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October 3, 2002

37th Parliament, 3rd Session

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Hansard Transcripts

Votes and Proceedings

Orders and Notices

Hansard Transcripts 2002-Oct-03 (PDF)

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO

ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DE L'ONTARIO

Thursday 3 October 2002 Jeudi 3 octobre 2002

PRIVATE MEMBERS' PUBLIC BUSINESS

TFO

ROAD SAFETY

TFO

ROAD SAFETY

MARY BARTOLUCCI

MEMBERS' STATEMENTS

NORTHERN HEALTH TRAVEL GRANT

NEWMARKET SENIORS'

MEETING PLACE

AMBULANCE SERVICE

ONTARIO DISABILITY

SUPPORT PROGRAM

GROVE PARK HOME

MINISTERS' EXPENSES

DAVEDI CLUB

KOREAN HERITAGE DAY

VISITOR

AUTISM AWARENESS MONTH

VISITORS

INTRODUCTION OF BILLS

ROUGE PARK WEEK ACT, 2002 /

LOI DE 2002 SUR LA SEMAINE

DU PARC DE LA ROUGE

REPRESENTATION AMENDMENT ACT (WATERLOO-WELLINGTON-KITCHENER EXCEPTION), 2002 /

LOI DE 2002 MODIFIANT LA LOI

SUR LA REPRÉSENTATION ÉLECTORALE (EXCEPTION : WATERLOO-WELLINGTON-KITCHENER)

STATEMENTS BY THE MINISTRY AND RESPONSES

WORLD TEACHERS' DAY

WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH

WORLD TEACHERS' DAY

WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH

WORLD TEACHERS' DAY

WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH

BRUCE MCCAFFREY

ORAL QUESTIONS

MINISTERIAL CONDUCT

GOVERNMENT'S RECORD

HYDRO RATES

MOTORCYCLE GANGS

NATURAL GAS RATES

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

EDUCATION FUNDING

SLOT MACHINES

HEALTH CARE

OPP FACILITY

POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION

CHILD CARE

IPPERWASH PROVINCIAL PARK

PRIVATE MEMBERS' PUBLIC BUSINESS

BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE

PETITIONS

LONG-TERM CARE

CHILD CARE

RICK KERR

NATURAL GAS RATES

RICK KERR

NATURAL GAS RATES

LONG-TERM CARE

NOTICE OF DISSATISFACTION

ORDERS OF THE DAY

SUSTAINABLE WATER AND

SEWAGE SYSTEMS ACT, 2002 /

LOI DE 2002 SUR LA DURABILITÉ

DES RÉSEAUX D'EAU ET D'ÉGOUTS

ADJOURNMENT DEBATE

IPPERWASH PROVINCIAL PARK

Thursday 3 October 2002 Jeudi 3 octobre 2002

The House met at 1000.

Prayers.

PRIVATE MEMBERS' PUBLIC BUSINESS

TFO

M me Claudette Boyer (Ottawa-Vanier): Je propose que cette Assemblée législative soit d'avis que le gouvernement de

l'Ontario considère / I move that, in the opinion of this House, the Ontario government consider:

That TFO is given real autonomy in its own direction and development through the creation of an equal-sized French-language

section of the board of the Ontario

Educational Communications Authority;

That this

section of the board be given exclusive jurisdiction over French-language programs and French-language materials in the educational broadcasting and

communications fields, as well as jurisdiction over the appropriate share of the financial means to ensure these services; and

That TFO obtain the necessary support from the government of Ontario to realize the full nature of this mandate.

The Acting Speaker (Mr Michael A. Brown): Madame Boyer has moved private member's notice of motion number 14. The member has up to 10 minutes to

make a presentation.

télévision éducative de tout premier ordre, connu pour ses émissions primées ;

Whereas TFO is a crucial component for developing and promoting francophone training, education and culture in Ontario;

Reconnaissant que TFO n'est actuellement pas autonome mais qu'elle est subordonnée à TVO, de langue anglaise et plus imposante ;

We are only asking that this resolution be considered and that this government look into the matter.

We really think it merits attention. We strongly support TFO continuing to work in partnership with TVO. By the way, TFO is much appreciative of TVO for its

assistance and partnership in its creation and development. TFO owes TVO an enormous debt of gratitude.

I want to stress that we are strongly against privatization, and this resolution is in no way an attempt or effort to privatize TFO. It would be wrong to

characterize it as such in any way. We only feel that it's time to make TFO autonomous so that it can properly continue its path toward excellence. The francophone community knows that only through

its autonomy will TFO fully realize its full potential.

compétence exclusive pour gérer TVO.

Les dossiers communs relèveraient d'un conseil plénier.

Every day, we as francophones live in a minority situation. I guess it's something that is very difficult for the majority to understand.

Let me remind you that TFO is one of Ontario's institutions that pulls us francophones together. It is incredibly significant to us and to the health of our

community.

If, through the years, francophones have learned anything, it is that we must have autonomy and real control over our institutions for them to be set free to

create genuine value for us and aid us in our development.

TFO possède déjà une infrastructure, possède déjà des ressources et l'expérience pratique de l'exercice des fonctions de

gestion propre à nos entreprises de télécommunication. Nous voulons le contrôle sur nos décisions, un usage plus efficace de nos ressources. Pour nous c'est une

évolution normale. For us this is a normal process and, listen, it's not a first. On a quand même des précédents.

schools. Let me remind you that the governance of our schools, by and for francophones, has brought many benefits to our communities and to this province.

Another great example are our community colleges and institutions, and look at the remarkable success of our French colleges: the agricultural college in Alfred,

La Cité collégiale in Ottawa, and Collège Boréal in the north, and now in the south.

Who is a better advocate for the success of our French colleges than our minister of colleges and universities? I know that she is proud of our francophone

colleges and I thank her for it.

Voilà c'est la même réalité que nous voulons pour TFO. Une TFO gouvernée par et pour la collectivité franco-ontarienne ne

coûtera pas plus cher au trésor public.

We are not asking for extra money. We're not asking for more money. We simply want the amount of money that is already allocated to TFO by the government through

the existing budgets.

Avec cela TFO pourra, d'autre part, avec son initiative, générer des revenus au moyen de mesures novatrices et entrepreneuriales.

Listen, we're not asking for an immediate change, because this is a very important issue for the francophone community in Ontario. It has a broad and

non-partisan base of support. We want to explore it very seriously. It is important to look into it. We want you to consider it.

What the resolution proposes is not new. It has been discussed in various circles for a number of years now. It has been the subject of public consultation and,

let me tell you, it has wide support in the francophone community as well as in many anglophone communities. I really believe this is the time, the right time, to introduce this to the Legislature

so that it can be considered.

I could have brought in a bill, I had a bill ready to do this, but I think it needs a lot of thinking and research. That is why I'm bringing this resolution for

this government to consider.

Depuis sa fondation en 1984, TFO a continuellement subi des contraintes budgétaires et structurelles. Ces problèmes ont pour effet de remettre

constamment en question l'existence de TFO. C'est pour régler ces problèmes que l'on demande au gouvernement de tout mettre en oeuvre en vue d'assurer que TFO sera gouvernée par ses

propres administrateurs, qu'elle gérera ses propres finances et qu'elle administrera ses propres services.

We are asking for the support of this government. Nous demandons votre appui.

Je dois dire qu'avec l'évolution des temps, cet historique, on a évolué comme francophones. On est parti du bas en montant, en progressant et en

étant des succès pour la province de l'Ontario. Nous sommes rendus à l'étape de notre gestion de TFO, notre télévision éducative, qui est connue non seulement

à travers la francophonie ontarienne mais qui est connue à travers la francophonie canadienne et même au-delà. Laissez-nous, s'il vous plaît, voler de nos ailes.

We want to be our own government and work with TVO in all its respects.

Mr Gerry Phillips (Scarborough-Agincourt): I'm pleased to rise in support of my friend Madame Boyer's resolution. Frankly, it is a relatively

modest proposal but one that I think is important, clearly, to our French-speaking community and to all of Ontario. I think she has framed the resolution in a way that should, I hope, get unanimous

support of the House.

I think people in Ontario recognize, perhaps not everyone, that in this province we have hundreds of communities that are essentially all French. As members

travel the province, they recognize that. I think perhaps some people who don't travel the province don't appreciate that. That is something I'm very proud of and it's something I want to make sure

is the case 10 years from now and 100 years from now. We're better for it. This is another small step forward, in my opinion.

We all have our own view of this country we live in. I've always compared it to a flower garden, where originally there was one flower, our First Nations people,

our native people. We're one of those unique countries that have truly been built on immigration. Over the history of our country, we have been fortunate to attract the best and the brightest to

come here.

When this country called Canada was established, it was established because of some far-thinking, far-reaching, generous people who figured out a way to have our

I've always supported in Ontario our separate school systems because, in my opinion, part of the reason Canada came together was because there was an agreement

here in Ontario that we would have a separate school system. It's also why I'm a strong supporter of French-language rights in this province.

If we look ahead to Canada continuing to be a country that is together, it will be as a result of many things, but one of the key things will be how

add to the strength of this province. I celebrate our French communities. As I said earlier, I hope in the centuries ahead that the people who come after us will have strong French communities in

this province. But it does require some effort by us, ensuring that services are available in both languages.

I appreciate Madame Boyer's efforts in bringing this resolution forward. I want to lend my strong, personal support for it. We're blessed to live in what I think

most people regard as probably the best country in the world to live in. But it doesn't continue to be that way without nurturing and caring, and one of the most sensitive areas is our language,

that I'm sure can be accommodated reasonably. I'm pleased to support Madame Boyer's resolution.

Hon Dianne Cunningham (Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, minister responsible for women's issues): It's my pleasure this morning

to thank my friend and colleague from Ottawa-Vanier, Madame Boyer, for bringing this forward. I'm very pleased to speak to the honourable member's resolution. I'm also pleased that she mentioned

French-language school boards, and our French colleges, because we're very proud in Ontario about the gains we've made and the leadership that we've tried to show over the years in this great

province with regard to our respect and our intentions to support in anyway we can our Franco-Ontarians.

As Madame Boyer stated, she is interested in services that we can provide to all Canadians, but she especially mentioned francophones in all of Canada, and I

appreciate that. I think that's what we're talking about today. We're talking about a program that will meet the needs of the future and far beyond, something that serves our young people and

families, and that is TFO. We're very proud, because there are many good things that we would like to celebrate with regard to this great institution.

We're very pleased because of the significant role that TFO takes in the promotion in the Franco-Ontarian culture and in providing a forum for French-speaking

in arguments in our other language, as Canadians, and it is well appreciated.

This year actually marks the 15th anniversary of TFO. Since 1987 it has provided Franco-Ontarians and French-language school boards with quality educational

programs and services. Having been elected many years ago, in 1973 in London, Ontario, where a lot of this work started with great support from the government of the day and from the

Franco-Ontarian community, which is very strong, we have made gains. I have watched many improvements, but this one is the best.

TFO is not a division of the Ontario Educational Communications Authority. Both TVO and TFO operate different networks, under different licences, under different

I might say, with enthusiasm to get it right.

You only need to turn on your television to see this for yourself. There aren't very many of us who are not familiar with our very young children who love to

watch cartoons and love to watch educational programs. The strength of TVOntario and TFO is that parents trust the programming. We have our children, our Franco-Ontarians and our Anglo-Ontarians,

all watching TFO, certainly in our French-language schools, but just as much in schools where there are programs to introduce, as far as possible, all of our students to our second language.

Many of us, including myself, are somewhat disappointed that we are not better in our second language. Perhaps it's because of the system, but often it is

because of our talents and our lack of opportunities to spend as much time with each other as we would like. I am also pleased, not only for our young children, especially pre-schoolers, with the

contributions that the wonderful programming has made in that regard. My own grandchildren are recipients of this wonderful programming.

I am also pleased about the ongoing dialogue between the Franco-Ontarian community and my ministry about the future of TFO. It is ongoing. We are always

particularly interested in seeking out new ways to do things better, not just in our school boards but, for me in particular, in our college system. The leadership of our colleges in this regard,

especially our Franco-Ontarian colleges, or as we call them our French colleges, is second to none. We know how much difference it has made for the availability of appropriate programming and the

future dreams and ambitions of young people who want to proceed in their own language, but others who would like to be totally bilingual, providing a wonderful job.

I just want to assure my colleague, because I think that she has come at this at a time when she probably would have appreciated to have much more time for

dialogue with all of us in this House, that we are open for new ideas and better ways of doing things.

The current wording does give us some concern about the effects this resolution would have on TFO. I obviously will be speaking further with my colleague with

regard to this. It is very interesting, as we seek creation of a separate organization at this time, because creating this separate hierarchy -- administration, services -- to support TFO could

result in duplication and sometimes a loss of revenue that would otherwise be directed to education and cultural programming.

It is a fact, even within my own ministry, as I take a look at working with other ministries on the administrative level, certainly now more than ever as we try

to share technical opportunities, it's very difficult to say that you can put the same amount of money in programming.

Our school boards are sharing in many ways, our separate school boards, our French school boards and our public school boards, to keep the cost of administration

down so more money can go into the classroom. It would be, I think, foolish to think that we haven't had that kind of attitude about the way we operate our TVO. So it does in fact make a

difference.

The control over content and programming exists within TFO today. I have been reassured about this over and over again. That was the reason we set up the

structure the way we have. While TVO and TFO work well together, it is TFO, with the support of their advisory board, that is making the key decisions that matter for Franco-Ontarians. That is the

purpose of the structure that we have.

In addition, this resolution risks splintering an organization that is recognized for the quality of its programming in both languages. It will weaken an

organization that serves all Ontarians, and I believe that strongly. When we work together and we focus on what I've already spoken about, that is, who is in charge of decisions that matter, we

know that TFO is in charge of decisions that matter.

Their markets, which we're very proud of, are across the country in New Brunswick, Manitoba -- in fact, around the world. As my honourable colleague mentioned in

the beginning of her speech, this is about reaching francophones in Ontario, in Canada -- in fact, around the world. The products are sought after. If our vision is realized together, our products

will be sought after around the world. But here in Ontario, these products are also in French, which makes us so very proud.

Everyone benefits, but we have to focus on our viewers, and you know, as we return to our educational roots for TVO, our viewers, our focus is very much on

education and schoolchildren -- colleges, universities, educational programs -- and we want to work together. In fact, I just heard about Collège Alfred working with TFO in bringing forward

some sitcoms -- I think there might be 13; I've just heard about this -- some rural stories talking about the history of the French and Franco-Ontarians right here in Ontario. That's why, as a

government, it's set up that way, so they make the decisions for their constituents.

As an organization, TFO has achieved many important things. It has established a strong relationship with French-speaking educators across Ontario. TFO produces

a range of educational programs and services to support French-language education, such as Web sites, pedagogical sites, programming and other supports. TFO offers training to teachers in class and

in education facilities. Most recently, in partnership with the 12 French-language school boards, TFO has implemented SOS Devoirs to promote on-line homework help to students across Ontario.

Managing director Claudette Paquin deserves support for the leadership she is bringing to TFO. She's a great leader and she has a great team. She's well known,

and so are they. An extended line of new media services and outreach to teachers and community organizations is ensuring the broadcaster is serving the lifelong learning needs of French-speaking

Ontarians of all ages.

You need only visit TFO's new Web site to see the energy and commitment that the broadcaster brings to giving French-speaking Ontarians a forum to learn and to

communicate in French. In response to OECA's most recent licence renewal application, the Canadian Radio and Television Commission said it "commends the licensee on the high quality of programming

offered by TVO and TFO...and that the licensee intends to continue to build on its traditional strengths and to emphasize continuing learning throughout its schedule."

Let's sit down and talk with the French-speaking community about improvements that we can make. In the meantime, I think we can assure them that the authority

and TFO are taking effective action to serve the needs of French-speaking Ontarians and provide high-quality educational and cultural content to their services. Their francophone advisory council

provides us with sound advice, and I'm advised that one third of the authority's broadcast budget goes to TFO programming, with the savings that result from shared resources.

Our priority is to ensure that all Ontarians have opportunities to access high-quality, relevant learning programs whenever and wherever they are needed. I once

again want to thank my colleague and to assure her that we will work with her to make TFO even better for Franco-Ontarians than it is now.

Mr Jean-Marc Lalonde (Glengarry-Prescott-Russell): It is with pleasure and pride that I am taking this opportunity to speak on Mrs Boyer's

resolution. The member for Ottawa-Vanier's resolution is that TFO be given real autonomy in its own direction and development through the creation of an equal-sized French-language

section of the

board of educational authority.

résolution de ma collègue porte sur la gestion de TFO.

TFO est un réseau provincial de télévision éducative qui dessert les communautés francophones de notre province. Cette résolution

même que l'administration de la juste part des ressources financières, permettent d'assurer ces services, et qu'elles relèvent de la compétence exclusive de cette

section du

conseil de l'Office de la télécommunication éducative de l'Ontario.

The French language has been present in Ontario for over 350 years. The first French speakers to come to Ontario were the missionaries who established the

mission of Sainte-Marie-Among-the-Hurons in 1639.

La communauté francophone de l'Ontario compose la communauté francophone la plus nombreuse au Canada après celle du Québec. La population

statut de langue officielle devant les tribunaux, dans l'éducation et à l'Assemblée législative.

For nearly 40 years, the province of Ontario has recognized the importance of serving its citizens in French upon request. It was when the present

section 5 of

the French Language Services Act,

an act also known as Bill 8, came into effect in November 1989 that the province recognized its citizens were entitled to those services upon request.

leurs priorités de voir aux coûts et aux besoins croissants pour une clientèle étudiante francophone à la baisse.

des territoires que couvrent les conseils scolaires devient problématique quant au financement et elles devraient être reconnues uniques. Il y a besoin de financement accru afin

d'égaliser les chances de réussite entre les jeunes anglophones et les jeunes francophones.

Il faut dire que nous faisons du rattrapage depuis nombre d'années, et ce rattrapage-là va durer encore de nombreuses années à venir.

l'Ontario et offre un outil indispensable pour les agences et groupes francophones quant à la promotion de leur culture.

J'ai ici une coupure du journal le Voyageur de Sudbury qui nous confirme : « Le document contient des statistiques révélatrices. Par

exemple, la superficie moyenne d'un conseil scolaire francophone est de 33 742 kilomètres carrés, comparativement à 6 630 kilomètres carrés pour un conseil

anglophone. » Cela démontre encore pourquoi nous voulons que la gestion de TFO soit donnée à des francophones afin de pouvoir desservir d'avantage ces francophones qui

doivent parcourir de longues distances pour aller à l'école, et aussi, rendus à la maison, qu'ils pourront poursuivre leurs programmes éducatifs à la télévision.

TFO travaille de concert avec la communauté francophone afin de protéger nos acquis et d'améliorer la qualité de vie de chacun et chacune.

représentants, il nous incombe de veiller à ce que tous les francophones partagent les mêmes droits, libertés et devoirs que le reste de la province. Il s'agit d'une

responsabilité qui incombe à tous les ordres du gouvernement à toutes les régions, à tous les organismes et à tous les particuliers de la provinces.

Il est vrai que notre passé et nos racines sont des composantes importantes de notre patrimoine, mais nous avons la responsabilité de bâtir un

héritage pour la prochaine génération. Il est essentiel.

Essentiellement, les besoins de TFO se résument à celui d'être autonome dans sa gouvernance et sa gestion. Cette autonomie permettra à TFO

de se rendre à la demande de son marché, à le faire dans le cadre d'une gestion efficace et avec une approche novatrice et entrepreneuriale.

Outre ces besoins de part et d'autre, une TFO autonome et entrepreneuriale pourra tirer des profits de nombreuses possibilités à exploiter. Ces

C'est pourquoi moi, Jean-Marc Lalonde, député de Glengarry-Prescott-Russell, une région qui compte au-delà de 68 % de sa population

francophone, j'appuie sans réserve la résolution de la députée d'Ottawa-Vanier, M me Claudette Boyer.

Mr Garfield Dunlop (Simcoe North): Mr Speaker, thank you very much for allowing me to say a few words this morning. I don't really have a lot

of time left; Minister Cunningham made most of the points. I did want to, however, thank the member from Ottawa-Vanier for bringing forth this resolution, and both herself and Mr Lalonde for their

strong interest in our French-Canadian language and culture that makes up such an important part of not only Ontario, but all of our country.

I wanted to specifically talk just for a moment about my part of the province, the riding of Simcoe North, which has a very strong and large French-speaking

community. The town of Penetanguishene and the hamlets of Lafontaine and Perkinsfield have a very strong French-Canadian culture and heritage that the community is very proud of. I can only say

that on a number of occasions I visited particularly the hamlets of Lafontaine and Perkinsfield this past year, and I want to just point out some of the strengths or some of the enhancements that

the province of Ontario has given to the community of Lafontaine. They started their first ever Festival du Loup, which is the Festival of the Wolf. It's bringing back the strong tradition and

heritage of that community, and our government was pleased to provide them with a start-up grant of $17,000 through the Ontario Trillium Foundation toward the start-up of that function.

I want to say that I'm pleased to be here this morning. I wish I could have spoken a little longer on this particular bill, but the minister took a little

longer than I had expected.

M. Gilles Bisson (Timmins-Baie James): Comme porte-parole et responsable des affaires francophones pour le Nouveau parti démocratique,

c'est avec plaisir que je suis ici aujourd'hui de la part de notre caucus pour appuyer la motion de M me Boyer.

Comme M me Boyer, nous croyons qu'il est finalement temps que l'on dise à TFO, « Il est temps que vous preniez l'indépendance

dont vous avez besoin pour être capable d'épanouir et de faire ce qui est nécessaire pour vraiment prendre la prochaine étape sur le développement de la

télévision éducative ici dans la province de l'Ontario. Nous, le Nouveau parti démocratique, supportons cette proposition. Justement, c'est l'une des positions qu'on prend dans

notre plate-forme électorale qu'on va dévoiler dans les prochains mois envers le dossier des affaires francophones. On croit, comme d'autres le croient, qu'il est temps que TFO fasse une

séparation avec TVO pour être capable de faire finalement leur vision eux-mêmes selon les besoins de la communauté francophone.

Ce n'est pas dire que TVO a quelque chose d'amer ou de la rancune envers les francophones, envers TFO. C'est justement le contraire. On croit que TVO a fait

une collaboration assez excellente avec TFO. Il n'y a pas de chicanes entre les deux parties de la télévision publique de la province. Franchement, TVO fait un excellent job sur leur

réseau anglais et une bonne collaboration avec les francophones.

La position que nous prenons, c'est que c'est juste une

partie de la transition. Quand on a commencé avec TVO en 1973, on ne savait pas encore qu'une

francophone pour la communauté : beaucoup de bons programmes, beaucoup de programmes éducatifs pour la communauté, des programmes d'actualité tels que Panorama et autres

qui sont très importants dans la communauté francophone.

Là, c'est la prochaine

partie de l'évolution. Nous voulons appuyer cette motion de notre collègue M me Boyer. On pense que c'est

vraiment une très bonne idée.

Je veux dire aux anglophones qui nous regardent pourquoi il est important pour nous, les francophones, d'avoir cette institution. Premièrement, pour

pas nos collèges et où on n'a pas notre radio et notre télévision, nos journaux, les institutions importantes chaque jour que l'on fait notre vie quotidienne pour pouvoir vivre

C'est pour cette raison que dans le passé les gouvernements libéral, conservateur et NPD ont mis en place des institutions qui sont importantes pour

à la Cour suprême du Canada, a finalement créé les conseils scolaires francophones ici en Ontario, et ils reconnaissent qu'il est important que l'on a nos institutions

Boréal et le Collège des Grands Lacs et d'autres institutions comme des garderies francophones, des centres de santé communautaires et j'en passe. On croit que, comme parti

démocratique, si la communauté va survivre, si la communauté va être capable de s'épanouir, il est très important d'avoir ces institutions.

Ce dossier de TFO est justement parti de toute cette évolution. On sait qu'il n'est pas toujours facile de vivre dans l'environnement de l'Amérique

du Nord sans avoir des influences anglophones autour de nous. Quand on demeure en Ontario, il est même plus important pour nous d'avoir ces institutions que pour les Québécois, qui

restent dans un environnement totalement francophone. Si comme francophone je demeure dans la ville de Québec, loin de Montréal, il est très facile d'aller au coin de la rue pour

Si on va être capable de garder notre langue et épanouir dans notre communauté, on a besoin de ces institutions. Moi, je suis fier que, comme

francophone de la province de l'Ontario -- je suis né ici, je suis du nord de l'Ontario et je m'affiche comme Franco-Ontarien -- ces institutions-là sont là. J'ai

scolaire séparé catholique de Timmins dans le temps. C'était un plus grand conseil qui avait des écoles francophones. Je n'ai pas bénéficié d'un collège

francophone parce que dans le temps il n'y en avait pas. C'était seulement des collèges anglophones. Mais là je suis fier de dire que mes enfants jouissent de l'opportunité

nous comme parents sommes très fiers. Nous disons que ces institutions sont très importantes pour assurer la survie de la communauté francophone. Justement, c'est sur ce point que

l'on croit que c'est important de faire cette évolution à TFO.

L'autre affaire, très brièvement : la ministre a parlé de l'importance des programmes d'immersion dans les écoles francophones, et je

suis complètement d'accord avec elle. Les écoles à travers la province qui le font depuis une vingtaine d'années, à Welland, à Timmins, à Toronto, et il y en a

trois dans le comté de M. Kormos, justement -- non, je n'ai pas compris « dans trois »; excuse-moi. Il veut avoir trois minutes. Do you want three minutes, Peter?

Là, j'ai compris. OK. Parfois les signes que l'on fait dans l'Assemblée ne se comprennent pas très bien.

Les programmes d'immersion sont très importants. Justement, dans les communautés à travers la province je suis toujours -- je fais la remarque

Canada.

Le seul commentaire que je veux faire contre la ministre : votre formule de financement met en danger ces programmes. Là on commence à voir --

et je pense que mes collègues francophones vont réagir à cela -- parce que les conseils scolaires à travers la province, avec la formule de financement, n'en ont pas assez,

qu'ils ont besoin de faire des choix et ils sont en train de fermer des programmes d'immersion dans des communautés à travers la province. Ça ne dessert pas les élèves et

je pense que ça ne dessert pas notre communauté et certainement pas notre pays.

Je dis au gouvernement que vous avez besoin de revoir votre formule de financement. Franchement, c'est quelque chose qui est très épeurant. C'est

pour cette raison que nous, le Nouveau parti démocratique, prenons la position que la province de l'Ontario doit être affichée officiellement bilingue. On est le seul parti à le

dire. C'est quelque chose qui a besoin d'arriver. Je suis plus convaincu que jamais parce que j'ai vécu l'expérience d'être au gouvernement où on ne l'a pas fait, et là on

voit que que l'approche de M. Rae était de mettre en place tous les services, et quand les services étaient en place, là on s'afficherait bilingue.

Le problème avec cela est qu'il il y a eu un gouvernement qui est arrivé, le gouvernement conservateur, qui a fermé la plupart de ces

institutions, et là on n'a pas la protection autrement que la Charte des droits en certaines instances, comme à l'hôpital Montfort, pour être capable de protéger nos

institutions francophones.

Moi, je crois à cette heure, comme notre caucus, et c'est pour ça qu'on prend la position officiellement et que ça fait

partie de notre

plate-forme électorale, qu'on doit afficher la province officiellement bilingue. Pourquoi ? C'est pour assurer le succès des programmes et des institutions francophones dans la

province, pour assurer qu'il n'y ait pas un gouvernement anti-francophone d'élu qui arrive et qui essaie d'ôter les institutions.

Moi, quand il y a du monde qui arrive qui dit, « Ça coûte de l'argent, le bilinguisme, blah, blah, blah », je remarque toujours,

« Écoute, si on s'en va en Europe, si on s'en va en Italie, si on s'en va en Suède, si en s'en va en France, n'importe où en Europe le monde parle plus que deux langues.

Dans beaucoup d'instances ils parlent trois, quatre ou cinq langues. Pourquoi ? Parce qu'ils réalisent que c'est un atout. C'est un atout non seulement social mais économique. Si on

veut faire l'échange avec des pays comme la France, comme l'Angleterre, comme l'Italie, comme l'Espagne et autres, il faut être capable de parler ces langues. » Moi, je dis

qu'on doit avoir une politique en Ontario qui favorise le bilinguisme, mais on doit aussi regarder aux autres langues et dire, « Y a-t-il des manières dont le gouvernement ontarien

peut supporter les autres communautés : les Italiens, les Espagnols et autres? » Parce que ces langues-là sont aussi importantes pour nous, l'Ontario.

C'est peut-être difficile de dire qu'on veut être officiellement bilingue dans 15 langues. Je ne pense pas qu'on soit préparé à faire

ça à ce point-ci. Mais je pense qu'on a besoin de prendre l'autre pas et de nous assurer qu'on a des programmes pour assurer la survie des langues à la deuxième

génération ici au Canada et en Ontario quand ça vient aux autres communautés.

Je regarde chez nous la communauté italienne, qui est très forte, mais quand je regarde la deuxième et certainement la troisième

génération des Canadiens qui viennent d'Italie, ils ne parlent quasiment pas leur langue. Franchement, c'est triste. On doit être capable de promouvoir sa langue. Ça veut dire

que oui, on a besoin de mettre en place certaines institutions pour assister ces communautés aussi, de s'assurer que les clubs communautaires dans la communauté italienne, slave et autres

sont financés adéquatement afin de pouvoir promouvoir leur langue et leur culture.

Même dans nos institutions, quoi de mal en prenant notre système scolaire et en promouvant les langues dans notre système scolaire, francophone

ou anglophone et dire, « Pourquoi les jeunes francophones dans une communauté où il y a beaucoup d'Italiens ne prennent pas un troisième langage, pour apprendre l'italien

ou le cri ou n'importe quelle langue qui est là ? » Moi, je favorise une politique qui dit qu'on reconnaît que l'Ontario est une province qui jouit d'avoir beaucoup de

différentes personnes d'autour du monde et qu'elle est capable de promouvoir ces différences d'une manière très positive. Je favorise une telle politique.

I've got four minutes left, and I want to do something, and most people probably are going to wonder why I'm doing it. I just feel I have to do it. I know I'm

going to have problems with a few people but I'm going to do this in only one minute.

This is in regard to Mr Cam Jackson. I don't want to comment on what happened with Cam and why he had to resign; that is another issue. I just want to say that

Cam, as Minister of Tourism, was excellent to deal with as a minister. I'm sad to see him go. These are consequences that I'm sure not many of us are proud of here in the Legislature. It's not the

kind of thing we want to see. But I've had the opportunity to work with Cam on a number of projects in regard to SuperBuild. There were a number of projects that were dead, going nowhere,

especially in the First Nations communities up north in my riding. I came with the leaders of those projects to meet with Cam and people on his staff. They were most excellent in working with us to

revive those projects.

From the communities of Moosonee to Kashechewan that are going to basically benefit from these projects that were revived and that were approved because of

Cam's work and the work of his staff, I just want to say that we reach out to him today. This must be a very difficult time for him. I don't think anybody wants to be in the position he is in. On

behalf of the communities that I represent that did benefit from the time that Cam was in cabinet, I just want to wish him well and hope that he's able to get past this and clear up this matter so

he can get back to doing what he loves best, and that is working on behalf of the people of Ontario. So to Cam and his family, my heart goes out to you. The people of Moosonee and Moose Factory and

others who benefited want to thank you for the work you've done for us.

Mr Peter Kormos (Niagara Centre): My gratitude to my colleague Gilles Bisson, who is the NDP critic for francophone affairs. This House has

not seen a stronger and more enthusiastic and aggressive advocate for francophone interests, and I'm very proud to work with him. I feel very compelled to join in this debate, albeit briefly. Down

where I come from, the communities I represent -- as you well know, Speaker, Welland has an historic and strong francophone community. Some 18% of our population is francophone. The francophone

community extends down into Port Colborne and is paralleled only by Windsor and the north in terms of the French-speaking, historical presence.

We are also very proud that over the course of a few generations we have built a strong French-language education system from preschool all the way through --

until the government abandoned the community college, Collège des Grands Lacs on Welland's campus -- to post-secondary. I'm also very proud of the families across the riding of Niagara Centre,

francophone and non-francophone, who, with their strong commitment to not just bilingualism but multilingualism, have ensured that their children -- notwithstanding that their first language may

not be French -- have been enrolled in French-language education in the pursuit of that bilingualism and multilingualism. But one of the recurrent concerns, whether when it's when I attend one of

these schools, be it Confédération or Sacré-Coeur or any other number of elementary or secondary schools, is that the minute these children leave the classroom they lapse into

their children.

This proposal is one that I join my NDP colleagues and others in this House in enthusiastically endorsing. It's imperative that if we pay more than lip service

to multiculturalism and multilingualism -- and multilingualism is an inherent part of multiculturalism -- that we have those institutions, those cultural institutions, those purveyors of popular

culture -- television; Marshall McLuhan spoke of it many decades ago, the incredibly powerful medium that it is -- that there be those resources available to young and old so that they can not only

educate themselves in the French language but participate in their community and in their cultural life, provincially and nationally, in the French language as well.

This is a sound proposition. New Democrats endorse it. I'm proud to be amongst those supporting it.

The Acting Speaker: Response?

Mrs Boyer: First of all I want to give a warm thank-you to my colleagues from Scarborough-Agincourt, Gerry Phillips;

Glengarry-Prescott-Russell, Jean-Marc Lalonde; London North Centre, our minister, Dianne Cunningham; Simcoe North, Garfield Dunlop; Timmins-James Bay, Gilles Bisson; and Niagara Centre, Peter

Kormos.

I want to assure the Minister of Colleges and Universities that TFO and TVO will continue to work well together. TFO will continue to work in partnership with

TVO. Let us be clear: we do not want to separate from TVO. TFO wants to remain a public broadcaster, but remember, on this board of directors there are only three francophones to give the ideas of

what they want to do.

Il n'y a que trois francophones sur le conseil d'administration. Ce n'est pas assez pour gérer TFO. Nous avons besoin de notre autonomie. On se doit

d'évoluer et d'avancer. On l'a faite, notre période de transition, comme M. Bisson a bien dit. Il est temps d'agir.

Let me tell you again: we don't want new money; only the money that is already allocated to TFO through existing budgets. Ceci est très important et nous

voulons l'explorer.

Please note that this resolution asks only that the government consider the idea. We're not committing the government to act now but to consider in every

detail que oui, TFO peut devenir autonome et bien gérer sa boîte éducative. What is so difficult about that?

Let us be clear again that it's time for the francophones of this province to have autonomy.

The Acting Speaker: This completes the time allocated for debate. I will place the question regarding this matter at 12 noon.

ROAD SAFETY

Mr Joseph N. Tascona (Barrie-Simcoe-Bradford): I move that, in the opinion of this House, the Ministry of Transportation should examine the

relationship between driver fatigue and road safety on Ontario highways; and

That the ministry will be given up to six months to study and report back to the Legislature with recommendations respecting improved road safety on Ontario

highways resulting from the design of a fatigue-fighting infrastructure plan for Ontario, which will address the following needs: a shorter distance between rest stops; more truck parking at rest

stops; more restful rest stops; better signage of and access to current rest stops attached to service centres; and public education designed to drive traffic to the new rest stops.

The Acting Speaker (Mr Michael A. Brown): Mr Tascona has moved private member's notice of motion number 13. The member has up to 10 minutes to

make his presentation.

Mr Tascona: It's a pleasure for me to rise to speak to you about my resolution with respect to driver fatigue. Every day throughout this

province driver fatigue is the cause of many unfortunate accidents. That is why I believe it is important for all of us to work together to develop and implement new measures and to increase the

safety of motorists across the province.

During the past several months, I have worked closely with the Canadian Automobile Association -- the CAA -- to create my resolution. My resolution aims at

creating more rest areas across our great province of Ontario to help ensure the safety of our motorists.

It is my understanding that there are two types of roadside stops: there are service centres offering fuel and food, which are prominent throughout this

province, and there are rest stops offering calm and greenery. My resolution looks into creating more of the latter of the two roadside stops. This would provide motorists with areas where they

would feel comfortable stretching or walking and where parents would feel safe letting their children run freely to burn off excess energy. Furthermore, it would create an area where truck drivers

could park their vehicles and relieve their fatigue without dangerously blocking the shoulders of the road.

Let's be clear: driver fatigue is a serious problem. The 1999 road user safety statistics for Ontario indicate that of the 401,572 collisions reported, 1,744

involved drivers who suffered some form of fatigue. However, experts agree that the rate of fatigue-related incidents is much higher, as many crashes are attributed to other factors. For example,

police reports indicate that of the 401,572 accidents that occurred in 1999, 21,597 drivers were involved in the accident because they weren't attentive. Furthermore, a national study by the

Canadian Automobile Association indicates that 79% of their members feel that fatigue poses a threat to their safety on the road. It is a fact that the only truly effective strategy drowsy drivers

can take to prevent a crash is to immediately stop driving and get some rest.

I have received letters of support from many stakeholders and would like to take a moment to read some of their comments to you.

The Ontario Traffic Conference indicates: "Your suggestions merit action by the Ministry of Transportation. We believe a six-month study gives ample time for

the ministry to come back to the Legislature with recommendations."

The Ontario Trucking Association states: "Increasing the quantity and quality of rest areas along the provincial highways, particularly in northern Ontario,

has been a long-standing issue for Ontario's trucking companies and the drivers who work for them.

"In order to comply with the province's hours-of-work regulations, which restrict the hours that a commercial driver can work, drivers are often forced to stop

on the shoulder of the highway or in some other unsafe location because of the lack of adequate rest areas. Given that the government has indicated that it will soon be amending the regulations to

reduce the hours that a driver can work, it is all the more imperative that the MTO take a careful look at the existing supply of rest areas and consider adding new areas where the need for

additional capacity is identified.

"I can therefore assure you that you have the full support of the Ontario trucking industry in your efforts to convince MTO to make provision for adequate

stopping areas throughout the provincial highway network."

From the Police Association of Ontario I received a letter saying, "The PAO board supports the resolution and would be

pleased to provide input into any study that is designed to improve safety on Ontario highways. As you are aware, the PAO represents over 20,000 front-line police personnel, and we appreciate the

fact that you have asked for our organization's perspective on this important matter."

I received a letter from the Tourism Federation of Ontario that states, "We respectfully encourage you to broaden your resolution so that it calls for more

frequent rest stops on all major highways throughout Ontario and not just the 400-series highways." I would note that my resolution covers all Ontario highways.

The Tourism Federation of Ontario goes on to state, "For example, the need for rest stops is also crucial throughout northern Ontario, which does not have

400-series highways. In addition, your resolution should call for improved maintenance of existing rest stops in terms of upkeep, ensuring they are kept in good repair, sanitation, which means

regular garbage pickups, and security and adequate lighting at night.

"The safety and security of travellers is a key concern of Ontario's tourism industry. The last bullet of your resolution calling for public education to drive

traffic to the new rest stops is particularly important to tourism since these stops could provide an ideal opportunity to market local attractions, retail shops, festivals and tourist

accommodation to travellers."

I also received a letter from the Ontario Senior Officers' Police Association, which wrote to me and said, "The Ontario Senior Officers' Police Association

supports your opinion that rest stops would reduce motor vehicle collisions and provide a much-needed respite from the stresses of driving. As your resolution points out, public education will be

necessary to encourage the use and need for rest stops."

I also received a letter from the CAA with respect to this resolution. The CAA writes to me, "CAA Ontario is pleased to lend support to your resolution for

research into fatigue-fighting infrastructure on Ontario roads. We note your resolution includes the following: a shorter distance between rest stops, more truck parking space at rest stops, more

restful rest stops, better signage of and access to current rest stops attached to service centres, and public education designed to drive traffic to the new rest stops."

I'm looking for all-party support with respect to this resolution today. Driver fatigue is obviously an issue with respect to driving on highways today, when

we see the increased urbanization and increased commuter driving, and the practical fact that if you have long drives to certain areas, whether it's to northern Ontario or southwestern Ontario,

you'll find along those stretches in southwestern Ontario and northern Ontario long distances between the commercial rest stops we have out there in terms of service centres and being able to get

off the highway.

I think it's much preferable to provide options to drivers to get off the highway and make that issue more directly dealt with, rather than someone getting off

to the side of the road. Obviously, the OPP would have a concern if someone is off to the side of the road and would want to make sure that everything was fine. To me, that's a waste of the time of

the OPP, if it is just for someone who wants to get off the highway for a rest.

There should be places there as in the United States. When you drive down the I-75 or if you drive through Fort Erie

down to different parts of the United States, you'll find not only adequate signage with respect to service centres but adequate signage with respect to rest stops. A lot of areas have those rest

stops throughout, so you don't have an issue with respect to people trying to get off the road -- not necessarily wanting to get off at a service centre -- as something they want to do in terms of

getting off the highway for rest and relaxation, along with being able to take a break from a long drive.

Driver fatigue, as I indicated, is a very serious factor with respect to unsafe road-driving habits. You're seeing people who perhaps would be speeding or

driving faster, because they want to get home quicker, recognizing that they can't get off a highway anyway because they have to look for service centres. This gives them an option to perhaps get

off that highway, and get home in a safer manner.

This is an issue that deals with our infrastructure. We have to bring our infrastructure up do date to the realities of our society in terms of the people who

use automobiles and the commuter traffic we're facing today, and the public must realize that driving while fatigued is not a safe driving habit. We have to get through to them that there are other

alternatives with respect to driving in that manner.

I'm pleased to present the resolution and I'm looking for all-party support.

Mr Pat Hoy (Chatham-Kent Essex): I'm pleased to rise and comment on this resolution. I must say, though, that I will be amazed if the Ministry

of Transportation has not examined the relationship between driver fatigue and road safety. I would hope that the people of Ontario would be with me on this issue, that the Ministry of

Transportation would have this work done. I think everyone would agree with the member opposite's opinion and view, shared by many, that driver fatigue can indeed cause accidents. Therefore, I

would think the Ministry of Transportation has an extensive file, an extensive knowledge, of what fatigue could mean to our drivers and the safety on our highways.

I think it stands to reason that fatigue can affect anyone's performance, whether they're driving or, for example, working on our farms. I know in the spring

and fall, I have often asked, and have been asked, to assist in giving information to farmers who are working very hard, long hours, to take a rest; "Pause, take a rest and be sure you do your work

well and safely." I know the Farm Safety Association calls for that as well. So it's a point well taken throughout communities in Ontario that fatigue can cause accidents.

I am amazed, however, that in 1996 there were 21 service centres that had picnic areas beside them where persons could go and relax, take their children, take

pets, walk them and get a full, relaxed moment. Obviously those persons cannot take their animals into the stores and food outlets etc that exist at these service centres. They're not allowed to go

in there. They need a place to put their recreational vehicles, to pull into these picnic areas, to take their boats and stay away from the truck traffic that is generally at the back of the rest

stops.

But do you know what happened in 1996? The government closed 19 of those 21 service centres, those picnic areas. They closed them. They had chains across the

front of them. People couldn't get in. The grass was three feet high. I visited the ones in my area. The grass turned brown. It was actually a fire hazard. There were picnic tables in there. If a

fire had started, I don't know what would have happened.

People pulled in with their children and their recreational vehicles and parked wherever they could -- actually a dangerous situations as posed to me by the

people who operated the service centre itself. They were parked along the 401, on the side of the road. In my area at that time, we did not, and still do not, have fully paved shoulders on both

sides of the road -- very dangerous; young children along the 401 and the recreational vehicles.

I have a letter here signed by the then-minister explaining why they did this. They closed 19 of 21 service centres where people could rest, relax and ensure

they did not suffer from fatigue. I'll read it:

"While we recognize the convenience that the service centre rest areas and picnic sites offer to the travelling public and their value to the tourism sector,

the ministry does not consider the maintenance of these facilities essential...." It's signed by the minister of the day.

Ms Marilyn Churley (Toronto-Danforth): Who was that?

Mr Hoy: You'll have to go back in your memory bank for the then minister. He signed the original letter. It was forwarded to myself. I was

cc'd on this, as he wrote to the Chatham-Kent Tourist Bureau. Of course there is a tourism effect, naturally, to these rest stops as well, but we're talking about the issue of fatigue. Can you

imagine the people who have come to Ontario and found these sites all closed, grass three feet high, not cut, not maintained, chained and they can't get in?

It did not, in my view, say welcome to Ontario. Eighty-five per cent of the tourism is by auto through our province. An unhappy tourist will tell others. I

think that the House would agree, that the members here assembled today would agree, that word of mouth is an excellent way of having people talk about this fine province and how people should come

here and visit, bring their children, bring their recreational vehicles and enjoy these sites. But in 1996 this same government closed the sites.

I think it was wrong-headed. We need to ensure that people have an opportunity to rest, and to inform them to do so. The ministry must have figures on this,

they must understand this now and they should be doing something about it.

Ms Churley: I would say hallelujah, pregnant women rejoice. I know we're talking about road safety today, and I'll get to that, but it wasn't

until I was having a baby and travelling across this province that I really noticed the lack of rest stops across the province. Every woman who has ever been pregnant --

Mr Peter Kormos (Niagara Centre): Not because you were tired.

Ms Churley: Not because we were tired, not because we were fatigued, but you know what happens.

I'm not sure if the resolution before us today -- it's not clear on that -- would also include washrooms. He makes a distinction between the rest stops that

now exist where there are entertainment centres, restaurants, gas stations and all of that. Perhaps the member can clarify that -- I'm doing this for the sake of pregnant women across the province

-- but I assume he's also talking about making sure there are in fact more actual washrooms on site.

I too find it strange that within Mr Tascona's resolution it says:

"That the ministry will be given up to six months to study and report back to the Legislature with recommendations respecting improved road safety on Ontario

highways resulting from the design of a fatigue-fighting infrastructure plan for Ontario, which will address the following needs: a shorter distance between rest stops; more truck parking at rest

stops; more restful rest stops; better signage of and access to current rest stops attached to service centres; public education designed to drive traffic to the new rest stops."

I appreciate, Mr Tascona, the background you have provided for us. I would assume -- I don't know if you had the opportunity to look into this -- that the

Ministry of Transportation would have information and studies on this and that it shouldn't take up to six months to compile that information, to pull it together and come up with a plan. I'd be

surprised if there isn't already some information.

Certainly, the material you provided is very good. I particularly like the driver fatigue background. There's some very good and very frightening information

in that background, particularly when I read from the United Kingdom that driver fatigue causes up to 20% of accidents on monotonous roads, and a study of road accidents between 1987 and 1992 found

that sleep-related accidents comprised 16% of all accidents and 23% of accidents on motorways.

I mention this in the context of an issue we recently became aware of. I find it interesting that this resolution is before us today in the context of this

government having just signed a federal-provincial agreement last week that paves the way for an 84-hour week for truckers. This will reduce road safety, in my view, as cumulative fatigue will

cause more drivers to fall asleep at the wheel.

Just so people understand the agreement that was signed, the new rules will allow truckers to work 70 hours over five days, rest for 36 and then start working

again right away. They will be able to work 14 hours a day. The old rules allowed 60 hours of work per week or 70 hours in eight days. The US allows drivers to drive only 10 hours a day and 60

hours a week.

I'm concerned and wondering why -- and Mr Tascona may disagree with his government's having signed that. I understand

the Ontario Trucking Association supports the new rules and they believe that's enough rest. Let me tell you why I think they support it.

Since deregulation of the trucking industry, truckers -- and we know all about this -- are having a very hard time being able to make a living. They're finding

they have to drive more and more hours to be able to bring home enough money to support their families. That's a fact, and we have all kinds of evidence of that. Of course people are going to want

to work as many hours as they can, which means the opportunity to make more money.

I think it is of real concern. It is to me when I'm on the highway. Of course we're not going to get into the issue of highway safety right now. There are all

kinds of issues around that, certain stretches that we are well aware of where we need improvements in the road where there's a lot of truck traffic, for instance, between here and Windsor and

Windsor and the border, those kinds of areas.

The fact that there are going to be more truck drivers out there driving for longer hours I find really disconcerting and frightening. I don't know if any of

you have ever experienced this -- and I certainly don't want to just attack truckers today, because I know they're not by any stretch of the imagination the cause of most accidents, but we do know,

and the evidence is in the information that Mr Tascona provided for us today, that driver fatigue causes accidents. The longer you're on the road driving without a chance to not only rest but get

enough sleep can lead to accidents.

I experienced a very frightening thing once and perhaps it made me a little bit more aware of the driver who falls asleep at the wheel, because I was nearly

killed some years ago.

Evelyn Gigantes, a former colleague, and I were driving back from Hamilton and she was driving my car. We were in the middle lane of three lanes on the 401 and

I was on the passenger side. A truck started to veer -- I felt it -- right into our car. When I looked, it was continuing to veer and it was this close. I screamed at Evelyn -- there was no time to

do anything else -- "Get over," and she did without looking. There was no time to look -- the only way to escape that. We were fortunate in that there was nobody in the other lane when she moved

into it. We had no choice or we would have been wiped out. We watched that truck continue to veer. We beeped our horn like crazy and we noticed that -- it's a good thing -- shortly after, it left

the highway. These are big vehicles and when something like that happens to you, it makes you more and more aware of the need for truckers to get enough rest and sleep.

I certainly want to leave a little bit of time for my colleague here. I support the resolution before us today and would suggest that the government,

particularly in light of the information that was provided for us today, go back and take a second look at this agreement that was just signed. But I certainly do support the member's resolution

today.

Mr Wayne Wettlaufer (Kitchener Centre): I'm pleased to rise today and speak in support of my colleague's resolution -- the member from

Barrie-Simcoe-Bradford. It's a resolution which urges further study concerning the relationship between driver fatigue and road safety on Ontario's highways, byways and superhighways.

Highway 400 in particular has been a long concern of mine, especially north of Highway 11, and I have raised this issue with the bureaucracy in the Ministry of

Transportation numerous times over the last three years. As parliamentary assistant in the Ministry of Tourism and Recreation, I would like to address this issue from the perspective of the tourism

industry.

Tourism is going to be the world's largest industry by the year 2020, and I firmly support this resolution because Ontario wants our share of that very

lucrative market. It means jobs, jobs, jobs everywhere in Ontario. Many of the people in the north, where I have travelled extensively this summer, are very concerned about those jobs which will

keep the children of the families living in the north.

Our visitors who drive to and in Ontario -- it's known in the trade as the rubber-tire market -- are an essential component of the province's tourism market;

91.6% of Ontario's visitors use our vast network of highways and roads throughout this huge province. That translates to more than 100 million visitors per year who are rolling along on our

asphalt. That's a lot of traffic and, as we all know, driver fatigue can have a serious impact on our driving safety, and any negative impact on road safety has a negative impact on our tourism

industry.

We in Ontario pride ourselves on highway safety and strive to make our roads visitor-friendly with safe conditions, large and legible road signs, our own TODS

tourism attractions designations, as well as safe, secure and relaxing rest stops along our highways.

As someone who truly enjoys driving through this province, especially the very scenic north, and as someone who loves driving and discovering all parts of the

province, I appreciate the creative rest areas that Ontario provides for its highway drivers. These are not simply restroom pit stops, but relaxing areas of rest and relaxation where drivers can

stretch their legs or perhaps even take a quick nap. As we all know, the 15-minute power nap is sometimes as beneficial as a few hours' sleep. Many stops, even those located in scenic wilderness

areas, feature barbecue pits, picnic tables and small variety stores. Some are located beside lakes and rivers, where motorists can take a refreshing swim or stretch out on a sandy beach. I've even

visited certain Ontario rest stops that feature tiny shelters filled with pamphlets, flyers and brochures. This provides an excellent opportunity for operators to do some cost-effective marketing

for the local tourism attractions, motels and restaurants.

An extensive study of these rest areas has implications for our ministry, the Ministry of Tourism and Recreation. The ministry operates 18 travel information

centres, 17 of them located at major border crossings and along the province's 400-series highways. Year-round centres are located in Cornwall, Fort Erie, Fort Frances, Kenora, Niagara, St

Catharines, Sarnia, Sault Ste Marie, Windsor, Toronto and Barrie. There are six additional seasonal centres in eastern and northern Ontario.

In 2000, these travel information centres serviced more than 2.5 million visitors. The centres serve as information outlets and rest stops for millions of

people on the roads, both visitors to Ontario and residents who are exploring their own province.

The current examination to develop more of these rest and relaxation areas throughout the province should include an impact study of our existing travel

information centres. We have already seen the tourism industry taking an interest in rest station areas. The OPP in Huntsville organized a pilot project, called Driver Reviver Station, encouraging

tired drivers to take more breaks from the road. The community partners for this project included the Almaguin Highlands Information Centre, which served as the site for this initial project, the

Travelodge/Thriftlodge hotels and the local Comfort Inn.

I believe the tourism industry in Ontario has a vested interest in this very important issue regarding public safety on our highways. For this reason I

strongly support the resolution of the member from Barrie-Simcoe-Bradford to examine the creation of more rest and relaxation roadside areas throughout our vast province.

Mr Rick Bartolucci (Sudbury): I stand in support of the resolution by Mr Tascona, the member from Barrie-Simcoe-Bradford. Certainly, I want to

zero my remarks in on Highway 69.

The highway is referred to as Death Road North because the statistics indicate that it's the most dangerous stretch of highway in all Ontario, that it has the

highest number of deaths in all Ontario and yet this government does nothing about the four-laning of Highway 69 from Sudbury to Parry Sound. Absolutely nothing has been done.

The suggestions from the member are good, but for Highway 69 they're only interim suggestions. They will only help for a while. We need permanent solutions to

Death Road North, and those permanent solutions include the four-laning of Highway 69 from Sudbury to Parry Sound. The government will pride itself on saying it spent roughly $409 million around

Parry Sound, the four-laning aspects. We in Sudbury and northeastern Ontario see that as a good first step. We don't deny that there should be good roads across Ontario, but we insist that there be

a safe road from Sudbury to Parry Sound. We insist that this government do the environmental assessments and begin the paving.

I challenge anyone on the government side to say they spent more than one cent on four-laning from Sudbury to Parry Sound. There hasn't been one penny spent on

multi-laning that highway, in actual physical work.

We challenge the government. Listen to what Crash 69 is saying. Listen to what the municipalities across northeastern Ontario are saying. Listen to what the

chambers of commerce across northeastern Ontario are saying. Listen to the labour groups across northeastern Ontario. Listen to the service clubs across northeastern Ontario. These groups come from

Parry Sound, some from North Bay, from Sudbury, Sault Ste Marie and points north and northeast. We know it is an extremely important initiative that this government should be acting on quickly, and

you have a golden opportunity because there is $2 billion worth of infrastructure money.

I challenge the members across the way, and in particular I challenge the member from Parry Sound-Muskoka, to write a letter to the Premier and say, "Highway

69 four-laning from Sudbury to Parry Sound should be the number one priority, because it will not only help Sudbury and those people who travel the highway, it will also help Parry Sound."

I challenge the member from North Bay to write a letter to the Premier and say, "Yes, that's my number one priority, because I know that just as we're

four-laning Highway 11, it is equally important to four-lane Highway 69 from Sudbury to Parry Sound."

I applaud the initiative of the member from Barrie-Simcoe-Bradford. If passed and implemented, it will make a difference on the 400 series of highways. It is

only a stop-gap measure for Highway 69. The real solution to Death Road North is to four-lane 69 from Sudbury to Parry Sound.

Mr Gilles Bisson (Timmins-James Bay): I just had to run into the House to say a few words, after my good friend Mr Bartolucci, in regard to

the four-laning of Highway 69. I think it's great that he, along with Shelley Martel and others in northern Ontario, is advocating to get that highway four-laned. But I'm here to beg just to get a

road -- just one road. We don't have very many where I come from. Many of the communities I represent either go in by barge or by plane, or sometimes in the winter, when we're lucky enough to have

a cold winter, they build a winter road.

While we're talking about four-laning highways like Highway 69 or putting 10 lanes on Highway 400, as we heard yesterday, I just want to advocate, for the

Mushkegowuk Cree and other people who live on James Bay who don't have roads, that if you guys are talking about building roads in southern Ontario, it would be really nice if you would build even

a single-lane road in some of the communities I represent. It would be really nice to have a road that went from Moosonee down to Highway 11, so that people could make that connection to the rest

of the world and not have to go by rail or pay for an airplane ticket; to have a road to go to Fort Albany-Kashechewan, Ogoki, Atiwapiskat, up to Fort Severn or into Peawanuk, because those

communities are landlocked. The only way you're able to get in is by plane. I'll tell you, most people in Atiwapiskat -- I would say about 80% or 90% -- never get out. Why? Because they can't

afford to get out. They can't afford to buy the airline ticket to get out and to come to Timmins and do other things and make connections across this province and across this country.

So while we're talking about roads, on behalf of the Mushkegowuk Cree and the rest of the people who live on James Bay, could we have but one single-lane road?

We'd be happy even if you didn't pave it and just built a couple of bridges so we could have an all-season road that goes all the way up the coast, so people can enjoy some of the things people

down here seem to take for granted. If you're talking about building four and eight lanes, we'd like to have one.

Mr Toby Barrett (Haldimand-Norfolk-Brant): Kudos to my fellow member representing Barrie-Simcoe-Bradford for bringing what I consider a timely

resolution forward to increase safety and convenience on our roads, both for those of us who drive automobiles and for professional truck drivers.

As we know, if passed, this resolution will give the Ministry of Transportation a six-month window to come back with recommendations focussing on shorter

distances between rest stops, more truck parking, better signage and more public education.

We have seen the dangers of driver fatigue. In fact, I would submit that each and every one of us in this Legislature has at one time or another experienced

tired eyes and slow reactions that can accompany a long drive. None of us is immune. The human body is simply not set up to take lengthy periods of sitting in the driver's seat staring at a

constant flow of traffic or asphalt without experiencing some form of fatigue.

Statistics bear this out. As Mr Tascona has pointed out, in 1999 there were 1,744 collisions in Ontario that involved drivers suffering from fatigue. The

Alberta Motor Association stated that 15% of all motorists have reported falling asleep behind the wheel.

While some areas of southern Ontario already have what might be considered adequate rest stop coverage, I can attest to the fact that many areas of this

province are far from adequately served. As parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Natural Resources, I spent many hours and many miles travelling up and down on what's referred to as the Great

Lakes Heritage Coast, which stretches from Pigeon River on the Minnesota border, down and across the north shore of Lake Superior and the North Channel of Georgian Bay to the Severn River. I

certainly am aware first-hand of the need for suitable rest stop facility locations. I appreciate that expression, "the long stretch of highway," a remote northern stretch of blacktop with no

restroom. At times that is a long stretch of highway, and a stretch that can be less than amenable to luring the tourist traveller as well.

Our truck drivers are forced to deal with this every time they travel these long distances. In fact, government relations manager for the Ontario Trucking

Association, Doug Switzer, indicated to my office that, with hundreds of miles between places where drivers can pull over, truckers are often forced to pull over on that very narrow shoulder, and

clearly this practice creates a safety concern, not only for other drivers but for the trucker himself. Talking to truckers, the last thing they need to hear is that knock on their door in the

middle of the night asking them to move on. Very clearly, the trucking association has indicated the value as a fatigue-fighter to have these areas to pull over and recharge the batteries.

A few weeks ago, I spent a Sunday afternoon at Ludwig transport down in my riding, south of Simcoe. One driver just got delivery of a beautiful, brand new,

never-been-used Peterbilt tractor -- a $150,000 tractor, a Caterpillar diesel -- and this is his home. When I say this tractor-trailer is his home, he does not have a house, he does not have an

apartment. He lives in his tractor-trailer. This is home and this is his profession.

Surely we can do a little better for many of these men and women -- a number of women drive for Ludwig transport. We can do better for other drivers who are on

these highways. I think of other companies in my area, of Verspeeten, Smith Transport, McBurney, Slack and other fine companies, based not only in my riding but elsewhere.

For many of the fatigue factors that we hear about this morning, we really have little or no control; however, when it comes to driving Ontario's highways,

this government does have control and, I would suggest, responsibility, to ensure that drivers, whether they're truckers or tourists, are given the opportunity to recharge their batteries somewhere

off the beaten track.

MPP Tascona has done his homework on this, and I encourage members of this Legislature: let's help improve road safety for all of Ontario and support what I

consider a fairly significant resolution.

The Acting Speaker: Further debate?

Mr George Smitherman (Toronto Centre-Rosedale): It's my pleasure to have an opportunity to speak in this debate and to say at the outset that

I'll be supporting this resolution today.

I was anxious to speak about it because I'm the son of a trucker. Adorning the walls in my office are pictures of my dad's trucking fleet -- it was called

Smitty's Haulage then -- pictures taken in 1962 or 1963, just a year or so before I was born. My dad had by then adopted this tradition that always carried forward, which is that the trucks had to

be lined up bumper to bumper. In later years, my career as a truck washer took hold. My job, by the end of Saturday, would be to make sure that 60 or 80 gleaming Macks and Freightliners and at

least one International Harvester were properly lined up.

So truckers and cab drivers are my heroes, because they're the people who are required to assist us in transporting either us or materials. I remember that old

slogan of the Ontario Trucking Association: "If you've got it, a truck brought it." It remains, I think, pretty true today.

I know those folks, and I talk to a lot of them. They work a lot of hours. One of the experiences that I had as a kid was the accident scene run with my dad.

When you have a company of 100 power units and you're running hundreds of thousands of kilometres a year, accidents are an unfortunate part of the business. I attended accidents at the bottom of

the Burlington Bay Skyway, at the corner of Highway 27 and Belfield. I remember one run that we made up to a rock cut near MacTier, where one of my dad's drivers, hauling 85,000 pounds of steel

from Algoma Steel in Sault Ste Marie where my dad's company was the house carrier, had fallen asleep, and he went into the ditch. His truck ended up smeared against a rather unforgiving piece of

the Canadian Shield. With his luck, he was thrown from the wreck. We went to visit him later in the Parry Sound hospital and counted our blessings he had lived that accident out.

One of the opportunities I cherish the most was the time I spent as executive assistant to a guy named Hugh O'Neil, who served this House with distinction for

20 years, including as tourism minister. The Speaker will know that during the days of the Peterson government, a very significant expansion of tourist information centres, many of which included

truck parking, occurred. I think one of those might have been built somewhere near a bridge on the island that the Speaker calls home. I know there was one built in Wawa that I had the honour of

attending the opening of, along with David Peterson, who was then the Premier.

As I travel around northern Ontario I see many of these centres. I think it speaks not only to an economic commitment that we make to the tourism industry, but

also to a very practical recognition that in a country as vast as ours we need to make a commitment to allowing people an opportunity to pull over to the side and catch a few winks.

I live downtown and have the opportunity to use public transit, taxis, to walk, from time to time I even rollerblade. I also drive a car, rather too much

sometimes, I think. My car was purchased right around the time of the election, in April 1999. My kilometres wouldn't begin to match those of my colleagues from places like St Thomas, Chatham and

the Niagara Peninsula, but I've managed to rack up about 118,000 kilometres, so I get to travel these roads the same as other people. From that standpoint I think we all recognize that an expansion

of opportunities for people to pull over to the side and rest a little or to let the kids wind down and calm down a little bit are important things.

Last Saturday I spent the day in Ottawa, at Meach Lake in fact. I was driving back to Toronto. I hit Kingston and found my 30 minutes of rest in a McDonald's

parking lot. Now, I'm attracted to McDonald's -- that may be more obvious than I wish it were -- but I'm one of those who within the last week would have benefited practically from a better array

of options had this resolution taken hold in the hearts and minds of those people who spend money over there and do planning within the Ministry of Transportation.

Count me as a strong supporter of this, and count me as one of those who has a pretty strong appreciation for the work truckers do in our society.

Mr Kormos: New Democrats support this resolution. Ms Churley and Gilles Bisson spoke to it and I'm pleased to speak to it as well. It just

makes sense. Quite frankly, I encourage the author of the resolution, because it's obvious that it's going to pass today, to ensure it receives the attention it deserves from this government's

Ministry of Transportation and Ministry of Tourism.

We North Americans use highways. We drive far greater distances than people in Europe, for instance, do. We don't utilize public transit as often as we should,

be it bus or train travel within the province or across the country. That again is a reflection of the diminished investment in that type of public transportation.

As a frequent, and for so many years now, commuter from Niagara to Toronto, I've got to tell you that you're up at 5:30 or 6 and you have two or three cups of

coffee while you're reading the paper. You hit the QEW and you might stop at the Swiss Chalet-Harvey's at Casablanca Road, and I recommend it to you -- I'm a fan of Swiss Chalet -- but if you do,

you pick up another coffee, and I tell you that by the time you hit Duck's dip over at the beginning of the Gardiner -- the dip has been levelled out a little bit, but back when the dip was

dramatic, by God you needed a rest stop.

You would have given your left arm, you would have cashed in the RRSPs for a rest stop. You're biting the back of your hand, not because you're tired but that

last dip at Duck's dip drained every last bit of resistance out of you. Surely, nobody can refute the safety issues around driver fatigue, but surely the need for a restroom can be as distracting

as the need for a rest; I don't think there's anybody here who could dispute that.

There are great opportunities here. One, from the tourism perspective, is to make our highways the envy of North America in terms of their attractiveness to

other Canadians and to Americans.

I've got to tell you, a few years ago I had the privilege in Italy to drive down the autostrada. Now, they've got rest stops. They've got rest stops with

espresso bars and wonderful arrays of food and cured meats. They have not succumbed to the fast-food chain syndrome. Webers, for instance, is one of the few remaining on your way up north where you

aren't confronted by the same old, same old.

I encourage the government, in establishing these rest stops, to look at entrepreneurs other than solely the traditional fast-food restaurants as sponsors or

-- dare I say it? -- yes, even partners.

facilities because that's an inherent part of the utilization of them. But they should be accessible, and that means wheelchair-accessible, accessible to persons with any number of disabilities,

but also accessible in terms of being even senior-friendly.

Second, we have to have rest stops that identify themselves as having security. Far too many travellers may find themselves reluctant to pull over, especially

in the dark of the night, at a so-called rest stop unless it's identifiable as one that has live, on-site security. I think that would be an incredibly effective enhancement.

The trucking industry and truckers have been addressed, and very legitimately so. But the rest stop has to be supportive of not only truckers but also the

domestic traveller, the person in their car either alone or with their kids or other passengers in their vehicle.

commercial truck traffic but also to domestic and motor vehicle traffic be an imperative part of each and every one of these new rest stops. I also encourage the government to be creative in

ensuring that we have rest stops that are above and beyond the same old, same old.

Mr Norm Miller (Parry Sound-Muskoka): It's my pleasure to join the discussion today and to support the resolution brought forward by my

colleague Joe Tascona from Barrie-Simcoe-Bradford.

As many of you know, I have the beautiful riding of Parry Sound-Muskoka. Every weekend, thousands of people head up Highways 11 and 69, usually after a long

week of working or having just flown into Pearson from an international flight, so many of them are driving in a fatigued state.

The statistics show that in 1999, of the 401,572 collisions reported, as many as 1,744 involved drivers who were suffering from some form of fatigue.

There are rest stops on Highways 11 and 69, but I think especially in the north, and as the parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Northern Development and

Mines, we have huge geographic areas to cover and, in many cases, many hours between rest stops.

I was looking through the northern clippings and I see in the October 1 Kenora Daily Miner and News that this topic to do with Highway 17 has come up. I'll

just read from that: "Improving safety on a stretch of the Trans-Canada once dubbed The Death Strip isn't a matter of adding more lanes, but a case of keeping drivers awake.

"Kenora councillor Don McDougald made that comment last week during a finance and administration committee meeting" about "a resolution to twin Highway 17

between Kenora and Vermilion Bay."

He goes on to say, "`Personally, I think they have done a marvellous job with what they have done with the highway both east and west (of Kenora) ... Maybe we

could add a few passing lanes, but I don't think there is anything wrong with the highway.'

"He said the single factor that would reduce the number of crashes on the strip is by building properly designed rest areas where tractor-trailer drivers can

easily stop, grab a cup of coffee and stretch their legs.

"`If you look at the Trans-Canada Highway through this area, the nearest [rest stop] is at Headingly and if you go east, it's Thunder Bay'" -- to the west --

"and that's an 11-hour stretch. ...

"`We need places with decent access on and off. Sure there are places you can get off, but it's strictly on one side of the highway or the other.' ... "

The Miner goes on to say, "Mayor Dave Canfield agreed, noting that in the four August crashes (in which nine people were killed), each was the result of either

drivers falling asleep or in which alcohol was a factor."

The member from Sudbury was talking about Highway 69 and work going on in highways north. I'd just like to point out that in the riding of Parry Sound-Muskoka

there are hundreds of millions of dollars being spent on both Highway 11 and Highway 69. We're setting record amounts of money being spent on highways in the north, far more than was done by past

governments represented by the member from Sudbury.

I'd like to point out that we are spending hundreds of millions of dollars on improving the highways in the north. I think it's very important that we've been

doing that.

I had the opportunity to comment on the new visitors' centre being created as part of the Great Lakes heritage coast at French River. My one suggestion is that

the rest stop be made so that it can adequately handle large trucks whose drivers need an opportunity to rest. Statistics show that having a short 15-minute break, especially before you become

tired, can make a big difference in terms of safety on highways.

I'd like to draw attention to a program that was developed in my riding this past summer by Constable Harry Rawluk of the Huntsville OPP detachment. He's

developed a program called Driver Reviver. They have a station just north of Huntsville on Highway 11 which saw a steady increase in drivers that ran over the July 1 long weekend and weekends from

then on. Harry Rawluk, when I was speaking to him, said that this is something that needs awareness raised on this issue of driver fatigue.

I believe this resolution today is doing just that, raising awareness of the fact that we all need to watch that we don't become too tired while driving.

The Acting Speaker: Response.

Mr Tascona: I'm very pleased to respond to the many colleagues who have spoken in support of this resolution: the members from

Chatham-Kent-Essex, Toronto-Danforth, Kitchener Centre, Sudbury, Timmins-James Bay, Haldimand-Brant-Norfolk, Parry Sound-Muskoka, Niagara Centre and Toronto Centre-Rosedale. I thank them for their

support.

The general theme is that MTO should act on this. The intent of the resolution when in fact putting together rest stops along highways is to ensure they

maximize the safety and security of those who using them. I would envision in the spirit of this resolution seeing a phone installation for emergency calls, picnic tables, washroom facilities,

adequate lighting and certainly proper maintenance of this particular area for usage by the general public.

The member from Kitchener Centre indicated the impact this also has on tourism, and I quote his statement that "any negative impact on road safety has a

negative impact on our tourism industry." It also negatively impacts the general feeling of the public using those roads every day. People who are in situations with young children or in situations

with medical problems have to be sure they can trust not only the roads but the people who are using them.

Driver fatigue is a very serious problem. I thank members for what I would hope is all-party support for this resolution.

The Acting Speaker: This completes the time allocated for debate on this matter.

TFO

The Acting Speaker (Mr Michael A. Brown): I will now place the question on ballot item number 57.

Madame Boyer has moved private member's notice of motion number 14. Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? Carried.

ROAD SAFETY

The Acting Speaker (Mr Michael A. Brown): Mr Tascona has moved private member's notice of motion number 13. Is it the pleasure of the House

that the motion carry? Carried.

All matters before the House this morning being now complete, this House stands adjourned until 1:30 of the clock this afternoon.

The House recessed from 1200 to 1330.

MARY BARTOLUCCI

Mr Rick Bartolucci (Sudbury): On a point of order, Mr Speaker: There's a lady from Sudbury who has taught her family and friends the

importance of honesty, fortitude, compassion and knowledge; a person who has a heart and house that is open to everyone at any time, be it friends, family or strangers; a person who believes that

the three greatest gifts are faith, hope and love; a person who has played the organ at her church for the last 63 years. That person's name is Mary Bartolucci. She's celebrating her 85th birthday

tomorrow and I just want to wish her a happy birthday and say, Mom, I love you.

The Speaker (Hon Gary Carr): I want to pass my best wishes on to your mom as well, and I also want to thank her for the lovely correspondence

she gave me this week. It was very appropriate. Tell her I do pull it out once in a while and it's very appropriate. Thank you to her very much.

MEMBERS' STATEMENTS

NORTHERN HEALTH TRAVEL GRANT

Mr Michael Gravelle (Thunder Bay-Superior North): For some time now, many of my constituents have been frustrated and bewildered by the

restrictive guidelines and bureaucratic nature of the northern health travel grant program. The stress this causes is nothing short of cruel at times, and each new example I bring forward only adds

to the need for a thorough review of this vital assistance program for northerners.

Today I must draw to the Minister of Health's attention a situation that cries out for his immediate attention. A constituent of mine has a 14-year-old

daughter who suffers from a variety of mental health problems, including obsessive-compulsive disorder, extreme clinical depression, Tourette's syndrome and post-traumatic stress disorder. She has

been hospitalized three times in the past six months and is suicidal.

Despite all this, there is hope and there is help. Two psychiatrists who have been treating her in both Thunder Bay and Toronto have referred her to a

world-renowned psychologist in Toronto. Dr Sandra Mendlowitz is a national expert in the area of cognitive behaviour therapy and she has entered my young constituent in a specialized treatment

program that requires 12 trips to Toronto. The problem is that the northern health travel grant program does not fund referrals to psychologists, even world-renowned specialists like Dr

Mendlowitz.

This is a life-or-death situation for my constituent and her family. Their struggles have been enormous, but Dr Mendlowitz has become a light at the end of the

tunnel. I implore you, Minister, to act quickly to approve travel grant funding for this family in such desperate need. A young girl's life hangs in the balance, and it would be an overwhelming

tragedy if bureaucratic red tape and outdated restrictions prevented my constituent from receiving the help she so desperately needs.

NEWMARKET SENIORS'

MEETING PLACE

Mrs Julia Munro (York North): It was supposed to take 10 years. They did it in 10 months. The Meeting Place is a seniors' centre on Davis

Drive, next to the train station in Newmarket. The centre was given a considerable loan last year to do a major renovation of the six-year-old facility. The Trillium Foundation gave the centre a

grant of $75,000. The town of Newmarket gave a grant of $300,000. The 1,400 members of the centre committed to raising $100,000 for the renovation plus another $50,000 to furnish the renovated

space. Through a variety of fundraising events and corporate sponsorships, the money was raised in 10 months.

The newly renovated space boasts a variety of new meeting spaces, computer rooms and is the headquarters of the Cyberseniors' Computer Club. Prior to 1995,

senior activities in groups were scattered throughout the town in a number of public and private buildings. The Meeting Place was opened in January 1995 to offer all seniors' services and programs

in one centrally located centre.

Congratulations to the fundraising committee members, Betty Mikucki, Peter Boyles, Jack Brown, Harry Hakim, Marianne Leggate, Peggy Martin, Pauline McLean,

Joan Pelham and Jim Wilson, and to all of the meeting place members for achieving a spectacular fundraising success in such a short time.

AMBULANCE SERVICE

Mr James J. Bradley (St Catharines): Sometimes the headline says it all. The headline in today's St Catharines Standard says, "Ambulance

Dispatch a Mess. Paramedics: `How many more people have to get seriously hurt or perish?'" We see this on the front pages of our newspapers; we see editorials. I have raised so many times in this

House the issue of the dire circumstances facing ambulance dispatch in Niagara region.

The time for delay, dithering and procrastination by the Ontario Ministry of Health in dealing with this chaotic crisis confronting Niagara's ambulance

dispatch system is over, and immediate action by the Conservative government of Ernie Eves is needed before further deaths occur.

For several months now, I've been calling upon the Ontario Ministry of Health to deal with an ambulance dispatch service that is in critical condition, with

ambulances being improperly dispatched by an office located in Hamilton, which must direct ambulances for Hamilton, Brantford, Haldimand-Norfolk, Brant, the Six Nations Reserve and Niagara.

The report of an independent auditor, which was kept secret for months, pointed to inadequate training, low pay, antiquated equipment and frequent turnover of

staff, yet little has been done to solve the crisis.

I urge the Eves government to turn over responsibility for ambulance dispatch to the regional municipality of Niagara and to provide the funding to ensure that

the service operates efficiently in the best interests of Niagara residents.

ONTARIO DISABILITY

SUPPORT PROGRAM

Mr Tony Martin (Sault Ste Marie): Last spring, I brought legislation before this House to increase the Ontario disability support program

pension. My private member's bill did not ask for the sun, the moon and the stars. All it asked for was a simple annual cost-of-living adjustment so that thousands of people who live with a

disability in this province could stop falling deeper into poverty.

Since 1993, when the NDP last increased benefits to people who must rely on a disability pension, the cost of living has increased by 12.8%. The $920 a month

that a single person living on ODSP receives is now worth only $802. This means that people on ODSP have $118 a month less to live on. What kind of government forces people living with a disability

to live in poverty?

The people of Ontario do not want their government giving huge bonuses and buyout packages to government-appointed board members on the backs of people with

disabilities. Even three of this Conservative government's own backbenchers understand that forcing people with disabilities to live in poverty is wrong.

Last spring, when Minister Elliott realized she could no longer ignore the public pressure to do what is right and increase ODSP benefits, she tried to duck

out of it. She said, "I've asked my staff to review the plan and we will look into it." Well, here we are today and nothing has happened.

GROVE PARK HOME

Mr Joseph N. Tascona (Barrie-Simcoe-Bradford): I was pleased to attend Grove Park Home's annual volunteer appreciation tea. This annual event

recognizes the hard work of volunteers who dedicate their time to making the tea cart, tuck shop and palliative care programs work.

I would like to recognize the following individuals who have made a tremendous effort in leading and organizing the many volunteer programs through Grove Park

Home: Helen Switzer, the St Mary's Catholic tuck shop conveyor; Jean Hutchinson, the Central United Church tea cart conveyor; Joan Pearson, the Emmanual Baptist Church tea cart conveyor; Joyce

Ackerman, the Emmanual Baptist Church tea cart conveyor; Ethel Byles, the Grace United Church tea cart conveyor; Helen Hicks, the North Side Bible Chapel tea cart conveyor; Debbie DeWolfe-Vokey,

the palliative care volunteer coordinator; and Betty Latimer, the May Court conveyor.

Grove Park Home is one of the outstanding care facilities within the city of Barrie in my riding. It's also benefiting from the government's long-term-care

investment program with respect to putting new long-term-care beds in their facility.

I just want to say that the investments our province has made not only to Grove Park Home but throughout the riding have been very well received.

MINISTERS' EXPENSES

Mrs Leona Dombrowsky (Hastings-Frontenac-Lennox and Addington): This government clearly has a double standard when it comes to spending

taxpayers' money. They got tough with people on welfare. If someone on welfare does not report additional income, whether it is money from OSAP, child support or a paper route, they're charged with

fraud. When convicted of such a crime, even if it was an inadvertent oversight, this government hands these individuals a ban for life from ever receiving social assistance again. They broke the

rules; they pay the price.

This is also the government that cancelled the $32-a-month nutrition allowance for pregnant women on welfare because Mike Harris said they would just spend it

on beer. However, when Chris Stockwell, John Baird and Cam Jackson break the rules and they spend taxpayers' money on beer, it appears they are offered the opportunity to pay back whatever they

think is fair. They break the rules; they pay back what they want.

The double standard is clear, and it is wrong. I know members on the government bench do not like to hear such things in this chamber. However, I just remind

everyone on that side of the House that it was your idea to establish snitch lines.

DAVEDI CLUB

Mr AL McDonald (Nipissing): The Davedi Club of North Bay is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The Davedi Club was formed in 1952

when a small group of Italians became concerned about the preservation of their Italian culture. While forming the club, they kept in mind a goal: taking an interest in community affairs,

especially education, music and sports.

With that in mind, the club's name was decided. Davedi is derived from the first two letters of significant Italians: DA after the poet and educator, Dante; VE

after Verdi for music; and DI after DiMaggio for sports.

Len Grassi and Bert Pesano, two of the original founders, are still active members in the club. There are 260 members, with the ladies' auxiliary playing a

very integral part of the organization. Past president and treasurer Hub Fedeli boasts that the ladies have the bragging rights of serving the best spaghetti and meatballs.

The Davedi Club plans to complete an Italian library. It reaches out into the community, partnering with organizations that regularly use the facilities, like

Heart and Stroke, the arthritis and cancer societies, and many more. It houses a Montessori school for children, to whom the club has donated $1,000 for playground equipment. In 1952 people didn't

know much about soccer so Joe Tripodi and a group of other Italian friends started practising, and soon the Azzuras was formed. Today the club plays a big role in promoting the sport of soccer.

The Davedi Club also promotes itself as a centre for the entire community and is moving forward with renewed commitment to its members and the community of

North Bay. On behalf of everyone is Nipissing, I want to congratulate the Davedi Club for serving so well.

KOREAN HERITAGE DAY

Mr Tony Ruprecht (Davenport): Today Korean nationals and Korean Canadians are celebrating a very special day, Korea's National Foundation Day.

With us today in the gallery are a number of very distinguished guests: the Consul General of the Republic of Korea, Mr Sook Kim; the president of the Korean Canadian Association, Mr Choon Soo Lee;

the former Korean ambassador to Canada, Mr Pil Sik Chin; the president of the Korea Times Daily, Mr Myung Kyu Kim; the president of the Korea Central Daily, Mr Hyo Kim; the president of the Korean

Canadian Heritage Award, Mr Chang Hun Chung; the president of the ALL TV, Mr Chang Sung Lee; the former president of the Korean Canadian Association, Mr Sung Taek Han; board director, Korean

Canadian Association, Mr Ki Hoon Lee; Deputy Consul General of the Republic of Korea, Mr Ji Eun Yu; and Mr Andrew Chung.

Unlike Canadians who experienced a fairly easy progression toward independence, Koreans had a tremendous experience in terms of pain and suffering to become

independent. To celebrate this day, hundreds of thousands have died. In their own country, they couldn't even speak their own language, but in the hour of their greatest need, in the war for

independence, in the war to be independent from their neighbouring countries, Canada was shoulder to shoulder, hand in hand, weapons in hand to defend the right of Koreans today to be independent

and have a democratic country. That's Canada; that's their friend.

We are also mindful today of the very special contribution that Canadians of Korean heritage have made. As you know, there are 98,000 and more in Ontario

alone. In every corner their contribution is being felt -- in the arts, in culture, in the economy. But today we want to say to the representatives of the government of Korea simply this: we will

be there when you need us. We will be there when you keep on fighting. We will ensure that you will be able to structure your own future and determine your own destiny. We will be there for

you.

VISITOR

Mr Raminder Gill (Bramalea-Gore-Malton-Springdale): On a point of order, Mr Speaker: It gives me great pleasure to welcome in the members'

gallery my good friend Jim Muldoon Sr, president of Carefree Coffee. Jim and his daughter Carol are also in my riding association and are great constituents. He is the owner of a flourishing small

business and, as you know, small businesses are the engine of Ontario's economy.

AUTISM AWARENESS MONTH

Mr Bob Wood (London West): I rise today to tell the House about a highly successful event held in London last weekend to kick off October as

Autism Awareness Month. It was a bike ride and walk in which 60 families participated and over $9,000 was raised. To the surprise of his wife, who sponsored him, the MPP for London West

successfully completed the eight-kilometre bike ride.

Autism and related pervasive development disorders, also known as PDD, are found throughout the world in families of all racial, ethnic, social and economic

backgrounds. Since there is no physical test for autism/PDD, diagnosis is made by an experienced medical or psychological practitioner and is based on observation of behavioural characteristics.

Children with autism/PDD are generally affected in a number of the following areas: communication, social interaction, sensory impairment and play.

The aims and objectives of the Autism Society Ontario are as follows: to advocate on behalf of all people with autism/PDD and their families; to promote public

and professional awareness and understanding; to provide information, referral and resource material; to monitor and encourage appropriate government legislation; to act as liaison between parents,

service providers and government; to promote diagnostic, education and treatment programs; and to promote research into the causes and treatment of autism. The Autism Society's mission statement is

to work together to improve the quality of life for persons with autism and pervasive development disorders and their families, and to ensure that those with these disorders live with dignity

within their own communities.

I know all members will join with me in acknowledging the good work done by the Autism Society Ontario, and in particular the London and district chapter.

VISITORS

Mr Tony Ruprecht (Davenport): On a point of order, Mr Speaker: I have another happy announcement to make. Mr Raghu Krishnan, who works for

Hansard, actually just got married, and he has with him a number of guests who come from Mexico. They are José Luis González Aguillón, his brother-in-law; Gilberto Conde Zambada from

Mexico City; Adrian Thomas from Luxembourg; and Verónica González Aguillón, his wife. Congratulations, and the very best to you. Buena suerte para los casados.

INTRODUCTION OF BILLS

Mrs Julia Munro (York North): Mr Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to introduce a private member's bill on behalf of the member for

Scarborough East, Mr Gilchrist.

The Speaker (Hon Gary Carr): Is there unanimous consent? Agreed.

ROUGE PARK WEEK ACT, 2002 /

LOI DE 2002 SUR LA SEMAINE

DU PARC DE LA ROUGE

Mrs Munro, on behalf of Mr Gilchrist, moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill 184,

An Act to proclaim Rouge Park Week / Projet de loi 184, Loi proclamant la Semaine du parc de la Rouge.

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

The member for a short statement?

Mrs Munro: This bill will proclaim Rouge Park Week. It is the week from September 30 to October 6. In each year after 2002, it is the week

beginning with the first Monday in October.

REPRESENTATION AMENDMENT ACT (WATERLOO-WELLINGTON-KITCHENER EXCEPTION), 2002 /

LOI DE 2002 MODIFIANT LA LOI

SUR LA REPRÉSENTATION ÉLECTORALE (EXCEPTION : WATERLOO-WELLINGTON-KITCHENER)

Mr Arnott moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill 185,

An Act to amend the Representation Act, 1996 / Projet de loi 185, Loi modifiant la Loi de 1996 sur la représentation électorale.

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

The member for a short statement?

Mr Ted Arnott (Waterloo-Wellington): As all members are aware, at present the names of the provincial electoral districts, or ridings, are

identical to those of the federal electoral districts. This bill proposes an exception to that rule in the case of my constituency of Waterloo-Wellington.

If passed, the name of the electoral district of Waterloo-Wellington would be changed to Waterloo-Wellington-Kitchener.

STATEMENTS BY THE MINISTRY AND RESPONSES

WORLD TEACHERS' DAY

Hon Elizabeth Witmer (Deputy Premier, Minister of Education): I am pleased to advise the House that Saturday, October 5 is World Teachers'

Day, which is designated each year by UNESCO.

World Teachers' Day offers us the opportunity to reflect on the importance of teaching and to pay tribute to the contribution that committed and dedicated

teachers make to our future. World Teachers' Day reminds us of the vital role that teachers play in motivating, inspiring and challenging young minds. It also reminds us that so many of society's

greatest accomplishments occur because a teacher made a difference in the life of a student.

We ask a lot of our teachers -- in fact, more than ever before. We ask teachers to equip students with the knowledge and skills they need for success in

today's competitive global economy. We ask teachers to help our children develop the self-esteem and confidence they need to live productive and fulfilling lives as active and responsible citizens.

We ask teachers to inspire in our young people a love of learning that will last a lifetime because, in today's changing world, the need for education never ends. We ask teachers to be educational

leaders: to work closely with colleagues, parents, other professionals and members of the community to improve student learning.

Teachers need the active encouragement of the societies and communities they serve. That is why our government continues to take steps to support teachers and

to ensure that both teachers and students have the resources they need for success. There are many things that go into a child's education. Offering children a challenging curriculum is an

important part. Our government introduced a new standard curriculum that is allowing more students to succeed than ever before. High school literacy test scores are up under the new curriculum, as

is Ontario's ranking in international test scores.

New resources are also important to ensuring a quality education. Again, our government has delivered. Premier Eves' first priority on taking office last April

was the investment of an additional $65 million for textbooks and learning resources for our students. That announcement was quickly followed by an additional $25 million to expand the early

reading program and to introduce a new early math program across the province.

School safety is yet another important part of a quality education and, once again, our government has responded decisively. We started with the Safe Schools

Act and the Ontario schools code of conduct, and this spring we followed with the Student Protection Act.

But the single most important part of a quality education is the classroom experience itself. Stability in the classroom means qualified, dedicated and caring

teachers who have the tools they need to help their students achieve their full potential.

This morning, I had the pleasure of visiting St Anthony's Catholic Elementary School in Toronto, and it was here that I announced our government's commitment

of $21 million on a series of wide-ranging initiatives to assist teachers in the classroom.

I also want to pay tribute at this time for the gift I received from the grade 1 students at St Anthony's, Miss McDonald's class. They had gone for a nature

walk, and they had found two chestnuts. They made a decision that they would keep one, and I feel very honoured that they chose to present me with this gift of a chestnut, which I can tell you I

will certainly cherish. But I think it's another indication of hard-working teachers working with enthusiastic students and learning about what happens in the fall.

This morning we committed $5 million to ensure that a sufficient number of low-cost, easily accessible courses are available to teachers, principals and other

administrators across the province. These funds will assist school boards in creating some 400 permanent courses for teachers as well as augmenting professional training for principals,

vice-principals, supervisory officers and directors of education. Regardless of where they work in Ontario, teachers and education professionals will have access to these courses through distance

learning.

We also provided $5 million in funding to support teachers at 14 more schools to improve students' reading skills. This is part of Ontario's schools that need

extra help program, which is linked with our early reading strategy. It will bring to 29 the total number of turnaround schools that are being provided with extra help, schools located in such

places as Moosonee, Fort Erie, Toronto and Kitchener.

Excellent teachers are critical to students' success. We want to support them by helping them with more effective early reading strategies and by providing the

resources they need to help boost student success.

On another issue, in announcing this year's World Teachers' Day, UNESCO noted that many countries around the world are facing teacher shortages. In Ontario,

our government has been working closely with our education partners, including the Ontario College of Teachers, the Ontario Teachers' Federation and the Ontario Association of Deans of Education,

to address the challenge of this shortage and to renew the profession.

Since 1999, the government has been implementing a five-year, $45-million plan to create more spaces at Ontario's faculties of education. The government is now

funding 6,500 spaces. That's up 30% from 1998-99. Applications to the faculties of education in 2002 are up more than 21% over 2001, and the number of people accepting offers of admission to the

consecutive teacher education program has increased by more than 2.8% this fall.

To further support effective teacher recruitment, I am pleased to announce an additional $1 million in efforts to attract the best people to the profession,

especially in fields such as math, science, technology and French.

Ontario parents have consistently told us they want to be assured that teachers are up to date in their knowledge and skills. For that reason, the government

has taken a number of important steps to support teacher training and excellence. Each of these initiatives is designed to acknowledge teachers as professionals, to support them throughout their

teaching careers and to help them improve student learning. As promised in our budget, we will be providing an additional $10 million to assist school boards in developing professional learning

resources to support and train our teachers.

We want to consult further with teachers and other education stakeholders in the coming months to make sure this funding will best serve our students and

teachers. As a teacher, I know that they share the privilege and challenge of shaping the next generation of our citizens. Certainly the impact of teachers is a benefit to students throughout their

lifetime. So we need to continue to provide support for teaching excellence in order to ensure that this province has the most successful students, taught by the most qualified teachers, in the

country.

As World Teachers' Day approaches, I know that all of us in this House will want to join with me in thanking Ontario's teachers for their dedication and hard

work and for the contribution they make to helping our students achieve their full potential.

Finally, in addition to this statement and to further recognize the commitment and dedication of Ontario's hard-working teachers, I am pleased to announce that

a proclamation is presently before the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario for his signature to proclaim October 5 as World Teachers' Day in Ontario.

The Speaker (Hon Gary Carr): Responses?

Mrs Leona Dombrowsky (Hastings-Frontenac-Lennox and Addington): It is indeed an honour for me to recognize World Teachers' Day on behalf of

the Ontario Liberal Party and my leader, Dalton McGuinty.

The Speaker: Sorry. Apparently there was another statement. The minister didn't come up. I would look for unanimous consent to revert back.

Agreed.

The minister, and then we'll start the time over again with the other member.

WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH

Hon Dianne Cunningham (Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, minister responsible for women's issues): Thank you, Mr Speaker. That

was my problem. I didn't think of asking for consent.

This is a very special occasion this month in October. Today I rise in the House to recognize October as Women's History Month in Canada.

This government has introduced a number of programs designed to provide new opportunities for women. Women in skilled trades is one that I will highlight at

this time. It trains women to become apprentices in highly paid, skilled occupations in which they are traditionally under-represented. It's very difficult. It's a different world for women in the

skilled trades. These are our pioneers and they will become our mentors. As more women gain a foothold in the skilled trades, they also lead the way for other women. I want to celebrate their great

success and compliment their courage. They are our mentors and role models, and we are very pleased to recognize them especially during Women's History Month.

For more than 10 years, Canada has dedicated the month of October to honour and highlight the vital role of women in our history. Women's History Month is an

excellent opportunity to recognize and celebrate women's many achievements. It's a time to reflect on how the world and society has changed for women. It is an opportunity to instill a sense of

pride for all of us in our historical background.

I'm sure you especially relate to this year's theme, Mr Speaker, "Women and Sports -- Champions Forever!", not just through your own history in sport but also

that of your daughter. It's an opportunity to pay tribute to all of these young women, whether they're in kindergarten, elementary school, secondary school or on through our college and university

training and our working environments. They are so committed to sport forever that we will pay tribute to all of Ontario's female athletes, but especially to our sports professionals and our

heroes.

Women have made a significant contribution to sports in Ontario. We can thank them for some truly stunning moments in sports history. I am thinking of women

like Barbara Ann Scott of Ottawa, who thrilled all Canadians when she won Olympic gold for figure skating in 1948. There are some of us who actually remember who Barbara Ann Scott is. She's still

very involved in our community.

And 16-year-old Marilyn Bell of Toronto. For those of us who grew up in this great city that was a very special evening. She kept most of us awake throughout

the night as she finally landed on the shore of Lake Ontario in 1954 and created quite a sensation as the first person to swim across Lake Ontario.

This is actually fun for the men. It is Women's History Month, and look what these women have done to make men have more fun. You know who I'm talking to.

And Bobbie Rosenfeld --

Mr Rosario Marchese (Trinity-Spadina): Oh, oh.

Hon Mrs Cunningham: I wake up my colleague -- outstanding Woman Athlete of the Half Century.

This is about sport, Rosario, and culture, women in sport.

In more recent years, many other women have joined them in outstanding sport achievements. More recently, women like Marnie McBean, winner of three Olympic

gold medals, and two-time Olympic champion Catriona LeMay Doan. Have we ever had wonderful times during these wonderful contests with women in sport.

Remember how we shared in rower Silken Laumann's triumph at the 1996 Olympics, and cheered for gold-medal skier Nancy Greene and all-star peewee hockey player

and track and field champion Abby Hoffman?

It would be remiss if I didn't remember the members of the Canadian women's hockey team, who showed the men how to do it by defeating the USA to win the gold

medal in the Olympic Winter Games. Many of these formidable player