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May 31, 2006

38th Parliament, 2nd Session

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Hansard Transcripts

vol. A

Hansard Transcripts

vol. B

Votes and Proceedings

Orders and Notices

Hansard Transcripts 2006-May-31 (PDF)

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO

ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DE L'ONTARIO

Wednesday 31 May 2006 Mercredi 31 mai 2006

MEMBERS' STATEMENTS

MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

ARTS EDUCATION

PHARMACISTS

CANADIAN FEDERATION

OF INDEPENDENT BUSINESS

STRATFORD FESTIVAL /

LE FESTIVAL DE STRATFORD

CANADIAN FEDERATION

OF INDEPENDENT BUSINESS

GREENHOUSE INDUSTRY

CARASSAUGA

SMOKE-FREE ONTARIO

VISITORS

SPECIAL REPORT, OMBUDSMAN

REPORTS BY COMMITTEES

STANDING COMMITTEE ON

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES

INTRODUCTION OF BILLS

EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS

AMENDMENT ACT

(WAGE SECURITY), 2006 /

LOI DE 2006 MODIFIANT LA LOI

SUR LES NORMES D'EMPLOI

(SÉCURITÉ SALARIALE)

VISITORS

MOTIONS

PRIVATE MEMBERS' PUBLIC BUSINESS

HOUSE SITTINGS

STATEMENTS BY THE MINISTRY AND RESPONSES

SMOKE-FREE ONTARIO /

UN ONTARIO SANS FUMÉE

SENIORS' MONTH

SMOKE-FREE ONTARIO

SENIORS' MONTH

SMOKE-FREE ONTARIO

SENIORS' MONTH

VISITEURS /

VISITORS

FRED BURR

ORAL QUESTIONS

ELECTRICITY SUPPLY

ENERGY CONSERVATION

ONTARIO DISABILITY

SUPPORT PROGRAM

NATIVE LAND DISPUTE

EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS

SMOKE-FREE ONTARIO

NATIVE LAND DISPUTE

EDUCATION FUNDING

EMPLOYMENT SUPPORTS

PHARMACISTS

ARTS AND CULTURAL FUNDING

SERVICES FOR THE

DEVELOPMENTALLY DISABLED

PETITIONS

FREDERICK BANTING HOMESTEAD

TRADE DEVELOPMENT

HIGHWAY 35

TRADE DEVELOPMENT

LONG-TERM CARE

CONVENIENCE STORES

TRADE DEVELOPMENT

HIGHWAY 26

OPPOSITION DAY

PROVINCIAL PURCHASING POLICY /

POLITIQUE D'ACHAT PROVINCIALE

The House met at 1330.

Prayers.

MEMBERS' STATEMENTS

MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

Mr. Toby Barrett (Haldimand-Norfolk-Brant): While this provincial government allowed the dispute in Caledonia/Six Nations to spiral out of

control, young athletes have become collateral damage. The Six Nations Minor Baseball Association reports that athletes as young as five are missing out on their summer pastime as opposing teams

are unwilling to show up.

As well, in a letter sent to coaches in the Haldimand Erie League, we read, "I know many people from both Six Nations and Caledonia are very upset about the way

that this is affecting the relationship we have built up over the years. I would hope that all coaches would encourage their teams to participate and show some good sportsmanship." I certainly

agree with that.

I've been receiving e-mails from people on all sides of this dispute, and I quote: "Six Nations has produced a lot of elite native athletes.... This is a time

when elite athletes, native and non-native, could take a stand to promote good sportsmanship."

Nearly four years ago, I reported in the House that 180 athletes from Six Nations joined 6,500 other aboriginal athletes and coaches from across North America

for the Indigenous Games. Things aren't quite so rosy right now, and the lack of leadership from the McGuinty government is a fact. I do call on community leaders, coaches and parents from all

sides to rise above, to take a lead in promoting good sportsmanship and healthy competition among all athletes.

ARTS EDUCATION

Mr. Mario G. Racco (Thornhill): The Ontario government, under the leadership of Premier Dalton McGuinty, has invested nearly $25 million to

promote arts education. Arts education is beneficial to students, improving student motivation, better attendance and reduced dropout rates. Arts education fosters tolerance and respect for

diversity and builds self-confidence. Furthermore, the outcomes of arts education -- creativity, imagination, innovation and originality -- are among the most important resources for economic

prosperity in the 21st century.

Youth involvement in the arts is alive and well in my riding of Thornhill and Concord. The positive effects of arts education can be highlighted by the recent

success of the St. Elizabeth Catholic High School band. They won first place at the Kiwanis Music Festival in February and qualified for MusicFest Canada, a national competition in Ottawa, and

achieved silver standard at the intermediate level. Mr. John Lettieri, director of the school band, says that the members of the band couldn't be happier.

I commend the government of Ontario for investing in the arts so that organizations such as the St. Elizabeth Catholic High School band can continue to enrich

the educational and life experience of all young Ontarians.

PHARMACISTS

Mrs. Elizabeth Witmer (Kitchener-Waterloo): Today, a grassroots organization, the Coalition of Ontario Pharmacy, representing pharmacists,

health groups and patients, held a rally attended by several hundred people from across Ontario to urge the Liberal McGuinty government to fix Bill 102, the Transparent Drug System for Patients

Act. As currently drafted, the bill puts community pharmacy at risk and, as a result, the health and welfare of patients. Despite the fact that this group represents over 80% of pharmacy in

Ontario, Minister Smitherman has refused to meet with them. So much for consultation or transparency.

People from across Ontario gathered today to express concern that if Bill 102 passes in its current form, some pharmacies will close, there will be a reduction

value of the important services that patients rely on every day and trust their pharmacist to deliver.

These pharmacists and patient and health groups came to Queen's Park today because they care about their patients, and they believe Bill 102 puts patient care at

risk. Let's hope the McGuinty government also shows that they care about patients and brings in amendments to put patients first.

CANADIAN FEDERATION

OF INDEPENDENT BUSINESS

Mr. Michael Prue (Beaches-East York): Today I rise to talk about the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, which are here today in the

Legislature to meet members of the provincial Legislature. Today is their 35th anniversary, and that's 35 years that they have been acting on behalf of their members and on behalf of the people of

this country and this province.

It is a very diverse group that I met today, and in fact, the CFIB is a very diverse group in and of itself. They make up people from all walks of business. They

can be restaurateurs, they can be manufacturers, they can be importers/exporters -- literally anywhere that business can take people, the members will find themselves in the CFIB.

They do wonderful work on behalf of their members. They're constantly doing surveys to find what their members think. They do analysis and present that analysis

to all levels of government, including this one. They lobby on behalf of their members to make sure that politicians at all levels understand the needs of small and independent business. They are

instrumental to new opportunities for development and growth. They are champions, I believe with all my heart, of tax reform and of the important contribution their many members make to the

everyday life of Canadian society. Without them, it would be very difficult to organize and to have new jobs and new opportunities for people to work.

I salute them, and on behalf of the New Democratic Party we guarantee that we'll continue to work with them in the good work they do in our province.

STRATFORD FESTIVAL /

LE FESTIVAL DE STRATFORD

Mr. John Wilkinson (Perth-Middlesex): Monday night, all the drama was on our world-famous Festival stage as the 54th season of the Stratford

Festival launched with a wonderful production of Coriolanus, one of Shakespeare's great tragedies. I was delighted to be joined by Ontario's new Minister of Culture, the Honourable Caroline Di

Cocco.

Coriolanus is an exciting production, featuring two of the finest Shakespearean actors in the world, Canada's own Colm Feore and Martha Henry.

Drawing audiences of more than 600,000 each year, the Stratford Festival, Ontario's third most popular tourist attraction, runs this season from April to

November. This year's season features a wonderful array of 15 productions, including four by Shakespeare offered at four theatres.

Le gouvernement McGuinty soutient le tourisme culturel et les arts. J'ai eu beaucoup de plaisir à me joindre à la ministre Di Cocco pour annoncer que

le gouvernement accordait un financement spécial de 105 000 $ à la production canadienne de Don Juan, de Molière, du Festival de Stratford.

ans. Ce financement sera également utilisé pour encourager un nouveau partenariat de créativité entre le Festival de Stratford et le Théâtre du Nouveau Monde de

Montréal.

I invite all members and their constituents to visit the Stratford Festival of Canada this season, and I stand ready to assist them. Finally, I commend artistic

director Richard Monette, executive director Antoni Cimolino and the entire festival family for creating yet another wonderful season.

CANADIAN FEDERATION

OF INDEPENDENT BUSINESS

Mr. Ted Chudleigh (Halton): Since 1971, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business has been a big voice for small business all across

Canada, including the CFIB's 42,000 members here in Ontario.

This organization began in 1971, after the Benson budget came down and did a lot of disservice to independent business people. John Bullock, a son of a tailor in

Toronto, organized the Canadian Federation of Independent Business and was involved with it for many years. It's now being run by Catherine Swift.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business is a diverse organization speaking on behalf of its small business members from different sectors and communities

across all of Ontario. I know that all members of this Legislature are aware of the tremendous work the CFIB staff undertake in keeping us aware of their members' concerns and interests through

research and reports such as regular mandate surveys, the Quarterly Business Barometer and presentations to various standing committees, as well as the CFIB's comprehensive website.

Our leader, John Tory, and members of the Progressive Conservative caucus look forward to working with the Canadian Federation of Independent Business to ensure

the continued growth and success of small business in Ontario. Congratulations on your 35th anniversary of providing a voice for Ontario's economic engine: small and medium-sized enterprises and

the source of over 80% of jobs in this province. Congratulations on your history. Keep up the good work for the future.

GREENHOUSE INDUSTRY

Mr. Bruce Crozier (Essex): I would like to welcome members of the Ontario Greenhouse Alliance, who are visiting us at the Legislature today.

Formed in 2003, the alliance represents the largest cluster of greenhouse production in North America, and it's located right here in Ontario.

The greenhouse industry contributes $4 billion per year to our province's economy. In Ontario there are over 1,200 greenhouse operations, most of which are

concentrated in and around the ridings of Essex and Chatham-Kent Essex and the Niagara region.

Greenhouse operations in Ontario employ more than 19,000 people, with over 19 million square metres of greenhouses, bringing substantial benefit to rural

economies.

The greenhouse industry is an export-driven industry, which contributes $1.2 billion a year to Ontario's exports. Their competitive efficiency takes on the world

marketplace and brings millions of new dollars into the Ontario economy, evidenced by the fact that it's one of the few sectors of agriculture to experience consistent, positive growth over the

past decade.

Again, I welcome the Ontario Greenhouse Alliance to Queen's Park today, and remind members to stop by the legislative dining room this afternoon to meet some of

their members and pick up a sample of their delicious vegetables and beautiful plants.

CARASSAUGA

Mr. Peter Fonseca (Mississauga East): It is with great pride that I rise in the House today to speak about one of Mississauga's cultural

institutions.

Every year, the city of Mississauga comes together to celebrate its diversity through Carassauga, Mississauga's festival of cultures. This event took place over

the course of this past weekend, May 26 through 29.

This year there were 25 different countries represented at Carassauga, with cultural pavilions being held not only in my riding of Mississauga East, but across

the fine city of Mississauga.

Pavilions feature a variety of activities to share the culture of their country of origin, including music, food, art, fashion shows, dance, storytelling,

humorous skits and games. Visitors can purchase a Carassauga passport and visit the numerous pavilions, travelling through the world's cultures without ever leaving Mississauga.

This government recognizes that this province's rich strength is drawn from its rich diversity. Events such as Carassauga allow Ontarians of diverse backgrounds

to celebrate their heritage and share it with others.

This year is Carassauga's 21st anniversary. I'd like to take a moment to commend and thank all the people that have volunteered or sponsored the event over the

past two decades. Their tireless efforts and dedication have allowed generations of Mississaugans and Ontarians to learn about the culture and traditions of our global neighbours.

SMOKE-FREE ONTARIO

Ms. Deborah Matthews (London North Centre): I'm proud to speak in the House today on the first day of a smoke-free Ontario.

This past Monday, I had the honour of presenting smoke-free awards at a ceremony at the Middlesex-London Health Unit, a ceremony that reaffirmed this

government's commitment to having healthier people in a healthier province.

At the health unit in my riding of London North Centre, I presented a team of volunteers with the Heather Crowe Award and the Smoke Free Champions Award.

It was a especially meaningful for me to present the awards one week after the award's namesake, Heather Crowe, passed away. Ms. Crowe was a trailblazing

advocate for non-smoking and I'm sure she would be pleased to see her life's work continue today.

When I heard about the award nominations earlier in the year, my first thought was to nominate the technical implementation program for their work. I want to

recognize the program's leadership and their tireless efforts that informed the city of London's anti-smoking bylaws. Thanks to the local-level and grassroots work of people like Heather Crowe

Award winners Mary Lou Albanese, Patricia Coderre, Jon Coughlin, Dr. Stanley Hill, Harvey Katz, Don Lowry, Scott Mead, Frank Stilson, Rosemary Dickinson and Dr. Graham Pollett, we're breathing

easier in a smoke-free Ontario today.

I'd also like to welcome a smoke-free champion, Janet McAlistair, to the Legislature today.

VISITORS

Hon. Harinder S. Takhar (Minister of Small Business and Entrepreneurship): On a point of order, Mr. Speaker: It is my pleasure to ask members of

the Legislature to join me in congratulating the Canadian Federation of Independent Business on their 35th anniversary and to welcome Judith Andrew, Ontario vice-president, Catherine Swift,

Canadian president, and their colleagues from all over Canada. I had the pleasure of joining them for lunch today and I want to congratulate them for their tremendous work.

SPECIAL REPORT, OMBUDSMAN

The Speaker (Hon. Michael A. Brown): I beg to inform the House that I have laid upon the table a report of the Ombudsman of Ontario made

pursuant to

section 21 of the Ombudsman Act relating to the Ontario disability support program's disability adjudication unit.

REPORTS BY COMMITTEES

STANDING COMMITTEE ON

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES

The Speaker (Hon. Michael A. Brown): I beg to inform the House that today the Clerk received the report on intended appointments dated May 31,

2006, of the standing committee on government agencies. Pursuant to standing order 106(e)9, the report is deemed to be adopted by the House.

INTRODUCTION OF BILLS

Mr. Peter Tabuns (Toronto-Danforth): With the consent of the House, I would like to introduce a bill on behalf of the member for Niagara Centre,

Mr. Kormos.

The Speaker (Hon. Michael A. Brown): Mr. Tabuns has asked for unanimous consent to present a bill to the House on behalf of the member for

Niagara Centre. Agreed? Agreed.

EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS

AMENDMENT ACT

(WAGE SECURITY), 2006 /

LOI DE 2006 MODIFIANT LA LOI

SUR LES NORMES D'EMPLOI

(SÉCURITÉ SALARIALE)

Mr. Tabuns, on behalf of Mr. Kormos, moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill 119,

An Act to amend the Employment Standards Act, 2000 to provide for an Employee Wage Security Program / Projet de loi 119, Loi modifiant la Loi de 2000

sur les normes d'emploi afin d'établir un programme de sécurité salariale des employés.

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

The member may wish to make a brief statement.

Mr. Peter Tabuns (Toronto-Danforth): The intention of the bill is to provide replacement wages for those workers who have been denied their

wages by an employer who has failed to live up to his commitments.

VISITORS

Ms. Judy Marsales (Hamilton West): On a point of order, Mr. Speaker: I'd like to welcome, in the members' gallery, Mr. David Shuttleworth, who

is an advocate for Hamilton and a Hamiltonian as well as a radio personality with one of our local stations, K-Lite FM.

MOTIONS

PRIVATE MEMBERS' PUBLIC BUSINESS

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

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

The Speaker (Hon. Michael A. Brown): Mr. Bradley has asked for unanimous consent to put forward a motion without notice regarding private

members' public business. Agreed? Agreed.

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

public business: Mr. Bisson and Mr. Prue exchange places in order of precedence such that Mr. Bisson assumes ballot item 57 and Mr. Prue assumes ballot item 42, and that, pursuant to standing order

96(g), notice be waived for ballot item 42.

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

HOUSE SITTINGS

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

order 9(c)(i), the House shall meet from 6:45 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 31, 2006, for the purpose of considering government business.

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

All in favour will say "aye."

All opposed will say "nay."

In my opinion, the ayes have it.

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

The division bells rang from 1355 to 1400.

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

Ayes

Arnott, Ted

Arthurs, Wayne

Balkissoon, Bas

Barrett, Toby

Bartolucci, Rick

Bentley, Christopher

Berardinetti, Lorenzo

Bountrogianni, Marie

Bradley, James J.

Broten, Laurel C.

Cansfield, Donna H.

Caplan, David

Chambers, Mary Anne V.

Colle, Mike

Crozier, Bruce

Delaney, Bob

Di Cocco, Caroline

Dombrowsky, Leona

Duguid, Brad

Elliott, Christine

Flynn, Kevin Daniel

Fonseca, Peter

Gerretsen, John

Gravelle, Michael

Hardeman, Ernie

Hoy, Pat

Jeffrey, Linda

Kwinter, Monte

Levac, Dave

MacLeod, Lisa

Marsales, Judy

Martiniuk, Gerry

Matthews, Deborah

McMeekin, Ted

McNeely, Phil

Milloy, John

Mitchell, Carol

Munro, Julia

O'Toole, John

Orazietti, David

Parsons, Ernie

Patten, Richard

Phillips, Gerry

Pupatello, Sandra

Qaadri, Shafiq

Racco, Mario G.

Ramal, Khalil

Ramsay, David

Runciman, Robert W.

Ruprecht, Tony

Sandals, Liz

Sergio, Mario

Smitherman, George

Sorbara, Gregory S.

Sterling, Norman W.

Takhar, Harinder S.

Van Bommel, Maria

Watson, Jim

Wilkinson, John

Witmer, Elizabeth

Wong, Tony C.

Wynne, Kathleen O.

Zimmer, David

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

Nays

Bisson, Gilles

Horwath, Andrea

Marchese, Rosario

Martel, Shelley

Prue, Michael

Tabuns, Peter

The Clerk of the Assembly (Mr. Claude L. DesRosiers): The ayes are 63; the nays are 6.

The Speaker: I declare the motion carried.

STATEMENTS BY THE MINISTRY AND RESPONSES

SMOKE-FREE ONTARIO /

UN ONTARIO SANS FUMÉE

The Speaker (Hon. Michael A. Brown): The Minister of Health Promotion.

Applause.

Hon. Jim Watson (Minister of Health Promotion): Thank you -- a one-man standing ovation.

Welcome to a smoke-free Ontario in the province of Ontario.

I rise in the House today to bring to the attention of all members that the Smoke-Free Ontario Act came into full effect at 12:01 a.m. this morning. It is very

appropriate that this landmark piece of legislation should come into force today, the World Health Organization's World No Tobacco Day.

This legislation is the culmination of decades of work by volunteers and organizations who dedicated their efforts to raising awareness of the dangers relating

to second-hand smoke.

Allow me to take a moment to thank the Honourable George Smitherman, who first introduced this piece of legislation a year and a half ago, and also Premier

McGuinty, who ensured that this particular issue was raised in the last provincial election campaign. He was very clear, he stood on principle, he stood his ground, and we have the Smoke-Free

Ontario Act because of Dalton McGuinty's leadership.

I also want to pay tribute to the many municipalities, municipal councillors, reeves, and mayors who over the years put forward their own no-smoking bylaws and

ordinances in communities around the province.

Earlier today, on the lawn of the Legislature, our partners in a smoke-free Ontario brought their volunteers in from across the province, schoolchildren came

to help us celebrate, and long-time advocates joined us to mark the day that their dedicated efforts brought about real change in Ontario.

The Smoke-Free Ontario Act is a landmark piece of legislation that protects workers and the public from the harmful effects of tobacco by banning smoking in

enclosed public places and enclosed workplaces. It also strengthens laws on tobacco sales to minors and restricts the display of tobacco products in retail outlets.

We will see a complete ban on the retail display of tobacco products on May 31, 2008 -- the so-called power walls. I want to congratulate the honourable member

from Ottawa-Orléans. It has now become the McNeely amendment as a result of making sure those power walls are going to be eliminated in 2008. This new law will make a positive and progressive

difference in the health of all Ontarians.

Cette loi était nécessaire. La cigarette nuit à presque tous les organes corporels. L'usage du tabac --

Mr. Norman W. Sterling (Lanark-Carleton): On a point of order, Mr. Speaker: From time to time, ministers wander from statements that they are

required to provide members of the opposition. Members of the opposition allow that to happen if it doesn't happen on a very frequent basis. However, this minister insists on politicizing his

minister's statement by glad-handing other members of his caucus and other ministers with regard to what they did. None of this is in the statement which the minister has provided to the opposition

The Speaker: I want to thank the member for his point of order; it is a point of order. The Speaker does not have the benefit of knowing what

is in a ministerial statement, but ministers need to follow the text that has been provided.

Minister.

Hon. Mr. Watson: I was about to get to the part where I congratulate Norm Sterling, so I'll have to leave that out.

Interjections.

The Speaker: Order. I just reminded the minister that he needs to keep to the text of the statement that has been provided to the

opposition.

Minister.

L'hon. M. Watson: Monsieur le Président, l'usage du tabac est la première cause de décès évitables en Ontario. Chaque

année, le tabac tue 16 000 personnes en Ontario. Il s'agit d'un décès toutes les 30 minutes.

Smoking also burdens the province economically. The cost to our local health care system is at least $1.7 billion annually, and lost productivity due to

tobacco-related illness accounts for a further $2.6-billion loss for the economy.

When we ran for office in 2003, we made a commitment to Ontario that we would reduce tobacco consumption by 20% and make all workplaces and public places

smoke-free. Our 20% target is within reach. Consumption rates, I'm pleased to report, have already dropped by about 10% since 2003.

This act goes a long way to making Ontario a healthier place to live, work and raise a family, but it's only one part of our smoke-free strategy, which is

amongst the toughest, most far-reaching and most comprehensive tobacco control strategies in North America. Like every jurisdiction that has taken this issue seriously, we have implemented the

three pillars of an effective strategy: preventing youth from starting to smoke; protecting everyone from the negative effects of second-hand smoke; and helping smokers who wish to quit to achieve

their goal.

Recently, our government increased funding for our smoke-free strategy for 2006-07 by $10 million, for an annual investment of $60 million. Since we took

office, provincial support for tobacco control has increased sixfold. These investments will ensure that we have the capacity to enforce the smoke-free Ontario legislation. That is why we are

increasing spending on enforcement to $15.2 million.

We continue to encourage young people to not smoke. Again, so far, we have seen encouraging figures. Fully 67% of high-school-age students report that they've

never even tried a cigarette; that's up 10% from just a year ago. If you don't try it, you can't get addicted; it's as simple as that. So we are adding $3.3 million to our investment in local

peer-based efforts by youth in their communities, bringing the total investment to $8.8 million.

In fact, I was in A.Y. Jackson school yesterday, in Mr. Sterling's riding, listening to some of those young people speak about the good work they're doing in

that community. We are also maintaining those parts of our program -- public education, quitting support and other youth-based initiatives -- that have proven successful in reducing smoking.

Avec le ministère de la Promotion de la santé, ce gouvernement fournit un centre de référence pour le secteur des soins de santé, y

compris nos partenaires du secteur privé, afin d'empêcher les jeunes de commencer à fumer, d'encourager les fumeurs à arrêter, et d'aider ceux qui essaient d'arrêter

de fumer à réussir.

In conclusion, we all have a role to play in reducing smoking rates and improving the health of Ontarians, and I'm proud to say that this government is doing

its part.

Finally, I'm sad to note that one of the driving forces behind the Smoke-Free Ontario Act will not have the satisfaction of seeing it come into effect. Heather

Crowe, as many of you know, passed away a little over a week ago of lung cancer. Heather contracted her cancer as a result of working for 40 years in smoke-filled restaurants. Her courageous battle

to educate people about the dangers of second-hand smoke inspired this government to take action.

I'd like to ask this House for unanimous consent -- and I believe discussions have taken place -- to declare today, May 31, 2006, Heather Crowe Day in the

province of Ontario.

The Speaker: Mr. Watson has asked for unanimous consent to declare today, May 31, Heather Crowe Day. Agreed? Agreed.

SENIORS' MONTH

Hon. James J. Bradley (Minister of Tourism, minister responsible for seniors, Government House Leader): I rise in the House today to mark an

annual month-long tradition here in Ontario: Seniors' Month. For more than 20 years now, June is known as Seniors' Month, and communities across the province have hosted award ceremonies,

information fairs, seminars and socials to honour older Ontarians. Mayors and reeves draft proclamations. Seniors' organizations roll out the community welcome mat. Members host or attend seniors'

events in their own communities. Seniors' Month is our collective way of giving back, of acknowledging and thanking seniors for their tremendous contributions to their families, their communities

and our great province.

I also have a message for Ontario seniors. To them I say, embrace the theme of Seniors' Month: active living; healthy living. Keeping healthy and fit is the

key to maintaining a high quality of life as we age. It's never too late to start. Take a fitness class; join a walking club; plant a garden; volunteer.

Staying active is what more people are doing in their senior years. In a recent 10-kilometre run in Toronto, 35 seniors participated. One of them crossed the

finish line in 40 minutes, 40 seconds. What is inspiring is that this person's time was better than many of the other participants who were 20 years younger. Of course, seniors do not have to run

to live a healthy life. What is important is to stay active and involved.

There are about 1.5 million seniors in Ontario today. That number is expected to double to 3.2 million in the next 20 years. While many Ontarians will remain

strong, healthy and independent throughout their later years, others will need services to assist them. Our government is working on many levels to support seniors. We have increased the number of

cataract surgeries by 16%, increased hip and knee replacement surgeries by 28%, passed legislation ending mandatory retirement, and invested an additional $155 million in new funding this year for

long-term-care homes, bringing the overall budget to $2.84 billion for the fiscal year 2006-07.

To help communities promote Seniors' Month, each year we develop promotional materials, including a poster. To reach out to seniors from many cultural

communities for the first time, the poster is available in 19 languages, including languages such as Arabic, Chinese, Vietnamese, Cree and Hindi.

In closing, I encourage all Ontarians to reach out to an older relative, neighbour, friend or colleague and thank them for making Ontario one of the best

places in the world in which to live.

SMOKE-FREE ONTARIO

Mr. Norman W. Sterling (Lanark-Carleton): In response to the minister's statement regarding the Smoke-Free Ontario Act, I want to reiterate

once again our caucus support for the goal of this legislation. I am proud to have been the first elected official in Canada to have presented a bill to protect workers and the public from

second-hand smoke, in 1985, 21 years ago. Six other bills followed this particular act to push the then government to real action.

We do not, however, condone this government's treatment of people who are afflicted with this terrible addiction. We believe the same results could have been

achieved without trying to make smokers social pariahs. We believe that some accommodation should have been made for our veterans and the elderly who cannot stop smoking. Retirement and

long-term-care facilities that house our elderly should be given capital assistance to provide separately ventilated rooms for the residents who smoke.

We also believe that law-abiding business people who invested money in order to comply with the requirements of earlier municipal bylaws should be compensated

for their losses.

We believe that as long as tobacco is a legal product, governments must be fair to those who produce, sell or use this terribly addictive substance. This

government could have achieved the same results by being fair and accommodating to those who are affected by the decline and, hopefully, the demise of this product. This is the right result, but it

has been done with little compassion or understanding for those who are affected.

On behalf of the PC caucus and our leader, John Tory, I also want to pay tribute to Heather Crowe for her efforts to protect workers from second-hand smoke in

the workplace. As we all know, on May 22, Heather died of lung cancer that she got from breathing second-hand smoke in the restaurants where she worked. She was only 61 years old. Heather Crowe is

a hero because she took a personal tragedy and used it to improve our society for everyone to follow. On behalf of our caucus, I want to express our condolences and sympathies to Heather's

daughter, Patricia, her granddaughter, Jodie Ann, and her six brothers and sisters. I want to let them know just how proud they should be of their mother, grandmother and sister. She made a

positive difference in the world. That is something that I believe we should all strive for in our lives.

SENIORS' MONTH

Ms. Lisa MacLeod (Nepean-Carleton): Today I'm delighted to recognize Seniors' Month on behalf of the PC Party of Ontario and our leader, John

Tory. As the youngest member of this Legislature, I think it is fitting that I'm able to speak to Ontario's many seniors today and thank them on behalf of my generation for building a strong and

vibrant province that makes us proud to call home.

Last week, in my own community of Nepean-Carleton, I was honorary chair of the annual Nepean Seniors' Walk for Independence, where hundreds of seniors

celebrated their contributions to our province while also creating awareness for their cause, which is to ensure that seniors are able to live as independently as possible, with the supports they

need.

Throughout Ontario there are other organizations, like Nepean Seniors' Home Support, that strive to make life easier for our seniors. They offer programs like

Meals on Wheels, grocery delivery, respite care, breakfast clubs and transportation to doctors' appointments, among others. These organizations value the great work seniors in Ontario have done,

whether it was their work on the farm, their foresight in building our institutions or their ardent defence of our freedom during both world wars.

These institutions, like me and my caucus colleagues, believe our seniors deserve the respect they have so dutifully and rightfully earned; yet when it comes

to seniors, the record of the McGuinty Liberals is absolutely shameful. Just two weeks ago, 21 members of the McGuinty Liberal caucus stood in this House and voted against my resolution calling for

the elimination of the illegitimate health tax on seniors -- the Liberal broken-promise health tax. Not one of them had the courage of their convictions to stand with us on this side of the House

to properly thank our seniors. That's how the Liberals thank seniors.

During the 2003 campaign, the McGuinty Liberals promised $6,000 in care for every resident in a long-term-care home. The result? We have a bunch of people

running around these homes counting how many seniors are falling down, but there's nobody around to pick the seniors up off the floor. That's how the Liberal government thanks --

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

Interjections.

The Speaker: Order. I can wait.

SMOKE-FREE ONTARIO

Ms. Shelley Martel (Nickel Belt): In response to the statement made by the Minister of Health Promotion, I'm reminded that, long before Bill

164 ever saw the light of day, the city of greater Sudbury, in conjunction with the Sudbury and District Health Unit, many health care professionals and many health-care-related organizations and

agencies, passed the necessary bylaw to go 100% smoke-free in community workplaces and public spaces. I was pleased to be at Tom Davies Square on the day the bylaw was passed to demonstrate my

support for all those who had worked so hard to get to this point and to congratulate them on their vision and determination.

The city of greater Sudbury wasn't the only municipality that did this kind of work. Many municipalities had a gold standard with respect to a smoke-free bylaw

in place and passed long before Bill 164 was ever tabled. So, in many respects, it was those many municipalities in Ontario that really led the way in convincing their own public of the dangers of

second-hand smoke and in passing the necessary bylaws to have 100% smoke-free workplaces and smoke-free public places, and I congratulate those many municipalities.

However, the government missed a golden opportunity in Bill 164 to really prevent youth from starting to smoke in the first place. We heard time and time again

during the course of the public hearings from health care professionals, from health units, from health organizations, from young people themselves, that behind-the-counter displays of cigarettes

had to be banned as soon as possible. Young people said that seeing row upon row of cigarettes behind the counter or on the counter in their local retail store made smoking seem normal, made

smoking seem okay, and the retail displays had to be reduced because that was the single biggest factor in enticing them to smoke in the first place.

That's why, during the committee, I moved an amendment on behalf of the NDP to ban countertop and behind-the-counter retail displays of tobacco products by

today, May 31, 2006. It is regrettable that the Liberal members on the committee voted against that amendment, because that would have put into place the very election promise they made. No one

suspected, when the Liberals said they would ban countertop displays, that that meant in 2008. People believed that that would come as part of a package when the whole bill was passed.

The Liberals' delay in banning countertop displays of cigarettes in retail stores will mean that thousands and thousands of young people will start smoking in

the next two years, will be addicted to cigarettes in the next two years and will become the cancer statistics in our province 20 years from now. The government missed a golden opportunity. The

government should have done that. It would have been the single most important thing to do to stop young people from starting to smoke in the first place.

SENIORS' MONTH

Ms. Shelley Martel (Nickel Belt): With respect to the statement made by the minister responsible for seniors, on behalf of New Democrats we

recognize the start of Seniors' Awareness Month. We salute those seniors whose past working lives and volunteer lives have made an enormous contribution to the social and cultural fabric of our

province. We are in debt to these many seniors for their past accomplishments and for the current work they do in so many volunteer organizations, so that the province is richer as a result of

their efforts.

But I would be remiss if I didn't put on the public record a presentation made to the government in October 2005 from the United Senior Citizens of Ontario

Inc., a list of many recommendations for the government to follow with respect to seniors' concerns. I'll just deal with the health ones.

Delisting of services: "The United Senior Citizens of Ontario implore the Ontario government to re-examine these issues."

With respect to P3 hospitals: "The USCO calls on the Premier and his government to immediately put an end to all P3 hospitals in the province of Ontario."

With respect to the health care premium: "The government of Ontario must re-examine this tax. It is wrong, and the USCO strongly urges the government to

withdraw this punitive tax."

With respect to standards of care in long-term-care facilities: "The UCSO speaks out forcefully to the government to set strict guidelines that long-term-care

homes must follow, increasing the number of nursing care hours for each resident to a minimum of 3.5 hours per day and providing stable funding to ensure quality care for all Ontario residents of

long-term-care homes."

I would encourage the government to live up to the election promise that was made -- here it is -- to ensure that residents get more personal care to invest in

better nursing care and provide an additional $6,000 in care for every resident.

VISITEURS /

VISITORS

The Speaker (Hon. Michael A. Brown): On a point of order, the member for Ottawa-Orléans.

M. Phil McNeely (Ottawa-Orléans): Monsieur le Président, je suis heureux de reconnaître en haut, dans la tribune du

Président, deux hommes distingués de ma circonscription d'Ottawa-Orléans : premièrement M. Marc Godbout, ancien député fédéral, et M. Gérald

Poulin, un homme qui a travaillé très fort depuis quelques années pour bâtir Orléans.

M. Gilles Bisson (Timmins-Baie James): Monsieur le Président, je voudrais reconnaître deux collègues de Timmins : M.

Pierre Bélanger, qui est récipiendaire cette année, et M. Sylvain Lacroix, qui était récipiendaire en 2004. Bienvenue.

Hon. David Ramsay (Minister of Natural Resources, minister responsible for aboriginal affairs): I'd like to introduce to the members of the

Legislature today, in the members' east gallery, a very dignified delegation from the town of Cobalt, which everybody knows is the silver capital of the world, and to extend an invitation to

everyone to come to committee room 2 and join the historic mining camp celebration. We have André Bélanger, the mayor of the corporation of the town of Cobalt; Gino Chitaroni, chair of

the Historic Cobalt Corp.; Doug Shearer, project manager of the Historic Cobalt Mining Camp project; Melissa Ruddy, marketing and outreach officer for the Historic Cobalt Mining Camp project; Helen

Culhane, welcome centre manager; and Pat Anderson, committee member.

The Speaker: We have with us in the Speaker's gallery the 2006 recipients of the internationally recognized Ordre de la Pléiade. These

men and women will be honoured today by the Ontario branch for Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie for their outstanding contributions to French-language communities in the province.

The ceremony will be held in the Lieutenant Governor's suite later today.

The recipients are: Pierre Bélanger, Denyse Boulanger Culligan, Christine Dumitriu van Saanen, Gérald Poulin, Bernard Thibodeau and Marc Godbout.

Please join me in welcoming our guests.

FRED BURR

Mr. Howard Hampton (Kenora-Rainy River): I believe we have unanimous consent for a member from each party to speak for up to five minutes in

tribute to Fred Burr, a former member of the Legislature.

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

Mr. Hampton: I think I'm one of the fortunate members here who actually got to know Fred Burr. I was not elected when Fred Burr was a member

of the Legislature, but at that time I used to come over and do some volunteer work for some other members. Fred Burr was, to be very plain about it, the kind of constituency politician that all of

us wish we could be, and he was the kind of thoughtful spokesperson that all of us wish we could be.

It's not very often that a columnist like Norman Webster of the Globe and Mail would write a column just about the work of one backbencher. But in 1974, the

Globe and Mail columnist Norman Webster did just that. It was entitled "An Unusual Politician."

He starts out by saying, "Fred Burr is good for the soul. Every House should have one. Quietly, patiently, with little obvious partisanship, the NDP member

from Windsor pokes around in corners that the big political noses overlook, then asks a question in the Legislature.

"Sometimes the question makes such plain good sense that it seems far out in our damn-the-consequences society. A sampler of Mr. Burr's concerns:

"Why aren't we spending at least a small fraction of the enormous outlays on oil and gas for research into ways to use solar energy?" He asked that question in

Another sample of the questions he asked: "Experiments in Hong Kong indicate acupuncture can help cure heroin addicts. Has anybody here noticed?"

Another question: "Is anybody doing anything about Freon, the inert gas that powers aerosol cans? One million tons of the gas are being released annually and,

rising slowly, may eventually destroy the earth's ozone layer." He was somebody who was probably 20 years ahead of his time.

I wonder how many members of the Legislature can speak Greek and Latin. In fact, Fred Burr spoke Greek and Latin, often spoke Greek and Latin in the

Legislature, and was often quoted.

Sometimes he was a bit embarrassing to some other members. At one time, there was a committee called the land drainage committee. The land drainage committee

decided they were going to hold their next meeting in West Palm Beach, Florida. Fred Burr said no. He couldn't see how the people of Ontario would derive any benefit out of a legislative committee

holding its meetings in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Fred Burr has also established some interesting history. One of the things that he enjoyed doing in his spare time was cross-propagating iris flowers and

creating new varieties. So today, if you go to Coventry garden in England, you'll find a Fred Burr iris; or if you go to the botanical gardens in Hamilton you'll find some of the irises that he

experimented with, or if you go to Florence, Italy -- I wonder how many members of the Legislature had that kind of interest that is being remembered now, internationally around the world.

Fred Burr served in the Legislature from 1967 to 1977. He was noted as being a very quiet individual but, as you can tell from the questions he asked, a very

thoughtful individual; an individual at least 20 years ahead of his time.

Another event he was responsibility for, to the embarrassment of some other members: He sat on a committee and insisted in the committee that smoking should

not happen. When other members of the committee said to him, "Why do you take this approach?" he said that this is "the most intense form of air pollution" that we know of. By simply proposing the

idea, he won the day, again, 30 years ahead of his time.

Members of the Burr family are here with us today, and on behalf of New Democrats, I can say we're very proud that Fred Burr was a member of the New Democratic

caucus. We're very proud of the contribution that he made not only to this Legislature but to Ontario in general, and to some interesting things that are happening now around the world. Fred Burr

was indeed ahead of his time. His thinking was indeed 20 years ahead of his time. We're very proud that someone like that has served in the Ontario Legislature.

Mr. Norman W. Sterling (Lanark-Carleton): On behalf of the Progressive Conservative caucus and our leader John Tory, I'm pleased to rise to

pay tribute to Fred Burr, who died January 17 of this year, just prior to his 95th birthday.

Jim Bradley and I were first elected here in 1977, I did have the pleasure of meeting Fred after the election and was impressed by just how easy he was to

meet, how wonderful he was to talk to. I really did like Fred Burr.

Fred was the NDP MPP for Sandwich-Riverside and Windsor-Riverside from 1967 to 1977. While his tenure in the House wasn't that many years ago, we're still

discussing today many of the issues Mr. Burr raised, as the leader of the third party has pointed out.

The fact that we are paying tribute to Mr. Burr today is very, very fitting, as the leader pointed out. Fred was very much interested in the second-hand-smoke

issue.

Today, the Smoke-free Ontario Act came into force to protect workers from second-hand smoke. On November 24, 1975 -- this was the year the World Health

Organization first recognized that smoking was such a peril to our health -- Fred Burr spoke about the dangers of second-hand smoke, although he referred to it at that time as side-stream

smoke.

In this debate, Mr. Burr went on to describe the toxin levels of side-stream smoke. Then he pitched an idea for an anti-smoking poster. I quote, and this is

from Hansard: "I should like to see a poster designed to show that children need protection. I visualize such a poster as showing a parent, male or female, with an infant in a high chair. Between

them, balanced on the edge of an ashtray, would be a cigarette, burning at rest with its smoke drifting towards the child's face. The baby's thoughts would be shown in some such words as these: `I

wish he would smoke it himself. How long before my cute, pink lungs turn ugly black? Do I need this carbon monoxide? Can my lungs tolerate this cadmium?'"

That's the kind of common sense that Fred Burr continued to put forward as a representative in this House. Mr. Burr brought to this House a great interest in

public welfare. He expressed concerns with, as you heard, a great deal of imagination, and he supported his concerns with strong research. He did what the opposition is intended to do in our

legislative tradition: He raised issues that he felt were important, and time has shown that his sense of what was important was right on target.

Fred Burr came to this place after a long career as a high school teacher at Walkerville Collegiate, where he taught Latin and Greek for 34 years. He was

obviously dedicated to his students because, after his obituary appeared in the Globe and Mail, a former student, now living in Saskatoon, wrote, "He was a teacher's teacher who made Latin and

Greek easy to study and learn." He must have been a really good teacher, Mr. Speaker.

His dedication also extended to his public life. Fred ran in five provincial and federal elections before winning in 1967 by 799 votes. In the next provincial

election, he won by 10,000 votes. According to a story in the Owen Sound Sun Times, Mr. Burr's dedication to our democratic process remained until the end. Before he died, he voted in the advance

poll for the January federal election.

He also passed his dedication on to his late son, David, who served as mayor of Windsor from 1986 to 1988.

I believe that, as MPPs, we could all learn something from Fred Burr. In 1974, he was quoted in the Globe and Mail as saying, "I don't believe in asking

questions just to get publicity. The question should have some potential for correcting a situation or improving a situation or preventing a situation. A question in the House should have some

social value, rather than a political or partisan motivation."

From what I have read, Mr. Burr lived by that and, as a result, he managed to correct or improve various different situations. He made Ontarians more aware of

the environment. Ontario's first Minister of the Environment, the Honourable George Kerr from Burlington, credited Mr. Burr with forcing the creation of the new ministry in 1975.

In 1997, Fred's late wife, Dorothy, told the Toronto Star that her husband had three main accomplishments during his life at Queen's Park. They were persuading

the government to start an organ and tissue donation program, leading the non-smokers' rights movement, and exposing environmental hazards such as mercury in the St. Clair River.

Fred Burr used polite, well-researched questions to raise important issues, and the changes that resulted from his questions are evidence that we don't have to

be partisan or aggressive to succeed. Mr. Burr used his position in the House to improve Ontario, and he did it without compromising his integrity. If every one of us in this House today can have

that said of us when our turn comes to be remembered here, we should be proud.

On behalf of our caucus, I want to extend our heartfelt sympathy to Fred's daughters, Maureen and Sheila. I want to thank them for sharing their dad with us

and all Ontarians.

Hon. James J. Bradley (Minister of Tourism, minister responsible for seniors, Government House Leader): On behalf of the government and

members of the Liberal caucus, I would like to join in paying tribute to Fred Burr for his many years of service to the people of the province of Ontario, particularly those in the ridings he

represented in the Windsor area.

Much has been said, most appropriately and accurately, by our two previous speakers from the New Democratic Party and the Conservative Party about the fact

that Fred Burr was a man ahead of his time, a man who genuinely had an impact on issues confronting us over the years, confronting us even today. Mr. Sterling made reference to a few of those

issues in his remarks.

You think of the fact that this year we've had at least three different bills in the Legislature talking about organ donation. That was not the topic of the

day when Fred Burr was a member of the Ontario Legislature. He was a person ahead of his time on that particular issue.

Most appropriately today, being the day that smoking has ended in Ontario in public places, I remember the early crusaders for no smoking even in designated

areas. They were often ridiculed. They were often dismissed as eccentrics and unrealistic people. Well, Fred Burr wasn't afraid in those days to raise those issues, because he recognized the

terrible impact of tobacco smoking on people in the province and, I think, particularly younger people.

I notice that the police forces across Ontario mention that they were carrying out a crackdown on seat belts. If you said anything about seat belts back in

those days -- it was an infringement upon your freedom to force somebody to wear a seat belt. Today we take it for granted, and I particularly admire young people today who automatically, when they

get into a vehicle, pull on a seat belt. It's a little more difficult for those of us who didn't grow up with that; however, we do it. Again, that would have been considered on the far side in

those days, and really came about as an important issue and something adopted by the government.

As Minister of the Environment, I can think of all the times that I relied upon, and governments relied upon, people who really cared about the environment and

who were prepared to raise issues. Who talked about mercury in the fish in the St. Clair River? Well, it was none other than Fred Burr. I know, when I had the privilege of being environment

minister from 1985 to 1990, what we were talking about: contaminants in the St. Clair River. Everybody has tried to address those issues, but it's because people such as Fred Burr were prepared to

raise those issues -- and his advocacy of solar power and so on.

Whenever one of these days arises when we're paying tribute to somebody, I go to my favourite source, Eric Dowd, who is the dean in the press gallery. He sits

above us, looking down upon us. I was reading one of his columns, and it said the following:

"The first MPP to suggest wind power could help solve Ontario's energy shortage was almost laughed out of the Legislature.

"This is hard to believe now, when turbines to harness wind are sprouting up faster than corn in many areas of the province and are generally acknowledged to

be a useful part of future electricity resources."

He goes on to say that, at the time when he raised this in the Legislature, there was regaling of him, of course. There was laughter out there constantly, and

a lot of ridicule and diminishing of his suggestions. He continued to pursue it, and that's not surprising because, remember, Fred Burr ran six times before he was elected. It reminds me of my good

friend Mel Swart, who ran eight times in the Niagara Peninsula before he was elected. But Fred Burr ran for the CCF twice federally and for the NDP four different times for the Ontario Legislature.

So he was persistent.

I think Mr. Dowd captured, probably most appropriately, what ultimately came about. He said:

"Burr had the last laugh, because he lived to see wind power gain acceptance by later governments of all parties.

"Ontario now has 200 wind turbines and eventually wind will supply at least 10% of its electricity.

"But Ontario still is behind some other jurisdictions, particularly Quebec, in using wind power.

"One lesson" from all of this "is that you shouldn't put all your trust in the smart, young, confident-sounding guys in government. They don't know

everything."

Well, Fred wasn't classified as one of those individuals. He is as described. He was a wonderful member of this Legislature, a great constituency person. His

family, represented here today and perhaps watching and receiving the Hansard from this House, can be justifiably proud of the contribution that he made not only to his own riding but to the people

of this province and this country.

The Speaker: I'd like to thank all members for their kind remarks, and I undertake to see that the family receives copies of today's

Hansard.

ORAL QUESTIONS

ELECTRICITY SUPPLY

Mr. Robert W. Runciman (Leeds-Grenville): I have a question for the Acting Premier. Yesterday, it became glaringly obvious that the McGuinty

government has broken yet another of its key election promises.

Minister, try as you and the Premier might to rid yourself of the promise-breaker label, you just can't seem to be straight with Ontarians when it comes to

promises and commitments, even the new ones you made only a few months ago.

Knowing the electricity supply situation that exists, why did your minister and your Premier continue to promise and re-promise that the coal plants would be

shut down, taking no action to reduce emissions, if you knew full well it was never going to happen?

Hon. Leona Dombrowsky (Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs): I think it is important and I'm happy to have the opportunity to

clarify for the honourable member that our government is absolutely committed to replacing coal. That is a commitment we made and that is a commitment that remains in place. We inherited a mess

from the government he was a part of; there's no question about that. In the last decade, let me remind the honourable member, demand for energy increased in the province by 8.5%, and on your

watch, supply actually decreased by 6.5%. Our government has a plan to keep the lights on and a plan to replace coal.

Mr. Runciman: That's getting to be a pretty tired refrain, your continuing efforts to play Ontarians for fools with one subterfuge after

another. I've asked you a straight question. You refuse to answer. The truth is, Minister, you and your government have done absolutely nothing to clean up Ontario's coal plants. The last scrubbers

to be installed were by the PC government in 2003. So again, you're refusing to be straight with Ontarians about the facts. We've asked your government repeatedly to invest in cleaning them up, and

all we've gotten is pushback about how it would a waste of time and money to invest in plants that are going to be shut down.

Minister, will you commit here today to immediately take action and invest in cleaning up our coal plants with advanced scrubber technology?

Hon. Mrs. Dombrowsky: I would say to the honourable member that when he talks about cleaning up coal, that's like making cigarettes safe, and

we know that's not possible. Our government is committed to replacing coal for the health of Ontarians.

I want to remind the honourable member too that with respect to the scrubbers he talks about, scrubbers don't do anything to remove these carcinogens. They

don't remove arsenic, scrubbers don't remove beryllium, scrubbers don't remove chromium, they don't remove cadmium, and that is what is killing people in the province of Ontario. That is why we are

committed to replacing coal. You're the party that wants to keep coal burning in the province. Our government is committed to the health and well-being of the people of this province, and that is

why we remain committed to replacing coal here.

Mr. Runciman: It's interesting that you hear the minister with her response on probably the worst smog day we've seen in this city in years.

What we really have here is Liberals breaking a promise that's already been broken.

The way Ontarians see it there are only two possible explanations for this promise being made and now being broken twice over. The first explanation is that

your Premier was so out of touch that he never did his homework to find out what everyone else knew already: that this promise was completely unachievable. The second explanation and the most

sinister -- but in light of other broken promises is probably the one that makes the most sense -- is that your Premier knew all along that the coal promise was unachievable, yet he made it anyway

in order to score votes in the last election. That's also known as fraud. Minister, which is it?

The Speaker (Hon. Michael A. Brown): I'd ask the member to withdraw the last phrase.

Mr. Runciman: I respect your request, Mr. Speaker, and withdraw it.

Hon. Mrs. Dombrowsky: Let me remind the honourable member about what we have done so far to keep our commitment to replace coal. We have

already closed Lakeview. We have already reduced the reliance on coal in this province by 17%. We have already reduced mercury emissions by 28%. We've reduced SO 2 emissions by 28%,

NO x by 34% and CO 2 by 15%. Those are real results for the people of Ontario. We have also brought new power online in Ontario, clean, renewable power: 3,000 megawatts of new

power, and 11,000 are in the works. That's far beyond anything you did when you were sitting on this side of the House. We're doing it to save the lives of Ontarians. We're committed to doing

that.

The Speaker: New question.

Mr. Runciman: To the Acting Premier: again, an energy issue. Apparently, the Minister of Energy doesn't have the intestinal fortitude to show

up here today, given the --

The Speaker: We would know that you cannot refer to a member's absence or presence here in the Legislature. I'd ask you to withdraw that.

Mr. Runciman: I withdraw it, sir.

Minister, your coal plant promise is no different from your promise not to raise taxes. Less than two weeks before the 2004 budget, Dalton McGuinty was still

promising that he was not going to raise taxes, knowing full well what his budget already looked like. Since you came to office, you've promised over and over again that you would close these

plants, knowing full well that it couldn't be done on your timeline. There's a big difference between breaking promises, which we know you have no problem doing, and wilfully failing to be straight

with Ontarians.

Minister, could you please explain why your government has continued to claim you were moving forward on this promise when you knew full well that it was not

going to happen?

Hon. Mrs. Dombrowsky: I'm happy to have the opportunity to respond, but I think it's really unfortunate that, when our Minister of Energy is

attending a funeral of a friend, there is a suggestion on the other side of the House that he's somehow not looking to do his job. That is really incredible.

With respect to the commitment of our government, we have been straight with the people of Ontario. I would remind the honourable member that we have told the

people of Ontario, with respect to coal plants, that operating coal plants cost the people of Ontario $4.4 billion. Dollars notwithstanding, let me remind the honourable member as well, because

we're straight with the people of Ontario, that when we keep coal plants open -- I know that the members of the opposition discount these numbers, but let me assure you that they are very real.

Keeping our coal plants open costs 668 premature deaths, 928 hospital admissions, 1,100 emergency room visits and 333,000 minor --

The Speaker: Thank you, Minister. Supplementary?

Mr. Runciman: Taking lessons from the Liberals on appropriate behaviour in this assembly is laughable. We see it every day.

This is a question about trust and confidence. You promised to replace 25% of the province's energy supply in three years. Now you whine and cry about the

legal hurdles and regulations that have gotten in your way. These are obstacles that everyone but you seemed to know you would eventually run into.

Minister, Ontarians expect you to be up front and honest about your promises and the reality they are based upon. Ontarians expect the truth about the energy

plan, or lack thereof, and they expect it to be based on expert opinion, not partisan spin and irresponsible promises. When will you and Mr. McGuinty finally be forthcoming about your plan for

electricity in Ontario? With a 55% increase to hydro bills under your watch, I think the people of Ontario deserve that.

Hon. Mrs. Dombrowsky: I think that it's very obvious that this government has taken the energy file very seriously, unlike what you did when

you were in government. There was no new capacity, in spite of the fact that demand rose. What the people of Ontario need to remember is that when we came to government, we inherited a system that

required the transmission to be upgraded; that comes at a significant cost. We inherited a system where there had been no investment in conservation; we are doing that. We inherited a system where

there were no new renewables coming online; we have turned that around. We inherited a system where we are committed to implementing cleaner gas plants -- something the New Democrats have opposed

every step of the way.

Those are the things we are doing, as a government, because we believe the people of Ontario need a sound plan that will enable us to replace coal-fired

generation --

The Speaker: Thank you. Final supplementary.

Mr. Runciman: Here's the reality behind your broken promises and phony plan. Consumption and demand records have been set and reset so many

times under your government that no one can keep count anymore. Your conservation strategies are totally inadequate. The plants you hoped would help replace coal power are mired in legal battles

and red tape, and are going to be nowhere near finished by the 2007 deadline. Your own people at the OPA have confirmed that. Your wind farms are operating at only 10% capacity, and, despite

Ontarians paying roughly 55% more for electricity under your watch, they're still being asked to turn off their lights and toaster ovens or the province may plunge into darkness.

Minister, where is your plan? Where's your response to the OPA report after 173 days? When will we see an end to broken promises and incompetence and, finally,

see a plan from you and Premier McGuinty?

Hon. Mrs. Dombrowsky: It's really rich that the member from Leeds-Grenville can stand in his place today and ask for a plan when for eight

years you were on this side of the House and you had no plan. Now you're looking for a plan.

Well, let me tell you: Yes, the minister has received the OPA report. I also want to say that what we have been asked by the public and members of the

opposition is that the minister consider that report very carefully. That report has been made public and, so far, we have received over 5,000 responses. The minister is in the process of reviewing

them very carefully, and he will be announcing his response to that very soon.

ENERGY CONSERVATION

Mr. Howard Hampton (Kenora-Rainy River): My question is for the Acting Premier. Acting Premier, working families across Ontario -- southern

and central Ontario for sure -- see a long summer of smog ahead, and they're deeply concerned because polluted air will cause the premature deaths of 5,800 people and send thousands more to the

emergency room. Yesterday, unbelievable as it may sound, your energy minister refused to read out Dalton McGuinty's promise to shut coal plants -- a promise you have now broken not once but twice.

Maybe you can do a little better today, Acting Premier.

Can you please read to us Dalton McGuinty's promise about reducing electricity consumption, and can you tell us, is this another promise you're going to

break?

Hon. Mrs. Dombrowsky: Again, I can say to the leader of the third party and to the people of Ontario that our government is committed to

cleaning our air by replacing coal generation, and we are committed to keeping the lights on. We have inherited a tremendous challenge; there's no question about it. The government before us did

absolutely nothing to invest in new generation to meet our growing need, but our government is absolutely committed to doing what we need to do. We have brought 3,000 new megawatts online, 11,000

are in the works, and we are working very hard to ensure that in a safe and reliable way we continue to keep the lights on for the people of Ontario.

Mr. Hampton: What a surprise. I even highlighted the promise for her -- yet another promise that McGuinty Liberals made so prominently -- and

now they won't repeat it.

Here's the promise: "We will help Ontario homes and businesses cut their electricity consumption at least by 5% by 2007." But, in fact, under the McGuinty

government's watch, Ontario has recorded nine of the top 10 days in electricity consumption in the province's history, and just yesterday, Ontario set a new record for electricity consumption

during the month of May: 25,000 megawatts.

Minister, can you tell me, how is Dalton McGuinty's promise to cut Ontario's electricity consumption by 5%, to reduce our reliance on coal and to turn to clean

air anything more than another McGuinty broken promise?

Hon. Mrs. Dombrowsky: Well, isn't it interesting that the member of the third party has had an epiphany, because when they were in government,

they cancelled every cent that was going to conservation in the province of Ontario. That's what you did, and now you're preaching conservation. I'm happy to remind you, through the Speaker, that

this is what we are doing to build a conservation culture in the province of Ontario. We believe that every kilowatt hour that is saved is one we don't have to bill. We are providing a $500 rebate

with every purchase of an Energy-Star-rated central air-conditioner, a $50 rebate for a tune-up of an existing air conditioner and a $75 rebate for the installation of programmable thermostats.

Smart meters are being placed in over 800,000 homes, and $1.5 billion in conservation initiatives have been planned. This is in contrast to when you were in government, leader of the third party.

You spent zero on conservation. That's what our government is --

The Speaker: Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary.

Mr. Hampton: It says a lot about the McGuinty government. They promised to reduce electricity consumption by 5%, electricity consumption is

going through the roof, and they want to attack governments that were here 10 and 15 years ago and say they're somehow responsible.

I want to read, for the minister, the other promise that Dalton McGuinty made: "We will introduce effective programs to encourage residents to reduce their

home energy consumption. At the same time, we will work with commercial and institutional customers, especially hospitals, schools, colleges and universities, to lower their electricity use."

Minister, your government has held all kinds of photo ops and we see your superficial ads on television, but electricity consumption isn't coming down. Under

the McGuinty government, electricity consumption is going through the roof, just like hydro rates.

Minister, tell us how that's not a broken promise.

Hon. Mrs. Dombrowsky: I will explain the realities of economics. I know that it wasn't his experience when he was in government, but we happen

to be governing at a time when the economy is booming. What happens when the economy is booming is that we have more industries and businesses coming to our province, and we have more people coming

here to live. That puts a greater demand on our electricity system. This is something that we're very happy to have happen; there's no question about that. The previous government did not plan for

this economic boom, so we are now working with Ontarians, providing them with information around how they can conserve and help us so we can keep the lights on for the people of Ontario.

ONTARIO DISABILITY

SUPPORT PROGRAM

Mr. Howard Hampton (Kenora-Rainy River): Acting Premier, I think the lesson we draw is: If the economy booms, the McGuinty government thinks

they can break all their promises.

Today, the Ombudsman delivered another scathing report about how the McGuinty government is taking advantage of Ontario's most vulnerable citizens. The report,

Losing the Waiting Game, reveals that Ontario's disabled citizens have not received $6 million in much-needed benefits because of bureaucratic bungling at the Ministry of Community and Social

Services. The Ombudsman uses these words to describe the situation: "cruel," "insensitive," "shameful," "unjust," "no commitment to restitution," "morally repugnant."

Acting Premier, how could the McGuinty government take such cruel and shameful advantage of the disabled in Ontario?

Hon. Leona Dombrowsky (Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs): The Minister of Community and Social Services.

Hon. Madeleine Meilleur (Minister of Community and Social Services, minister responsible for francophone affairs): First of all, let me thank

the Ombudsman for his work and for his acknowledgement that we, as a government, made some progress on this file.

This issue has existed almost since the legislation was first brought in, in 1997, under the Harris government. This government is committed to helping our

most vulnerable citizens. We take this matter seriously, and we are already implementing most of the Ombudsman's recommendations.

I am proud to say that we have eliminated the four-month limit on retroactive payments. This means that people deemed eligible for ODSP will receive financial

assistance as of the time they apply and we have received a complete application.

I'll continue my response in the supplementary.

Mr. Hampton: There's a very troubling double standard here. This is the same government that awards its hydro executives half-million-dollar

bonuses but, at the same time that you award the Tom Parkinsons half-million-dollar bonuses, 4,630 disabled Ontarians are denied $6 million in benefits they are legally entitled to.

I agree with the Ombudsman: What the McGuinty government has done over the last three years is cruel, it's shameful, and it is morally repugnant. My question

is this: How does the McGuinty government justify your double standard of half-million-dollar bonuses for your hydro executives while you treat the disabled in such a shameful, repugnant way?

Hon. Mrs. Meilleur: The previous government broke the system, and this government is fixing it. We're going to do the fair and the right

things for those who got caught in the broken system we inherited.

My staff is working right now with the Ministry of Finance, and we will report back on what we will be accomplishing. As the Ombudsman pointed out, the

previous government set up a system that didn't work and didn't keep records. It will take some time to fix it. I have to say that out of the seven recommendations, we have four that we have

already implemented. We are working on the other three and will be reporting back in six months, as the Ombudsman asked us to do.

Mr. Hampton: Gee, thank God the Ombudsman blew the whistle on the McGuinty government after three years; otherwise, I'm sure this would have

continued.

But I want to ask you about a particular recommendation by the Ombudsman, because I believe that no disabled citizen of Ontario, no disabled citizen of this

wealthy province, should be denied the much-needed benefits they're legally entitled to because of bureaucratic bungling by the McGuinty government. The Ombudsman has recommended that you pay

restitution to those people who have been denied the $6 million in benefits they are legally entitled to. Will you commit today to enacting immediately the Ombudsman's recommendation not only to

clean up the mess but to pay the restitution to these people who are legally entitled to that money?

Hon. Mrs. Meilleur: I said in my previous answer that we are working on reviewing the recommendations of the Ombudsman. The Ombudsman gave us

six months to report back to him on what we're going to do.

We are working with the Ministry of Finance. We have already eliminated the four-month rule. We are allowing people to keep more of what they've earned; we are

extending the ODSP for employment until coverage is available for the employer; we have hired 12 new staff; and we have set up a database to allow the DAU to review applications more quickly. So

we're well on our way. I'm working with the Minister of Finance. The Ombudsman is saying that we owe --

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

NATIVE LAND DISPUTE

Mr. Toby Barrett (Haldimand-Norfolk-Brant): To the Acting Premier: Ontario Superior Court Justice David Marshall has ordered Attorney General

Michael Bryant to appear in court tomorrow with respect to the ongoing dispute in Caledonia. Will Attorney General Michael Bryant personally appear before Justice Marshall in Cayuga court

tomorrow?

Hon. Leona Dombrowsky (Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs): To the minister responsible for aboriginal affairs.

Hon. David Ramsay (Minister of Natural Resources, minister responsible for aboriginal affairs): Of course, the member knows that when a judge

asks all parties, he refers to the government of Ontario through the Attorney General. There will be representatives from the Ontario government appearing before the judge tomorrow, as has been

ordered, as we contemplate all the other parties that have been asked to attend.

Mr. Barrett: I didn't hear a clear answer. I'm assuming that that representative will not be the Attorney General -- an Attorney General who

has been requested, at the express request of Justice Marshall, to ensure that peace in that community is maintained under the rule of law. I'm assuming from that answer that Mr. Bryant's name can

be added to the list of no-shows, including you, Minister Ramsay, and including the Premier of Ontario, Minister Kwinter and Minister Takhar -- Caledonia no-shows.

I represent the riding of Haldimand-Norfolk-Brant, which includes Six Nations and New Credit. I predict that someone, somewhere, in my riding tomorrow is going

to say, "Where the heck is Michael Bryant?" If it's not important enough to show up, then what is? I do point out that the commissioner of the OPP will be present before Justice David Marshall

The Speaker (Hon. Michael A. Brown): The question apparently has been asked. Minister.

Hon. Mr. Ramsay: Of course, what the government intends to do is send representatives who are knowledgeable about the situation in Caledonia

and who will be able to inform the judge, as he wants to hear the efforts of the provincial government. That's going to be an opportunity for the provincial government to put forward its actions

over the last 60 days, as other parties are going to do. That's what we're going to do; the judge has asked that. All parties will attend, and all the information will be given.

EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS

Mr. Peter Tabuns (Toronto-Danforth): A question for the Acting Premier: Deadbeat bosses in Ontario are getting away with cheating workers out

of their full wages because you are not enforcing your own employment standards. A case in point: workers from Amato Pizza, who came to this House in February because they had not received their

full wages, even after the ministry investigated their situation. To this day, they're still waiting to get paid. Today we're joined by other workers who have faced similar employment violations.

Why is your government not enforcing its own Employment Standards Act to protect the lowest-paid workers in Ontario? Why?

Hon. Leona Dombrowsky (Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs): I thank the honourable member for his question. This government

certainly has been very proactive in terms of advocating and introducing legislation and regulations to protect workers in the province of Ontario. We have increased the number of inspectors in the

province so that workplaces are safer for the people who work there.

With respect to the particular circumstance that he has brought to attention, I'm sure the minister would have more detail on that, but I thank him for the

question. I can commit that I will bring this personally to the attention of the minister for him to respond to.

Mr. Tabuns: An extraordinary response. I've heard "proactive" redefined today in the House.

These are not isolated examples. They're just a few of the thousands of workers who are still waiting for this government to act so that those workers will get

the wages that they're entitled to and that they have not been paid -- collectively, under your watch, over $40 million of unpaid wages, according to your own ministry's numbers. You are not taking

this issue seriously; you're not acting on this issue.

Many of these workers -- newcomers and women working for temp agencies, for subcontractors -- have tried to meet with the Minister of Labour. Are you going to

take action? Are you going to adopt the reforms that we've put forward in this House today to deal with the question of unpaid workers?

Hon. Mrs. Dombrowsky: I would like to remind the honourable member that our government has initiated an employment standards crackdown. We

have increased the number of inspections and we have increased the number of prosecutions. That is good news for members of the labour force in the province of Ontario.

We have prosecuted -- and the information that I have here today is exponentially higher than what was prosecuted by previous governments. So our commitment to

providing sufficient supports to people in our workforce is absolutely there and can be demonstrated by the number of inspections that are carried out, the number of charges that are laid and the

number of prosecutions that are successfully completed.

I have received information with respect to the issue that he identified in his original question. I have information that the ministry is investigating. The

minister will get to you directly on that.

SMOKE-FREE ONTARIO

Mr. David Zimmer (Willowdale): My question is to the Minister of Health Promotion. Minister, today Ontario entered a new era, one where all

Ontarians will be able to breathe easier. The laws prohibiting smoking in enclosed public places are now equal and strengthened throughout the province. All communities, from Willowdale here in

Toronto, my riding, to the far north, are now protected from exposure to second-hand smoke by the same piece of legislation.

Today, the Toronto Star editorial praised the initiative, noting that in the last election, "Premier Dalton McGuinty pledged to ban workplace smoking within

three years of taking office. Today he has delivered on that promise -- in full and ahead of his deadline."

Indeed, few government actions since the launch of medicare in the 1960s will do more to save lives and protect Ontarians than this province-wide measure. Now

that the Smoke-Free Ontario Act is enforced, is the job done, Minister? What are the goals and the next steps --

The Speaker (Hon. Michael A. Brown): The Minister of Health Promotion.

Hon. Jim Watson (Minister of Health Promotion): I want to thank the member for Willowdale. This is a very proud moment for me and for our

government as we celebrate the launch of the Smoke-Free Ontario Act. Above and beyond the rules and regulations with respect to enclosed public workplaces, we also have a prevention program and a

cessation program.

Some 80% of Ontarians do not smoke, and this particular law will help protect 100% of the population, in particular hospitality workers like 24-year-old

bartender Brad Robinson of Windsor, who said yesterday that his "shift will be much more comfortable."

Our critics, those supported and funded by the tobacco companies, ask why we're infringing on smokers' rights. I say that no one has the right to harm or

endanger another fellow human being. This is not about smokers' rights; it's about the rights of all of our citizens to go freely into public, enclosed spaces and breathe the air freely.

Mr. Zimmer: Minister, there have been various comments from opponents of this legislation that indicate they have a lack of understanding

regarding the new rules in place today. How do you respond to these complaints and concerns? Also, Minister, the economic effects of various jurisdictions going smoke-free still seem to be a point

of contention with opponents of the legislation. Minister, can you provide this House with concrete examples of how this type of legislation will affect local communities?

Hon. Mr. Watson: In my own hometown of Ottawa, since the passage of the 100% smoke-free bylaw by city council, 181 new eateries have opened

up. New York City saw an 8.7% increase in bar receipts. This legislation levels the playing field across the province.

What's most disappointing is the weak-kneed response from the Conservative Party on this particular piece of legislation. Exactly one half of the Tory caucus

either didn't show up to vote for the legislation or, in fact, voted against it. One day John Tory supports the bill; another day he's attacking it. Today, we see the spectacle of my official

opposition critic wanting us to water down the bill the very day it takes effect. The Leader of the Opposition also allows his caucus members to run all over the province, supporting big tobacco

and anti-smoke-free Ontario rallies. I say to the Leader of the Opposition: Stop being a weeping willow on this issue; stop swaying back and forth; support the right of individuals to enjoy a

smoke-free environment.

NATIVE LAND DISPUTE

Mr. Ted Chudleigh (Halton): My question is to the newly appointed Minister for Small Business and Entrepreneurship in Ontario, the only

minister who in the history of Ontario has remained in cabinet after being found in breach of the Members' Integrity Act.

Interjections.

Mr. Chudleigh: Sorry, it's a fact.

Minister, under your watch, small businesses in Caledonia are dying a slow death. Some have already been forced to close their doors forever, and many others

are struggling just to stay afloat. It has been three months, it's been 93 days, and small businesses have lost faith because of your government's delay in coming to terms with the economic reality

on Main Street in Caledonia.

Your compensation announcement of earlier this week will not even pay the rent, and it certainly won't reopen those businesses that have been forced to close.

Given the poor showing of leadership in Caledonia, I have to wonder then, Minister: Do small businesses mean anything to your government?

Hon. Harinder S. Takhar (Minister of Small Business and Entrepreneurship): Let me say that small businesses do mean a great deal to our

government. That's why we created this new ministry to support them.

Our government is working very closely with local municipal officials, and we have already provided them with a $500,000 grant to invest in emergency issues.

My colleague the Minister of Economic Development and Trade was there and actually has assured them that we will work very closely with them. Whatever assistance they need, we will provide it. This

money is actually intended to provide very basic necessities to businesses that are currently suffering because of these issues that have happened in Caledonia.

Mr. Chudleigh: I point out that the Minister of Economic Development and Trade was not in Caledonia. He might have been in Brantford, but he

certainly wasn't in Caledonia.

Your package is too little, too late, Minister. Some businesses have already had to close their doors for good. I wonder if the minister can answer me this:

Why did it take three whole months -- 93 days -- of watching Caledonia's small businesses struggle before your government acknowledged the need for compensation? Why is that?

Hon. Mr. Takhar: Let me tell you this. First of all, we provided $100,000 to the municipality: $50,000 for communications, $50,000 to develop

the economic recovery plan. We will continue to work closely with them to address the issue of small and medium-sized business or any business that suffers in that community. The Minister of

Economic Development and Trade and the minister responsible for aboriginal affairs have shown quite the leadership, and I'm very proud of what our government has done, on this file.

EDUCATION FUNDING

Mr. Rosario Marchese (Trinity-Spadina): I have a question to the Minister of Education. The McGuinty government loves to brag about fixing our

schools -- in fact, Dalton McGuinty even christened himself the education Premier -- but for thousands of students in Toronto schools, just being in class puts their health at risk. Take one high

school, Parkdale Collegiate. Students there face exposed asbestos, loose ceiling tiles and vermin in the hallways and classrooms. Minister, do you think it's acceptable that our schools pose health

risks to our students?

Hon. Sandra Pupatello (Minister of Education, minister responsible for women's issues): I appreciate this question. I am very interested to

see this report, as I'm sure my education critic is as well. I too would have questions about what the priority projects are for all school boards, not just the Toronto school board but all of

them. I don't think that this member opposite is suggesting that we would reach in and direct boards as to which projects are their priorities.

We have asked boards in particular -- the Toronto school board as well, which has received more than $300 million since we became the government; they

certainly have had ample funding -- to look at their priority projects. We have many, many years to make up for neglect in the education sector. I will be the first to acknowledge that. But I can

tell you that in the health and safety reports, on every single point this Toronto school board has improved and reduced the number of schools that are in desperate need of repair. I congratulate

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

Mr. Marchese: You can play "honest Iago" as much as you like, but the evidence from your own ministry, on a list of current capital

expenditures on a school-by-school basis, reveals that you have spent but a pittance of what you had promised.

Frank Haverkate is an air quality expert. In response to the parent network report, he said, "If these situations are going to be ignored ... there is a real

potential that this could be impacting not only the health of the teachers and the staff working in the schools, but also the kids."

Despite your big promises, the problems are getting worse, not better. When will schools like Parkdale and Central Tech get the money they need to deal with

asbestos, the mould and the vermin that are putting our kids at risk?

Hon. Ms. Pupatello: Let me say for starters that the Toronto District School Board has received increases in operating funding to provide more

than 200 more caretakers in those schools in Toronto. This is a significant increase -- in operating overall, an 11% increase for the Toronto school board -- and this at a time, since 2003, that

they have 10,000 fewer students. Clearly the funding is not the issue in this case.

I will tell you that on repairs, in our Good Places to Learn initiative, it is this government that is funding $124 million worth of repairs. Again, this is

not a funding issue for the Toronto school board. Yes, the Toronto board has significant issues; yes, we are paying special attention to the operating processes at the Toronto board; but I will

tell you that in almost every case we are working with every board --

The Speaker: Thank you, Minister.

EMPLOYMENT SUPPORTS

Mr. Jeff Leal (Peterborough): I'm not asking about pharmacists today. Today my question is to the Minister of Training, Colleges and

Universities. During my time as MPP for Peterborough, I've met with many employers from my riding who are concerned with the lack of skilled tradesmen in the province. The issue described to me is

twofold: First, it's a challenge for an employer to locate skilled tradesmen, and second, there's a need for young people or those in career transition to be counselled in market-driven

apprenticeship opportunities.

Minister, can you explain to me how the $1.8-million announcement you made in Peterborough last Thursday will deal with these two very important issues?

Hon. Christopher Bentley (Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities): I was pleased to be with my colleague from Peterborough in his

community last week. We made the $1.8-million announcement to two good organizations that deliver the Job Connect program in his jurisdiction: the employment planning and counselling agency where

we actually made the announcement, and also Fleming college.

To give you an example of what the money is used for: We saw an example of how one of the 1,500 people this year will be helped by this program. We met a young

man who's now an apprentice with a horticultural employer. He'd received academic upgrading counselling, and now he's working in apprenticeship with an employer who needed a horticultural

apprentice. This is a good example of how a young person gets a good skilled trade and an employer, such as this one in my colleague's fine community, finds the worker he needs to increase his

business.

It's great news for Peterborough. It's great news for the 1,500 people who will benefit from this service.

Mr. Leal: Job Connect is an innovative and proactive grassroots program that will assist many individuals seeking job opportunities in

Peterborough and the surrounding area. Finding that first job in their field of training is a daunting task for many graduates. How will this funding be used in schools and youth employment

training centres to assist these young people to achieve their goals?

Hon. Mr. Bentley: The announcement we made was part of a $127-million, province-wide announcement. The Job Connect program is delivered at 129

sites, in more than 80 communities. Most importantly, 190,000 workers and thousands of employers will benefit.

We had two specific targets this year: first of all, how to make sure that new Canadians benefit from the type of bridge programming my colleague has

introduced so that they get into the workforce faster; secondly, in the skilled trades, how we can improve and increase the number of apprenticeships and expand the number of opportunities for

workers, such as the one we met in my colleague's riding, a benefit from apprenticeships. The types of services include job counselling, academic upgrading, work placements and help for employers

in finding the skilled workers they need.

This is good news for Peterborough and good news for all communities in Ontario.

PHARMACISTS

Mrs. Elizabeth Witmer (Kitchener-Waterloo): My question is for the Minister of Health. On the date of the introduction of Bill 102, in an

attempt to demonize those who provide and those who receive professional allowances -- in fact you referred to them as "rebates" -- we now know there is a double standard because, as you and I

know, Minister, the government itself collects rebates. So my question to you is, why is the government trying to eliminate allowances, or rebates, from local pharmacies while you collect rebates

yourself? And you know what I'm talking about.

Hon. George Smitherman (Minister of Health and Long-Term Care): With all due respect to the honourable member, first, they're widely known as

rebates. There is an attempt, of course, to rename them, but this is what they've been referred to as for a long period of time. The honourable member says I know what she's referring to about

collecting them ourselves, but I don't.

But I do think that what we seek to do in the province of Ontario is create a system where our pharmacists are being acknowledged --

Interjection.

Hon. Mr. Smitherman: You're not even in your seat.

Interjection.

Hon. Mr. Smitherman: You're not in your seat either -- for the work they do in supporting patients. That's why we've introduced a cognitive

fee. That's why we've increased, by 7%, the dispensing fee. That's why we're going to create capacity in the markup so that they actually get a benefit from it. That's why we are going to work to

develop a code of conduct that will allow some educational allowances to support important work that goes on.

There are elements of the rebates that continue to be murky. Even if you look at all the independent pharmacists who have presented -- some say that the figure

is 40%, some say larger, and some say that rebates don't exist at all. This is why it continues to be important that we get to the heart --

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

Mrs. Witmer: Minister, let's call them rebates, because when you introduced your bill, in an attempt I think, as I said before, to demonize

those who provide and those who collect them, you referred to them as rebates. Let's take a look at what the government does itself. They receive rebates. You prefer to call them supplier

value-added programs. There are other individuals and groups, hospitals etc., who also receive rebates, or whatever you prefer to call them.

I guess my question to you is, are all of these rebates transparent, and are you going to ensure that they are transparent regardless of who receives them?

Hon. Mr. Smitherman: Now the honourable member has tried to introduce into the discussion some tricky language, but I don't get where she's

coming from; I really don't. Where are you at on the issue of these rebates, I ask the honourable member? What I know for sure is that her record and her party's record with respect to pharmacy was

that they increased by about 1%, seven cents, the amount of the dispensing fee increase they paid to pharmacists. That's the record of their government.

We want to increase that by 7%; that's worth $52 million. We want to introduce a cognitive fee -- that's worth $50 million -- to acknowledge the work that

pharmacists do on the front line. We've proposed to re-create the capacity in the markup, $60 million worth of additional value for those independent pharmacies and others, and to develop with

pharmacy, in partnership through the Ontario Pharmacists' Association and the pharmacy council, the capacity to move forward with a code of conduct that really does guide what is appropriate

payment from generic companies. Right now it's very, very murky.

Mr. Robert W. Runciman (Leeds-Grenville): On a point of order, Mr. Speaker: When the member replied to his initial question, the Minister of

Finance made a sexist comment and I ask you to ask him to withdraw and apologize.

The Speaker: I heard no such comment, but if it was made I'll give the opportunity to the minister to withdraw.

Interjection.

The Speaker: New question?

Ms. Shelley Martel (Nickel Belt): I have a question to the Minister of Health. I attended a rally today at Convocation Hall, where hundreds of

community pharmacists came to express their serious concerns regarding Bill 102. They know, because they know their work better than anybody else, that the bill is not revenue-neutral and that many

independent community pharmacists would close as a result. Pharmacists want to play a bigger role in the health care system. They want to provide increased important health care services, but they

can't do that if they're forced out of work by Bill 102.

When will you finally recognize that your bill has serious negative financial implications for community pharmacists, and when will you make the changes

necessary to ensure that pharmacists and pharmacies will be able to offer high-quality services to the patients who depend on them?

Hon. Mr. Smitherman: I appreciate the question from the honourable member, because today she put her loving arms in wide embrace around the

concept of rebates, but these remain to be very murky. There's nothing guiding them. There are no rules guiding them. We don't know what's involved in terms of trips, in terms of tickets to special

events and the like. So I ask the honourable member, who's now cozied up with that group, to help to get to the bottom of the issue with respect to these rebates.

On point, to the question that the honourable member raises about alterations to our package: Like all of the bills that I've had the privilege of bringing

forward and taking to committee, we do look for the opportunity, including supporting NDP amendments very often at committee, and we'll do that again. So next week, the committee will have the

opportunity to consider some amendments, and I'm very open. My staff is meeting with the coalition. We've had 30 meetings with the Ontario Pharmacists' Association. This is very apt evidence that

we're working closely, listening carefully and very willing to consider amendments that continue to advance good-quality care for patients, and if it can be of benefit to those parties, then we're

The Speaker: Supplementary.

Ms. Martel: Isn't it strange that if the government gets a rebate for its purchase of flu vaccines, that's okay, but when generic producers

give promotional allowances to pharmacists, somehow there's something hidden and wrong about that? Maybe the government needs to explain that contradiction to pharmacists in Ontario.

Here's the story of Rosanne Currie, who's a pharmacist and an owner of two rural pharmacies in Walkerton and Lucknow. Her pharmacy offers clinics to patients

on diabetes, arthritis, heart health and osteoporosis. The pharmacy provided 400 flu shots last fall, even though she lost money because it cost her more to do than she got compensated from your

government. She provides services to the nursing homes and residential lodges in the area, including being an active member in the infection control team, performing quality assurance audits for

those same homes. She provides home visits to seniors, does pill splitting for the elderly, community seminars, and the list goes on and on. She made it clear yesterday that if this bill passes,

the community pharmacy services will change drastically. The pharmacy retail business, especially in rural Ontario, will be --

The Speaker: Thank you. The question has been asked.

Hon. Mr. Smitherman: I have no doubt that the pharmacist spoken of is providing a fantastic service, but it really doesn't help to get at the

heart of the matter if the honourable member is condoning all rebates and pretending that all of them are delivering direct patient services. We can't be certain of that. That's why we ask the

honourable member, and other members of the committee, to work with us to get to the bottom of the matter, because we also know that our generic costs in the province are subsidizing a variety of

these promotional allowances, which are not supporting the things we all agree are important for patients.

Of course, as we work towards bringing this bill back to the House, we're going to continue to work with people, to meet with them, to seek to address their

concerns. I just think that there is an inconsistency there amongst the range of these rebates, promotional allowances, that are being paid. We think that it's murky and that it should be

transparent. Accordingly, that's why it's so important that people continue to work to ask the hard and very direct question: "What is the nature of the rebates that you're receiving?" Because

there is an inconsistent pattern across the province of Ontario.

ARTS AND CULTURAL FUNDING

Mr. Tony Ruprecht (Davenport): I have a question to the Minister of Culture. Toronto's cultural renaissance is creating a lot of excitement in

Toronto, in our city and, in fact, beyond Toronto, in Ontario and beyond our borders. Great cities like Toronto need great cultural landmarks like the Art Gallery of Ontario, the National Ballet

School, the Canadian Opera Company, the Gardiner Museum, the Ontario Science Centre, the Royal Conservatory of Music and the Royal Ontario Museum.

These institutions represent a major engine for Ontario's cultural vitality, with important social and economic functions. They attract millions of people

every year, making Toronto a preferred cultural tourism destination. Research indicates that many American tourists believe that because they've been in Toronto once, they've seen it all. But we

know better. I believe that these cultural organizations are seven more reasons to visit Toronto and discover enlightening programs year after year.

What the people of Ontario want to know, and what we want to know, Madam Minister, is this: What is this government doing to help these seven institutions?

Hon. Caroline Di Cocco (Minister of Culture): This government, under the leadership of Dalton McGuinty, believes that it is important to

invest in our cultural sector. I'm proud to say that our additional investment of $50.5 million, announced last March, will help the fundraising campaigns and help these hubs of excellence realize

their visions of growth.

The province of Ontario's total investment for these seven projects is $152 million, plus land at $31 million. Our government has also recognized entertainment

and creative clusters as one of the three Ontario economic sectors expected to experience the most rapid growth in the next 20 years.

We're on the side of the people of Ontario, because they understand the value of a vibrant and flourishing arts and cultural community. We support these

projects because they enrich our quality of life and contribute to the economic prosperity of our province.

Mr. Ruprecht: I'm glad to see that the McGuinty government is doing something very substantive. One hundred and fifty-two million dollars and

land valued at $31 million for these seven cultural projects is remarkable and a very good start, but these cultural institutions need support from the federal government as well. They are waiting

and waiting for the federal government and their response, but that has not been forthcoming.

I'm concerned about this lack of response, since it places greater pressure on you to do even more. Are you able to find other innovative ways, or even other

partners, to strengthen and support these seven projects and seven cultural institutions that we need here in Toronto and indeed in Ontario?

Hon. Ms. Di Cocco: I'm pleased to say that I've certainly contacted my federal counterpart and encouraged that they support these projects as

well. Also, to capitalize on our assets and opportunities, our government is developing plans to foster an environment that is going to support even more growth and nurture our hubs of

excellence.

Each year, millions of people across Ontario have the opportunity to experience these exhibits, performances and events in their own communities. These

cultural renaissance projects are changing our province's cultural landscape and have generated an incredible amount of private sector support; it's estimated at more than $500 million. The

collaboration among governments and the private sector, as well as individual and corporate donors, benefits our cultural institutions and helps shape who we are as a society.

SERVICES FOR THE

DEVELOPMENTALLY DISABLED

Mr. Norman W. Sterling (Lanark-Carleton): My question is to the Minister of Community and Social Services. You have said that the residents of

Rideau Regional Centre and its sister facilities will not be moved without the consent of their families. I have heard recently from the father of one resident, who is trying to work with your

ministry to find an appropriate place for their 42-year-old son. He's six feet tall and very strong, but has the mental age of less than a three-year-old. He can't talk, doesn't understand

directions and sometimes has to be restrained in order to prevent him from hurting himself and others. Staff at Rideau Regional Centre have been warned that no one person should try to restrain him

on their own, for their own safety.

The father is worried his son won't have the services he requires if he moves out of the centre. At Rideau Regional Centre, he has a doctor, a dentist,

psychologists, dietitians, nurses and physiotherapists, among others. He can move around the grounds with some degree of freedom. He has a swimming pool and a gym, and he has programs.

Madam Minister, how can you replicate this level of service at a group-home level?

Hon. Madeleine Meilleur (Minister of Community and Social Services, minister responsible for francophone affairs): I want to thank the member

of the opposition party for his question. I want to reassure him that no resident will be moved without the approval and co-operation of the family. I also want to reassure him -- I cannot speak to

the case he is talking to me about, but I can say something. I have been visiting the Rideau Regional Centre and I have also visited the community where they receive these individuals. I can tell

him that before they leave the institution, there is a program that is developed for them. They are connected with professionals in the community before they leave the institution.

I want to reassure you that the service he has been receiving will be available in the community where the person will be moved.

PETITIONS

FREDERICK BANTING HOMESTEAD

Mr. Jim Wilson (Simcoe-Grey): "To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

"Whereas Sir Frederick Banting was the man who discovered insulin and was Canada's first Nobel Prize recipient; and

"Whereas this great Canadian's original homestead, located in the town of New Tecumseth, is deteriorating and in danger of destruction because of the inaction

of the Ontario Historical Society; and

"Whereas the town of New Tecumseth, under the leadership of Mayor Mike MacEachern and former Mayor Larry Keogh, has been unsuccessful in reaching an agreement

with the Ontario Historical Society to use part of the land to educate the public about the historical significance of the work of Sir Frederick Banting;

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

"That the Minister of Culture and the Liberal government step in to ensure that the Banting homestead is kept in good repair and preserved for generations to

come."

I've signed that petition, and I want to thank Dr. R.W. Banting for sending it to me.

TRADE DEVELOPMENT

Mr. John Wilkinson (Perth-Middlesex): "Petition to the Ontario Legislative Assembly:

"Fair Auto Trade with South Korea

"Whereas more than 260,000 Ontarians make their living and support their families through their careers in the auto industry in Ontario, which has become the

pre-eminent manufacturer of motor vehicles in North America; and

"Whereas Canada imports more than 130,000 vehicles annually from the Republic of Korea, which imports virtually no vehicles ... from Canada and does none of

its manufacturing or assembly in Ontario or in any other Canadian jurisdiction, even though Canadian auto workers make the best-quality, most cost-effective vehicles in the world; and

imbalance in the auto sector, and includes no measures to require Korea to reduce tariff and non-tariff barriers to Canadian-made vehicles, auto parts and other value-added services or

components;

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

agreement contingent on fair and equal access by each country to the other's domestic markets in manufactured products such as motor vehicles and in value-added services, and ensure that Korea

commits to manufacturing vehicles in Canada if Korea proposes to continue to sell vehicles in Canada."

I look forward to giving this to our new page Tyler.

HIGHWAY 35

Ms. Laurie Scott (Haliburton-Victoria-Brock): "Highway 35 Four-Laning

"To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

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

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

and

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

from the Kawartha Lakes area and Haliburton; and

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

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

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

This was brought to me by many members from my riding of Haliburton-Victoria-Brock.

TRADE DEVELOPMENT

Mr. Kevin Daniel Flynn (Oakville): "Whereas more than 260,000 Ontarians make their living and support their families through their careers in

the auto industry in Ontario, which has become the pre-eminent manufacturer of motor vehicles in North America; and

"Whereas Canada imports more than 130,000 vehicles annually from the Republic of Korea, which imports virtually no vehicles or parts from Canada and does none

of its manufacturing or assembly in Ontario or in any other Canadian jurisdiction, even though Canadian auto workers make the best-quality, most cost-effective vehicles in the world; and

imbalance in the auto sector, and includes no measures to require Korea to reduce tariff and non-tariff barriers to Canadian-made vehicles, auto parts and other value-added services or

components;

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

agreement contingent on fair and equal access by each country to the other's domestic markets in manufactured products such as motor vehicles and in value-added services, and ensure that Korea

commits to manufacturing vehicles in Canada if Korea proposes to continue to sell vehicles in Canada."

LONG-TERM CARE

Mr. Ted Arnott (Waterloo-Wellington): I have a petition to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, and it reads as follows:

"Whereas long-term-care funding levels are too low to enable homes to provide the care and services our aging seniors and parents who are residents of

long-term-care homes need, with the respect and dignity that they deserve; and

"Whereas, even with recent funding increases and a dedicated staff who do more than their best, there is still not enough time available to provide the care

residents need. For example, 10 minutes, and sometimes less, is simply not enough time to assist a resident to get up, dressed, to the bathroom and then to the dining room for breakfast; and

"Whereas those unacceptable care and service levels are now at risk of declining;

"We, the undersigned, who are members of family councils, residents' councils and/or supporters of long-term care in Ontario, petition the Legislative Assembly

of Ontario to increase operating funding to long-term-care homes by $306.6 million, which will allow the hiring of more staff to provide an additional 20 minutes of care per resident per day over

the next two years (2006 and 2007)."

Of course, this petition enjoys my support, and it comes to me from families who support residents at the WestMount long-term-care residence in Kitchener.

Mrs. Carol Mitchell (Huron-Bruce): "To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

"Whereas long-term-care funding levels are too low to enable homes to provide the care and services our aging seniors and parents who are residents of

long-term-care homes need, with the respect and dignity that they deserve; and

"Whereas, even with recent funding increases and a dedicated staff who do more than their best, there is still not enough time available to provide the care

residents need. For example, 10 minutes, and sometimes less, is simply not enough time to assist a resident to get up, dressed, to the bathroom and then to the dining room for breakfast; and

"Whereas those unacceptable care and service levels are now at risk of declining;

"We, the undersigned, who are members of family councils, residents' councils and/or supporters of long-term care in Ontario, petition the Legislative Assembly

of Ontario to increase operating funding to long-term-care homes by $306.6 million, which will allow the hiring of more staff to provide an additional 20 minutes of care per resident per day over

the next two years...."

CONVENIENCE STORES

Mr. John O'Toole (Durham): It's a pleasure to present this petition on behalf of small business in Ontario. Because of CFIB, we're here today.

It reads as follows:

"To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

"Whereas the Ontario Korean Businessmen's Association (OKBA) represents 3,000 family-owned and -operated small convenience store businesses across Ontario who

are being driven out of business by the McGuinty government; and

"Whereas the McGuinty government has hurt OKBA members by hiking WSIB rates, hiking commercial hydro rates, and dumping the high costs of implementing Bill 164

on these small family-run businesses;

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

"Convenience stores are the last family-run businesses in every neighbourhood throughout Ontario and are in urgent need of both compensation and help from the

government to allow replacement categories" for products that have been banned, such as tobacco. The prohibitive practices of the McGuinty government are hurting small business.

I'm pleased to sign this in support of small businesses in Ontario.

TRADE DEVELOPMENT

Mr. Bob Delaney (Mississauga West): I'm pleased to join with my legislative colleagues this afternoon, and certainly with the management and

labour force at DaimlerChrysler in Brampton, in this petition to the Ontario Legislative Assembly. It reads as follows:

"Whereas more than 260,000 Ontarians make their living and support their families through their careers in the auto industry in Ontario, which has become the

pre-eminent manufacturer of motor vehicles in North America; and

"Whereas Canada imports more than 130,000 vehicles annually from the Republic of Korea, which imports virtually no vehicles or parts from Canada and does none

of its manufacturing or assembly in Ontario or in any other Canadian jurisdiction, even though Canadian auto workers make the best-quality, most cost-effective vehicles in the world; and

imbalance in the auto sector, and includes no measures to require Korea to reduce tariff and non-tariff barriers to Canadian-made vehicles, auto parts and other value-added services or

components;

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

agreement contingent on fair and equal access by each country to the other's domestic markets in manufactured products such as motor vehicles and in value-added services, and ensure that Korea

commits to manufacturing vehicles in Canada if Korea proposes to continue to sell vehicles in Canada."

This is an excellent petition. I'm pleased to sign it, to support it and to ask page Gregory to carry it for me.

HIGHWAY 26

Mr. Jim Wilson (Simcoe-Grey): "To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

"Whereas the redevelopment of Highway 26 was approved by MPP Jim Wilson and the previous PC government in 1999; and

"Whereas a number of horrific fatalities and accidents have occurred on the old stretch of Highway 26; and

"Whereas the redevelopment of Highway 26 is critical to economic development and job creation in Simcoe-Grey;

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

"That the Liberal government stop the delay of the Highway 26 redevelopment and act immediately to ensu