role="main" class="main-container container js-quickedit-main-content" id="main-content">

April 5, 2016

41st Parliament, 1st Session

< Previous sitting day

Next sitting day >

Hansard Transcripts

Votes and Proceedings

Orders and Notices

Hansard Transcripts 2016-Apr-05 (PDF)

L155 - Tue 5 Apr 2016 / Mar 5 avr 2016

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO

ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DE L’ONTARIO

Tuesday 5 April 2016 Mardi 5 avril 2016

Orders of the Day

Supporting Ontario’s First Responders Act (Posttraumatic Stress Disorder), 2016 / Loi de 2016 d’appui aux premiers intervenants de l’Ontario (état de stress post-traumatique)

Waste-Free Ontario Act, 2016 / Loi de 2016 favorisant un Ontario sans déchets

Introduction of Visitors

Wearing of ribbons

Oral Questions

Autism treatment

Fundraising

Fundraising

Fundraising

Autism treatment

Fundraising

Refugees

Renewable energy

Collective bargaining

Government services

Fundraising

Autism treatment

Agri-food industry

Drive Clean

First responders

Visitors

Deferred Votes

Supporting Ontario’s First Responders Act (Posttraumatic Stress Disorder), 2016 / Loi de 2016 d’appui aux premiers intervenants de l’Ontario (état de stress post-traumatique)

Waste-Free Ontario Act, 2016 / Loi de 2016 favorisant un Ontario sans déchets

Members’ Statements

Charlie Guy

Fire in Pikangikum

Pope John Paul II

Ontario Bioscience Innovation Organization

The Bridge

Economic symposium / Symposium économique

Steve Merker

Leon Korbee

Events in Port Hope

Reports by Committees

Standing Committee on Government Agencies

Standing Committee on Public Accounts

Introduction of Bills

Bud Monahan Guitar Sales & Service Ltd. Act, 2016

Motions

Private members’ public business

Appointment of Deputy Speaker

Committee membership

Statements by the Ministry and Responses

World Autism Awareness Day / Journée mondiale de la sensibilisation à l’autisme

Petitions

Hydro rates

Workplace safety

Sexual violence and harassment

Health care funding

Special-needs students

Prompt payment

Ontario Drug Benefit Program

Hospital funding

Special-needs students

Health care funding

Special-needs students

Orders of the Day

Smoke-Free Ontario Amendment Act, 2016 / Loi de 2016 modifiant la Loi favorisant un Ontario sans fumée

Concussions

Members’ birthdays

The House met at 0900.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Good morning. Please join me in prayer.

Prayers.

Orders of the Day

Supporting Ontario’s First Responders Act (Posttraumatic Stress Disorder), 2016 / Loi de 2016 d’appui aux premiers intervenants de l’Ontario (état de stress post-traumatique)

Mr. Flynn moved third reading of the following bill:

Bill 163,

An Act to amend the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997 and the Ministry of Labour Act with respect to posttraumatic stress disorder / Projet de loi 163, Loi modifiant la Loi de 1997 sur la sécurité professionnelle et l’assurance contre les accidents du travail et la

Loi sur le ministère du Travail relativement à l’état de stress post-traumatique.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Mr. Flynn.

Hon. Kevin Daniel Flynn: It is a pleasure to rise today, certainly. I’m going to share the short time we have with the Honourable Yasir Naqvi, the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services. It’s a pleasure to be here and to be joined by so many members of our first responders community. I know I speak for the entire government when I say how proud we are to bring forward Bill 163, Supporting Ontario’s First Responders Act.

I want to take this opportunity to thank the member from High Park. I know she’s as proud as anybody in this House today, and rightfully so.

Bill 163 will presume that PTSD diagnosed in first responders is work-related. It’s going to provide timely access to WSIB programs and to benefits. It will also provide a sense of security for first responders and their families.

I’m proud of this bill, but our strategy in this respect is much larger than just this bill. Presumptive legislation is extremely important, but our strategy is more comprehensive. We want to prevent people from suffering from PTSD in the first place.

That’s why, along with Bill 163, our PTSD strategy includes an awareness campaign that some of you may have started to hear; a free online tool kit with resources on PTSD for those who can’t create their own programs; an annual leadership summit to highlight best practices, recognize leaders and monitor progress in dealing with PTSD; and grants to support research into PTSD so that Ontario remains a leader and we stay on top of the newest information.

To ensure that employers of first responders have proper plans in place to prevent and deal with PTSD, the legislation also allows me, or any future Minister of Labour, to require all employers to provide their plans to the ministry.

This piece of legislation is the right thing to do. We owe it to people who put themselves in harm’s way each and every day to ensure our protection. I think, coupled with prevention and the resiliency training the province is putting into place, this bill is a huge step forward in recognizing the importance of psychological health in the workplace.

I’m going to turn it over to my colleague now.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Paul Miller): Government House leader.

Interjections.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Paul Miller): Leader of the official opposition.

Mr. Patrick Brown: Mr. Speaker, it’s my pleasure to stand here today in support of Bill 163, the Supporting Ontario’s First Responders Act. I’m honoured to support this bill, and I’m honoured to see such non-partisan support for this initiative. I can tell you that I’ve worked closely with first responders since I was first elected a city councillor 16 years ago in Barrie, and I’m proud to call myself a friend of the community. One of my greatest honours is actually being named an honorary firefighter.

I take that designation very seriously, because these individuals never shy away from an opportunity to stand up for their communities. to protect the safety that we all cherish. I have great respect for the hard work and the sacrifice that they put forward.

Each day, there are reminders of the courage of first responders, who face unforeseen risks in their work each day in an effort to protect others. This includes post-traumatic stress disorder, Mr. Speaker. It’s a risk that they take on. When I speak with police officers in Midland or firefighters in Sault Ste. Marie or paramedics here at Queen’s Park, as I travel the province, I am told again and again about the dangers of post-traumatic stress disorder. Some I have met with have suffered PTSD themselves; others have watched their friends and colleagues suffer. PTSD isn’t something you can shake off; PTSD is real.

I remember being in London, Ontario, meeting with Dan Axford from the London Police Association, who told me, “We have to see things you never want to see.” He told me a story about an officer who had to carry a young boy in his arms who had been hit and killed by a car. He said that those are the types of moments that shake you. He said that he couldn’t sleep afterward. He had nightmares, and he didn’t realize at the time how much that incident affected him. There are countless stories like that across the province of Ontario, and when these brave men and women ask for help, it must be available.

A story closer to home: I think of my good friend Kevin White, who was the president of the Barrie Professional Fire Fighters Association. I remember sitting with him at his fire hall 10 years ago and him telling me that when Billy Wilkins ran into a fire and lost his life, everyone on the force was affected, but particularly those who served with Billy needed help for years but didn’t have the ability to receive that help. We need to make sure that people who see things we never want to see have that treatment available. They are our heroes, and we need to provide that service for them.

PTSD is a growing problem. First responders experience PTSD at two times the rate of the average population. The prevalence of PTSD for emergency services is 16% to 24%, compared to 8% in the average Canadian population. Thirty-eight first responders died by suicide in 2015. Between January 1 and February of this year, nine first responders have committed suicide; seven of them from Ontario.

We need to make sure that we’re providing our front-line emergency personnel with the help they need when they need it. If you are a first responder with PTSD, you shouldn’t have to spend years fighting with WSIB bureaucracy to prove it. This is an issue that I’ve been proud to bring forward. I’m proud that on my first day as leader of the Ontario PC Party—my first day as leader of the official opposition—this was my second question in the Legislature, because I have heard countless stories across the province. I said at the time that there is no monopoly on a good idea. It doesn’t matter which party puts it forward; if it’s for the betterment of Ontario, we will support it.

When the NDP put forward thoughtful legislation to help move forward the yardsticks on treatment for PTSD, we enthusiastically supported it. Today we have legislation put forward by the Minister of Labour. It doesn’t matter that he is on the other side of the aisle; it is good legislation. It will be a step forward for first responders in their need for treatment for PTSD. I say thank you to the Minister of Labour for doing the right thing, for putting forward thoughtful legislation, and I am proud to stand in support of it; I’m proud that our caucus—our PC caucus—is supporting Bill 163.

This bill will provide faster access to resources and treatment for first responders who face serious challenges related to PTSD.

I hope that all members in this House will support this important law. This isn’t about politics; this isn’t about what side of the aisle we sit on. We cannot afford to let Ontario’s first responders suffer from this serious condition any longer than we already have. Let’s show the people of Ontario that public policy can be used as a force for good, that it has the ability to improve the lives of those at risk who risk their lives every day to protect our safety, and hopefully it can be used to save lives this time, but save the lives of first responders.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Paul Miller): The member from Parkdale–High Park.

Ms. Cheri DiNovo: It’s indeed a pleasure and an honour to rise today. The first people I want to thank are the first responders themselves, because without their support from day one on this bill, this bill would not have become a reality. I want to thank them for what they do for us every single day. Police, fire, corrections, paramedics: Thank you all. You deserve a round of applause.

When I think about the life of this bill, its early iterations as my bill and later as a government bill, I also want to thank everyone in this House, all of my colleagues, for making this a possibility. It’s a rare non-partisan moment when we can celebrate something like this, and I think we should.

I also think of a couple of faces that come to mind—first and foremost, a young paramedic named Shannon Bertrand, who walked into my office eight years ago. She was the one who confided in me her troubles and her troubles getting coverage with WSIB, which is where this all started. Paramedics got behind it, police got behind it, fire got behind it, corrections got behind it, and I’m going to talk about the other groups that got behind it, too.

The very first iteration of this bill said “all workers.” That’s what it said. It was very clear the government would not back that, it would not pass that, so we narrowed it down to the obvious ones, the first responders. We heard the leader of the official opposition talking about who those groups are and their high rates of post-traumatic stress disorder.

The other person I think about, and I will never get this memory out of my mind, is the suicide call that we received in my Queen’s Park office. It was a suicide distress call from a firefighter. He said, “Please don’t call first responders,” because he knew what it was like to be a first responder and go to a suicide call. He didn’t want his brothers and sisters having to do what he had had to do that brought on his own post-traumatic stress disorder. Of course, as responsible citizens, we couldn’t do anything but. We phoned the first responders to go to the house of a first responder to prevent that suicide.

So I think of him. He will be unnamed, but I think of him and I send my prayers and love out to him and his family.

A couple of things: In the committee hearings on this bill, we would have liked to have seen some broadening of the scope. Here was a historic opportunity—not that this isn’t, and we celebrate this passage, but I want to let everyone know that in the New Democratic Party, we’re not going to rest at this. We’re going to continue to fight until nurses are covered by this, until special constables are covered by this, bailiffs and parole officers and anyone else who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder on their job. That truly is where we should be going in the future.

The other aspect of this bill we would have liked to have seen different was the coverage period itself. Some 24 months is not time enough; it should have been five years. Again, that’s something that we hope to see in regulation down the years from now.

The other one that’s particularly egregious, I think, is that anybody who has had a claim rejected by WSIB for PTSD cannot reopen that claim. I think that’s sad. That’s a truly missed opportunity because many of the people whose stories brought us to this place had claims rejected by WSIB. Those are the heroes who we should be celebrating today, and the fact that they are written out of this bill is a laugh. It’s a sad thing.

So on their behalf—many of them are quite angry about that, I must say, and with good reason—we’ll keep fighting on in the New Democratic Party until they are also covered and given the dignity that they deserve, again, hopefully through regulation in the years to come. We want to see that day come as well.

In terms of prevention and what we do moving forward: Constable Garda, who committed suicide—his sister was in my office and had great ideas.

So rest assured, all first responders: We’re not stopping here. From here on out, we will be working with the Minister of Labour on what those regulations look like, what the protocols should look like to prevent PTSD, to help those with PTSD. In the wake of a traumatic incident, what do you do with folk who have been part of that? That’s a huge piece of work, and we in the New Democratic Party are not going to stop until that work is done. Until those who race into danger for us are really covered and really looked after, our work in this Legislature has only just begun.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Paul Miller): Government House leader.

Hon. Yasir Naqvi: It’s a great honour for me to speak on this bill in a very short period of time. I want to start by thanking the Minister of Labour, whom I personally call a friend. I know personally his passion around PTSD-related issues and healthy workplaces. I really want to thank him for his passion in this matter.

Most importantly, Speaker, to all our friends who are here in the House from fire, police, paramedics, corrections: Through you, I want to thank all your members, all our first responders across this province, for everything they do in making us safe every single day.

Speaker, this is a very important issue. I think we all have heard stories of first responders in our communities who have put their lives on the front line to make us safe, but then have suffered some serious consequences around their mental health.

There is a lot of work to be done. This is just the beginning of the work; I think everybody will acknowledge that. That is why I would argue that the work around prevention is the most important aspect of this strategy. The presumptive piece of legislation is important to make sure that those who suffer from PTSD get the care they need.

But most importantly, Speaker, we need to make sure that people don’t even suffer from PTSD at the outset, that they have the right type of supports in terms of building resiliency, in terms of making sure they get the care, if diagnosed, so they can continue in their chosen profession. One thing I have learned from first responders is that this is not a job; it’s a calling. In order for you to live your calling, we need to make sure that all the necessary tools are there.

Speaker, one thing I’m particularly proud of about this bill, which I thought was a serious oversight in the NDP bill, is that corrections officers and correctional nurses are included in this bill. That is a very important aspect. I have seen first-hand the kind of work they do in our correctional facilities, and I’m really happy that those first responders are included in this bill.

I also recognize that probation and parole officers, who also face unique stresses, were not part of this bill. But, as I said, I know that more work needs to be done in order to address the challenges they face and the emotional impact these can have. I want to be clear that we will continue to work with our probation and parole officers to ensure that we build on and enhance existing programs, and that they have supports they very much need.

Once again, I thank all the members for their kind remarks. This is a very important bill, and we’ve taken a huge step forward in ensuring that our first responders are protected in the province of Ontario.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Paul Miller): I’d also like to welcome the first responders to the Legislature today.

Applause.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Paul Miller): Pursuant to the order of the House dated March 2, 2016, I am now required to put the question.

Mr. Flynn has moved third reading of Bill 163,

An Act to amend the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997 and the Ministry of Labour Act with respect to posttraumatic stress disorder.

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

I heard a no.

All those in favour, please say “aye.”

All those opposed, please say “nay.”

In my opinion, the ayes have it. This bill is deferred for a vote after question period.

Third reading vote deferred.

Waste-Free Ontario Act, 2016 / Loi de 2016 favorisant un Ontario sans déchets

Resuming the debate adjourned on March 23, 2016, on the motion for second reading of the following bill:

Bill 151,

An Act to enact the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016 and the Waste Diversion Transition Act, 2016 and to repeal the Waste Diversion Act, 2002 / Projet de loi 151, Loi édictant la Loi de 2016 sur la récupération des ressources et l’économie circulaire et la Loi transitoire de 2016 sur le réacheminement des déchets et abrogeant la Loi de 2002 sur le réacheminement des déchets.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Paul Miller): Further debate?

Mr. John Fraser: It’s a pleasure to rise today and speak to Bill 151, the Waste-Free Ontario Act, which I fully support. It’s good to hear in this debate the support that exists around the House for this bill and the importance of reducing waste in Ontario.

Last weekend, I was out knocking on doors in my community, and I ran into a man named Don. Don said, “I’ve been meaning to come and see you. I have something really important I want to talk to you about.” He said it is unbelievable, how much stuff people throw out.

Don is a man of limited means. Part of the way he supplements his means is he cashes in returnable bottles that he gets out of people’s blue bins, so he sees a lot of waste and a lot of garbage. He was really quite passionate about it, telling me about what they were doing in different places in Canada and some places in the United States. It wasn’t just because it was his income. It was because he saw that we are still having very serious challenges in Ontario with what we throw in our garbage.

As I said, I’m pleased that there’s a level of support for this bill. I know the member for Leeds–Grenville said, “It’s a very substantial act, and I want to thank the ministry for including some of the suggestions that our party and others in the province made on the previous bill, Bill 91.”

We all put out our blue bins and our green bins—if you have green bins in your city. I do it Sunday night before I leave to come back here to Queen’s Park. It feels great that things have changed and that we put more effort into recycling in homes. But when I actually look at it at night, when I put the stuff out on Sunday nights, I go, “There’s still an incredible amount of stuff in that recycling.”

One of the challenges is, are we actually reusing, or reducing the level of packaging that we are using in the things that we sell? That’s why it’s so important that this bill addresses producer responsibility. It’s clear, inside the industry, inside the sector, that there’s an understanding that what we have now is not good enough. The status quo is not good enough.

By increasing producer responsibility and giving some flexibility, we will be able to reduce, reuse and maybe reincarnate some of those—it will give some imagination to producers as to how—and some initiative and some force—to increase their commitment to ensuring that we don’t fill our landfills up with stuff. We just can’t keep digging holes in the ground and burying our garbage ad infinitum. There’s a limited resource out there.

I know the minister is very passionate about this. I congratulate him for bringing this bill forward.

I also know that the member from Renfrew–Nipissing–Pembroke said, “We’re largely in support of this act.

“We can act on waste diversion in a way that truly, truly reduces the amount of waste we are turning to our landfills in this province, because it’s something we must do.”

I can’t agree with him more.

This act will also revamp waste diversion in Ontario, and the oversight and authority. Waste Diversion Ontario will be changed to a non-crown authority which will have stronger oversight powers and provide a framework in which we can ensure that we are going to achieve those goals and targets that we have set forward.

Mr. Speaker, my background is in the grocery business. I spent about 20 years working in the grocery business. That business realized a long time ago that it could utilize—and it was actually an economic benefit to utilize—things that were generally thought of as waste. For instance, recycling cardboard began when I first started working in that industry; we used to bale cardboard. Rendering of meat products—organics. Those products were reused. They weren’t just dumped in a landfill; they were used to make other products. There was an economic benefit in that industry to do those things and take a look at that.

Actually, really innovative and smart industries take a look at the waste products they have and how they can utilize them to increase their profitability and viability. It’s not just a socially responsible thing to do, to ensure that we are not increasing the amount of waste we are putting into the ground or the air; it’s a smart economic play.

As I said, it’s good to see the support for this bill. The member for Prince Edward–Hastings called it a good initiative. The member for Chatham–Kent–Essex said, “Just to clarify things, we will ... be supporting the bill....” It’s good to know. My colleague from Nepean–Carleton has indicated that she supports this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, we have been debating this bill in the Legislature for a while. As we can see, there is a good level of support. I think this bill is ready to go forward. I’m sure there is interest on all sides of the Legislature in getting this bill to committee.

As I said, this is Bill 151; we did have Bill 91 in a previous session. This bill has seen nearly 10 hours of debate, and almost half of the members of the Legislature have debated this bill, so there has been a wide range of viewpoints.

Mr. Speaker, I think there are other pieces of legislation that we could get to, and that would be the most effective use of this Legislature’s and this assembly’s time.

I move that the question be now put.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Paul Miller): Mr. Fraser has moved that the question be now put. I have discussed this with the Clerks’ table. I am of the conclusion, and am satisfied, that there have been 10 hours of debate on this question and over 26 members have spoken to it.

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

Interjections: No.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Paul Miller): All those in favour of the motion that the question be now put, please say “aye.”

Those opposed, please say “nay.”

I believe the nays have it.

This motion will be voted on after question period.

Vote deferred.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Paul Miller): Orders of the day.

Hon. Bill Mauro: Speaker, no further business.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Paul Miller): This House stands recessed until 10:30 this morning.

The House recessed from 0928 to 1030.

Introduction of Visitors

Mr. Ernie Hardeman: I’m pleased to rise today to introduce Innis O’Grady, a Ryerson University student who is in the gallery with us today. I’ve been fortunate enough to have him working in my office as an intern for the past couple of months now, and I’m extremely grateful for all his hard work. Welcome again to Queen’s Park. There he is in the gallery: Innis.

Ms. Cheri DiNovo: We’re absolutely honoured to have in the House today members from the Ontario Provincial Police Association, the Ontario Professional Fire Fighters Association, the Police Association of Ontario, the Ontario Paramedic Association, the Toronto Paramedic Association, the Tema Conter Memorial Trust, OPSEU paramedics and correctional workers, CUPE paramedics, Unifor and the Civic Institute of Professional Personnel. We welcome them all.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Thank you. The member from Barrie.

Applause.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Just so that you know, I’ve recognized the member from Barrie for introductions, but it looks like there are quite a few. Let’s keep them brief and no explanations, please; just the introductions, so that we can get on with it.

The member from Barrie.

Ms. Ann Hoggarth: From my riding of Barrie, I would like to welcome paramedic Natalie Harris to the Legislature. Natalie founded the Wings of Change-Peer Support program, which strives to help first responders, health care providers, military members and communications officers cope with the difficulties in their line of work.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Thank you for the very short, brief introduction.

Mr. Robert Bailey: I’d like to introduce, in the gallery today with the EMS, Joe Emilio from Sarnia–Lambton, representing Lambton county’s EMS. Also, in the other gallery: Rory Ring, formerly of Sarnia, the new president of the Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce.

Hon. Kevin Daniel Flynn: I have a number of first responders to introduce today: Carmen Santoro, the president of the Ontario Professional Fire Fighters Association, and his members; Jeff Van Pelt and Chris Day from CUPE ambulance; and Chris Stolte and Joe Emilio with the SEIU.

From corrections, we have Tammy Carson, the provincial health and safety co-chair; Alex Sawicki, the second vice-president; and Monte Vieselmeyer, ministry employee relations.

From the police, we have Bruce Chapman, the president of the PAO; Stephen Reid, the executive director of PAO; and from the OPPA we have Chris Hoffman.

Please welcome all of the first responders to Queen’s Park today.

Hon. Tracy MacCharles: I’d like to welcome three people: Kirishika Ethayarajan, Jessica Ngo and Kyle O’Brien. These are students from the child and youth program at George Brown College. They live in the riding of Scarborough–Rouge River. As part of their final-year project, these students have created a website to help victims of child pornography. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Hon. Bill Mauro: I’d like to introduce Greg Stephenson from the Thunder Bay Police Association and Eric Nordlund from the Ontario Professional Fire Fighters Association, the district 7 vice-president from Thunder Bay.

Ms. Jennifer K. French: It is my pleasure to welcome so many to the Legislature. Members from OPSEU—welcome to Clarke Eaton. From corrections, we have Tammy Carson, Monte Vieselmeyer and Alex Sawicki. We also have Joel Usher and Tim Szumlanski from OPSEU. Welcome to Chris Hoffman of the OPPA, and from the PAO, Bruce Chapman, Stephen Reid and Michael Duffy. From the Ontario Professional Fire Fighters Association there’s Carmen Santoro. And Jeff Van Pelt, I see you in the corner, from my area, from CUPE ambulance—and so many other familiar faces. Thank you for all you do and for coming today.

Hon. Jeff Leal: In the members’ west gallery today, I would like to welcome Jeff Chartier, president of Peterborough Police Association, and Dave McFadden, past president of Peterborough Police Association and of the Police Association of Ontario.

Mr. Peter Tabuns: It’s my pleasure to introduce Xiao Chen, mother of our page captain today, Jierui Jiang.

Mrs. Laura Albanese: I would like to introduce two SEIU paramedics, Chris Stolte and Joe Emilio. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Mr. Joe Dickson: I’d like to introduce two firefighters from Durham: Dan Bonnar, of the Ajax Professional Fire Fighters Association, and, from a neighbouring community, Neil Delory, secretary of the Pickering Professional Firefighters Association. Welcome, gentlemen.

Mrs. Lisa Gretzky: It’s my pleasure to welcome to Queen’s Park some Windsor firefighters: Wayne Currie, Andre Gingras, and the president of the Windsor Professional Fire Fighters Association and, I might point out, the author of the incredibly moving letter I read during my time on the PTSD bill, Duane Janisse. Welcome.

Hon. Reza Moridi: Mr. Speaker, please join me in welcoming members from the Ontario Bioscience Innovation Organization: Dr. Cameron Piron, president of Synaptive Medical; Dr. David Young, CEO of Actium Research; Brian Courtney, CEO of Conavi; Arun Menawat, president and CEO of Novadaq; and also, Gail Garland, president and CEO of OBIO. They are in the west gallery. I invite all members to attend their reception in the legislative dining room this evening.

Ms. Daiene Vernile: I’m delighted to welcome, from Kitchener Centre, Mike Sullivan, with the Kitchener-Waterloo police association.

Ms. Eleanor McMahon: I’d like to introduce two first responders from my riding: Rob Todd from the Halton Regional Police Association, and Dan VanderLelie, from the Burlington Professional Firefighters Association—and, if I may, the family of my page, Deanna Clark: mother, Tracy Beazley Clark; dad, Michael; and brother Connor. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Mr. Todd Smith: I’d like to welcome Daniel Perry. He’s a Loyalist College student who has been working for the last couple of months in my Belleville constituency office. Welcome to Queen’s Park, Daniel.

Hon. David Orazietti: I’m pleased to introduce Monica Dale, president of the Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce; Rory Ring, executive director of the Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce; and Richard Bennett, a Sault Ste. Marie paramedic.

Mr. Grant Crack: It’s an honour for me to welcome the executive director of Badge of Life Canada. We have Mr. Bill Rusk with us this morning for question period. Welcome, sir.

Mrs. Marie-France Lalonde: A constituent of mine is here today, part of our wonderful paramedic team in Ottawa: Mr. Norm Robillard. I would like to welcome him to our Legislature.

Mrs. Kathryn McGarry: I’d like to welcome two members of the Cambridge Professional Fire Fighters’ Association: John Holman and Jordan Armstrong, both constituents and friends of mine from Cambridge.

Mr. Lou Rinaldi: I’d like to introduce Chief Paul Charbonneau from Frontenac county, representing the Ontario Association of Paramedic Chiefs. Welcome.

M me Gila Martow: Je souhaite la bienvenue à Amanda Simard, qui est ici dans la galerie. Elle est conseillère de la municipalité de Russell dans la circonscription de Glengarry–Prescott–Russell—mon amie est ici aussi.

Ms. Jennifer K. French: It is my privilege to welcome Ralph and Kyra Thistle, who are joining us here in the Legislature. We met them at committee for Bill 163. Welcome back.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Kingston and the Islands.

Ms. Sophie Kiwala: Mr. Speaker, I know you were saving the best for last. But it is my great pleasure to welcome Chief Paul Charbonneau of the county of Frontenac, one of the two oldest and longest-serving chiefs in Ontario, with over 40 years of service to the industry. He is with us today representing the Ontario Association of Paramedic Chiefs. I would also like to welcome Fred Leblanc, one of our firefighters in Kingston, and acknowledge Ann Bryan, president of the Kingston Professional Firefighters Association. Thank you very much for being here.

Mr. Yvan Baker: It’s my pleasure to welcome Brent Heppell from the Ontario Professional Fire Fighters Association. He’s a district 1 vice-president. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Mr. Shafiq Qaadri: Mr. Speaker, Premier and all members of the Legislature, I would ask you respectfully to help me to welcome, not only to the Legislature of Ontario but also to Canada, a group of Syrian refugees: Loqman Yousef Al Masri and his wife, Yusra, and their children, Adnan, Emad, Mohammed and Jury; Bilal Abo Al Hawa and his wife, Marwa, and their children, Alian and Miral; and Yasmine Musto and her children, Rawan, Areej, Malaz and Mahmoud.

Also, members of COSTI Immigrant Services—Bruno Suppa, Mario Calla, Tanaz Pardiwalla, Mirna El Sabbagh, Lynde Yasui, Mary Gharwal, Yasmine Dossal, Andrea Brambilla—and Mr. Fares Sultan.

Welcome them, Speaker. They touched down in Canada six weeks ago.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): We welcome all of our guests.

We have with us, also in the Speaker’s gallery today, 20 teachers from across the province, participating in the fifth annual Legislative Assembly of Ontario Teacher’s Forum. Welcome to our teachers from across Ontario. We’re glad you’re here.

Wearing of ribbons

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Point of order: The Minister of Children and Youth Services.

Hon. Tracy MacCharles: Thank you, Speaker. I believe you’ll find that we have unanimous consent that all members be permitted to wear ribbons in recognition of World Autism Awareness Day.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The minister is seeking unanimous consent to wear the ribbons for World Autism Awareness Day. Do we agree? Agreed. Carried.

Oral Questions

Autism treatment

Mr. Patrick Brown: My question is for the Premier.

After the recent budget, I applauded the government’s investment for autism funding. But just days before World Autism Awareness Day, this government announced their new plan. The result of a Toronto Star investigation—reported on April 1 that families were left “devastated” by the changes to the autism program. The government is kicking over 2,000 children off the IBI autism treatment waiting list. In exchange, the government offered a pittance of transitional funding to cover private therapy.

Mr. Speaker, where does the Premier expect parents to find $50,000 to pay for this private treatment? Won’t the Premier listen to the Toronto Star?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: Ahlan wa Sahlan, to our visitors. I want to welcome everyone to the Legislature today.

I want to just say that we are committed to improving the lives of children and youth with autism, and we’re committed to providing them with the best possible services based on the best possible evidence. It is incredibly important that we look at what is working and look at the evidence.

With the prevalence of autism increasing, so were wait times increasing. That status quo was unacceptable, and that’s why our budget makes a historic $333-million investment in a new Ontario autism program.

It’s very important that through this investment, the new program will give 16,000 more children access to services: 500 to IBI, which is the intensive behavioural intervention, and 15,500 to access applied behavioural analysis.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary.

Mr. Patrick Brown: Back to the Premier: Putting the spin aside, the reality is the Liberals are kicking children off the wait-list, without the new programs ready to go. I understand that the government wants to reduce wait times for autism treatments. But their solution is to kick children off the wait-list? Really? This seems to be a pretty heartless way to score political points and tout shorter wait times.

The government said the cost of inaction was too high. Is that what they’re telling parents of autistic children who say they now have to pay $50,000 a year for private treatment?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: Mr. Speaker, let’s just go through what this investment will do. It will give 16,000 more children access to services. That’s 500 getting more IBI, and 15,500 getting applied behavioural analysis. We’ll cut the wait times for service in half within the next two years.

What the evidence shows, what the science says, is that IBI is very, very effective in the early years. There were children sitting on the wait-list—young children—when the window of opportunity for IBI was absolutely closing. So what we need to do is to make sure that younger children get that IBI and that the applied behavioural analysis is available to them. That’s why we’re providing $8,000 for people who are going off the wait-list to be able to buy services, and subsequently providing access to a new ABA program that’s more intense, that’s longer and is specifically tailored to those older children—

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Thank you. Final supplementary.

Mr. Patrick Brown: Mr. Speaker, back to the Premier: I haven’t got an answer on why the government is kicking children off the wait-list. The government’s changes will lead to children falling through the cracks of an already underfunded system. You can’t stop these programs without something to replace it with.

Parents are telling you that autism does not stop at age five. I—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Stop the clock. I would hope that I would not have to be interrupted while I’m speaking. I would also hope that I don’t have to repeat yesterday’s need for control. This will be the last time I speak—as a group.

Leader.

Mr. Patrick Brown: Parents are telling the government and stressing that autism does not stop at age five, but the government isn’t listening. How are these parents, these families living with autism, going to be heard? Do they have to buy a $6,000-a-plate dinner to get a meeting with the Premier?

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Stop the clock. Be seated, please.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Order. Order.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The deputy House leader, come to order, please. The member from Oxford, come to order.

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The member from Leeds–Grenville, come to order.

Premier.

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: Minister of Children and Youth Services.

Hon. Tracy MacCharles: Let me just say off the bat that this government listens to families, this government listens to experts, and we listen to service providers. We did this before the announcement. We did it—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The member from Hamilton Mountain, come to order. The member from Lambton–Kent–Middlesex, come to order. If it continues, I’ll ramp it up to warnings.

Minister.

Hon. Tracy MacCharles: Thank you, Speaker. I continue to meet with families who have children on the autism spectrum scale. I hear from them all the time. I met with more yesterday.

Speaker, I know change is hard. I’m a mother of a child with special needs. I know what it’s like when programs transition. But I’m very proud to say that the families who are going to experience change under our new and enhanced program will get the services they need when they need them.

Yes, there will be $8,000 that goes towards any services a family wishes to buy immediately. That will immediately move kids off the wait-list. It’s three times more than what was provided under the old—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Thank you. Stop the clock. Two things: First of all, I’m sitting in the chair and I will do my job. I don’t need people from that side, or any side, telling me how to do it, because if I was ready to do something, you just stopped it from happening.

New question.

Fundraising

Mr. Patrick Brown: My question is for the Premier. The Minister of Energy is a prolific fundraiser for the Liberal Party, because he needs to meet his cabinet seat quota—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): I am now moving to warnings. The member from Glengarry–Prescott–Russell is warned.

Carry on.

Mr. Patrick Brown: Mr. Speaker, we appear to have hit a nerve once again.

It is reported that the Minister of Energy’s fundraising target was as high as $300,000. That’s not an easy task for anyone. Some could raise that money through—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Stop the clock. Deputy House leader will stop raising his prop. Thank you.

Carry on.

Mr. Patrick Brown: Some could raise that money through hard work, or maybe the minister found other ways.

Mr. Speaker, will the Premier tell us, has any Minister of Energy solicited donations for the Ontario Liberal Party from companies seeking grants or contracts with the government of Ontario? Yes or no? It’s not a complicated question. Yes or no?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: I appreciate the question from the Leader of the Opposition. As he knows and as I’ve said, our government has already undertaken a number of initiatives to make our elections more accountable and transparent. In 2007, we introduced third-party advertising rules for the first time. We introduced real-time disclosure for political donations. I announced last June that we’re committed to making further changes. As I announced yesterday, our government plans on introducing legislation on political donations this spring and moving to ban corporate and union donations.

I think we have to lead by example, and that’s why I’ve made the decision to immediately cancel the upcoming private fundraisers that I attend. I’ve also asked the same of my ministers.

I think it’s important that we get this right. Everyone in this House is part of the current set of rules. We need to get this right. That’s why I’ve invited both party leaders to join me for a meeting within the next few days to discuss these important issues.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Mr. Patrick Brown: Back to the Premier: That wasn’t the question I asked. I’m hoping that this time I can get an answer about how the Premier’s ministers are conducting themselves.

Let me give an example. Seven renewable energy companies donated $255,000 to the Liberal Party over the last few years. All seven of those companies were awarded contracts from the Ministry of Energy just a couple of weeks ago. How can the Liberal Party, how can this government possibly claim that their decisions were impartial and fair when seven of those companies gave over a quarter of a million dollars to the Liberal Party’s coffers? Would all of those contracts have been approved if it wasn’t for a quarter of a million dollars in donations to the Liberal Party? It’s unconscionable.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Be seated, please. Thank you.

Premier.

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: Deputy Premier.

Hon. Deborah Matthews: You just heard the Premier say that she has determined that she will cancel all private fundraisers going forward. I think if you look at your calendar, on April 19, you will see that there’s a scheduled $10,000-a-plate exclusive dinner. I believe it’s at the Albany Club.

So let me ask the Leader of the Opposition: Is he prepared to follow the Premier’s lead and cancel all future fundraising events? You can take out your eraser and take out that April 19 event right now. Show the leadership.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Final supplementary.

Mr. Patrick Brown: Back to the Premier: I’d appreciate if we don’t deflect questions and I can get an answer to my question about the donations to the Liberal Party that resulted in contracts.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Very good timing.

Mr. Patrick Brown: We in the opposition are not awarding contracts. It is the government. The crux of the problem is that donors are feeling, the fundraisers are feeling that to have the ear of government, that any group has to donate to the Liberal Party. That is not how you conduct the business of the people of Ontario. That’s not how you award contracts.

Let me give another example of how this line has been completely blurred between the Liberal Party and the government of Ontario. Mr. David Thornton, who happens to be the largest donor of the seven companies and used to be employed by the Ministry of Energy, has donated 194 times, giving over $100,000—

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Thank you.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Stop the clock. Be seated, please.

Interjections.

Hon. Charles Sousa: Suck and blow.

Mr. John Yakabuski: What kind of language is that, Speaker? What kind of language is that? We’re House representatives.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): I would wish that the member was very anxious to curb himself. Moving to warnings might not do it; there are lots of votes today.

Deputy Premier.

Hon. Deborah Matthews: If the Leader of the Opposition is suggesting that he has never accepted donations from people or organizations who want them to oppose government policy—for example, the ORPP—I think I’d like to hear that coming from the Leader of the Opposition.

Speaker, if he’s not prepared to cancel the April 19 fundraiser at the Albany Club —$10,000 a plate for 10 corporate executive types—I wonder about May 4? I understand there’s another fundraiser on May 4—a bargain at $5,000 per plate—at Barberian’s.

So, Speaker, whether it’s the Albany Club event or the Barberian’s event, I ask the Leader of the Opposition: If you really mean what you say, you will follow the Premier’s lead and cancel your corporate fundraisers coming up.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Be seated, please. Thank you.

New question.

Fundraising

Ms. Andrea Horwath: My question is for the Premier. Does the Premier believe that it should be one party, the Liberal Party, and one party leader, her, that should be responsible for making the rules that govern how all election campaigns are funded?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: As I said yesterday and have said again this morning, I think that we do need to get this right. I’ve invited both party leaders to join me, to talk with their colleagues to bring advice to us, but we are going to bring forward legislation this spring. We are going to move to ban corporate and union donations. I look forward to the public debate that will ensue when that legislation is introduced. Before that, I look forward to input from the leaders of the opposition parties.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Ontarians deserve to have faith in the democratic process and in our shared political system. I believe that the Premier putting herself in charge of making the rules that govern political campaigns is just wrong. Using the government’s majority to force through changes on how our democracy is financed will only lead to more public cynicism. That’s why it’s important to take the politics out of this process and put Ontario’s non-partisan Chief Electoral Officer in charge.

Will the Premier do the right thing and ask the Chief Electoral Officer to head up this process?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: I very much respect the advice of the Chief Electoral Officer—the member opposite knows there are recommendations that have come forward, and we’re looking at all of those.

But on the issues we’re discussing today, particularly the banning of corporate and union donations, I think there is pretty widespread agreement that that’s where we should go. That’s why we’re going to introduce legislation this spring. I look forward to input from the opposition leaders, and I expect that the opposition leaders will talk with their colleagues and with other people and bring that advice.

Of course, there will be a very broad public discussion once the legislation is introduced. That’s why we have moved the date of the introduction of the legislation up from the fall to the spring, so that we can have a good opportunity for the committee to talk to people around the province and have an opportunity to hear from people in every corner of the province.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Final supplementary.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: When people believe there is one level of access for wealthy donors and another level of access for ordinary Ontarians, it’s bad for our democracy and it makes people cynical. When people see the same Premier who took advantage of those lax rules now in charge of drafting the new rules, they become even more cynical.

Will this Premier commit today to creating a process that is not led by her office and Liberal political staffers, and instead is led by Elections Ontario together with academia, civil society, business, labour and all major political parties?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: As I said last June, I believe there need to be changes. That’s why we’re bringing legislation forward. There’s been a broad discussion.

If we look at the federal government, we see that there has been a change there for some years banning corporate and union donations. I think there is a broad consensus that that’s the direction that we need to go.

I am absolutely open to hearing from people across the province. That’s why I want to get the legislation introduced so that we can get that commentary, Mr. Speaker. As the leader of the third party knows, we hear from people all the time. I talk to people all the time across the province. I listen to people and then we make decisions based on that input and based on what we believe is in the best interests of the people of the province. That’s how we will move forward, bringing legislation in the spring.

Fundraising

Ms. Andrea Horwath: My next question is also for the Premier. Yesterday, the Premier said she’s “open to an open process,” but she also said that everybody makes suggestions to her—in fact, she just said that again this morning—then she goes away and sets the rules, and they’re passed by a Liberal majority, no matter what the opposition, civil society, academics, business or labour have to say. That’s not an open process; it’s not democratic. Will this Premier do the right thing and listen to her own advice and make this an open process?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: I believe that we have an open process, Mr. Speaker.

I believe that having legislation where there has been input from the opposition leaders, where there has already been a public discussion about this issue, where there seems to be a consensus on some very fundamental aspects, and then a broad discussion—I would say to the leaders of the opposition that they have an opportunity to bring forward, into the public realm—because they can talk with me about it in the meeting but obviously they will want to talk publicly about what it is they would like to see changed, what they would like to see the parameters to be around the new fundraising rules.

That is, I think, important for this process—

Interjections.

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: —is that they engage in a real way in this conversation, because there are no absolutes here.

The fundraising rules have been changed from generation to generation. Every party in this House has been in office and has contributed to the design of fundraising rules at one time or another. This is the next iteration. I look forward to their input, Mr. Speaker.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Ms. Andrea Horwath: It wasn’t that long ago that the Premier was promising an open process on the budget, but instead of listening to Ontarians through a pre-budget process, we got a Liberal government public relations exercise. The minister sent the already-written budget to translation before the pre-budget hearings had actually even finished. Now, it’s déjà vu all over again. It’s clear that the Premier didn’t take the budget consultations seriously. I’m concerned that she’s going to do the same on this very issue.

Will this Premier take this process out of her office and put Ontario’s non-partisan Chief Electoral Officer in charge?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: I’ve said what our intention is. We will bring forward legislation in the spring. We will have a broad public discussion. I look forward to the leaders of the opposition parties bringing their commentary forward.

Let’s talk about the budget. Let’s talk about the budget that the leader of the third party has said she will be proud to vote against.

Let’s talk about whom we listen to and the input that we got on something like the free tuition. The Ontario university student association, the Canadian Federation of Students and the college student association all said to us that we need to target the support—

Interjection.

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: —target the student assistance supports for low- and middle-income families. That’s exactly what we have done, Mr. Speaker. That input, we heard over many months, and it found its way into the budget.

I’d like to talk about the environmentalists who have talked to us for years about cap-and-trade, about the system that is going to reduce greenhouse gas emissions—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Wrap up, please.

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: We have listened to them, and that is part of our budget and part of our strategy going forward. That is what the leader of the third party is proud to vote against.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Final supplementary?

Ms. Andrea Horwath: And I would do it again, Speaker. I would do it again.

Yesterday, the Premier said she was already working on the changes to how campaigns are funded, long before any consultation. What that says to me is that the Premier is planning unilateral changes. Frankly, Ontarians have a right to be concerned that these changes will be more about strengthening the Liberal Party than Ontario’s democracy.

It is not too late for the Premier of this province to do the right thing: to ask the Chief Electoral Officer to head up a truly non-partisan, non-politicized process and ensure Ontarians that this is not, once again, all about her and the Liberal Party. Will this Premier do the right thing and open up this process?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: As I said today, it is very important that we get this right. I announced yesterday that our government plans on bringing the legislation forward—not in the fall, but in the spring—and will move to banning corporate and union donations. I said this morning that I’ve made a decision to immediately cancel upcoming private fundraisers that I have attended in the past, and I’ve asked the same of my ministers.

It is important that we get this right and it is important that all of the voices are heard. There is a high degree of consensus on some of the issues, like the banning of union and corporate donations. But I am very eager to hear from the leaders of the opposition parties on what they are hearing and what they think should be in these changes. So far, I really haven’t heard any substantial recommendations coming from them. I look forward to our meeting. I hope we’ll have a good, constructive conversation.

Autism treatment

Ms. Sylvia Jones: My question is to the Minister of Children and Youth Services. Last week, as soon as the news broke that children with autism over five years old would no longer receive intensive behavioural intervention, I started hearing from families who were devastated by the minister and her broken promise: families like the Sturgeons, whose son Daniel turned five this past November and has been on a waiting list for two years. Now the minister has removed Daniel from the wait-list because he’s five. Just imagine how devastating that is, to be so close to receiving this necessary support and then having it ripped away from you.

Families like the Sturgeons just don’t trust you to do the right thing. Will the minister do the right thing today and reverse her decision to remove children like Daniel from accessing IBI therapy?

Hon. Tracy MacCharles: I think it’s important to note that the $333 million is entirely for new services and programs for children. Let’s not lose sight of that.

Applause.

Hon. Tracy MacCharles: Thank you.

As the Premier mentioned, the program also involves creating 16,000 new spaces for children to receive the therapies they need in the appropriate developmental window. As children over five transition off the IBI wait-list, they will receive more services under the new integrated autism program.

We’re going to work directly with families to work on transition planning to make sure they get the services they need, and there will be new diagnosis pilots as well.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Ms. Sylvia Jones: The minister wants to talk about other issues. I want to talk about the children over five who have been removed from a waiting list. You made great hay talking about how there were going to be no more wait-lists. I don’t think anybody thought “no more wait-lists” would mean “you’re off.”

Another family: The MacIsaacs’ son Dale was diagnosed with autism in June—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Come to order.

Ms. Sylvia Jones: These are real families. It’s not a laughing matter.

Another family, the MacIsaacs: Their son Dale was diagnosed with autism in June 2013. Dale turned six on April 2. Now there’s no hope for him to receive IBI therapy from the province. Giving $8,000 to the MacIsaacs to find their own solution while this family is currently paying over $16,000 per year for eight hours of therapy—when will the minister provide real support for families with children with autism?

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Be seated, please. Thank you.

Minister?

Hon. Tracy MacCharles: Well, Speaker, I think $330 million is real money; it is real support.

The cost of inaction is too high. We know that prevalence rates are up. The wait-lists are far too high, and if we do nothing, those wait-lists will go from one or two years—

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Order.

Hon. Tracy MacCharles: —to five years by 2018. That’s unacceptable to me; that’s unacceptable to this government. We will provide direct support to families wherever they are in this journey to the new program.

If the member is asking me—that we should make changes, further changes—I think what she’s suggesting is that it prevents children under the age of five from receiving the intervention when they need it most. Clinical experts have advised us about the appropriate developmental window—

Ms. Sylvia Jones: You’re pitting families against each other. I’m not.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The member from Dufferin–Caledon is warned.

You have a wrap-up sentence.

Hon. Tracy MacCharles: It’s also important to note that the one-time funding for—families who have children over the age of five coming off the list will receive enhanced ABA support when that $8,000 expires. There’ll be more support—

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Thank you.

Fundraising

Ms. Catherine Fife: My question is to the Minister of Finance. Can the minister tell Ontarians if major donors to your party get special treatment?

Hon. Charles Sousa: We listened to the people of Ontario on all matters pertaining to the development of policy. They’re the ones that are important in the development of this budget. We also listened to the members of the opposition and the standing committee when they did their review. A lot of that is incorporated into this budget. That’s what we listened to, that’s what’s important and that’s what we’ll continue to do.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary.

Ms. Catherine Fife: In 2015, EllisDon contributed more than $24,000 to the Ontario Liberal Party. In 2015, the Liberal budget—

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Deputy House leader, you’re warned.

Finish, please.

Ms. Catherine Fife: In 2015, the Liberals’ Budget Measures Act changed the Labour Relations Act to specifically help one single employer: EllisDon. Nobody else was asking for it, and it didn’t help any other businesses.

Now, the year before, the Premier backed off a previous deal to support a private member’s bill that would have done the exact same thing, which does leave one wondering: Did the money make the difference? I’m sure the minister can see why some people might be skeptical.

Can the minister explain to the people of this province what happened here?

Hon. Charles Sousa: What is happening is that members of the opposition have fundraisers. What is happening is that they receive donations from the very same people. I have a list here of NDP donations, as well as the corporations and the unions that they receive funding from. It is happening, and we are looking at changing that.

We ask the members of the opposition to stop their fundraisers as well, as the Premier is doing right now.

Refugees

Mr. Shafiq Qaadri: Ma question est pour le ministre des Affaires civiques, de l’Immigration et du Commerce international, the Honourable Michael Chan.

To our guests in the upper gallery: Salam alaikum. Marhaba. Ahlan wa Sahlan.

Speaker, I wanted to let the youngest of our visitors know that they no longer have to sleep under their beds here in Canada, as many continue to do in order to avoid being bombed or shelled.

Ontario has welcomed over 14,000 refugees as part of the federal effort to bring 25,000 Syrians to Canada. I am humbled, honoured, grateful and proud of the province of Ontario, under Premier Wynne, as well as Prime Minister Trudeau, for the open and genuine welcome extended to these newest of Canadians. In addition, we’ve provided funding to support Lifeline Syria’s effort to help resettle refugees from the Syrian conflict in the GTA through private sponsorship.

Would the minister describe for this House what Ontario is doing to support refugee resettlement in Ontario?

Hon. Michael Chan: I want to thank the honourable member from Etobicoke North for asking the question. I also want to welcome the newcomers from the Syrian conflict to Ontario and to Canada. They are one of us.

At the same time, I want to thank the great work done by the settlement services agency called COSTI. They have done great work.

Ontario has supported, and continues to support, refugees and other vulnerable people from all over the world. That’s why, last year, we announced $8.5 million to support the travel, arrival, settlement and integration of refugees in Ontario. We also committed $2 million for international aid. Ontario has allocated over $6 million to enhance sponsorship supports and resettlement services in targeted communities.

Speaker, we are proud of the work that we have done so far.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Mr. Shafiq Qaadri: As an MPP and MD, I was disheartened and disturbed when the former Harper government cut health care services for refugees in Canada, who, as you will know, are some of the most vulnerable people on the planet. In fact, it is a matter of public record that the Leader of the Opposition, in an earlier incarnation, voted to cut federal refugee health care.

Health professionals saw the suffering caused by these unilateral cuts, and even the Supreme Court of Canada called the cuts “cruel and unusual.”

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): And your question on government policy is?

Mr. Shafiq Qaadri: Our government reinstated access to these essential health care services for refugee claimants through the Ontario Temporary Health Program. Ontario has always been a place that stands up for people fleeing from war, famine and persecution.

Would the minister please inform this chamber about our government’s health care for refugees and new Canadians here in Ontario?

Hon. Michael Chan: Minister of Health and Long-Term Care.

Hon. Eric Hoskins: I would also like to welcome our guests here today. Ahlan wa Sahlan. Salam alaikum. Marhaba.

Mr. Speaker, I’m proud to announce that as of last Friday, April 1, the federal government fully restored the refugee health program, which was, as we know, drastically cut in 2012.

To date, our province has welcomed over 14,000 Syrian refugees here in Ontario. That’s something that we all should be proud of, and we can share credit for welcoming these individuals.

At the Ministry of Health, we’re working with all our health care providers, with a range of partners, with our community service organizations, to ensure that, together with our federal government, all the proper health supports are provided for our new guests to this country.

Welcome again. I’m so proud to be here with them this morning.

Renewable energy

Mr. John Yakabuski: My question is to the Premier. During the latest round of wind and solar procurements, the Liberals gave contracts to seven major companies. These companies donated more than a quarter of a million dollars over the past few years alone.

This all comes while the Auditor General has said we don’t need to be procuring more energy. We’re already on pace to export 52 million megawatts over the next five years, which is enough to power Nova Scotia until 2020.

Will the Premier admit that these renewable contracts aren’t signed because Ontario needs the power, but that they’re just the Liberal Party’s way of paying back the quarter of a million favours these companies have done for them?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: Minister of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure.

Hon. Brad Duguid: To be frank, I thought the member opposite was better than that. The innuendo in that question, Mr. Speaker, is absolutely inappropriate. When I think about it—I mean, we could send the same thing back to them. We won’t, because we’re going to be above that.

This process has a fairness commissioner involved in it that oversees every one of these contracts. It is completely unfettered when it comes to any kind of politicization of these types of contracts. They’re administered through a process. They’re done through the Independent Electricity System Operator. The member has been a critic for energy. He knows that.

That’s an unfair innuendo, and I think the member should be embarrassed by even making that allegation.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Mr. John Yakabuski: Back to the Premier: I’m not embarrassed, but that answer certainly should embarrass you.

The Premier can deflect from the real reasons these unnecessary contracts are being signed, but we all know she’s just paying it forward. After all, her Minister of Energy—

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Now the member is getting too close to the line. I want to guard him against making a comment that impugns the motive. The member will reword that.

Mr. John Yakabuski: The Minister of Energy has to meet a $300,000-a-year quota. What better way to meet the quota than to hand out government contracts to his favourite donors? Yet three companies, Enerfin, SWEB Development and Innergex—wind companies who applied for contracts—got none. Coincidentally, they never made a single donation to the Liberal Party.

How can the Premier claim this is an impartial process when the companies that don’t donate get nothing and companies that donate a quarter of a million dollars get signed lucrative contracts—

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Thank you.

Minister?

Hon. Brad Duguid: Mr. Speaker, the only thing that is substantive in his question is smear and innuendo.

The fact is the large renewable procurement process is administered by the Independent Electricity System Operator. It’s completely arm’s-length and completely non-political. The member should know that because he’s a critic, but he can’t help himself. He has to get into innuendo; he has to get into smear, and I think that’s beneath them. I think the member—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The member from Renfrew–Nipissing–Pembroke is warned. The member from Prince Edward–Hastings is warned.

Finish, please.

Hon. Brad Duguid: Let’s be very clear. All of the contracts that come through this process are public. They’re circulated publicly, and all of the donations he’s referring to are public. This is nothing but empty innuendo. As I said, it’s very much beneath the dignity of that member.

Collective bargaining

M me France Gélinas: Ma question est pour le ministre du Travail. Does the minister believe that workers should have the right to choose their union freely?

Hon. Kevin Daniel Flynn: In the province of Ontario, we have a history of labour negotiations and a Labour Relations Act that has served this province well. I think the tenet that the member across has just described is one that is shared by all members of this House.

As we’re going through the Changing Workplaces Review with the advisers, we’re taking a look at the Labour Relations Act. We have an open period in construction that serves this province well.

To summarize my answer, I would have to say yes.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary.

M me France Gélinas: In 2015, the Service Employees International Union, better known as SEIU, contributed more than $30,000 to the Ontario Liberal Party. In previous years, SEIU contributed even more money to the Liberal Party, and in 2015, Bill 109 was introduced and became law. Bill 109 made changes to our labour law that specifically helped SEIU.

Other unions in the sector say that Bill 109 is not fair, and they are hoping to defeat it through a charter test. Some skeptics might be wondering what was going on. Can the minister shed some light on that process?

Hon. Kevin Daniel Flynn: Speaker, that’s a bit of a stretch, to say the least.

What has happened is that when we have a merger of organizations, often there are bargaining unions attached to each of the organizations that merge. What happened is that some members of the labour movement came forward and said, “Is there a better way of doing this? Is there an easier way of doing this that doesn’t cause as much strife and unrest as that transition is taking place for the implementation of a first contract?”

Some members of organized labour were on this side of the bill; other members of organized labour were on that side of the bill. We listened to both. We introduced legislation in this House. We’re still listening to both parties as to ascertaining what number of people should apply in the regulation that follows from this. This is a perfect example of government listening to organizations that bring good ideas before it, having the proper debate in this House and bringing forward strong legislation.

Government services

Mr. Arthur Potts: My question today is for the Minister of Government and Consumer Services—and, Speaker, you’ll be pleased to know it has nothing to do with the $1.6 million that the Leader of the Opposition raised from his corporate friends in his leadership campaign.

The 2016 Ontario budget commits our government to many programs that will make life easier for all Ontarians. I know that ServiceOntario will play an important role in this by making front-line services easier to access, more reliable and more affordable. While many people prefer having one-on-one, person-to-person contact in transactions, it’s essential that our government evolve with technology to provide good online services.

This budget announced that it will enhance customer experiences at ServiceOntario.

Speaker, would the minister please share with this House, my constituents of Beaches–East York and my mother who’s here on her birthday today in the west gallery his plans to improve the delivery of government services for Ontarians?

Hon. David Orazietti: I’ll start by wishing the member from Beaches–East York’s mother a very happy birthday. I also want to thank him for the question. I’m pleased at the progress we’re making through ServiceOntario to continue to modernize services that Ontarians count on.

As the budget emphasized, ServiceOntario is transforming and improving service delivery by increasing access to a wide range of services. In the past four years, customer interactions at retail contact centres have increased by 8.6%, and 4.1% in the last year alone, bringing it to 49 million transactions. This creates a need for us to match the growing demand at our 300 retail centres by increasing online availability. That’s why we’re working to develop an online renewal option for health cards in Ontario. We’re also planning to align how Ontarians change their address for both health cards and driver’s licences.

I’m pleased with the progress we’re making, and I’ll have more to say in the supplementary.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Mr. Arthur Potts: Thank you to the minister. We know he’s doing tremendous hard work in the ministry to improve services. We expect modern service delivery and our government has shown this leadership, so working with customers and stakeholders to provide more services online has been a priority. This allows Ontarians to spend less time in lineups and more time with their loved ones. Businesses also expect that government services will be delivered efficiently and reliably, and they appreciate the convenience of online services provided by ServiceOntario.

I understand, Minister, that these steps are being taken while we are also ensuring that the new services are fiscally responsible and will protect an individual’s private information.

Speaker, would the minister please update the House on the many steps that his ministry has taken to increase access to online services for Ontarians while ensuring their privacy?

Hon. David Orazietti: Again, to the member from Beaches–East York: Thank you for the question.

As the member mentioned, the ServiceOntario commitments that we’ve made as part of the budget were part of an extensive ongoing effort to improve access to convenient, safe and secure online services.

ServiceOntario completes 10.5 million online transactions every year, offering more than 40 services online such as driver’s licence renewals, licence plate sticker renewals, newborn registrations, address changes, vehicle information packages and, of course, birth certificates. Parents can now register their child’s birth and apply for a social insurance number, a certificate and other benefits in a four-in-one package. And in 2013, we became the first province in the country to provide drivers with an online renewal service.

With the rapid expansion of these programs, we’re constantly monitoring security measures as well. With the use of our 24/7 security operations centre, we’re ensuring that the sensitive information of Ontarians is securely protected. I look forward to building on the progress that we’re making.

Fundraising

Mr. Victor Fedeli: Good morning, Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Finance. Yesterday, the minister gave a vague answer to my question about dealings he and his office had with stakeholders when it comes to political donations and access.

Based on the minister’s comments last week and the Premier’s new agenda, I can see why he was squirming. Last week’s Globe and Mail headline stated, “Sousa defends secret ... fundraiser as ‘part of democratic process.’” Now he’s been called out publicly and his tune is suddenly different.

My question is, where in the minister’s mandate letter does it state that part of his job requirement is to raise $500,000 a year for the Liberal Party?

Hon. Charles Sousa: My mandate letter is very, very public and the work I do is very public. In fact, it’s written in a document that expresses the values and the priorities of Ontarians of all stripes, of all ages and of all levels. Be it in corporate, be it in academics, be it in hospitals, be it children, be it unions, or be it professionals, all the people of Ontario are represented in the document. That’s a document that matters. That’s a document that that member is opposing.

He’s opposing supports for more hospitals. He’s opposing more supports for more education. He’s opposing free tuition for the most vulnerable in our society. That is what concerns us. That is our priority. That is what we’re moving forward. That’s what’s in my mandate letter.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Mr. Victor Fedeli: To the minister: Hopefully I’ll get an actual answer to this question.

Here are his words as quoted by the Globe and the Toronto Star: “It’s not something that I have been concerned about,” and “I don’t worry about fundraising.” Really? No concern about organizing a secret $7,500-a-plate funder last year, in which the banks that profited from the privatization of Hydro One helped him raise about $165,000? Executives representing several financial services firms that were part of the Hydro One syndicate were also there, according to the emails obtained by the Globe and Mail.

Is the minister really going to stand there and insist that cabinet access hasn’t been sold through the Ministry of Finance office?

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Be seated, please. Thank you.

Minister?

Hon. Charles Sousa: The Premier has made it very clear, and I’ve advised my campaign staff, that we are to cancel all private fundraisers, as we believe the member of the opposition should as well. We ask: Are you going to now cancel your April 19 private and exclusive fundraiser at the Albany Club? Cancel that. Are you going to cancel your May 4 exclusive $5,000-per-head fundraiser at Barberian’s? Are you going to do that? We believe you should, and we will as well.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Be seated, please. Thank you.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): You won’t know when I’m going to strike.

New question?

Autism treatment

Miss Monique Taylor: My question is to the Premier. Last week, the government announced that it was reducing the wait-list for autism treatment by kicking children five years and older off the list. Families and kids who have been languishing on wait-lists for years because of this government’s inaction and misplaced priorities are now being told that they will never access the service that they have been waiting so long for. In some cases, they are being denied just weeks after being told that they have been finally approved for services. It’s disgraceful.

Families came to Queen’s Park to talk about their life on the wait-list, and this government responds by kicking them off that list. It’s absolutely shameful.

Will the Premier admit she is failing families of kids with ASD and immediately grandfather all children currently on the wait-list at the time of their announcement?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: Minister of Children and Youth Services.

Hon. Tracy MacCharles: It’s important to note, by making these changes, we’re actually taking children off the IBI wait-list. We’re giving them immediate support with the $8,000 and transitioning them to an enhanced ABA program. We’re doing that. That will, as I said before, create 16,000 new therapy spaces.

I do want to thank the member for the question. However, it is important to note that in November of just last year, she said study after study shows that early intervention is critical for children with autism. We agree with that. We’re following the evidence. The evidence shows that children receiving the services in the right developmental window is important.

I know the member opposite also asked us to reduce wait-lists and get kids the services they need as soon as possible, so that’s what our investment of a new $333 million will do.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Miss Monique Taylor: This government allowed that list to grow out of control and now they want kids to pay the price for it. More than 8,000 parents have signed an online petition begging this government to reverse its decision. My office has received literally hundreds of emails from families who are completely devastated by the news. I’m going to send over the many letters that I have received to the Premier and the minister.

If the minister thinks that she is doing the right thing, she should respond personally to each family. Parents who were told weeks ago that their kids were ideal candidates all of a sudden are being kicked off the list.

Will the Premier explain to families of kids with ASD why she doesn’t think their kids deserve access to life-changing treatment?

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Be seated, please. Thank you.

Minister?

Hon. Tracy MacCharles: I have been talking with families, and I understand that change and transition can be difficult. But as far as I’m concerned, as the Ontario Minister of Children and Youth Services, the cost of doing nothing is far too high. We’ve been investing heavily—$190,000 a year in autism—but the prevalence rates are higher, Speaker—

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: One hundred and ninety million.

Hon. Tracy MacCharles: —$190 million a year; thank you—and the wait-lists are high, so we need to address that.

Speaker, if the opposition doesn’t want to hear from me about this, let’s hear what the experts say. The executive director for Autism Ontario said, “Families raising children with autism have been waiting a long time for this announcement. Providing early, evidence-based intervention, when it matters most, will set children with autism on the best path forward.”

Let’s hear from the Regional Autism Providers of Ontario. They said, “We are very excited about what this historic investment means for children and youth with autism and their families. More families will receive the right services at the right time.”

And there are others, Speaker.

Agri-food industry

Ms. Ann Hoggarth: My question is to the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

Minister, this side of the House is very proud of agriculture’s contribution to Ontario’s economy, generating over 781,000 jobs and over $35 billion in GDP each and every year.

Ontarians also know that when they buy local food, they help to create jobs and economic growth in communities all across this province. In my riding of Barrie, we benefit from several agri-food businesses that are innovating and attracting a growing clientele.

Could the minister please inform the House on how—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): I’ve been standing for quite some time because I wanted to get the attention of somebody else on the other side.

I believe the minister has heard the question, but you can have one sentence to wrap up, please.

Ms. Ann Hoggarth: Could the minister please inform the House on how the government recognizes the work that is being carried out by food producers and processors to innovate and compete both locally and globally?

Hon. Jeff Leal: I want to thank the member from Barrie for her question this morning. I do know that, in the Barrie area, she’s a champion of the farmers in that area.

Mr. Speaker, as we all know, Ontario’s agri-food sector is among the most innovative in the world. That’s why, in 2006, we announced the launch of the Premier’s Award for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence to help foster innovation in Ontario’s agriculture and food sector.

To date, more than 475 award-winning initiatives have been recognized by our government. These innovative projects are boosting the agri-food sector by adding value to existing products, helping to create jobs, and contributing to economic growth. Award recipients are eligible to receive prizes from $5,000 to $75,000, grants that can go towards further investment in their agri-food businesses.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary.

Ms. Ann Hoggarth: Thank you to the minister for that answer. I’m glad to see that our province is celebrating the agri-food sector’s job creation and economic growth potential.

In 2014, I had the opportunity to hand an award to Barrie Hill Farms, which started a trial to freeze and sell surplus asparagus spears. Businesses and individuals like these are contributing to the Premier’s growth challenge to the agri-food sector to double its growth rate and create 120,000 jobs by the year 2020. I have no doubt that the individuals and businesses in my riding would be interested in applying for these great awards. Can the minister please provide another example of last year’s recipients, and whether Ontarians can apply for the agri-food innovation awards for this year?

Hon. Jeff Leal: I thank the member from Barrie for her supplementary question. I know that, in the weeks to come, she’ll be joining her farmers out in the fields to see how we start the crop-growing season for 2016.

Last year, we handed out about 50 agri-food awards across the province. Last November, the Premier joined me in recognizing the top award winner, the Van Groningen family in Simcoe county, who created their own training program to provide nine students with the skills they needed for the operations of VG Meats, whose products can be purchased at Longo’s and other retail operations across the province of Ontario.

I’m pleased to inform the House that we’re handing out the Premier’s awards again this year, but time is running out. You’ve got to apply before 5 p.m. on Friday, April 15. I encourage all members to reach out to their innovative agri-food businesses in their riding and apply immediately.

Drive Clean

Ms. Lisa M. Thompson: My question is to the finance minister. Speaker, the Liberals were caught four years ago using the Drive Clean program to rake in massive multi-million dollar profits. The Auditor General specifically warned the Liberal government that it could not claim Drive Clean was revenue-neutral while using the program to make money. But that’s exactly what the Liberals did. In fact, the Auditor General reported the government would generate $50 million in profits by the end of the current Drive Clean contract.

My simple question to the minister is this: What was the total surplus the government generated from the Drive Clean program from 2011 to 2016?

Hon. Charles Sousa: I appreciate the question; I know we’ve had this one before. We have moved to have a cost recovery of the program as is necessary. That’s what we admitted to and that will proceed, unlike what the member opposite’s party had introduced initially, which created excess revenues. We’ve curbed that activity and we made it cost-neutral.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Ms. Lisa M. Thompson: Speaker, it’s very disappointing that this finance minister struggles to even answer a simple question he should have the number for. So let’s try again.

The Liberals have generated millions of dollars in profits from the Drive Clean program, which the Auditor General pointed out is an unlawful tax and must be paid back to Ontario drivers. Yet the Liberals have not followed the Auditor General’s recommendation. Instead, they are continuing the Drive Clean program and will likely pay for it using the profits they’ve accumulated.

Again, Speaker, will the minister disclose the total surplus and explain whether the government plans to use the money it overcharged Ontario drivers to pay for Drive Clean for the next two years?

Hon. Charles Sousa: Minister of the Environment, Speaker.

Hon. Glen R. Murray: Mr. Speaker, as the member may know, there are actually going to be no charges for the Drive Clean program because, in the budget, we eliminated it.

Mr. Speaker, only the Conservatives could see the elimination of a fee as somehow costing people something, but their math has never been that good.

Second, it’s interesting. This is a very successful program. I get lobbied by businesses and people in—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Finish, please.

Hon. Glen R. Murray: You know, we get lobbied by many other provinces. Quebec does not have a Drive Clean program, Mr. Speaker. The problem Quebec has is that old cars are dumped into the Quebec market, increasing their carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions.

This program is very well regarded internationally. My ministry gets many requests to help other jurisdictions introduce such a dynamic and effective program.

First responders

Ms. Cheri DiNovo: My question is for the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. Before I ask it, I just want to acknowledge that Shannon Bertrand, the young paramedic who came into my office about PTSD and kicked this whole thing off about eight years ago, has joined us in the House. To all of our first responders here, I just want to say thank you.

While I’m thrilled that there is recognition that first responders in this province experience post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of what they experience on the job, I’m of course disappointed that many groups of front-line workers are still excluded from Bill 163. The original iteration—my bill—talked about all workers.

Can the minister tell me why he didn’t stand up for one group in particular, front-line nurses, to recognize that nurses experience PTSD on the job?

Hon. Eric Hoskins: The Minister of Labour.

Hon. Kevin Daniel Flynn: Thank you to the member for this question.

Speaker, when this idea was first discussed around these halls, the idea was to pass a bill that really only protected firefighters, protected police officers and protected paramedics. It excluded corrections officers; it excluded dispatchers; it excluded First Nations people.

What we did is we went through an exhaustive exercise with these groups. We consulted. We talked to people that were coming to speak to us from the associations, many of whom are represented here today. They told us to move ahead, that this had taken far too long and that it was time to take those steps forward.

In corrections, we’ve included nurses. We’ve looked at our first responders, who are twice as likely to get PTSD as anybody else in this province, and we’ve moved ahead to include them. That’s what the people in the audience have asked us to do: to pass this bill. That’s exactly what I hope we do about five minutes from now.

Visitors

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The Associate Minister of Finance on a point of order.

Hon. Mitzie Hunter: It’s my pleasure to welcome a group from my riding, with their teacher Joseph Wong: the West Hill ESL Centre. Please welcome them.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The member from Beaches–East York on a point of order.

Mr. Arthur Potts: My mother wasn’t in the House when we had introductions earlier. I would like to wish her a happy birthday today. We’re going to go have lunch in the Legislature. Dawn Potts, welcome to Queen’s Park.

Deferred Votes

Supporting Ontario’s First Responders Act (Posttraumatic Stress Disorder), 2016 / Loi de 2016 d’appui aux premiers intervenants de l’Ontario (état de stress post-traumatique)

Deferred vote on the motion for third reading of the following bill:

Bill 163,

An Act to amend the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997 and the Ministry of Labour Act with respect to posttraumatic stress disorder / Projet de loi 163, Loi modifiant la Loi de 1997 sur la sécurité professionnelle et l’assurance contre les accidents du travail et la

Loi sur le ministère du Travail relativement à l’état de stress post-traumatique.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Call in the members. This will be a five-minute bell.

The division bells rang from 1146 to 1151.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): All members please take their seats.

On April 5, 2016, Mr. Flynn moved third reading of Bill 163,

An Act to amend the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997 and the Ministry of Labour Act with respect to posttraumatic stress disorder.

All those in favour, please rise one at a time and be recognized by the Clerk.

Ayes

Albanese, Laura

Armstrong, Teresa J.

Arnott, Ted

Bailey, Robert

Baker, Yvan

Ballard, Chris

Barrett, Toby

Berardinetti, Lorenzo

Bisson, Gilles

Bradley, James J.

Brown, Patrick

Campbell, Sarah

Chan, Michael

Clark, Steve

Coe, Lorne

Colle, Mike

Coteau, Michael

Crack, Grant

Damerla, Dipika

Del Duca, Steven

Delaney, Bob

Dhillon, Vic

Dickson, Joe

DiNovo, Cheri

Dong, Han

Duguid, Brad

Fedeli, Victor

Fife, Catherine

Flynn, Kevin Daniel

Fraser, John

French, Jennifer K.

Gates, Wayne

Gélinas, France

Gretzky, Lisa

Hardeman, Ernie

Harris, Michael

Hatfield, Percy

Hillier, Randy

Hoggarth, Ann

Horwath, Andrea

Hoskins, Eric

Hudak, Tim

Hunter, Mitzie

Jaczek, Helena

Jones, Sylvia

Kiwala, Sophie

Kwinter, Monte

Lalonde, Marie-France

Leal, Jeff

MacCharles, Tracy

MacLaren, Jack

Malhi, Harinder

Mangat, Amrit

Mantha, Michael

Martins, Cristina

Martow, Gila

Matthews, Deborah

Mauro, Bill

McDonell, Jim

McGarry, Kathryn

McMahon, Eleanor

McMeekin, Ted

McNaughton, Monte

Meilleur, Madeleine

Milczyn, Peter Z.

Miller, Paul

Moridi, Reza

Munro, Julia

Murray, Glen R.

Naidoo-Harris, Indira

Naqvi, Yasir

Natyshak, Taras

Orazietti, David

Pettapiece, Randy

Potts, Arthur

Qaadri, Shafiq

Rinaldi, Lou

Sandals, Liz

Sattler, Peggy

Scott, Laurie

Sergio, Mario

Singh, Jagmeet

Smith, Todd

Sousa, Charles

Tabuns, Peter

Takhar, Harinder S.

Taylor, Monique

Thompson, Lisa M.

Vanthof, John

Vernile, Daiene

Walker, Bill

Wilson, Jim

Wong, Soo

Wynne, Kathleen O.

Yakabuski, John

Yurek, Jeff

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): All those opposed, please rise one at a time and be recognized by the Clerk.

The Clerk of the Assembly (Ms. Deborah Deller): The ayes are 96; the nays are 0.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): I declare the motion carried.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac):

Be it resolved that the bill do now pass and be entitled as in the motion.

Third reading agreed to.

Waste-Free Ontario Act, 2016 / Loi de 2016 favorisant un Ontario sans déchets

Deferred vote on the motion that the question now be put on the motion for second reading of the following bill:

Bill 151,

An Act to enact the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016 and the Waste Diversion Transition Act, 2016 and to repeal the Waste Diversion Act, 2002 / Projet de loi 151, Loi édictant la Loi de 2016 sur la récupération des ressources et l’économie circulaire et la Loi transitoire de 2016 sur le réacheminement des déchets et abrogeant la Loi de 2002 sur le réacheminement des déchets.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): We have a deferred vote on the motion for closure on the motion for second reading of Bill 151. Call in the members. This will be a five-minute bell.

The division bells rang from 1155 to 1156.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): On February 16, 2016, Mr. Murray moved second reading of Bill 151,

An Act to enact the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016 and the Waste Diversion Transition Act, 2016 and to repeal the Waste Diversion Act, 2002.

Mr. Fraser has moved that the question be now put.

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

Ayes

Albanese, Laura

Baker, Yvan

Ballard, Chris

Berardinetti, Lorenzo

Bradley, James J.

Chan, Michael

Colle, Mike

Coteau, Michael

Crack, Grant

Damerla, Dipika

Del Duca, Steven

Delaney, Bob

Dhillon, Vic

Dickson, Joe

Dong, Han

Duguid, Brad

Flynn, Kevin Daniel

Fraser, John

Hoggarth, Ann

Hoskins, Eric

Hunter, Mitzie

Jaczek, Helena

Kiwala, Sophie

Kwinter, Monte

Lalonde, Marie-France

Leal, Jeff

MacCharles, Tracy

Malhi, Harinder

Mangat, Amrit

Martins, Cristina

Matthews, Deborah

Mauro, Bill

McGarry, Kathryn

McMahon, Eleanor

McMeekin, Ted

Meilleur, Madeleine

Milczyn, Peter Z.

Moridi, Reza

Murray, Glen R.

Naidoo-Harris, Indira

Naqvi, Yasir

Orazietti, David

Potts, Arthur

Qaadri, Shafiq

Rinaldi, Lou

Sandals, Liz

Sergio, Mario

Sousa, Charles

Takhar, Harinder S.

Vernile, Daiene

Wong, Soo

Wynne, Kathleen O.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): All those opposed, please rise one at a time and be recognized by the Clerk.

Nays

Armstrong, Teresa J.

Arnott, Ted

Bailey, Robert

Barrett, Toby

Bisson, Gilles

Brown, Patrick

Campbell, Sarah

Clark, Steve

Coe, Lorne

DiNovo, Cheri

Fedeli, Victor

Fife, Catherine

French, Jennifer K.

Gates, Wayne

Gélinas, France

Gretzky, Lisa

Hardeman, Ernie

Harris, Michael

Hatfield, Percy

Hillier, Randy

Horwath, Andrea

Hudak, Tim

Jones, Sylvia

MacLaren, Jack

Mantha, Michael

Martow, Gila

McDonell, Jim

McNaughton, Monte

Miller, Paul

Munro, Julia

Natyshak, Taras

Pettapiece, Randy

Sattler, Peggy

Scott, Laurie

Singh, Jagmeet

Smith, Todd

Tabuns, Peter

Taylor, Monique

Thompson, Lisa M.

Vanthof, John

Walker, Bill

Wilson, Jim

Yakabuski, John

Yurek, Jeff

The Clerk of the Assembly (Ms. Deborah Deller): The ayes are 52; the nays are 44.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): I declare the motion carried.

Mr. Murray has moved second reading of Bill 151,

An Act to enact the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016 and the Waste Diversion Transition Act, 2016 and to repeal the Waste Diversion Act, 2002.

Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? I heard a “no.”

All those in favour, say “aye.”

All those opposed, 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 1200 to 1205.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Would all members please take their seats?

Mr. Murray has moved second reading of Bill 151,

An Act to enact the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2015 and the Waste Diversion Transition Act, 2015 and to repeal the Waste Diversion Act, 2002.

All those in favour of the motion, please rise and be recognized by the Clerk.

Ayes

Albanese, Laura

Armstrong, Teresa J.

Arnott, Ted

Bailey, Robert

Baker, Yvan

Ballard, Chris

Barrett, Toby

Berardinetti, Lorenzo

Bisson, Gilles

Bradley, James J.

Brown, Patrick

Campbell, Sarah

Chan, Michael

Clark, Steve

Coe, Lorne

Colle, Mike

Coteau, Michael

Crack, Grant

Damerla, Dipika

Del Duca, Steven

Delaney, Bob

Dhillon, Vic

Dickson, Joe

Dong, Han

Duguid, Brad

Fedeli, Victor

Fife, Catherine

Flynn, Kevin Daniel

Fraser, John

French, Jennifer K.

Gates, Wayne

Gélinas, France

Gretzky, Lisa

Hardeman, Ernie

Harris, Michael

Hatfield, Percy

Hoggarth, Ann

Horwath, Andrea

Hoskins, Eric

Hudak, Tim

Hunter, Mitzie

Jaczek, Helena

Jones, Sylvia

Kiwala, Sophie

Kwinter, Monte

Lalonde, Marie-France

Leal, Jeff

MacCharles, Tracy

MacLaren, Jack

Malhi, Harinder

Mangat, Amrit

Mantha, Michael

Martins, Cristina

Martow, Gila

Matthews, Deborah

Mauro, Bill

McDonell, Jim

McGarry, Kathryn

McMahon, Eleanor

McMeekin, Ted

McNaughton, Monte

Meilleur, Madeleine

Milczyn, Peter Z.

Miller, Paul

Moridi, Reza

Munro, Julia

Murray, Glen R.

Naidoo-Harris, Indira

Naqvi, Yasir

Natyshak, Taras

Orazietti, David

Pettapiece, Randy

Potts, Arthur

Qaadri, Shafiq

Rinaldi, Lou

Sandals, Liz

Sattler, Peggy

Scott, Laurie

Sergio, Mario

Singh, Jagmeet

Smith, Todd

Sousa, Charles

Tabuns, Peter

Takhar, Harinder S.

Taylor, Monique

Thompson, Lisa M.

Vanthof, John

Vernile, Daiene

Walker, Bill

Wilson, Jim

Wong, Soo

Wynne, Kathleen O.

Yakabuski, John

Yurek, Jeff

The Clerk of the Assembly (Ms. Deborah Deller): The ayes are 94; the nays are 0.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): I declare the motion carried.

Second reading agreed to.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The Minister of the Environment.

Hon. Glen R. Murray: Social policy committee, please.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): So ordered.

There are no deferred votes. This House stands recessed until 3 p.m. this afternoon.

The House recessed from 1209 to 1500.

Members’ Statements

Charlie Guy

Mr. Steve Clark: I rise to celebrate the life of Charlie Guy and the remarkable event he and his family created. Brockville lost one of its most community-minded citizens when Charlie passed away on February 16. Diagnosed with prostate cancer in the 1990s, Charlie won that battle, but it was a close call, so he decided to help other men at risk. With his wonderful wife, Kay, his daughters Cathy and Carol, and their families, he teed up what would become the Care and Share golf tournament.

The first event at their family-owned Brockville Highland Golf Club was held in 1999. Over 12 years, they raised an incredible $600,000 for prostate cancer research. The tournament also saved lives by raising awareness for men over 50 to get a PSA test. In 2011, the tournament’s beneficiary became our beloved Brockville Cardiovascular Program. Over five years, the event raised $310,000 more.

It’s important to note that Charlie never asked for a dime in green fees all those years. Every cent raised went to the charities. After losing their dad, Carol and Cathy recently made the difficult decision that last year was the tournament’s final round. But we all understand that after so many years of giving, it’s time to put family first. Besides, it just wouldn’t be the same without Charlie, Mr. Care and Share himself, there to welcome all of us to the Highland.

On behalf of the entire community, I extend my deepest condolences to Kay, Cathy, Carol and family. You should be so proud to know the legacy you helped Charlie leave is one that won’t be forgotten.

Fire in Pikangikum

Ms. Sarah Campbell: On behalf of the people of Kenora–Rainy River, I would like to extend my deepest sorrow and heartbreak to the community of Pikangikum, who lost a family of nine to a house fire this last week. The impact of this tragedy was felt across the province, where people everywhere reacted with horror and heartache. Vigils were held in communities across the riding, and the community of Sandy Lake in particular rallied together to deliver a truckload of donations to help the people of Pikangikum.

While the cause of the fire is still being investigated, what is already known is that in many First Nations communities, many are left without basic fire suppression equipment such as fire trucks, and they lack enough trained volunteers and have no 911 service. Inadequate housing with severe overcrowding serves to further compound these issues.

In the case of Pikangikum, where 95% of the homes don’t have running water, there is a fire truck but the roads were in such terrible condition that, tragically, the truck did not make it to the fire. Speaker, we cannot sit idly by and watch while these deaths needlessly occur. We can’t blame other levels of government or continue the legacy of stalling and delaying.

When listening to members of the community as well as NAN Grand Chief Fiddler and Ontario Regional Chief Day, we know the work that needs to be done. Ontarians across this province are looking to this government and to this Premier to act boldly to create a safe and fair society for all Ontarians.

Pope John Paul II

Mr. Peter Z. Milczyn: This past Saturday on April 2, and on the 11th anniversary of his passing, Ontarians across the province celebrated the life and legacy of Saint John Paul II.

As a Polish Canadian and someone whose family hails from Wadowice, Poland, the birthplace of Karol Jozef Wojtyla, I’m especially proud that Ontario became the first jurisdiction in Canada to officially proclaim a special holiday to annually honour the legacy of one of the greatest spiritual leaders of our time.

It was particularly special when my colleague MPP Damerla passed a bill in this House before John Paul II’s canonization so that we were able to celebrate both the province’s first Pope John Paul II Day and his becoming a saint.

Saint John Paul II was a universal figure whose lasting legacy is marked by his strong commitment to peace, equality, human rights and multi-faith dialogue and understanding. As a young man, Saint John Paul II lived in a world divided. He dedicated his life and pontificate to piecing it back together. His efforts ranged from the small and humble to the profound and historic. He served as a beacon of hope especially for millions of youth who were encouraged by his message of faith and activism. He visited Ontario and Toronto twice and he was the key instrumental figure in Communism’s downfall.

No other pope of the modern era has had greater spiritual and political impact. This is the legacy Ontario commemorates every April 2.

Ontario Bioscience Innovation Organization

Mr. Bill Walker: I rise today to recognize a non-profit group that has a unique approach to engaging in the development of a health innovation economy for Ontario.

Ontario Bioscience Innovation Organization, also known as OBIO, has struck an MPP Health Science Caucus made up of MPPs from all three parties. We meet on a regular basis to discuss ways to grow our health science economy and to enhance our health technology’s treatments and services, all of which present an excellent opportunity to offset future health care costs and benefit our society overall.

This caucus is a new and unique opportunity to engage the public through MPPs in discussions on innovation and health sciences, which is a $9-trillion global health science economy. Here in Ontario, this sector employs more than 80,000 highly skilled workers. A recent report entitled How Canada Should Be Engaging in a $9-Trillion Economy, released just last month, stated that the best way to enhance our health science industry, to nurture the start-ups to make them viable for investment and to ensure our province takes a leadership position in the global health science economy is to:

(1) Improve time to market by streamlining regulatory processes;

(2) Ensure a clear, transparent and consistent health technology assessment process;

(3) Invest in electronic medical records, patient databases and big data that are accessible to industry;

(4) Accelerate adoption of innovative technologies and simplify the procurement process; and

(5) Build a trust and strengthen relationships between government and industry as a mechanism to build a competitively successful health science industry.

I invite all members to join OBIO’s CEO Gail Garland, along with leading CEOs Arun Menawat of Novadaq, Brian Courtney of Conavi, Cameron Piron of Synaptive, David Young of Actium Research and all the OBIO member companies displaying at tonight’s reception. Join us from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the legislative dining room to learn more about this health care industry and hear about great ways to help our province.

The Bridge

Mr. Paul Miller: I rise today to speak about The Bridge, an important community organization in the Hamilton area. By providing temporary housing and essential rehabilitation support services, The Bridge assists in reintegrating people who have been in prison back to the community. They receive help to build better lives, heal from their past hurts, find housing and jobs, and make important changes in their behaviour.

The Bridge Hamilton is not a halfway house. The program provides discharge planning for those returning from correctional facilities and prisons in the Hamilton area, short-term accommodation for up to six men at a time, a safe atmosphere of support for women and their families who are affected by incarceration, individual help for each ex-offender to develop new goals and action plans, and group support programs.

The Bridge operates under the philosophy of restorative justice, so it wishes to expand its supportive ideas to the victims and their families. Often, men and women who have been released from prison hear about the program’s distinct benefits and make the choice to attend. The Bridge receives funding from the federal government, the city of Hamilton and the provincial government, but it is sustained primarily through charitable donations and fundraising events.

Thank you to the staff and volunteers at The Bridge for their truly valuable work.

Economic symposium / Symposium économique

Mrs. Marie-France Lalonde: On March 31, I was glad to be part of a great event in Orléans : An Economic Symposium: Future Positioning of Business and Industry, which was the first by the Orléans Chamber of Commerce. It was a half-day gathering that brought together a combination of established businesses looking to expand, start-ups, developers and entrepreneurs who just want to get their ideas off the ground. This was in order to help them navigate through the complex dealings of government agencies for funding and support and to learn what would drive their businesses to the next level.

Local businesses were able to network and establish contacts in person with economic development representatives and hear from speakers who covered topics from supports for grants, loans, doing business with the federal government and exporting to foreign markets to intellectual property.

Ce fut une vitrine impressionnante de ce qu’Ottawa-Est a à offrir. J’étais d’ailleurs fière de voir à quel point nos entreprises locales ont le désir de propulser leurs entreprises et leur plan d’affaires vers l’économie de demain.

Thank you to the Orléans Chamber of Commerce for this initiative, especially the co-chairs of the economic development committee, Deborah O’Connor and Sean Crossan. Special thanks to Orléans MP Andrew Leslie, parliamentary secretary Greg Fergus, city councillors Bob Monette, Stephen Blais and Jody Mitic, and Mayor Jim Watson for being part of this event.

Steve Merker

Ms. Lisa M. Thompson: Today I would like to celebrate the accomplishments of Steve Merker, a cycling enthusiast who has been named one of Canada’s top 14 most influential cyclists.

Steve has been a champion of cycling and active living over the years. He is known to cycle along Huron–Bruce roads en route to Bruce Beach. He first began cycling in preparation for a series of triathlons in the early 1980s. Amazingly enough, Steve continues to commute from his home north of Toronto to just across the street here, approximately 40 kilometres each way.

Steve’s contributions to improving Canadians’ health extend beyond his impressive cycling regime. Nine years ago, Steve helped build the Ride to Conquer Cancer event, which brings together thousands of Canadians to raise funds for cancer research.

To hear more about Steve’s work, check out cyclingmagazine.ca. Steve was inspired to help fund this event by his wife, Cathy Buchanan, who just happens to be my first cousin. It’s safe to say we both get our unbeatable spirit from our moms. It’s important to know that Cathy fought and survived an aggressive form of leukemia in the mid-1990s. Since its inaugural year, the ride has raised over $119 million for the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation.

Steve leads by example and is an inspiration. I sincerely hope everyone will support this month’s Daffodil campaign.

Leon Korbee

Mr. John Fraser: Just before Easter, Leon Korbee, a member of our Queen’s Park family and friend to all, passed away. It came as shocking and sad news to many of us.

You only need to consider the words people used in the conversations in the hallways and offices, in the outpouring of messages online or at the beautiful celebration of his life last week to understand what Leon meant to many of us here, words like: wonderful, genuine, kind, ethical, decent, generous, fun, humble.

There was a certain ease about being with Leon. Always smiling, always positive, he made no distinctions between people. He showed a genuine interest in whoever he was with. Many people have said that he made them feel special, and he had a penchant for nicknames, like Bud and Buddy a lot.

In this place, where it’s really easy to surrender to cynicism and often really hard to build trust, over 20 years as a journalist and as an adviser to two Premiers, Leon understood the importance of generosity in small, everyday kindnesses and used them to lift up those people around him.

We all knew Leon loved golf and hockey and, most importantly, loved his family. He was especially proud of his children, Hannah and Lanny.

To Brenda, Hannah, Lanny, his mother Karin, Hedy and Greg, and all of Leon’s family, Leon’s Queen’s Park family offers our sincerest condolences. Leon’s easy smile and kind heart left a mark here and we’re all the better for it.

Events in Port Hope

Mr. Lou Rinaldi: This past week, I had the pleasure of delivering some great news in the municipality of Port Hope that will continue in the efforts to build Ontario up.

Over the past few years, it’s become more and more apparent that the Barrett Street Bailey bridge has created some safety concerns and emergency access issues, as Port Hope is separated by the Ganaraska River and this is one of the very few crossings, Speaker.

A new, two-lane bridge will alleviate traffic congestion and provide enhanced load capacity to handle today’s transportation needs. Municipal studies indicate that over 1,700 vehicles cross the bridge each day. I’m delighted that the province has recognized the need to invest in infrastructure projects in rural Ontario and contributed almost $1 million for the replacement of the Barrett Street bridge.

Port Hope mayor Bob Sanderson tells me that the one-lane Bailey bridge was installed almost 40 years ago as a temporary solution when the existing bridge was damaged during a flood of the Ganaraska River. He is elated that this bridge is finally being replaced with a long-term solution.

Mr. Speaker, I’d also like to invite all members of the House to come to Port Hope on Saturday, April 16, to watch and/or participate in the annual Float Your Fanny Down the Ganny event. The community event has been ranked in the top 100 festivals in Ontario, and is held every year in recognition of the March 21, 1980, Ganaraska River flood that devastated the Port Hope downtown area. It is a 10-kilometre race in a canoe, kayak or whatever popular or crazy craft, where folks create homemade vessels to float down the river. It’s always a great time. I hope to see you all there.

Reports by Committees

Standing Committee on Government Agencies

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): I beg to inform the House that today the Clerk received the report on intended appointments dated April 5, 2016, of the Standing Committee on Government Agencies. Pursuant to standing order 108(f)(9), the report is deemed to be adopted by the House.

Report deemed adopted.

Standing Committee on Public Accounts

Mr. Ernie Hardeman: Mr. Speaker, I beg leave to present a report on the public accounts of the province,

chapter 2, 2014 Annual Report of the Auditor General of Ontario, from the Standing Committee on Public Accounts and move the adoption of its recommendations.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Mr. Hardeman presents the committee’s report and moves the adoption of its recommendations.

Does the member wish to make a short statement?

Mr. Ernie Hardeman: Mr. Speaker, as Chair of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, I’m pleased to table the committee’s report today, entitled Public Accounts of the Province (Chapter 2, 2014 Annual Report of the Auditor General of Ontario).

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the permanent membership of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts: Lisa MacLeod, Vice-Chair; Han Dong; John Fraser; Percy Hatfield; Harinder Malhi; Julia Munro; Arthur Potts; and Lou Rinaldi.

The committee extends its appreciation to officials from the Treasury Board Secretariat, the Ministry of Finance, and the Ontario Financing Authority who appeared before the committee on November 4, 2015.

The committee also acknowledges the assistance provided during the hearings and the report-writing deliberations by the Office of the Auditor General, the Clerk of the Committee, and staff in the Legislative Research Service.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I move adjournment of the debate.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Mr. Hardeman moves adjournment of the debate. Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? Carried.

Debate adjourned.

Introduction of Bills

Bud Monahan Guitar Sales & Service Ltd. Act, 2016

Mrs. Martow moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill Pr41,

An Act to revive Bud Monahan Guitar Sales & Service Ltd.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? Carried.

First reading agreed to.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Pursuant to standing order 86, the bill will stand referred to the Standing Committee on Regulations and Private Bills.

Motions

Private members’ public business

Hon. James J. Bradley: Mr. Speaker, I believe we have unanimous consent to put forward a motion without notice regarding private members’ public business.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The deputy House leader is seeking unanimous consent to put forward a motion without notice. Do we agree? Agreed.

Deputy House leader.

Hon. James J. Bradley: I move that, notwithstanding standing order 98(g), notice for ballot items 33 and 34 be waived.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Do we agree? Agreed. Carried.

Motion agreed to.

Appointment of Deputy Speaker

Hon. James J. Bradley: Mr. Speaker, I believe you will find that we have unanimous consent to put forward a motion without notice regarding the appointment of a new Deputy Speaker for the 41st Parliament.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The deputy House leader is seeking unanimous consent to put forward a motion without notice. Do we agree? Agreed.

Deputy House leader.

Hon. James J. Bradley: I move that Ms. Soo Wong, member for the electoral district of Scarborough–Agincourt, be appointed Deputy Speaker and the Chair of the Committee of the Whole House.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The deputy House leader moves that Ms. Soo Wong, member of the electoral district of Scarborough–Agincourt, be appointed Deputy Speaker and the Chair of the Committee of the Whole House. Do we agree? Agreed.

Motion agreed to.

Committee membership

Hon. James J. Bradley: I believe we have unanimous consent to put forward a motion without notice regarding changes to the memberships of eight standing committees.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The deputy House leader is seeking unanimous consent to put forward a motion without notice regarding standing committees. Do we agree? Agreed.

Hon. James J. Bradley: I move that the following changes be made to the membership of the following committees:

That on the Standing Committee on Estimates, Mr. Thibeault replaces Mr. Balkissoon, and Mr. Potts replaces Mr. Ballard;

That on the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs, Mr. Dong replaces Ms. Wong;

That on the Standing Committee on General Government, Ms. Malhi replaces Mr. Dickson, and Mr. Rinaldi replaces Ms. Kiwala;

That on the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, Mr. Milczyn replaces Mr. Dong, and Mr. Ballard replaces Mr. Potts;

That on the Standing Committee on the Legislative Assembly, Mr. Dhillon replaces Mr. Balkissoon, and Ms. Kiwala replaces Mr. Ballard;

That on the Standing Committee on Social Policy, Mr. Fraser replaces Mr. Thibeault, and Madame Lalonde replaces Mrs. Mangat;

That on the Standing Committee on Regulations and Private Bills, Mr. Dickson replaces Mr. Kwinter, and Mr. Delaney replaces Ms. Ver