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May 2, 2018

41st Parliament, 3rd Session

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Hansard Transcripts

Votes and Proceedings

Orders and Notices

Hansard Transcripts 2018-May-02 (PDF)

L023 - Wed 2 May 2018 / Mer 2 mai 2018

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO

ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DE L’ONTARIO

Wednesday 2 May 2018 Mercredi 2 mai 2018

Orders of the Day

Time allocation

Introduction of Visitors

Report, Financial Accountability Officer

Oral Questions

Government accounting practices

Government accounting practices

Hospital funding

Hydro rates

Executive compensation

Executive compensation

Ontario Place

Horse racing industry

Workplace safety

Child care

Highway improvement

Electric vehicle charging statoins

Nuclear waste

Social housing

Gord Brown

Deferred Votes

Time allocation

Introduction of Visitors

Members’ Statements

John Newman

Lyme disease

Lorne Hooper

Wind turbines

Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters awards

Lawrence Heights

International trade

Massey Hall

Aveda Walk for Food and Water

Reports by Committees

Standing Committee on Regulations and Private Bills

Standing Committee on Regulations and Private Bills

Introduction of Bills

Service Dogs Advisory Committee Act, 2018 / Loi de 2018 sur le Comité consultatif de l’utilisation des chiens d’assistance

Petitions

Road safety

Cardiac care

Doctor shortage

Doctor shortage

Politiques énergétiques

Respite care

Wind turbines

Energy policies

Injured workers

Prévention du tabagisme chez les jeunes

Environmental protection

Great Lakes protection

Orders of the Day

Access to Consumer Credit Reports and Elevator Availability Act, 2018 / Loi de 2018 sur l’accès au rapport de solvabilité du consommateur et la disponibilité des ascenseurs

The House met at 0900.

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

Prayers.

Orders of the Day

Time allocation

Resuming the debate adjourned on May 1, 2018, on the motion for time allocation of the following bill:

Bill 53,

An Act respecting the establishment of minimum government contract wages / Projet de loi 53, Loi concernant la fixation de salaires minimums pour les marchés publics.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Further debate?

Ms. Teresa J. Armstrong: It is always my pleasure to stand in the House. Today I’m going to be speaking to Bill 53, but specifically to the time allocation that the government has imposed on Bill 53.

I think it’s important when we’re here in the House representing our constituents that they understand what time allocation means. It means that there has been at least six and a half hours of debate on the bill and the government doesn’t want to continue debate any further. That really does disadvantage this part of the House, on this side, that every member doesn’t have the opportunity to speak and debate on this bill. And that’s why we’re sent here.

We are sent to the Legislature to debate bills and legislation and bring the voices of our constituents forward to every piece of legislation that’s brought forward in this province, because it will affect someone—someone they know, themselves personally, their relatives, their friends or their city.

So, with time allocation, I understand sometimes there is a need for it, but really, it’s been used too often by this government on too many occasions.

We are in a time crunch now. The House is going to rise very soon for the election on the horizon. This is probably one of the things the government decided to do because, first of all, we know this bill won’t get passed through the Legislative process right now because of timing, but it is an important conversation to have.

It’s good to highlight that we need to respect workers around fair wages so that when there are contracts being bid on for government projects, people are being paid fairly for the work that they do.

One of the things that I would like to raise is, the Ontario Federation of Labour looked at the bill and they wrote a quick

summary around the first reading. They wanted the government to extend the application to all public sector organizations. That alone is a debate that we should be having. When we’re narrowing the scope of this legislation to primarily addressing the building, cleaning and security occasionally around construction, it does limit the issue specifically around government procurement of contracts.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Paul Miller): Everybody is in conversation and I cannot hear the person speaking. I literally cannot hear her. So if you could do me a favour and either lower your discussions down or take them outside, I would appreciate it.

Continue.

Ms. Teresa J. Armstrong: Thank you, Speaker. There are a couple of reasons, I think, why you may not be able to hear me. First of all, I think there’s a lot of buzz in the House because everyone’s interested in this bill. I hope that they are talking about the legislation before us, and ways to debate back and forth.

The other one is, one of my colleagues from the opposition said, “Teresa, speak up,” so that you can hear me. I’m going to try to speak up so, therefore, my colleagues can have those important discussions around legislation that happen here every day.

I was getting back to what the Ontario Federation of Labour had summarized about their opinion on the bill, and how important it is that there are those presentations from stakeholders, people who work in the industry and government officials. All those things need to happen, but unfortunately, that won’t be the case because we probably won’t see this bill into committee.

Quite frankly, I think it’s one of the odd times that I’ve noticed on the

schedule House sheet today that we don’t have any committees sitting. I think that it’s public accounts that is not sitting this afternoon. That’s unusual as well. But, again, we know that there’s an election on the horizon, so maybe the government is setting its House proceedings and agenda around that timeline. Okay, that’s fair enough, I guess, but it would be great if they gave us the heads-up if that was the case.

Talking about good ideas is always something the NDP brings about. I often talk in this Legislature about how we present legislation and this government doesn’t pay attention, or we have critical concerns and they don’t pay attention. They think that we’re exacerbating those things. That’s absolutely not true, and I’ll give you a perfectly good example in this case.

Our member from Windsor West, Lisa Gretzky, brought a private member’s bill forward called Dan’s Law. That was because he worked in Windsor, went out west to find a job to provide for his family, had a diagnosis of cancer—it was a fatal diagnosis—and came back to Windsor: But because he wasn’t living in the province of Ontario for a certain amount of time, he couldn’t get health care, and he was facing an end-of-life situation.

On this side of the House, what happened is, we had good debate. The member from Windsor West was very passionate about this issue. It was something that was brought to her attention via her constituent because she’s the representative in that area. She pushed it. I know that there wasn’t a lot of time to—I don’t think it went to committee; it wasn’t discussed at committee. Then, when the House prorogued, of course, that dropped off.

There was a lot of support behind that bill. Even the physicians supported the bill. I’m hoping that the government, of course, paid attention to what was said on this side of the House and to all of the stakeholders who said, “Do the right thing. When you’re talking about palliative care and making that an issue, this is part of that palliative care.”

So what happened? I was reading the news clippings today, and “the Ontario government is closing a gap in medicare that temporarily denies home-care coverage to Canadians who relocate from other provinces, including terminally ill patients who are not expected to live past the three-month waiting period for an Ontario Health Insurance Plan card.” So they listened to that. That’s great.

When we get back to time allocation, when we use those time allocation bills—really, the hammer, we call it—to end debate, then you don’t get the good ideas exchanged. That’s where this opportunity comes in.

As I’ve said before, we’re responsible. We have been elected to represent the voices of the people in our ridings, and that’s what we do when we bring them to debate, when we talk about bills and legislation.

Just last night I was in my riding, and we had a health care town hall with our leader, Andrea Horwath—soon to be Premier of this province—and she talked about the concerns around health care. The platform that we designed talks specifically to the issues that we have heard from our constituents. People were asking questions around health care and we had those solutions. We are providing access to health care, equity to health care and trying to undo the damage that has been happening and that we know happens when people are talking about being treated in hallways. Those kinds of things are what we’re here to do.

Bill 53, when we time-allocate—yes, there’s not too much time left in this Legislature, but this government doesn’t have a lot on the agenda. The time-allocated bill isn’t giving us the opportunity to talk about the importance of the changes that can arise from this. This bill is really enabling legislation. We need to allow discussions around ideas in order that we can debate them fully and not leave everything up to regulation, because when it leaves this House and it’s subject to regulation, we don’t know exactly what went into it.

When we debate it, we’re debating an item based on the printed version. Then it goes to committee, where it has all kinds of presentations and feedback. It comes back for third reading, it leaves this place and then it’s up to the government, by order in council, to come up with the regulations around the bill. With some of those things, we don’t find out until much, much later that regulations aren’t working for the legislation and the people who it was intended for, and it’s disappointing. So when we have enabling legislation, we need much more detail before we know what we’re in for.

It’s possible that we could see more of what had been called for through regulation, but we don’t know. We don’t know if that’s what’s going to happen. If stakeholders like the Ontario Federation of Labour—asking them to look at expanding the definition of the public sector organizations for that application process for fair wages, we don’t know if the government will consider that in regulation. Hopefully, if they do, they will communicate that to everyone so that they can be aware of and comply with the rules around that bill.

Speaker, I have to tell you, my time is ending. I do appreciate speaking to the time allocation, regardless of if it is shutting down debate. I look forward to continuing other business of the House this morning.

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

Hon. Yasir Naqvi: Thank you very much, Speaker, for recognizing me to speak on this motion that relates to Bill 53, the Government Contract Wages Act, 2018. I’m really pleased to take some time to talk about this very important bill and the motion related to it.

Speaker, as you very well know, coming from the building trades yourself, this is an important piece of legislation that deals with government projects in the construction building services and building cleaning sectors, ensuring that those workers, the people who work in those areas, are paid fairly. To echo our Premier: “Every worker deserves to be paid a fair wage. And every business bidding for a government contract deserves a fair shot.”

I have the great opportunity to work with people in the building trades in my community of Ottawa Centre. They are extremely hard-working individuals who are literally building things up every single day. One of the most incredible things—Speaker, you know this yourself—is meeting with a construction worker or a labourer, when you shake their hands, and just by their hands you can tell that they’ve been working with their hands all their lives. These strong, rugged hands are a symbol to me of the equal contribution, the amazing contribution, they are making on the kind of infrastructure that we use every single day, and take for granted.

Speaker, when I look at my community of Ottawa Centre, I am amazed by the development and the progress that is taking place that is funded by the Ontario government, and that is true for every single sector, for things that we rely on to improve our quality of life, such as health care, education and the broader infrastructure like public transit etc.

For example, if I look around in my community of Ottawa Centre on the health care field, I see that all three community health centres in my riding—Centretown, Somerset West and Carlington Community Health Centre—are going through incredible growth, to the point that we are expanding them through increases in infrastructure. The Centretown Community Health Centre is going through an expansion, through a $5.4-million investment from the Ontario government, where they will be able to serve more people in our downtown community in Ottawa with important services around mental health and addictions and, of course, primary care.

The Carlington Community Health Centre, which straddles Ottawa Centre and Ottawa West–Nepean, which I share with MPP Chiarelli, is also going through an incredible expansion. We are now building a new housing hub at that site by building over 40 new units for seniors where they can access health care services on the main floor, making sure that not only can they continue to live independently but they also have access to the critical health care services they need at their elderly age, so that they remain healthy and therefore live longer independently. Those two investments are extremely important.

Similarly, we just recently opened an expanded Ottawa heart institute, which is a jewel in the health care system in Ottawa and eastern Ontario, providing world-class cardiac care. We just built a new tower on the site and are investing $200 million, which is providing state-of-the-art ICU units, surgical rooms and technology that is now being used at that hospital and is not being used anywhere else in the world. I’m not exaggerating; this is directly coming from Dr. Thierry Mesana, who is the CEO of the heart institute. It’s so new that they are the first hospital to use that technology.

That’s just so exciting and thrilling, to know that that is the quality of services that we are providing to our citizens, to my constituents, in Ottawa Centre.

Speaking of future projects in the health care sector, what we’re really excited about is building a new Civic campus of the Ottawa Hospital. The Civic campus in my riding is almost 100 years old. It has an incredible story. In fact, royalty was born there. At one time it was declared a territory of the Netherlands during the Second World War. The current Queen, I believe, of the Netherlands was born at the Civic campus of the Ottawa Hospital. But that hospital is almost 100 years old, and we need a new hospital for the growing city for the next 50 or so years.

We’ve announced a $1.8-billion commitment to build a new Civic campus right in the downtown core, on public transit, by way of the LRT Trillium line, so that it really fills the modern needs of my community and the city I live in. This is an example of a public infrastructure project where many construction workers are going to work, day in and day out, to make sure this hospital is one of the best in Canada. In fact, I’m confident, Speaker, that it’s going to be one of the best in North America.

Similarly, Speaker, as I see the work that’s happening at Carleton University, with more new state-of-the-art buildings coming online with new labs—it’s very exciting. I have also had the great honour of representing Carleton University.

In fact, Speaker, if I could also take a quick moment and congratulate the appointment of Dr. Benoit-Antoine Bacon, who has been named the 15th president and vice-chancellor of Carleton University. He comes from Queen’s University. My understanding is that he’ll be starting on July 1. I want to congratulate him on this incredible appointment, and I very much look forward to working with him as we build Carleton University. I’m an alumni of the university. I live in the neighbourhood. It’s a university that is building a bright future for so many students in our community, serving Ottawa and our province.

Speaking of important public and social infrastructure, there’s nothing more important than building schools in our community where our young, bright minds go. I’m very excited about schools like Broadview Public School, a $15-million investment in the great community of Westboro in my riding, which is complete and up and running. Kids tell me that it still smells like a new school, which is very exciting. It replaced an older school that goes back almost to the First World War, so it was a much-needed building of a new school.

We recently announced $3.6 million to build an addition to Elmdale Public School in Westboro village as well, which is another great school in my community. And, of course, we just started a new French public school in my riding, Centre-Nord, which we’re hoping to build a new building for as well.

This, Speaker, is happening on top of all the great investments that are happening in relation to stage 1 of the light rail transit, for which Ontario contributed $600 million, which is a game-changer for Ottawa. It’s the largest public infrastructure project in the history of Ottawa since the building of the Rideau Canal. This is how significant this LRT is to the city of Ottawa, in terms of really bringing us into the 21st-century ecosystem in terms of our economy, in terms of our society, in terms of levelling the playing field for everyone who calls Ottawa home.

What’s exciting is that we are already working on stage 2 of the LRT, which will go east, west and south of the city further beyond downtown, connecting all the neighbouring communities that are just outside the downtown core into some of our suburban communities. It’s a significant contribution that Ontario is making, roughly $1.6 billion in terms of the building of that.

All of that is just incredible investment that is taking place, in addition to the affordable housing that we’re building in Ottawa. I think that in Ottawa alone, we have built about 1,700 new affordable housing units over the last several years, which is ensuring that people of all means are able to take advantage of these very important investments.

That has resulted in an incredible boom in our economy in Ottawa in terms of new jobs being created, a lot of them in the construction sector. I’m happy to share with you that the unemployment rate in Ottawa is around 4.8%. It’s actually lower than the unemployment rate for Ontario, which is also one of the lowest in Canada at around 5.5%. It’s the lowest since the year 2000, almost two decades now, which shows how much our economy is booming.

We want to make sure that everybody benefits from that boom in the economy, that everybody is able to take advantage of this incredible growth that is taking place and that nobody is left behind. That’s why we brought in Bill 148, for example, which has been landmark legislation to modernize our labour and employment laws. Through Bill 148, we have raised the general minimum wage to $15 an hour, starting on January 1, 2019. I hope that stays true after this election. We have introduced two paid sick days for all, we’ve increased vacation time, we’ve introduced equal pay for equal work, and we have increased and strengthened enforcement as well.

That is why Bill 53 is important: because it’s another progressive piece of legislation that ensures that we have pay transparency in our province. That’s why I’m very happy to be speaking to this bill, which will protect workers’ wages on government contracts. This legislation will enshrine the principle of a fair, prevailing wage into law and provide the necessary support and enforcement to make it work. It is what is fair, and it is the right thing to do.

Obtaining a government procurement contract should not be an invitation to lower workers’ wages in these sectors or industries. Workers’ wages should not be the primary factor in bidding. Our government is committed to building a strong workforce and fair, balanced and progressive policies for Ontario workers and employers.

We have instituted a plan that includes making the largest investment in public infrastructure in Ontario’s history. I gave you many of those examples that are taking place just in my community in Ottawa Centre: building new hospitals, building new schools, expanding Carleton University, and building the LRT and public transit infrastructure, not to mention cleaning up the Ottawa River through the Ottawa River Action Plan.

I think this particular legislation will go a long way in making sure that all those workers who have been working in those sectors get the prevailing fair wage that is going to bolster our economy further. I can tell you, by talking to these workers, by spending time with these workers, that they will tell you that they spend all of that hard-earned money right in our local community. They are great economic generators for us. When we support them, they support the broader economy.

In my last few moments, I just want to take an opportunity to give a shout-out to another one of those incredible champions in my community—who probably exist in all our communities—a gentleman by the name of Moe Atallah. Moe Atallah is the owner and proprietor of Newport Restaurant in my community of Ottawa Centre. He is a much-loved individual for everything that he does for our community every single day, not only by creating employment for people but by way of his philanthropy and giving back.

Moe is one of those great, quintessential Canadian stories, where he came as an immigrant in his teenage years from Lebanon. He started working as a dishwasher in the back of a kitchen, and now he owns businesses. He owns a very successful restaurant—the best pizza in town, definitely, out of my community is the pizza from Newport. But he has never forgotten where he came from. He has never forgotten what he struggled through, and he makes sure that everybody gets an opportunity to succeed.

In order to celebrate Moe, I’m really happy to share with you and this House that last Saturday, he was given, by Mayor Jim Watson, the key to the city. It was a great surprise for Moe. He was in tears because, as he said, he never thought one day that he would have the key to the nation’s capital. That speaks to our great society and speaks to a great community that Moe has helped build. More specifically, it speaks of people like Moe Atallah who have given so much to our community. I am very proud to call him my personal friend. He has always been very kind to me.

I just want to thank people like Moe and many others in our communities who are helping to build their community, who are creating those opportunities, so that the investments we are talking about today have a real, direct meaning to people’s lives. These are not abstract things. These things impact all of us directly. That’s why I’m really proud to support Bill 53 and the motion associated with it. It is important that we get this passed before the House adjourns for the upcoming election.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Paul Miller): Further debate? The member from Eglinton–Lawrence.

Mr. Mike Colle: Good morning, Mr. Speaker.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Paul Miller): Good morning.

Mr. Mike Colle: And thank you. I’d like to follow my esteemed colleague from Ottawa Centre.

I can certainly vouch for Newport’s pizza in Ottawa. If you’re ever in Ottawa, you can’t really find a more homemade deep-dish pizza. Moe Atallah is a real local hero. As you know, it’s also the place that Elvis Presley visited. They’ve got a big shrine to Elvis Presley there too. That’s in Ottawa at the Newport Restaurant.

Again, it’s just celebrating people who are hard workers and who employ all kinds of people. They don’t get the headlines that the big banks and the big corporations like Amazon get, but there are little employers that deserve some credit.

Talking to Bill 53, we’re trying to get this bill through in the last days of this House, so that we can help ensure that workers who work directly or indirectly on government projects get their wages protected, so that there are rules and benchmarks so that the workers, through subcontractors or others, get fair wages. That’s really what it’s all about. There are thousands of employers that work directly or indirectly on government projects. We want to make sure that they also get protection in the workplace. The only way we can do that is by passing this type of benchmark legislation.

It is critically important. I don’t think people sometimes realize—they talk about the government, with work in hospitals or universities, or people that work on government projects in the Ministry of the Environment or the Ministry of Transportation. Most people do not know that one of the largest employers in this province is the government of Ontario. That is, the people of Ontario actually employ hundreds of thousands of workers.

In Hamilton, I think the largest employer is probably the government of Ontario through Hamilton Health Sciences. In Hamilton, you’ve got the McMaster health sciences centre, you’ve got the university—it’s one of the finest health sciences centres in the world, with cutting-edge research and care, and employing all kinds of people, young and old, who are top-notch in their fields. They’re expert people. That’s in Hamilton.

Then, people forget that besides the doctors, the researchers, the scientists and the professors, there are thousands of people who work in our hospitals and who work in the university sector, who are basically getting paid through the government contracts that are awarded to the people who provide cleaning services, who provide all kinds of maintenance services—and there are thousands of them.

We always think about the doctors in the hospitals, but what about the orderlies, the maintenance people, the cleaners? There are thousands of people who work in our hospitals. We want to make sure, whether they work directly or indirectly, that they are protected by the legislation that we’re proposing here, the fair wage policy, so there isn’t undercutting and there’s protection for their wages.

This is something that ensures that there’s fairness in the way these workers are treated. Sometimes, as I said, they’re not the high-profile workers that you see, but they are people who need a fair wage and fair-wage protection. That’s what has been called for. I think this type of legislation has been called for, for a number of years. It is an important part of the whole approach we’ve had in the last number of years, whereby we’ve looked at the Changing Workplaces Review.

You know too well, Mr. Speaker, in your history in the workplace at Stelco and being involved with hard-working people your whole life, that there needs to be constant attention paid to the workplace, because the workplace is evolving like everything evolves and changes. Especially in the last number of years, there have been dramatic changes in how people work and where people work, and therefore, the labour laws of the province have to be updated. You can’t have the same rules in place, because they do not adapt to the reality of what’s happening out there.

Look at all the small, entrepreneurial businesses, the small workplaces now, the part-time work. The people who are fortunate enough to have full-time jobs, fortunate enough to have pensions, God forbid—that’s a rarity nowadays. When people get employed nowadays, it’s always under contract, part-time, casual; they’ve got all kinds of names for them. It’s difficult to get those jobs.

In the government sector, there are still those jobs with security, thank God, but in the private sector, the obvious bottom line is more important than thinking of that worker’s family or long-term needs, or if the worker gets hurt. Therefore, there have to be rules put in place, because it is no longer that workplace where you’ve got a job for life or you’ve got a job for even 10 years, for God’s sake.

Basically you’re under contract, and every six months to a year, you have to renegotiate a contract and hope you get your contract renewed, and you hope you’ve got benefits. God forbid they give workers benefits, by private employers. It is not that easy. Those are the dramatic changes taking place, and not only in Ontario; it’s happening all over Canada, it’s happening all over the world, where those secure jobs with secure benefits, sadly, have diminished.

I know it’s hard to explain to young people sometimes that someday you’ll hope that you have a pension. Someday you may need a pension and you may need those supports. But who gets hired now, especially by the private sector, that can expect a pension? Most people say, “Around here, we get the RRSP thing.” It’s like putting your money in the casino. Just look at what happens to people’s savings. They put them into RRSPs, and you make the sign of the cross and you say, “I hope that that money is still there.” I was just looking at mine the other day. I couldn’t believe it.

Therefore, there isn’t that security, and not only in the type of work you do. Do you get equal pay for equal work? Do you get any benefits? All these protections—and what do you get paid per hour, and how do they pay? What happens if you get injured or sick? What happens if you have to go on pregnancy leave? Would you get hired back?

All these questions are ones that you don’t run across until you have to go through it yourself. Then you say, “Wow, are these protections there for me?”

When these laws are passed, like this Bill 53, a lot of people say, “Well, that will never affect me,” and, “It’s another change.” But they don’t realize that if you don’t make these laws, you’re not going to have that potential protection in the future.

It’s like people who eventually find out that, “God, I’m 60, and I’ve got no pension.” Try to live in Toronto, or even Hamilton, with the way things are going and the cost of housing and prices. You say, “Wow, my company didn’t have a pension plan.”

When you’re 30, you don’t fight for these things, because who thinks they’re ever going to reach pension age when they’re 30?

The same thing with thinking, “Well, I’ve got this good job now.” But then, all of a sudden, you may have to change careers or go into another job, and you find yourself working part-time or working for minimum wage, saying, “Wow, this guy is only paying me 11 or 12 bucks an hour.”

Then people say, “Well, you know, we don’t need the increase in the minimum wage. You’re not worth 15 bucks. Who is worth 15 bucks or 14 bucks? This is going to hurt the economy, raising people’s minimum wage.” That’s because you may have the luxury of making a good wage, and God bless you, that you’re making that good salary or good wage. Yes, it’s fantastic.

But what about all those people, a million and a half people in Ontario, who work at minimum wage or below? They have to pay the same price for their food and the same cost for their transportation. Therefore, that wage—if it is not up to a certain level, which this bill looks at guaranteeing somehow; if it’s not up at that 15 bucks—you try to live on the 11, 12 or 13 bucks an hour in Mississauga or in Ottawa, or wherever you may be. You try to live on that money when you are trying to, essentially, keep up with everybody else.

Everybody else, who is making a good salary and so forth, they don’t have time to stop and help you if you’re making less. You still have to pay the same rent; you still have to pay the same costs for food etc.

It is critically important that, at least, we give people a fair minimum wage and wage protection.

I know it’s not easy to understand, somehow, how helping a worker get more protection and get a minimum wage increase is good for you or for us. But, like I tell people, every worker who gets a few more bucks in their paycheque or in their pocket every week or month spends that money locally. They aren’t the people going off to the Cayman Islands and hiding their money. They’re buying shoes; they’re buying groceries; they’re buying local products in their local neighbourhoods. Many of them can’t even afford cars, so they stay in their local community, so all that money goes back into the local economy.

As I said, they don’t have these big savings accounts. They don’t have these offshore accounts, where they’re putting their money.

I remember when we were doing Bill 148—you remember, Mr. Speaker—the big companies came out and said—Loblaws: “We can’t afford to pay people minimum wage.”

The Magna corporation, Frank Stronach’s company: Do you remember what his salary was, Mr. Speaker? You know that, but some of the younger guys don’t know that. This guy made $50 million a year. He ran for President of Austria at the same time. He ran for Parliament here, too, and lost. He was making 50 million bucks a year. His company, Magna, came out and said, “Raising the minimum wage is bad. Don’t support it. It’s bad for the economy.” Here he is, making 50 million bucks a year—he could probably help about 50,000 people with his salary alone. He said, “No, this is no good, raising people’s minimum wage.”

You heard Loblaws and all these big companies come out and say, “Oh, no, no, no.” Their CEOs—what are they making? I think there was one guy from Sobeys who said, “Hey, this minimum wage thing won’t hurt my company.” But where was one Bay Street CEO who came out and said, “Yes, let’s give a fair wage to our working people in Ontario, Canada”? Not one big CEO came out and had the guts to stand up and say, “Giving people a fair wage is the right thing to do.” Not one.

Interjection.

Mr. Mike Colle: And the Tories were against it. There they go. They are still against the $15. The Conservatives—

Interjection.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Paul Miller): Stop the clock.

Ms. Sylvia Jones: He agitated me, Speaker.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Paul Miller): Did he? Well, you are agitating me. So we will not yell across the hallway, will we? Thank you.

Continue.

Mr. Mike Colle: I just wanted to point out that I was very disappointed. It’s politics to be going back and forth with the opposition, and that’s fair.

But I’m not really as much disappointed in them as I was in the CEOs of this country and this province. They are doing very well. There are all-time high profits. You know that, Mr. Speaker. Profits from these companies in the last number of years have been skyrocketing. When their profits are going high and they’re doing well, God bless them; they’re prospering, these big companies.

At this time, when the cry goes out with the $15 and fairness campaign, to try to give people a bit of a raise in their minimum wage, instead of saying, “Hey, listen, we’ll share a little bit in this prosperity that the big companies are having,” not one of them came out and said, “Yes, that’s right. It’s about time we shared a bit.” Not one Ontario or Canadian company came out and said, “This is good.”

We had a couple of small companies—remember, we had the people who owned that bakery, I think, in Hamilton? She came out to the public hearing and said, “Hey, listen. We’ve got to pay people a living wage. If I give people a fair wage, I keep the workers.” She was from a small company, I think, with 10 people at the bakery. I can’t remember the name of the bakery in Hamilton, but she was a wonderful deputant.

I would also mention, in my own riding, Mr. Speaker, that I’ve got Yorkdale Shopping Centre, which is one of the most profitable shopping centres in North America. I don’t know if you’ve been there, but it has really top-of-the-line shopping. It employs a lot of people. I was very happy to see that the general manager of the shopping centre—in speaking with her, she said, “We find that when we pay people more than minimum wage”—which they do up at Yorkdale—“we keep our workers. And we train these workers. If we don’t keep our workers, it costs us more to retrain new ones.

So, if we get a top-line person, we train them and they stay, and they make money for us as a shopping mall or for the retailer. That’s what we do. We know that if we were to start paying people minimum wage”—$10, $11 or $12 an hour—“we would lose a lot of these highly skilled salespeople.”

The policy of Yorkdale and all of their retailers is to pay people minimum wage or above. It saves them money, because you know what training costs are like, and turnover. That was Yorkdale. They said, “We all believe in paying people good wages” because they keep those workers, and the workers produce and make more money for the retail companies, or the mall indirectly.

There are some people who see that but, as I said, unfortunately, there are still too many who don’t want to share, who don’t want to appreciate the single mothers who go home every night, who have to pick up their children at child care and put them on the streetcar, subway or bus and bring them home, who have to cook, clean—they never get to sit down. Then, all of a sudden, it’s 6 o’clock in the morning and they’re feeding the kids, packing their lunches, taking them on the bus or the subway to school again or dropping them off at the daycare and then working eight or nine hours.

Frank Stronach will say, “No, she’s not worth 15 bucks an hour. I’m worth $50 million but she’s not worth $15.” That’s what this bill is all about. Are you for Frank Stronach or are you for the $15-an-hour wage for the single mother? Make that choice: Are you for Stronach or the working mother?

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Paul Miller): Further debate? Last call for further debate.

Mr. Chan has moved government notice of motion number 8, relating to allocation of time on Bill 53,

An Act respecting the establishment of minimum government contract wages.

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.”

I believe the ayes have it.

Seeing members standing, this will be voted on after question period this morning.

Vote deferred.

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

Hon. Michael Coteau: No further business, Mr. Speaker.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Paul Miller): Seeing no further business, this House stands recessed until 10:30 this morning.

The House recessed from 0947 to 1030.

Introduction of Visitors

Hon. Laura Albanese: Eric Albishausen is page captain today. He’s from the great riding of York South–Weston. Visiting him today is Janet Churchill, Eric’s mom; Dirk Albishausen, Eric’s dad; and Stacie Grant, a former teacher of Eric’s from Valleyfield Junior School. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Mr. Bill Walker: I’d like to introduce Lynne Lundberg and Christine Weldrick, from the great riding of Bruce–Grey–Owen Sound. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Further introductions? The member from Barrie—sorry, the member from Sarnia–Lambton.

Mr. Robert Bailey: Thank you, Speaker—like a jack-in-the-box. I’d like to introduce a good friend of mine from Sarnia–Lambton, a neighbour from Petrolia, Lorne Given, attending today again.

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: On behalf of the chief government whip, I’d like to introduce the parents of Mora Carruthers, one of the best staffers we have here at Queen’s Park. Welcome—Don and Cheryl Carruthers. Sorry.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): I think Hansard caught that.

Further introductions?

Mrs. Julia Munro: I’m pleased to be able to welcome the grade 10 students from Nantyr Shores in Innisfil, in the great riding of York–Simcoe. Mike Harrison and Tara Popple are the teachers joining the grade 10 students, who have just now experienced the shortcomings of our transportation system.

Ms. Peggy Sattler: I would like to welcome several members of the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance team who are with us this morning. We have two students from Western University, Catherine Dunne and Mackenzie Claggett, who will be working with OUSA for the summer. Also, from the OUSA staff, we have Sophie Helpard, Deb Lam, Colin Aitchison and Martyna Siekanowicz. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Report, Financial Accountability Officer

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): I beg to inform the House that the following document was tabled: a report entitled Economic and Budget Outlook, Spring 2018, from the Financial Accountability Officer of Ontario.

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): A point of order, the member from Scarborough–Rouge River.

Mr. Raymond Sung Joon Cho: I am seeking unanimous consent to move a motion to allow for the immediate passage of Bill 10,

An Act to proclaim the month of June as Filipino Heritage Month.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The member from Scarborough–Rouge River is seeking unanimous consent for passage of the bill. Do we agree? I heard a no.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Excuse me. This is another fine signal, and I’ll keep that in mind.

Seeing no further introductions, it is therefore time for question period.

Oral Questions

Government accounting practices

Mr. Victor Fedeli: My question is for the Premier. Well, another week, and another damning report is out on the government’s faulty fiscal record. This time, we hear the truth from the Financial Accountability Office. The FAO agrees with the Auditor General. They, too, forecast a $12-billion deficit for 2018-19, twice what the government has said the deficit will be. The government did not slay the deficit, as they claimed. In fact, the only thing they’ve slayed is any shred of trust or credibility. The government told us one thing, when both legislative officers told us the truth, which happens to be a completely different picture.

Speaker, why does this government think it can get away with presenting inaccurate numbers to the people of Ontario?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: I know the Minister of Finance is going to want to speak to this issue in the supplementary.

What I want to say is that we thank the Financial Accountability Office for their annual Economic and Budget Outlook, and we’re pleased that he notes that this year—I’m going to quote from the report—“the Ontario economy recorded the strongest pace of growth since the early 2000s” and that “job growth surged last year, with 128,400 net new jobs.”

The reality is, our economic growth has outpaced that of most countries in Europe and in North America. Our unemployment rate is at a 17-year low. We know that everyone has not benefited from that, and we have made a deliberate decision to invest in the people of this province, to invest in their care. I thank the Financial Accountability Officer for his report.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Mr. Victor Fedeli: Back to the Premier: Actually, the Financial Accountability Office was quite revealing. Their report provided evidence that the tale the Premier has told this House about why they’re running a deficit is not accurate.

The Premier said she chose to run a $6.7-billion deficit this year, saying it was for infrastructure. But the FAO revealed, for the first time, that that is not true. The FAO revealed that the government already had a $3-billion deficit for 2018-19. This government thought it could get away with that again and got caught.

Speaker, now that the FAO has exposed this, isn’t the Premier the least bit red-faced for being caught red-handed?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: Minister of Finance.

Hon. Charles Sousa: We do thank the Financial Accountability Officer for his report. He does highlight the fact that Ontario’s economy has recorded the strongest pace of growth since the early 2000s. He does cite the fact that our job growth surged last year, with 128,400 net new jobs.

Indeed, Mr. Speaker, we are leading North America, the United States and Europe in terms of our GDP growth, and the FAO acknowledges that some of the investments that we’re making are tremendously significant to our economy and to our society, including the benefits of supports for pharmacare and supports for skills and training.

Furthermore, he has adopted the position of the Auditor General, which is in dispute with independent, world-renowned accounting firms, including members of the Canadian Accounting Standards Board, which provided evidence and an indication that the principles of accounting that are being adopted are accurate. We’re proceeding as such, Mr. Speaker.

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

Mr. Victor Fedeli: Well, Speaker, the report also confirmed our job numbers will go down to 60,000 a year in the coming five years as well. That’s something that was also presented in the budget. So the long-term outlook is quite different.

On page 15 of the Economic and Budget Outlook, this is where the truth is exposed. The government told us that the $6.7-billion deficit was for infrastructure. That is simply not true. In the FAO report, they show that $3.7 billion is what promises to develop into a deficit, and that $3 billion was a hidden deficit for the years 2018-19.

Speaker, $3 billion plus $3.7 billion is $6.7 billion. They had a $3-billion deficit. Why did they try to hide the $3-billion deficit from the people of Ontario?

Interjections.

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

Minister?

Hon. Charles Sousa: Let’s be very clear: We have built lots of prudence. We have reserves. We have contingencies.

The Auditor General herself and the FAO have noted that we are very cautious in our assumptions, and that they’re reasonable. They stated that. We are talking about two issues of dispute: one around pension assets, and one around the degree of rate-regulated accounting, both of which are associated with independent auditors and experts who are saying it is absolutely fine to proceed as such. Those are policy decisions that were made, and in the case of pension assets, that is an issue that has been ongoing for 20 years. Even when the Conservatives were in power, Mr. Speaker, they assumed exactly the same accounting principles.

We have not done anything other than provide full disclosure. They have had clean audits with the OPG. The Auditor General has agreed that it was accurate. We’re going to proceed as such. We have full disclosure. It’s fully accurate. We have balanced the books and we have a surplus.

Government accounting practices

Mr. Victor Fedeli: Back to the Premier. Well, look, they have not disclosed the books. They have not been in balance. They have told the people of Ontario one thing when both legislative officers have told us the complete opposite, Speaker.

I will review again: Why did they have a $3-billion hidden deficit? That’s not full disclosure. That’s here. It took the Financial Accountability Officer, on page 15, to show us a $3-billion hidden deficit. They were not in balance. They have told the House one thing when the truth is completely opposite.

I want to know the truth from this finance minister and from this Premier. Why is there a $3-billion hole in the budget? Why?

Interjections.

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

Mr. John Yakabuski: Wow. It just never ends.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Yes, it will.

Premier?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: I just want to say to the member opposite that when I came into this office and when we brought our first budget forward, we made it clear that we were going to increase the deficit in order to invest in infrastructure. We did that, Mr. Speaker. We stayed on track to eliminate the deficit. We did that this year.

We have a $600-million surplus and we have made a deliberate decision—openly, transparently, we have made a decision—to invest in people, in child care, in home care, in hospitals, in free tuition for students and in prescription medication for children and for seniors.

We have been very clear about our—

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The member from Prince Edward–Hastings will withdraw.

Mr. Todd Smith: Withdraw.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): And you’re working towards warnings. I’m telling you now.

Finish, please.

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: Mr. Speaker, the reason that we can have this discussion about our finances is that we put in place a requirement to have a pre-election report. That is what we are discussing, openly and transparently.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Mr. Victor Fedeli: Well, thank heavens we had a pre-election report from the Auditor General, who exposed a $12-billion deficit instead of the nonsense the government told us. Thank goodness that the Financial Accountability Officer came out today and explained that, yes, indeed, we do have a $12-billion deficit, not the nonsense the government told us. He further drilled down and showed us that in that deficit is a $3-billion existing hole in the budget.

The Premier just doubled down, saying that she made a deliberate choice to go into a $6.7-billion deficit. That is absolutely not true. It’s $3.7 billion that she’s saying she’s investing there: $3 billion of it was a secret, hidden hole in the budget.

I want to know. We all want to know. The people want to know: Why did it take the Financial Accountability Officer to come out and tell us this morning?

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

Mr. Victor Fedeli: You did not slay the deficit—

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

Interjections.

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

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Members on both sides are asking me to move to warnings, and I shall. We’re in warnings.

Premier?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: I do understand why the member opposite would be so frantic, as he holds the book, that the information he’s saying is secret is printed in black and white. He is reading the numbers because we are being transparent. What we are not—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The member from Leeds–Grenville is warned. The member from Prince Edward–Hastings is warned. I missed a third, but—

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): You threw him under the bus.

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: Mr. Speaker, he has the information because we have made it available and made it transparent. I also understand that he would be additionally frantic because he’s dealing with a leader who, behind closed doors, is making deals with big developers and only backing off on preserving the greenbelt when he’s caught in the light of day.

We have consistently been open about our finances. We have consistently supported the greenbelt. We believe that our environment is precious. Once that land is gone, it’s gone forever.

I understand why he’s so upset.

Interjections.

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

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs is warned.

Final supplementary.

Mr. Victor Fedeli: The only people hiding anything in this Legislature are this government.

Thank heavens the FAO showed us the $3-billion hidden deficit that this government had. And he explained why, Speaker. He actually told us how this $3-billion hole came about, and, quite frankly, it’s no surprise to anyone on this side of the House. He has told us it’s because they ran out of things to sell. He said the government will see weaker revenue gain due to a loss of time-limited and one-time revenue. That money was one-time sale of assets. They sold Hydro One. They sold buildings. They sold shares. They ran out of things to sell, and now they have a hidden deficit.

They told us that it was a $6.7-billion deficit when $3 billion of that deficit was actually a structural deficit. It was built in, Speaker. It is a deficit that they ran up because they were running out of things to sell.

Speaker, why did they not tell the people about this hole?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: Minister of Finance.

Hon. Charles Sousa: Speaker, very quickly, it was this government that actually passed the Fiscal Transparency and Accountability Act, precisely because that party—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The Leader of the Opposition is warned. The member from Simcoe–Grey is warned.

Carry on.

Hon. Charles Sousa: It’s precisely because that party did in fact hide the deficits. Furthermore, we brought in the FAO as well, recognizing the need to look at projections going forward. This is what we’re talking about: projections.

Forty years have passed. They’ve only balanced the budget three times; we’ve done more than that, almost twice more.

Furthermore, there are public accounts and there are the actual results that are achieved. Third-quarter results have shown that we have balanced the books and have a surplus. DBRS just again made the connection and said that we are AA rated and stable because of the fact that we have done so. Furthermore, we are putting forward $230 billion over 14 years for those capital improvements, and we’ve exceeded our target, year over year.

Hospital funding

M me France Gélinas: Ma question est pour la première ministre. On April 1, the funding for eight hospital beds at Guelph General Hospital ran out. The hospital says it still needs the beds. It is operating at 111% occupancy. It is seeing 64,000 patients per year in an emergency room built for 45,000.

Why is the Premier forcing the patients to be treated and admitted in the hallways at Guelph General Hospital?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: Minister of Health and Long-Term Care.

Hon. Helena Jaczek: Of course, we’re monitoring situations across the province at all times in terms of issues where there is a capacity challenge, and we are addressing this, Mr. Speaker. As you know, through our 2018 budget, we are investing an additional $822 million in Ontario’s publicly funded hospitals. Overall, this is a very historic increase of 4.6%.

High-growth areas, obviously, are looked at with an eye to improving their situation. We work with our LHINs on a very systematic basis. We look at the need in each particular area of the province, and we ensure that the funds are available in each particular hospital.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

M me France Gélinas: The government funded some temporary beds during the flu season. At the time, Guelph General Hospital needed an extra 16 beds. The government paid for eight of these beds. But on April 1, the government took away the funding for these beds, even though the hospital still needs them now.

Why won’t the minister provide enough funding to treat Guelph-area patients with the dignity they deserve?

Hon. Helena Jaczek: I hope the member of the third party recalls that last fall, we did create some 2,000 extra beds across the province. These are spaces that we did annualize in our funding, to the tune of $187 million.

We’re continuing to work with the LHINs, looking forward at the coming year. We will ensure that people in this province get the care they need where they need it, when they need it. This is an ongoing evaluative process that we go through. We are listening to the needs across the province. We will ensure patients get the care that they need.

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

M me France Gélinas: Something is not right here. On April 1, the government took away the funding that you had given in the fall. Those eight beds are no longer funded at Guelph General Hospital. The CEO of the hospital said that funding for the hospital has not kept up with population growth. It is happening throughout our province, in all of our hospitals.

The minister’s hospital funding freezes have meant service cuts to patients. They have meant that patients are treated and admitted in hallways and sometimes in bathrooms. The Premier likes to complain about the cuts from the Conservative government, but when will she accept responsibility for the cuts to hospital funding that she alone is responsible for?

Hon. Helena Jaczek: In the case of Guelph General Hospital, we are working with that hospital very closely. We’ve been in communication with the CEO and the chair of the board to understand their particular pressures at this moment. We are committed to maintaining the surge beds that were announced last fall.

We understand that growth pressures exist across the province. Obviously, last winter, there was an exacerbation with a very severe flu season. But we are going to continue to monitor and work with our hospitals to ensure patients get the care that they need, when and where they need it.

Hydro rates

Mr. Peter Tabuns: To the Premier: On April 19, the Ontario Energy Board announced what at least seemed to be good news; Hydro rates were not going up. But it turns out that this was just government propaganda, because if you dig just a little bit further, you find that actual hydro costs have jumped by roughly 10% from last year.

The government is using borrowed cash to hide these true costs from the public before the election. Why won’t the Premier just tell the truth—that her $40-billion hydro borrowing scheme will send bills skyrocketing by 70% after the election?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: Minister of Energy.

Hon. Glenn Thibeault: The fair hydro plan, as the member is well aware, is bringing forward and has brought forward a 25% reduction for all families across the province, and then that is being held to the rate of inflation for the next four years. The long-term energy plan also shows that costs are being pulled out of the system to keep our system reliable, clean and affordable for all people right across the province.

It is good news that the OEB brought forward no rate increases this year. We’ll continue to work with all our partners to ensure that we keep having a system that is reliable, a system that is clean and affordable. For us on this side of the House, we made sure that we acted on it. The opposition party: They voted against that.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary.

Mr. Peter Tabuns: Again to the Premier: The Premier is using borrowed cash to hide the true cost of hydro before the election, but background documents buried in the Ontario Energy Board’s website show the truth: Actual hydro costs have jumped about 10% from last year. Those are the costs that Ontario families will still have to pay after the Premier’s payday loan comes due. Leaked government documents show that hydro bills will rise 70% over 10 years, starting after the election.

Will the Premier tell Ontarians the truth: that her hydro borrowing scheme drives bills up even further over the long term, not down?

Hon. Glenn Thibeault: Once again, there’s a document called Ontario’s Long-Term Energy Plan—I encourage the member to read it—where he will see that the rates are actually lower moving forward than they would have been even four years ago, and where that projection would be.

We invested in the fair hydro plan to make sure that we could reduce rates by 25% for everyone across the province. They voted against that. And do you know what, Mr. Speaker? They have no plan when it comes to actually reducing rates. What they want to do is eliminate the fair hydro plan. They want to raise rates by 25%.

On this side of the House, we brought forward a plan. We helped all families right across the province, and 500,000 small businesses and farms. Those who live in rural and northern parts of our province continue to see rates that have been reduced anywhere between 35% and 50%, on average.

We will continue to act on behalf of the people of Ontario, helping them and keeping a clean, reliable and affordable system.

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

Mr. Peter Tabuns: Again to the Premier: The Minister of Energy was positively gleeful last week after the Conservatives released a hydro plan that kept all of the worst Liberal hydro policies. The Conservative plan will keep the Liberal government’s $40-billion hydro borrowing scheme, which will drive bills up by more than 70% after the election. The Conservative plan will keep private profits on our hydro bills and will keep Hydro One privatized. And the Minister of Energy couldn’t be happier. Why on earth is this government celebrating the fact that the Premier’s hydro policies have been endorsed by Doug Ford?

Interjections.

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

Minister?

Hon. Glenn Thibeault: The NDP platform, when it comes to electricity, has them buying back billions of dollars in shares of Hydro One that will not take one cent off of electricity bills for Ontario families and businesses. I don’t know why they think that’s a good idea. On this side of the House, we brought forward a plan that reduced rates by 25%, and they voted against it.

When it comes to individuals living on First Nations, we eliminated the delivery charge. They voted against that. When it comes to low-income individuals—in their plan, it wasn’t even mentioned until the last page. We made sure—

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The member from Essex is warned.

Finish, please.

Hon. Glenn Thibeault: Mr. Speaker, let’s think about this: They’re going to spend billions buying back shares of Hydro One that actually will not do anything to lower anyone’s electricity bills, but those billions of dollars that they spend will mean that they will have to close schools and close hospitals. What are they going to cut to make sure that they can buy back a plan and a company that won’t save anybody anything?

Executive compensation

Mr. Todd Smith: My question is for the Premier. First the Premier gave Mayo Schmidt millions of dollars when she made him the CEO at Hydro One, and now we know that he has become the six-million-dollar man. Then the Hydro One board gave themselves millions of dollars in raises and tried to make it impossible to hold them to account. We don’t know how big the millionaires’ club is, but it’s $412 million large. Finally, yesterday your government, Premier, voted against reviewing compensation at Hydro One.

What we really want to know is, when is the Premier going to start to stand up for electricity customers in the province of Ontario and not the millionaires’ club at Hydro One?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: Minister of Energy.

Hon. Glenn Thibeault: It was this government and this Premier who actually stood for families last year when we brought forward the fair hydro plan, and that party stood and voted against it. It was this government and this Premier who actually brought forward the Ontario Electricity Support Program to help low-income individuals, to help seniors, and it’s that party that voted against it.

We made sure that we brought forward our concerns to the board. Over the last weekend, our government urged Hydro One’s board to revisit its executive compensation model. That’s exactly what they’re doing. As the largest shareholder, we welcome the board’s decision to re-examine the compensation model, which will include independent advice as well.

The board’s decision to increase executive compensation was done without our involvement, so changes to compensation and severance that were adopted by the board were released to us on March 29. We acted, and we are now making sure we can have that review through the board.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary.

Mr. Todd Smith: It was this Premier and this government who handed out the multi-million-dollar salary to the CEO of Hydro One, and then have sat idly by and watched it ever increase—only we can’t see all of it, Mr. Speaker.

Yesterday in the Legislature, members on the government side were trying to justify the salary of the six-million-dollar man. They’re trying to defend the indefensible. This government’s legacy on electricity is the same as its legacy on everything: mountains of new debt, a select few Bay Streeters who are getting rich, and everyone else in Ontario getting stuck with the bill.

On Monday, the Premier will send out the energy minister to say that the compensation is being reviewed. Then, on Tuesday, every Liberal votes against reviewing it. That’s what happened yesterday, and they’re trying to justify the $6 million.

Speaker, when will the Premier show some leadership and finally deal with the millionaires’ club at Hydro One?

Hon. Glenn Thibeault: We brought it forward over the weekend, in our role as the largest shareholder, asking the board to revisit their executive compensation model. They’re doing just that, Mr. Speaker.

Because we found out about this at the end of March through the management information circular, the board now acknowledges that as their largest shareholder, which is this government, we should be engaged on such material issues and that changes are needed.

While Doug Ford and the PCs would take that erratic and reckless approach, to fire the board and do absolutely nothing to reduce rates, we believe in a stable solution that exercises our authority as the largest shareholder. With this in mind, our government will abstain from voting on the say-on-pay shareholder resolution at the Hydro One annual general meeting, which is in May—May 15—to give the board the necessary time to re-examine the matter.

Our government continues to focus on fairness for all people in this province.

Executive compensation

Ms. Peggy Sattler: My question is to the Premier. For 15 years, this Liberal government has known about excessive executive salaries in the broader public sector but has done almost nothing to rein in executive compensation.

This week, Londoners learned about proposed salary increases for Western University senior administrators. The Liberals have allowed boards of governors the freedom to select their own comparators to determine salaries, without any oversight to ensure that the comparators are valid. This can lead to significant salary increases far beyond what is reasonable or appropriate.

Similar concerns have already been raised about Nipissing University, and we expect to hear more as university compensation frameworks are posted across the province.

Speaker, why has this Liberal government refused to put meaningful controls in place to rein in executive compensation in the university sector?

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The member from Scarborough Centre is warned.

Premier?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: President of the Treasury Board.

Hon. Eleanor McMahon: I want to thank the member opposite for her question, as it gives me an opportunity to not only address this issue but to put some facts around it that are extraordinarily important.

Our government froze salaries across the broader public sector in 2012. When we renegotiated them more recently, we put some really important pieces in place. For example, our framework enforces strict rules that prohibit executives from receiving unnecessary perks, such as prerequisite signing bonuses, retention bonuses and unrestricted severance. Because we remain committed to ensuring fairness and accountability in the way that these broader public sector executive frameworks and pay are structured, we did away with cash housing allowances, vehicles that aren’t required and so on.

I’ll speak more in the supplementary about what we’re doing in terms of our framework for our broader public sector salaries, Speaker.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Ms. Peggy Sattler: What is even more troubling is that decisions about executive salary increases are being made after a decade of Liberal underfunding of the post-secondary sector. For years, Ontario has had the highest university tuition and the lowest per-student funding of any province in Canada. This has undermined the quality of post-secondary education for students and led to an explosion of contract faculty. It has contributed to deep divisions between administration and academic workers at York University and jeopardized the career plans of thousands of young people at York, with the strike now in its ninth week.

Speaker, does this Liberal government believe that increasing the salaries of senior university administrators is more important than the quality of education that Ontario post-secondary students receive?

Interjections.

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

President of the Treasury Board.

Hon. Eleanor McMahon: The member opposite, in her question, talked about what’s more important and the juxtaposition. I want to say that, as a government, it’s important to strike a balance between attracting really great talent, which is what we’ve done, and setting fair and reasonable compensation packages for the broader public sector.

We remain committed to ensuring fairness and accountability in terms of how that compensation is managed, but overall, we believe the people of Ontario have the right to know how their dollars are being spent, and they deserve a clear rationale for why executives are paid what they are. That’s why we implemented the broader public sector executive framework in 2016. This framework requires enhanced transparency through the public posting of the executive compensation framework so that the public can understand and appreciate it. It’s an important exercise in democracy and accountability.

Ontarians now have the opportunity to provide feedback as well. We’re proud of our public servants in this province and we have taken these important accountability—

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

New question.

Ontario Place

Mr. Han Dong: My question is to the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport. For decades, people have come to Ontario Place to enjoy family fun, live music, build happy memories and take in the beautiful waterfront. We have been moving forward with our ambitious vision to transform Ontario Place into a modern, vibrant, year-round waterfront destination that engages residents and visitors of all ages.

Yesterday, the minister made an exciting announcement at Ontario Place and gave us a sneak peek of what’s to come. As the local member, I feel very lucky to live so close to this beautiful space.

Speaker, through you to the minister, can she tell us what Ontarians are looking forward to this summer?

Hon. Daiene Vernile: Thanks to the fantastic member from Trinity–Spadina for that question.

Last year, we made very significant progress in transforming our vision into reality. We opened the Trillium Park and William G. Davis Trail and added seven and a half acres of green space to the waterfront. We hosted free family fun with Winter at Ontario Place, which featured a skating rink and light installations.

I’m happy to share with you all today that we’re going to keep the momentum going. This summer, Ontario Place is going to be hosting a music series every Thursday, featuring emerging artists from every genre, including indie rock, folk, hip hop and jazz. There are going to be family dance and music performances on Sunday afternoons. We’re also going to have outdoor activities such as beach volleyball and free skating on the outdoor synthetic rink.

Speaker, stay tuned. I look forward to unveiling some exciting new details in the supplementary.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Mr. Han Dong: It’s fantastic to hear that the vision proposes a mix of outdoor and indoor features, including more green space, recreational activities like beach volleyball, and a waterfront trail around the entire site. The urban park and the trail are dramatically transforming the Toronto waterfront with a new green space that celebrates the natural and cultural legacy of Ontario Place.

As the local member, I know how important it is to gather feedback from the public, including the residents from Fort York, Liberty Village, CityPlace, Bathurst Street and surrounding neighbourhoods.

Speaker, through you to the minister, can she tell the members of this House about the next steps of the Ontario Place revitalization?

Hon. Daiene Vernile: Thank you to the member from Trinity–Spadina, who, by the way, joined me yesterday at our beautiful waterfront to announce our next milestone in the rebooting of Ontario Place.

Speaker, just a few months ago I announced our plan to design a new green space. It’s going to be known as Celebration Common. It will be Toronto’s newest waterfront park. It’s coming in at a size of about 14 football fields. The park is going to include a children’s outdoor play area, walking paths and trails, a beach area for outdoor recreation and water sports, and lots of room to host large-scale festivals. Most importantly, there’s going to be plenty of green space.

Speaker, on this side of the House, we believe in protecting our environment, not paving over paradise. I’m confident that Celebration Common is going to become Ontario’s new urban backyard where people can kick back and enjoy Toronto’s beautiful waterfront.

Horse racing industry

Mr. Randy Pettapiece: My question is to the Premier. Speaker, the Liberal government is trying to strong-arm the horse racing industry into accepting a deal that might hurt them in the long run. Just two weeks ago, the government sprang a massive long-term funding agreement on horse people. It’s nearly 200 pages and written in complex legal language. Here’s the kicker: They gave the racetracks, breeders and horse people until May 1 to sign the agreement—or else.

Why is this government playing politics with horse people’s livelihoods and pressuring them to sign on to a 19-year agreement in the final weeks before an election?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: Minister of Finance.

Hon. Charles Sousa: Mr. Speaker, the member opposite makes reference to the fact that we have now strengthened and sustained horse racing and breeding by putting in a $105-million, 19-year agreement.

We’ve also provided an Enhanced Horse Improvement Program that is extended year over year by OMAFRA. We have a new Racetrack Sustainability Innovation Fund, $6 million over three years, to support regional racetracks to innovate, diversify and expand their revenue sources. And OLG is providing additional funding to supplement those racetracks that may be experiencing shortfalls and to enable long-term decisions about horse breeding.

More importantly, Mr. Speaker, we’ve established a new board. The Ontario Racing board will now be responsible for all the strategic plans—also providing the service provider to ensure that those funds are transparent and accountable. And we’re making it that there are going to have to be horse breeders on that board and small tracks on that board—five seats for racetracks; five seats for breeders—and an independent chair.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary.

Mr. Randy Pettapiece: Back to the Premier: The Minister of Finance claims that his long-term agreement “will provide the stability needed to strengthen and sustain horse racing and breeding in Ontario,” yet that same minister has approved plans to rip the slot machines out of Kawartha Downs, Ajax Downs and other community racetracks, threatening their future viability.

Now, on the cusp of an election campaign, his officials are threatening to freeze out horse people if they don’t sign on to a 19-year deal—“Sign it or else”—that they haven’t had time to read. What happens if one or more racetracks refuse to sign? Will the government cut off their funding, or will they set aside politics and let horse people have meaningful input after the election?

Hon. Charles Sousa: Minister of OMAFRA.

Hon. Jeff Leal: I appreciate the supplementary from the member from Perth–Wellington. The reason that we chose 19 years, Mr. Speaker—$2 billion over those 20 years—is because, when you have insight in the horse racing industry in Ontario, it works on a cycle. It usually works three to four years before a horse, whether it’s a standardbred horse or a thoroughbred horse—

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The member from Haliburton–Kawartha Lakes–Brock is warned.

Carry on.

Hon. Jeff Leal: Mr. Speaker, as we consulted widely with the industry, a thoroughbred horse or standardbred horse usually takes three or four years from the time it’s born to the time it gets trained and eventually gets to the track. With anything shorter than 19 years, you don’t have confidence in the industry.

One of the things this government wanted to do is to make sure there’s a future path for all 15 tracks in the province of Ontario.

Workplace safety

Ms. Jennifer K. French: My question is to the Premier. Volunteer firefighter Gary Kendall died in 2010 in a dangerous winter river, being trained by an unregulated private trainer. The family called for a coroner’s inquest; they didn’t get one. No one did anything to prevent another tragedy.

Five years later, firefighter-hopeful Adam Brunt died while taking a private, unregulated rescue training course on a dangerous winter river with the same unregulated private trainer. Adam died while 11 other students helplessly tried to save him—two unnecessary deaths, with no one held responsible.

Finally, after two men died, the families got a coroner’s inquest. I have been pushing to protect firefighter trainees for the past three years. My motion to immediately adopt all coroner’s inquest jury recommendations to keep future trainees safe was passed unanimously. You said it was urgent. You said you’d take action.

Premier, what’s the status of the changes and actions needed to ensure no one is ever put at risk like this again? Have all of the coroner’s inquest recommendations been adopted yet?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services.

Hon. Marie-France Lalonde: What happened in this incident is a tragedy. My thoughts are with the families and colleagues of those two trainees who passed away. I really commend the member opposite in her advocacy on this matter, and I know that this is something she has worked very, very hard on over the past years.

Our government is carefully addressing the findings and the recommendations of the coroner’s inquest into these deaths. The Office of the Fire Marshal and Emergency Management took immediate action and suspended the water rescue program at the Ontario Fire College after this inquest. Our government continues to work with the Fire Safety Technical Table, where our fire safety partners and experts meet to discuss fire safety challenges. That table is looking at the recommendations, and certainly we hope to have solutions.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Ms. Jennifer K. French: Again to the Premier: You can’t suspend a training program that didn’t exist in the first place.

It’s been eight years since Gary died. It’s been over three years since Adam died. Since this government hasn’t chosen to figure out how to protect firefighter trainees, I have worked for three years on this, and I have figured it out for you.

My Bill 58, the Brunt and Kendall Act, lays out a comprehensive regulatory and safety framework to hold private trainers to account and keep firefighter trainees safe. Alongside the families of Adam Brunt and Gary Kendall, the Ontario Professional Fire Fighters Association, safety advocates across the province and legal experts, we have finally completed this necessary legislation to ensure that deaths like this cannot happen again in the province of Ontario.

It has been a long and emotional journey to get here, but here we are, with my legislation in front of us and still with time on the clock. Premier, will you promise to keep our firefighter trainees safe and ensure that Bill 58 passes through this House and into law before the end of the session?

Interjections.

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

Minister?

Hon. Marie-France Lalonde: Certainly the safety of firefighters is very important, and I want to commend them for all the work that they do all across our province.

We are taking action to modernize the fire safety delivery in Ontario. Part of this modernization is to ensure that our world-class firefighters have the support they need. Ensuring firefighters are fully trained and certified in their role is critical for their safety and the safety of the public. This is why we are proposing that firefighters be certified through the National Fire Protection Association standards. This aligns with the Occupational Health and Safety Act, which requires that employees receive sufficient training.

My ministry and I, as the government minister, will continue to work to make this proposed requirement as seamless as possible. We will continue to engage to ensure that every single firefighter in this province is safe.

Child care

Mrs. Cristina Martins: My question this morning is for the minister responsible for early years and child care. Minister, our government is committed to making sure families have access to high-quality, inclusive and affordable child care. This is what my constituents in Davenport want and expect.

Under Doug Ford’s plan, families will receive a rebate of just $34 a month. This proves just how out of touch he is with the needs of families on the ground. Our government’s recent announcement of free child care for preschool-aged children, from age two and a half to when they are eligible to start free full-day kindergarten, will help ease the financial burden on tens of thousands of families. Families will save an estimated $17,000 per child, allowing parents to go back to work when they choose and helping to give children the best start in life.

Can the minister expand on her announcement from last week and what this means for parents in my riding and across Ontario who are looking to access child care?

Hon. Indira Naidoo-Harris: Thank you to the hard-working member from Davenport for that important question. The reality is that we know that parents and children are benefiting from Ontario’s high-quality child care programs, but we also know that there’s more work to do. That’s why we continue to build on our commitment to help 100,000 more children get access to quality, affordable, licensed child care. We are building a solid foundation for child care in our province.

Last week we announced that our government is investing $78.6 million in capital funding to build more than 3,100 licensed, community-based child care spaces. Think about that: We’re building spaces right where families need them.

Speaker, our investments are giving thousands of Ontario families support, while Doug Ford’s child care scheme is a $1.3-billion annual cut to child care. They promise to cut programs that ease the financial challenges families face.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Mrs. Cristina Martins: I want to thank the minister for that answer. Last week’s announcement is indeed another step forward to creating affordable and accessible child care across our province.

It’s clear that our government is truly transforming the way child care is delivered in Ontario. There’s no question that more access to child care is critical for Ontario families. However, could the minister please explain what makes last week’s announcement so important, and how this will help families in diverse situations in my riding of Davenport and across Ontario access child care?

Hon. Indira Naidoo-Harris: I’m pleased to answer the member’s question. Mr. Speaker, we are taking a number of important steps to ensure that every child and family in Ontario has access to a high range of quality and affordable care. Public spaces like places of worship, community centres and indigenous friendship centres strengthen our communities. Creating child care spaces in these community hubs will make them even stronger and give families access to child care right in their neighbourhoods.

Just think about that: child care spaces for families where their child will be safe and well cared for close to home. This is an important part of our commitment to invest in families and bring free child care to preschoolers across the province.

The parties opposite will do nothing to build more capacity for child care or the workforce to deliver that care. Our government is focused on building even stronger communities for children, families and for the future of this province.

Highway improvement

Mr. Rick Nicholls: My question is to the Premier. “Carnage Alley” got its name because of the appalling accidents and fatalities that have occurred there. In 1999, the largest vehicle pileup in Canadian history occurred in Carnage Alley. I know because I was there, but thankfully unhurt.

The government of the day responded by widening the highway from Tilbury to Windsor and by adding a concrete barrier there.

In 2009, this government’s election had promised to widen the 401 from four lanes to six lanes between Tilbury and Lambeth, with the addition of a concrete median barrier. But that stretch of 117 kilometres between those two areas remains untouched, and with the scheduled building of the Gordie Howe bridge in Windsor, transport traffic is only going to worsen in the coming years.

Premier, you know that I’ve advocated for this for many years, and you told me and this Legislature that a barrier would be built. We need a concrete barrier. So, Premier, what do you actually plan to do and when do you plan to do it?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: Minister of Transportation.

Hon. Kathryn McGarry: I want to thank the member for this question. I know that we were together, just shortly after I took over this portfolio, with people along that stretch of the 401 in order to look at the issue.

We will be building a concrete barrier. In the meantime, while we are doing the environmental assessment and continuing to do the necessary work to widen that stretch of the 401 and to add the concrete barrier, we are going further than that because I don’t want to wait for the length of time it’s going to take to make that barrier.

This year, we will be starting to install high-tension cable barriers in almost half the stretch between Tilbury and London, to make sure that there’s protection right away.

It’s going to take us time to continue the necessary work. We committed to that at the time, and we are continuing to move forward. The request for proposals is going out, to build this immediately.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Mr. Rick Nicholls: Back to the Premier: Carnage Alley’s narrow lanes and dangerous curvatures are extremely hazardous, especially in winter. I travel this road frequently from Chatham to Toronto.

As a matter of fact, in 2017, there were five fatalities on that stretch. Three were from crossovers, including the fatality of a five-year-old girl and her mother. This year, on April 25, a double crossover of a transport and minivan occurred—thankfully, not fatal. But accidents continue to happen on a more frequent basis.

I’ve raised this issue several times before, while the construction on the 401 between Tilbury and Highway 40 was finishing up last year. Your ministry officials stated in a meeting with the Build a Barrier group from Chatham that the contract could be opened up to include building a concrete barrier at that time, but sadly, it wasn’t. My petition quickly gained more than 4,000 signatures.

Premier, we need a concrete barrier, not a cable barrier. Why won’t you build a concrete barrier now?

Hon. Kathryn McGarry: Again, this is not a partisan issue. We are moving forward in the short term to protect that length of highway as soon as we can. The member was there with the technical expert. He knows that it takes time to do the environmental assessment: up to a year or two. Then we have to do the design to widen the highway. You cannot put a concrete barrier on a four-lane highway; it has to be expanded.

While we’re doing that necessary work, we are going forward this year to make sure that that stretch of highway is protected. We’ve found a way to expedite the process. We will be installing those high-tension cable barriers, which are 97% effective in other jurisdictions, to stop the crossovers.

Contrarily, I would like to know where the PCs stand on this issue. We know that there are no dollars for infrastructure along that area. I don’t know how they’re going to pay for it. Unlike Doug Ford, we’re moving forward to make sure—

Interjections.

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

Interjections.

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

New question.

Electric vehicle charging statoins

Mr. Gilles Bisson: My question is to the Premier. A number of people across Ontario, like in Timmins, are trying to buy electric cars because they want to do the right thing. In Timmins, we have a number of people who have actually bought them. But here’s the problem: Unless you charge it at home, you can’t go anywhere because the company, KSI, to which your government gave the contract to build the charging stations, is not servicing and fixing the charging units that break down.

I’ve got a guy who calls me the other day. He leaves Timmins because he wants to drive toward North Bay for something, and can’t get a charge out of the station in Timmins because it has been broken for a while and not fixed. He drives down to Earlton, gets to the Earlton station and finds out that one hasn’t worked since last August. He had to go back to his dad’s place and plug his car in overnight so that he was able to drive back to Timmins, get his gas car and then drive back down the highway to go do what he had to do.

When are you going to fix these KSI units?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: Minister of Transportation.

Hon. Kathryn McGarry: I appreciate the question along the way, because it allows us, on this side of the House, to talk about the great investments that we’ve been doing in electric vehicles in the province. We’re up 120% in the strongest jurisdiction for people to continue to purchase electric vehicles, saving our environment.

We are continuing, through our Electric Vehicle Chargers Ontario Program, to expand the number of chargers available throughout Ontario. We understand that we have had some issues along the way to make sure that the chargers are in and working. But some of the vehicles on the road now take less time to charge altogether.

We are very happy to be changing over from a vehicle system that is causing more carbon to be put in the air and making sure that we have clean vehicles moving forward.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Mr. Gilles Bisson: Minister, the car can’t move forward. It’s got no charging system.

The system has been broken since last August in Earlton, apparently, from what this individual was telling me. How you can have a system in place that people can’t use, and boast about how your program is working, is beyond me.

I ask you again: Could you please get on to the people that you contracted these chargers to, such as KSI, to ensure that if they install these things, they keep them operational and people don’t get stranded, as my constituent did?

Hon. Kathryn McGarry: I want to again thank the member for the supplementary. Our program has provided Ontarians with incentives to help purchase over 16,000 EVs and over 3,000 home and workplace chargers. We expect to see the numbers grow. We understand it’s frustrating for those who are unable to get in to use chargers that may be broken. We’re continuing to work with our contractor to get in there and expedite the process to not only install them but to actually repair them and keep them going.

Because of our commitment to charging infrastructure, drivers know that they can still travel the distances they otherwise would have with a traditional vehicle. We’re continuing to work with those areas.

I’d like to know this from the NDP: Are they going to vote for the budget that contains the investments that we’ve made in the past to continue to make sure that we have more electric charging vehicles and systems around Ontario?

Nuclear waste

Mr. John Fraser: My question is for the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change. There’s a great deal of concern in my community of Ottawa and in the Ottawa Valley about Chalk River Laboratories. Canadian Nuclear Laboratories is planning to build a disposal facility for radioactive waste near Chalk River Laboratories. The site would hold approximately one million cubic metres of low- and mid-level nuclear waste, and it is less than one kilometre away from the Ottawa River.

I have heard these concerns, and I too am concerned. I worry about the risk that nuclear waste could contaminate the Ottawa River.

My question to the minister is this: What is our government doing to ensure the protection of the environment and human health in regard to this proposed project?

Hon. Chris Ballard: Thank you to the member from Ottawa South for that important question and for his continued advocacy on behalf of his constituents, because it is a very important issue.

We understand why it is such an important issue too. That’s why experts from my ministry have been actively participating in the public commenting process as the federal government moves ahead. In fact, last August, my ministry submitted comments to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission for the draft environmental impact statement. The comments and concerns provided by my ministry included concerns around storm water management, the limits for contaminants, and the sharing of public information around monitoring locations.

We know how important it is to get this right. That’s why we’re engaged with our federal partners and will continue to work on behalf of the member’s constituents.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary.

Mr. John Fraser: Thank you, Minister. This is an ongoing process and it’s important to ensure that our natural environment remains protected. The Ottawa River is an important source of drinking water, a natural home to many animals and species, as well as a resource for recreation for many.

The Ottawa Riverkeeper, Ecology Ottawa, local First Nations and individuals have expressed their concern about the proposed near-surface disposal facility being built, because of the potential impacts nuclear waste could have on the river. Earlier this year, my constituent Ole Hendrickson wrote to me expressing his concerns that non-radioactive contaminants in the facility’s waste, like PCBs and dioxins, could fall between the cracks.

Could the minister please explain what our government is doing to protect the Ottawa River in regard to the Chalk River waste disposal site?

Hon. Chris Ballard: Thank you again to the member from Ottawa South for that very important question.

I just want to reiterate that these are very real concerns and we need to be vigilant. I understand the jurisdictional issues with this facility, but it’s still important for us to protect our communities here in Ontario. That’s why my ministry submitted comments to the federal government’s proposal, to ensure all precautions are being taken around this project.

As a result of our comments, the federal government changed the project to include only low-level types of nuclear waste. The federal government has also assured us that the waste intended for disposal in the proposed project will meet all of the required international guidelines as well.

Again, I want to thank the member for Ottawa South for his advocacy. We will continue to monitor this project.

Social housing

Mr. Jim McDonell: To the Premier: Recently, tenants in a senior citizens’ social housing development in my riding were told some shocking news. They were informed that due to necessary cuts, they would now be responsible for mopping the floor and washing the countertops. They were just handed industrial equipment and told, “Folks, get ’er done.” Over 90% of the tenants have balance or mobility issues, many use walkers and most are in their eighties and nineties. They deserve a safe living environment.

The government has consistently shortchanged municipalities with inefficient infrastructure funding, cutting the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund and neglecting the needs of rural Ontario residents.

Is cutting municipal transfers to such low levels that it results in making seniors in affordable housing mop the floors really the right way to treat the people who built this province, putting them at risk of injury, as a way to solve this government’s spending and debt problems?

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: I really do commend the member opposite for his concern about infrastructure funding for municipalities in general. We certainly have a housing plan. We’re working with the federal government to put in place more affordable housing and more supportive housing. We have increased funding to municipalities for housing and changed the flexibility that allows them to make investments.

But it’s very interesting to me that this member is standing in his place and asking a question about this, when his leader, Doug Ford, was in Cornwall and said that municipalities were going to have to make cuts in order to be able to continue to get infrastructure spending at all if he were the Premier. So I encourage the member to have a conversation with his leader, because if infrastructure funding for municipalities is dependent on cuts, that doesn’t bode well for the future of—

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

Gord Brown

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): I wish to turn to the member from Leeds–Grenville on a point of order.

Mr. Steve Clark: Thank you, Speaker. Point of order: I would just like to ask for unanimous consent to have a moment of silence for my MP, Gord Brown. Gord passed away this morning in Ottawa. He was an amazing MP. Speaker, we once dreamed as young men to serve in this Legislature and in the House of Commons, and we realized that.

I want to express, on behalf of the House, our deepest sympathies to Gord’s wife, Claudine, and his two sons, Chance and Tristan.

We’re going to miss him. I’m going to miss him. Speaker, he was like a brother to me. Eastern Ontario, the province and our country mourn the loss of Gord Brown.

I would appreciate consent to have a moment of silence.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The member from Leeds–Grenville is seeking unanimous consent for a moment of silence to pay our respects. Do we agree? Agreed.

I would ask everyone in the House to please rise for a moment of silence in honour of MP Brown.

The House observed a moment’s silence.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): God rest his soul.

Deferred Votes

Time allocation

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): We do have a deferred vote on government notice of motion number 8, relating to allocation of time on Bill 53,

An Act respecting the establishment of minimum government contract wages.

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

The division bells rang from 1140 to 1145.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): On May 1, 2018, Mr. Chan moved government notice of motion number 8, relating to allocation of time on Bill 53,

An Act respecting the establishment of minimum government contract wages.

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

Ayes

Albanese, Laura

Anderson, Granville

Baker, Yvan

Ballard, Chris

Berardinetti, Lorenzo

Bradley, James J.

Chan, Michael

Chiarelli, Bob

Colle, Mike

Coteau, Michael

Crack, Grant

Damerla, Dipika

Del Duca, Steven

Delaney, Bob

Dhillon, Vic

Dong, Han

Duguid, Brad

Flynn, Kevin Daniel

Fraser, John

Gravelle, Michael

Hoggarth, Ann

Hunter, Mitzie

Jaczek, Helena

Kiwala, Sophie

Lalonde, Marie-France

Leal, Jeff

MacCharles, Tracy

Malhi, Harinder

Martins, Cristina

Mauro, Bill

McGarry, Kathryn

McMahon, Eleanor

McMeekin, Ted

Milczyn, Peter Z.

Moridi, Reza

Naidoo-Harris, Indira

Naqvi, Yasir

Potts, Arthur

Qaadri, Shafiq

Rinaldi, Lou

Sandals, Liz

Sousa, Charles

Thibeault, Glenn

Vernile, Daiene

Wong, Soo

Wynne, Kathleen O.

Zimmer, David

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

Nays

Armstrong, Teresa J.

Arnott, Ted

Bailey, Robert

Bisson, Gilles

Cho, Raymond Sung Joon

Coe, Lorne

Fedeli, Victor

Fife, Catherine

Forster, Cindy

French, Jennifer K.

Gates, Wayne

Gélinas, France

Gretzky, Lisa

Hatfield, Percy

Jones, Sylvia

MacLeod, Lisa

Mantha, Michael

McDonell, Jim

Miller, Paul

Munro, Julia

Natyshak, Taras

Nicholls, Rick

Pettapiece, Randy

Romano, Ross

Sattler, Peggy

Scott, Laurie

Smith, Todd

Tabuns, Peter

Thompson, Lisa M.

Vanthof, John

Walker, Bill

Wilson, Jim

Yakabuski, John

The Clerk of the Assembly (Mr. Todd Decker): The ayes are 47; the nays are 33.

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

Motion agreed to.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): There are no further deferred votes. This House stands recessed until 3 p.m. this afternoon.

The House recessed from 1147 to 1500.

Introduction of Visitors

Miss Monique Taylor: It gives me great pleasure to welcome a young woman from my riding, Deanna Allain, who is here for the tabling of a bill today to have a strategy for service dogs and service dogs in training. I’m really pleased to welcome her back to Queen’s Park today.

Welcome back, Deanna.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Welcome.

Miss Monique Taylor: I forgot about Carlin, her service dog in training, so I have to welcome him.

Members’ Statements

John Newman

Ms. Lisa MacLeod: I rise today to pay tribute to a dear friend of mine, John Newman, who passed away earlier this week. John was an adviser to me on agriculture. He was also a friendly face. I got to know John over 13 or 14 years ago, when I started to embark on this career in provincial politics at the Ontario Legislature. He lived in the community of North Gower, which is part of the Carleton part of my riding, which I won’t be representing anymore.

John died this week, but he had a life that was so well worth living and so well worth putting into the record here at the Ontario Legislature. He spent 22 years in Canada’s military. He and his wife, Marion, then purchased Jomar Farms in 1966. Just a few years ago, six years ago, they celebrated a milestone wedding anniversary, and I’m sure every year since then has been blessed.

Their farm was recognized for excellence throughout Ontario and Canada, particularly by the old Kemptville College in Kemptville, not too far from North Gower, and the University of Guelph. They taught students at their farm. John and Marion were recognized with Master Feed awards for top stocker quality and an OSCIA certificate for soil management, and John offered excellent farming advice to those throughout Ontario. He was on the Ontario Cattlemen’s Association board of directors—which is what helped me in my early years as a member, asking him for great advice.

But it was in 2000, when John Newman became a founding director of the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency—Speaker, you will recall that we had a BSE crisis in 2003. That’s when John became a critical voice for Ontario beef, for every one of us to talk about the great excellence that we have here, as well as championing as we move forward.

A few years ago, John and Marion were at a Michael Bublé concert. I was sitting there and I said to my husband, “I think that’s John Newman. Why would he be at a Michael Bublé concert?” Well, it was their 50th anniversary, for him and Marion. I know Marion is watching at home, and I just want to say, Michael Bublé said it best:

“You’re everything.

“You’re every song, and I sing along.

“’Cause you’re my everything.”

I know, Marion, you’re home today and newly moved in to Barrhaven. John had a lasting impact on me, many people in Carleton county and throughout Ontario. I know to you and your family, he meant the world. For that, we are grateful that you shared him with us, not only in agriculture but also as he served Canada. Thank you.

Lyme disease

Mr. Michael Mantha: Yesterday, May 1, highlights that May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month. It is with great joy and happiness that I want to recognize many of the members of the Lyme disease task force for submitting this great Report of the Lyme Disease and Tick-borne Illnesses Task Force. What it does is, it lays out a path so that we can start looking at the real challenges of addressing the needs of individuals with Lyme disease through prevention and control, through surveillance, through public engagement, through care and treatment support.

That means establishing centres of excellence for tick-borne illnesses, where we’re going to start doing that R&D, where we’ll be able to amass that information and start providing it to our physicians and our caretakers to care for individuals.

As well, the research that is going to be happening is: work with patients and providers and researchers; conduct a review of the current clinical practices and a review of the current testing methodologies for diagnosing; and conduct a systematic review, focusing on treatment. These are pillars. These are going to be open discussions. These are going to be additional task forces that are going to be developed to really look at providing that care, the acknowledgment and the acceptance of individuals who are suffering with Lyme disease in this province.

I couldn’t be more proud of these individuals. I have to give credit where credit is due: The present Minister of Health provided a lot of assistance on this, and the previous Minister of Health, Mr. Eric Hoskins. I give credit where credit is due. The task force did an amazing job, but this is the beginning.

Lorne Hooper

Mr. John Fraser: I would like to take a moment to acknowledge my father-in-law, Lorne Hooper, a military veteran who served in World War II.

Today, he was honoured with a Silver Leaf on the Tree of Life at the Perley and Rideau veterans’ long-term-care centre. It was presented by the director general of the aerospace equipment program. I would like to have been there with him and my wife, Linda, for this honour. Instead, I’d like to honour him with a few words.

Born in Ottawa in 1922, Lorne was the second son to William and May Hooper. Lorne’s career in the military began with what he describes as a “less than captivating stint as a ‘Saturday night soldier,’” as a member of the Non-Permanent Active Militia.

In 1942, Lorne volunteered for chemical testing in the chemical warfare laboratories in Ottawa. Unlike many other volunteers, he was lucky not to have adverse effects from the testing.

At the onset of World War II, Lorne knew he wanted to be a pilot, eventually serving as a wireless air gunner, after having completed his in-air training in Harvard aircrafts. He was eventually posted to PEI coastal command, where Private Lorne spent his days in pursuit of German U-boats. As he tells it, “I never shot at anyone, and nobody ever shot at me, or if they did, they were a very bad aim.”

In 1943, Lorne met and married his wife, Yvonne. They were known as Hoop and Toots, or Nanny and Poppy. They eventually bought a house in Alta Vista and had their only daughter—and my best friend—Linda.

Throughout his life, Lorne has been an avid runner, participating in the Terry Fox race until he was 85, and running many 10Ks.

From Linda, myself, grandchildren Kirsten, John and James, and great-grandchildren Vaughan, Sloane and Fraser, we’re all very proud of you.

Wind turbines

Mr. Todd Smith: What’s going on on the south shore of Prince Edward county is an absolute travesty. This government has broken its own rules around environmental protection against species at risk. Environmental restrictions were put in place in its initial renewable energy approval, and the government is allowing them to be violated as construction continues at the site.

We’ve had reports of trespassing on private lands that don’t have a leaseholder agreement for turbine construction and additional transmission construction. WPD officials are apparently offering monetary reimbursement on-site for damage to property with landowners who don’t have counsel present to act on their behalf.

This government has allowed a state of corporate lawlessness to occur on the south shore of Prince Edward county, and it has said nothing to uphold any of the energy or environmental agreements it has signed. This Liberal government has pretty well told the people of Prince Edward county that there is no rule it won’t bend to ensure this project is in the ground as quickly as possible.

Analysts have said that the project isn’t necessary. With the amount of solar hosted in Prince Edward county, the county may already be net neutral. And the distance of the project from a load of any size means this government is allowing WPD to erect nine white elephants on the south shore of Prince Edward county.

It has done so over the objections of local residents, and in spite of its own rules. Speaker, this project should be put to an end now.

Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters awards

Ms. Peggy Sattler: I rise today to highlight the great work that is being done in my community by Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, southwestern Ontario board.

On May 9, the organization will hold its 23rd annual London Manufacturers’ Recognition and Scholarship Awards night, an event that brings together over 200 manufacturers and professionals to network and celebrate local industry achievements. Most importantly, the awards night provides eight promising Western, Fanshawe and secondary school students, who are enrolled in manufacturing-related programs, with $2,000 scholarships.

Despite the loss of 300,000 manufacturing jobs in Ontario over the last 10 years, manufacturing remains a key sector for London’s local economy and for the southwestern region as a whole. Events like the CME awards night are critical in the face of an economy that has seen almost all job growth concentrated in the GTA and Ottawa over the last decade, leaving the rest of the province far behind.

A recent analysis of labour force survey data shows that between 2008 and 2018, under this Liberal government, 94% of all new jobs were created in the GTA or Ottawa, with only 6% growth in the rest of Ontario.

There is no question that London’s economic prosperity remains closely linked to the health of our manufacturing sector. With the efforts of the CME, we are helping London manufacturers to develop the talent necessary to innovate, connect and grow their business.

Lawrence Heights

Mr. Mike Colle: I want to speak about a wonderful, special community in my riding. The community is called the Lawrence Heights area.

The Lawrence Heights community hosts the largest public housing community in Canada. Within that community, we have a community health centre and we have a great high school, the John Polanyi high school.

We also have a revitalization program that’s going on. It is similar to the one that took place at Regent Park in downtown Toronto, whereby the housing stock is being improved and made into mixed housing with at-market rents, subsidized rents and seniors’ housing, all under construction right now. Part of it is even for private ownership.

This week, we announced a joint project between the federal, provincial and municipal governments to build a community hub there, which is going to have arts programs, a swimming pool, a community centre and a seniors’ centre, all within the Lawrence Heights community.

So the people in the community are not only getting new housing; they’re getting new parks and they’re also getting this wonderful, state-of-the-art community hub that’s going to make the Lawrence Heights community even better than it is right now.

Congratulations to all those who worked on the Lawrence Heights community project. The future is very bright.

International trade

Mr. Ross Romano: Just this past week, we learned that the US tariffs—a 25% tariff on steel and 10% on aluminum—were extended by President Trump for one further month.

I just want to say this: We work better when we work together, within all levels of government, between all party lines. If we can work with our friends south of the border in the United States—we need to really demonstrate to them that they need us as much as we need them.

A northern-southern trade war is not good for Ontario, and it’s certainly not good for the people of my community in Sault Ste. Marie. It’s not good for the workers at Algoma Steel. The problem that both our markets are dealing with is Asian steel dumping, not what is occurring in northern and southern trade.

We are pro free trade. Steel needs to be the number one export out of Sault Ste. Marie, not our youth.

Ontario needs to be open for business. It’s not our job, as government, to make business thrive; it’s our job to make sure that there’s the environment present for business to thrive.

Again, I really think it’s important for all of us to work together—all levels of government, all party lines—in order to try to get this issue resolved with our friends south of the border. We cannot succeed with a trade war. It will not end well for either side.

In my last few seconds, I just want to mention that my Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, back at home, just won the Wayne Gretzky Trophy and have surpassed the Kitchener Rangers. Congratulations to them. The Soo Greyhounds are facing off in the finals of the OHL playoffs, starting tomorrow night in Sault Ste. Marie, against the Hamilton Bulldogs.

Massey Hall

Mr. Han Dong: I would like to talk about a great organization in the downtown core, Massey Hall. Massey Hall, as you know, is a not-for-profit charity. It does a great job in showcasing not only domestic talent but talent from across the world.

I had the pleasure of joining Minister Sousa and Minister Bill Morneau for an announcement a couple of days of ago of $60 million in joint funding to support the revitalization of Massey Hall.

For any member who has been in Massey Hall, including you, Speaker, you know what I’m talking about. The acoustic effects, the design and the stained glass, currently hidden behind the walls, are fantastic. I can’t wait to see, after the renovation, the amazing effect of this great building.

Over the years, I know that Massey Hall has been extending their arms to welcome more internationally renowned artists. Just last year, I was at Massey Hall enjoying a comedian from China perform. It was a packed house, and there was a lineup outside.

As well, I think two years ago, if I remember correctly, there was a Korean vocal artist group that came to Massey Hall and attracted so many local Korean community members to come and enjoy this great performance.

Congratulations, Massey Hall.

I want to thank the member from Eglinton–Lawrence, federal member Adam Vaughan and city councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam for their support of this ongoing project.

Aveda Walk for Food and Water

Mr. Bill Walker: It is a pleasure to rise and share with members in the House news about a group of individuals in my riding of Bruce–Grey–Owen Sound who are doing very honourable work to address poverty in our local communities and across the world.

Owen Sound Hunger and Relief Effort, or OSHaRE, served over 20,000 meals to individuals and families in our community last year.

To raise money for meals, Jeffrey Robins, owner of Aveda Mane Street Hair Salon in Owen Sound, together with Barry Kruisselbrink of Barry’s Construction, organize the Walk for Food and Water in Owen Sound. This year, they raised $75,000. And in 2016, they raised close to $47,000, making it the top fundraising Aveda salon in Canada. Mr. Kruisselbrink was also the top fundraiser for individual walkers that year. Since the first annual walk, they have raised $270,000.

The Aveda Walk for Food and Water is held annually in Owen Sound during Earth Month. In addition to raising funds to assist in providing needed services to vulnerable individuals in our communities, the walk is also helping raise public awareness about the need to improve access to clean drinking water around the world. The average walk is between five and six kilometres, which is the distance women and children typically have to walk every day in rural, developing communities worldwide to collect water.

I was happy to join Jeff and Barry and all the other volunteers, donors and sponsors this past Friday for their 10th annual walk.

Mr. Speaker, I am very proud of my community’s efforts to address poverty needs, and I’d like to thank Jeff, Barry and all who support it for making a difference and making strides in our community and around the world.

Reports by Committees

Standing Committee on Regulations and Private Bills

Mr. Ted McMeekin: I beg leave to present the first report 2018 from the Standing Committee on Regulations and Private Bills.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Mr. McMeekin presents the committee’s report.

Report presented.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Does the member wish to make a brief statement?

Mr. Ted McMeekin: Speaker, I just want to take this opportunity to thank the Vice-Chair, Lou Rinaldi; all members of the committee, Granville Anderson, Jim Bradley, Grant Crack, Joe Dickson, Jennifer French, Jack MacLaren, Deb Matthews, Bill Walker and Jeff Yurek; and in addition, Christopher Tyrell, our Clerk; and Tamara Hauerstock, our research officer—great people doing great work, a great committee. It has been a real honour for me to have the privilege of chairing it.

Standing Committee on Regulations and Private Bills

Mr. Ted McMeekin: I beg leave to present a report from the Standing Committee on Regulations and Private Bills and move its adoption.

The Clerk-at-the-Table (Ms. Tonia Grannum): Mr. McMeekin from the Standing Committee on Regulations and Private Bills presents the committee’s report as follows and moves its adoption:

Your committee begs to report the following bills without amendment:

Bill Pr83,

An Act to revive Esquire Ventures Inc.

Bill Pr84,

An Act to revive 2297970 Ontario Inc.

Bill Pr85,

An Act to revive Tencrest Realty Ltd.

Bill Pr86,

An Act respecting the Luso Canadian Charitable Society.

Bill Pr87,

An Act to revive 2258733 Ontario Inc.

Bill Pr88,

An Act to revive James Wilson Holdings Limited.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Shall the report be received and adopted? Agreed? Carried.

Report adopted.

Introduction of Bills

Service Dogs Advisory Committee Act, 2018 / Loi de 2018 sur le Comité consultatif de l’utilisation des chiens d’assistance

Miss Taylor moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill 67,

An Act to enact the Service Dogs Advisory Committee Act, 2018 / Projet de loi 67, Loi édictant la Loi de 2018 sur le Comité consultatif de l’utilisation des chiens d’assistance.

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): The member for a short statement.

(1) Inquire into and report on the use and tr