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March 30, 2017

41st Parliament, 2nd Session

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Hansard Transcripts

Votes and Proceedings

Orders and Notices

Hansard Transcripts 2017-Mar-30 (PDF)

L061 - Thu 30 Mar 2017 / Jeu 30 mar 2017

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO

ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DE L’ONTARIO

Thursday 30 March 2017 Jeudi 30 mars 2017

Orders of the Day

Safer School Zones Act, 2017 / Loi de 2017 sur la sécurité accrue des zones d’école

Introduction of Visitors

Wearing of ribbons

Oral Questions

Executive compensation

Executive compensation

Executive compensation

Hydro rates

Government advertising

Motherisk poster

Réduction de la pauvreté / Poverty reduction

Executive compensation

Tenant protection

Tree planting

Government advertising

Mental health and addiction services

Home warranty program

Hydro rates

Hydro rates

Notice of dissatisfaction

Members’ Statements

Armed Forces bands

Consumer protection

Saint John Paul II

Dementia

Earlton Lions Club

William Ward

Carbon monoxide poisoning

Larry Jacula

Menno S. Martin Contractor Ltd.

Visitors

Introduction of Bills

Public Sector Salary Disclosure Amendment Act (Hydro One Inc.), 2017 / Loi de 2017 modifiant la

Loi sur la divulgation des traitements dans le secteur public en ce qui concerne Hydro One Inc.

Liquor Statute Amendment Act (Sale of Spirits Manufactured for Brand Owners), 2017 / Loi de 2017 modifiant des lois concernant l’alcool (vente de spiritueux fabriqués pour des propriétaires de marque)

Peter Kormos Memorial Act (Trillium Gift of Life Network Amendment), 2017 / Loi de 2017 commémorant Peter Kormos (modification de la

Loi sur le Réseau Trillium pour le don de vie)

Labour Relations Amendment Act (Strike and Lock-Out Information), 2017 / Loi de 2017 modifiant la

Loi sur les relations de travail (renseignements sur les grèves et les lockouts)

Motions

Private members’ public business

Statements by the Ministry and Responses

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

Visitors

Petitions

School closures

Elevator maintenance

Grandview Children’s Centre

Persons with communication disabilities

Home inspection industry

Dental care

Dog ownership

Hydro rates

Automotive dealers

Hydro rates

Grandview Children’s Centre

Long-term care

Privatization of public assets

Private Members’ Public Business

Long-Term Care Homes Amendment Act, 2017 / Loi de 2017 modifiant la

Loi Sur les foyers de soins de longue durée

Kickstarting Public Participation Act, 2017 / Loi de 2017 de démarrage de la participation citoyenne

End the Public Funding of Partisan Government Advertising Act, 2017 / Loi de 2017 visant à mettre fin au financement public de la publicité gouvernementale partisane

Long-Term Care Homes Amendment Act, 2017 / Loi de 2017 modifiant la

Loi Sur les foyers de soins de longue durée

Kickstarting Public Participation Act, 2017 / Loi de 2017 de démarrage de la participation citoyenne

End the Public Funding of Partisan Government Advertising Act, 2017 / Loi de 2017 visant à mettre fin au financement public de la publicité gouvernementale partisane

The House met at 0900.

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

Prayers.

Orders of the Day

Safer School Zones Act, 2017 / Loi de 2017 sur la sécurité accrue des zones d’école

Resuming the debate adjourned on March 29, 2017, on the motion for second reading of the following bill:

Bill 65,

An Act to amend the Highway Traffic Act in respect of speed limits in municipalities and other matters / Projet de loi 65, Loi modifiant le Code de la route relativement aux limites de vitesse dans les municipalités et à d’autres questions.

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

Mr. Wayne Gates: Good morning, Mr. Speaker. How are you today? I’m speaking to bill—

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): One moment, please, the member from Niagara Falls.

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): In that rotation, we’re talking about leadoff. So I need a member to stand down their lead.

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): They’ve already stood it down? Oh, it’s your lead. My apologies. I just wanted to make sure there was clarity.

The opposition has stood down their lead and now we move to the lead of the third party. The member from Niagara Falls. My apologies.

Mr. Wayne Gates: I was kind of hoping you’d let the clock run for that five minutes. You’ve got to sit back and relax this morning; I’m doing this for an hour on a bill that’s about three pages. It’s always interesting when you try to talk to a bill that’s only three pages, but I’m going to do the best I can.

I’m going to start by talking about what the Minister of Transportation talked about earlier in his one-hour lead on what the bill is really about. It says that it stressed that through legislation, automatic speed enforcement or photo radar will not be implemented on provincial highways. I noticed the critic from the PCs talked about that extensively, but I think it’s pretty clear that it’s saying photo radar is not coming back to the province of Ontario. I think it’s important to get that out before I get into it. That’s the first part of the bill that I think the minister clarified.

The second element is reducing default speed limits, regarding what municipalities will have the power to deal with. Again, this is empowering municipalities, enabling them to give them the tools to make decisions for themselves and their residents when it comes to default speed limits. I think that’s important in the province of Ontario. If you don’t see the speed limit, it’s usually 50. I found that out myself when I was driving in St. Catharines after an IceDogs game and I went through an area where they said I was going more than 50. I was surprised by that. As a matter of fact, I think they said 72.

I tried to argue there was no speed limit, no signs, no nothing, and I found out—this is going back years ago—that it’s 50 if it’s not posted. So he clarified that.

The third element deals with the red light camera program, a program that existed for some time in the province of Ontario. It provides municipalities—and again, we’re talking about municipalities with the opportunity to gain access and entry into the program. It smoothes out that transition or smoothes out its efficiency, making it easier to gain entry into the program.

Many of you may know, or many of you may have heard me talk about it in this chamber, that before I came here as an MPP and got elected in a by-election in my wonderful riding of Niagara Falls, Fort Erie, Ridgeway, Stevensville, Crystal Beach, I was a—

Mr. Sam Oosterhoff: Great riding.

Mr. Wayne Gates: It is, yes. I see a member from Niagara is here as well. It is a great riding. I encourage all my colleagues to come to Niagara all the time. There’s just so much to do down there.

I was a city councillor, and it certainly was an issue that was important to our council around school zones and safety school zones. As I get into my speech, I will talk about that further. I’ll really get into the formal part of the speech. I’m probably going to get off and on, where I’m going to go here.

I think it’s important to realize that your municipalities right across the province of Ontario realize how important it is for school safety zones. We have had some young people who have been seriously injured and some even killed in school zones.

Last week, I probably saw it first-hand as a Catholic school board was locked out by the board. Those teachers and supporters had a picket line in front of the school in one of the safety school zones, in the school where they were picketing in Niagara, down on Kalar Road. What was interesting to me is how important those safety zones are. Kids were trying to get into school with their parents, but when you saw the congestion that can occur, we were lucky, quite frankly, that one of the teachers—by the way, I want to state for the record that the lockout has ended.

The agreement has been ratified by 99.2%, I think it was, which is extremely high. I’ve done a lot of bargaining in my day, and I don’t recall having a 99.2% ratification. Obviously, that bargaining committee did a good job.

The fear on the teachers’ faces in the school safety zone, with the number of cars that were trying to drive through and maybe going faster than they probably should have been—it was really scary. This type of thing is something that we really need. We didn’t have any instance on the picket line.

I want to, on the record—and I think I want to say to the Minister of Education, who participated in getting those teachers back to work, and to the teachers themselves—I’m married to a teacher, and I think I’ve said that before. She became a principal, so she would have been on the other side. I think probably the biggest mistake that was ever made in education was when you took the principals out of the bargaining unit. I think that was the biggest mistake that was ever made, because I think it has caused some real problems in the school system.

But I want to congratulate the teachers. The fear on their faces—they just want to teach the kids. I think we all agree with that. This is another thing: They wanted to come to school; they wanted to be safe. I could see the shock on their faces, from some of the things that the parents were saying to the teachers and some of the hand gestures they were using. It hurt, quite frankly; it hurt the teachers. I’m glad that they’re back, because the longer a lockout goes, the more problems it creates. I just want to congratulate the bargaining committee.

I do want to thank the minister for getting involved. I did raise that in the House.

We don’t need lockouts in the province of Ontario to get a message across. This one here was just over grievances, and I just think that it was an unnecessary lockout that caused some real concerns around safety for our kids, for our parents and for the teachers. I would encourage all school boards in the future to do everything they can not to lock out teachers.

What happened is, the teachers that were there on Friday, that the parents loved and admired, and who took care of the kids in the classroom, were being sworn at, were given hand gestures that weren’t very complimentary, and it hurt. It really hurt the teachers. I can’t emphasize that enough. The looks on their faces when they saw that—they were surprised; they were dumbfounded.

But the good news is that that part of a bad history in the province of Ontario is over. They’re back; they ratified the agreement. The parents are happy, the kids are happy, and the teachers are happy. So I wanted to congratulate the bargaining committee on that before I get into this.

First of all—I know I’m about seven minutes in, and I’m not sure what I’m going to say here—but at the end of the day, I want to thank you for allowing me to rise and speak today on Bill 65, the Safer School Zones Act. This issue may not be the first thing that people think about when it comes to laws they’d like to see passed in Ontario, but honestly, it’s pretty important. Our children are the most important resource in Ontario. Making sure they are protected is something we should all take very seriously, and I’m happy to be able to speak here today.

I just want to say to our pages who are here today—they are our future. They’re being educated in our school system, and the most important thing for all the 107 MPPs who are here today is your safety and making sure you can get to school, and that you can get there safely and go get an education. As us old guys move on, you’re the next generation, our future. This bill is very important, and I’m glad the pages are here and they can at least listen to what some of the people are going to say today. So I wanted to say to the pages that this is a bill that’s really about them.

Let me begin by discussing a report I read from Safe Kids Canada. In their paper, they reported that, “Child pedestrian injuries are a leading cause”—and this is surprising—“of injury-related deaths for Canadian children aged 14 and younger.” At the time the report was written, “On average”—on average—“30 child pedestrians younger than 14 years are killed and 2,412 are injured every year.” I found that startling, quite frankly. It’s a very, very high number. Just to give you more context, “Children aged 10 to 14 years have the highest risk of pedestrian injuries and deaths”—the highest risk.

I want you to think about that stat. I just spoke about the danger that young kids, especially aged 10 to 14—and that’s around the age our pages are—are being put in. The second you hear something like that you know we have to act.

Madam Speaker, this report was a little older, but to be honest I wouldn’t be shocked if those numbers weren’t much different today. There hasn’t been a lot of legislation dealing with the issue of protecting young children who are walking to and from school with their friends and with cellphones and all the other stuff that they now have today that I didn’t have when I was a kid—I certainly didn’t have the resources to have a cellphone or that kind of stuff, but it’s distracting them for sure.

I think one of the reasons we’re seeing this come from municipalities is because they’re seeing this first-hand, quite frankly, and they’re terrified. Municipal leaders are terrified of what they’re seeing around school zones. Madam Speaker, while speeding is not the only issue here, certainly one of the biggest issues when it comes to children getting hurt when they are walking is the speed of the driver.

To quote that same report, “As the vehicle’s speed increases, so does the force of these impacts.” That makes sense: If it’s going quicker, the impact is going to be a lot harder. “At high speeds, the increased momentum forces the legs to rotate above the head before falling back onto the hood, and at even greater speeds, the child somersaults into the windshield or roof.”

That quote is why speeding laws exist in school areas. Just the thought of that happening to a child and reading that description is enough to break your heart, particularly if it’s one of your loved ones or a friend of a loved one.

Madam Speaker, when a child is hurt in a school zone it’s not just the parents who are hurt—and this may be a little bit more about what I just touched on, but I just spent a week with teachers who were locked out in Niagara. The entire time I walked the picket line with them, it was clear to me that they love their children and just want to be back in the classroom. They want to be back in the classroom, safe. Thanks to the incredible work of their collective bargaining team and the tireless work of their executive, they’re back in their school.

I’ve already thanked the minister for getting involved in that particular terrible situation. But one thing that made clear to me, time and time again on those picket lines, was that they love their students. When kids are hurt, the families are hurt and so are the teachers.

I can’t imagine how much the injury of one of their students would affect them. It’s terrible to even think about. Then, of course, there’s the community. We’re all leaders in our respective communities, and we know how much it hurts a community when a child is hurt or, even worse, when a child is killed.

Just recently, a young teenage girl was killed by a drunk driver in Niagara Falls, a teenage girl who worked at the local Tim Hortons. She had a heart of gold and was doing work in third-world countries building schools and community centres. She had her whole life ahead of her. She was loved by everyone who knew her. Her life was taken from her, and it broke the hearts of the entire community.

I’m just going to say a little bit about her. I never knew her. I went to her place of employment, Tim Hortons, and talked to the owner of the Tim Hortons, a local guy who treats his employees extremely well. He was devastated, to the point that he was crying when he was talking to me.

This is what the young girl did. They went out on a Friday night, which they had done before. They went out with their friends. Do you know what they did? They did what we tell all our kids to do: “Get a cab or ask me or your mom to drive you.” So they got a cab, and they went out for a good time, like a lot of our sons and daughters do almost regularly on a Friday or Saturday night. Unfortunately for them, a drunk driver, just before 11 o’clock on a Friday night, went through a stop sign and killed her and injured other people in the car.

That affects the entire community. That’s why we’ve got to talk about safety in schools and talk about drunk driving. I’ll talk a little bit about texting and stuff, as I get into this. But I think it’s so important to continue to talk about how this happens in community after community after community in the province of Ontario with drunk driving.

I’ve told this story before: My wife’s life was changed forever because of a drunk driver. Coming home from school—she was working in Fonthill—on the way home on Lundy’s Lane, a local street, at 5 o’clock in the afternoon, and a drunk driver hit my wife. It’s going on all the time in the province of Ontario. It’s why, collectively—and I know everybody here is listening. I know the kids are listening. It’s why we have to talk about safety all the time. We have to talk to people to know that they have a responsibility, when they get behind the wheel of a car, not to speed, not to text, and not to drink and drive.

If you are going to drink and drive—or if you’re going to drink—sorry; I apologize for that. If you are drinking, don’t get behind the wheel. Call a friend. Call a cab. Anyway, I had to say that for that young girl who passed away and for her friends and her schoolmates.

We have families, the teachers and the community: three big reasons why this is an issue important for us to talk about and to pass legislation to ensure our children are getting the protection they need and they deserve.

We know that reducing vehicle speed has been proven to save lives, in this case, the lives of children and workers in the school zone. We know we have to get speed limits down in school zones, but we also have to make sure they are enforced.

I know that the Liberal government is intent on closing down as many schools as they can—I just wanted to make sure you guys are listening—but there are still a lot of school zones in Ontario. Municipalities simply cannot afford enough police officers to monitor them all and ensure that no one is speeding. I think every budget, when I was on city council—I know there’s a lot of city councillors here. I know there are some that came from being a trustee.

Municipalities are hurting. School budgets are certainly a big part of that. Why someone would speed in a school zone is beyond me. The terrifying fact is that it happens, particularly in an area where a school is on a street where it’s a long way where there are no stop signs and there are no lights.

Madam Speaker, I believe that when the minister is setting out to answer, with Bill 65—certainly, over the next hour, I’m going to go over some of the aspects of this bill that I think are helpful and some of the aspects of this bill that I think miss the mark entirely.

As always, I think there is quite a bit of language in here that can be clarified, and I’m hoping that we can get that done in committee. I think there are some serious issues that need to be clarified before the bill is passed. Some of these changes have serious consequences, and it’s important that we get the full details on what these plans would look like before we move forward.

Madam Speaker, there are quite a few major details missing from this bill. I will give you an example. Has the government been able to answer why this could be allowed around the clock, or should it only be for times when the school is in session? A question of that nature needs to be answered by this government. It also needs input from the community and surrounding schools. Some of that reason is that there are a lot of kids in the school zones.

The school that I was talking about, on the picket line—there are actually four schools within a very small period of time—which means there are a lot of kids in that particular school area, not just there at school time but after school. It’s a debate that I think the community should have with the surrounding school.

I would like to see some outreach to those communities to see what they feel, and have those opinions brought to the committee, and hopefully some changes made to the bill.

I have another issue when it comes to enforcement of this. For example, what happens when someone has borrowed someone else’s car, or they are the ones that get caught speeding through the school zone? Does the punishment fall on the owner of the car or the actual driver? That can apply to anyone who loans out their car to someone or even to a parent who lends it to their teenage son or daughter. This should be a concern because I have seen another place in the province of Ontario where this is a problem, on the 407. I mean, there’s a laundry list of problems I could list on the 407. I would probably be here all day.

The PC members are talking about unpopular decisions, but they are responsible for the granddaddy of all unpopular decisions: selling out the 407 to a private company. The 407—and this is important. This is important: The 407 doesn’t care who is driving the car. It just snaps the picture, a shot of your plate, and sends you the bill. I will talk about the plates. We have to fix the plates in the province of Ontario. They’re peeling off. We’ve got lots of problems with the plates. That’s a whole other issue.

I had somebody tell me, even on the 407, they took a picture of the licence plate, got it wrong because of it peeling off, and sent the bill to a buddy of mine who has never been on the 407. But he had to pay the bill. It’s kind of a crazy thing that goes on with the 407.

If the bill never arrives or for some reason is lost, suddenly charges start to go higher and higher, and the owner of the car sometimes doesn’t find out for years. We’ve had a lot of cases around that with the 407.

In this case, it’s worse than driving on the 407; it’s about putting our children’s safety at risk. I think the person who puts their safety at risk is the one who should be held liable.

Mr. James J. Bradley: Wayne, here’s my bill.

Mr. Wayne Gates: He wasn’t kidding. This is his bill. James Bradley’s bill: $46.87.

Interjections.

The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Soo Wong): Order.

Mr. Wayne Gates: Anyway, I’m getting stuff from the other member’s 407 bill.

To his point—and I don’t mind saying this—can you imagine paying $47 to drive from the start of the 407 to Oshawa? It’s absolutely ludicrous. A private company is ripping off everybody who drives on the 407. If it would have been kept in public hands, we wouldn’t be going through that today. I agree 100% with that. I spoke on that long before I got this job.

In this case—I think I’m repeating this—there is one who needs to learn what they are doing wrong, and that’s the one who has to change their behaviour. That becomes a lot more complicated and isn’t touched on in this bill. I’d like to see that issue so we can get a proper response on how we can make sure that the people who commit the crime are the ones who face the punishment and ultimately are the ones who change their habits. That’s the key. We can hand out all the fines we want, but we have to find a way for them to change their habits, particularly in school zones.

Madam Speaker, you can look back at my discussions when we were talking about Bill 31 in 2014, 2015, and they won’t change today. I believe you always have to put safety first. I did that in my work life, long before I came here. Worker safety was important to me, as well.

I know the minister will say that Ontario’s roads are among the safest in North America. I’ve heard that a lot, by the way. He answers a lot of those questions that way. But that’s not good enough. We can always do better. I believe, as members of this Legislature, we have the responsibility to do better. We can sit here and brag about safety standards, or we can pledge to keep trying to do even better. I think that’s fair, I think that’s reasonable, and I believe that’s our obligation.

When it comes to issues of safety, I’m always glad to work with my fellow members to make sure our children are safe here in Ontario and whenever they are on or near a road or a highway.

I wish this bill talked about safety beyond just school zones. Since I’ve been here and certainly since I’ve been transportation critic, we’ve worked very hard to make Ontario roads safer. These decisions are a good way to protect kids in school zones. But my dream for Ontario is one where kids are protected anytime they’re near a road, not just in school zones. It makes no sense to me that kids can be safe at school and then they can get in a car and be at risk of being injured by something like a truck that hasn’t been properly inspected.

Madam Speaker, a little off the subject—it’s not in my notes here: Just last week, they did a blitz on inspecting trucks in the province of Ontario. They grabbed 20 trucks. Can anybody guess how many they pulled off the road? What would be fair and reasonable to think? Hopefully, none? Maybe one or two? Out of the 20 trucks they inspected last week, 13 were pulled off the road for not being safe.

I know the minister is not here today. I know he’s very busy, and I understand that. We can’t be here all the time. That’s just the way it works in this place.

That was startling to me when I heard it on the radio last week: 13 out of 20 trucks were unsafe and pulled off the road. So I hope the minister goes to Hansard tomorrow and maybe gets involved and takes a look at that.

There have been lots of discussions around this before, and I believe there are ways to expand these discussions. I believe that if the Liberal government is serious about road safety, they can include some of those discussions in this bill; in particular, the example I just gave you.

During the Minister of Transportation’s lead on this bill, he also discussed Bill 31 and linked the two together. I think that’s fair as these are both bills that fall under the ministry and deal with issues like speeding. I know that Bill 31 also dealt with issues like distracted drivers. I think one of the major concerns about Bill 65—yes, the bill has provisions in place to catch those who speed in school zones, but I’m worried that it doesn’t properly touch on distracted driving in school zones and right across Ontario.

I’ve said it before, and I’m going to say it again: Distracted driving is one of the most dangerous things occurring on our roads today—the most dangerous. I told the story about drunk driving; this is even more dangerous. As far as is I know, the stats still prove that to be the case. It’s terrible what’s occurring out there. What’s scary is that it’s mostly affecting our young people, our future. Young people see the light flashing on their phones and think that they’ll just take a look for a second to read the message and it won’t do any harm. A lot of the time, they manage to get away with it.

When they don’t, things go very bad, and very bad quickly. When it comes to issues around school zones, you might actually be able to fool the camera. You could be driving through a school zone at the speed limit, but if someone is reading their phone at that exact same time, there is a risk of hurting a child, and traffic cameras may not be designed to catch them. So we need to address that in a way that cameras can’t.

I know that, during the debate on Bill 31, we ultimately ended up raising the fines for those caught driving while distracted. I believe that was important and will help reduce distracted driving on our roads, but it can’t end that conversation. If we truly want to make roads safe for our children, we have to continue that conversation and remove distracted driving from our roadways.

I believe one of the best ways to do this, quite frankly, is through education. I’ve used examples before, but I think a good example, and one that’s worth returning to, is the example of seat belts. I think we can all remember that. I think we’ve all gone through that seat belt age. Parents and grandparents from my generation understand this. Back in the 1970s and 1980s, seat belts were not as popular then as they are today. Back then, you used to see people travelling without seat belts all the time. Yes, they were told how much safer they were with seat belts on, but it wasn’t the norm. We didn’t wear them.

Well, you see what an education campaign can do. If you get in your car with your kids today, the same kids going to those schools who we’re trying to protect, the first thing they do is put a seat belt on. It’s a habit for them; it’s like second nature. I’m going to use an example of this. I’ve said this before in the House. I have five wonderful grandchildren—Prescila, Parker, Tatum, Tanner and Charlotte—and they all help each other put their seat belts on. I watch when they get in the car, and they will say to me, “Grandpa, my seat belt is not on right now.

Don’t move yet until my seat belt is on.” The kids, do you know how old they are? They’re 10, 11, eight and six. So think about that. That generation knows that the minute they get in the car, they have got to put seat belts on. And how did they get there? People in this room, when we were that age, didn’t wear seat belts. We didn’t want to wear our seat belts. We thought the government was telling us what to do. We didn’t believe the safety facts. But we got educated. It was proven to us that seat belts save lives, and we passed that on to the next generation.

The next fight for seat belts is never going to happen. We’re never going to have to fight about telling our kids to put seat belts on. I don’t even know if this is legal. Ask the pages. Do you guys all wear your seat belts? Put your hands up. Yeah, see? All our pages wear their seat belts. I think that’s important: Because of the education, they know they are safer when they get in a car and they do it without parents telling them. It’s second nature. Education works.

I believe we have an opportunity and a responsibility to do that when it comes to distracted driving. When we discuss a bill like Bill 65, I would like to see us discussing education around distracted driving. Madam Speaker, we know that more people are getting injured in Ontario today from distracted driving than from drunk driving. I’ve already told you that—it’s not fair to say I told you, but I certainly raised it. It can happen at any time of the day with any sort of driving in any place.

We must protect school zones. We must protect our roads and our highways. Right now, the best way to protect all of those things is to wage a war against distracted driving and try to eliminate it from our roads. I think that is an obligation that all of us who are elected, all 107 of us, have around this thing, and we should do it, collectively, together.

I understand that people are busy or they have messages that they must read, but we have to convince them to pull over. If we can talk about an education program that helps us defeat distracted driving, then we could make roads safer for every resident of Ontario, including our children and our grandchildren.

That’s what I want to say on that bit right there, but I think there are other comments that the minister made that we can draw on. I know many members of this House have put forward bills that make sense and make our roads safer, but the minister doesn’t seem to want to enact those bills. One of the first examples that comes to mind is a left-hand turn bill I put forward in the last session.

Madam Speaker, I would like you to listen to this, especially the next few paragraphs. I had the chance to speak to BRO this weekend. That’s the Bikers Rights Organization; that’s where the name “BRO” comes from. We had a good discussion about road safety and ways to make our roads safer in Ontario.

I know that it might catch some people by surprise that bikers would be willing to sit down and have a discussion about road safety, but you should give them more credit, quite frankly. I worked with some of the BRO members in the General Motors plant, like my good friend Brian. Yes, they wear their jackets, they have long hair, but they care about road safety. We had an excellent conversation on Saturday morning about the need for them to drive down the HOV lanes as a single rider on a motorcycle. I know that’s an issue for another day, but it’s worth getting out there because it’s a good idea, and it’s one I support to keep bikers safe on our roads, but also to cut down on accidents.

Gerry Rhodes, who has reached out to our office many times, has been a big advocate of a bill we worked on to amend the Highway Traffic Act when it comes to harm caused by people making illegal left turns. This was shocking to me when I got involved with it.

I don’t think those who are part of a certain motorcycle club don’t think about children’s safety. They are constantly raising money for good organizations that help out in their community. Last year, that club raised $200,000 for charities, and we all know that charities all need help. It doesn’t matter where it is. Lions Club, Boys and Girls Club—it doesn’t matter what club it is; they all need help, and they were out there doing that.

Madam Speaker, if the minister was serious about keeping our roads safe, why do we not support my bill to update the Highway Traffic Act? Right now, in the province of Ontario—and I don’t know how many people are here on a Thursday afternoon. Actually, Thursday afternoon is probably one of the times that I really enjoy my job. It really is a good time to listen to everybody on bringing forward bills. Right now, in the province of Ontario, people are being killed when a driver isn’t paying attention and he makes an illegal left turn. He’s violating the Highway Traffic Act.

Because of an oversight in the Highway Traffic Act—listen to this, Madam Speaker, because I was shocked at this—the maximum charge for killing a person or a family because of this—think about this—is $500. On Bill 31, we spoke about the need to make sure that the penalty fits the crime, and raised the rates on distracted driving to deter people from doing it. Yet the government did not support doing this same thing when it came to this oversight on left-hand turns.

During the minister’s lead, he talked about making our roads safer. Bill 65 can be part of other steps the minister could take to keep people safe.

Addressing the left-turn issue is important. I’m going to tell another story from my riding. Last Friday, I had a meeting with a young girl: 21 years old, goes to Niagara College, and works in the restaurant there to help put herself through school. Her mom was driving down the street in Niagara Falls, down by a place called Lococo’s, a very popular place to go get groceries. A car came over the bridge, her mom came over the bridge, and somebody made an illegal left turn and killed her mom.

She came in to see me, to see if there is anything she can do. She did a statement in court on the effects that it had on her. Her mom was 42 years old, by the way. Like that, she was never going to be able to see her mom again; never going to be able to say to her mom, “I love you.” Her mom is never going to say that. This was a young girl who came and saw me, and she’s hurting. Do you know what she wanted to do? She wanted to do something for her mom so that it doesn’t happen to any other mom in the province of Ontario.

I’m going to work with her, just like I’m working with BRO and I’m working with this government. I talked to one of the members yesterday—who lost her husband, by the way. An OPP officer, the same thing: on a motorcycle and got killed on a left turn. She brought a bill forward. That bill has to get passed.

Nobody should be able to kill anybody in the province of Ontario by breaking the law, and get a fine of $500. I know that’s off the bill, but it’s all about road safety. That left turn, by the way, could happen right in front of a school. And if it happened and killed one of our kids—a $500 fine. We’ve got to fix that. We’ve got an obligation collectively, all three parties here, to work on that bill and get it passed while we’re sitting here, in the next year. It’s a real thing that’s happening in our communities, and a real issue that we can address today to help protect drivers on our roads.

Madam Speaker, as you may realize, this bill is not lengthy, but it does change a few things. I’ve seen that part of this bill does change the Highway Traffic Act to allow municipalities to set default speed limits in designated areas, instead of being forced to use the province’s 50-kilometre speed limit.

As many of you know, I served as a city councillor before I came here. It was a council that functioned very well and one that I was proud to serve. So I understand the reasoning behind this bill. If I understand the reason behind this bill, it’s to say that local towns and cities know their roads better than we do, and I agree with that. They understand that one size doesn’t fit all and that when it comes to road safety, there can be local solutions they offer that are better than the ones legislated at the provincial level.

Madam Speaker, whether it’s above or below the provincial speed limit of 50 kilometres, we depend on the local municipality and its elected members. I think that’s very important. Local decisions must be listened to. Local government is the level of government that is most connected to its residents and on the front lines, so to speak. When they feel that an area of their town or their city maybe falls under the 50 kilometres, they should be able to decide what they want to do with that. So that’s part—if I understand it properly, I can certainly get behind that. I think the minister is right on this one.

We have been debating Bill 65 for a number of hours now; I think we’re at six or seven hours, whatever it is. There’s been a lot said on the bill. There have been a lot of things, like the need to increase road safety and putting children first, that I absolutely agree with.

There have also been some comments that have raised some eyebrows or that left out certain details. I’m glad my colleague from the PCs is here. I found the hour lead presented by my colleague in the PC Party to be very interesting. He spent a good portion of it attacking the NDP and attacking the minister’s plan in this to introduce photo radar abilities in certain areas of the municipality. He neglected to mention that the entire reason we’re having this debate is because the mayor of Toronto has personally asked the Premier for permission to use cameras in school zones.

In case the member forgot, he actually ran in the 2007 election for the Progressive Conservative Party when that same mayor was leader of the Ontario PC Party. I believe—and I may be wrong, unless he’s changed their name—he was leader of the Ontario PC Party, that member’s party.

Even today, the current leader of the PC Party doesn’t seem to have an issue with the use of these cameras, despite whatever name the minister is giving them. So it’s a little unclear, because he says it’s a cash grab, and that any party that has ever toyed with the idea of using those cameras is looking at nothing but a cash grab. Does he believe that applies to both his former party leader and his current leader?

The member spent a considerable amount of time going over the history of the legislation around this topic, and the portion that was missing. So I thought it would be fair—I wanted to make sure the whole story was told. I think that’s fair. I wanted to make sure he knew this was an ask coming from the same man who was the leader of his party and who ran in the 2007 election, and that’s the mayor of Toronto, John Tory, who is extremely popular, quite frankly, in Toronto.

This starts to get to one of the core issues that I believe was unveiled during this debate, and that is the question of why municipalities feel they need to go down this route. I sat at city council. I listened to the debate around school safety zones and why we have them in Niagara Falls—by the way, at the very school where the lockout occurred last week, where I said there are four schools in a very small area. We have that today. We passed that while I was sitting on city council, long before I got here. Well, not “long” before I got here. I haven’t been here that long; I’ve only been here four years, but before that.

This starts to get to the core issue that I believe was unveiled during this debate on why municipalities should do this. I truly believe the first and foremost reason is safety in school zones. I will repeat that: I believe that municipal politicians who are pushing for this are truly putting the safety of children first, right across the province of Ontario.

We are not the only ones who care about our communities. Elected leaders, city councillors and mayors care deeply about their communities, but I can tell you, they care deeply about the kids in their communities as well. That’s a notion I can get behind and I absolutely support.

I think it’s ridiculous that anyone in the province of Ontario would ever need to worry about their children’s safety when they’re going back and forth to school. If this is an effort to make sure parents know their children are safe, then I absolutely support that.

But there is a second part to the debate that comes up, and that’s the funds for municipalities. Make no mistake about it, Madam Speaker: When drivers get these tickets, that’s funding that will go to the municipality in one way or another. That part’s true. I wish that didn’t have to be the issue, but honestly, that’s very important to cities and towns across the province.

Madam Speaker, we saw this issue in a great toll debate in Toronto just in the last little while. A city needed funding, and they turned to traffic to see what ways they could use to get this funding. In this case, municipalities cannot afford to hire police officers to be at every school zone with a radar gun, so instead they opt to do this.

But the debate about municipal funding leaks into Bill 65 because towns and cities are struggling to find money to pay for their services. I think we can all agree to that. You hear it all the time; you read it in the paper all the time. So I found it interesting that the PC Party calls photo radar a cash grab, and then doesn’t ask why municipalities may need cash to begin with.

I think this is important to this debate. Perhaps they can look at all the funding they slashed to our towns and cities, funding cuts that hollowed out our health care and ended services like mental health—services which our communities desperately need now. I spoke to this this week on another bill; I did.

The PC legacy—they left communities—this is true. I sat at council; I know. They can debate it all they want, they can say whatever they want; they did it. They left communities scrambling to find resources and trying to find ways to raise revenue. The sad

part is, my colleagues of the Liberal Party did the same thing. People who need services like health care and access to mental health, good roads and sidewalks, can’t have those things anymore. Why? Because we have governments that could offer tax breaks to the richest corporations operating in Ontario. They gave up on people suffering with mental health issues to pad the pockets of their friends and donors.

I think that’s wrong. I’m sorry, I think it’s wrong. I think we should take care of our communities. I think we should take care of our mental health. I met with a mental health group this week here at Queen’s Park. One in five have mental health issues, and we are not putting the resources in to help them.

Here’s what’s sad. We’re talking about school safety today. We’re talking about our kids. I think it’s fair, in my humble opinion, to raise mental health issues around our young people—our young people who need help, who need more guidance counsellors in their schools.

The fastest growing area of mental health issues in the province of Ontario is young people aged 14 to 21. Do you know what young people are doing today? I think it’s important to say it here: They are committing suicide. We are not getting to them because we don’t have the resources to get to them early enough, to help them. They’re crying out for help and they can’t get it. The only end result is they commit suicide.

I talked to the teachers yesterday. They were talking to me about abuse in the school system and what they’re facing every day, but then they talked about the kids, because teachers love those kids. It tears that entire community and that whole entire school when one kid commits suicide because of mental health issues.

Quite frankly, we’ve got to do more. We’ve got an obligation to do more. I know every one of my colleagues here, 107 in here, want to do more, and we have to do more on mental health. It was raised to me by the teachers this week. We’re talking about kids; that’s another one.

When you’re discussing Bill 65 and you’re hammering towns and cities that explored these operations as people just looking for a cash grab, maybe you should ask yourself why they need to raise funds—though I mentioned I absolutely do not believe this was a priority of this bill or the first thought. I truly believe they are trying to look out for our kids, and I thank them for that. I still have a lot of grandkids who go to school.

My Jacqueline—I’d better mention her name. I have mentioned her name. Jacqueline is at Brock University, a great university down in Niagara. She’s in second year taking health science. She’s finished in about a month. I will say I’m extremely happy. She’s been living in downtown St. Catharines while she went to school to get that experience. I know what experience she’s talking about, but she’s downtown. The thing is, she’s coming home at the end of April and she’ll be with us. She’s not going to go back; she’s going to stay with us for the next three or four years as she goes to Brock.

I’m thrilled to death that my daughter Jacqueline is going to be back home. I’ll get to see her a lot more, so I’m pleased about that.

Hon. Michael Coteau: Hear, hear.

Mr. Wayne Gates: Thank you very much. I’m excited, just like any other parent would be.

There’s another issue at stake when the opposition calls this a cash grab, and it has to do with the tools that municipalities have available. They simply can’t do anything if their tax base is shrinking instead of growing. You don’t want cameras; you want to hire more police officers to monitor these areas. That’s fine, but make sure the cities and towns can afford to do that. They simply can’t hire officers if they don’t have the money.

I’m going to use an example. I used it earlier this week, and I think it’s important that I do it. Down in Niagara, we’re fighting right now and discussing with the Liberal government about how to protect 1,400 jobs at the casino in Niagara Falls. I know that the Minister of Finance has heard me loud and clear on this issue and I know that my colleague from St. Catharines, Mr. Bradley, has heard me. But it goes to the heart of what I’m talking about: funding for municipalities. That’s 1,400 families—good people who work hard to make a living.

When you look at that—because I came out of the auto sector, as everybody knows. The auto sector says that when you have an auto job, it’s another seven, eight or nine—you can argue what it is—spin-off jobs. Well, the casino is the same way. If 1,400 people are losing their jobs—the spin-off to that is probably four jobs, so now we’re looking at a total of about 6,500 families that could be affected down in Niagara. Trust me: Working at a casino isn’t easy work, but they do it, and they do it extremely well.

We need to protect those jobs because that’s part of the tax base. That’s why municipalities are coming to us for help. We need policies that bring more jobs into our ridings because it protects the tax base that they use to hire police officers. So you see the connection: jobs, taxes, municipalities and how they are able to spend their money. The more job losses, the less municipalities and regions have, which means they are going to need more cameras to try to do the work. We all know the work isn’t the same and that a camera can never replace a police officer.

I want to say to our police officers, who do an incredible job every single day risking their lives on our behalf—I want to say thank you to them and thank you to their partners that support them to have that role in life. It’s not easy knowing that your husband may not come home that day when he’s going to perform his job. So, to the police officers in the province of Ontario, I want to say, “Thank you for the role that you play in Ontario.”

Municipalities feel they have no choice. So when we are here defending jobs like the 1,400 casino workers or the 1,000 jobs at the Fort Erie Race Track, that’s why it’s important for municipalities. Discussions like these are the result of people being out of work. Think about it: They’re out of work; they can’t own a home or they can’t pay taxes, so the city loses that tax revenue. Then they come up with strategies to replace services like police officers and firefighters when they can’t afford them. We should never, ever be cutting back on police officers and, certainly never, ever cutting back on firefighters.

So they come up with other ideas to help pay for these services. The camera idea is one, and they’re using it here to make sure our kids are safe. That’s how the cycle works, and that’s why fighting for jobs is important.

I think it’s important to remember that these requests came from the municipalities themselves. Municipalities like Niagara Falls, like my good mayor Jim Diodati and his council, came to the province of Ontario and said, “We need help. We’re having people getting injured. We’re having young people, young kids, getting injured in school zones.” We did what we could. When I was on council, I told you, we already made a safe school zone. Fifty kilometres was the speed limit that was in the school zone.

But they were still having accidents, still having young people get hurt, so they came to the province of Ontario and put a bill together to support municipalities. We have to support our municipalities.

To be honest, the kind of support that the former leader of the PC party is now asking for, the ability to use cameras, would help raise funds because his municipality in Toronto needs more funding from the province—the same funding that they cut when they were in power. Remember, we had the 50-50 split. I remember this like it was yesterday. We had a 50-50 split, and he took it away. They downloaded it back onto municipalities, who didn’t have the resources at the time. Then we ended up having a crisis in long-term care. We had a crisis in affordable housing. We had all these things that came from the 50-50 split.

I understand why Mayor Tory is asking for help from the province. I actually think the guy does a pretty good job in Toronto. I’ve heard him on TV. I’ve listened to him. He’s fighting for who he should be fighting for. He’s fighting for his municipality and Toronto, so I understand that. He’s the one who’s asking for this. I don’t understand why some people are saying what they’re saying when they get a chance to stand up here and talk. He was a leader of their party.

With that said, they put forward some very strong arguments as to why this is necessary and why this can help. In the end, we have to ask ourselves that question: Does this help the residents of Ontario, and does this help our children be safer when they go to school? The most important thing we have in our lives is our kids.

The same report I cited earlier had this to say about speed cameras, “Research has demonstrated that using a combination”—

Interjections.

Mr. Wayne Gates: I’d like them to listen to this, if they can. I know people like to talk in the morning, but I think this is a very important fact for all of us to hear because it was done by research.

“Research has demonstrated that using a combination of speed cameras and fines can enforce speed limits in residential areas and school zones. One study illustrated that the proportion of vehicles travelling more than 10 kilometres over the speed limit actually”—listen to this—“dropped by 70%.”

Seventy per cent: Imagine the importance of that in a school zone for the safety of our kids. Regardless of your position on the issue, I think that statement is important, and it was worth reading it out as slowly as I did—70%. Regardless of your position on this issue, I think that statement is important to read out. It’s important to remember that those are real kids whose lives we’re protecting.

No matter what the minister calls them—speed cameras, photo radar—the question needs to be the same: Does a municipality have this power to save—who? Anybody know? Anybody listening? Save our kids. Is a municipality going to use it responsibly and present it as a compelling case to be able to use them? Once you answer those questions, then you can decide for yourself if you think photo radar cameras should be appearing in our school zones.

There are some other issues of school safety that I feel are not addressed in the bill. I’d like to talk about school buses and bus drivers. I can’t believe the hour flew by. But that’s an issue we have to talk about. We have to talk about our school bus drivers, and I hope to get to do that again very shortly.

I know I’ve only got 10 seconds left. I appreciate my colleagues listening to me for an hour. I appreciate the Speaker listening intently. I noticed that you were and I thank you for that, and thanks for giving me the opportunity to speak this morning.

The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Soo Wong): Question and comments? I recognize the member from Kitchener Centre.

Ms. Daiene Vernile: Thank you very much, Madam Speaker, and good morning to you. I’m very pleased to offer some comments following the one-hour leadoff this morning by the member for Niagara Falls, who spoke very eloquently on Bill 65, the Safer School Zones Act.

He spoke about some tragic cases involving car accidents. I just want to say first off that our thoughts are with the family and friends of the three youth who were killed last night in a tragic car accident in the Caledonia area. This really underscores our need to get this bill passed to make our roads safer.

Here we are, we’re into our ninth hour of debate on this bill and before we wrap up, I think we need to stress some facts. We need to dispel some misinformation. The member for Niagara Falls rightly pointed out that the member for Kitchener–Conestoga has warned this House of photo radar returning to our provincial highways. This is misinformation; it is incorrect. It is misleading, and it’s alarmist. For any member of the PC Party who is unsure, let me repeat that automated speed enforcement, or photo radar, if that’s what you want to call it, is not going to be on provincial highways.

It’s only going to be on local roads in community safety zones, as decided by local governments. It is municipal governments and chiefs of police across Ontario who have asked for this measure to slow down speeders and save lives.

Now, the NDP has said that they’re going to be supporting Bill 65 because it makes sense, but for the members of the Conservative caucus who are going to be voting against it, I would ask them what that conversation is going to be like with your municipal leaders and your chiefs of police. They’re going to ask you why you voted against it, why you don’t want to see safer roads.

I want to commend the member for Niagara Falls for his speech this morning, for speaking well. I’m disappointed the PCs don’t seem to agree with safer roads. We look forward to passing this bill.

The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Soo Wong): Questions and comments?

Mr. Michael Harris: I appreciate listening to the member for Niagara Falls’s comments on this.

I would really hope that the government would take an opportunity to clarify to this Legislature and to Ontarians what in fact a community safety zone is. We have said that we are absolutely supportive of anything to keep our kids safe in school zones. Of course, in typical Liberal fashion, they go one step further by including this ambiguous clause that would allow municipalities to in fact put photo radar on major highways in the province of Ontario.

I’ll give examples of a few, perhaps in the member for Niagara Falls’s own riding: Stevensville Road, Thompson Road, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Four Mile Creek Road, the Niagara Parkway, Thorold Stone Road and, of course—we all know this one—Lundy’s Lane.

These are major roads that the Liberals are allowing photo radar on, without any actual criteria for what a community safety zone is. It’s a blanket tool to allow municipalities to put this on major highways. Just look at the Hamilton city councillor who asked to put photo radar on the Red Hill parkway or the Lincoln Alexander.

This is no longer about protecting kids in school zones; this is about a cash grab that the Liberals are allowing. Again, it’s a slippery slope, we say. Had they stuck with actual school safety zones, yes, we would likely be there with them. But they didn’t. They’ve gone now to major highways in Ontario like the ones I have referenced, including Lundy’s Lane, Red Hill parkway and the Lincoln Alexander. Photo radar is going to be on these major routes.

I would ask the government members how they’re going to explain to their citizens why a bill that is supposed to be meant to keep kids safe has now approached major highways in the province of Ontario. I think they need to explain this, because it’s not about keeping kids safe. It’s about a cash grab. It’s a cash grab, and we won’t support it.

The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Soo Wong): Questions and comments?

Ms. Peggy Sattler: It is a pleasure for me to rise and congratulate my colleague the member for Niagara Falls on his leadoff remarks with regard to Bill 65, the Safer School Zones Act.

This bill demonstrates the respect for municipalities that we should constantly keep in mind as we are designing legislation in this place. Municipalities understand their communities. They should have more authority over setting their own speed limits and speed enforcement and ensuring the safety of residents.

I want to give a shout-out to Councillor Virginia Ridley from my community. She was elected to city council in 2014 and immediately began advocating for a lowering of speed limits in school zones in London. Because of her advocating on this issue, the city passed a policy last spring to lower speed limits in school zones from 50 kilometres an hour to 40 kilometres an hour.

One of the compelling pieces of data that they used when they were making that decision is around the chance of pedestrian fatality at various speed limits. Lowering the speed limit 10 kilometres, from 50 to 40, means that there was a 70% chance of pedestrian fatality at 50 kilometres but only a 28% chance at 40 kilometres. This is an important initiative to ensure that children are safe when they walk to and from school.

One of the issues that my colleague raised, however, was around the cost to the municipality. The city of London is looking at $1.3 million when you include both the signage that is needed plus the solar-powered flashing beacons. This is a cost that is very expensive, and municipalities are being forced to pay the price.

The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Soo Wong): Questions and comments?

Mr. James J. Bradley: I want to commend the member on an excellent speech that he delivered today, particularly with the personal examples that he used, with the experience that his wife went through, which was a dreadful experience to have to go through, and his meetings with others who have gone through this experience; and his recognition of the importance of this legislation, though he would obviously have other ideas as well how safety on the roads can be assisted.

I am also very pleased that he made reference to the history of downloading in the province of Ontario and how it affected Niagara Falls, St. Catharines and the Niagara region—the downloading of economic decisions from the province of Ontario onto municipalities and the consequences for those municipalities.

I also want to say that there has been considerable support. I know the chief of police and the mayor of Niagara Falls have both expressed support for trying to reduce the speeds in those particular zones and using what this particular bill allows to happen for that purpose.

Also, he made reference to the recent lockout that took place in Niagara with the Catholic school board. I was pleased to be working alongside him. He was able to do so publicly and I was able to do so with my discussions with the Minister of Labour and the Minister of Education, to bring about a local resolution. As a labour leader, he has always noted that the best solutions possible are those which are reached locally, but sometimes that requires some considerable work on them and pressure from other venues to be able to get that solved. We’re both delighted that that situation has been resolved at this point in time.

The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Soo Wong): I return to the member from Niagara Falls to wrap up.

Mr. Wayne Gates: Well, thank you very much. I appreciate that. I want to say, to all my colleagues who commented: Thank you very much.

I did touch very quickly on bus drivers. I want to say to the minister—I know he’s not here—that’s an issue that we have to have a discussion on. We have to raise—the bus drivers are taking our kids to school, in these school safety zones by the way, when they have 30 or 40 kids on it, and we need to have that dialogue. I didn’t get to it in my speech. The hour went too quick. Maybe we can give an hour and a half to the critics next time. It might help me a bit. I don’t know.

I will address the PC Party member from Kitchener–Conestoga. This is my opinion of this, quite frankly. I sat around that table as a city councillor. He mentioned a number of streets in my riding, and that’s fair by the way. I have no problem with him raising my riding. But what isn’t fair is—I’m going to do something a little different that maybe he wouldn’t do. I’m going to listen to the mayor of Niagara Falls and what’s in the best interest of his community. He’s telling me this is what he needs.

I’m going to listen to the Lord Mayor—because he mentioned Niagara-on-the-Lake—I’m going to listen to the Lord Mayor. I’m going to say, “Patty”—that’s what I call him. I call him Patty. I know it’s not as professional, but that’s how we operate down there. They call me Gatesy, so we have little nicknames for one another. We’re all friends.

I go to Patty and I say, “Do you need this? Do you need this in your community? Do you need this in Niagara-on-the-Lake?” Do you know what he said? “We asked the province for it.” And then I went to my good friend down in Fort Erie, Mayor Redekop, and he mentioned those streets too.

It’s good to see he’s got a map of my riding. I think that’s important for the PCs. But at the end of the day, I went to Mayor Redekop and I said, “Mayor Redekop, I know you care about school safety. I know you care about the kids in Fort Erie,” just like Pat does and just like Jim does and just like every one of those councillors. I said, “Do you need this in your riding?” Do you know what they said, all those mayors? “Yes.”

So what I’m going to do is, I’m not going to listen to the member from Kitchener–Conestoga. I’m going to listen to the mayors and the councils that have come to me and said, “Gatesy, will you please support this?” That’s who I’m going to listen to.

Second reading debate deemed adjourned.

The Deputy Speaker (Ms. Soo Wong): Seeing as it’s almost 10:15, we will recess the House until 10:30.

The House recessed from 1013 to 1030.

Introduction of Visitors

Mr. Michael Harris: I’d like to welcome the guests of page captain Coleton Benham today. They’re back: parents Jenny and Jeff Benham and, of course, brother Lucas. I’m sure, Lucas, we’ll see you here, just like your older brother. Welcome, guys, to the Legislature again.

Ms. Teresa J. Armstrong: I would like to welcome three young women who I just met in the Legislature today. They’re here to observe question period: Amy Choi, Lauren White and Anushka Kikrian. Welcome to the Legislature.

Ms. Sophie Kiwala: I would like to extend a warm welcome to Michele Farrugia, who presented at committee this morning. Welcome.

Mr. Michael Harris: I would like to welcome Al Kroetsch and Meagan Martin, father and girlfriend of our Eric Kroetsch, who worked in policy and is now heading to be a Waterloo region police officer. Congratulations to him.

Hon. Tracy MacCharles: I have a couple of introductions this morning. First, we have the mother of page Rajeev Danam. Her name is Esther Kothapally. She’s going to be in the public gallery. We’re having lunch today with her and Rajeev.

Also coming in shortly are students from St. Brendan Catholic School. They’re in the Scarborough part of my riding. I just met with them and had a great photo. They’ll be in shortly. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Mr. Mike Colle: I have with me two of my constituents and good friends: Rabbi Lazer Weinman and his son, Yehuda Weinman. They’re here to wish everybody a happy Passover and chag sameach.

Hon. Reza Moridi: It’s my great pleasure to welcome my constituents Paul, Carla, Vanessa and Vianna Peios visiting the House today. Please join me in welcoming them.

Hon. Eric Hoskins: I’d also like to introduce my good friend Michele Farrugia, who’s here with us in the gallery today.

Mr. Michael Harris: I made a mistake. Meagan Mitchell is the partner of Eric Kroetsch, who’s headed to be a police officer. Meagan Mitchell, welcome to Queen’s Park. My mistake.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): All members do have the right to correct their own record, which is kind of cool.

Hon. Eleanor McMahon: I’m delighted to welcome to Queen’s Park today the chairman of the Canada Games Council, Tom Quinn, joining us in the member’s gallery. Today we’re announcing the successful host of the 2021 Canada Summer Games, this afternoon at U of T. I want to welcome Tom to Queen’s Park and thank him for his work. Welcome.

Mr. Toby Barrett: I very rarely get visitors coming to Queen’s Park from my constituency, let alone coming to Toronto. I’m very pleased to introduce local Norfolk county farm boy Wes Downing.

Mrs. Cristina Martins: It gives me great pleasure to make a couple of introductions here this morning. I will have students from St. John Bosco Catholic School from my riding of Davenport visiting me here this afternoon. I wanted to pre-empt and welcome them here to Queen’s Park.

Visiting us here today in the west gallery is Melissa Hyland, visiting today from St. Brendan school with her grade 5 class. Welcome, Melissa.

Mr. Jim Wilson: On behalf of the PC caucus and all members of the House, I just want to wish best wishes to Eric Kroetsch as he leaves us tomorrow to join the Waterloo regional police force. Eric has served here as a researcher, a top-notch professional and a very, very bright young person in our PC caucus research since my time as interim leader. Eric assures me that the PC member from Kitchener–Conestoga will never get a parking ticket or a speeding ticket. For that, we’re very grateful.

Eric, all the best in your police life and in your career, and thank you. Thank you very much, from the bottom of our hearts.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): I’m sure his chief will allow him to do that.

Further introductions?

Mr. Peter Tabuns: I’d like to welcome students from Diefenbaker school in my riding, and parents and teachers. Welcome.

Mrs. Gila Martow: I’m pleased to welcome Professor Yossi Shain, who is here today, from Tel Aviv University. He’s a professor of political science at Tel Aviv University, as well as a full professor of comparative government and diaspora politics at Georgetown University and a founding director of the program for Jewish civilization.

I want to wish chag sameach. Passover’s starting. There are two Seder dinners this year, and I want to say that it’s the first time in Toronto, in the history of me living here for almost 30 years, that I haven’t had to do a Seder. Both my sisters have stepped up to the plate. Chag sameach.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): We’re getting close to borderline statements.

The member from Etobicoke Centre.

Mr. Yvan Baker: I would like to welcome to the Legislature a very special constituent of mine, Colin Farr. He’s joined by his mom, Barbra Farr. Please welcome them to Queen’s Park.

Mrs. Gila Martow: I just realized that Michele is here. He just spoke so wonderfully to our committee. Thank you so much for staying for question period.

Wearing of ribbons

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

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

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The Minister of Children and Youth Services is seeking unanimous consent to wear the ribbons for World Autism Awareness Day. Do we agree? Agreed.

Oral Questions

Executive compensation

Mr. Todd Smith: My question this morning is for the Deputy Premier. My question for the Deputy Premier is, should the CEO of Hydro One have been paid $4.5 million last year?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: I’m happy to have the opportunity to talk about executive compensation. This is something we take very seriously on this side of the House.

As the member well knows, or should know, compensation disclosure is no longer required at Hydro One because they are now a company that discloses information through the stock exchange requirements. The reason you know is because it is disclosed not through the sunshine list but through other disclosures to shareholders.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Mr. Todd Smith: That’s the whole point: The sunshine list doesn’t include Hydro One employees anymore and the only reason we know about the massive increase to the Hydro One CEO’s salary is because of the salary disclosures for the securities commission that are required there.

The disrespect that has been shown when it comes to huge raises for executive salaries is typical of what the Deputy Premier said last night on the radio. She said, “So be it.” There’s no respect for taxpayers’ dollars, according to the Deputy Premier. So be it; whatever will be will be; live and let live was her approach last night on Newstalk 1010. But that’s the whole point: You can’t live and let live in the Liberals’ Ontario because it’s too expensive to heat your home. People are choosing between heating and eating now.

Can the Deputy Premier justify the outrageous increased salary for the CEO of Hydro One? Can she do that?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: We acknowledge that these salaries are far, far higher than other Ontarians’—we get that. We also get that electricity prices have become too high for people to afford. That’s exactly why we’re bringing down the price of hydro by an average of 25%, and more for people who live in rural, remote areas, and for people with low incomes.

My question, though, is—we have a plan; we’re implementing our plan—where is your plan?

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

Mr. Todd Smith: Step one—and we’ve talked about it over and over again: Stop the sale of Hydro One, but stop the exorbitant salary increases that we’re seeing with the executives at Hydro One. Six times the salary of the previous CEO—I don’t know how the Deputy Premier can justify that when we are seeing tens of thousands of Hydro One customers disconnected last year; hundreds of thousands are behind on their electricity bills. They’re in arrears because of the exorbitant cost of electricity created by the malfeasance and disrespect of this government. Yet, the Hydro One CEO made $4.5 million last year. That is an unbelievable amount.

So, Speaker, my question to the Deputy Premier is, will she rein in executive compensation at Hydro One?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: Speaker, it has been 29 days since the Leader of the Opposition told us that his plan to reduce hydro prices was only days away. On March 2, the leader said his party would announce their plan in the coming weeks. The next day, he told the Barrie Examiner that his hydro announcement would be coming very shortly. And then, on March 9, Brown told reporters he’d outline his plan in the near future.

Speaker, I thought yesterday would be the big reveal. Yesterday, at the speech at the Cambridge Club, I thought the Leader of the Opposition would outline his plan to reduce hydro prices—

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The minister knows better.

Wrap-up sentence, please.

Hon. Deborah Matthews: And the member from Prince Edward–Hastings, I thought, would use his—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Thank you; that’ll do.

As soon as I sat down, the member from Leeds–Grenville decided to start. He is now told to come to order.

Mr. Steve Clark: Thanks.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Without the editorial.

New question?

Executive compensation

Mr. Todd Smith: Back to the Deputy Premier: Here are a couple of numbers for you. The CEO of BC Hydro was paid $490,000; the CEO of SaskPower made $454,000; Manitoba Hydro’s top dog, just shy of $500,000; the CEO of Hydro-Québec, $480,000; the CEO of Hydro One here in Ontario, $4.5 million. Why? My question is, why? Why is this salary so out of touch compared to the rest of the provinces in Canada?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: It sounds to me like the opposition has a one-point plan to bring down hydro prices, and that is a focus on executive compensation.

I think the real issue is, Speaker, that hydro rates are too high. We are implementing a plan that responds to the issues that have been brought to this Legislature.

It has been 29 days. We’re waiting for your plan to bring down hydro prices. We’re moving forward on ours; we sure would like to see yours.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Mr. Todd Smith: The plan of the Liberals is nothing but a shell game and does not address the underlying problems that they’ve created in the electricity sector. They’re the reason why people are falling behind on their electricity bills. They’re the reason why businesses are leaving for other low-cost energy jurisdictions.

Back to the issue of the day: This just exemplifies the disrespect for the taxpayers of Ontario—$4.5 million is out of control. Look at the people who run life-saving hospitals: the president of Sunnybrook, $700,000; the CEO of St. Joseph’s Healthcare, about the same. And this government hands out $4.5 million to Hydro One. Speaker, it doesn’t make any sense.

Will the Liberals slash these out-of-control salary increases at Hydro One?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: The member opposite is making my point. They are really good at criticizing us. They are really, really good at criticizing, but they have no plan. We’re waiting for the plan. All they can do—

Interjections.

Hon. Deborah Matthews: Speaker, I am hopeful—

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Member from Bruce–Grey–Owen Sound.

Hon. Deborah Matthews: I am hopeful that today in Milton the Leader of the Opposition will be unveiling the PC plan to bring down hydro rates. I am looking forward—we’re waiting, Speaker. Maybe this afternoon we’ll get the answer.

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Member from Stormont.

Mr. Todd Smith: Back to the Deputy Premier: This just shows the flippant attitude, the disrespectful attitude, of this government when it comes to executive compensation. They clearly don’t get it.

When we brought up Hydro One compensation back in 2015, the Minister of Energy at the time had this to say: “When we look at comparable Toronto Stock Exchange companies, the pay will actually be set at the medium-to-low range ... with some incentives.” Speaker, is $4.5 million “medium to low range” to this Liberal government, which has driven the cost of electricity out of control? Is $4.5 million for the CEO at Hydro One in the medium-to-low range? If it is, we’ve got a bigger problem than we thought.

Hon. Deborah Matthews: Speaker, I think that slowly but surely the opposition party is revealing their plan to bring down hydro prices. We have the first point; the first point is executive compensation. That’s not going to get us to where we need to go. I hate to break it to you. Again, it has been 29 days. We’ve had lots and lots of criticism. We have had now one idea: compensation. And that will, as the opposition knows, have virtually no impact whatsoever on hydro rates for the people of this province.

We are taking real action. The member opposite is saying, “So be it.” He knows politics, Speaker. What they don’t know is how to bring down hydro prices. We do, and we’re doing it.

Executive compensation

Ms. Andrea Horwath: My question is for the Acting Premier. The current Hydro One CEO is being paid over 500% more than his predecessor. His predecessor ran Hydro One when it was under public control. Now that it’s in private hands, the salary is quite a bit steeper. Can the Acting Premier tell us: Is it simply a coincidence that this ridiculous pay increase occurred at the same time as the Liberal government turned Hydro One over to the private sector?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: At least the NDP has released a plan. It’s not a very good plan, but at least they have released a plan.

Speaker, we are implementing a significant reduction in hydro prices. We are making it more affordable for businesses, for individuals and for farms. We are making it significantly more affordable for people who live in rural and remote parts of the province. We’re making it significantly more affordable for people who are of low income. We have $200 million available for people who want to make investments that will reduce their electricity prices. We have a solid, well-thought-out plan that we are implementing, and that’s what the people of this province expect us to do.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Speaker, the Liberal government has put its stamp of approval on a 500% increase for the Hydro One CEO. Ontarians are understandably frustrated by the fact that the CEO is making almost $4.5 million while entire communities are struggling to pay their hydro bills.

Even worse, though, is the fact that the Premier has allowed a 500% salary increase for the Hydro One CEO at the same time as she and her party have allowed a 300% increase in hydro rates for the people of this province since they formed government.

When will the Acting Premier and the Liberal government take the hydro crisis that they have helped create seriously and stop their wrong-headed sell-off of Hydro One?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: I know that these salaries are unimaginable for virtually everyone in this province. We get that, Speaker. Our focus is on bringing down hydro rates.

The third party has offered a plan, as I have acknowledged, but part of their plan is to spend $4 billion to buy back shares in Hydro One. That’s $4 billion that has to come from somewhere, most likely from health and from education, because that’s where the bulk of spending is.

We are moving forward. We are reducing hydro rates, because we heard loud and clear in this House and in our communities that electricity rates had risen too fast, too high, and that’s why we’re bringing those rates down. We have a credible plan, we’re implementing that plan, and that is what’s expected of people in government.

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

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Speaker, it is no coincidence that the executive compensation of Hydro One jumped by over 500% while the Liberals started selling it off. This ludicrous pay increase is an insult to the many thousands of Ontario families and businesses who are struggling just to keep up with their hydro bills.

When will the Acting Premier realize that the people of this province are fed up, frustrated and thirsty for some real action on the part of the Liberal government to reduce hydro waits and do what the people want? Over 80% of the people of this province want you to stop selling off Hydro One. When are you going to do that?

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Be seated, please. And to the Chair, please.

Deputy Premier.

Hon. Deborah Matthews: We are taking action. We are reducing the price of hydro in this province. People have already seen an 8% reduction in their bills, and come this summer, they will see an additional 17% on average. It will be significantly more than that for those who are having the hardest time paying their bills.

We have moved forward with a plan that actually is working. We’ve made fundamental changes to the hydro pricing so that we can bring down those prices, because we know that hydro costs have been too expensive. They have been unaffordable. We take that responsibility very seriously, and that’s why we are acting.

Hydro rates

Ms. Andrea Horwath: My next question is for the Acting Premier as well. The University Health Network in Toronto has seen its hydro bills increase by $6 million in the past few years. That $6 million could have gone to hiring 60 additional nurses instead. Does the Acting Premier think that paying for soaring hydro bills is a better use of $6 million than hiring 60 more nurses to help people who need care at UHN?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: Minister of Health.

Hon. Eric Hoskins: I look forward to having this exchange with the leader of the third party for perhaps the third time. With University Health Network, we’ve provided them with an increase to their operating budget last year of just under $10 million, in new dollars in addition to the existing operating funding.

But I have to say, whether it’s Sault Ste. Marie, or comments about Hamilton Health Sciences, or the Windsor hospital—

Interjection: St. Joe’s.

Hon. Eric Hoskins: Or St. Joe’s in Hamilton—it has come to the point where one by one these hospital administrators and CEOs feel compelled to come out publicly, following her declarations, to refute them and to point not only to the fact that they are able to sustain the highest quality of care despite electricity costs being about 1% of that total budget, but that they’ve made incredible innovations to help sustain the electricity costs, as well.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: No matter what this health minister says, every single person in this province realizes that every extra dollar that’s being spent on hydro bills that are soaring at hospitals is a dollar that is not being spent on health care for the people of Ontario. It is simple logic.

The hydro bill at London Health Sciences Centre has gone up nearly $2 million under the Liberal government. Will the Acting Premier agree that 20 more nurses would have been a better way for the hospital to use its already shrinking budget than paying skyrocketing hydro bills?

Hon. Eric Hoskins: I’m happy to report that the London Health Sciences Centre budget is doing anything but what the member opposite alleges. In fact, their operating budget increased by 2.4% last year, by almost $18 million.

One by one, the member opposite continues to make these allegations—no doubt London Health Sciences will be next—and one by one, these hospital officials, administrators and CEOs come out, as they did in Peterborough, as they did in Sault Ste. Marie, to indicate that the member opposite, the leader of the third party, is incorrect and that they are able to sustain the high quality of care, recognizing—and it is an important component. But it’s approximately 1% of the overall operating budget of a hospital that goes towards electricity costs.

I spoke about hospitals like Markham Stouffville that have done incredible innovations, or Health Sciences North in Sudbury saving half a million dollars a year on electricity because of—

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

Final supplementary.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: This Liberal government froze hospital budgets for four years and also provided less-than-inflationary increases after that. They have been starving the hospital system for years.

The Liberal government is still planning to continue the sell-off of Hydro One, a disastrous idea, a disastrous plan. They’re defending the ludicrously high salary of the new CEO at Hydro One, and they refuse to admit what is plainly obvious: that hospitals could be using money that they are forced to spend on rising hydro bills to improve patient care.

When will this Acting Premier admit the obvious fact, that her party has made a mistake with their hydro sell-off, and put an end to it before it’s too late?

Hon. Eric Hoskins: The president of the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions, OCHU, which is part of CUPE, just yesterday said that it’s unfair of Ontario opposition MPPs to blame significant care and staffing cuts at our hospitals on high hydro rates. According to the president, “To suggest that the root of our community hospitals’ yearly budget deficits and the staff, bed and care cuts that follow, is high hydro costs is to mislead the public.”

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Stop the clock. The minister will withdraw.

Hon. Eric Hoskins: I withdraw.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): You may continue.

Hon. Eric Hoskins: So the president went on to say, “Communities know where the Liberals stand on hospital funding, but where do the PCs and the NDP stand? It would appear from their public comments that hospitals could expect relief in their relatively small hydro budgets and no relief on their larger underfunding problem”; that was the president.

Government advertising

Ms. Lisa MacLeod: My question is to the President of the Treasury Board. Last night in an interview on Newstalk 1010’s The Rush, I heard the—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Please continue.

Ms. Lisa MacLeod: Last night, in an interview on Newstalk 1010’s The Rush, I heard the height of Liberal arrogance. When asked if the clearly partisan hydro ads made the Liberals look good, the Deputy Premier responded, “So be it.”

“So be it,” Mr. Speaker: That’s what the Deputy Premier of this province had to say about using taxpayer dollars to run Liberal vanity ads. Mr. Speaker, through you, how can the President of the Treasury Board allow these tax-dollar-funded ads to continue, or does she just think, “So be it”?

Hon. Liz Sandals: I’d like to remind everyone, Speaker, that Ontario is the only jurisdiction in Canada that actually has a Government Advertising Act, and the ads in question, just like any other ads we run, comply with that Government Advertising Act. You, yourself, have ruled that they are not an offence to the Legislature.

So we’re actually very proud that we are able to tell the people of Ontario that we will have 25% off. We think that people need to know that, that it is useful information for the public of Ontario to understand, just like we think it’s useful information for the public to know about flu vaccines, useful information for the public to know about sex education and what’s really in the curriculum, as opposed to a bunch of rumours—

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

Supplementary?

Ms. Lisa MacLeod: During a revolution, a queen once uttered, “Let them eat cake.” Now our modern-day Marie Antoinette, the Deputy Premier of this province, tells the people of Ontario, “So be it.” Well, you can’t just say “so be it” to those people who are struggling to pay their bills. You can’t just say “so be it” to people, particularly seniors, struggling between heating and eating.

Will the President of the Treasury Board stand in her place and apologize on behalf of the Deputy Premier, who’s wasting—

Interjections.

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

Interjections.

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

President of the Treasury Board?

Hon. Liz Sandals: What I was going to say is that what we wanted to say to the people of Ontario was, “Who will you help?” When we ran—

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Stop the clock. The member from Nepean–Carleton will come to order.

Hon. Liz Sandals: Our message to the people of Ontario, when we ran our advertising campaign about sexual violence, sexual assault and sexual harassment, was: “Who will you help?” Not only did people in Ontario see it; 85 million people all over the world looked at that advertising, and it changed public opinion in a way that we are very proud of. Within six months, 55% strongly agreed that they had an obligation to intervene when witnessing sexual harassment; 92% agreed that they had an obligation to intervene when witnessing sexual violence; 83% understood that if they witness—

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

Motherisk poster

Miss Monique Taylor: My question is for the Acting Premier. Children were removed from their families based on the results of faulty testing done by Motherisk going back to 2005. It’s not difficult to understand how deeply emotional it is to be taken from your family in the first place. Yet the ministry recently ordered insensitive posters to be distributed widely in schools, suggesting to children that their removal from their family may have been unjustified, leading to panic and embarrassment for families.

The Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth has said, “On 100 levels,” these posters are “potentially damaging” to vulnerable children.

Can the Acting Premier tell us if she thinks that this is appropriate and explain how in the world this was allowed to happen?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: Attorney General.

Hon. Yasir Naqvi: I thank the member opposite for asking a very important question. Our government is very much committed to protecting young people and doing what’s best for them. We recently became aware of the Motherisk Commission’s posters. We understand the concerns that have been raised by young people in schools and by the Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth. As a result, my understanding is that the Ministry of Education is advising school principals and staff to have the posters and materials removed from schools immediately.

We understand that some students may have been negatively affected by these posters and may require additional support. It is also my understanding that the Ministry of Education has asked school boards to alert their mental health leads and guidance staff to be available to support students.

If any students in our schools have concerns about the Motherisk Commission’s poster, we encourage them to speak with their school staff for support.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Miss Monique Taylor: Back to the Acting Premier: The flawed Motherisk program has caused unbelievable damage to children and families across Ontario and beyond. These inappropriate posters placed in schools across the province have only served to incite fear and panic, and make things worse for vulnerable kids.

One mother described the impact on her adopted children as “a punch in the stomach.” She talked about children being scared that they would be asked questions by their peers and their teachers. The Adoption Council of Ontario is asking where the consultation was with adoptive families before these damaging posters were put up.

Will the Acting Premier explain why the government distributed these damaging posters and requested them to be put into schools?

Hon. Yasir Naqvi: Minister of Education.

Hon. Mitzie Hunter: I’m committed to ensuring the safety and the well-being of all students in this province. I understand the concerns that were raised by students, parents, the community and the provincial advocate for children. I’ve been in touch with him, and we have requested that schools remove the materials from schools. We regret that the distribution of the Motherisk posters has caused concerns for students. We have provided direction to school boards to ensure that mental health leads are aware of this situation and that any student who needs additional supports will receive that additional support.

It’s important that if people have concerns, I want to ensure that they have the supports in place to assist at this time.

Réduction de la pauvreté / Poverty reduction

M me Nathalie Des Rosiers: Monsieur le Président, ma question est pour le ministre responsable de la Stratégie de réduction de la pauvreté.

Une de nos ressources les plus précieuses est notre jeunesse.

All societies must honour the potential of their youth. It is our duty to ensure that they can become the persons they want to be and should be. Our future depends on ensuring that the talents of all the young people of Ontario are allowed to flourish.

However, there are often obstacles on this path to success. One of them is poverty. I’m very proud that we have targets to reduce child poverty. This commitment is to reduce child poverty by 25% in five years. This would make a huge difference in the lives of many children.

Would the minister inform the House about Ontario’s progress in meeting this target?

Hon. Chris Ballard: Thank you to the member from Ottawa–Vanier for that question, which is so close to my own heart.

Last week, the province released its annual Poverty Reduction Strategy report highlighting the progress made in 2016. Here are a few highlights: We’re increasing the monthly income of almost 19,000 families by fully exempting child support payments from social assistance benefit calculations. We’re providing healthy meals and snacks every year to more than 896,000 children and youth during the course of the school year. We’re delivering child-centred learning to 260,000 four- and five-year-olds through full-day kindergarten. We’re helping over 115,000 households that are at risk of homelessness to remain housed.

Ontario has now reduced child poverty by over 20%, lifting over 100,000 children out of poverty across the province.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

M me Nathalie Des Rosiers: C’est très encourageant de voir que nous avons fait du progrès dans ce dossier.

There’s also another issue that concerns me. According to the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, 38,500 Ottawa residents, including 15,000 children, visit food banks each month. For these individuals and families, the inability to access sufficient, affordable, nutritious food is a core symptom of poverty. In the early years of a child’s life, insufficient nutrition can impact their ability to learn and grow.

Through you, Mr. Speaker, can the minister explain how Ontario plans to tackle the growing problem of food insecurity?

Hon. Chris Ballard: Thanks again to the member for Ottawa–Vanier for her question.

When I was appointed minister responsible for the Poverty Reduction Strategy, a key item in my mandate was to develop a food security strategy. As a father of three, I certainly know the importance of nutritious food and the role it plays in helping to grow strong and healthy children. I can only imagine the worry that parents who have a tight food budget face in making sure their children grow up healthy and strong.

It’s for these Ontarians that we’re working to create Ontario’s very first food security strategy, building on our work to reduce poverty across the province. Our aim is to ensure every Ontarian has sufficient physical and economic access to affordable, nutritious food, including in remote First Nation communities.

This is important work, and I look forward to reporting back to the House on our progress.

Executive compensation

Mr. Victor Fedeli: Good morning, Speaker. My question is to the Deputy Premier. The last year Hydro One employees appeared on the sunshine list, there were over 4,200 names. Their compensation had grown by over 14% from the previous year. This year, we only get to see five names, and the CEO’s salary is up almost 600% from the last sunshine list appearance.

The government is still the majority shareholder, so my question is, why won’t the government disclose all eligible Hydro One salaries on the sunshine list?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: Speaker, we’re seeing some really interesting bobbing, weaving and deflecting over on the other side. They have no plan when it comes to reducing—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The member from Niagara West–Glanbrook will come to order.

Carry on.

Hon. Deborah Matthews: They have no plan to bring down hydro prices, and that’s why they’re talking about other elements. “We have no plan”—29 days and counting.

They’re diverting news in things like—they actually totally misquoted me. I did not say what they said I said in the interview; I’ve just had another review of it, Speaker. They’re making it up. They’re making it up, because they have no plan to bring down hydro rates—29 days. We’re waiting; the people of Ontario are waiting.

If this party pretends to be a government in waiting, they need to step up, stop criticizing—

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

Supplementary?

Mr. Victor Fedeli: Back to the Deputy Premier: You know, Speaker, people in Ontario don’t appreciate this kind of dodging of the questions. Only in Liberal Ontario would cutting off 60,000 customers earn you a 600% raise.

The government is still the majority shareholder. The Liberals get a say in compensation pay. Will the government put Hydro One back on the sunshine list? Or do they think the Hydro One millionaires’ club should get a free pass in a year when they cut back 60,000 people, who had to go home to a dark house?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: To the Minister of Finance.

Hon. Charles Sousa: I appreciate the question. I’m sure that we all share with the well-being of the ratepayers and the people of Ontario. It is one of the reasons why we took the step to make a more productive, more efficient organization to deliver those services, and they’re outperforming, Mr. Speaker.

It was very clearly stated in the prospectus what the executives would be paid and that it would be made public. That has been done.

Of course, the executives are being paid based on their bonuses and their ability to deliver for the people of Ontario, and that is happening. It is why we are reducing rates by 25%. It is why we have taken the extraordinary opportunity to further help those in rural communities. That is helping. It is why the company is being more responsive to consumers, to ensure that they don’t get cut off, especially when there are alternate means to support them. It is why they are communicating to the people of Ontario and to the ratepayers, which the opposition hasn’t been doing, Mr. Speaker. We’ll continue—

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

New question.

Tenant protection

Mr. Peter Tabuns: My question is to the Acting Premier. During a town hall meeting that I held this week in my riding, I met a couple who told me they were living on a senior’s pension of $1,400 a month. Their rent is $1,000 a month. They’re terrified that their landlord will seek an above-guideline rent increase that will make it impossible for them to live in their unit or make it impossible for them to buy food.

They were told they would have to wait 10 to 15 years for an affordable housing unit. It’s not clear that they’re going to live another 10 to 15 years.

After 14 years of Liberal government, why do seniors still live in fear that they may lose their homes because of an unfair, unreasonable, unaffordable rent increase?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: Minister of Housing.

Hon. Chris Ballard: Thank you for that important question. It certainly is top of mind for many of us living in Ontario.

I can say, Speaker, that it’s absolutely unacceptable that so many Ontarians are faced with housing costs that are rising so dramatically. There is real anxiety within that market. Families on tight budgets, such as seniors, really are feeling the pinch of a rental market that is struggling to keep up with demand.

As I’ve said before in this House, we are developing a number of plans to address both the anxiety in the rental market and housing affordability as well, Mr. Speaker. We’re working with our municipal partners to make secondary suites more readily available. We’ve passed inclusionary zoning. We have frozen the municipal property tax. In short, we understand the anxiety. We understand the problem.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Mr. Peter Tabuns: Back to the Acting Premier: The NDP brought in real rent control when it was in government. The PC government killed it. It has stayed killed under the Liberal government. Before the 2003 election, Liberals described the loss of rent control as “a betrayal of tenants.” They promised real rent protection for tenants. But after winning the election, the Liberals decided to keep betraying tenants for another 14 years. Why should struggling tenants in Ontario believe that the Premier or this government will protect them from unfair, unreasonable, unaffordable rent increases?

Hon. Chris Ballard: Again, thank you to the member of the third party for the question. As I have said before, I appreciate the focus that NDP have brought to this issue, and we certainly welcome them joining in the focus.

What we have said on this side of the House, Mr. Speaker, is that we will be looking at expanding rent controls. We will be bringing in a suite of legislation that addresses more than rent controls. We’ve been studying this issue. We’ve been working on this issue. We have been travelling across the province talking about the RTA to a wide variety of stakeholders, so that we can get it right, so that we can bring legislation forward that deals with rent control, that deals with expanding rent control, and a whole host of other issues around that fact. Mr. Speaker, we get it. We’re working on it.

Tree planting

Mr. Lou Rinaldi: My question is to the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry. Speaker, there’s no denying the positive impact that trees have on our province. When more trees are planted, it helps promote clean air and fights climate change, which explains why I’ve heard members from my riding of Northumberland–Quinte West asking me what they can do to get more involved in the greening of our province.

I understand the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry has committed to planting three million trees across Ontario in 2017 as part of the 50 Million Tree Program. However, my constituents and I believe there’s always more work to be done. Speaker, could the minister please explain to me how my community can get more involved with the government’s initiative to plant 50 million trees?

Hon. Kathryn McGarry: I’d like to thank the member from Northumberland–Quinte West for his question. One of our government’s priorities is combating climate change and promoting clean air, and the 50 Million Tree Program is part of Ontario’s efforts to improve air quality across the province by planting millions of trees each year. These trees will remove approximately 6.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by 2050, the equivalent of taking 1.1 million cars off the road for an entire year.

As part of this initiative, I’m pleased to announce that earlier this week, our government launched the Green Leaf Challenge. Ontario’s Green Leaf Challenge calls on the public to get involved in making the province a cleaner, greener place to live by planting a tree and reporting it on our website. Each year, Ontario plants approximately three million trees under its 50 Million Tree Program, and my government is now challenging the public to match—

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

Mr. Lou Rinaldi: I’m pleased to see that our government’s priorities are aligned with my constituents’. Minister, in a similar partnership with Forests Ontario and the Highway of Heroes Tribute, one tree is being planted along Highway 401 between Trenton and Toronto for every soldier who has fallen serving Canada since Confederation: a total of 170,000 trees. I had the opportunity to help plant some of those trees.

I’m happy to hear that the Green Leaf Challenge will help people to connect with the resources they need to help our environment. Speaker, could the minister please go into more details about the Green Leaf Challenge work?

Hon. Kathryn McGarry: Thank you to the member for his question. His community’s leadership and enthusiasm are inspiring.

Individuals, organizations and businesses can participate in the Green Leaf Challenge by planting a tree, participating in a community tree-planting event, or making a donation to have a tree planted on their behalf.

Afterwards, people can track their progress at the website greenleafchallenge.ca. This allows people to register their trees on an interactive map, access tree-planting resources, and find events in their communities. This initiative is supported by Forests Ontario and the province, and honours Ontario’s 150th anniversary.

I’d like to thank Forests Ontario for being a champion of this cause and the member from Wellington–Halton Hills for his continued efforts to support his residents to get involved in local tree-planting efforts through the county of Wellington’s Green Legacy program.

We’re proud of our green initiatives on this side of the House.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Now, see? Everything did come out without the heckling. It got done.

Mr. Steve Clark: I think you should call a late show.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): I think you should stop.

New question.

Government advertising

Ms. Sylvia Jones: My question is to the Deputy Premier. In 2015, the Liberal government decided to remove the powers of the Auditor General and instead turn her office into a rubber stamp for partisan government advertising. Since then, this government has spent millions of dollars on partisan ads which the AG would never have approved.

It’s never too late to do the right thing. Will the Deputy Premier restore Auditor General oversight of government advertising by supporting Bill 112 this afternoon?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: To the Attorney General.

Hon. Yasir Naqvi: I stand here as a proud member of this government, which introduced some of the most strict and stringent legislation on government advertisement. Under our legislation, a government ad can’t include the name, voice or image of a member of the executive council or a member of the assembly, include the name or logo of a party, or directly identify and criticize a recognized party or member of the assembly.

When it came to voting for that bill in 2004, you would think, by listening to the opposition today, that they must have wholeheartedly endorsed that bill, but, Speaker, they did not. In fact, in 2004 the official opposition voted against that bill; members like the member from Simcoe–Grey and Renfrew–Nipissing–Pembroke, York–Simcoe, Parry Sound–Muskoka, Haldimand–Norfolk, Oxford, Wellington–Halton Hills—who are members today—voted against the bill in 2004.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary.

Ms. Sylvia Jones: The minister seems to enjoy history, so let’s go back to history when you removed the oversight of the Auditor General. We did not support that change. We want to restore the Auditor General’s oversight. That’s what Bill 112 would do. Ontarians expect their government to respect tax dollars, not spend millions on partisan ads.

There was a time when the Deputy Premier believed this as well. Back in 2004, she said, “It’s just outrageous to me that governments spend money on what are, in essence, political pieces.”

What has changed? Why does this government think it’s okay to spend tax dollars to prop up the Premier’s failing polling numbers?

Hon. Yasir Naqvi: Speaker, the opposition loves the 2004 bill so much that they voted against it. They did not support it even then. In fact, they pined for the old Mike-Harris-style ads where he used to stroll up on the screen and justify closing hospitals; where he used to justify closing schools; where he actually stood there and flicked the lights off on Ontario’s public services and Ontario’s electricity system, which we’re still rebuilding in this province. Now they stand up and they say that that was a great piece of legislation.

Speaker, this is nothing but distraction. It has been 29 days since we put forward our plan to cut hydro rates by 25%, and we still have not heard from the opposition as to what their plan is going to be because they have no plan to help Ontarians—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The minister will come to order.

New question.

Mental health and addiction services

Ms. Peggy Sattler: My question is to the Acting Premier. This is the third time I have risen in this House to urge this Liberal government to sign off on a project to address London’s ongoing mental health crisis, which would allow ambulances to take non-acute mental health patients directly to the crisis centre rather than the hospital’s constantly overcrowded ER.

On Monday, the health minister said that he is looking at the project. I’m sorry, Speaker, but that’s not good enough. This Liberal government has been looking at the project for almost two years. What my community wants to know is not whether, but when this project will go ahead.

Hon. Deborah Matthews: Minister of Health.

Hon. Eric Hoskins: Mr. Speaker, I know that this is the third time that I’ve had the opportunity to address this. This is a request coming out of London from a great organization. I think all of us know the Canadian Mental Health Association. They have built and are operating a crisis centre that we are funding. We provided $1.2 million of funding for them to operate a crisis centre.

Interjection: It’s a great new model.

Hon. Eric Hoskins: It’s great new model, a crisis centre for youth and adults aged 16 and up—not just for London but for Middlesex county as well. They’re doing great work. They’re very busy because of the fantastic supports and resources that they provide.

They have made a request for something which does not occur in this province, which is to enable ambulances to—instead of dropping off patients at hospitals, to allow those patients to be taken directly to the crisis centre. The type of structure and governance that exists does not allow that in this province, but we’re looking at this proposal nonetheless.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Ms. Peggy Sattler: People in London cannot wait any longer. The mental health patients who are lined up on hallway stretchers need action from this Liberal government, not more excuses. This project alone will not solve the crisis, but it will help. It is desperately needed and it needs to happen now. The Minister of Health is using the Ambulance Act as an excuse for inaction when it actually has nothing to do with the proposed project.

I have another suggestion for the minister. Will he use his ministerial authority to immediately recognize London’s crisis centre as a designated health facility under regulation 552 of the Health Insurance Act so that the ambulance transfer of patients can be funded?

Hon. Eric Hoskins: These are all interesting suggestions. I would suggest that my ministry—as I’ve referenced, I’m not prepared to go against the law in Ontario, which is the Ambulance Act that has the requirement that paramedics and EMS drop patients off at hospital environments. I’m not sure if she’s suggesting that we re-designate the crisis centre as a hospital. She knows we’ve had discussions about this. We are looking at their proposal.

To my knowledge, there is no other situation in this province similar to that which she is requesting. We have suggested that should that crisis centre come under the auspices of the hospital, the London Health Sciences Centre themselves, that would enable that dispatch and drop-off to take place. But it’s a complicated issue. Regrettably, it’s not something that I can sign off on, on a whim, notwithstanding how important this is. We have to do the work required.

Home warranty program

M. Shafiq Qaadri: Ma question est pour la ministre des Services gouvernementaux et des Services aux consommateurs, the Honourable Tracy MacCharles.

Speaker, for many Ontarians, as you will know, buying a house is the largest single investment they will make in their entire lives. And a house, of course, is more than an investment. It’s a home, sanctuary, home base for family, children, career and community.

Of course, your home should be the place where you feel the most secure. But for some, including those in my own riding of Etobicoke North, dreams unfortunately have turned into nightmares. I’m concerned when I hear some of those constituents have been left in distress with nowhere, really, to turn.

Tarion provides warranty coverage and other protections to new homes in Ontario, but its all-encompassing mandate and multiple roles create the potential for a conflict of interest. Speaker, could the minister explain how our government is improving consumer protection for new homebuyers and what our government is doing to change Tarion’s structural challenges, created by the Conservative government of the time?

Hon. Tracy MacCharles: I want to thank the member from Etobicoke North for responding to his constituents on this important issue. I’m pleased to speak about the great work our government is doing for buyers of new homes in Ontario.

As the Minister of Government and Consumer Services, I am committed to improving the lives of Ontarians by strengthening consumer protection. I’ve heard from consumers and industry leaders about the warranty and dispute resolution process in the new-home-building sector.

While I recognize that the building industry in Ontario produces high-quality housing and most are pleased to call their new place their home, I know there are ways that Tarion can be improved. That’s why we appointed the Honourable John Douglas Cunningham to conduct a public and independent review of Tarion and our new home warranty legislation.

This week, I publicly released that report and communicated an action plan, which I’m happy to expand on in the supplementary.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Mr. Shafiq Qaadri: My constituents and I of Etobicoke North appreciate movement on this file.

The benchmarks for modern governance—transparency, accountability and oversight—have of course evolved over the past 40 years. More specifically, the size and complexity of the building industry has changed dramatically since Tarion was conceived in 1976. Since its creation, Tarion’s governing statute has remained virtually unchanged, and it’s somewhat out of step with the times. Giving Tarion the responsibility to set the terms and administer the new home warranty plans and regulate builders and vendors while also adjudicating disputes between homeowners and builders—of course it is impossible to avoid the potential perception of, or the existence of, conflicts of interest.

My question, therefore, is this—again to Minister MacCharles: What is our government doing with the report’s recommendations and how are we changing Tarion’s structure to better protect Ontario consumers?

Hon. Tracy MacCharles: Following the report’s recommendation, I’ve asked Tarion to bring in new deposit protection measures to better reflect today’s home prices and deposit requirements. Also, we’re changing the structure of Tarion by giving government responsibility to make rules and set standards to improve accountability and transparency. Further, we are giving the new-home-building sector the stand-alone regulator it deserves by separating the provider of the new home warranty program from the new-home-builders regulator. Finally, we’re making the dispute resolution process easier and fairer for homeowners to understand.

I also want to stress the actions that we are taking will not increase the price that Ontarians pay for a new home.

I would like to thank the Honourable Justice Cunningham for his report, and I look forward to the changes we’re making to increase consumer protection in Ontario.

Hydro rates

Mr. Randy Pettapiece: My question is for the Deputy Premier. Conroy Schelhaas owns the Forest Motel and Woodland Retreat outside of Stratford. Conroy has a problem. His hydro bills are out of control and his costs keep going up and up. Last year, he paid over $21,000 for hydro. That’s despite investing over $90,000 in energy-efficient upgrades, including almost $12,000 on the LED light bulb retrofit program.

My question to the Deputy Premier is, why is the government paying small businesses to conserve energy, only to push their bills even higher?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: I’m sure this constituent will be very happy when he learns about the steps we’re taking to take down those electricity costs, because we do know that people across this province are welcoming the changes that we are making—the 25% reduction.

Just to recap: We reduced bills by 8%. We cut delivery charges to the most rural customers by 20% starting January 1. Our new agreement with Quebec will reduce electricity system costs for consumers by about $70 million from previous forecasts. We’ve introduced programs like the Ontario Electricity Support Program and the Rural or Remote Rate Protection Program. We’ve suspended the second round of the large renewable procurement process. That saves us up to $3.8 billion in costs. We reduced feed-in tariff prices through annual price reviews, and that’s saving ratepayers a minimum of $1.9 billion.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Mr. Randy Pettapiece: Conroy isn’t alone in paying more for using less hydro. In November, I asked the Premier about Mike Carter, owner of Milverton Food Town. He’s paying more than double for the hydro delivery charge because he isn’t using enough hydro.

It’s the same story with Conroy, whose hydro bill has seen a double-digit increase over the last four years while his energy consumption has dropped 9%. That’s a 9% energy savings and a double-digit increase in hydro costs.

We’re still waiting for an answer to the question I asked in November: How can this government justify something so stupid?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: If you think a 25% reduction is stupid, I simply beg to disagree, Speaker. I think we are taking the important steps to reduce those hydro prices. People across this province are benefiting from that and will continue to benefit from that.

Speaker, I guess my question to the member opposite is—we ar