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May 15, 2019

42nd Parliament, 1st Session

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Hansard Transcripts

Votes and Proceedings

Orders and Notices

Hansard Transcript 2019-May-15 (PDF)

L107 - Wed 15 May 2019 / Mer 15 mai 2019

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO

ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DE L’ONTARIO

Wednesday 15 May 2019 Mercredi 15 mai 2019

Orders of the Day

Time allocation

Introduction of Visitors

Oral Questions

Public health

Municipal finances

Education funding

Government’s record

Government advertising

Missing children

Child care

Northern Ontario

Ontario budget

Education funding

Ontario Provincial Police

Government fiscal policies

Energy policies

Public health

Visitors

Adjournment debate

Deferred Votes

Time allocation

Introduction of Visitors

Members’ Statements

Gasoline prices

Jason Helmond

Research and innovation

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Association of Ontario

Public health

Hike for Hospice

Ontario budget

York Memorial Collegiate Institute

Cambridge Rivers’ Edge Gardeners

Child care

Reports by Committees

Standing Committee on Estimates

Introduction of Bills

Nancy Rose Act (Paediatric Hospice Palliative Care Strategy), 2019 / Loi Nancy Rose de 2019 (stratégie des soins palliatifs pédiatriques)

Visitors

Petitions

Library services

Fish and wildlife management

Education funding

Municipal government

Library services

Services d’urgence

Library services

Library services

Land use planning

Autism treatment

Library services

Injured workers

Autism treatment

Orders of the Day

Protecting What Matters Most Act (Budget Measures), 2019 / Loi de 2019 pour protéger l’essentiel (mesures budgétaires)

Adjournment Debate

Member’s conduct

The House met at 0900.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): We’ll begin this morning with a moment of silence for inner thought and personal reflection.

Let us pray.

Prayers.

Orders of the Day

Time allocation

Resuming the debate adjourned on May 14, 2019, on the amendment to the motion for time allocation of the following bill:

Bill 107,

An Act to amend the Highway Traffic Act and various other statutes in respect of transportation-related matters / Projet de loi 107, Loi modifiant le Code de la route et diverses autres lois à l’égard de questions relatives au transport.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Further debate? Further debate? I recognize the member for London–Fanshawe.

Ms. Teresa J. Armstrong: Thank you, Speaker. That was very kind of you, to spend some time and ask for further debate, and allow for us to wake up a little bit this morning, to stand up and debate. Obviously, I’m standing here today, and we’re going to talk about time allocation.

We started our day this morning by listening to you about having our personal reflections, taking some time for thoughts and personal reflections. I took that opportunity to stand in my place and take some time to have some personal thoughts and reflections about what the day is going to look like today. I see the Speaker’s eyes widening a little bit. I’m sure he’s wondering, on a personal reflection level, what question period is going to look like today. I think we all think about that.

I hope when we come here at the beginning of the day and we start our day off with some thoughts from the Speaker and a prayer, that we sometimes translate those things into our day and how we run this Legislature and how we treat each other.

Now, we are talking about time allocation today. It’s been a pattern of behaviour of this government to time-allocate every bill to process through this Legislature. I think if we reflect on those kinds of things and we look at what’s happening in this Legislature, we’re not really considering outside of these walls what people are saying, what their feedback is. Because this government isn’t about consulting on a broader level beyond the bubble that they work in, and that’s the bubble of the Premier’s office.

Time allocation of Bill 107, like all the bills before it, really causes us to pause for concern. What is this government so opposed to hearing—to travelling a bill to certain parts of the province, like in the north? With transit and highways and transportation, I’m sure the people in the north have something to say about this bill and why they were left out of the bill. But this government doesn’t want to hear it, and they limit the time for presentations.

They ask people to submit their intent to speak on this bill and present during committee up until Thursday. It’s always a rapid kind of reaction to legislation. And, really, you’re going to get better results if you actually take the time to plan out legislation and hear from the people you represent. You’re going to get a better product. This government is in such a hurry to fast-track their agenda that they’re missing real voices of the people they represent. I’m sure that they have had correspondence and emails, and even silent sit-in protests when it comes to library cuts, but they don’t want to hear it.

They don’t want to hear any other voices besides the ones that speak to what they agree to.

When you time-allocate these bills, you limit debate, and then you’re also limiting public participation during consultation because, if you’re not travelling it, you’re not allowing enough time—days, perhaps—for presentations in the committee. Not everybody can just uproot their lives if they have jobs, if they have children, if they have—people living with distance challenges: It might take hours to get here for someone from Thunder Bay who may want to contribute to a bill.

It’s not every bill that you have to travel and it’s not every bill that you may need more days of consultation or committee work on. We understand that. But this government just takes a one-size-fits-all approach, and it’s not going to work, just like in health care, when you talk about public health. It’s not going to work for everybody, just like when you talk about ambulance stations—cutting that back. It’s not going to work for everybody. You’re going to make things worse. You’re going to cause a trickle effect of problems in your own communities.

We see that in Toronto when a mayor sends out letters to MPPs’ ridings of this government telling them that it’s the wrong way to go. They’re doing the consultation for you, and that’s sad, because we really want a government to involve public input. That’s what democracy looks like. It’s actually hearing differences of opinion and then formulating your legislation around those differences. You may not agree with it, but, believe it or not, great ideas come from listening to people with different perspectives when it comes to legislation.

With that, my time is up, and I’d like to wrap up.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): Further debate?

Mrs. Nina Tangri: I’m pleased to rise today in support of the time allocation of Bill 107. This bill is just one of the many ways our government is taking swift action to deliver on our promises to the people of Ontario and this province: a better place to live, work and grow.

Some 342 days ago, the people of Ontario voted for change, and our government has been at lightning pace to deliver the change the province so desperately needed after 15 years under a reckless previous administration. We reformed OHIP+ to support those in greatest need. We ended the 143-day strike and got students at York University back to class. We took swift action to fix the hydro mess. We invested tens of millions of dollars into community safety and correctional services and took action to support our police officers, who keep our communities safe. We took action to end hallway health care.

We cut red tape to make it easier to do business in Ontario, while protecting Ontarians’ safety. We made it more affordable for students to attend university and college. We launched a $30-billion infrastructure program. We introduced the LIFT and CARE credits to make life more affordable for families. We are fighting the regressive, job-killing federal carbon tax.

I could continue with all the great things we’re doing, but let me get back to the proposals to get Ontario moving. We’ve already made substantial announcements in transportation, which my constituents in Mississauga–Streetsville are excited about. For example, by making GO Transit free—yes, free—for children 12 and under to use, we’ve allowed more families to travel into Toronto and beyond and helped get cars off our highways. We introduced two-way, weekday service from Niagara Falls to Union Station four years ahead of when the service was previously expected to be introduced.

We unveiled our vision for transit development in the city of Toronto. We committed to building the Ottawa, Hamilton and, in Mississauga, the Hurontario LRT projects.

This bill has so much more, but with less than 10 days before we return to our constituencies, we need to take action to ensure this bill passes and we can get to work. This is why we are time-allocating this bill. The time allocation will ensure that the bill still goes through the proper committee processes of public hearings and clause-by-clause considerations, while also ensuring that we can move as swiftly as possible to implement the measures if the bill is passed.

The bill has six schedules or parts, which contain provisions to keep our roads safe and protect front-line workers, school children and motorcyclists. The bill also has measures to enhance the province’s ability to improve public transportation.

Our government has taken action to ensure that transit projects across Ontario can go ahead and get Ontarians moving, but the city of Toronto has been stuck in a holding pattern for many, many years. I came to Ontario from England over 34 years ago, where there was an extensive subway system in London—the tube, or the underground, as we call it. When I got on the subway here in Toronto, I saw a few lines across a map and was a little confused before I realized that was it.

And now, many years later, when Toronto is a world-class city with over three million people in the city and six million people in the GTA, the map looks largely the same. We need to immediately get shovels in the ground and make up for the time lost over the years when study after study and vote after vote would happen at Toronto city council, and still nothing has happened.

The proposed legislation would amend the Metrolinx Act to give the province increased authority over new subway projects, either through taking on sole responsibility for the planning, design and delivery of the specified project, or decision-making authority for projects that the province would not fully control. It would also include the ability to scope the city and TTC’s role with respect to these projects and ensure that work already under way, along with these key assets, will be transferred to the province.

Speaker, my constituents complain that they spend too much time and money interacting with government agencies, especially when it comes to their vehicles and licensing. As a driver myself, I agree. Complementing the initiatives proposed and under way by our dedicated and hard-working Minister of Government and Consumer Services, we are making further proposals to offer online services to the people of Ontario. For example, the digital dealer registration project will allow dealerships to apply for needed permits, plates and stickers online without having to attend ServiceOntario, allowing customers to drive away with their vehicles sooner.

Last month ended the Drive Clean program, at the end of its usefulness, saving Ontarians up to $40 million a year. We’ve cancelled several driver and vehicle fee increases in the past months, allowing Ontario drivers, vehicle owners, farmers and businesses to keep more money in their pocket.

This legislation is in line with our commitments to the people of Ontario during the election. But, Speaker, more important than transit and more important than cost savings is the safety of our road users, our front-line workers and children. We are proposing several regulatory changes and amendments to the Highway Traffic Act to this effect.

Residents of my community have long been voicing their concerns about the safety of children on school buses. We’ve all seen videos or perhaps first-hand instances of drivers passing a stopped school bus with their lights and stop signs activated. This behaviour by drivers is dangerous and irresponsible, and I’m proud to be part of a government that is finally taking action to increase student safety.

We plan to introduce a new administrative monetary penalty framework for improperly passing a school bus. Municipalities will continue to collect and keep revenues from these fines, making it easier for them to implement a school bus camera framework to catch the drivers putting our children at risk. Once the framework is in place, we will move to enact regulations that establish the rules for using stop-arm-camera evidence for both provincial offences and the administrative penalties. The AMP system allows municipalities to deal with these offences outside of the court system, saving time and money and freeing up court resources to deal with other matters.

We are also proposing to mandate that driving instructors have a blood alcohol concentration of zero and have no drugs in their body while providing driver instruction. Novice drivers are far more likely to be involved in collisions than an experienced driver, and we need instructors to not only set a proper example for our new drivers, but to also be as alert and aware of their surroundings as possible to keep the occupants of the vehicle and other road users safe.

These are just a few of the actions that we are taking.

Contrary to the rhetoric coming from the other side of the House, our government is 100% committed to the safety of our road users, our road workers and our emergency personnel. Our government has made investment after investment into community safety.

Just this week, I had the privilege to join the Minister of Infrastructure, the Solicitor General and the member from Mississauga–Lakeshore to announce a $20-million investment in my riding to replace the nearly 70-year-old Port Credit OPP detachment with a facility with direct access to North America’s busiest highway and the world’s busiest truck route, Highway 401. When the Port Credit detachment located in southern Mississauga was built, the 427 wasn’t built and the 401 was a short stub of the over 800 kilometres it spans today. This is just one of the steps we are taking to modernize our province’s resources and protect community safety.

I hope that the opposition can put partisan politics behind them and recognize that getting Ontario moving and further ensuring the safety of motorists, children and road workers cannot wait. We need to take action now to protect our highways and roads, while making it easier for Ontarians to access services and for people and goods to be able to move more effectively and more efficiently. Please join me and support the time allocation of this bill.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): Further debate?

Mrs. Amy Fee: Good morning. It is my honour to stand in this House today to speak to the time allocation of Bill 107.

As the member from Mississauga–Streetsville just pointed out, it is vitally important that we do move ahead with time allocation on this bill because there are so many important safety measures in it, and we are at that time in our legislative calendar when we do need to move ahead with legislation. To me, it is also extremely important to time-allocate this bill because of one key component, and that is to make roads safer for our children on the way to and from school.

There are also a few parts of this piece of proposed legislation that I will touch on in my time this morning, including the changes that will help hold drivers who blow by school bus stop signs accountable, work towards making our highways safer and making it easier to access government services, and how this bill will help commuters from my riding of Kitchener South–Hespeler.

Again, for me, the most critical component of this bill, if passed, is that it will ensure that municipalities have the authority to make sure that people who ignore school bus stop signs and drive past them will be held accountable. Protecting our children should always be our top priority. As a school board trustee in Waterloo region, I worked towards a pilot project for these school bus stop-arm cameras after hearing from parents who were concerned—and also after witnessing it at my own children’s bus stop.

There were many times—some weeks it happened more than once—when I would see drivers on my street in Kitchener run right past a school bus with the stop sign out and the lights flashing. Sometimes those drivers would just whiz by; other times, they would slow down; and sometimes they would even be stopped and then just go through as if they didn’t have the patience to wait any longer for the children to get on the bus. To me, as a parent—and at that time, as a school board trustee—and as a community member, it was horrifying to see that this was what drivers in my own neighbourhood were doing.

When that pilot project was launched by the Waterloo Catholic and Waterloo Region District School Boards, six school buses were equipped with those stop-arm cameras. The data they collected was also horrifying. I would say it was actually unbelievable, what we learned. Over just 23 school days, 97 stop-arm violations were recorded, and keep in mind that was on just those six buses. That was nearly 100 times that a child could have been seriously hurt or worse. It also means that every day in Waterloo region at least four drivers were breaking the law and potentially putting dozens of children at risk.

What that data also shows us is that if we took that data from those six buses and put it out across all of the buses in Waterloo region, there could be up to 130 school bus stop-arm violations every day. So I’m proud of the work that Minister Yurek has put into this legislation to protect students and to ensure that drivers get a clear message that this kind of behaviour is not just against the law but is incredibly dangerous too.

That is why it is so important that we time-allocate this bill. This is also one of the main reasons why I was so disappointed and, quite frankly, baffled by the fact that the NDP voted down the first reading of Bill 107 without even looking at it. Protecting children across the province by ensuring their safety and well-being should never be a partisan issue. While I like to believe that the NDP members opposite take their roles as the official opposition seriously, it’s incomprehensible why they would have felt the need to oppose such a crucial piece of legislation.

Every day, I’m hearing from people in Kitchener South–Hespeler about commuting and transit issues. It gives me pride to stand here today and say that Minister Yurek and his parliamentary assistant, Kinga Surma, have been working extremely hard on not just improving GO Transit service to Kitchener, which is up by 25% in the last year, but also to make our highways safer.

They’re also working within Bill 107 to improve the transit system in Toronto, a transit system that many people from Kitchener and Cambridge use to get to work, events or to see family in the GTA. If passed, this bill will make sure that new subway lines are built quickly to get people to work faster, home sooner and to family and friends and events in the city faster. We all want that seamless transit experience, and that means one that goes beyond city and regional boundaries. As Minister Yurek has said, we have waited long enough for this.

Tens of thousands of people, including from Kitchener and Cambridge, transfer from GO Transit to the TTC every day. Within this legislation, the upload of the TTC is an important step in building our regional transit to get people moving. With the upload, we will be able to deliver more transit expansion options, and quicker. Not only are we seeing now the largest spend on subway expansions in our province’s history, at $28.5 billion, but we’re going to finish the Ontario Line sooner, in 2027, two years ahead of the city’s target date.

Also important to residents, especially the commuters and parents in my riding, are the changes this legislation could mean for highway safety. We want to ensure that all new drivers know that it is never safe to drive under the influence. We are introducing a new offence for any driving instructor who violates a zero blood alcohol or drug presence requirement. We think driving instructors should be leading by example in keeping our roads and young drivers safe. Certainly, as a parent of four children, I am, like most parents, not looking forward to when they learn to drive, but this proposed legislation, I think, will help with those nerves just a little bit.

Andrew Murie, the chief executive officer at MADD Canada, is happy with this proposal, saying, “In establishing and enforcing a zero blood alcohol content and zero drug presence for instructors, the Ministry of Transportation is reinforcing that responsibility and sending a strong message to both instructors and students, about the importance of always driving sober.”

One frustration that I have heard time and time again from drivers is the danger that can be created when someone is driving too slowly in the left-hand lane. It can be frustrating but also dangerous. The driver moving slowly can be rear-ended, and some drivers may let out their frustration by then passing on the right, which can be extremely dangerous and as well can lead to risky moves that are just fuelled by that frustration. That’s why we’re enhancing road safety on our highways by introducing in this legislation tougher penalties for people who drive slowly in the left lane.

We’re also putting more protections in place for front-line roadside maintenance, construction, tow truck and recovery workers from careless and dangerous drivers by strengthening those penalties. This is just another reason why it is so important that we time-allocated this bill. When people leave their loved ones to go to work, they should feel confident that they will be able to make it home safely to them.

From CAA: They are pleased to see the number of safety measures proposed in this bill, including the additional protections for tow truck operators.

As reported by 570 News in Kitchener this week, tow truck driver Andrew McDonald had a very close call on Highway 400 just over four years ago. While helping a CAA member with a flat tire, he was clipped by a mirror on a dump truck. Andrew said, “The hit knocked me over and threw me in front of the member’s van. I wasn’t badly hurt, but the experience spooked me, especially since at the time I was a single father.”

As reported in that same article, in the last five years, the OPP have laid over 9,000 charges against drivers who have failed to slow down and move over for tow trucks, police and other emergency personnel on our roads.

Acting OPP deputy commissioner of traffic safety and operational support Dave Quigley stated to 570 News that, “These people count on drivers to give them the safe space they need so that they can make it home” safe “to their families at the end of their workday.”

If passed, this bill will put more protections in place for those vulnerable roadside workers. Again, this is just another reason why it was so key that we time-allocate this bill.

Also part of these proposed changes are some changes that I’ve been asked about in my office and at different events around Waterloo region, like Ride for Dad and the newly renamed Harry Watts Memorial Ride for National Service Dogs. There are changes that would benefit motorcyclists and make highway travel safer for them. If this bill passes, single-occupant motorcyclists will be allowed to use HOV lanes on our highways, something that is common in most jurisdictions in North America. We will also provide more choice for motorcyclists by changing the handlebar height restrictions to allow for the high-styled handlebars.

Finally, I’d like to talk about changes that are included in Bill 107 that were championed by my riding neighbour Kitchener–Conestoga MPP Mike Harris. This bill takes key aspects of his private member’s bill with the launch of a new digital dealer registration pilot project. Car dealerships that are involved in the pilot will be able to perform in-house registrations for any new vehicles that are purchased at their locations. This pilot will aim to make that process of buying a new vehicle that much easier for both the customers as well as the dealers.

In the few short minutes, Mr. Speaker, I hope you have heard some of the key aspects of this legislation and what makes me proud that Minister Yurek brought this forward, and all the hard work he has put in it, and why it is so important that we time-allocate this motion.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): Further debate?

Ms. Effie J. Triantafilopoulos: I am also pleased to join the debate on time allocation for Bill 107, the Getting Ontario Moving Act. Our government’s policy on transportation and transit is clear: to keep our roads safe and protect front-line workers, schoolchildren and motorcyclists. We want to get commuters to work sooner and home faster and to families and friends quicker. This is truly about quality of life. No one wants to waste time in traffic.

With this bill, we have an additional aim: We want to get people to work or home safer. This bill puts safety first because the safety of drivers and our families is one of the things that matters most. It strengthens rules to protect motorists and to protect people working at the side of the road—another of the things that matters most. It puts greater penalties on careless and distracted drivers—drivers who cause too many accidents.

This is an important bill designed to help increase safety on the highways, cut red tape to allow businesses and citizens to use our roads better, and also upload Toronto’s subway to finally get new subway lines built.

I will be speaking today about the safety and red-tape measures which are going to make a difference for people in my community, but I know that my constituents in Oakville North–Burlington will also benefit from the subway upload. Faster transit in Toronto through new subway lines will benefit everyone in the GTA and across Ontario. It means faster times for commuters and makes our region more attractive to small and medium-sized businesses.

So do faster and safer roads. Commuters in my community have very long commute times. A 2017 report found the average daily commuting time to the Toronto downtown core from Oakville was 127.5 minutes, and from Burlington, it was 177.5 minutes. I can attest to this, as I routinely do this commute, Speaker. And 73% of Halton commuters drive alone, the highest number in the GTA.

Our government will always work to protect what matters most, and that is true when we look at transportation, whether roads or transit. We will cut red tape, but we will also put safety first, and we will keep and enhance those rules that keep people safe. In Ontario, we are truly blessed with some of the safest highways in the world. In North America, we’ve ranked the lowest or second-lowest in fatality rates among all jurisdictions for 18 consecutive years. People in Halton region share in this excellent system. but we can always make it better.

Halton region has a dedicated, well-trained police service, with over 1,000 sworn officers and civilian staff. Our government wants to make sure that Halton police, the OPP and every other police force in Ontario have the tools they need to keep our roads safe, and this bill will help. In Halton, our police issued 50,858 tickets for traffic violations in 2018. That comes out to one ticket every 10 minutes, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Almost a third of these were for speeding up to 29 kilometres per hour over the limit. More than 2,000 tickets were for distracted driving.

One person in Halton is injured in a distracted driving collision every hour, and the number of deaths in Ontario caused by distracted driving has doubled since the year 2000. The National Safety Council says that distracted driving is a factor in about 25% of all motor vehicle collisions in Canada. This is why our local police need more powers and tougher penalties so that they can work to keep us safe on the roads, and Bill 107 offers greater powers.

Driving instructors are required to have a blood alcohol concentration of zero and to have no drugs in their body while providing driving instructions. A police officer may demand that a driving instructor provide a sample of breath or oral fluid for analysis by the appropriate equipment. Driving instructors teach Ontario’s young people how to drive. They provide knowledge, but they also should be providing an example. A zero blood alcohol level is fair and should have been put in a long time ago.

Bill 107 also strengthens the protection of roadside workers such as maintenance, tow truck and recovery workers from careless drivers. Currently, the act states that when a sentence is being imposed for careless driving, the court may consider as an aggravating factor whether bodily harm was caused to a person who was vulnerable, including a pedestrian or cyclist. The act is amended to refer to persons working upon the highway, in addition to pedestrians and cyclists.

The bill provides for tougher penalties for those who drive slowly in the left-hand lane, to improve the flow of traffic and road safety. Left lanes are supposed to be for overtaking vehicles. This is one of Halton region police’s key safe driving tips, helping to ensure passing occurs only on one side in a multi-lane roadway, making traffic safer and more predictable.

I’m proud of our government’s record on school transportation and school bus safety. Our April budget announced that our government is increasing the student transportation grant by $92.2 million, giving school boards more resources for school buses and school bus safety. It’s illegal to pass a stopped school bus with its lights flashing, and yet 17,000 people a day in Ontario drive past a stopped school bus. Speaker, this puts our students at risk, so we intend to put a camera in every school bus to record the make, model and licence plate numbers of cars that pass buses, an action that I know will make a difference.

When the education minister announced funding for a new elementary school in northeast Oakville, I was reminded that a good education requires safe transportation of our students to school and back home. When the students start going to the new school next year, I want to see each of the school buses equipped with a camera to take them safely to school and home. Let’s remind drivers that they cannot pass a stopped school bus and ensure that those who do face a serious penalty.

With this bill, we put safety first, but we also make some red-tape reforms:

—making it easier for charter buses in Ontario by matching international standards. This will encourage charters to bring tourists into the province;

—improving access for smaller commercial trucks from the USA, which are currently not eligible for registration under international agreements and face fines if they enter Ontario. This will encourage our cross-border trade;

—modernizing rules for grading and construction zones; and

—allowing high-styled handlebars for motorcycles and letting them ride in the safer HOV lanes so that they do not get boxed in, if in the centre lane.

A big part of safety on the roads is the flow of traffic. This is why we are making changes when it comes to driving in left-hand lanes, but also why our government will trial speed limit increases to 110 kilometres per hour. Three 400-series highways will be trialed, including the Queen Elizabeth Way from St. Catharines to Hamilton, a highway used by thousands of my constituents every day.

The Minister of Transportation announced these trials just last week on May 10, saying that the government’s number one priority is safety and that each of the pilot locations was carefully chosen based on a number of factors, including its ability to accommodate higher speed limits. The Ontario Safety League supports our trial.

Our government is committed to rolling back the ruinous red tape and overregulation that damages business investment in Ontario and places layers of unneeded bureaucracy on residents of the province. We will get rid of rules that serve no purpose but we will never eliminate rules that protect what matters most: the health and safety of people in Ontario. This bill puts safety first. It makes the rules stronger to help protect motorists and workers at the side of the highway and puts in place greater penalties for distracted and careless drivers. We will give our police and municipalities greater powers to keep residents, especially our children, safe on our roads.

It’s a credit to our police and to our law-abiding citizens that we have some of the world’s safest roads. Let’s keep it that way and use the powers of this Legislature to help make them even safer.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): Further debate?

Mrs. Daisy Wai: I am proud to stand and support Bill 107, the Getting Ontario Moving Act. This comprehensive piece of legislation will keep our roads safe, protect front-line workers, school children and motorcyclists. Our government is proposing legislative and regulatory amendments that, if passed, would upload authority for new subway projects to the province, cut red tape for our province, create jobs and help make sure that Ontario roads remain among the safest in North America.

Depending on the time I have, I may have to just focus on how we’ll get the subway right into York region.

We are committed to building much-needed transit and getting millions of commuters moving again. The province has announced a $28.5-billion expansion to Ontario’s transit network, not just to Richmond Hill. It is the largest investment to build new subways in our history. This is the most money ever invested to get shovels in the ground and to get new subways built. Our government is investing in transportation to bring relief and new opportunities to transit users and commuters.

I have heard loud and clear from my constituents in Richmond Hill and from people across Ontario: They want transit that works, and they want it now. People are tired of sitting in their cars, stuck in traffic. They are tired of taking multiple buses just to get to the subway. This is why we need connected, effective and efficient transit. This is why we need subways. This is why we need transit that works for the people.

People have waited long enough, and we’re taking action to deliver transit faster. The province can deliver better transit faster because we can move things along more quickly. We have the resources and the decision-making abilities. We can issue zoning orders. We can compel utilities and prioritize relocation work.

Not only that, we’re also proposing legislation that would make our highways safer by targeting dangerous and careless drivers and improving vehicle safety.

Every day, construction workers and roadside maintenance crews put their lives at risk while on the job. That is why we made it a priority to protect front-line roadside maintenance, construction, tow truck and recovery workers from careless and dangerous drivers by strengthening applicable penalties.

Far too often, Ontario drivers blow by school buses, putting our kids in danger. We are continuing our efforts to keep children safe by allowing a new administrative monetary penalty framework that gives municipalities the tools they need to target drivers who blow by school buses and threaten the safety of children crossing roads to their school or home. The measure may make it less costly for municipalities to implement a school bus camera framework, saving the province and municipality time and money while increasing the safety of the over 800,000 children who travel on those buses to and from school every single day.

We are keeping our youth safe when they’re learning to drive, affirming that alcohol, drugs, and illegal substances never mix with driving, by introducing a new offence for any driving instructor who violates a zero blood alcohol or drug presence requirement.

We also understand the challenges that drivers have getting to where they need to go. We need to improve the flow of traffic and enhance the road safety on our highways by introducing tougher penalties for driving slowly in the left-hand lane. We are proposing increased fines for slow-moving drivers who travel in the left-hand lane, because when people drive dangerously slow, they are putting the safety of others at risk.

In everything we do—every program, policy or service change—we put the experience of real people at the centre of our decision-making. I would like to reiterate how important it is for us to support this act so that we can have our traffic flowing properly. Thank you very much to all the other speakers who are speaking on this same motion.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): Further debate? Further debate?

Pursuant to standing order 47(b), I’m now required to put the question. Mr. Harris has moved an amendment to government notice of motion number 61 relating to allocation of time on Bill 107,

An Act to amend the Highway Traffic Act and various other statutes in respect of transportation-related matters. Is it the pleasure of the House that Mr. Harris’s motion carry? I heard a no.

All those in favour of the motion will please say “aye.”

All those opposed to the motion will please say “nay.”

In my opinion, the ayes have it.

A recorded vote being required, it will be deferred until after question period today.

Vote deferred.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): Orders of the day. I recognize the government House leader.

Hon. Todd Smith: No further business, Mr. Speaker.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Rick Nicholls): This House will now stand recessed until 10:30 this morning.

The House recessed from 0946 to 1030.

Introduction of Visitors

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I’ll just begin by reminding the members that the standing orders provide for five minutes of introduction of guests. I would ask the members, as they’re introducing their guests, to keep their comments brief and to ensure that there are no political statements in the introductions.

M me France Gélinas: It gives me great pleasure to introduce nursing division president Jackie Walker. She is with 35 front-line nurses from hospitals, long-term care and home care, all members of SEIU Healthcare Canada. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Ms. Jill Dunlop: Good morning, Mr. Speaker. I would like to welcome the best campaign sign crew from my riding of Simcoe North, Frank Takacs and Bob VanVliet.

I would also like to welcome teachers and students from Patrick Fogarty Catholic Secondary School, who are here for the Democracy Day program. I look forward to meeting with them this afternoon.

Hon. Greg Rickford: Brenda Chambers-Ivey is from Kenora and she is the regional advocate for Ontario at Cystic Fibrosis Canada. We welcome her to this magnificent place.

Ms. Judith Monteith-Farrell: I’d like to welcome Sheena Woods, Kaitlyn Holdt, Cathy Bishop and Sandra Kendell from my riding of Thunder Bay–Atikokan, who are here with SEIU today.

Mr. Doug Downey: I’d also like to welcome the students from Patrick Fogarty, but in particular Alex Lassaline, who is the son of the former EA of the Minister of Education.

Mr. Percy Hatfield: Good morning. We have more than 40 representatives from the Ontario Harness Horse Association here today for lobby day. There’s a reception in the dining lounge at 5 p.m. Everyone is invited. I won’t list them all, but I would like to welcome seven of them, if I may: Brian Tropea, Jim Whelan, Nathan Bain, Ken Hardy, Randy Waples, Mark Williams and Jo Jo Chinto. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Mrs. Marie-France Lalonde: This morning, I had the great pleasure to meet with a group of RPNs who are here in this Assembly today to discuss the challenges and solutions that they’re proposing to health care. I would like to introduce Sandi Jones, Larisa Zhuravlyov and Jamie Amato.

Hon. Victor Fedeli: I’d like to introduce Macrina Perron, who is a North Bay constituent who is here today. Welcome, Macrina.

Mrs. Jennifer (Jennie) Stevens: I’d like to welcome all the brothers and sisters from my local union, SEIU, here this morning. Welcome.

Mrs. Gila Martow: I just want to make sure, Mr. Speaker, that you’re going to be introducing the former MPP for Thornhill, my mentor and my friend Peter Shurman.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Welcome, Peter.

The member for Brampton Centre.

Ms. Sara Singh: Thank you, Speaker, and thank you for getting the riding right. It looks like your memory is getting better day by day.

I have the great pleasure of introducing the parents of page Nailani, Yanet and Larry Cavero, who are visiting from the great riding of Brampton Centre. Welcome and thank you so much for being here today.

Hon. Sylvia Jones: Speaker, please allow me an indulgence: from Cystic Fibrosis Canada, guests Louise Taylor, Ann Pharazyn, Nancy Turner, Margaret Hicks, Macrina Perron, Chantal Filion, Danielle Weil, Jack Segal, Jillian Lynch, Marina Ayvazyan, Sasha Haughian, Jamie Larocque and Caroline Rigutto. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

M me France Gélinas: J’aimerais souhaiter la bienvenue à Chantal Filion, qui est descendue de Nickel Belt pour nous parler de la fibrose kystique. Elle a un enfant qui a la fibrose kystique. Bienvenue, Chantal.

Mr. Daryl Kramp: Today, I have the pleasure of welcoming my soulmate for so many years, my wife Carol Ann; my grandson, Ky Graham; my granddaughter, Ainsley Philips; and two wonderful friends of theirs, Brock Kelsh and Ben Bailey. Thank you, and welcome.

Miss Monique Taylor: It gives me great pride to welcome back to the Legislature once again Michau van Speyk, Faith Munoz, Angela Brandt, Kowthar Dore, Reshma Younge, Amanda Mooyer and her son Izak Lynch—welcome, Izak—and Bruce McIntosh. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Hon. Michael A. Tibollo: It gives me great honour this morning to introduce my daughter Mercedes Tibollo, who is at the Legislature for the first time since coming home from school.

Hon. Doug Ford: I’d like to welcome the Ontario provincial acrobatic gymnastics girls’ team. I look forward to seeing you after question period.

Mr. Stephen Lecce: I want to introduce a friend of mine, Leanna Villella, a regional councillor from the region of Niagara who is also a great affordable housing advocate in the province of Ontario. Thank you for joining us in the people’s House.

Mr. Stephen Crawford: It’s an honour for me to introduce a good friend of mine, Megan McElwain.

Hon. Ernie Hardeman: I’d like to welcome a class from the Oxford Reformed Christian School here today. Welcome.

Mr. Taras Natyshak: I’d like to welcome SEIU Healthcare nurses to Queen’s Park today: Suzanne Churchill, Catherine Morrison, Cathy Bishop and Leigh Frederick. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Mr. David Piccini: I’d like to welcome to Queen’s Park Laurie Robinson, chair and executive director of the Indigenous Advanced Education and Skills Council. It was an honour to join you on September 26 or 28, I think it was, for the launch of the quality assurances framework. Thank you for the work you’re doing to build a brighter future for students, graduates and employers in our Indigenous communities. Thanks for being with us today.

Ms. Mitzie Hunter: It’s my pleasure to welcome members of SEIU who are here today: Felipe Noriega, Sheena Woods, Suzanne Churchill, Jason Clynyk and Camolle Reid, who is from Scarborough. I want to thank them for all the work they do for patients.

Mr. Sam Oosterhoff: I’d also like to welcome to the Legislature today the regional councillor from Welland for Niagara, Leanna Villella. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): From the Chair, I am pleased to also welcome the member for Thornhill in the 39th and 40th Parliaments, Peter Shurman, who has already been introduced. Welcome back, Peter. We’re delighted to have you here.

It is now time for oral questions. I recognize the leader of the official opposition.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Speaker, before I get started, on behalf of, I suspect, all MPPs in the Legislature, I think it’s appropriate to give a warm welcome to the 2,500 13- to 21-year-old athletes and their coaches who are here in the GTA this week to participate in the first Special Olympics Ontario Invitational Youth Games, along with their families and fans.

Of course, the Special Olympics showcase incredible talent and also incredible values. It’s great to have these athletes competing. Congratulations to everyone involved, and good luck and success in your sport.

Oral Questions

Public health

Ms. Andrea Horwath: My question is to the Premier. Yesterday the city of Toronto announced that, in addition to the $85-million reduction in funding to public health that they’re already grappling with, the Premier plans to slash another $20 million from their budget. The government has opted to surprise them with this round of cuts, just like they did with the first ones. Why are municipalities being hit with cut after cut with no warning, no consultation and no apparent plan?

Hon. Doug Ford: Minister of Health.

Hon. Christine Elliott: Thank you very much for the question. We have already communicated with the city of Toronto that we will be providing them with $114 million for public health for the coming year, and that there is no suggestion, there has been no announcement, and nothing has come from the Ministry of Health to the city of Toronto to suggest that there are any further changes to that original plan.

Whatever was announced yesterday was announced—I have no idea why, but it was not from our office. There is no truth in any suggestion that there is any change to the original announcement that we will provide $114 million for public health to the city of Toronto. Regardless of any changes or whatever else they do, that money will be provided by the Ministry of Health.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Well, I think what the minister responded with is exactly reflective of the problem we have, Speaker. If the government has a plan for public health, they haven’t shared it with the people on the front lines, who actually do the work every day.

In North Bay, they’re wondering whether their brand new health unit will soon be abandoned. Medical officers of health across Ontario are wondering how their local units can be merged without sacrificing the needs of their communities. Every municipality is wondering if there’s yet another cut the Ford government is waiting to spring on them.

If the government has a plan, why are so many front-line public health providers in the dark about it?

Hon. Christine Elliott: Through you, Mr. Speaker, I would like to say to the leader of the official opposition that there has been very clear communication with both the city of Toronto and with the Association of Municipalities of Ontario. In fact, a letter went out to them yesterday, indicating that with respect to the boundaries and with respect to—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Order.

Hon. Christine Elliott: The money has already been discussed, but with respect to the boundaries, I understand there have been some suggestions out there that the boundaries have been completed. They have not. They are going to be completed in working with the municipalities and working with the city of Toronto through the technical working group. That is a discussion that’s going to be ongoing, and the local boards of health clearly understand that.

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

Ms. Andrea Horwath: From the responses of this minister, I think what everybody clearly understands is she has no plan. It’s cut, cut, cut without a plan, Speaker.

This government has given regional public health providers no reason whatsoever to trust them, because they have no plan. Cuts are announced by the day around here. Schemes are drawn up on the backs of napkins with zero consultation. And in the midst of all of this chaos, organizational structures and transitional plans are nowhere to be seen.

Instead of plowing ahead with reckless cuts and plans to eliminate 25 out of 35 health units, why doesn’t the government reverse these cuts and work with public health units to keep Ontarians healthy and safe, and actually contribute to the end of hallway medicine?

Interjections.

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

We are five minutes into question period. I think the government side would expect and anticipate that the Speaker should be paying attention to the questions that are being asked. I need to be able to hear the questions. It’s completely out of order and very disrespectful to the whole House for so many—not all of the government members, clearly, but a number of government members to be just screaming across the floor. It’s unacceptable behaviour.

Start the clock. Minister to reply.

Hon. Christine Elliott: Thank you very much, Speaker. Again, through you, I would like to say, let’s talk about chaos. Let’s look at what we inherited last June when we became government: a $15-billion deficit, a health care system in chaos, no long-term-care beds for people, 33,000 people waiting for a long-term-care bed, 1,000 people a day being treated in hospital hallways and storage rooms, wait-lists everywhere and no mental health and addictions plan.

We have a plan that has been clearly articulated to the people of Ontario, a plan to modernize our health care system, to bring it into the 21st century. Making sure that we can streamline and modernize our public health system is very important. Public health is important. The local public health units are being given enough money to make sure that they can cover all of the essentials: vaccinations, school programs, helping people with special needs. They will be able to do that, and we look forward to working alongside them through the transition teams to figure out the exact details. But make no mistake: There is a plan, and we are following through on that plan.

Municipal finances

Ms. Andrea Horwath: My next question is to the Premier. But I can assure the minister that chaos is in the mirror for her and her Premier.

Yesterday, Toronto council passed a motion asking the province to reverse cuts to public health, child care, paramedic and other services. It won the support of every councillor who was not the Premier’s nephew. Like municipalities across Ontario, Toronto is warning that they will either have to make deep cuts or issue a second Doug Ford tax hike of up to $180—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I’m going to interrupt the Leader of the Opposition. We refer to each other by our ministerial title or our ridings.

The member can continue.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: —or issue a second Ford government tax hike of up to $180 per household. What does the Premier prefer?

Hon. Doug Ford: Through you, Mr. Speaker: I don’t have to be taught any lessons by the Leader of the Opposition about how the city spends their money. I’ll tell you that.

I’ve never seen more wasted money in my entire life—because I spent four years down there straightening out the mess of a previous government. All there have been are increases in taxes and spending. The people of Toronto have to look at one thing. Look at their tax bill. Look at their water bill. Look at their garbage bill. The taxes have gone through the roof.

When I was at the city of Toronto, we maintained a zero per cent tax increase the very first year and found $774 million. Right now, the city of Toronto, Mr. Speaker, when I left it was a $9.6-billion budget; it’s over $13 billion—that’s almost a 50% increase in spending. They have to start looking at watering stumps—that’s what they’re wasting money on—of trees, having a $10-million fleet of cars downstairs, sitting there—

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

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Well, Speaker, sadly, Toronto is not alone. Municipalities across Ontario are facing the exact same challenge. The region of Peel says they now face a $45-million shortfall, thanks to the Ford government cuts. The mayor of Ottawa says the city budget has been thrown into a period of chaos, and Toronto says they’re caught between a rock and a rock.

The Premier said he would avoid deep cuts, layoffs and tax hikes. I want to repeat that, Speaker. The Premier said he would avoid deep cuts, layoffs and tax hikes. Why is he now offering the people of Ontario all three?

Hon. Doug Ford: Through you, Mr. Speaker: The people in this province elected us to straighten out the financial mess that the Liberals and the NDP put us in. When we came down here, we opened the books and found a $15-billion deficit. We have the largest sub-sovereign debt in the entire world.

The future of the young people up in the stands is at risk. If we don’t take care of the budget, look at the finances—we have two choices in this province, Mr. Speaker. We can go with socialism that doesn’t work anywhere in the world, continuously spend money, lose 300,000 jobs like the previous administration, or you can find efficiencies in government. You can create 175,000 jobs, like we did. It was unprecedented. We’re lowering taxes on business, lowering taxes on residents; making sure we lower heating and gas costs. That’s being responsible. Socialism does not work.

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

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Well, the problem for the Premier is that no matter how many people he blames or how loud he bellows, the people of Ontario just don’t believe him anymore. His only ally left at city hall is his nephew. It seems he can’t show his face in public without getting booed. Isn’t it time for the Premier, now, to finally admit that his reckless cuts will in fact make life less affordable and destroy services that families rely on?

Interjections.

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

The Premier to reply.

Hon. Doug Ford: Speaker, they can get personal. They can talk about my nephew, who is the only person down there with a fiscal bone in his body, the only person who cares about the taxpayers. He’s a super bright young man who would run circles around each and every one of them. If there’s someone taking care of finances, I’d let him take care of my finances over the Leader of the Opposition, because if it was up to the Leader of the Opposition—she has already bankrupted every single person in this province—she’d continue to spend and tax without worrying about anything.

If you want to take care of health care, if you want to take care of education, we have to drive efficiencies. We found 8% efficiencies through the great work of our team and the finance minister. We’re putting money back in the pockets of each and every Ontario resident. But even more importantly, Mr. Speaker, the economy is on fire because we’ve created the environment to thrive and prosper and grow in this province, the likes of which this province—

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Stop the clock. I apologize to the Premier for having to cut him off. I could not hear what he was saying.

Restart the clock. Next question.

Education funding

Ms. Andrea Horwath: My next question is also to the Premier. Yesterday, the Premier insisted that officials at the Toronto District School Board were lying when they pointed out the reckless classroom cuts in the Ford government budget. Today, the Waterloo region Catholic board reports that they, too, will be facing a steep funding cut despite increased enrolment, and the Thames Valley board in London says that they are planning to eliminate 300 teaching jobs.

Does the Premier think that these school boards are also making reckless, inaccurate claims?

Hon. Doug Ford: Minister of Education.

Hon. Lisa M. Thompson: On behalf of the Premier and our entire government, I want to suggest to everyone in this House that they need to tone down the rhetoric, because you’re doing nothing but creating anxiety and stress for teachers, students and parents alike.

I want to refer to an

article that was in the Woodstock Sentinel Review just today. It’s coming from the Thames Valley school board: “While no teachers are in danger of losing their jobs, they may be ‘changing roles,’” said the school board associate director. “There are no layoffs as a result of this because of retirements”—we talked about that right from the get-go, Speaker.

The fact of the matter is, school board to school board to school board—we’re hearing from some from eastern Ontario. They’re choosing not to jump into the game that the party opposite is trying to facilitate. They are not going to make things political. They’re going to wait for all the pieces of the puzzle to come together so that they can have a holistic approach to making sure that they have the right balance when it comes to—

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

Supplementary question?

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Speaker, students and their parents are watching with dismay as teachers get layoff notices and courses disappear. It’s not just Toronto—

Interjections.

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

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Students at Brampton—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Stop the clock. The government side will come to order or I will start naming you individually and calling you to order individually—if necessary, warning; if necessary, naming.

Start the clock. The Leader of the Opposition had the floor.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Students at Brampton Centennial learned that 30 class were being cut in the next school year. Neighbouring Mayfield Secondary is losing 42 courses. The Thames Valley board says that 1,620 different classes will disappear next year across that school board. These cuts are depriving students of opportunities to learn.

Why doesn’t the Premier have the integrity to at least admit that his cuts have consequences?

Hon. Lisa M. Thompson: I ask right back to the Leader of the Opposition: Where is her integrity? Because she is continuing to fester and propagate misinformation that is absolutely misleading parents and students and—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I’m going to ask the minister to withdraw.

Hon. Lisa M. Thompson: Withdraw.

You know, Speaker, it’s actually disheartening the manner in which this opposition party is conducting themselves, because when I speak to teachers, they recognize and are explicitly pointing out how friends of the party opposite are playing games. Those friends are creating a lot of chaos.

I encourage all school boards from one end of this province to another to do the right thing. Students should not have to suffer because of the games the party opposite and their friends are playing. The fact of the matter is, we’re going to be working with school boards to make sure there is no longer wasteful management with our board governance review, and we look forward to kicking that off in the very near future.

Government’s record

Mrs. Robin Martin: My question is for the Premier. For far too long, regular Ontarians were left behind by their government. Fifteen years of Liberal mismanagement brought higher taxes, less accountability and less transparency in government. Life in Ontario simply became harder under the former Liberal government. Crippling legislation burdened our province with red tape and regulations that held our province back.

Thankfully, under the leadership of this Premier, our government has moved rapidly forward, keeping our promises and bringing real change to the people of Ontario.

Speaker, can the Premier discuss a few of the accomplishments our government has achieved since the June election?

Hon. Doug Ford: I want to thank the fabulous MPP from Eglinton–Lawrence, one of the great, great ridings in Toronto. We hold more seats in Toronto than any of the other parties, so it says a lot about our government.

On August 17—I went on, a couple of days ago, on our accomplishments, and we have such a long list. I’ll start off on August 17. We expanded hospice care in my friend’s North Bay riding here. We put $2 million in, 10 beds, and supported the hospice care there.

On August 22, we gave parents a voice with public education. For the first time ever, they actually had a voice. We heard from 72,000 parents, the largest consultation in Ontario’s history.

We lowered energy costs after the Liberals and the NDP had jacked energy costs up to be the highest in North America. People couldn’t afford to pay their hydro bills; companies couldn’t—

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

Supplementary question.

Mrs. Robin Martin: Regular Ontarians were left high and dry for 15 years under the former Premiers Kathleen Wynne and Dalton McGuinty. Hard-working families in rural and northern Ontario were not supported by their government. Entrepreneurs and small-business owners were not supported by their government. And Speaker, our students were not supported by their government.

The widespread desire for change in our province could not have been more clear when Ontarians headed to the polls last year. A government based on trust, accountability and transparency resonated across the province.

Mr. Speaker, could the Premier expand further on the policies our government has brought forward to deliver on our promises for the great people of Ontario?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Before I ask the Premier to respond, I remind all members we refer to each other by our ministerial title or our riding, however it’s applicable.

The Premier to reply.

Hon. Doug Ford: I want to thank the great member from Eglinton–Lawrence once again for the question. On August 29—we have a long list here; there’s no government that has accomplished more in less than a year than we have, ever—we gave people a voice to decide the future of government services.

On August 30, we committed to upholding free speech on publicly funded universities and colleges. Mr. Speaker, when I travel around universities and colleges, a lot of the students came up to me. They were sick and tired of the profs indoctrinating their philosophy onto the students—wouldn’t let them have free speech. There’s free speech in colleges and universities because of this government.

We began building a better regional transit system across Ontario, expanding GO trains, expanding the $28.5-billion budget that we put forward for the transit system in the greater Toronto area, because the city of Toronto, once again, talked for four years, spent hundreds of millions—

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

Next question.

Government advertising

Mr. Taras Natyshak: My question is to the Premier, who seems a little bit rattled this morning. Speaker, I want to start by expressing my condolences to the Premier for being booed yesterday in what he said was the first time ever by a gang of about 1,000 left-wing socialists—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Okay. Stop the clock. The member for Mississauga East–Cooksville will come to order. The government side will come to order.

Start the clock. The member for Essex.

Mr. Taras Natyshak: Thank you very much, Speaker. I hope he’s well enough to answer my question.

With each passing day, the Premier’s plan to waste millions of dollars on partisan advertising and forcing businesses to display Conservative campaign stickers draws more and more criticism from the left-wing thugs and radicals out there. This morning, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, a notorious Marxist sect, and the famously left-wing Toronto Sun denounced the Premier’s plan.

Speaker, is he finally willing to reconsider this colossal waste of public money and abandon his wasteful plan?

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Stop the clock again. Once again, I would implore the government members to allow me to hear the questions that are being asked. I can’t follow the questions when there’s constant yelling from the government side. You would expect me to enforce the standing orders, I think, and I can’t if you’re yelling constantly from the government side at the member who has the floor and is asking the question.

Start the clock. The Premier to reply.

Hon. Doug Ford: Through you, Mr. Speaker: First of all, last night was a great opening, a fabulous opening, so many smiles on these kids’ faces. They were absolutely so encouraged; a great, great event.

I find it ironic coming from the member from Essex. He didn’t bother even showing up. At least we showed up. He didn’t even bother showing up, and neither did the Leader of the Opposition. So throwing stones in glass houses is pretty staggering.

I want to remind the member from Essex, I’ve spent my whole life helping children with special needs through Rotary. Mr. Speaker, for 23 years, I helped through Rotary, going to events, helping children.

That’s what it’s all about. It’s not about getting into gutter politics and worrying if you get a cheer or a boo. It’s about being there for the kids. Because you know something, Mr. Speaker? It wasn’t the kids booing. I can tell you they were happy there. We’re going to continue supporting the Special Olympics.

Interjections.

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

Supplementary question?

Mr. Taras Natyshak: Speaker, it sounds like the folks at the event last night would have wished that the Premier hadn’t showed up at all.

The fact is, with his plan, the Premier has—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The government side will come to order.

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

Mr. Taras Natyshak: Thank you very much, Speaker.

With his plan, the Premier has now united virtually everyone in the province against them. When the chamber of commerce, the taxpayers federation and the Toronto Sun say that the Ford government has got it wrong, they have truly lost their way. Instead of trying to defend the indefensible, why doesn’t the Premier finally admit that this can’t be defended, stop forcing businesses to carry Conservative campaign stickers, stop wasting taxpayers’ money and abandon this partisan ad campaign today?

Hon. Doug Ford: Minister of Finance.

Hon. Victor Fedeli: You know, Speaker, the Premier and I were in New York a couple weeks ago and I’ll tell you, the business community there, as well as the business community in Ontario, are thrilled with what we’re doing: $880-million savings from cutting the carbon tax; $1.3 billion saved by freezing minimum wage at $14 and giving the businesses a chance to get caught up; $1.4-billion savings by freezing the WSIB; $1.4 billion reinvested through the accelerated capital costs; $300 million when we did not increase the Liberal tax, backed by the NDP, and 170,000 jobs created as a result of this support.

I think the business community has spoken very loud and very clear that they know we’re open for business and open for jobs.

Missing children

Mr. Deepak Anand: My question is regarding public safety, and it is for the Solicitor General.

This week, there was an Amber Alert. It was issued for a missing boy. When a child is missing, police and first responders are in a race against time to prevent a potential nightmare. For affected families and the community at large, this alert system can be a true lifeline.

Mr. Speaker, this is a great way to work together. When an Amber Alert is issued, the police and the public work together to share information, locate the missing child and bring him or her home safe and sound.

For public interest and information, can the Solicitor General please explain how the Amber Alert system works and why it is vital for the speedy recovery of our missing children in communities across Ontario?

Hon. Sylvia Jones: The member for Mississauga–Malton is absolutely right. When a child is missing, time is of the essence and absolutely critical. Amber Alerts make safe return for these children critical and is frankly a shared priority and responsibility for all of us. We thank the police and all Ontarians who take the time and effort to increase their vigilance when they receive an Amber Alert. They’re doing their part, and we need to do our part as citizens.

Amber Alerts are issued through the national Alert Ready system. In Ontario, the OPP sends Amber Alerts at the request of local police services. A number of recent Amber Alerts have led directly to police finding those children, and often many, many hundreds of miles away from where they were taken, so the fact that Amber Alerts go province-wide is critical to assisting the police. I thank them for their service, and I really hope that everyone understands the importance of the Amber Alert system.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary question?

Mr. Deepak Anand: Thank you, Minister. Thanks for the amazing explanation of the Amber Alert system. It is important, and it works.

Recent Amber Alerts have unfortunately resulted in some complaints. We all have heard stories of people calling 911 to complain that their sleep has been disturbed or that their TV time has been interrupted. These complaints happened again yesterday, when the Toronto Police Service tweeted that their communication centre’s 911 lines were being used for this purpose.

Mr. Speaker, can the Solicitor General share her views regarding people who have used the 911 number as a complaint hotline while officers were scrambling to find a missing child?

Hon. Sylvia Jones: The member raises a disturbing and frankly unfortunate situation. He’s absolutely right: The 911 system, which I think we can all appreciate is an emergency response system, has been used by a very limited number of Ontario residents to complain about Amber Alerts. It’s not only inappropriate; it’s frankly dangerous. People who use 911 as a complaint hotline are using up critical emergency resources and potentially slowing down response times during real emergencies.

When a child is missing, we all have a role to play as members within our community. Many children have been located as a direct result of Amber Alerts, and, as I said previously, often hundreds of kilometres away from where the child was taken. But Speaker, it only works if everyone receives them and pays attention to them. You don’t have to know the child to be vigilant and aware of the information that is shared with the system.

The bottom line is clear: A missing child is an emergency, and Amber Alerts are a tool that we use, that our emergency responders use to successfully retrieve these children. Please understand and appreciate that 911 is not a complaint line.

Child care

Ms. Doly Begum: My question is to the Premier. In the estimates released last week, we saw that this government is reducing capital investment into child care by over $90 million this year. This represents about a 90% cut in child care capital funding this year, dramatically limiting the number of new child care spaces that could have been built under this government.

Can the Premier explain how cutting capital funding and capital investments into new child care spaces by 90% will address the shortage of affordable, quality child care in Ontario?

Hon. Doug Ford: Minister of Education.

Hon. Lisa M. Thompson: Again, we’re getting child care back on track in Ontario after 15 years of a lack of accountability. There was a letter written to me on May 13, and it came from the Association of Day Care Operators of Ontario.

In the letter it said that “having worked provincially with licensed child care owner-operators located in the GTA, for example, for more than 30 years, ADCO has the understanding that further investigation into how municipalities, specifically the city of Toronto and other Ontario municipalities, should be conducted”—because it may be that there hasn’t been enough oversight over the last 15 years.

The reason for suggesting this is simple. “Like a number of other Ontario municipalities, the city of Toronto has been engaged in practices that we believe are less than optimal if the goal is to expand access to licensed child care, make it more affordable for families or optimize provincial dollars allocated for these purposes.”

Speaker, we’re getting child care back—

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

Ms. Doly Begum: I just want to clarify to the minister: My question was about the capital investment cuts of about $93.6 million, in case the minister has no clue about that.

This huge reduction in capital funding—through you, Speaker—is yet another child care cut for parents to come to terms with. So far, this government has cut the funding that municipalities receive to support day care subsidy operating costs, which is about 6,000 spaces that are at risk now, and they’re cutting funding that helps keep child care—

Interjections.

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

The member for Scarborough Southwest has the floor. She should be allowed to ask her question without interjection. I ask, once again, the government side to come to order. And I’m going to give her some extra time so that she can ask her question.

Interjection: Of course you do.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I’d like to know who said that, because I would warn them if I knew.

Start the clock. The member for Scarborough Southwest.

Ms. Doly Begum: Thank you, Speaker. We’re facing a child care crisis, and the fact that this government is trying to shut me down for asking my question is disrespectful. It’s extremely disrespectful, because we are facing a child care crisis and people are suffering. Children are suffering, and it’s not—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Stop the clock. I’m going to call the Minister of Government and Consumer Services to order. I’m going to call the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade to order. I’m going to call the member for Mississauga East–Cooksville to order.

Start the clock. The member can ask her question.

Ms. Doly Begum: Thank you, Speaker. My question is to this government: When is this government going to start listening to parents and actually invest in proper child care?

Hon. Lisa M. Thompson: In my first response, I addressed the mismanagement in operating funds and I talked about getting child care back on track. Now let’s talk about the investment that we’re making. We’re investing upwards of $2 billion to get child care back on track and we are creating 30,000 new spaces, 10,000 of which are going to be in schools.

We’re doing so much more. We’re working with our partners. We’re ensuring that day care is finally accessible, affordable and flexible for parents. We’re allowing parents to have access to home care if they work shift work. We’re making things right in this province.

Previously, under the Liberal administration, if you had a child in grade 1 and a child in JK, you couldn’t drop them off at the Y for a before- or after-school program. Now they can do so because we’ve listened to parents and we’re getting it right.

Parents have asked us to make child care affordable, accessible and flexible, and that’s exactly what we’re doing, no matter what anyone opposite says.

Northern Ontario

Ms. Mitzie Hunter: My question is to the Premier. Last week I travelled to Sudbury for the FONOM conference. I was fortunate to meet so many municipal leaders from northeast Ontario. Many leaders expressed concern about this government’s callous and cruel changes to our health care system. Of particular concern is the downloading of costs to municipalities with no consultation.

The government’s cuts forced the Ontario Telemedicine Network to let go 15% of its employees. Last year the OTN conducted 900,000 patient consultations and saved nearly $72 million in travel grants. The OTN enables greater access to health care services in regions where distances are vast. Think of the vast geography of the north. The truth is, cuts go deeper in the north.

Why is this government advancing policies that disproportionately disadvantage northern Ontarians, many of whom already have difficulties accessing services? One of the northern reps says, “When you cut telehealth, this cuts deeper in the north.” Why are you doing that, Premier?

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I’m going to call the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services to order.

The Premier to reply.

Hon. Doug Ford: Minister of Municipal Affairs.

Hon. Steve Clark: I want to thank the honourable member for the opportunity to talk about the fact that the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport and I were also at FONOM last week in Sudbury. We enjoyed our interaction with municipal officials from the north.

But, Speaker, through you, do you know what the member opposite didn’t talk about? She didn’t talk about her record in government, where we were saddled with a $15-billion deficit. After 15 years of waste, mismanagement and scandal, we were elected on June 7 last year to clean up that fiscal mess. We are protecting what matters most. At the same time, we’re continuing our dialogue with our municipal partners.

The FONOM meeting was excellent. We had a great opportunity to exchange information regarding the priorities of the north. But make no mistake: This member didn’t talk about her record when she was up in Sudbury.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary question?

Ms. Mitzie Hunter: In fact, my record was brought up. When I was minister, I increased funding for mental health services in the north, recognizing the unique needs that are in the community.

I’m glad the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport was there, Speaker, because the interlibrary loans also came up, and it was a sore point. This loan allows northern and rural libraries to access resources at low cost, and it’s another casualty of this government’s slash-and-burn agenda. It’s a small thing, but it signals that there is an importance in north-south relationships, by the exchanging of books. Libraries are one of the easiest, most cost-effective ways to allow people, regardless of their socio-economic backgrounds, a chance to learn and to grow. Education is a right. Limiting people’s access to knowledge is irresponsible governance.

Does this Premier think that taking books away from seniors and kids is an effective way to balance the budget?

Hon. Steve Clark: We will take no lessons from this member. One of her ministers referred to the north as “no man’s land,” so I will take no lessons from her.

In fact, she should talk about her record. As Minister of Education, she closed many, many rural schools—rural schools in my riding, rural schools all across this province. I will take no lessons from that member regarding her lack of standing up for rural municipalities and northern municipalities in terms of education.

I’ll take no lessons from that member in terms of the $15-billion deficit she saddled myself but also my children and my grandchildren with.

We were elected on June 7 together clean up their mess. That’s exactly what we’re going to do.

Ontario budget

Mr. Parm Gill: My question is for the Minister of Finance. A little over a month ago, our government unveiled our plan to protect what matters most through our first budget. Every member of our caucus is proud to stand in this Legislature and support the plan we have put forward. After 15 years of Liberal tax-and-spend policies, Ontarians were left footing the bill with nothing to show for it. Those days are over.

We’re giving $26 billion in relief to Ontario’s hard-working families, individuals and businesses. Today we’re taking another step forward in making that plan a reality. As the minister prepares to begin third reading on the Protecting What Matters Most Act this afternoon, could he share the work we’re doing to bring relief to Ontario families?

Hon. Victor Fedeli: Thank you to the member from Milton. We have made it clear that we are protecting what matters most and we are putting people first. That is why our budget includes the CARE Tax Credit. CARE is designed to give parents, not the government, control over the choices they make for their children, and provides 300,000 families with up to 75% of their eligible child care expenses. That is why our budget also introduces a $90-million investment in dental care for 100,000 low-income seniors; $1.75 billion for a five-year investment in new long-term-care beds; a $1.4-billion investment for school renewals this year alone.

We’re cleaning up the financial mess we inherited from the previous government, and we’re disappointed the NDP aren’t supporting the—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary.

Mr. Parm Gill: It’s a relief to see a government respecting the hard-working families and individuals of Ontario, putting money back in people’s pockets and putting people first.

Our government is also bringing much-needed relief to the job creators of our province. For far too long, businesses have been told they need to do more for the government, and they have been burdened with higher taxes and unnecessary red tape. Those days are over, as well. Ontario is now open for business and open for jobs, and we’re seeing the results. Businesses are growing, investments are returning to Ontario, and jobs are being created.

Could the minister inform the House on the action our budget takes to bring relief to businesses in Ontario?

Hon. Victor Fedeli: In addition to supporting families and seniors, our budget also shows that Ontario is open for business and open for jobs.

The Ontario Job Creation Investment Incentive will provide faster capital investment writeoffs, encouraging businesses to immediately invest in Ontario and create new jobs. We scrapped the Liberal cap-and-trade carbon tax, paused the increase in minimum wage, lowered WSIB premiums, stopped the $300 million in new Liberal taxes that were supported by the NDP.

Speaker, we have created the environment where businesses can and will succeed. Again, that’s why 170,000 jobs have been created since Premier Ford was elected. Our plan is working. Ontario is open for business and open for jobs, and our results speak for themselves.

Education funding

Ms. Peggy Sattler: My question is to the Premier.

Speaker, Thames Valley District School Board released a preliminary review of what the government’s cuts to education will mean to students in the London area. The associate director of the board said that what it comes down to is “less choice for students.” The board is projecting 329 fewer teachers over four years, which means 1,620 secondary school courses will no longer be offered. That’s a lot of shop, technology, photography, drama, Indigenous studies, law, horticulture, arts and music classes gone—the kinds of programs that excite students, that get them to school in the morning.

Will the Premier admit that his cuts to education are taking away opportunities for students and jeopardizing their futures?

Hon. Doug Ford: Minister of Education.

Hon. Lisa M. Thompson: Speaker, it’s an absolute honour every day to stand in this House and tell everyone listening and present how we’re getting education back on track.

No matter what gets said by any of the members in the opposition party, they’re doing nothing but fearmongering and people are getting very tired of it.

The fact of the matter is, we are excited by what our plan holds, given the reaction that we’re getting. In terms of opportunities, we’re actually focusing in on what matters in terms of ensuring students have the life skills and the job skills. We’re investing over $2 million over five years in financial literacy. We are increasing our investment in STEM by $66.5 million. We’re increasing awareness and exposure to technology and skilled trades and apprenticeship programs. We’re increasing our investment, if you will, in math funding. And we’re getting the Indigenous curriculum right, once and for all—

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

Ms. Peggy Sattler: What the official opposition is doing is actually sharing what the school boards are saying. School boards are very clear about the impact of the layoffs on students.

In Thames Valley, they were also clear that attrition funding will not come close to making up the loss of $17 million in base teacher funding that has been cut. The school board is also losing 100 positions that were funded by the local priorities grant, including educational assistants, social workers and other education workers who support students with special learning needs.

Speaker, cutting supports for students with special needs and eliminating 1,620 classes will deny students opportunities to learn new skills, explore their interests and achieve their potential. Does the Premier really think that removing special education supports and limiting opportunity will help students succeed?

Interjections.

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

Hon. Lisa M. Thompson: Speaker, you know, I’m actually very disappointed in that member opposite because she knows better. If she had read the budget, she would have seen we’re investing in special education, and our partners in education know we are committed to investing over and above what was absolutely off-track by the previous administration. We’re investing $90 million. We’re getting special education back on track after so many years of oversight and absolute disarray.

The fact of the matter is, I’m disappointed in the member opposite as well because she’s cherry-picking out of an article. She chose not to read this particular quote: “While no teachers are in danger of losing their jobs, they may be ‘changing roles.’”

Speaker, people are seeing through this thin veil of rhetoric and they’re coming to us, saying they’re tired of the nonsense. The encouragement and the support we’re getting to get education back on track is phenomenal. Again, we’re investing—

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

The next question.

Ontario Provincial Police

Mrs. Nina Tangri: Good morning, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Solicitor General. Mr. Speaker, we formed government on a promise to provide police with the tools, resources and supports they need to do their jobs effectively. This includes new facilities that are capable to meet the demands of modern police operations. After 15 years of Liberal neglect, our government is making investments to keep our communities safe, and last fall our government announced a $182-million investment to replace several aging OPP facilities with nine new detachments across the province.

Mr. Speaker, could the Solicitor General please update the members of the Legislature on how these new OPP detachments will improve public safety across Ontario?

Hon. Sylvia Jones: Thank you to the member from Mississauga–Streetsville for her question, but more importantly for hosting my friend and colleague the Minister of Infrastructure and me on Monday, where we were able to announce, in her riding of Mississauga–Streetsville, a ground-breaking for a new OPP detachment that will focus on highway safety. This $20-million investment will ensure Ontarians can continue to receive the modern, cost-efficient and first-class road and highway safety services they deserve.

For over a century, the OPP have protected law-abiding families and citizens across our province. As this new building takes place, it will be a source of pride for the entire OPP operation, as well as the people who rely on them to keep Ontario’s busiest highways safe.

Our actions taken together send a clear message that while we rely on the OPP to have our backs, the OPP can be confident that Premier Ford and our government has theirs.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary question.

Mrs. Nina Tangri: Thank you to the Solicitor General for that excellent response. It’s encouraging to hear about our government’s commitment to giving our OPP the tools they need to keep our roads safe. They do great work.

Mr. Speaker, a $20-million investment is no small feat. The previous Liberal government, supported by the opposition NDP, left this province with a $15-billion deficit. When it comes to critical projects like this, it is important that our government gets it right. Will the Solicitor General please tell us more about how our government is going about getting this project done in a responsible manner?

Hon. Sylvia Jones: I would like to refer the supplementary to the Minister of Infrastructure.

Hon. Monte McNaughton: I’d like to thank the member from Mississauga–Streetsville and a number of caucus members for joining us for this important announcement.

Mr. Speaker, this week is Police Week, an opportunity to support our police officers and our OPP and all they do to keep our families safe. I was with the Solicitor General on Monday to do just that. I agree with the member: With projects like this, it’s important that we get it right. Having been left with a fiscal mess by the previous government, we’re committed to finding smart ways to build infrastructure in the right place and at the right time.

I’m happy to say that this state-of-the-art facility will be delivered through a public-private partnership through our agency, Infrastructure Ontario. IO has a proven track record of delivering projects on time and on budget.

Mr. Speaker, we’re putting people at the centre of every decision that we make, and we’re keeping our roads safe and supporting the great work done by the Ontario Provincial Police.

Government fiscal policies

Mr. Gurratan Singh: My question is to the Acting Premier. The Conservatives’ budget cuts are expected to cost Peel region $45 million. The Premier talks about making life more affordable, yet these cuts are doing the exact opposite. By downloading costs, Peel region will be forced to increase property tax by $68 per family while cutting programs and services that families rely on.

Why does this Conservative government believe both in cutting services and raising taxes for Bramptonians?

Hon. Christine Elliott: To the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

Hon. Steve Clark: We’ve made it very clear, Speaker. In every speech that I’ve given since I was appointed Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing and every consultation that I’ve had with our municipal partners, I’ve indicated that we were in a financial mess. After 15 years of waste, mismanagement and scandal, supported 97% by the NDP, we needed to take a different fiscal path. We asked every one of our partners, just like we’re looking at every line in every program in every service, to do the same.

Again, I find it passing strange that this member would bring this up, because we’ve been extremely clear. We have a budget that the finance minister has tabled that protects what matters most to Ontarians: health and education. We’ve asked every single organization that we do business with to look for efficiencies as well. One of the very first bills I put on the table was to look at the city of Toronto and make it more effective and more efficient. We saved them $25 million that they went ahead and spent on other things—

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

Mr. Gurratan Singh: The people of Brampton were left behind by the last Liberal government. This Conservative government is taking things from bad to worse with its cuts to health care and education. Now the region of Peel is facing cuts to housing, child care and social assistance. On top of it all, the Premier’s tax hike of $68 per family will make life even more unaffordable. Brampton is the ninth-largest city in this country and is one of the fastest-growing. People need investment to ensure that the people of Brampton receive the resources and services they deserve, not more cuts.

Will the Premier cancel his tax hike, reverse these cuts and give Peel region the support that it deserves?

Hon. Steve Clark: In fact, Speaker, what the honourable member forgets is that the mayor of Brampton, whom he refers to, was once the Leader of the Opposition, and he talked about the importance of reining in deficits so that we can protect the programs that matter most to Ontarians. His mayor preached the same fiscal restraint when he sat in this Legislature, as did, quite frankly, Mayor Tory when he was Leader of the Opposition.

Again, Speaker, we’ve worked with our municipal partners; 405 out of Ontario’s 444 municipalities received funds in the last fiscal year, some $200 million, to provide municipal modernization, to look at shared service agreements, to look at doing things differently, trying to provide efficiencies and effective spending.

Again, we will continue to consult our municipal partners. We have a process with both AMO and the city of Toronto. We will continue to talk to our partners about how we can work together on making sure that we’re an effective and efficient partnership. Make no mistake, Speaker: I want to be perfectly—

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

Energy policies

Mr. Amarjot Sandhu: My question is for the Minister of Energy, Northern Development and Mines. We know the minister represented the people of Ontario by speaking against Bill C-69 at the Senate hearings in Ottawa. He stood up for Ontario’s nuclear energy sector because it is an integral part of our economy and it’s a success story everyone in this province should be proud of.

Our government for the people respects the nuclear industry, which is why we extended the life of the Pickering generating station. We protected those jobs and we are very lucky to have a minister responsible for energy who champions Ontario’s nuclear sector.

Bill C-69 threatens this job-creating sector of our economy, and our government will never stand by while misguided legislation is being proposed.

Can the minister please tell us more about why our government is opposed to Bill C-69?

Hon. Greg Rickford: Mr. Speaker, in terms of energy infrastructure in this country, the member from Brampton West couldn’t be more right. This is of national concern. This bill has the potential impact to shut down major energy projects across this country.

In Ontario, we will not stand idly by as scaled-up nuclear projects are now going to be at risk with this bill. Major hydro dam projects will be at risk as a result of this. Some of the largest natural gas infrastructure expansion plans that we have in this province will be at risk.

Mr. Speaker, we stand by the newly minted and terrific energy minister from Alberta, Minister Sonya Savage—and Minister Bronwyn Eyre; two great women in Saskatchewan and Alberta who stand with us against this for the projects it represents that will be at risk in their provinces, at risk here in Ontario, and put the entire country’s energy future at risk. That’s a fact.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary question?

Mr. Amarjot Sandhu: I would like to thank the minister for his answer. Ontarians can take comfort knowing that our government will not stand by while burdensome regulations are imposed on our industries that will take our country backwards.

Mr. Speaker, it’s clear that with Bill C-69 and Trudeau’s carbon tax, the federal government is waging a war against the most important industries that create good jobs in Canada and Ontario. We believe Bill C-69 contradicts several of Canada’s economic goals and it would grind to a halt natural resources and economic development across the country, and certainly in Ontario. This is unacceptable for our government. We believe in creating new economic opportunities for all the people of this province.

Can the minister please highlight why this bill would be so detrimental to Canada and Ontario’s economic success?

Hon. Greg Rickford: I would be happy to, Mr. Speaker, but something tells me I don’t have to. Listen to what the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters CEO said this morning: “Manufacturers in every region of the country see Bill C-69 as a direct threat to future resource development and the well-being of their essential suppliers and customers.”

Diane Francis, a real columnist with the Financial Post, said: “Obviously, resource development will stop cold. This is a bill written by economic ignoramuses.... This is not legislation. This is sabotage.”

Mr. Speaker, it gets worse. We know the NDP have been in cahoots with the Liberals provincially and federally. The former member from Brampton East announced that gas and oil pipelines, the whole sector, is off limits for them. Why is the provincial NDP fine with Bill C-69?

Public health

Mr. Joel Harden: I interrupt that Andrew Scheer campaign ad with a question for the Premier.

Days ago, we learned the Ottawa Public Health boundaries will be massively expanded from Kingston all the way to the Quebec border, without any additional resources. Speaker, covering 29,000 square kilometres and about 1.7 million people, this new public health unit will be forced to do more with less.

Dr. Paul Roumeliotis, CEO of the Eastern Ontario Health Unit warns, “The bigger the health unit, the less local ability to be able to taper your needs and your community programs to the population’s needs.” That’s not fearmongering, Speaker; it’s fact-mongering by experts.

Will the Premier listen to health care experts and put the brakes on this reckless decision?

Hon. Doug Ford: Minister of Health.

Hon. Christine Elliott: In fact, what we are doing is modernizing the system, as we’re modernizing our total health system, to be able to respond to the crises that are going to occur, we know, from time to time. But we want to make sure that the local public health units have the resources that they need in order to do their work. In fact, we’ve heard from many of them that the smaller units are having trouble attracting the people with the skills and the experience they need in order to do their work.

With the changes we are making, they will be enabled, they will be able to get the people that they need to do the work, and they will be able to concentrate on the areas within their specific geographic area, while the province uploads some of the bigger-picture campaigns, like anti-smoking campaigns and so on, that will allow the local units to be able to tend to their own geographic area and their own concerns, which vary from place to place, as the member will know.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary question? The member from Kingston and the Islands.

Mr. Ian Arthur: Speaker, through you back to the Premier: When public health is done on the cheap, it puts lives at risk. Asking a single public health unit to cover vastly different communities with different needs across a huge geographic area is a recipe for disaster.

Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington Public Health is one of the most effective public health units in the province. I’m sure that the member from Hastings–Lennox and Addington would agree. I’ve had meetings with stakeholders in the community. They talk about the differences even between Kingston and the rural areas around Kingston and the different needs they have and how to serve them.

It has led the charge against Lyme disease, developing a physician education program and creating a Lyme network for doctors that was adopted nationally. Our health unit is successful and it knows our community and the surrounding area. In what world, Speaker, does it make sense to dismantle the organizations that are exceeding expectations?

Hon. Christine Elliott: In fact, Speaker, the member and I can agree that public health units are extremely important, and we are going to continue to consult with the public health units, going forward, with respect to the issues that they’re facing and the needs that they have. But we need to make sure that they’re going to be ready to deal with outbreaks of infectious diseases and other things that we know are going to happen.

We are confident that, with the resources they will be receiving from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, if they concentrate on their priorities, which they are required to do—as we’re required to focus provincial resources on the things that matter most to people, protecting what matters most—they will be able to fulfill their critical components like vaccinations, programs for children with special needs, meals programs, programs for expectant mothers and others.

I am confident that with the monies they will be receiving and with the boundaries that will be decided upon in consultation with the units and with municipalities, they will be able to do their effective work, continuing now and into the future.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): That concludes question period for this morning.

Visitors

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I’m going to remind members that the standing orders provide for five minutes for introduction of guests in the morning before question period and in the afternoon at 1 o’clock, but I’ve been asked by the member from Niagara Falls to recognize him on a point of order.

Mr. Wayne Gates: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to welcome a couple of guests from my riding: Shannon Miller, Matthew Miller, Tanner Unyi, and Melissa Unyi. Thank you very much for coming, and I’m sure you enjoyed question period this morning.

Adjournment debate

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The government House leader, on a point of order.

Hon. Todd Smith: Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to put forward a motion without notice regarding the late show for the member from Kitchener Centre scheduled for tonight, Wednesday, May 15, 2019.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The government House leader is seeking the unanimous consent of the House to put forward a motion without notice regarding the late show tonight, regarding the member for Kitchener Centre scheduled for this evening. Agreed? Agreed.

Hon. Todd Smith: Speaker, I move that the late show scheduled for Wednesday, May 15, 2019, standing in the name of the member for Kitchener Centre, be moved to Tuesday, May 28, 2019.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The government House leader has moved that the late show scheduled for Wednesday, May 15, 2019, standing in the name of the member for Kitchener Centre, be moved to Tuesday, May 28, 2019. Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? Carried.

Motion agreed to.

Deferred Votes

Time allocation

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): We have a deferred vote on the amendment to government notice of motion number 61 relating to allocation of time on Bill 107,

An Act to amend the Highway Traffic Act and various other statutes in respect of transportation-related matters.

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

The division bells rang from 1145 to 1150.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I’m going to ask the members to take their seats.

On May 14, 2019, Mr. Harris moved an amendment to government notice of motion number 61 relating to allocation of time on Bill 107.

All those in favour of Mr. Harris’s motion will please rise one at a time and be recognized by the Clerk.

Ayes

Anand, Deepak

Baber, Roman

Babikian, Aris

Bailey, Robert

Barrett, Toby

Bethlenfalvy, Peter

Bouma, Will

Calandra, Paul

Cho, Raymond Sung Joon

Cho, Stan

Clark, Steve

Coe, Lorne

Crawford, Stephen

Cuzzetto, Rudy

Downey, Doug

Dunlop, Jill

Elliott, Christine

Fedeli, Victor

Fee, Amy

Ford, Doug

Fullerton, Merrilee

Ghamari, Goldie

Gill, Parm

Hardeman, Ernie

Harris, Mike

Hogarth, Christine

Jones, Sylvia

Kanapathi, Logan

Karahalios, Belinda

Ke, Vincent

Khanjin, Andrea

Kramp, Daryl

Kusendova, Natalia

Lecce, Stephen

MacLeod, Lisa

Martin, Robin

Martow, Gila

McDonell, Jim

McKenna, Jane

McNaughton, Monte

Miller, Norman

Mulroney, Caroline

Nicholls, Rick

Oosterhoff, Sam

Pang, Billy

Park, Lindsey

Parsa, Michael

Phillips, Rod

Piccini, David

Rasheed, Kaleed

Rickford, Greg

Roberts, Jeremy

Romano, Ross

Sabawy, Sheref

Sandhu, Amarjot

Skelly, Donna

Smith, Dave

Smith, Todd

Surma, Kinga

Tangri, Nina

Thanigasalam, Vijay

Thompson, Lisa M.

Tibollo, Michael A.

Triantafilopoulos, Effie J.

Wai, Daisy

Walker, Bill

Yakabuski, John

Yurek, Jeff

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): All those opposed to Mr. Harris’s motion will please rise one at a time and be recognized by the Clerk.

Nays

Andrew, Jill

Armstrong, Teresa J.

Arthur, Ian

Begum, Doly

Bell, Jessica

Berns-McGown, Rima

Bisson, Gilles

Burch, Jeff

Fife, Catherine

Fraser, John

French, Jennifer K.

Gates, Wayne

Gélinas, France

Glover, Chris

Harden, Joel

Hassan, Faisal

Hatfield, Percy

Hillier, Randy

Horwath, Andrea

Hunter, Mitzie

Karpoche, Bhutila

Kernaghan, Terence

Lalonde, Marie-France

Lindo, Laura Mae

Mamakwa, Sol

Mantha, Michael

Miller, Paul

Monteith-Farrell, Judith

Morrison, Suze

Natyshak, Taras

Rakocevic, Tom

Sattler, Peggy

Shaw, Sandy

Singh, Gurratan

Singh, Sara

Stevens, Jennifer (Jennie)

Stiles, Marit

Tabuns, Peter

Taylor, Monique

Vanthof, John

West, Jamie

Wynne, Kathleen O.

Yarde, Kevin

The Clerk of the Assembly (Mr. Todd Decker): The ayes are 68; the nays are 43.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I declare the motion carried.

Are the members ready to vote on the main motion, as amended?

Interjection: Same vote.

Interjection: No.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Are you prepared to vote on the main motion, as amended?

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Mr. Hardeman has moved government notice of motion number 61 relating to allocation of time on Bill 107,

An Act to amend the Highway Traffic Act and various other statutes in respect of transportation-related matters. Is it the pleasure of the House that the amended motion carry? I heard some noes.

All those in favour of the motion will please say “aye.”

All those opposed will please say “nay.”

In my opinion, the ayes have it.

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

The division bells rang from 1154 to 1155.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Mr. Hardeman has moved government notice of motion number 61 relating to the allocation of time on Bill 107.

All those in favour of the motion, as amended, will please rise one at a time and be recognized by the Clerk.

Ayes

Anand, Deepak

Baber, Roman

Babikian, Aris

Bailey, Robert

Barrett, Toby

Bethlenfalvy, Peter

Bouma, Will

Calandra, Paul

Cho, Raymond Sung Joon

Cho, Stan

Clark, Steve

Coe, Lorne

Crawford, Stephen

Cuzzetto, Rudy

Downey, Doug

Dunlop, Jill

Elliott, Christine

Fedeli, Victor

Fee, Amy

Ford, Doug

Fullerton, Merrilee

Ghamari, Goldie

Gill, Parm

Hardeman, Ernie

Harris, Mike

Hogarth, Christine

Jones, Sylvia

Kanapathi, Logan

Karahalios, Belinda

Ke, Vincent

Khanjin, Andrea

Kramp, Daryl

Kusendova, Natalia

Lecce, Stephen

MacLeod, Lisa

Martin, Robin

Martow, Gila

McDonell, Jim

McKenna, Jane

McNaughton, Monte

Miller, Norman

Mulroney, Caroline

Nicholls, Rick

Oosterhoff, Sam

Pang, Billy

Park, Lindsey

Parsa, Michael

Phillips, Rod

Piccini, David

Rasheed, Kaleed

Rickford, Greg

Roberts, Jeremy

Romano, Ross

Sabawy, Sheref

Sandhu, Amarjot

Skelly, Donna

Smith, Dave

Smith, Todd

Surma, Kinga

Tangri, Nina

Thanigasalam, Vijay

Thompson, Lisa M.

Tibollo, Michael A.

Triantafilopoulos, Effie J.

Wai, Daisy

Walker, Bill

Yakabuski, John

Yurek, Jeff

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): All those opposed to the motion, as amended, will please rise one at a time and be recognized by the Clerk.

Nays

Andrew, Jill

Armstrong, Teresa J.

Arthur, Ian

Begum, Doly

Bell, Jessica

Berns-McGown, Rima

Bisson, Gilles

Burch, Jeff

Fife, Catherine

Fraser, John

French, Jennifer K.

Gates, Wayne

Gélinas, France

Glover, Chris

Harden, Joel

Hassan, Faisal

Hatfield, Percy

Hillier, Randy

Horwath, Andrea

Hunter, Mitzie

Karpoche, Bhutila

Kernaghan, Terence

Lalonde, Marie-France

Lindo, Laura Mae

Mamakwa, Sol

Mantha, Michael

Miller, Paul

Monteith-Farrell, Judith

Morrison, Suze

Natyshak, Taras

Rakocevic, Tom

Sattler, Peggy

Schreiner, Mike

Shaw, Sandy

Singh, Gurratan

Singh, Sara

Stevens, Jennifer (Jennie)

Stiles, Marit

Tabuns, Peter

Taylor, Monique

Vanthof, John

West, Jamie

Wynne, Kathleen O.

Yarde, Kevin

The Clerk of the Assembly (Mr. Todd Decker): The ayes are 68; the nays are 44.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I declare the motion carried.

Motion, as amended, agreed to.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): This House stands in recess until 3 p.m.

The House recessed from 1159 to 1500.

Introduction of Visitors

Mrs. Amy Fee: I’d like to welcome someone who is actually just arriving to Queen’s Park now. He is the best friend since childhood of my legislative assistant, Brandon Crandall. His name is Dovi Lipton and he’s actually visiting from Israel. He’s happy to come here today and get to see our Parliament. I’d like to welcome again Dovi Lipton to the Legislature today.

M me France Gélinas: I would like to introduce Denise Magi, who is the president of the Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Association of Ontario, better known as MEAO. As well, members of the Task Force on Environmental Health: Adrianna Tetley, who is the CEO of Alliance for Healthier Communities, and Keith Deviney, the former CEO of MEAO. They are making their way to Queen’s Park, to the gallery. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Members’ Statements

Gasoline prices

Mr. Gilles Bisson: Mr. Speaker, all of us, unfortunately, are in a situation where we have to drive to get where we have to go—for most of us in this chamber, and for people in our ridings, especially if you live in rural or northern Ontario, where you don’t have transit the way you do in the city of Toronto to get from point A to point B.

Imagine the frustration, Mr. Speaker, when people look at the price of gas, where, within a 45-day period, we went from 95 cents a litre to $1.47. Clearly, something is going on at the pumps. The Premier can play this game of trying to blame everything on the carbon tax. Yes, 4.4 cents is real, but 4.4 cents is not the big part of the problem here.

How do you explain that at the gas pumps in Timmins, as across Ontario, you have a price differential that goes from 95 cents a litre to $1.47 a litre without the price of the barrel going up? Clearly people are being gouged at the pumps. Clearly this is profit-taking on the part of gas companies that are saying to themselves, “We can gouge the market.” You’ve got a Ford government that is playing this fake game of trying to blame everything on carbon pricing rather than doing their job and protecting the consumer.

If we can sell a case of beer in Cornwall for the same price we sell a case of beer for in Kenora, if we can sell milk or we can transport natural gas and sell it at a competitive price from one end of the province to the other, certainly we can do the same here in Ontario when it comes to gas. I say to the government, call the NDP gas price regulation bill to committee. Let’s hear from the experts and let’s once and for all do something to protect consumers and do something real when it comes to consumer protection.

Jason Helmond

Ms. Andrea Khanjin: I wanted to update this House on Jason Helmond’s achievements. As you may recall, I had Jason come visit this Legislature. He’s a Special Olympian, both in Summer and Winter Olympics. We did a statement to recognize him for all his efforts in this House.

But I have an update for everyone. Jason had organized his Razors of Hope event this past weekend that I attended with the member from Barrie–Springwater–Oro-Medonte. Jason’s Razors of Hope is a fundraiser for the Terry Fox Foundation in Barrie.

His original goal was to fundraise about $5,000. Mr. Speaker, he went above and beyond his goal. He fundraised $5,400, and his head is a little lighter from the shave that he received from community members, and many other communities had joined them. They’re feeling a little lighter on the top of their heads, but it’s for a very good cause.

I did want to congratulate Jason, who now, over the past four years, has fundraised over $18,000 for the Terry Fox Foundation. Thank you, Jason.

Research and innovation

Ms. Catherine Fife: The Ford government has established a pattern. When making policy decisions, they willfully ignore sound evidence and research. Now they have gone so far that they have cut funding for organizations that drive research and innovation.

Yesterday, funding for the Ontario Institute for Regenerative Medicine was cut. Their work put Ontario on the leading edge of stem cell research, attracting high-quality researchers who are producing life-saving work. One of their most promising projects was working to prevent lung damage in premature babies. To add insult to injury, their funding was cut before they could even finish conducting a review of their return on investment as a research institution.

Funding has also been cut to the Mowat Centre, which provided research and analysis on public policy. Ironically, they were doing good enough work that the government cited them in their own budget.

Last week, Communitech in Kitchener-Waterloo laid off 15 people after the government cut their funding by 30%. They support 1,400 companies and have helped establish Waterloo region as a global innovation leader. For every public dollar invested in Communitech, 22 are returned to the economy.

From growing our tech sector to stem cell research to public policy, these organizations were producing results. Yet the Ford government still gave them the axe, because with Fordian logic, if the source of the facts is eliminated, the facts don’t exist, leaving policy decisions to be made based on feelings or the desires of the Premier’s friends.

It’s a dark day in Ontario when facts are so callously disregarded. This is definitely not for the people.

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Association of Ontario

Ms. Natalia Kusendova: It is my pleasure today to welcome the Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Association of Ontario, or MEAO, to Queen’s Park for their advocacy day.

For 28 years, MEAO has been at the forefront of educating Ontarians and front-line care providers, advocating on behalf of and supporting Ontarians living with chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia and environmental sensitivities.

As a nurse and as an MPP, I have come to appreciate and value the important role of patient advocacy organizations such as MEAO in improving the health and well-being of Ontarians. Today I want to reiterate our government’s commitment to work with MEAO to ensure no Ontarians feel like their government isn’t taking their medical issues seriously.

To that end, our government today released the final report of the Task Force on Environmental Health. We will work to shine a light on these challenges and advance real, meaningful solutions as part of our work to build a health care system that truly works for the people of Ontario and is centred around the patient.

Thank you again to everyone involved in MEAO for your tireless advocacy on behalf of Ontarians living with chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia and environmental sensitivities. I hope you will continue this important work.

Public health

Mr. Wayne Gates: I’d like to rise today and talk about the merging of the Niagara public health board with four other communities, including Hamilton. Make no mistake about it: This is a cut. The government is downloading the cost of public health to our municipalities by reducing the funding formula. In Niagara alone, this means that in the next few weeks public health will likely have to ask the region for $350,000 just to keep the programs afloat. This is Mike Harris all over again—fake a balanced budget by downloading the costs on to towns and cities, which then have to raise property taxes to cover the shortfall.

Instead of cutting people’s public health services or causing their property taxes to skyrocket, why doesn’t this province look at the fact that we have one of the lowest tax rates in the country for major corporations? Why don’t we ask them to pay their fair share, instead of balancing this budget on our health care needs?

I dare the Premier to ask voters: What’s more important, our public health system or ensuring that CEOs make as much profit as possible? I can guess the answer and I hope the Premier can too.

It’s time to prioritize the right things in this province. Stop the cuts, stop the downloads and defend our public health system.

Hike for Hospice

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I recognize the member for Ottawa South on a point of order.

Mr. John Fraser: I seek unanimous consent to do a member’s statement on behalf of my colleague from Thunder Bay–Superior North.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The member for Ottawa South is seeking unanimous consent of the House to deliver a statement now on behalf of the member for Thunder Bay–Superior North. Agreed? Agreed.

Mr. John Fraser: I thank my colleagues for allowing me to take the member’s spot.

I simply want to celebrate Hike for Hospice, which happened in Ottawa last week, in my hometown of Ottawa, to support Hospice Care Ottawa—both hospice sites, as well as their home-visiting teams. It was a great event. Hundreds of families were out there to help support hospices in our community.

Hospice Care Ottawa does an incredible job for families at the most vulnerable time in their lives, and I can’t say enough. They served over 400 families in residential hospice this year, and hundreds and hundreds of other families at home. I can’t say enough about the volunteers and the donors and the staff of the May Court Hospice and our west-end hospice as well. We’re trying to develop one in the east end.

I just wanted to say thank you and celebrate hospice in Ottawa. I appreciate the Speaker’s indulgence.

Switching gears: On another note, it’s at a request—and I will explain this to you sometime later, Mr. Speaker. But I would like to say that, in the end, that’s the best way to make a grilled cheese sandwich.

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

Ontario budget

Mrs. Robin Martin: Protecting what matters most: That is what the people of Ontario sent us to Queen’s Park to do. That’s why we have put forward a responsible approach to restoring sustainability to Ontario’s finances, one that provides and protects critical public services like health care and education, and one that puts an end to the failed fiscal policies of the former Liberal government, who spent $40 million every day more than they had and racked up the largest subnational debt in the world.

The rising interest on our debt—$12 billion a year—amounts to the single largest cut to front-line services in Ontario’s history, and we pay it every year. That’s why we have made much-needed adjustments in this year’s budget and why we expect our partners to do their part as well, becau