8.7 million for 2005, an increase of $2.6 million from what it received under

the old community reinvestment fund. Peterborough municipalities will receive, at a minimum, as much funding in 2005 as they received through the old CRF in 2004. Especially in the Peterborough

area, the township of Smith-Ennismore-Lakefield will receive $729,000, an increase of $683,000; the township of Asphodel-Norwood will receive $755,000, an increase of $100,000; the township of

Havelock-Belmont-Methuen will receive $352,000, an increase of $352,000; the township of Douro-Dummer will receive $495,000, an increase of $280,000.

To help certain municipalities such as Otonabee-South Monaghan and Cavan-Millbrook-North Monaghan, they will receive the same under the new program as they

received in 2004.

The funding is part of the McGuinty government's announcement that it is replacing the old community reinvestment fund with a more fair, equitable and

transparent Ontario municipal partnership fund. The new program targets funding to social programs and policing costs for small, northern and rural municipalities.

Peterborough is better off today than it was a year and a half ago.

Mr. Ernie Hardeman (Oxford): In this House yesterday, Perth-Middlesex MPP John Wilkinson proved that he is much more interested in getting the

keys to a cabinet limo than in defending his constituents. He went so far as to say that Perth county is receiving an overall increase of 16% in funding.

Let's look at the numbers. Southgate is going from $1.8 million under the CRF to $1.2 million under the new partnership program. That's a $600,000 cut.

Stratford is going from $2.8 million under the CRF to zero, a whopping $2.8-million cut. Perth county, which the member says received a 16% increase in funding, is going from $2.7 million in 2004

under the CRF to zero under the new program.

The way this member says that a cut of $6.1 million to Perth municipalities somehow equals a record increase suggests that the young Mr. Wilkinson is a

graduate of Dalton McGuinty's new math program, which has managed to turn a $2.2-billion deficit into a $6-billion deficit. He must also be a graduate of the McGuinty government training school of

saying one thing and doing another.

For the record, I've also done the math in my riding of Oxford county, and their situation is just as bleak. Obviously, McGuinty can't break all these promises

himself. He needs help, and Mr. Wilkinson seems all too ready to rise to the occasion and break his promise to fight for Perth-Middlesex families. A word of advice to the member from the official

opposition: You don't get the keys to a cabinet limo if your constituents don't re-elect you.

HEALTH CARE

Mr. Ernie Parsons (Prince Edward-Hastings): When I spoke to the people of Prince Edward-Hastings during my first election, they made it clear

that they believe any government should have a high priority in health care. I understand that. If you don't have your health, you have nothing.

I watched and listened with sadness as the previous government closed hospitals, described nurses as Hula Hoop workers and failed to utilize such skilled

people as nurse practitioners.

I'm proud of the improvements our government has made in my riding: nearly $16 million in additional funding for day-to-day operations, more full-time nurses,

establishment of a stroke centre, approval of a family health team in Prince Edward county, preservation of services at the Picton hospital and a new CAT scan machine at Belleville General.

There's more to be done, and I'm confident that it will happen. The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care is working with Belleville to get a family health

team. I'm working with the Minister of Health, and despite the unexpected deficit, we'll fund a new addition to Belleville.

I'm distressed at statements made by John Tory. Mr. Tory says that if he forms the government, he'll eliminate the health care levy, thus taking $2.4 billion

out of the health care system. Let's put that in perspective: Quinte Health Care's budget is approximately $125 million. Mr. Tory would have to close the equivalent of nearly 20 hospitals to find

these savings, or is Mr. Tory planning on eliminating the seniors drug plan? What else?

I care about the health of my constituents. I'm saddened that John Tory would sacrifice the health care of Ontarians just to get elected. The people of Ontario

deserve better.

FEDERAL-PROVINCIAL

FISCAL POLICIES

Mr. Kim Craitor (Niagara Falls): I rise today to speak about the $23-billion gap. That amount is the difference between what Ontario puts in

the federal coffers and what we get back. Our government has been trying to get the federal government to acknowledge and address the $23-billion gap so that Ontario can continue to be the engine

that drives this country's economy.

Last Friday, CIBC World Markets released a report that asked whether Ottawa is killing the golden goose, Ontario. The report concluded that the $23-billion gap

"weighs on an already burdened economy, taxing the Ontario government's ability to invest in a strong, vibrant provincial (and hence national) economy." Warren Lovely, the senior economist who

wrote the report, calls the $23 billion "a tidal wave of money" heading toward Ottawa.

The CIBC report comes on top of support we have from other banks, the Toronto Board of Trade and the Association of Municipalities of Ontario. In light of the

support we are getting from all sides on this issue, we hope the federal government will finally agree to sit down and discuss this issue and move toward a resolution. Only then can Ontario make

the necessary investments in health care and education that will ensure Ontario can continue to power the economy. As the Premier of Ontario often says, a strong Ontario will ensure a strong

Canada.

STATEMENTS BY THE MINISTRY AND RESPONSES

EARTH DAY

Hon. Leona Dombrowsky (Minister of the Environment): Tomorrow is the 35th anniversary of Earth Day. This week thousands of people across

Ontario -- children at school, volunteers with community groups, councillors, MPPs, mothers and fathers -- will join together in hundreds of Earth Day events.

While Earth Day began with 20 million Americans taking to the streets to voice their concerns about the environment, it is now a truly global event, marked by

hundreds of millions of people around the world. Earth Day shows that all people want clean air to breathe and clean water to drink. They want well-protected lands for their families, friends and

neighbours.

For the province of Ontario, Earth Day is an important opportunity to review our successes and take stock of the many challenges we face. My colleagues and I

have been celebrating Earth Day and Earth Week across the province. Earlier this week, I met with students from Brown Public School in Toronto to speak with them about environmental issues. I was

extremely impressed by their knowledge and their commitment to protecting the environment. I am so optimistic that they will continue to be a force for change as they mature.

My colleague John Gerretsen, as well, was at Hillside Outdoor Education School with students from Chief Dan George Public School earlier this week. They did a

variety of outdoor activities and learned about the environment. The minister presented the students with the map of our province's greenbelt.

Thanks in large part to the environmental awareness prompted through Earth Day, we have seen tremendous progress in many areas. The Great Lakes are generally

cleaner than they have been in decades. There have been dramatic reductions in levels of toxic pollutants like PCBs, mirex, dioxins and furans. Some wildlife species have returned to habitats in

the Great Lakes basin. There are fewer consumption restrictions on sport fish caught in Ontario's lakes, rivers and streams. Our air quality has benefited from reductions of key pollutants like

carbon monoxide, total reduced sulphur compounds, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide.

I am especially proud of the steps we've taken in the past few months to improve our air for future generations. We have tightened up our emission testing

program for large diesel trucks and buses. We have proposed to cap smog-causing emissions from 30 of our largest industrial polluters. Our plan will cut industrial emissions of smog-causing nitrous

oxide emissions by 21% in the year 2010, and acid-rain-causing sulphur dioxide by 75% by the year 2015. Our made-in-Ontario measures to address smog-causing pollution are comprehensive.

We have addressed urban sprawl with a greenbelt that will protect agricultural lands and important natural areas for future generations. The creation of the

greenbelt is an important contribution to Ontario's future health and prosperity. We know that in future years, when Ontarians celebrate Earth Day, they will point to the greenbelt as one of our

province's greatest treasures.

We are controlling large industrial sources with our smog caps. We are moving forward with plans to replace coal-fired generating plants with cleaner energy

sources, and we are reducing pollution from vehicles by focusing our transportation spending toward transit.

Let us quickly review our government's environmental protection accomplishments. We are moving ahead with our plan for 5% of Ontario's electricity to come from

renewables by the year 2007 and 10% by the year 2010. We have created a one-million-acre greenbelt. We have introduced new measures to encourage development of brownfields. We have hired 33 new

full-time water inspectors. We have implemented 28 additional recommendations of the Walkerton inquiry. We have tough new rules for water-taking permits. We are developing new source-water

protection rules to protect our water from source to tap. We are encouraging conservation of water and electricity. We are committed to requiring that gasoline sold in Ontario contain an average of

5% ethanol by 2007.

These improvements are real. They show how much we can accomplish when everyone works together for a common cause. We can take actions that improve the

environment and protect public health. The unparalleled quality of life we enjoy in Ontario is the result.

We must continue to improve our environmental record. Environmental protection is a process, not an end. Complacency is never an option when it comes to

protecting the basis for our way of life. Let us take stock of the challenges that remain.

Since the first Earth Day, Ontario's population has grown by about four million people. As a society, we consume more, we create more waste, we need more land

to live on and we put more stress on the sources of our drinking water. These challenges make it increasingly difficult to sustain our lifestyle. They make it more difficult to live in balance with

nature. This is why we need to take action now. The longer we wait, the more difficult it will be.

The McGuinty government will continue to move forward with plans to protect our drinking water, preserve our green spaces and clean up the air we breathe. I

call on the people of Ontario to continue to play their part at home, in the workplace and in the marketplace. Together, we have witnessed and participated in many great accomplishments on behalf

of Ontario's environment. If we continue to work together, I know the best is yet to come.

SMALL BUSINESS

Hon. Joseph Cordiano (Minister of Economic Development and Trade): Today, small and medium-sized businesses have gained a real voice at

Queen's Park. When our government took office, we recognized the tremendous contributions that small business makes to Ontario's economy. They comprise more than 99% of Ontario's businesses and

account for more than half of Ontario's jobs. Our government promised to create a small business agency, and today we are fulfilling that commitment.

It's an exciting new direction. The Small Business Agency of Ontario is specifically devoted to meeting the needs of small businesses. It will give our small

and medium-sized business owners a real connection to government so we can listen, understand and help. Our government wants to make it easier for small business to innovate, to grow, to

succeed.

The agency will do many things. It will work with ministries to undertake and achieve regulatory reform. This agency will review key existing regulations,

examine proposed new regulations, make sure government is aware of how each new regulation could affect small business costs and competitiveness, and make sure small business interests are part of

our decision-making process. It will develop and promote regulatory best practices. It will help bring government ministries together and develop a better way for small business to get information

and provide input on proposed government regulations that may affect them, so small business is always in the loop.

It will make the relationship between government and small and medium-sized enterprises simpler, less time-consuming and, yes, less frustrating. By

streamlining and cutting down on excessive paperwork and administration, this agency will save small businesses time and money. It will make dealing with government a whole lot easier and encourage

open lines of communication.

I am pleased to announce as well today that my parliamentary assistant, Mr. Tony Wong, who has consulted widely on developing the best, most effective agency,

has agreed to chair Ontario's new Small Business Agency. Mr. Wong will be joined by six other parliamentary assistants whose ministries are closely tied to small business. Business representatives

will be added to