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October 19, 2005

38th Parliament, 2nd Session

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Hansard Transcripts

vol. A

Hansard Transcripts

vol. B

Votes and Proceedings

Orders and Notices

Hansard Transcripts 2005-Oct-19 (PDF)

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO

ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DE L'ONTARIO

Wednesday 19 October 2005 Mercredi 19 octobre 2005

MEMBERS' STATEMENTS

LIBRARY SERVICES

POLICE SERVICES

ROAD SAFETY

DONALD WARDEN

HOSPICE CARE

QUEENSWAY CARLETON HOSPITAL

RUN FOR THE CURE

HEALTH CARE

STROKE CARE SYSTEM /

SYSTÈME DE PRÉVENTION

DES ATTAQUES D'APOPLEXIE

VISITORS

LEGISLATIVE INTERNS

REPORTS BY COMMITTEES

STANDING COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT AGENCIES

INTRODUCTION OF BILLS

1376037 ONTARIO INC. ACT, 2005

GENDER-BASED

PRICE DISCRIMINATION

PROHIBITION ACT, 2005 /

LOI DE 2005

INTERDISANT LA DISCRIMINATION

DES PRIX FONDÉE SUR LE SEXE

MOTIONS

HOUSE SITTINGS

STATEMENTS BY THE MINISTRY

AND RESPONSES

ACADEMIC TESTING /

ÉPREUVES ACADÉMIQUES

VISITOR

ELDER ABUSE AWARENESS DAY

VISITOR

ORAL QUESTIONS

HEALTH PREMIUMS

GREENBELT FOUNDATION

ACADEMIC TESTING

HEALTH PREMIUMS

PAROLE SYSTEM

PROPERTY TAXATION

FOREST INDUSTRY

HYDRO GENERATION

ELECTRICITY SUPPLY

CRIME PREVENTION

HOSPITAL FUNDING

WATER QUALITY

ACADEMIC TESTING

PETITIONS

HEALTH CARE

GASOLINE PRICES

GO TRANSIT TUNNEL

REGIONAL CENTRES FOR THE

DEVELOPMENTALLY DISABLED

PHYSIOTHERAPY SERVICES

CHIROPRACTIC SERVICES

VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS

AUTISM TREATMENT

PROPERTY TAXATION

HIGHWAY 26

FREDERICK BANTING HOMESTEAD

SCHOOL TRANSPORTATION

CARDIAC CARE

ORDERS OF THE DAY

ENDING MANDATORY RETIREMENT

STATUTE LAW AMENDMENT ACT, 2005 /

LOI DE 2005 MODIFIANT DES LOIS

POUR ÉLIMINER LA RETRAITE

OBLIGATOIRE

The House met at 1330.

Prayers.

MEMBERS' STATEMENTS

LIBRARY SERVICES

Mr. Bill Murdoch (Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound): As the member from Kitchener-Waterloo mentioned on Monday, in June 2005 this government cut $1.2

million from their funding of library services; $700,000 of that came from the Ontario Library Service budget. The OLS provides valuable services and resources to public libraries across Ontario.

One of these services is the interlibrary loan and delivery service that connects public libraries across the province. This helps link library collections of all sizes in all communities, making

it possible for libraries to share their resources. As you can imagine, this funding cut will have serious effects on small rural and northern libraries, reducing, among other things, their ability

to provide interlibrary loan services, something their patrons rely on.

I was recently presented with letters from the Friends of the Hanover Public Library. In their letter they said, "We, your constituents, need your help! The

budget cuts will impact on the quality of service given to the library patrons of Grey-Bruce. This will be felt intensely, especially as applied to the interlibrary loan service that our small

rural libraries depend on because of owning fewer books than the large city libraries. Last year our Hanover library alone was involved in transfers of over 3,000 items." They went on to say that

"when decisions are made in big cities, there is little concern or knowledge regarding rural needs."

While I acknowledge that this is Ontario Public Library Week, the libraries in my riding are feeling shortchanged. Again, this government is not respecting the

residents of rural and northern Ontario.

I will deliver these letters to the minister.

POLICE SERVICES

Mr. Peter Kormos (Niagara Centre): Ontario's chiefs of police made some startling revelations about the critical state of policing in the

province of Ontario. The underresourcing and understaffing of police services across this province is alarming and puts communities, their residents and police officers at considerable risk.

I met with, amongst others, deputy chiefs from Niagara Regional Police, where we learned that because of the incredibly and inappropriately low level of

staffing, frauds under $5,000 simply aren't investigated, and that should there be a break and enter at your home, don't expect don't expect a cop to show up. We earlier had been told that car

thefts are not a matter to involve the police but simply a matter between the victim and his or her insurance adjuster.

We learned that in any given community on any given day there are probably more police officers sitting in courtrooms waiting to give evidence than there are out

on the street patrolling and protecting citizens and conducting investigations.

We learned that police services across this province, Niagara Regional included, can't even perform core services, never mind undertake those sorely needed and

incredibly labour-intensive special investigations dealing with things like, for instance, very dangerous crystal meth labs and drug trafficking, among other things.

We learned that the stress and dangers of policing are putting police officers at risk; the understaffing is putting communities at risk.

ROAD SAFETY

Mr. Vic Dhillon (Brampton West-Mississauga): I'm pleased to rise today in support of an initiative by the McGuinty government that is of great

importance to the constituents of Brampton West-Mississauga: Bill 169, the transit and road safety bill. Bill 169 will improve safety for pedestrians, construction workers and all drivers. If

passed, this bill would also improve transit and help ease congestion on roads and highways across the province.

Illegal taxi operators are a major concern in my riding and throughout the GTA. Bill 169 would crack down on illegal taxis by creating a specific Highway Traffic

Act offence for transporting passengers for compensation without the proper permits. We take this issue of transporting illegal passengers very seriously, and that is why the fines will be

increased. The fines for this offence would range from $300 to $20,000. Driver's licence suspension and plate denial upon renewal would be applied if the fine is not paid.

This is not an issue of changing municipal licensing regimes but of public safety. Over the past five years, 15,000 pedestrians have been hurt or killed while

crossing the road in Ontario. In 2004, 26 people were killed in collisions in the region of Peel. It is estimated that almost half of all collisions involve speeding.

If passed, this bill would target some of the worst driving offences, giving officers throughout the province the tools they need to enforce traffic laws and

help protect the most vulnerable people in our society -- our children and seniors.

DONALD WARDEN

Mr. Jim Wilson (Simcoe-Grey): I rise to pay tribute to Chief Donald Warden of the Wasaga Beach Fire Department on being named as Fire Chief of

the Year in the full-time fire chief category by the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs at the CAFC's Fire Rescue Canada 2005 training and educational symposium in Richmond, BC. Chief Warden was

recognized for being instrumental in the success of CAFC programs, including work on the government relations committee that undertook to promote safety-related programs at the national level

through government legislation. Chief Warden has also served as president, vice-president and treasurer of the national association.

Don first began his career in Wasaga Beach in 1974, starting out as a probationary firefighter and town building inspector. He quickly rose through the ranks and

become fire chief in 1980, and he continues in this position today while also taking on the responsibilities of director of emergency services for the town. Don serves as the Georgian sector

representative at Emergency Management Ontario and as a member of EMO's provincial advisory committee. But I'm sure he gets most of his enjoyment from his role as coach of the Wasaga Beach bantam

rep hockey team and as the convenor of the annual Hi-Vol charity golf tournament that's been raising money for local charities for almost 20 years.

Don has also been very supportive of my efforts and those of my colleague the member for Waterloo-Wellington to protect the rights of professional full-time

firefighters to volunteer and provide their expertise to their local fire brigades on their own free time. I sincerely appreciate Don's support.

On behalf of my fellow residents in Wasaga Beach, I once again extend my congratulations to Don for many more years of success as our fire chief.

HOSPICE CARE

Ms. Jennifer F. Mossop (Stoney Creek): Decades ago there was a doctor named Bob Kemp, who was a family doctor in my riding of Stoney Creek. He

used to make many house calls, and he saw first-hand the emotional and physical toll that terminal illness could take on a family, trying to cope with somebody dying and still running the

household. So after he had delivered medical treatment, he would then, before he left, help to wash the the dishes or maybe make some beds, because he realized that physical help was so badly

needed.

At that time, the seed of his dream of a residential hospice was planted firmly in his mind, and he spent decades trying to raise the money to create a

residential hospice. He donated his own home when he retired for a day hospice program, and then Iris Berryman, a retired teacher, donated her land for a future residential hospice. But there was

still a piece missing. Two weeks ago, that piece came in a $115-million funding announcement by our government to create a network of 30 residential hospices in this province and to provide home

care and home visits. This will allow people to die with dignity in their own homes or in a home-like setting and represents a societal shift: money coming out of expensive hospitals and into

affordable settings where people want to be.

As Dr. Bob said that day -- he's now 92 years old -- he knows he will live to see his dream become a reality.

QUEENSWAY CARLETON HOSPITAL

Mr. John R. Baird (Nepean-Carleton): Today I rise with yet another example of where the federal government is failing Ontario taxpayers.

Taxpayers know it was Paul Martin, as finance minister, who reduced federal spending on health care in Ontario from 18% of our health care budget down to just 11% before he was fired by Jean

Chrétien. Then he expects a pat on the back when he increases it to 14%. I'm sorry, Mr. Martin, people just aren't buying it.

Now he has targeted one Ottawa area hospital for special treatment. The Queensway Carleton Hospital in Nepean was built 30 years ago on land owned by the federal

government. Over the years they've paid about a million dollars in rent to the feds. Now, as the renewal of the lease comes forward, Paul Martin wants to jack it up to full market rent. For this

hospital, that could be millions of dollars.

MP Pierre Poilievre and I have launched a campaign to convince Mr. Martin and the federal Liberals to do the right thing and rent the land to the hospital for

$1. If they don't, the hospital could have to fire up to 40 nurses according to the former chair of the board. Thus far, Martin and the federal Liberals aren't budging.

It would be wrong for the province to have to fatten the coffers of a government with an anticipated $10-billion surplus rather than hiring more nurses and

reducing wait times.

Conservatives are onside with the hospital's request. New Democrats federally and some even provincially are onside with the plan. Even Ottawa West-Nepean

Liberal MPP Jim Watson supports the plan for $1 a year.

Angry taxpayers can visit www.freeourhospital.ca and sign the petition to force the Martin Liberals off this mean-spirited scheme. It's never too late to do the

right thing.

RUN FOR THE CURE

Mr. Phil McNeely (Ottawa-Orléans): Earlier this month, I joined over 150 people in running the third annual Blackburn Hamlet Run for the

Cure. The five-kilometre run was a huge success, raising over $11,000 for the fight against breast cancer. Organized by Lynn Sewell, the event started three years ago with only about 80 runners,

but has grown every year since. This year's festivities included a raffle, as well as volunteers who were selling pink bracelets in support of the cause.

It was great to see so many people running for this great cause, including two 13-year-old girls who ran the entire course in only 24 minutes, just under the

best time for the day. There were many other memorable moments throughout the day. I saw several women who wore pink shirts as they ran. These women are breast cancer survivors who have overcome

this disease and are now leading the charge to raise money and awareness.

I was also touched to see Jane Sewell running the race, coming out to support the cause and helping to organize it. I even saw Cindy Dalcourt-Taylor and her

entire family running in memory of their beloved grandmother who passed away from the disease.

The day was a huge success, and I'm already looking forward to next year's run.

I would like to say a special thank you to all the organizers, volunteers, business donors and participants for making this year's run bigger and better than

ever.

HEALTH CARE

Mr. David Zimmer (Willowdale): Over the past two years, our government has been working hard to reform our health care system. I'm proud to

inform this House that in my riding of Willowdale these reforms are working.

Just last month, the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care approved the North York General Hospital to perform an additional 257 cataract procedures and 166 hip

and knee surgeries and joint replacements. As well, North York General Hospital was approved for a further 416 hours of MRI procedures.

Our government's wait time strategy is working. We are proud of producing real, tangible results. Our government is demonstrating our commitment to quality by

giving the people of Ontario the power to review wait times across the province and by making this information available on the Internet. Citizens can now make informed choices about health care

procedures.

STROKE CARE SYSTEM /

SYSTÈME DE PRÉVENTION

DES ATTAQUES D'APOPLEXIE

Mr. Jean-Marc Lalonde (Glengarry-Prescott-Russell): I rise today to congratulate the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care for his announcement

yesterday concerning the Ontario stroke strategy. The news that our province will now have 24 stroke prevention clinics is good news for all Ontarians, and the fact that the Hawkesbury and District

General Hospital has now been recognized as a stroke prevention clinic is tremendously good news for the people of Glengarry-Prescott-Russell.

Je suis ravi d'annoncer que l'Hôpital Général de Hawkesbury a été désigné comme clinique de prévention des accidents

cardiovasculaires. C'est une excellente nouvelle pour les gens de Glengarry-Prescott-Russell.

As the minister pointed out, stroke is the third leading cause of death in Ontario and the leading cause of disability in this country. Here in Ontario, 16,000

people per year suffer strokes and 90,000 people are living with the effects of strokes. I'm proud that this government is taking steps to reduce these numbers and to provide better care and

support for those who have suffered strokes.

I am pleased that the residents of my riding will now have access to stroke prevention services through the Hawkesbury clinic. On behalf of the citizens of my

riding, permit me to thank the minister for this welcome news.

VISITORS

Hon. Mike Colle (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration): On a point of order, Mr. Speaker: It is my great honour to introduce a delegation

from Calabria, one of the most beautiful parts of Italy. It's the birthplace of my colleague from Trinity-Spadina, Rosario Marchese; of the Sorbara family; and of Mario Sergio. Benvenuto.

I would like to say we have with us today the mayor -- the sindaco -- of Serra San Bruno, Signor Pietro Loiacono, and the provincial member, Signor Bruno

Censore. Benvenuto a Canada e Ontario.

The Speaker (Hon. Michael A. Brown): Thank you, Minister. That, of course, is not a point of order, but we want to warmly welcome our

guests.

LEGISLATIVE INTERNS

The Speaker (Hon. Michael A. Brown): With us today in the Speaker's gallery are the 2005-06 Ontario legislative interns. We have Ana Curic, Jon

Feairs, Nicole Goodman, Jacqueline Locke, Daniel O'Brien, Marc Peverini, Meghan Warby and Brian Wettlaufer. Welcome.

Mr. Gilles Bisson (Timmins-James Bay): On a point of order, Mr. Speaker: I wonder if you would indulge me that we have unanimous consent to

double their wages.

The Speaker: Do we have unanimous consent? I heard a no.

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 October

19, 2005, 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

1376037 ONTARIO INC. ACT, 2005

Mr. Murdoch moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill Pr20,

An Act to revive 1376037 Ontario Inc.

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

Pursuant to standing order 84, this bill stands referred to the standing committee on regulations and private bills.

GENDER-BASED

PRICE DISCRIMINATION

PROHIBITION ACT, 2005 /

LOI DE 2005

INTERDISANT LA DISCRIMINATION

DES PRIX FONDÉE SUR LE SEXE

Mr. Berardinetti moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill 9,

An Act to prohibit price discrimination on the basis of gender / Projet de loi 9, Loi interdisant la discrimination des prix fondée sur le

sexe.

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

Does the member have a brief statement?

Mr. Lorenzo Berardinetti (Scarborough Southwest): Briefly, this is the reintroduction of a bill that was introduced in the spring. The bill

prohibits price discrimination on the basis of gender. Individuals who face price discrimination on the basis of gender may file a complaint to which

part IV of the Human Rights Code applies, or

the person may commence an action in the Superior Court of Justice. Persons who practise price discrimination on the basis of gender may be prosecuted.

MOTIONS

HOUSE SITTINGS

Hon. James J. Bradley (Minister of Tourism, minister responsible for seniors, Government House Leader): At the request of my good friend from

Niagara Centre, I'm introducing this motion. 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, October 19, 2005, 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 1353 to 1358.

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

Ayes

Baird, John R.

Barrett, Toby

Bartolucci, Rick

Bentley, Christopher

Berardinetti, Lorenzo

Bradley, James J.

Cansfield, Donna H.

Caplan, David

Colle, Mike

Crozier, Bruce

Delaney, Bob

Dhillon, Vic

Duguid, Brad

Duncan, Dwight

Dunlop, Garfield

Flynn, Kevin Daniel

Fonseca, Peter

Gerretsen, John

Hardeman, Ernie

Hoy, Pat

Jackson, Cameron

Jeffrey, Linda

Kennedy, Gerard

Klees, Frank

Kular, Kuldip

Kwinter, Monte

Lalonde, Jean-Marc

Leal, Jeff

Levac, Dave

Marsales, Judy

Martiniuk, Gerry

Matthews, Deborah

McNeely, Phil

Meilleur, Madeleine

Mossop, Jennifer F.

Munro, Julia

Parsons, Ernie

Peters, Steve

Peterson, Tim

Phillips, Gerry

Qaadri, Shafiq

Racco, Mario G.

Runciman, Robert W.

Ruprecht, Tony

Sandals, Liz

Smith, Monique

Smitherman, George

Sorbara, Gregory S.

Takhar, Harinder S.

Tory, John

Van Bommel, Maria

Watson, Jim

Wilkinson, John

Wilson, Jim

Witmer, Elizabeth

Wong, Tony C.

Wynne, Kathleen O.

Yakabuski, John

Zimmer, David

The Speaker: All those opposed will please rise one at a time.

Nays

Arnott, Ted

Bisson, Gilles

Horwath, Andrea

Kormos, Peter

Marchese, Rosario

Martel, Shelley

Murdoch, Bill

Prue, Michael

The Clerk of the Assembly (Mr. Claude L. DesRosiers): The ayes are 59; the nays are 8.

The Speaker: I declare the motion carried.

STATEMENTS BY THE MINISTRY

AND RESPONSES

ACADEMIC TESTING /

ÉPREUVES ACADÉMIQUES

Hon. Gerard Kennedy (Minister of Education): I rise in the House today to recognize the ongoing hard work of Ontario's students, teachers,

parents, education workers and everyone involved in the province's publicly funded education system. Thanks to their dedication and commitment, student achievement is up among our elementary

schools in province-wide reading, writing and mathematics for the second year in a row. This follows several years when student achievement was effectively stalled. We are now on a trend of

improvement for our youngest students in the province of Ontario.

The new results of the grade 3 and grade 6 EQAO tests -- which is the testing authority in Ontario -- for the 2004-05 year show that an average of 62% of

Ontario's students are meeting or exceeding the provincial standards in reading, writing and mathematics. That's a significant 8.15% increase from the average of 54% who were meeting the standard

in 2002-03 under the previous government.

For the first time, the province has set a clear target of 75% of 12-year-olds able to meet the provincial standard in province-wide reading, writing and math

tests by 2007-08. Age 12 is a critical juncture, a tipping point in a child's life. If students by that age become convinced they cannot succeed at school, dropping out becomes a much more

attractive option, and a life can be thwarted by that lack of early accomplishment. Reducing class sizes in the primary grades, providing training for teachers and an atmosphere of peace and

stability are critical to improving literacy and numeracy skills for Ontario's youngest students.

We have worked with Ontario school boards to create, for the first time, a coordinated effort right across the province to help students reach their potential.

points to 66% in math.

writing, up five points to 59%; and in mathematics, up three points to 60%.

resté le même en lecture. En écriture, il a augmenté de cinq points, pour se situer à 68% par rapport à l'année dernière, et il a augmenté de deux

points en mathématiques, pour se situer à 57%.

encourageants. En lecture, le rendement des élèves a augmenté de quatre points de pourcentage, pour atteindre 67%; en écriture, il a augmenté de deux points, pour se situer

à 70%; et en mathématiques, il a augmenté de quatre points, pour atteindre 74%. C'est un bon résultat pour les élèves francophones.

We gave Ontario's 1.1 million primary and junior students more individualized attention, and to help improve student achievement, the McGuinty government

introduced the Every Child strategy. This strategy includes:

-- smaller class sizes for JK to grade 3 students, working to a real cap of 20 students in 2007-08;

-- better training for literacy and numeracy for at least four teachers and each principal in all elementary schools -- over 20,000 teachers in total;

-- 2,000 new specialist teachers in key areas such as literacy and numeracy, music, the arts and physical education, approximately 600 of which are in place

in this school year; and

-- new textbooks, library books and learning resources for elementary students.

In addition we have a unique Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat, led by Avis Glaze, bringing together many of our best and brightest educators in the province

to enhance teacher skills, develop school leadership, target resources and coordinate efforts of all levels of learning.

As this year's results demonstrate, elementary students are beginning to reap the benefits of our education strategies and to improve in important subject

weakest readers becoming better, not simply from those who were on the margin.

But we very strongly realize that there is much more to be done to help those who continue to struggle, especially at the high school level. This year's

low. The results are up only one percentage point, to 27%. This is a course that is now being replaced with a course that is more suited to the talents of the students affected.

24%.

Just last week, the final report in a series of reports from a study led by Queen's University professor Alan King was released. It tracked the progress of

high school students between 1999 and 2003-04 and warned of high dropout rates and repeatedly called for government intervention. The King report confirms that as many as 48,000 students in that

final year, about 30% of all students, could not acquire enough credits for graduation.

Every single year between 1999 and 2003, Dr. King was pointing to the problem while the Tory Conservatives sat back and let the dropout rate climb year after

year without taking action. This government refuses to let students wait. Our student success program at the high school level is starting to turn around that unacceptable dropout rate. We are

helping to turn more struggling students into successful graduates. The number of students who graduate after five years in high school has gone up from 68% in 2003-04 to an estimated 72% in

2004-05. The number of students who graduate after four years has risen from 56% in 2003-04 to 60% in 2004-05.

Our government firmly believes that excellence in public education is critical not only to students but to our province's future. We're starting to see a

turnaround, and that is encouraging news. These improvements demonstrate that with the right support, Ontario's students and publicly funded education system are capable of achieving our ambitious

goals for student achievement. But we need everyone's help, support and commitment. I encourage everyone in this House to get involved and stay in touch with your local school communities. We need

the lines of both communication and support to be open.

Our strategies in education are delivering results for students. We will continue to invest wisely in Ontario's publicly funded education system.

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

Mr. Frank Klees (Oak Ridges): Before I respond to the minister's statement, I want to say that I and my colleagues in the official opposition

celebrate the improved results of the standardized tests. We want to give credit to the teachers, the principals and the students who applied themselves to the business of learning.

I want to read into the record the following quote: "Eight years after standardized tests hit Ontario, there is mounting proof the scores -- including the

latest batch due today -- are providing schools with a power tool to pinpoint how to help children learn, says Premier Dalton McGuinty's special adviser on education."

I want to remind the minister that it was in fact the previous government that implemented the tests that we're celebrating today. I want to remind the

minister that he and his colleagues, including the Premier, voted against having standardized tests. If it wasn't for these standardized tests, he would not be able to benchmark the progress that

our students are making in this province today.

While this report is encouraging -- because we do recognize the trend that, by the way, began before this year. The trend of improvements, contrary to what

this minister would have us believe, didn't start yesterday. It started already under the previous government, and we celebrate that as well. What is sobering about this report as well is that

there are still some 53,000 students in grade 6 who have not reached the provincial standard in reading skills and some 58,800 students who have not reached the provincial standard in writing

skills and mathematics. That was the reason we implemented these tests, to ensure that we could pinpoint where the improvements need to take place.

I want to take this opportunity to commend the work of the EQAO. Charged with the responsibility of administering these tests province-wide as an independent

agency, their work is vital to ensure that the goal of these provincial tests is achieved. I commend them on their work today.

It is because of these standardized tests that the government, schools, principals and parents can focus in on where we have to make improvements in our

education system, that we can put the appropriate resources behind the teaching of these classes and into the classrooms. That was the purpose of these tests that this minister, the Premier and

that government opposed while they were in opposition. Today he welcomes them, and we celebrate this about-face on behalf of this government. Thank you for recognizing that the previous government,

in its wisdom, implemented standardized province-wide tests to improve education in this province.

It's also because of these tests that we can now debunk some of the urban legends that have in the past caused us to write off certain schools or groups within

schools for economic or cultural demographics. There are examples in this report published today of schools where there is a very high multicultural population, where the general income levels are

lower than in many areas of the province, where there is a very high percentage of immigrants and where they have results that are above the provincial average. That is to the leadership credit of

principals and teachers and teaching teams in these schools that have made it their business to ensure that students are motivated and that we put the necessary resources in place to motivate these

students.

So I would call on this government to take the results of this test and deal with it in a positive way, not for partisan purposes, but to recognize the work of

the teachers, recognize the value of these standardized tests, and continue to work based on the foundation that the previous government has put in place in the education system in this

province.

Mr. Rosario Marchese (Trinity-Spadina): New Democrats are not against a rigorous curriculum. We are in favour of a curriculum that speaks to

the ability of each student and is appropriate to their age level. In this regard, we are in favour of holding the Liberal government accountable to the promise they made of establishing a

curriculum committee to introduce curriculum changes, pedagogical changes, that would make for better education of our students. We have yet to see that promise.

But I want to say, mes amis libéraux, this is all about politics and not pedagogy. This is a government that is so desperate to show improvements that

they are going to bring forth cooked statistics to convince us they are keeping a promise that they are in fact breaking.

This is a continuation of a Conservative testing regime. The difference is that the Liberals are doing it, oh, so much more efficiently. The Tories wanted to

show improvements in test scores. They started the manipulation of the numbers. You Liberals promised that 75% of Ontario students will reach the provincial standard, and behold, the numbers are

up.

Let me explain how you Liberals have done that. Students had a limited time to answer questions under the old regime. This year's instructions to test

administrators state that "students may take the time they need to complete the section, as long as it is in one continuous sitting," i.e., they have as much time as they need to write the

test.

Second, the test is half as long. The length of the test went from over 10 hours last year to six hours this year. The minister himself directly intervened to

make this change happen. He announced this change, not the EQAO, speaking to the political interference of this minister and this government.

Third, students are allowed to use calculators. Grades 3 and 6 students this year were allowed to use calculators for the entire marked test, including

multiple choice questions. In the past, students were not permitted to use calculators for the multiple-choice questions.

Fourth, the teachers who mark the test have told us that the new test is not only easier, but that they have been encouraged to give higher marks where there

is doubt between two possible grades. Unfortunately, teachers who mark the tests are forced to sign confidentiality agreements, raising questions of transparency.

Hon. Marie Bountrogianni (Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, minister responsible for democratic renewal): You're wrong, Rosario.

Mr. Marchese: The Tories, Madame la ministre, say that the Liberals have dumbed down the curriculum. If this were so, then students would do

worse on the standardized tests, not better. The Tories are wrong. They haven't dumbed down the curriculum. They, the Liberals, have played with the test. They have played politics with the

test.

McGuinty should stop announcing fake improvements and actually improve classroom learning.

Hon. Mrs. Bountrogianni: You just can't stand it.

Mr. Marchese: Students need, Madame Bountrogianni, educational assistance, uno; dos, special education teachers; three, they need special

education support that we haven't had in two years. They need ESL teachers and they need librarians. This minister, when he was in opposition, said we need more of them; in fact, we have fewer

under a Liberal regime than we did under these fine people here to my right.

What they need are physical education teachers, not an extra 20 minutes on top of what they're doing. Seventy per cent of classrooms don't have physical

education teachers. Fix that, Mr. Kennedy. And what we need are music teachers and art teachers. If we did that, Monsieur le ministre et mes amis libéraux, that would be an improvement.

VISITOR

Mr. Tim Peterson (Mississauga South): On a point of privilege, Mr. Speaker: In our audience today we have a gentleman from northern Ontario,

the founder of Canoe Canada Outfitters, the largest canoe outfitter in Atikokan and a shining example of self-industry and self-promotion. He is also a 12-year president of NOTO, the Northern

Ontario Tourist Outfitters Association. Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to acknowledge Bud Dickson.

The Speaker (Hon. Michael A. Brown): That was not a point of privilege nor a point of order, but welcome, Mr. Dickson.

ELDER ABUSE AWARENESS DAY

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

unanimous consent for all parties in the Legislature to speak for up to five minutes to recognize Elder Abuse Awareness Day.

The Speaker (Hon. Michael A. Brown): Mr. Bradley has asked for unanimous consent for all parties to have five minutes to speak to Elder Abuse

Awareness Day. Agreed? Agreed.

Hon. Mr. Bradley: I rise to speak on an important and sobering topic. Today marks the second annual Elder Abuse Awareness Day in Ontario.

Although I am pleased that our province recognizes such a day, I am saddened that the need still exists. Elder abuse is often described as a hidden crime. Today, across Ontario, light is being shed

on this problem.

The vast majority of Ontario seniors are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve, but for some Ontario seniors, elder abuse is a fact of life. Elder

abuse can come in many forms: financial, physical or emotional abuse, or neglect. Elder abuse is often perpetrated by someone in a position of trust, such as a family member or a close friend. That

is why this government will continue to work with seniors' organizations and leaders and many sectors of Ontario society to address this serious issue.

Ontario's strategy to combat elder abuse is being implemented in partnership with the Ministry of the Attorney General and the Ontario Network for the

Prevention of Elder Abuse. Seven regional elder abuse consultants are working in support of the strategy's three priorities: staff training, public education and coordination of local services to

help seniors who are being abused. Our consultants are helping support the good work of more than 50 local elder abuse coordinating committees that are working to ensure local agencies pull

together to address this problem. Staff and front-line agencies serving seniors are also receiving training on how to recognize the signs of abuse and what to do when they think abuse may be

occurring.

Today in many communities across Ontario, communities represented by members of this Legislature, people will mark this important day with candlelight vigils

and other awareness-raising activities. The candlelight vigils are being held to symbolize shedding light on this hidden crime. I know all members in this Legislature believe that elder abuse has

no place in Ontario. By informing people about elder abuse, Ontarians can help stop it.

I would like to recognize the work of the member for Willowdale, Mr. Zimmer, who in April of last year sought and received all-party support in the Legislature

for his private member's resolution creating an annual Elder Abuse Awareness Day. That of course is one of the occasions on which all members of this Legislature came together, regardless of party

affiliation, to agree with a good idea, because we all have that idea in our minds and in our hearts.

Public education is one of the best tools to focus the attention of all Ontarians on the issue of elder abuse. I ask members of this House to join with us as

we recognize this important day.

Mr. Cameron Jackson (Burlington): I'm very pleased to stand in the House on behalf of my leader, John Tory, and the PC caucus to acknowledge

the importance of awareness in combating elder abuse in all of its ugly and sordid forms. But I also stand here, as I have on many occasions, as members are aware, to indicate that every day should

be Elder Abuse Awareness Day and that we should be vigilant.

I'm sure by now that even the newest members of this legislative chamber have had occasions with constituents coming to their office with absolutely horrific

stories. These should serve to educate us, to sensitize us and to cause us to seek out the kinds of reforms, initiatives and programs that will make Ontario a very safe place.

I'm very proud of the record of our government when we recognized the importance of this issue with a myriad of programs. In fact, it was at the very first

International Congress on Elder Abuse, held in Spain in 2001, that Ontario was featured pre-eminently as the feature presentation to demonstrate the first government in North America to bring

forward an elder abuse strategy.

I want to pay public tribute to Dr. Elizabeth Podnieks, who has received the Order of Canada for her leading research work and her deep compassion for seniors

who are victims of elder abuse not only in this province but also in Canada. I was pleased, as the minister of the day, to work with her to develop the program and to commit $4.3 million over five

years.

I invite the new minister to make a commitment, because in several of the programs I'm going to enunciate we cannot see the ongoing commitment. This is a

challenge for the new minister. I hope he will honour the amount of work that has gone on by seniors across this province to develop the kind of protective infrastructure they richly deserve, that

they fought hard for years to get and that they now have in place.

There are some questions. We do want this elder abuse program that was begun by our government, which is in its last year of funding, to get the signal that it

will be funded next year.

I want to say that a simple day in Ontario isn't as significant as the fact that the United Nations and the World Health Organization have dedicated June 15,

2006, as the beginning of World Elder Abuse Day. I invite the minister, and I will work with him, to elevate this and for Ontario to take its time-honoured leadership position in communicating to

the world that we can show many provinces and states in the US the work that's been done here.

I also want to indicate to the minister that one of the various forums for the most vulnerable seniors is in our Alzheimer strategy. Again, we were very

pleased, as a government, to deliver $68.4 million over five years. Minister, that program has in effect been suspended since late last year. Of the 10-point plan that I developed, only three areas

involved ongoing commitments. I knew that future governments would see this as a cost-saving area, so we're not making the kinds of financial commitments in this year, the sixth year after the

start of the Alzheimer strategy, the first of its kind in Canada and the first of its kind anywhere in North America. Again, I invite the minister to become more engaged.

Hang Up On Fraud and Phonebusters: My colleague David Tsubouchi and I worked on that, again working with the United States and with the OPP, because seniors'

phone fraud in Ontario is among some of the worst statistics anywhere in North America.

We know that the Ontario Residential Care Association has had an outstanding program for which, again, the government hasn't seen fit to provide funding to

extend from the previous government and deal with their complaint registry line.

The seniors' safe medication program: I want to thank the Minister of Health. I went to the former minister for seniors, who said, "Cam, there's no money.

We're going to have to collapse the program." I went to the Minister of Health and he found the money. This is a health promotion initiative. Ontario seniors are the most overmedicated group in the

province, but only this year's funding has been extended.

Minister, I'm very pleased that we're highlighting this, but I encourage you: It's difficult, given that your budget has been slashed by $800,000, but I invite

you to become more directly involved in protecting seniors in Ontario.

Ms. Shelley Martel (Nickel Belt): In the press release today from the Ontario Seniors' Secretariat, the minister is quoted as saying, "`In

order to shed light on this `hidden crime' -- elder abuse -- "`we are asking communities to conduct candlelight vigils and other awareness-raising activities to remember victims of elder abuse, and

to encourage those who may know a victim of elder abuse to report the crime,' Bradley said."

That is just not good enough. On this, day of all days, this government should have moved past the vigils and told the House what it's doing to reduce, indeed

to eliminate, elder abuse in Ontario.

Let me give you two examples of what the government could have done. This is the recommendation from the coroner's jury from the Casa Verde inquest. It was

released in April 2005, after 10 weeks of deliberations by a coroner's jury into the deaths of two residents, aged 71 and 78, at the hands of another resident, aged 74, at the Casa Verde nursing

home in 2001. The jury heard extensive testimony around the circumstances of these individuals, and they heard about the other 11 residents of long-term-care facilities between 1994 and 2004 who

died at the hands of other residents. Indeed, after this was released, there was another 85-year-old resident who died at the hands of her roommate in a long-term-care home in Kitchener in July of

this year.

This jury made 85 recommendations, many of them calling on the Ministry of Health to respond. For example, "The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care ...

should give increased priority to the health care needs of the elderly and, in particular, the serious challenges faced in treating elderly cognitively impaired residents, by immediately developing

and implementing a plan ... to ensure appropriate standards, funding, tracking and accountability in long-term-care ... and other facilities treating such individuals."

They went on to say as well: "The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care should fund specialized facilities to care for demented or cognitively impaired

residents exhibiting aggressive behaviour as an alternative to long-term-care facilities. Funding for these facilities should be based on a formula that accounts for the complex, high-care needs of

these residents in order that the facility be staffed by regulated health care professionals ... who are trained ... and in sufficient numbers to care for these complex and behaviourally difficult

residents."

They went on. It's recommended that the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, if it makes a decision to continue to place individuals in long-term-care

facilities, "must set standards for these facilities and units to ensure that they are sufficiently staffed with appropriately skilled regulated health care professionals who have expertise in

managing" these difficulties -- and the list goes on and on.

This government hasn't made a formal response to the Casa Verde recommendations. I asked the Minister of Health about that in the estimates two weeks ago, and

the minister said the recommendations will be reflected in long-term-care legislation -- legislation that we thought we were going to see last fall and that I hope we see this fall. But the

government could have used this opportunity today, of all days, to even stand up and say whether or not they agree with the recommendations and when we might expect some form of concrete

response.

If the government wanted to do a second thing, they could have passed Bill 47,

An Act to protect persons in care from abuse. We all know, because it's been

very public, that there has been story after story in the media about residents in long-term-care facilities who are suffering from neglect or abuse. As a result of reading those stories, my

leader, Howard Hampton, introduced this bill in April 2004. The bill would have placed an obligation on owners of long-term-care homes to report incidents of abuse. It would have placed an onus on

staff in long-term-care facilities to report such abuse, just like teachers, just like child care workers have an onus and obligation to report child abuse to the CAS.

Time after time, in response to statements made by the Minister of Health with respect to long-term care, I urged him and this government to pass this bill so

that we would have some protection in place for residents in long-term-care homes, and the government refused to do that. The government refused to capitalize on an opportunity that was presented

to them in April 2004.

I say today that of course elder abuse cannot be tolerated in the province of Ontario, but my goodness, this government should have used today as an

opportunity to say very clearly, very publicly what they are doing or what they intend to do to deal with this very serious issue in Ontario, and they did not.

VISITOR

Mr. Frank Klees (Oak Ridges): On a point of order, Mr. Speaker: All members will know and agree with me on the importance of their staff to

the work they do. I would like to especially welcome this afternoon to the Legislature my constituency assistant Neave Greig and her husband, Ted Greig.

ORAL QUESTIONS

HEALTH PREMIUMS

Mr. John Tory (Leader of the Opposition): My question is for the Minister of Finance. It seems the chickens are coming home to roost,

potentially to the tune of hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars, in terms of who has to pay the McGuinty health tax. Following yesterday's divisional court decision, isn't it time as you took

action, as the Premier said you would, to determine and clarify exactly who is supposed to pay the McGuinty health tax?

Hon. Dwight Duncan (Minister of Finance, Chair of the Management Board of Cabinet): You are no doubt aware that yesterday the Divisional Court

released a ruling on the Lapointe-Fisher Nursing Home case. The ruling found that the employer was required to pay the Ontario health premium on behalf of its employees covered by the collective

agreement, and the employer is currently deciding whether to appeal the ruling. We will continue to observe that, as we've looked at a number of arbitrators' decisions in the situation.

I do want to say to the Leader of the Opposition that our position has always been crystal clear that the Ontario health premium is a tax and not the OHIP

premium that had previously been imposed under the Health Insurance Act. Unlike those old premiums, paying the new premium is not linked to the health coverage Ontario residents are entitled to

receive.

I again remind the Leader of the Opposition that all revenue raised through the premium goes to transform Ontario's health care system and is being dedicated

to our health care system in a way that will benefit all the people of Ontario.

Mr. Tory: It's only unfortunate that the court doesn't see the perfectly clear position you've been taking consistently on this and doesn't,

obviously, recognize it.

We are asking you, Minister, to stand by what the Premier said in the House a year ago; namely, that steps would be taken to ensure that it is clear that

taxpayers in Ontario have to pay your health tax.

At the root of this issue is fairness. Of all the cases brought before the arbitrator since you introduced the up to $900 a year health tax on the hard-working

people of Ontario, it is the public service employers, paid for through our taxes, that are having to pay the McGuinty health tax for their employees. So you have the irony, for example, of

elderly, infirm people in various places where they are having to pay the health tax, and the staff people who care for them are not.

So my question is this: Do you think it is fair for taxpayers to have to pay your health tax twice, both for themselves and for the employees in these various

parts of the public sector that these rulings affect?

Hon. Mr. Duncan: I would say to the Leader of the Opposition that no one is paying the health tax twice. In terms of this notion about

clarity, in fact, the arbitrators' rulings out there are now 16 to 6. This is the first Divisional Court ruling. The employer under consideration is considering an appeal, as I understand it, but

at this point it seems clear.

What shouldn't be lost, and I hope the opposition leader will agree, is that the investments we're making in health care were absolutely essential. They were

essential in the context of his government, which closed hospitals, laid off nurses, which did not do anything to enhance health care in this province and still fails to come to terms, in our view,

with the fact that we have these investments and they're important to health care in Ontario.

The rulings to date are 16 to 6 --

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

Mr. Tory: It always depends, I guess, on what score you look at. I think, when it comes to Divisional Court rulings, the score is 1 to 0

against the government. That's why there is a need for clarity here.

Minister, London Hydro, Ontario Power Generation, the Toronto Transit Commission and the city of Hamilton on behalf of their firefighters now have to pay your

McGuinty health tax for their employees or, more correctly, the taxpayers of Ontario are not only paying their own health tax but they're paying for these employees as well. Now a nursing home in

Guelph has lost its appeal and is required to pay your McGuinty health tax for its employees.

These arbitrations will have a ripple effect across the public service, and future labour negotiations will undoubtedly have more of the same. It's bad enough

that taxpayers have to pay your McGuinty health tax at all, given your promise not to raise taxes. You've raised them $2,000 apiece. Will we have to pay again? Will you move to clarify this

situation, or will you stand by making taxpayers pay twice?

Hon. Mr. Duncan: No taxpayers pay twice, first of all. I'd remind the Leader of the Opposition -- and I've reviewed the other decisions as

well -- that much of it has to do with the wording in collective agreements. We have no intention of stripping collective agreements, if that's what you're suggesting.

I think the Leader of the Opposition ought to come clean, when he talks about this tax, about what he is going to do to replace the $2.9 billion that he

proposes to take out of health care.

I would remind the Leader of the Opposition about some of the new investments that have been made in health care: over $1 billion for our hospitals, $620

million for support services for OHIP, $388 million for 4,514 new long-term-care beds, $230 million for Ontario drug programs, $668 million for home care. To the Leader of the Opposition, we

invested in those services. We did so because it was prudent, responsible public policy. What are you --

The Speaker: Thank you. New question.

Mr. Tory: I'll tell you what I'll start by doing: I'll start by growing the economy. We'll have to start doing that after we get rid of you

out of that job, because you certainly won't, that's for sure.

GREENBELT FOUNDATION

Mr. John Tory (Leader of the Opposition): Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Tourism. Liberal MPPs on the government agencies

committee indicated earlier today that they will vote to shut down our efforts to bring transparency and accountability to your secretive Greenbelt Foundation. What exactly are you hiding?

Hon. James J. Bradley (Minister of Tourism, minister responsible for seniors, Government House Leader): I guess I could ask the leader of the

official opposition what he's hiding. I can remember, many years ago when he was an adviser to Premier Davis, when they were setting up, for instance, the Niagara Escarpment Commission, that he

would have been a strong supporter of initiatives of that kind. What appears to have happened to the Leader of the Opposition at this time is that the right wing of the Conservative Party appears

to have taken over: just swipe everything else aside. It's very clear at this time that if you got your hands on the levers of power, what you would be doing is paving all of this environmentally

sensitive land. A man who used to go to the Pollution Probe dinners -- I admired him in those days when he took that strong environmental stance -- is now taken over by the right wing of the party

and wants to be on the side of land speculators. I can't believe this. I thought you'd be very supportive.

Mr. Tory: This is pretty sad stuff.

Again to the minister: Earlier today, your Liberal MPPs on the government agencies committee indicated that they'll be voting against any proposal to shed some

light on your Liberal appointees to the $25-million Greenbelt Foundation. Serious questions remain about just how independent your Greenbelt Foundation is, now that they've begun airing promotional

ads for your government's policies. We revealed yesterday that your deputy minister has been appointed by the Premier himself to that board and sits on the supposedly independent board. We know

that an adviser to a former Premier and one of Mr. McGuinty's transition team members also sits on the board. It's looking more independent by the minute.

Minister, why are you so intent on shutting down our attempts to shine some light on this foundation that has been given $25 million of taxpayers' money, which

it is apparently spending on advertising that promotes government policy? Why won't you yourself shed some light on that?

Hon. Mr. Bradley: First of all, as your House leader sitting beside you would tell you and as former Speakers and the present Speaker would

tell you, committees determine their own business. We in this House do not second-guess the business of committees. Every Speaker, when there has ever been a ruling asked of the Speaker, says that

the committees determine their own business.

What I'm hearing when I hear you ask that question -- I look over and see, if I can use the familiar term, my friend John Tory asking the question, but I'm

really hearing the voice of Mike Harris. What you want to do is paint the greenbelt land-speculator blue. I remind the leader of the official opposition that this government followed exactly what

your government did in terms of establishing the Oak Ridges Moraine Foundation. We used exactly your model, and now you're complaining about that. I don't know why you're complaining, except that

you're opposed to the greenbelt.

Mr. Tory: It's very clear: The minister has no interest in accountability for $25 million of hard-earned taxpayers' money. We tried calling

the Greenbelt Foundation: no answer on the phone and no voicemail. We went to their expensive offices up in swanky Yorkville, a really appropriate address for a foundation like this, and there was

nobody there, just boxes in an empty office. Yet somehow, with no office, no phone, no voicemail, they have found the means to launch a multi-million dollar advertising campaign promoting the

policies of your government. Twenty-five million taxpayer dollars have been funnelled into your foundation but we don't know why.

I ask the minister, where is the business plan for this foundation? Will you bring it here today, and if not, tomorrow? Where are the directives as to how the

$25 million is to be spent? Is it all for backdoor advertising? How are they spending the taxpayers' money? What assurance do you have that they're doing it properly? Do you have answers -- and

will you give them -- to these legitimate questions about $25 million of the taxpayers' money or --

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

Hon. Mr. Bradley: My friend from Oak Ridges asked what voices I'm hearing now. It's the voice of Mike Harris I keep hearing. I look at John

Tory as the leader of the official opposition and I hear the same old rhetoric I heard from the Mike Harris government. Unfortunately, the right wing has taken over there. They don't want the

Greenbelt Foundation to be able to provide anything to the people of Ontario.

I want to tell him that there's nothing innovative about this. In fact, I guess I have to pay some credit to your government. We simply followed exactly what

you did with the Oak Ridges Moraine Foundation in establishing it. You provided, I think, some $15 million as seed money in that particular case for a smaller area of land than the greenbelt is

involved with. I remember applauding that at the time. I was never critical; I applauded it. I didn't think there was any sinister plot. But do you know something? That was because we in this party

agreed with the Oak Ridges Moraine Foundation. The secret agenda the Leader of the Opposition --

The Speaker: Thank you.

ACADEMIC TESTING

Mr. Howard Hampton (Kenora-Rainy River): To the Minister of Education: You say that higher student test scores prove that the McGuinty

government plan is working. Tell me, do you believe that Ontario students are smarter now than they were two years ago, or did you make the EQAO tests a lot easier?

Hon. Gerard Kennedy (Minister of Education): We are a little saddened to see the leader of the third party grasping at proverbial straws here.

There is a turnaround taking place in education, and we expect the support of the third party for it. We expect the third party to want to see students read, write and do mathematics better. They

established the EQAO, and Mr. Hampton and his group have spent all their time running away from the fact that we need to have advancement in our publicly funded education system.

We believe that the teachers of this province are discredited by the questions the gentleman opposite is asking, because they have worked hard, and so have

students, their parents and so on. They have become better at doing mathematics, they've become better at reading, they've become better at writing, and they will continue to improve because they

are now getting significant support. The hard work of teachers, principals and schools is responsible for the results. We are working with them for the first time in a coordinated fashion, and I

would expect support from the third party for that effort and for those --

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

Mr. Hampton: I asked the minister if he'd made the EQAO tests easier; I didn't get an answer. Maybe the minister needs unlimited time and a

calculator to answer the question.

Minister, you promised to improve student results dramatically. Instead, you have made the student tests dramatically easier. You made the tests shorter, you

gave students twice as long to complete the tests and you even let grade 3 students use calculators. Tell me, Minister, how can you compare this year's results to previous years' results when you

manipulated the test and put politics ahead of pedagogy?

Hon. Mr. Kennedy: The only politics on display here are the desperate actions of the leader of the third party, because he wouldn't be mildly

interested that an international panel reviewed the operations of the EQAO. They were supervised by a board appointed by the previous government, every single one of them, including a former

Conservative Minister of Education. Further, they decided that it would be perfectly comparable to have the test administered in a shorter fashion with less taxing of resources in schools, and be

comparable, be every bit as difficult. Therefore, that international panel, the EQAO, which still has Bette Stephenson, the former Conservative Minister of Education, on the board, believes that

this is a completely independent test compared to the years before.

The third party opposite, if they have information, if they've actually done their homework and talked to the EQAO, talked to the independent experts, talked

to OISE, talked to the people from other provinces who supervised this process, then they can speak in this House. Otherwise --

The Speaker: Thank you. Final supplementary.

Mr. Hampton: Well, I spoke to some of the teachers who mark the tests, and this is what they tell us. They tell us that the test is now a lot

easier. They say that the new tests are designed to pass more students to suit your political purposes. And those teachers would join us here today, but they can't, because you made them sign a gag

order. If they speak out, you can fire them or fine them.

Minister, if the EQAO tests are a fair and transparent tool for assessing student achievement, why won't the McGuinty government let front-line teachers tell

the truth about your tests?

Hon. Mr. Kennedy: It's tempting to admit that there is a conspiracy to improve student achievement in this province and that there's a vastly

orchestrated effort to try and see if we can't get those darn kids to learn better. In fact, the results we have this year are comparable to the results we were able to achieve last year -- about a

four point improvement. It's slightly more this year.

Last year, there was no change in the test; there was just a change in the attitude in our schools. There was peace and stability in the offing for the first

time. There was a government that respected education for the first time. And if the leader of the third party is still having trouble with the operation of the EQAO, which is just one small part

of our improvement agenda, then he should talk to Dave Cooke, because it was his government that brought in the EQAO and all the procedures that he's complaining about.

We say to him and to the opposition: We expect your support. This is an effort that is too important to the future of this province. We expect you to get

behind it and we expect you to give constructive criticism in this House, not imaginary --

The Speaker: Thank you. New question.

HEALTH PREMIUMS

Mr. Howard Hampton (Kenora-Rainy River): To the Minister of Finance -- but I would just tell the minister that I've talked to the teachers,

and they're prepared to talk to the press.

Minister of Finance, at the urging --

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Michael A. Brown): We'll stop the clock. We can wait.

Leader of the third party.

Mr. Hampton: Minister of Finance, at the urging of the United Food and Commercial Workers, the Divisional Court has just ruled that under a

collective agreement at a Guelph nursing home, the employer, not the employees, must bear the cost of your despised health tax. Thousands of Ontario employees have similar wording in their

collective agreements and deserve equal treatment.

Your government says that you've been monitoring this case and you've been anticipating some of these rulings. My question is, how much does the McGuinty

government anticipate will have to be paid to employees in accordance with this ruling and other collective agreements?

Hon. Dwight Duncan (Minister of Finance, Chair of the Management Board of Cabinet): We've also looked at the rulings involving Jazz Air,

Goodyear, Walker Exhaust, Smurfit-MBI, H.J. Heinz, Woodbine Entertainment, Uniboard New Liskeard, Placer Dome, Selkirk Canada, Waterloo municipality, Conair, colleges' support, participating

hospitals, the Ontario Nurses' Association, Thermal Ceramics and Toronto Hydro. These are examples where the arbitrator has found a different ruling. There are now 16 arbitrator rulings on the

other side, and one that you've referenced. There's one Divisional Court ruling, a ruling that we understand will be appealed.

The bottom line is that, as this government has said from the beginning, this is a tax. It is a tax that is designed to allow us to make the improvements in

health care that we believe are necessary to ensure that the people of Ontario have access to the kinds of services that they have been deprived of for too long. This ruling is yet another ruling

on a complex issue, and we will continue to monitor it. I've read the decision myself and we believe --

The Speaker: Thank you.

Mr. Hampton: I was in this Legislature when the McGuinty government presented its budget, and it said over and over again, "This is a health

care premium. This is a health care premium. This is a health care premium."

The reality is that there are a number of public service collective agreements -- power worker collective agreements, hospital collective agreements, education

worker collective agreements and municipal worker collective agreements -- that are very similar to the UFCW collective agreement that was considered in this case. This means that there are

literally tens of thousands of hard-working, dedicated public servants who have made a reasonable argument, based upon their collective agreement, that you, the employer, the government, are

responsible for paying your health premium.

Your bungling is putting a lot of public sector partners -- hospitals, schools, colleges -- in a very difficult position. Can you guarantee us today that you

won't leave these hospitals, schools and colleges out on a limb with no money to pay for your bungling?

Hon. Mr. Duncan: I did read off a list of collective agreements where opposite findings have been made by arbitrators, and I would say this to

the member: Unlike him, the one thing we won't do is go back and open collective agreements and strip them. That's something they did. The wording of collective agreements is a question here that

has had different

interpretations by different arbitrators, depending on the wording in the collective agreement. The impact of these decisions at this point in time is overwhelmingly in favour of

the employer. We will not, as I said earlier, go in and strip collective agreements. We continue to monitor this situation and we will continue to invest in the important health care services that

were neglected for far too long in Ontario.

Mr. Hampton: I don't think hospitals, school boards and community colleges will feel any satisfaction from that non-answer. The truth is you

could have avoided this mess. You could have been open and transparent in the beginning in your budget. Instead of trying to call this a health premium over and over again, you could have said up

front that it's an unfair, regressive tax. But you didn't, and the reason you didn't was for partisan, political purposes -- something about Dalton McGuinty staring into the camera and saying, "I

will not raise your taxes," and then doing just that: raising taxes by $2.5 billion.

Minister, I'm going to ask you the question again today: Can you guarantee that school boards, hospitals and municipalities will be able to meet this looming

health tax obligation without cutting staff or cutting services?

Hon. Mr. Duncan: I again remind the member that the majority of arbitrations, including those arbitrations that involve the public sector or

the broader public sector, were found in favour of the employer at this point in time. But I can tell you what this government won't do: This government won't cut $268 million from hospitals the

way the member opposite's government did. This government will not cut OHIP funding by $315 million. This government would not do what they did to the Ontario drug benefit, which they cut by $29.3

million. We will not do to mental health what that member's government did, and that was to cut it by $23.3 million in 1992-93. And they hadn't had enough: Then they cut it by $42 million in

1994-95.

This government is committed to improving the health care system in the province and ensuring that the people of Ontario have access to a full range of health

The Speaker: Thank you. New question.

PAROLE SYSTEM

Mr. Garfield Dunlop (Simcoe North): My question today is to the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services. Yesterday the Ontario

Association of Chiefs of Police sent a strong message to those of us here at Queen's Park. As a community safety issue, they do not want the government of Ontario to upload our parole board to the

people who send convicts to Wonderland. Minister, will you now agree that it's time to listen to our community safety leaders? Will you stand in the House today and assure Ontarians that our parole

system will not be turned over to the soft-on-crime Martin Liberals?

Hon. Monte Kwinter (Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services): I thank the member for the question. Just to put it in context --

I keep delivering this message to the people in the opposition, but they don't seem to understand it; the former minister doesn't understand it -- at the present time there are 56,000 male

offenders who are in the community under supervision. We have, in that group, 130 people who are on parole. That represents a quarter of 1% of the total number of people who are under community

supervision. We have 130 people, and we are looking at seeing whether or not this is the most effective way of doing it: Do you have a whole establishment, the Ontario Parole and Earned Release

Board, looking at it, or should we transfer it to the federal parole system? We haven't made that decision, but certainly, if you take a look at the numbers, and we're only dealing with a quarter

of 1%, it is our responsibility --

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

Mr. Dunlop: I have looked at the numbers. I have learned that the allocated funds to operate the Ontario Parole and Earned Release Board is

$2.2 million for this year. In a document dated April of this year, Correctional Services Canada indicated the projected cost of the added responsibilities of case preparation and offender

supervision has been estimated to be $10 million annually and another $1.6 million for the National Parole Board. The cost will be a staggering $11.6 million, or $9 million-plus more than the cost

to operate our provincial parole system now.

Minister, there is only one taxpayer. Even if you don't consider community safety to be a priority, will you at least consider the taxpayer and let this

foolish idea die once and for all?

Hon. Mr. Kwinter: I actually welcome that inclusion into the equation, because it's something we're aware of. I'm glad you've gone off the

tack of saying that we're releasing murderers into the community and doing all of these things if we do this.

We are looking at doing exactly what we hope we can do, which is to determine whether or not it's more cost-effective to do it the other way, whether it's more

effective. In all of our deliberations, the overriding factor is community safety. So when we examine all the issues, which is something we are doing, we will make a determination and we will do it

in the best interests of the people of Ontario.

PROPERTY TAXATION

Mr. Michael Prue (Beaches-East York): My question is to the Minister of Finance. Each day more and more Ontarians seem to be getting angry at

you because of the property tax system. It's not uncommon in my own riding of Beaches-East York and in some of the downtown ridings to see 20%, 30% or 40% increases in the alleged value of the

homes. Given that there's a 12% average increase in Toronto, that means up to a whopping 28% tax increase that these people in downtown areas are facing.

In opposition, you repeatedly said this was a bad law by the previous government. In opposition, you said it would be unfair to taxpayers. Now you are choosing

to accept the Mike Harris law and do nothing. My question is simple: Do you have any plan at all to help these taxpayers?

Hon. Dwight Duncan (Minister of Finance, Chair of the Management Board of Cabinet): I would suggest to the member opposite that in the MPAC

situation, the way he characterized the evaluations that have came out is wrong. If he's advocating that people in Scarborough and Etobicoke should get tax increases and someone else shouldn't,

that's for him to do.

Are there problems in the system? There may well be. We welcome the inquiry by the Ombudsman, as the Premier said yesterday, and look forward to his

recommendations. I would suggest to the member opposite that if he doesn't like this system, if the NDP is against a current market value, they ought to say so, and if they're going to replace it,

they ought to say how they're going to replace it. No system in this instance is perfect.

Assessments have been going out over the last few days in various municipalities. We are going to watch what happens. I would remind the member opposite that

increases in assessments don't necessarily lead to increases in taxes and --

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

Mr. Prue: The ratepayers in this province don't want to wait six or eight months for Mr. Marin; they want you to do something now.

I have a few suggestions for you -- real easy things you can do. You can fix the process that assesses like houses on the same street with the same conditions,

to make them pay the same amount. You can change the process and the appeal process to be open and transparent, to ensure disclosure, something which is not done now. You can upload the

provincially mandated services that you condemned Mike Harris for doing, and you can do that now. You can take action to start reducing the education portion that you take, and you can do that now.

If you have no ideas, here are some for you. Take some of these.

Do you have a plan? Is there anything you can say today?

Hon. Mr. Duncan: It's interesting that less than a week ago the same member said their party had no plan. What he said was, "Our party's plan

is in gestation. We'll definitely have a position on property taxes by the 2007 election." Do you know what else he said? He said the NDP doesn't want to share its ideas too early. Well, God bless

you.

Let me give you an idea. Before you start making suggestions that are going to raise some people's taxes, you ought to think it through carefully. The previous

government went through seven reincarnations of property tax changes -- seven bills in short order. We are going to be responsible and prudent. We look forward to M. Marin's review of MPAC. We will

take advice into account, and we certainly look forward to --

The Speaker: Thank you.

Interjections.

The Speaker: Order. New question.

FOREST INDUSTRY

Ms. Monique M. Smith (Nipissing): My question today is for the Minister of Natural Resources. As you know, Tembec is an important --

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Michael A. Brown): If the member would just give us a minute, we really do have to get ourselves under control. A little bit

of quiet so I can hear the member from Nipissing would be most helpful.

Ms. Smith: My question is for the Minister of Natural Resources. As you know, Tembec is an important employer in my region and an important

player in the Ontario forestry industry. The rising value of the Canadian dollar, the Canada-US softwood lumber dispute, increasing electricity costs and fuel costs and offshore competition have,

as you have stated, created a perfect storm for Ontario's forestry industry.

Minister, you and I are both from northern Ontario and we know you've worked very hard to ensure that the forestry sector is a strong and viable industry. Can

you tell us today what our government is doing to ensure that Ontario's forest industry remains competitive?

Hon. David Ramsay (Minister of Natural Resources, minister responsible for aboriginal affairs): I'm very proud of the McGuinty government's

response to the problems and challenges that are happening in the forest sector. We announced actually the largest sectoral package ever of this government, $680 million, the other day. As you

know, this is a combination of $500 million of grant and loan guarantees to the companies to incent them to make the investments to make them more productive. We've also started to contribute to

some of the downloading that the previous governments had done on the industry, contributing $28 million now, year over year, to the cost of road construction, and also uploading back the cost of

the forest inventory work.

Ms. Smith: I've heard from many people in my riding, including many representatives from Tembec and various forest industry representatives,

that the industry needs more help. Specifically, they need help from the federal government. Minister, how can we assist our forestry industry here in Ontario in their quest for federal

support?

Hon. Mr. Ramsay: I appreciate the question, because quite frankly we're looking to the federal government now to make a contribution

nationally to this industry. It's a very important industry to northern Canada, and northern Ontario is an important player in that. We got wind the other day of a $50-million program from the

federal government to the Quebec industry. Certainly we're going to keep Mr. Martin's feet to the fire. He said in Kenora in June that he would contribute to the industry in Ontario, so we're

looking to the feds to do that. The other thing I'd ask the feds to do is to make sure they come forward with a loan guarantee for the sawmills in this country, which have duty deposits in the

United States of over $5 billion. That's really hurting our industry. If they want to, obviously, prolong the softwood lumber dispute, then they should be not borrowing but they should be renting

it and putting the money up front.

HYDRO GENERATION

Mr. John Yakabuski (Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke): My question is for the Minister of Energy. Your policy to shut down all coal power plants by

2009 made no sense two years ago and it makes no sense today. The former minister had tunnel vision on this subject, to the point where it clouded his judgment such that he referred to opponents of

his policy as neanderthals. Are you going to continue to take your marching orders from him and board that runaway train, or will you show some enlightened forward thinking, open-mindedness, with

regard to clean coal technology here in the province of Ontario? Will you shut down this irresponsible policy?

Hon. Donna H. Cansfield (Minister of Energy): Thanks to the honourable member for the question. Our commitment is firm: We are shutting down

coal-fired plants. I'd also like to refer to the issue of clean coal technology. It is true that you can put scrubbers in for reducing SO x and NO x , but you cannot reduce the

CO 2 and mercury emissions. There is no such thing as clean coal technology. Let me repeat: There is no such thing as clean coal technology. You can make it cleaner, but you cannot have

clean coal technology.

Mr. Yakabuski: I would suggest that some scrubbers need to be installed, but perhaps on the energy minister, because what she's spewing out is

not good for us here in this House. Business leaders, manufacturers, industries and energy providers in this province have said --

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Michael A. Brown): Order. Stop the clock. We can wait. Member?

Mr. Yakabuski: Industry leaders, energy providers etc. have told me that this government's coal policy will plunge this province into darkness

and our economy into a severe downward spiral, perhaps a recession. It is not too late, Minister, to start thinking for yourself, thinking on behalf of Ontarians and not this ridiculous Liberal

Party policy. Rethink your decision to shut down 25% of our generation capacity before 2009. Think about it, and rethink it today, Minister.

Hon. Mrs. Cansfield: Actually I'm pleased to be able to stand up and tell you that with the 394 megawatts of new renewable supply, we have

brought $700 million into this province, and for the first time in Fort Erie we have a wind turbine manufacturer that will bring over 100 new jobs to that district.

ELECTRICITY SUPPLY

Mr. Howard Hampton (Kenora-Rainy River): My question is for the Minister of Energy. This week you failed to disclose key information about

your $6.5-billion sweetheart deal for private nuclear power. Now we've learned another secret. Under your deal, hydro consumers will have to pay for skyrocketing uranium price increases. That's a

very expensive subsidy. In the last three years alone, the spot price of uranium has increased by over 300%. Minister, you're already forcing hydro consumers to subsidize cost overruns. You're

forcing them to subsidize reduced lease payments in your private nuclear power deal. Why are you forcing hydro consumers to also subsidize any increases in the price of uranium?

Hon. Donna H. Cansfield (Minister of Energy): I thank the member for the question. So he must be absolutely delighted that we got 6.34 cents

on the long-term contract guarantee for Bruce Power.

Mr. Hampton: I think the minister needs to be briefed some more. I think that

part is obvious. While you're getting briefed, maybe you could

also ask about another aspect of your $6.5-billion deal with Bruce nuclear, because if there's a serious nuclear accident at Bruce Power, the company's liability is limited to only $75 million. So

let's see: a $6.5-billion giveaway to Bruce nuclear, but if there's a serious nuclear accident, they're limited to $75 million of liability and hydro ratepayers in Ontario have to pick up the rest.

Can you tell us, Minister, the more you look at it, does this deal make any sense for hydro ratepayers, or are you only concerned with how good it is for Bruce Power?

Hon. Mrs. Cansfield: We have repeatedly stated that we have to replace 25,000 megawatts by 2020 and we are going to do it in three ways: We

are going to build new generation, we are going to maximize our existing assets and we are going to build a culture of conservation in this province. It's going to take every one of us -- maybe

some are not engaged in that process -- to make it happen. There is no question that we are going to move forward. As I said yesterday, we have put 2,200 on-line when we came in, 9,000 underway,

another 1,500 -- I was pleased to suggest last night that maybe there's even more potential for the wind industry, having heard from over 1,000 delegates at a conference that they want to do

business in Ontario.

CRIME PREVENTION

Mr. Shafiq Qaadri (Etobicoke North): My question is for the Attorney General, the Honourable Michael Bryant. One of the unfortunate and

regrettable duties I had this past summer as the representative of Etobicoke North was attending the funerals of young men whose lives were cut short, who were gunned down in their prime. This

issue is now coming too close to home.

With respect, Minister, I ask that this House recognize Mr. Mohammed Gilao, who joins us in the visitors' gallery. Mr. Gilao is the father of a precious son,

Loyan, age 23, who was one of the victims and in whose name and loving memory he has created the Loyan Charitable Foundation.

Minister, would you please inform this House, and particularly my own district of Etobicoke North, what steps are we as a government taking, what measures are

we bringing to bear on this emerging problem on the streets of Toronto?

Hon. Michael Bryant (Attorney General): Thank you, Mr. Gilao, for your courage in coming here today and for your inspiration. For you and your

family, friends and neighbours, and for those who are here today in support of the foundation, your hope and prayer, I know from my colleague and your MPP, is that something good somehow will come

of this tragic event. There is no one panacea for prevent gun crime. We do know that the provincial government has a critical role to play. We must address the supply of guns, the demand for guns.

We must do all we can to prevent violence by having appropriate police resources and prosecution in place, and we must do all we can to prevent those who are at risk from entering into a life of

crime.

I look forward to continuing in the supplementary.

Mr. Qaadri: One of the areas of wide concern for my constituents is: that people who have been convicted of gun-related crimes be

appropriately sentenced, that they receive just punishment. Minister, would you be able to inform this House what you are doing specifically to address this issue of appropriate sentencing and what

directives you have issued to crown prosecutors when they pursue justice in gun-related crimes?

Hon. Mr. Bryant: The clear direction to crown prosecutors is that we must vigorously enforce and in no cases give way when it comes to gun

crimes. That's on the prosecution side. We have established in Ontario for the first time 12 new gun crowns who are specialized in gun violence. We have a guns and gangs task force that works

together with the police. But we also need changes at the federal level. I have spoken to every provincial attorney general over the past few weeks and over the past two years, but in particular

leading up to a federal-provincial-territorial justice ministers conference in November. We must send a message to Parliament that the time has come for mandatory minimum sentences for gun crimes,

so that there be meaningful punishment for these acts.

HOSPITAL FUNDING

Mr. Gerry Martiniuk (Cambridge): My question is to the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. Your decision and Premier McGuinty's decision

not to fund the expansion of the Cambridge Memorial Hospital will adversely affect health care for the families in Waterloo region. That expansion is an integral part of our regional health care

system, most important to this fast-growing community that already suffers from a lack of physicians. The hospital expansion was mandated by the Health Services Restructuring Commission and

approved by the Ontario government. The councils of Waterloo region and the cities of Kitchener and Waterloo have joined Cambridge council and regional citizens in requesting that this project

proceed forthwith. Furthermore, the council and the citizens of Waterloo region have contributed the $23-million local share of this $80-million project. Would you please tell the people of

Waterloo region on what criteria or plan your decision was made?

Hon. George Smitherman (Minister of Health and Long-Term Care): To the Minister of Public Infrastructure Renewal.

Hon. David Caplan (Minister of Public Infrastructure Renewal, Deputy Government House Leader): I want to thank the member for the question. I

know the member and the community are disappointed that we have had to make some choices. He specifically asked what criteria were used, and I'd like to answer very specifically and directly.

On health care policy questions, it was transformation and growth renewal. Of course, we did apply another criterion, which was that we wanted to achieve a

reasonable amount of equity around the province to meet the various health care needs of communities from one end of this province to the other. The other two criteria that were used specifically

were the cash flow and the monies we had available within a $5-billion health care envelope, the largest of its kind in five years -- in the province's history, I would add. The last criterion was

a gauge of the relative construction capacity of the province. The member and all members of this assembly should know that at any one time, there are only five major construction firms to do this

type of health care capital construction. We had to gauge their ability to take on over 105 health care --

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

Mr. Martiniuk: Again to the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care: For months I have requested from you an appointment so that I could be

briefed on the hospital expansion progress, and you've refused to see me. Yet you recently met with Cambridge Liberal Janko Peric, and you promised him $3 million for renovations to the hospital's

leaky roof and boiler repairs. You won't meet with the elected official, yet you meet and discuss confidential business of the hospital with private individuals. I question the propriety in that

regard. I understand that the same Mr. Peric may be meeting with your colleague Dwight Duncan. Tell me, are you playing politics with the health and lives of Waterloo region? For once, let's have

the truth.

The Speaker: The last statement needs to be withdrawn, member from Cambridge.

Mr. Martiniuk: With all respect to yourself personally and your position, I refuse to withdraw that statement.

The Speaker: I'll give you one more opportunity.

Mr. Martiniuk: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I refuse to withdraw that statement.

The Speaker: I name the member from Cambridge, Mr. Martiniuk.

Mr. Martiniuk was escorted from the chamber.

WATER QUALITY

Ms. Marilyn Churley (Toronto-Danforth): I have a question for the parliamentary assistant to the Minister of the Environment. Sound principles

for protecting source waters are being breached every day, thanks to the MOE approval of the big pipe in York region. Enough water to fill a large swimming pool is being removed every minute

between now and 2007. Streams and wells are drying up -- 120 wells to date. Even a small leak in a pipe carrying several hundred million litres of sewage and E. coli every day could be catastrophic

to York region and Toronto. Will you keep your government's promise to protect source water and stop the big pipe today?

Mr. John Wilkinson (Perth-Middlesex): I want to thank the member opposite for the question. York region's approved growth is straining its

sewage system and perhaps putting lives at risk. As a result, in this process the ministry is constantly scrutinizing the region's construction activities. Last fall, the minister imposed 40

conditions on the construction. These conditions are legally binding. If the ministry notes a concern, it orders the region to address it. The ministry has already issued the region one order

requiring it to address concerns related to Robinson Creek. More orders will be issued if other concerns are noted.

Ms. Churley: I don't think you're listening to people who are telling you what a dangerous thing this is. The government's record on source

water protection is down the drain before they even start. You're permitting a 1,500-acre development in north Leslie, despite the area being critical to source water protection. The big pipe and

the north Leslie development slices right through your precious greenbelt and will enable massive sprawl to continue. At this rate, the stuffed bunny in your ads on the greenbelt will be the only

animal able to survive your greenbelt. The citizens of Toronto and York region are quite rightly very concerned. You have not done a thorough assessment. Will you at least agree to stop all

construction now underway and call a full environmental assessment?

Mr. Wilkinson: I appreciate the supplementry. I can share with the House that, moving forward, we expect the region's growth-related

activities to be consistent, obviously, with Ontario's planning legislation and all environmental laws. To this end, the region must complete environmental assessments of both the southeast

collector through the Rouge Valley and the upper Leslie Street trunk on the Oak Ridges moraine. The ministry is presently reviewing the region's terms of reference for the EA of the southeast

collector.

We are pleased that the region has created a multi-stakeholder group to inform the development of a sustainable growth plan. The region should take the group's

esteemed advice seriously.

I want you to know that the McGuinty government and the Ministry of the Environment are committed to the environment for the safety of our children and our

grandchildren, and our commitment to source water protection is sacrosanct in this government.

ACADEMIC TESTING

Mrs. Liz Sandals (Guelph-Wellington): My question is to the Minister of Education. This morning, the Education Quality and Accountability

Office, the EQAO, released the annual results of standardized testing that evaluates students in grades 3 and 6 in reading, writing and math, and grade 9 students in math. These test results have

been ongoing for the past eight years, and they have been disputed. Indeed, the leader of the third party was disputing them today -- inappropriately, I might add. Some state that they don't really

evaluate students' actual success and in fact are used by real estate agents to rank neighbourhoods based on schools. Certainly, all of us have had experience of inappropriate attempts at ranking

schools based on these results and inappropriate bashing of teachers and the education system. You state, however, that we can use these test results for more than just bashing. Minister, why

should we believe that the results submitted today will be used in a different manner --

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

Hon. Gerard Kennedy (Minister of Education): It is a very germane question because, unfortunately, even though the NDP government did bring in

the EQAO testing, it was the Conservative government that turned it into something different and made EQAO somewhat of a four-letter word within education circles, because they did the test and

didn't follow up with the results of the test. They left students who needed assistance, who needed recognition, who needed support, hanging.

We are completing what needs to be done to make those tests relevant and justifiable. We have reduced the cost of the tests. We've saved about $15 million.

That's going directly into helping students to do better. We have used last year's results -- and this year's and previous years', in fact -- for the first time to target where the needs are, to

know which boards, which schools and which types of students need to have actual responsiveness from the provincial government.

We've done that in a number of important ways. We've done it through turnaround schools, through additional funding for 120 different projects, and we've done

it directly in terms of teacher training. It is a --

The Speaker: Thank you. Supplementary.

Mrs. Sandals: The results show that our programs have in fact helped an average of 62% of students achieve the provincial standard this year.

That's up from 58% last year and 54% in the last year of the previous government.

We have a strategy in education. We are currently investing a record number of dollars in education and we have developed the Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat

to aid us in improving students' success. However, I do have a concern based on these numbers. We have committed to achieving a standard of 75% of students reaching the provincial standard by 2008.

Minister, are we going to be a able to do that?

Hon. Gerard Kennedy: It's a question that I hope grips all members of this House, because our ability to make up for the years we lost when

the system was not going forward under previous governments is now here and in front of us to deal with as a consequence. We need to drive forward student achievement in a lot of dimensions, but I

think we can all agree that reading, writing and mathematics are included in the foundational ones.

The results we have this year -- and I want to say for the record that information from the third party earlier was inaccurate. Calculators have always been in

use in EQAO scores. We're going to get there by having actual achievement. There was a four point achievement this year; there was a four point achievement in the year before, after zero, zero and

zero -- in fact, negative in some of the preceding three years. We're going to get there only if we can improve achievement. The only way we're going to improve that, frankly, is that we're going

to have to get better and better at a coordinated effort, which I think deserves not just the support, as it has now, of teachers, school boards and other educational professionals, but of everyone

in this assembly.

PETITIONS

HEALTH CARE

Mrs. Elizabeth Witmer (Kitchener-Waterloo): I have a petition to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

"Whereas, we the residents of Sarnia-Lambton and surrounding area:

"As patients, doctors and staff and residents, we are voicing concerns to the board and upper administration and our concerns are not being heard or dealt

with.

"Our equipment is outdated and in turn inaccurate diagnoses are the result.

"We want continuity of care in our community.

"We want an investigation regarding the spending of dollars at Bluewater Health.

"We want all our doctors in the community to have a voice at the hospital, not just a few.

"We, the undersigned, humbly pray that the Legislative Assembly of Ontario conduct an operational review of the health care system in the county of

Lambton."

GASOLINE PRICES

Mr. Tim Hudak (Erie-Lincoln): I'm pleased to present a petition from the good folks in the Wainfleet and Wellandport area that reads as

follows:

"To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

"Whereas gasoline prices are at the highest level ever; and

"Whereas with higher prices, higher hydro rates, user fees and now skyrocketing gas prices, working families, seniors and youth cannot make ends meet; and

"Whereas before being elected Premier, Dalton McGuinty promised he had three `solid ideas' to reduce gas prices, but as Premier has done nothing; and

"Whereas provincial tax on gas is 14 cents per litre and federal tax is 10 cents per litre plus 7% GST (a tax on a tax);

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

"The Ontario government and the federal government should act to give consumers a break to compensate for skyrocketing gas prices."

I add my signature as well in support.

GO TRANSIT TUNNEL

Mr. Tony Ruprecht (Davenport): This petition is addressed to the Parliament of Ontario, the minister of infrastructure services and the

Minister of Transportation. It reads as follows:

"Whereas GO Transit is presently planning to tunnel an area just south of St. Clair Avenue West and west of Old Weston Road, making it easier for GO trains to

pass a major rail crossing;

"Whereas TTC is presently planning a TTC right-of-way along all of St. Clair Avenue West, including the bottleneck caused by the dilapidated St. Clair-Old

Weston Road bridge;

"Whereas this bridge (underpass) will be: (1) too narrow for the planned TTC right-of-way, since it will leave only one lane for traffic; (2) it is not safe

for pedestrians (it's about 50 metres long). It's dark and slopes on both east and west sides creating high banks for 300 metres; and (3) it creates a divide, a no man's land, between Old Weston

Road and Keele Street. (This was acceptable when the area consisted entirely of slaughterhouses, but now the area has 900 new homes);

"Therefore we, the undersigned, demand that GO Transit extend the tunnel beyond St. Clair Avenue West so that trains will pass under St. Clair Avenue West,

thus eliminating this eyesore of a bridge with its high banks and blank walls. Instead it will create a dynamic, revitalized community enhanced by a beautiful continuous cityscape with easy traffic

flow."

I'll sign my name to it, since I agree with this petition 100%

REGIONAL CENTRES FOR THE

DEVELOPMENTALLY DISABLED

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

"Whereas Dalton McGuinty and his Liberal government were elected based on their promise to rebuild public services in Ontario;

"Whereas the Minister of Community and Social Services has announced plans to close Huronia Regional Centre, home to people with developmental disabilities,

many of whom have multiple diagnoses and severe problems that cannot be met in the community;

"Whereas closing Huronia Regional Centre will have a devastating impact on residents with developmental disabilities, their families, the developmental

services sector and the economies of the local communities; and

"Whereas Ontario could use the professional staff and facilities of Huronia Regional Centre to extend specialized services, support and professional training

to many more clients who live in the community, in partnership with families and community agencies;

"We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to direct the government to keep Huronia Regional Centre, home to people with developmental

disabilities, open, and to transform them into `centres of excellence' to provide specialized services and support to Ontarians with developmental needs, no matter where they live."

I agree with the petition, and I've signed it.

PHYSIOTHERAPY SERVICES

Mrs. Elizabeth Witmer (Kitchener-Waterloo): "We, the undersigned, being long-term-care staff, family and friends of long-term-care residents,

request that the Ontario government Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care immediately cease the current restriction of 100 physiotherapy visits per resident per year for residents living in

long-term-care facilities.

"We support the opinion that to place an extremely limiting provision will be of severe detriment to the health and well-being of residents living in long-term

care. We ask that the Ontario government Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care keep the original provision of 150 physiotherapy visits per resident per year for residents living in long-term

care.

"We request the Ontario government to invest in the health of long-term-care residents, enhance their strength and quality of life by ceasing the current

restrictions."

I hereby have signed my signature.

CHIROPRACTIC SERVICES

Mr. Tim Hudak (Erie-Lincoln): I have even more petitions for support of the chiropractic services in the Ontario health insurance plan that

read as follows:

"Whereas elimination of OHIP coverage will mean that many of the 1.2 million patients who use chiropractic will no longer be able to access the health care

they need;

"Those with reduced ability to pay -- including seniors, low-income families and the working poor -- will be forced to seek care in already overburdened family

physician offices and emergency departments;

"Elimination of OHIP coverage is expected to save $93 million in expenditures on chiropractic treatment, at a cost to government of over $200 million in other

health care costs; and

"There was no consultation with the public on the decision to delist chiropractic services;

"We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to reverse the decision announced in the May 18, 2004, provincial budget and maintain OHIP

coverage for chiropractic services, in the best interests of the public, patients, the health care system, government and the province."

In support of these constituents, I affix my signature.

VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS

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

"Whereas the fire departments in Simcoe-Grey are strengthened by the service of double-hatter firefighters who work as professional, full-time firefighters and

also serve as volunteer firefighters on their free time and in their home communities; and

"Whereas the Ontario Professional Fire Fighters Association has declared their intent to `phase out' these double-hatter firefighters; and

"Whereas double-hatter firefighters are being threatened by the union leadership and forced to resign as volunteer firefighters or face losing their full-time

jobs and this is weakening volunteer fire departments in Ontario; and

"Whereas Simcoe-Grey MPP Jim Wilson has supported Bill 52, the Volunteer Firefighters Employment Protection Act as introduced by Waterloo-Wellington MPP Ted

Arnott, which would uphold the right to volunteer and solve this problem concerning public safety in Ontario;

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

"That the provincial government express public support for Bill 52 and willingness to pass it into law or introduce similar legislation that protects the right

of firefighters to volunteer in their home communities on their own free time."

Of course I agree, and I've signed this petition.

AUTISM TREATMENT

Ms. Shelley Martel (Nickel Belt): I have a petition that has been signed by residents of Ottawa and Orléans that reads as follows:

"To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

"Whereas children with autism who have reached the age of six years are no longer being discharged from their preschool autism program; and

"Whereas these children should be getting the best special education possible in the form of applied behaviour analysis (ABA) within the school system; and

"Whereas there are approximately 700 preschool children with autism across Ontario who are required to wait indefinitely for placement in the program, and

there are also countless school-age children that are not receiving the support they require in the school system; and

"Whereas this situation has an impact on the families, extended families and friends of all of these children; and

"Whereas, as stated on the Web site for the Ministry of Children and Youth Services, `IBI can make a significant difference in the life of a child with autism.

Its objective is to decrease the frequency of challenging behaviours, build social skills and promote language development';

"We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to fund the treatment of IBI for all preschool children awaiting services. We also petition

the Legislature of Ontario to fund an educational program in the form of ABA in the school system."

I agree with the petitioners. I've affixed my signature to this.

PROPERTY TAXATION

Mr. Tony Ruprecht (Davenport): I have with me a petition from the Garrison Creek residents in my riding. They have sent this petition to me to

present to you. It's to the Premier of Ontario and the Minister of Finance. It reads as follows:

"We, the undersigned property owners and tenants, strongly recommend changes in the current value assessment. The present assessment system is too high. There

may be a tax revolt.

"We believe the municipal tax system should reflect the following principles:

(1) Ability to pay should be a consideration; (2) property taxes should be

related to services 100%; (3) homeowners should not be penalized for improving their properties; (4) dependence on the residential property tax to raise provincial and municipal revenues should be

reduced; (5) the assessment system should be stable over a long period of time; (6) assessments should be objective, accurate, consistent, correct, equitable and easily understood -- house

S.F./class/price; lot S.F./class/price, garage S.F./class/price; and (7) the owner should be authorized to approve the assessment.

"Most of our funding has come from ratepayers' groups and citizens from across the city of Toronto."

Mr. Speaker, I will present this petition to you.

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 Highway 26 ... and act immediately to ensure that the project is finished on

schedule to improve safety for area

residents and provide economic development opportunities and job creation in Simcoe-Grey."

Obviously, I agree with the petition and I've signed it.

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" in the area of medicine; "and

"Whereas this great Canadian's original homestead, located in the town of New Tecumseth," near Alliston, "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 agree with the petitioners, and I have signed it.

The Speaker (Hon. Michael A. Brown): Petitions? The member for Simcoe-Grey.

SCHOOL TRANSPORTATION

Mr. Jim Wilson (Simcoe-Grey): It seems to be a slow day here.

"To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

"Whereas Dalton McGuinty has promised to make the needs of students a priority for his government and that students deserve to have a bright future with a good

education; and

"Whereas Dalton McGuinty has promised not to give up on students or Ontario's public school system;

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

"That the provincial government work with the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board to establish an evening bus route from St. Joan of Arc High School

in Barrie to the outlying communities. This would allow students to participate in extracurricular activities and help them to fulfill their potential, secure a bright future and receive the best

educational experience possible, as promised to them by the Premier."

I agree with the petition and have signed it.

CARDIAC CARE

Mrs. Julia Munro (York North): I'm presenting this on behalf of the member for Erie-Lincoln.

"To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

"Whereas Niagara region has a population of over 430,000 people and has the highest 30-day death rate in Ontario for heart failure, has the second-highest

one-year death rate in Ontario for heart failure, has the second-highest heart failure readmission rates in Ontario, has the third-highest post-heart-attack one-year death rate, and is 25% higher

than the Ontario average for ischemic heart disease deaths; and

"Whereas in fiscal year 2002-03, Niagara region residents had 1,230 admissions to hospital for heart failure, 1,150 patients admitted to hospital for acute

heart attack, 862 admissions to hospital for ischemic heart disease, 93 admissions to hospital for cardiomyopathy, a repatriation population of 458 post-angioplasty patients, 341 admissions to

out-of-region hospitals for coronary artery disease, 328 post-coronary artery bypass patients, 92 heart valve replacement patients and three heart transplant patients; and

"Whereas all of the above-mentioned 4,503 heart patients are eligible for cardiac rehab in Niagara, which translates to 1,500 new patients who would access

Niagara cardiac rehab services every year; and

"Whereas the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care funds cardiac rehabilitation in 24 communities but does not fund cardiac rehabilitation services anywhere in

Niagara. Heart Niagara, a registered non-profit corporation, provides services in one of the largest cardiac rehab programs in Ontario at no charge to the patient but relies on funding through

donations and special events;

"Therefore we, the undersigned concerned citizens of Niagara, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:

"That cardiac rehabilitation services in Niagara be funded by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, as they are in 24 other Ontario communities, and made

comprehensive and accessible."

ORDERS OF THE DAY

ENDING MANDATORY RETIREMENT

STATUTE LAW AMENDMENT ACT, 2005 /

LOI DE 2005 MODIFIANT DES LOIS

POUR ÉLIMINER LA RETRAITE

OBLIGATOIRE

Mr. Peters moved second reading of the following bill:

Bill 211,

An Act to amend the Human Rights Code and certain other Acts to end mandatory retirement / Projet de loi 211, Loi modifiant le Code des droits

de la personne et d'autres lois pour éliminer la retraite obligatoire.

The Speaker (Hon. Michael A. Brown): Mr. Peters.

Hon. Steve Peters (Minister of Labour): Thank you very much, Speaker. I will be sharing my time with my parliamentary assistant, the MPP for

Oakville.

I'm honoured to be here today to speak to the second reading of Bill 211, this government's mandatory retirement legislation. This bill, if passed, would end

mandatory retirement for most employees in Ontario. This is about choice for Ontarians. Employees would be able to choose when they retire from their jobs.

Bill 211 would not undermine present entitlements to pensions, benefits and standards of health care that we enjoy in this province. Employees would still be

entitled to receive their Canada pension plan benefits when they turn 65. In fact, perhaps I should call this un-mandatory retirement, because this bill would give Ontarians the right to choose

when and if they will retire from the workplace. That is the basis of our bill -- choice.

I would personally urge all members of this House to support a bill that would create more freedom and more options for the citizens of this great province. In

fact, how could you not support this legislation that provides more choices for our citizens? The intent of our bill is to end mandatory retirement in a way that is fair and balanced, and protect

existing entitlements to pension, early retirement and benefits.

At the present time in Ontario, many employees face mandatory retirement when they reach the age of 65. The employee must leave the workplace and

part company

with not only his or her employer but with many friends and colleagues as well. Sometimes the employer is put at a disadvantage, because the organization may be losing someone with unique skills

and knowledge. There are those who do not wish to leave their jobs. They enjoy their work and they feel they have much to contribute. People have goals that do not end when they reach the age of

The intent of this bill is to simply give all citizens the right to choose when they want to leave the workplace. This legislation is a simple acknowledgement

of what we already know: Skills, ability, commitment and drive do not suddenly evaporate when somebody turns 65. In fact, in many cases employees are forced to leave a long-time job they love, only

to take their years of experience and skills to a new and unfamiliar employer or organization. There have been many cases in Ontario where organizations and educational facilities have lost valued

employees through this long-standing and, let's face it, rather archaic policy.

The present punitive rules force these men and women, some with international standing, to drop projects while their research is left unfinished. They must

walk away from their accomplishments, although they still had much to contribute to their chosen fields. This troubling policy was highlighted in June 2001, when the Ontario Human Rights Commission

released a paper entitled Time for Action: Advancing Human Rights for Older Ontarians. In it, the commission stated that our mandatory retirement policies undermine the dignity and sense of

self-worth of older workers. Now, let's just think about that for a minute. We have a policy on the books that undermines the dignity and self-worth of a large segment of our population, yet many

of us, unfortunately, have accepted this as the norm. We continue to accept this as the norm because we have not taken the time to look at the possible repercussions to our citizens. It's just not

right.

This legislation, if passed, would help address present inequities while helping to bolster the dignity and self-worth of the older segment of our society. We

have many examples of older men and women whose contributions to our society were only possible through their many years of experience. A living example is an 84-year-old local legend, well known

to all of us in Ontario: Hazel McCallion, the mayor of Mississauga and the longest-serving mayor here in Canada. "Hurricane" Hazel was a mere 57 years old in 1978 when she was first elected mayor.

She didn't turn 65 until her fourth term in office. But she was not even close at that time to reaching her political stride as she continued to shape the future of the ever-expanding city of

Mississauga. Mayor McCallion is now 84 years old and serving her 10th consecutive term. No one told her she had to retire because she was too old to contribute to our society. Actually, I don't

think there is anyone foolish enough to even suggest retirement to Mayor McCallion.

I look at a friend from my riding, an individual who I got to know, John Kenneth Galbraith, a respected scholar, author and adviser to presidents and leaders,

who just last week celebrated his 97th birthday. Mr. Galbraith has given much and continues to do so. He wasn't forced to retire at the age of 65.

People can affect the world around them at any age, even when they reach the so-called golden age of retirement. Examples such as these were evident when our

research team studied mandatory retirement policies around the globe. We looked at other jurisdictions in Canada and around the world. In Ontario, we held meetings, focus groups and consultations

with stakeholders and the general public. Representatives from the Ministry of Labour travelled across this province gathering information, accepting submissions and speaking with organizations and

individuals about this issue.

At this time, I want to personally thank my parliamentary assistant, Kevin Flynn, and the Ministry of Labour staff. Thank you, Kevin and staff, for your hard

work and dedication as you travelled around this great province.

I also think it's important that we acknowledge other individuals who have strived to end mandatory retirement. Mike Colle introduced twic