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

March 10, 2010

39th Parliament, 2nd Session

< Previous sitting day

Next sitting day >

Hansard Transcripts

Votes and Proceedings

Orders and Notices

Hansard Transcripts 2010-Mar-10 (PDF)

L003 - Wed 10 Mar 2010 / Mer 10 mar 2010

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO

ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DE L’ONTARIO

Wednesday 10 March 2010 Mercredi 10 mars 2010

ORDERS OF THE DAY

THRONE SPEECH DEBATE

INTRODUCTION OF VISITORS

ORAL QUESTIONS

FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY

GOVERNMENT ASSETS

POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS

POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS

HEALTH CARE

HEALTH CARE

LONG-TERM CARE

LAND REGISTRY SYSTEM

GOVERNMENT ASSETS

MINING INDUSTRY

FOREST INDUSTRY

AFFORDABLE HOUSING

IMMIGRANT SERVICES

MINING INDUSTRY

HOME CARE

WORKPLACE SAFETY

LAND REGISTRY SYSTEM

INTRODUCTION OF VISITORS

MEMBERS’ STATEMENTS

DEFIBRILLATION EQUIPMENT

UNITED WAY OF LONDON

AND MIDDLESEX

GROVES MEMORIAL

COMMUNITY HOSPITAL

DISASTER RELIEF

WARDEN WOODS

COMMUNITY CENTRE

GO TRANSIT

MEMBERS’ CONDUCT

ANNIVERSARY OF LITHUANIAN INDEPENDENCE

VU PHAM

REPORTS BY COMMITTEES

STANDING COMMITTEE ON FINANCE

AND ECONOMIC AFFAIRS

INTRODUCTION OF BILLS

PROTECTION OF VULNERABLE

AND ELDERLY PEOPLE

FROM ABUSE ACT

(POWERS OF ATTORNEY), 2010 /

LOI DE 2010 SUR LA PROTECTION

DES PERSONNES VULNÉRABLES

ET DES PERSONNES ÂGÉES

CONTRE LES MAUVAIS TRAITEMENTS

(PROCURATIONS)

OMBUDSMAN AMENDMENT ACT, 2010 /

LOI DE 2010 MODIFIANT

LA

LOI SUR L’OMBUDSMAN

BILL OF RIGHTS FOR PUPILS

WITH DIABETES, 2010 /

CHARTE DES DROITS DES ÉLÈVES

DIABÉTIQUES DE 2010

CLIMATE CHANGE

AWARENESS ACT, 2010 /

LOI DE 2010 SUR LA SENSIBILISATION

AUX CHANGEMENTS CLIMATIQUES

CONSUMER REPORTING

AMENDMENT ACT, 2010 /

LOI DE 2010 MODIFIANT LA LOI

SUR LES RENSEIGNEMENTS

CONCERNANT LE CONSOMMATEUR

MOTIONS

PRIVATE MEMBERS’ PUBLIC BUSINESS

COMMITTEE SITTINGS

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY /

JOURNÉE INTERNATIONALE

DE LA FEMME

PETITIONS

TAXATION

CHILD CARE

FIREARMS CONTROL

TAXATION

CLIMATE CHANGE

TAXATION

FIREARMS CONTROL

TAXATION

PRESENTATION OF PETITIONS

CLIMATE CHANGE

ORDERS OF THE DAY

THRONE SPEECH DEBATE

ADJOURNMENT DEBATE

MINING INDUSTRY

The House met at 0900.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Good morning. Please remain standing for the Lord’s Prayer, followed by a moment of silence for inner thought and personal reflection.

Prayers.

ORDERS OF THE DAY

THRONE SPEECH DEBATE

Resuming the debate adjourned on March 9, 2010, on the motion for an address in reply to the speech of His Honour the Lieutenant Governor at the opening of the session.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Further debate?

Mr. Rosario Marchese: I would like unanimous consent to stand down our lead.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Agreed? Agreed.

Further debate?

Mr. Bill Mauro: I’m pleased to have a few minutes this morning to make my remarks. I’ll mention right at the beginning that I will be sharing my time with the member from Oak Ridges–Markham.

I would like to begin today, in my response to the throne speech, with I suppose a bit of a reminder of where I feel like we were, before I talk a little bit about where we’re going. The throne speech represents to me, and I think to other members of the Legislature, a bit of a jumping-off point in terms of where we are today and where we will move on a go-forward basis.

I think that most of the people in the province of Ontario are very familiar with the fact that the global community has been struck by what many describe as the greatest recession since the 1930s. We also are aware that, as a result of that recession, the revenues of the province of Ontario have significantly declined and we find ourselves in a significant deficit position.

I think it’s important to mention, however, that while Ontario represents about 40% of the Canadian economy, when you contrast our deficit with that of the federal government you will find that they are closely related in terms of their percentage of the Canadian economy. So in fact when you compare Ontario’s position—while it’s not one we wish to find ourselves in—on a relative basis to other jurisdictions around the planet, where we are now just provides us with more work to do going forward.

How we in the province of Ontario responded to the recession is something that’s worth reminding people about before we talk about what we’re doing to move forward. As many people will know, one of the approaches we took in Ontario was significant investments in infrastructure and retraining. That’s where we sort of planted our flag, so to speak, and I would say we did that before the recession had even hit.

Many people will recall, going back to our election in 2003, that we had made a commitment to significant infrastructure spending, I would suggest even before it was fashionable to do so. We came to that election in 2003 with a very clearly articulated piece of our platform speaking to the fact that we felt that in the province of Ontario there was a significant infrastructure deficit existing at that time.

One of the ways that the previous administration had decided they were going to pay for their income tax cuts—a series of tax cuts in the province of Ontario—was, we believed, through a lack of investment in infrastructure. As a government, we invested heavily in the first three or four years, from 2003 to 2006 or 2007, $30 billion in infrastructure in that three- or four-year period. And as many members here in the Legislature today will know, we continued with those investments—$32.5 billion in the following two years, $28 billion of that, again, being provincial money.

That was the approach we took after having identified what we felt was a serious infrastructure deficit in the province of Ontario back in the election of 2003.

As I like to remind people, we’ve been doing this for a long time, not only when the recession hit, but we seriously increased and continued our investments in infrastructure once the recession did in fact take place.

We throw the word “infrastructure’” around in a very loose fashion, but I think it’s important to remember the significant impact that those investments can have. I represent a riding, Thunder Bay–Atikokan, that has within its geographic boundaries many very, very small communities; not only small in population, but small in tax base. Oliver, Paipoonge, O’Connor, Neebing, Conmee, Gillies, Atikokan: These are all small communities by population and small communities by tax base. But one of the things they all have as a common denominator is very large geographic land masses and small tax bases with which to support that large land mass.

These major infrastructure investments we have been making for five, six or seven years now have a disproportionately positive effect, I would say, on these smaller communities that are contained within my riding, and I’m sure that most members of the Legislature could tell a similar story if they chose to. Tens of millions of dollars have been invested in these small communities.

Not only have we, through those investments, significantly increased job creation in those areas where infrastructure investments have been made, but we have allowed them to go forward with projects that they would otherwise not likely have been able to do. In many cases, they simply do not have the tax base to do that.

Not only in the small communities, but even in my home of Thunder Bay, which is a larger municipal centre of 110,000 or 120,000 people—by standards in my riding, obviously the largest community by far—we have made huge infrastructure investments. It has created a tremendous amount of tax room in the city of Thunder Bay, and has allowed them to go forward with projects, I would suggest, where they otherwise might not have.

I would just flag two examples of that on the books right now, already begun in Thunder Bay: our commitment to a brand new courthouse, part of our infrastructure and capital regeneration programs, somewhere north of a $100-million project; and a long-term-care home project that I’m sure is also going to approach somewhere in the neighbourhood of $100 million when it’s online. Those two projects alone—$200 million—both of which are ramping up now, are providing brownfield regeneration, downtown south core revitalization, tremendous job opportunities in the building trades and construction work for people in the city of Thunder Bay. All that is coming.

The other half of what we did when the recession hit was to invest heavily in retraining. We knew that as a result of the recession, there were a lot of people who found themselves out of work, and what we did primarily, but not only, through our Second Career retraining program was set a target of 20,000 or 21,000 that we wanted to get into that program. In fact, we exceeded the program targets significantly. I think we topped out somewhere in the neighbourhood of 26,000 people.

I can tell you that I have witnessed and experienced first-hand the effect of those retraining dollars in many communities in my riding. I have to say that I do notice, from time to time, that when we talk about our investments in retraining and education, members of the opposition seem to dismiss these investments as being insignificant, but I can tell you that I have witnessed first-hand the effect of those investments.

I remember very clearly a visit I paid to the Atikokan adult literacy group in my riding. We invested in that small organization in Atikokan and had an opportunity to hear one, two or three different people speak about the impact that those retraining dollars have had on their ability to find themselves a capacity to get back into the job market.

Many of these people are laid-off forestry workers. We know that in Canada alone, somewhere north of 200 pulp and paper and sawmills have closed over the last six or seven years. Members of the opposition would like to have people believe that this is only a problem in Ontario, or more specifically northern Ontario. People who are paying attention to this issue of course know that’s simply not the case. This is all across Canada; in fact, it’s all across the planet, I would suggest, where we’re seeing these closures.

Many of those people who are in my riding are laid-off forestry workers, and these retraining programs have allowed many of them to find a capacity to get back into the workforce. I’m very, very proud of that.

Once you’ve seen one of those stories—a first-hand testimonial by some of these people affected by those retraining dollars—it really commits and sends home to you the importance of programs just like it. I want to thank the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, John Milloy, for his continued commitment to that program.

As we go forward now—that’s sort of the history of where we’ve been. We heard in the throne speech two or three themes that I’m very excited about. One is that the Premier has very clearly articulated, on behalf of our government, that we are going to continue to maintain our commitments to what have been our priorities over the last six or seven years—that’s health care, education and creating jobs for the economy in Ontario.

I can tell you that the list of improvements in the health care situation in Thunder Bay–Atikokan is too long to mention here. I could easily do 20 minutes just on what we’ve been able to manage when it comes to health care improvements in my riding, and I know that all the members that I’m honoured to share this Legislative Assembly with would probably have the capacity to do the same thing in regard to what has occurred in their home ridings.

We heard, on education, our commitment to fund 20,000 more spaces in post-secondary education, beginning, I think, with the fall intake coming up in 2010, and health care commitments continue to be at the base of what we plan to do.

In my riding, as I’ve said, there are many, many examples that I could list, and I think I’ll use my last 30 or 40 seconds here to highlight what we’ve clearly articulated in our throne speech, such as the commitment we have in terms of resource development. The throne speech speaks very clearly to the Ring of Fire. I know that people in northern Ontario and northwestern Ontario are very much looking forward to what that project is going to yield to the benefit of all northern communities and of all people in the province of Ontario, including our First Nations communities, as we go forward.

I know, without a doubt, that we are going to do everything we can. I know that several ministers are involved in this project. We’re going to do everything that we can to see that move forward to create jobs in northern Ontario.

My time is up, and I’m happy to yield the floor to the member from Oak Ridges–Markham.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Bruce Crozier): The Chair recognizes the member for Oak Ridges–Markham.

Ms. Helena Jaczek: I appreciate the opportunity to follow the remarks of my colleague from Thunder Bay–Atikokan and also to speak in strong support of our government’s speech from the throne.

The five-year Open Ontario plan will aid us in expanding and strengthening our economy through exploring new opportunities. It will create an Ontario even more open to new ideas, new people, new investments and new jobs. Open Ontario means a greener Ontario that will build upon our successes from the Green Energy Act by developing a Water Opportunities Act. I’m going to be focusing my remarks on this aspect of the speech. I’m sure that during the 12 hours of debate, we will have time to explore all the aspects of the speech.

As parliamentary assistant to the Minister of the Environment, I have been hearing a great deal about water conservation, efficient use of water and new treatment technologies from many stakeholders over the last few months. This is an area of great interest to the constituents of my riding of Oak Ridges–Markham. The Oak Ridges moraine is the headwater of so many rivers and streams that flow into both Lake Ontario and Lake Simcoe that we’ve taken this apparently abundant supply for granted. But with our rapidly growing population, even we have had to limit lawn-watering in summer, and the realization that water is a precious resource is gradually dawning.

Of course, the rest of the world is far more keenly aware of the situation. One billion people worldwide lack access to clean water, and almost 50% of the world’s population will live in water-scarce areas by 2025. In the next 20 years, worldwide demand for water is expected to be 40% greater than current supply—a crisis in the making if the world does not act.

Compared to other jurisdictions with similar living standards, Ontarians consume large amounts of water. On average, the per capita residential use of water is 260 litres per day, close to twice the amount used in many European countries, including the United Kingdom and Germany. While we are surrounded by the largest lakes on the planet, a closer examination demonstrates that Ontario’s water resources are not as abundant as we perceive. The Great Lakes are essentially a relic, a one-time gift of the glacial melt that occurred at the end of the last ice age. They replenish at an average rate of only 1% per year and are a fragile ecosystem in delicate balance.

The conservation of the world’s most precious resource is at the very heart of the Open Ontario plan. It will strengthen our economy, create jobs, further protect our health and put our educated professionals to use. By managing this resource responsibly, there is an opportunity for the province to translate our water expertise and stewardship into economic growth. We want to make Ontario a world leader in water conservation technologies and services, and establish a global presence in a sector that the Conference Board of Canada has valued at $450 billion worldwide per year, a value that will be doubling every five to six years, reaching nearly $1 trillion by 2020.

Water shortages will drive the need for innovations that emphasize efficiency, reuse and source diversification. With the right encouragement, Ontario’s water technology sector is poised to seize the opportunity. A number of leading-edge water and waste water technology companies, nationally renowned research organizations and several water modeling software companies already call Ontario home. The water industry is the largest subsector of Ontario’s environment industry, generates $1.8 billion in sales per year, and currently involves some 1,000 firms and 22,000 workers.

This existing network of expertise in innovative water solutions, particularly in water recycling and reuse technologies, presents a pivotal opportunity to expand Ontario’s technology sector.

Ontario is already home to several water efficiency networking organizations, including the Canadian Water and Wastewater Association, the Ontario Waterworks Association and the Canadian constituent of the binational organization Alliance for Water Efficiency. An economic study conducted by the latter organization states that investment in water efficiency as a form of economic stimulus can be quickly deployed to yield 15,000 to 22,000 new jobs for each $1.2 billion invested.

These jobs could be right here in Ontario, in service sectors such as plumbing, landscaping, engineering, construction and design, and in manufacturing sectors involved in supplying everything from rain barrels to water-efficient appliances.

A growing number of water efficiency consultants and technology firms are also setting up shop in Ontario. Examples include businesses that advise on municipal water conservation programming; internationally recognized experts on water efficiency standards for fixtures; and technology firms offering innovative rainwater harvesting, grey water recycling, and waste water reuse technologies. Green innovations mean good, green jobs for Ontarians and a more prosperous, globally competitive Ontario.

When the global recession struck, things became very difficult for many Ontarians; many people lost their jobs and homes. A Water Opportunities Act has the potential not only to provide job opportunities for the people of Ontario, but also to save costs in the future.

According to some estimates, $25 billion is needed over the next 15 years to repair and update the province’s aging water infrastructure. Public funds are therefore needed to focus on maintenance. With water efficiency measures, we will be able to stretch the capacity of existing infrastructure, deferring the costs of future infrastructure expansion and resulting in considerable long-term savings for citizens.

Water and waste water treatment systems are energy-intensive, and therefore the power required to operate them is a major cost for municipalities. Water efficiency and conservation therefore also present a significant opportunity for reducing energy uses and the costs associated.

A Water Opportunities Act will also further the Green Energy Act in helping to protect our environment. Keeping sufficient water in watersheds, wetlands and aquifers is critical to ensuring ecosystem function and health. Less power use for water treatment systems will lower greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to the global effort to slow the progression of climate change.

In fulfilling a political commitment to water conservation and efficiency, Ontario has a number of existing instruments and policies that we could build on. The Green Energy Act makes the link between energy and water and enables minimum standards to be set for water-efficient appliances such as toilets and clothes washers. Environmental farm plans offer an existing mechanism to encourage the adoption of water conservation and efficiency best practices for agriculture.

The Safeguarding and Sustaining Ontario’s Water Act amends the Ontario Water Resources Act to enable volume-based fees for highly consumptive commercial and industrial water users. Adopting the Water Opportunities Act will help to encompass all of these existing instruments and policies that have served Ontario well and help us to build upon them to create an effective provincial strategy.

The provincial government’s lead on water conserveation can serve as an example to many other communities in assisting them to also make changes. We can certainly learn also from many other jurisdictions that have to date enacted some of these changes themselves. Some ways the government of Ontario could promote water conservation would be to implement rainwater harvesting and grey water reuse systems in government buildings and use them as demonstration sites.

Many of the industry leaders whom I’ve had the opportunity to meet over the last few months have said that there’s an irony in that they are able to sell their expertise globally, and yet they do not have the opportunity to use this technology in Ontario. The opportunity for demonstration sites would be extremely useful to help our municipalities understand the potential in all these conservation and water efficiency measures.

The throne speech lays out a path for Ontario to develop water conservation and efficiency strategies and represents an enormous opportunity to propel our province into the 21st century of water management. A Water Opportunities Act has the potential to bring growth to our economy and bring jobs into our communities. After all, the word “Ontario” is believed to be derived from the Iroquoian word that means “sparkling, beautiful water.” That is our brand, and it is time to sell our ideas, expertise and technology to the world.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Bruce Crozier): Questions and comments? The member for—

Ms. Lisa MacLeod: Nepean–Carleton.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Bruce Crozier): Nepean–Carleton. Thank you.

Ms. Lisa MacLeod: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. It’s a pleasure to be back here with all of our colleagues on all sides of the House.

It is important indeed that we debate matters of the day. This throne speech was a big disappointment for many of us on this side of the chamber who expected a visionary throne speech that would talk about three things: jobs, jobs, and jobs. It was a disappointment for us in the official opposition to note that only 24 words in the entire throne speech were dedicated to the economy, the debt and the deficit.

Indeed, these are challenging times. That is why we had been calling for a credible jobs plan from this government. Unfortunately, we did not see that in the throne speech. It was quite disappointing, particularly for those of us who have been calling for that type of plan.

Look, it all comes down to what we’re most concerned about here in the official opposition, and there are two things: What promises did they make in the throne speech that they’re going to break, and what didn’t they include in this throne speech?

Let me just give you a couple of examples of things they have never put in a throne speech that Ontarians have had to pay for. The $3-billion HST didn’t make it into last year’s throne speech. The $15-billion, and counting, health tax never made it into a throne speech. The $1-billion Samsung deal never made it into a throne speech. The $358-million LHIN bureaucracy never made it into a throne speech.

What has been a broken promise? Well, investments in long-term-care beds have been promised and never materialized. The promise to bring more nurses online never materialized. And their promise to eliminate the coal plants by 2009 never materialized but, interestingly enough, popped into this throne speech.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Bruce Crozier): Questions and comments?

Mr. Rosario Marchese: I appreciate the comments made by the members from Thunder Bay–Atikokan and Oak Ridges–Markham, but I do want to ask a question of both of them—they may not have the time in the two minutes remaining.

I was intrigued by the Open Ontario plan as it relates to the post-secondary education system, because the government, through the throne speech, suggests that bringing 16,000 more international students might presumably solve the fiscal problems we face in our post-secondary education system. I want to put to my two friends that I don’t believe that that economic strategy or political strategy or policy strategy is going to solve the major problems we have in our post-secondary education system.

I want to say to both of them—and to many members of the government here today—that we are number 10 in per capita funding in the country. We are still one of the most powerful provinces in the country, and we are number 10 in per capita funding for our post-secondary educational system. It’s not a legacy to be proud of.

We have the highest teacher-pupil ratio in the country; it’s one professor to 27 students, and it used to be one professor to 18 but a short 15 years ago. So the ratio is increasing. We have $1.7 billion of deferred maintenance, and that number increases every year. We have pretty well close to the highest tuition fees in the country, meaning that students are more indebted than ever before.

I put to the two members: Do you believe this open strategy is going to solve some of these fundamental problems we have in our post-secondary educational system? That is a simple question that I put to them.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Bruce Crozier): Questions and comments?

Mr. Khalil Ramal: First, I want to congratulate both colleagues, the members from Thunder Bay–Atikokan and Oak Ridges–Markham, for their speeches on the throne speech.

It’s very important that the member from Thunder Bay–Atikokan mentioned our infrastructure in the province of Ontario, because it’s fundamentally important for many different municipalities, like my riding of London–Fanshawe. This initiative gives us a chance to repair and widen many different streets and bridges which have needed it badly for many years.

Also, he spoke about the education and training of our people to prepare them for the future. It’s very important. The Open Ontario plan is incredibly good, because so many people around the globe want to come to Canada and study and get educated here. I’ve had a chance to visit many different nations, and all the time they tell me that they want to come to Ontario. They want to study at the universities of Ontario because they believe strongly that we have the best education in the world.

That’s why it’s important for us to open up and increase our capacity, not just for our students but for people from around the globe, because it’s important to connect us with every part of the globe through our education system.

I listened to the member from Oak Ridges–Markham speaking about water technology. I come from the city of London. We have a lot of companies, like Trojan, and they work very hard to produce the best technology to purify water and treat sewage water. It’s important for all of us to introduce our technology, not just for Canadians but for the world, because we have technology that we can offer. We can help the whole globe treat their water and conserve their water.

I think the speeches fit very well in our agenda and explain our visions for the future and for this province. We believe strongly, as many members said before me, that we have work to do. We are the leader in this country and we can be the leader in the whole world.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Bruce Crozier): Questions and comments?

Mr. John O’Toole: I did listen to the members from Thunder Bay–Atikokan and Oak Ridges–Markham. They did read the speeches very effectively, I would say, that were presented to them, as did the Honourable David Onley in his speech from the throne.

What I tend to look at is what the people are saying and what was the response. I’m using third party commentary here from the media, basically, and this is just a small survey of what the media have said.

The first one here is the day after, March 9: “Two Throne Speeches, Two Divergent Courses.” They’re trying to drive a wedge, if you read the article—it’s worth reading—between their vision of Ontario and the reality of Ontario.

The next one is an

article also from the ninth: “It’s Dalton in Wonderland,” yes, which is quite remarkable. Wonderland: That means he doesn’t really recognize, in the remarks in the throne speech, the dilemma of families in Ontario that are out of work.

The next Ontario politics message here is, “McGuinty Trades Bleak Messages for Talk of a Bright New Future.” That’s the wonderland, that’s the dilemma and that’s what he’s trying to do. He’s ignoring the reality and trying to deal with some promises, which I think we all agree with, to the largest extent. But how does he fund them?

I’m just going to continue here in the limited time: “Double-Talk Dalton McGuinty.” I’m not making these up. These are from the media.

“Canada’s Greece? Ontario Better Get Its Act Together.” In this one, David Dodge says that Ontario is spending more money and the spending is increasing faster than the growth in the economy.

There’s trouble on the horizon. They can’t possibly afford all—

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Bruce Crozier): Thank you. Response?

Mr. Bill Mauro: I want to thank the member from Oak Ridges–Markham for sharing the time with me today, as well as the members from Durham, Nepean–Carleton, Trinity–Spadina and London–Fanshawe for their comments.

From those who have responded in their two minutes, there’s a bit of a common denominator: some complaining about what was contained in the throne speech. I would suggest perhaps to them that there’s a bit of confusion around what a throne speech contains and what a budget contains. I think we’re all aware that in the not-too-distant future, the finance minister, on behalf of our government, will present in the Legislature our budget. We’re all going to be seeing, contained within that document, a little bit more of the detail that some of the members perhaps thought should have been contained in the throne speech.

I think we all are aware that the throne speech represents a bit more of the macro direction, the broader strokes, in terms of the direction the government is going to be taking over the next five years. More of the detail will be contained in the budget, and we will see that presented here in due course.

I do want to restate a couple of the points that I made in my opening 10 minutes.

Contained within the throne speech, we’ve seen what will be a continuing commitment on behalf of our government to what have been our main priorities since we were elected in 2003 and what will remain our priorities on a go-forward basis: job creation, health care and education. I thought the throne speech spoke very directly to those.

We have seen incredible investments in health care on behalf of our government since we were elected in 2003. The throne speech continued to articulate that that will remain a priority of our government, as it is a priority for most, if not all, of the people of the province of Ontario.

We have made record investments in health care over the last six, going on seven, years. While the rates of increase that we’re able to funnel and channel into our health care system are not likely to remain as robust as they have been in the first six or seven years, I think it’s very important that we speak to the people of the province of Ontario and remind them and suggest to them that this will still remain a priority for our government.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Bruce Crozier): Further debate?

Mrs. Julia Munro: I’m pleased to be able to offer a few comments on the throne speech.

I think that it’s interesting—I listened to the last speaker and his comments, and I think we would share the same comments with regard to the purpose of a throne speech. It’s an appropriate time for the government to introduce a throne speech, as it is halfway through its mandate, and people, then, are naturally looking for a statement of vision, a statement that gives some confidence and purpose to the last half of this government’s current mandate.

There are, however, on the part of the public, certain expectations: expectations that the throne speech would reflect the concerns of Ontarians, that the throne speech would assuage people’s fears, that it would provide a road map to give Ontarians comfort that its government had a vision and a plan that confronts these concerns and fears.

While I listened to the throne speech, I was thinking about the kinds of fears, concerns and expectations that my constituents have. There’s quite a significant reaction in my community amongst those who are the recipients of CCAC care and have noticed dramatic cuts in their service from the CCAC. So this would certainly be something they would be looking for. They’d also be looking for the comfort of a government that has a very clear plan on the issue of job creation.

A number of them have also indicated, as they have to me, their concerns about infrastructure, because they look at even half a highway—the 404 between Mulock and Green Lane, and all the jobs that are there on that highway—as a way in which jobs can be close to home and they can be assured of the kind of economic productivity that every community needs. But there isn’t any action or any plan in the immediate future on those kinds of initiatives.

They also represent a great many small and medium business owners, some of whom have told me that they are on the verge of simply closing the door because of the cost and the time and the expertise that continues to plague them on the issue of red tape. They have to provide that in-house time and expertise to be able to deal with an ever-growing amount of red tape.

They question the level of accountability of the government. They look at scandals like eHealth and other scandals and the approach of government to those, and they are in despair.

There are many who look at July 1 as the time when suddenly they’re supposed to find 8% more in their pockets for such a wide variety of services that they depend on. Many seniors have commented to me about the fact that they’re not going to get an 8% increase. They don’t know where the money is going to come from to pay for the hydro, the heat, the gas in their cars. Many have suggested to me their concerns about, “What are we doing for our children and grandchildren when we leave behind for them a debt, a debt that has doubled in recent times, a deficit that is the highest in the country?”

Those are the kinds of things that are part of their vision, part of their concern, part of what they hoped the throne speech would include. Obviously, they instead heard a throne speech that followed, I would say, this government’s tradition: making promises—some we’ve heard before, and some that are met with skepticism, from a past history of broken promises.

I want to take a few moments and look at some of these issues that we’ve heard before. In the throne speech of November 20, 2003, the government included an excerpt on education:

“Your new government’s first and most important priority will always be excellence in public education.

“Its goal is to make Ontario’s public education the world’s best education....

“Your new government will work with schools to make real improvements in children’s reading, writing and math skills.”

It went on to say, “We need to work together to accelerate that progress, to strive toward the ambitious goal of at least 75% of our children reading, writing and doing math at a high level by age 12.”

In the November 2007 throne speech, the Liberals continued this monologue. The Liberals promised to improve achievement, but the truth is that we’re paying more and getting less. Despite $5 billion in extra funding, 33% of children in grades 3 and 6 failed to reach the provincial standard in reading, writing and math last year.

In 2003, McGuinty promised that 75% of students would achieve a B average on province-wide tests for reading, writing and mathematics by 2008. The Premier guaranteed this would happen. However, the Premier has failed to achieve his goal. Progress has stalled.

According to Ontario’s Auditor General, “Further increasing the percentage of students achieving a B average on the EQAO literacy and numeracy tests will be a challenging undertaking.”

Additionally, the Liberals’ no-fail policy is failing students over the long term. The Liberal government’s no-fail policy does not accurately reflect realities of the real world.

The Liberals promised the funding formula would be reviewed by 2010. It’s now 2010 and the funding formula has not been reviewed. The Liberals promised to equip our children for the hypercompetitive global economy of the 21st century. However, according to Dr. Miner, “Ontario is on the verge of an unemployment crisis that could be far more destructive than the 2009 recession.” If the current trends continue, hundreds of thousands of people will lack the necessary skills to find any work. Dr. Miner indicates that more than 700,000 people in Ontario will be unemployed by 2021 due to inadequate skills and education.

That means that more than 1.1 million Ontarians will be unemployed in just 11 years and will have “no prospects of finding work.” Other experts predict that “75% of Ontario’s population will require post-secondary education and training in order to be employable” by 2021.

This might seem more academic than anything else, except that in today’s papers we have an announcement and a glimpse into the findings of the joint effort of the College Mathematics Project. It was released Tuesday. It examined 31,000 first-year math students across the province’s 24 community colleges. The findings are really in stark contrast to the kind of information that the throne speech provided us with. This is from the Toronto Sun:

“Many Ontario college students are in danger of flunking business and technology courses because their math skills don’t add up, a ... study says.

“The Seneca College-led College Mathematics Project notes as many as one third of students in first-semester mathematics are at risk of not completing their diplomas because they just can’t do the math.”

So I think that when you look back at these quotes of the government with regard to its commitment to education—a Premier who guarantees the kind of results he would like to see—it has then come up sharply with the kind of reality that this college test suggests.

I think there are two things we need to link together here. One is to go back to the point I made a moment ago about the Liberals’ no-fail policy. Put that beside comments made from the conclusions of the math study. Many students identified as being at risk of failing math have a poor grasp of basic functions taught in elementary school, such as fractions, ratios, proportions and percentages. So students should be provided more practice in these.

The second conclusion: College and school staff should hold a round table discussion on how to streamline which high school math courses are required for admission to college courses and not have such a disconnect from school to school.

The third suggestion is that schools should convince parents and students to focus on time management and self-discipline.

I find it really interesting that on the one hand, the government clings to this no-fail policy and on the other hand, a report comes out and says that families must focus on time management and self-discipline. Well, usually you would expect that these notions would be reflected both between families and schools, but not in the McGuinty world of education.

While I have many other issues I’m going to try to highlight, it seemed to me that the most important message today should be the fact that while the Premier in his throne speeches, going back over the last few years, has clung to this process of the EQAO and the urgency of making the numbers better and the guarantee that he has offered us, it would seem that this is not the reality when you look at this math project, when you look at Dr. Miner’s caution about how seriously far behind we are and will continue to be unless there is a radical change in the direction and the expectations in terms of student achievement.

So while the Premier is offering to open Ontario’s colleges and universities to the world—this seems to be the most ambitious part of the throne speech—I would say that looking after our own and making sure that, in fact, they have the adequate skills to be employable is certainly an important initiative and one on which the throne speech, this time, is silent.

I think it can’t be understated that it’s most important that people understand how serious this is. And of course, I think we would all remember that the Premier self-described himself as the education Premier. When you look at the record of past throne speeches, when you look at the reality that is facing us today, I would suggest that he has a great deal of work to do in a very short time.

In the brief time I have left, I would just like to remind viewers about the other kinds of promises that the government has made and the kind of situation we find ourselves in; that is, a big gap between those promises and where we actually are at the present moment.

That would take me into a discussion about energy. In the throne speech of October 12, 2005, your government would replace coal-fired electricity generation with cleaner forms of energy, with the last coal-fired plant slated to close in early 2009. We know that there is only one coal-fired plant that has been shut down to date, despite the fact that this target of 2009 has become an ongoing moving target as time passes.

Another aspect of this is that, in the speech of November 29, 2007, your government would “replace coal, double renewables, double conservation and modernize our nuclear capacity.” We certainly have seen a great deal of action on the renewable side, but the question of modernizing nuclear capacity has gone back and forth on new-build nuclear, so much so that it might be completely scrapped. Again, “modernize our nuclear capacity”: This means, by anyone’s common sense, new nuclear.

But in the summer of 2009, George Smitherman abandoned Ontario’s RFP process to build new nuclear, pushing the difficult decisions off onto a future government. On February 16, OPG announced it would spend $300 million to keep the Pickering nuclear station open for another decade and would spend an undisclosed amount to refurbish the Darlington nuclear station. In other words, modernizing our nuclear capacity is merely repairing our existing capacity. The Premier has abandoned the nuclear file in favour of subsidizing Korean renewables.

There are many other examples of the promises that have been made in various throne speeches, including this one. But it’s important to remember that a lot of the things that people are really concerned about, as I mentioned earlier, are not there. I think it’s understandable why people begin to feel a certain amount of abandonment by the government, a certain amount of frustration and a great deal of skepticism. It’s that skepticism that is most unfortunate, because people do have an inherent respect for leadership. They understand that people have to make tough choices. What they really want is to know that when people make a commitment, that’s what they’re going to do.

As a member of the former government open to, obviously, a hot program of decision-making, one of the things that even the most critical was always able to say is, “You did what you said you were going to do.” That is what is missing in the throne speeches when we look at the last three throne speeches.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Bruce Crozier): Questions and comments?

Mr. Peter Tabuns: I want to thank the member for York–Simcoe for her commentary and I want to add some remarks of my own about the throne speech.

The throne speech was not quite a momentous document at all. One of the things that one would think the government would address would be climate change, and the only thing that really was in there was the whole question of urging the federal government to take a leadership position. The reality in this province is that this government has a climate change plan that won’t even meet the targets that it states are necessary to meet. There’s no commitment in this throne speech to actually address the failures in its plan and to put this province on track.

In terms of our credibility on water: Our leader, Andrea Horwath, said quite rightly in the media that we have people in this province right now on boil-water advisories. That’s leadership? We have a Minister of the Environment who won’t take action on site 41. He says that he’s leaving it up to the municipality, when, in fact, that minister has the responsibility for protecting the groundwater resources of this province. He isn’t taking the action that he is required to take.

Politically and morally, he is not acting the way one would expect—demand—governments should act, and he is rightly being criticized by all those who are concerned about the future contamination of groundwater at site 41.

This speech from the throne is putting forward a very 3-D, Avatar-like picture of privatization of major assets of this government. The bundling of key assets of this province into a holding company is irresponsible—something one would expect from the Wall Street consultant Goldman Sachs, but not something I would expect the government of Ontario to adopt.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Bruce Crozier): Thank you. Questions and comments?

Mr. Kevin Daniel Flynn: It’s a pleasure to join the debate and add some comments on the throne speech that we heard the other day. I think, like any large organization that wants to compete in a global economy, such as we’re facing today, we need to set out a strategic direction, and that’s the intent of the throne speech.

I’ll tell you that the people in Oakville were very happy with what they heard the other day in the throne speech, because it gives them some hope for the future; that as we emerge from the recession that we’ve all faced here in North America, Ontario has a plan to emerge from the recession as an even stronger jurisdiction than before the recession took hold.

When you look at some of the details that are in the throne speech, you see things like fresh water technology. That clearly is something—when you look at the competitive advantages that Canada has, that the province of Ontario has, you will look at clean, fresh water. Our growing ability to be able to clean that water up for use over and over again is something that the province of Ontario is already very good at. Businesses in the province of Ontario are already very good at something that, obviously, we can get better at in the future, and something where there’s a real appetite for that on a global perspective.

When you look at more student spaces, that’s a sign of a government that is looking to the future, that realizes that the future of our economy lies in the education of our young people. To invest in education is a difficult choice right now because the economics of the province aren’t, perhaps, what everybody would like them to be. However, we’ve chosen that strategic move to invest.

We’re also starting to get into online education in the province of Ontario. If you look around the globe today, you realize that education itself is changing. The province of Ontario is on top of this issue. All in all, this is a great throne speech. It sets out, I think, a very strong, strategic direction for the province.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Bruce Crozier): Questions and comments?

Mrs. Joyce Savoline: I don’t think it was a great throne speech. I think it was a total rehash of old ideas that haven’t worked. That’s the part that was so shocking to me. Those ideas didn’t work, and they’re bringing them back as though they have been working.

People aren’t stupid; people are worried. People have lost their jobs. People can’t get retrained. People have put their families’ lives on hold. Some kids can’t go to university, waiting for their parents to get another job. What is this about? Old ideas that didn’t work, brought back again.

Let me quote from the throne speech—“We don’t want to compromise our future by moving to balance the budget too quickly.” Too quickly? We’ve done nothing in the time that I’ve been here. In three years, I haven’t seen this government move forward with an initiative that has worked. How much more quickly? Anything, any movement forward, would look quick right now.

We’re not moving forward too quickly because this government has no ideas. It’s in a desperate mode and it doesn’t know what to do. So families are on hold.

Here’s another quote from the throne speech—“Those international students who graduate can stay here and help us grow our economy, or go back [home] and work as a partner with us in the global economy.”

What does that mean? We’re making a deal with other countries to bring students over here? How does that make our students—potential university and college students—feel here at home? They’ve lost hope. They’ve lost hope in our province.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Bruce Crozier): Questions and comments?

Mrs. Julia Munro: Thank you to the members from Toronto–Danforth, Oakville and Burlington for their comments.

I thought it was just a perfect juxtaposition when the member for Toronto–Danforth talked about the boil-water advisories and the member for Oakville talked about our water technology. It just seemed to me that there we have it in a nutshell. I actually wondered about the sale of the water technology that was mentioned in the throne speech, because even in this building we have lead pipes.

The people who are involved in the business of water and sewer main construction plead with the government all the time to talk about renewing the water and sewage system. They estimate that in some areas, as much as one third of all clean water seeps out of the pipes. I was fascinated to find out about this water technology that is going to capture the world market when Ontario goes out there. It will be interesting to see.

I think it’s also one of the thrusts of the throne speech, again mentioned by the member from Oakville, on competing on the world stage. You juxtapose that with the comments by the member from Burlington and I get it: It means that all the problems at home aren’t things we need to worry about. We need to have a bigger stage. That’s what the Premier is looking for. He is clearly trying to sell hope, hope that we’re going to catapult on to the world stage, even though we can’t pass the math exams.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Bruce Crozier): Further debate?

Hon. John Gerretsen: I move adjournment of the debate.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Bruce Crozier): Mr. Gerretsen has moved adjournment of the debate. Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry?

All those in favour?

All those opposed?

In my opinion, the ayes have it.

Debate adjourned.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Bruce Crozier): Orders of the day?

Hon. John Gerretsen: I’m very pleased to call the next order of the day, and that is that there is no further business at this stage.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Bruce Crozier): Thank you. I think we have it all worked out now. This House is in recess until 10:30 of the clock.

The House recessed from 1004 to 1030.

INTRODUCTION OF VISITORS

M. Jean-Marc Lalonde: C’est avec plaisir que je souhaite la bienvenue à 60 étudiants et étudiantes provenant des quatre coins de la province. Ces étudiants sont avec nous aujourd’hui afin de participer au quatrième Parlement jeunesse francophone de l’Ontario. Ils proviennent des quatre coins de la province, comme je disais, et de leur école secondaire francophone respective de la région.

J’aimerais aussi souhaiter la bienvenue aux jeunes de la FESFO ainsi qu’aux enseignants et enseignantes qui les accompagnent.

Bienvenue à Queen’s Park.

L’hon. Madeleine Meilleur: Il me fait plaisir de souhaiter la bienvenue à deux élèves d’une école de ma région. Ce n’est pas souvent que j’ai de la visite d’Ottawa–Vanier : Anya Marcelis de l’école De La Salle, et Patricia Mugenzi de l’école Samuel-Genest. Bienvenue à Queen’s Park.

Hon. Carol Mitchell: I’m very pleased to announce today on behalf of our page from the riding of Huron–Bruce, Colin Jansen, that his father, Steve, and his brother Travis are in the House today. Welcome.

Mr. Joe Dickson: I’d like to take this opportunity on behalf of legislative page Matthew Kostuch, from Dr. Roberta Bondar Public School in Ajax, to welcome his father, Jim Kostuch, and his uncle Brian Nurse, sitting just directly south of the pillar in the west public gallery. We welcome them here today.

Mr. Yasir Naqvi: I want to welcome to Queen’s Park today Philippe Giguère, who lives in the Glebe in Ottawa Centre. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Further introductions?

I would like to welcome to the Speaker’s gallery Gilles Morin, the member for Carleton East in the 33rd, 34th, 35th and 36th Parliaments, as well as Deputy Speaker from 1990 to 1997. Welcome back, Mr. Speaker.

M me France Gélinas: Could I get your indulgence to introduce people from Nickel Belt?

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Yes.

M me France Gélinas: Thank you. It’s Julie Dugas, Chantal Renaud and Cassandre Bergeron.

Mr. Paul Miller: Sorry, Speaker; I wasn’t quick off the start.

I would like to welcome Maria Matuvanga from Hamilton East–Stoney Creek.

ORAL QUESTIONS

FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY

Mr. Tim Hudak: A question for the Premier. Ontario families can’t trust a Premier who is prepared to saddle their children with record deficits and record debt. You, sir, are on course to double the provincial debt in two years’ time, but sadly, your throne speech—the same-old, same-old throne speech—contained merely three lines, just 24 words, about what you plan to do about the deficit and the debt. Premier, is 24 words really the best that you could do?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: I appreciate the question. I think my honourable colleague understands that the budget will speak in detail to our plan to eliminate the deficit. I think he understands the difference between the budget and the throne speech, where we placed before the people of Ontario a five-year plan, our Open Ontario plan. I think he would also want, given the Conference Board of Canada’s report released yesterday, to take this opportunity to express his regret for his opposition to our heavy investment in infrastructure, which is supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs in the province of Ontario.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary?

Mr. Tim Hudak: Premier, 24 words and a $25-billion deficit: That’s more than $1 billion of deficit per word. When Finance Minister Duncan announced his record deficit, he admitted at that time that they didn’t even start thinking about a plan to get the books back in balance. I remind you, Premier, that you famously said at that time that you were going to retreat to your thinking place. You’ve now spent five months in your thinking place and all that has emerged is 24 short words about balancing the books. Why should Ontario families trust Premier McGuinty when he won’t make sparing their children from even more debt even the remotest priority?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: I think I’ve spoken to that. I think my honourable colleague understands, notwithstanding his statements to the contrary, that the place for us to lay out our plan to address the deficit is in the budget.

I want to return to this Conference Board of Canada report because I think it is very important and good news for the people of Ontario. It confirms independently that our heavy investments in infrastructure in 2009 created some 183,000 jobs. More than that, it specifically says that, if not for our investment in infrastructure last year—2009—Ontarians would have lost another 70,000 jobs.

So our infrastructure plan, which this honourable member continues to oppose, last year accounted for 253,000 jobs. That’s part of our plan. It’s going to keep working for the people of Ontario.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Final supplementary.

Mr. Tim Hudak: While the Premier slipped off into his thinking space after the fall economic update, the Ontario PC caucus announced our small-business jobs plan to restart small business as the engine of job creation in the province of Ontario. We’ve called for an immediate payroll tax holiday. We’ve called for a suspension of residential land transfer taxes to help make home ownership more affordable. We’ve called for modernizing our apprenticeship system, including a one-to-one journeyman-to-apprentice ratio to keep young, talented people here in the province of Ontario.

While you’ve disappeared to your thinking place, will you at least move ahead with these reforms to help small business hire and create jobs in the province of Ontario once again?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: I appreciate the fact that my honourable colleague is now doing more than just offering criticism but is actually thinking of some proposals on his own, and I commend him for that. We’ve got our own plan. We continue to move ahead with that plan.

More good news: CIBC recently put out a report which said that Ontario’s full-year growth rate this year should exceed the national average for the first time in eight years. It says that a harmonized sales tax—my friend opposes this—alongside cuts to corporate taxes—my friend opposes this as well—will boost competitiveness and help lure jobs. A focus on emerging sectors such as green power also looks to pay dividends. Finally, growth in Canada’s banking sector stands to benefit Ontario disproportionately.

Those three aspects are specific parts of our Open Ontario plan, I am proud to say. We have many more things we’re doing through Open Ontario to grow this economy and create more jobs.

GOVERNMENT ASSETS

Mr. Tim Hudak: I think Ontario families are going to look askance at the Premier’s five-year plan after the disastrous six-year plan of higher taxes and runaway spending that you’ve foisted upon Ontario families that saw a job loss of 140,000 positions in Ontario last year.

Premier, another initiative that did not appear in your throne speech was your megacorporation proposal. You are proposing to bundle the LCBO, Hydro One, Ontario Power Generation and the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. into one big, super selloff. Premier, are you so desperate for cash to pay for your runaway spending that you’re willing to pawn off the future of our children and grandchildren?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: We will avoid the 407 debacle perpetrated on the people of Ontario by the Conservative government.

I know there’s been a lot of speculation in the media about this, but I think it’s important for me to help Ontarians get a better understanding what we’re considering. We think we have a responsibility to take a look at some of our historic assets here in Ontario to determine whether or not it would be in the long-term public interest for us to find a way to get some money out of those assets, without giving up control over those assets, and invest that in a new foundation for prosperity and jobs. That’s what we’re talking about; that’s what we’re thinking about. No final decisions have been made in that regard.

If my honourable colleague has any specific, positive proposals with respect to what we might do and how we might do it, we’re open to that.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary?

Mr. Tim Hudak: The problem is, we’ve seen where our taxpayer dollars have gone. They’ve gone down the drain in the billion-dollar eHealth boondoggle that helped Liberal-friendly consultants get fat and rich. We saw them handed out in billion-dollar sweetheart deals to foreign-based Samsung corporation, ignoring legitimate businesses here in the province of Ontario.

Premier, we understand that you have paid Insight Research Canada to poll Ontario families on your plan to sell off a 20% stake in your megacorporation, half to a private company and half to a large pension fund. Premier, I ask you: If you have nothing to hide, will you release that polling information and the full list of questions to the general public?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: My honourable colleague says he resents the investment by Samsung because it’s a foreign company. Should we tell Honda that they should remove themselves from Ontario? Should we tell Toyota that they should remove themselves from Ontario? What about Ford and GM? What about any foreign direct investment coming into our province and creating jobs for our people? Should we reject those as well?

This speaks to an outdated, antiquated, neanderthal, protectionist ideology reminiscent of Conservative governments of years gone by. We are an open province now: open to new investment, open to new ideas, open to new jobs, open to new growth.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Final supplementary.

Mr. Tim Hudak: While the Premier supports a buy-Korea policy, the Ontario PC caucus stands for a buy-Ontario policy to support job creation in the province of Ontario, not exporting jobs abroad.

Premier, we know you’re on track to double Ontario’s debt, and now you want to mortgage our crown assets by selling off a 20% share to fuel your runaway spending and your frivolous ideas. The problem with your mega-corporation fire sale, Premier, is that you’re going to hamstring the assets that we’re going to need to pay back Dalton McGuinty’s runaway debt.

So I ask you, Premier, again: Will you table your polling information, and will you tell us today what company and what pension fund you have in mind for your fire sale of 20% of Ontario assets?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: I want to reassure my honourable colleague that we will not do with our assets what his government did with the 407. I want him to take some comfort from that commitment.

Again, my colleague stands against the Samsung investment in Ontario—$7 billion, 16,000 jobs. I just want to remind my honourable colleague of an announcement made by the Minister of Energy and Infrastructure earlier today. He talked about 510 renewable projects that now have gotten the go-ahead because Ontarians are going to keep on working in this program. That’s 510 Ontario-based business ventures, 510 new sources of clean electricity and all kinds of jobs making this new equipment—wind turbines, solar panels and the like—installing it and maintaining it.

We are open to investment, whether from outside of Ontario or inside of Ontario. But working with Ontarians and working with the world at large, we’re going to create new prosperity—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you. New question.

POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS

Mr. Peter Kormos: This is addressed to the Premier—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Stop the clock. The members will please come to order. The member from Brant will please come to order. The member from Sault Ste. Marie will come to order. The member from Thunder Bay–Atikokan will come to order.

The member from Welland.

Mr. Peter Kormos: To the Premier, please: It is reported that on May 29, 2008, the Premier sat down to a dinner with a group of individuals who paid $5,000 apiece for the privilege. Can the Premier tell us who was at the dinner and what was discussed?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: I can’t say I recall exactly what my honourable colleague is talking about, but I do say that as leader of my party I have a responsibility to help raise funds for my party. That contributes to the strength of my party and overall contributes to the strength of our democratic system. I will not apologize for that. It is the responsibility of each leader, of every party and of every individual member of provincial Parliament to participate in this democratic process by helping to raise money for their party so that we can be stronger competitors and more committed to our democratic system. That’s what it’s all about, and I’m proud to do that.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary?

Mr. Peter Kormos: Local news indicated that a dinner took place, and Elections Ontario records show that companies named L.M. Holdings, D.G. Pratt Construction, Blue Sky Private Equity and BEMP Holdings joined the Premier. Can the Premier tell us who attended on behalf of these companies and just what was discussed?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: My honourable colleague presents this as if this is some grand revelation. This information is accessible to him because we’ve changed the law in Ontario to provide for real-time disclosure of political contributions, a process that was under the table and we now have put on top of the table so that all Ontarians can better understand our collective responsibility to raise money for our parties. That’s why my honourable colleague has this information.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Final supplementary.

Mr. Peter Kormos: In a truly remarkable coincidence, all of these companies hold land in a significant parcel of property that was, at the time, just outside of the city of Barrie and off-limits to development.

However, after this dinner, the Premier introduced legislation that would hand the land over to Barrie, lifting the freeze on development and making these properties very, very valuable.

Did the Premier discuss this at his dinner meeting with these companies?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: I will continue to meet with people of all kinds, on all sides of all issues, whether in business or in labour. After I’ve had these meetings, I will always do what I have always done, which is to ensure that the greater public interest is upheld, notwithstanding what the issue might be. I’ve been proud to do that throughout my political career, and I’ll continue doing that.

POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS

Mr. Peter Kormos: To the Premier: These companies that wined and dined with the Premier on May 29, 2008, bought land, nearly 1,000 acres, in an area south of Barrie that was forbidden to development. They bought it for as little as $26,000 an acre. Now that that land is part of Barrie and the freeze on development has lifted, land is being sold for an astonishing $75,000 an acre. If these values hold, that’s a $30-million profit.

Surely the Premier can at least agree that his dinner companions have benefited from moves that the government has made since their dinner meeting.

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: I understand where my honourable colleague is going on this matter, and I reject his allegations and his not-so-subtle accusations completely and thoroughly.

I will continue to meet with Ontarians in various capacities, as Premier and as leader of my party. I will continue to keep myself open to all representations, because I think that’s an important responsibility that we all must assume here at Queen’s Park. At the end of the day, when we make a judgment call, we will always do everything we can to ensure that we are upholding the greater public interest.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary?

Mr. Peter Kormos: Irrefutable facts: Developers meet with the Premier, they fork over $5,000 a plate for dinner, and within a year the government has made an extraordinary intervention that doubles and triples the value of their properties.

Now, what prompted the Premier to make this intervention? More importantly, was it discussed at the private dinner for these Liberal donors?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: My friend is, I gather, unhappy and is looking for ways to express his unhappiness with the changes that we made to the Simcoe county growth plan. I can say that Simcoe county has adopted a new official plan. They sent it to the ministry for a decision. The Barrie-Innisfil Boundary Adjustment Act, 2009, was passed by the Legislature; the annexation became effective on January 1, 2010. It will ensure the continuing success of our growth plan. It is based on solid growth and planning principles. We stand by that, and we’re proud of the decision that we made in that regard.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Final supplementary.

Mr. Peter Kormos: It seems it’s also going to ensure $30 million in new profits for these developers.

Once again, the facts: Developers own land that they couldn’t do much with; they pay $5,000 a plate to sit down and meet and wine and dine with the Premier; within a year the government introduces legislation that makes those developers’ problems simply go away.

I think that people would be curious about what happened at that dinner. We certainly are. These developers have registered Liberal-friendly lobbyists already working on their behalf. They’re not just generous Liberal Party supporters. This stinks.

Why won’t the Premier tell us the real story?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: My honourable colleague is grasping. He is overreaching. Frankly, given his lengthy record of public service, it is unbecoming.

I have met with all kinds of people, and I will continue to do so. They will make representations of one kind or another with respect to how we might do things in government. I will continue to provide this reassurance to the people of Ontario, to an objective audience: that we will always work as hard as we can to uphold the greater public interest, to do what we believe is in the interest of Ontario families. We’ve always done that, and we will always continue to do that.

HEALTH CARE

Mrs. Christine Elliott: My question is for the Premier. Yesterday, when he was asked about 40 contracts the McGuinty Liberals negotiated and signed with US clinics and hospitals, the procurement minister hid behind the Minister of Health. Minister Takhar is not only responsible for procurement, but he is also your point person for transparency legislation, accountability and integrity.

Why would integrity czar Minister Takhar evade questions about the 40 deals you’ve cut to send Ontario patients to American hospitals?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: I know my honourable colleagues in the Conservative Party have been raising their concerns about Ontario patients who are getting health care in the US. It’s important to understand that we don’t have the highest levels of expertise in all areas of medical specialties, and we think it serves the interest of our patients from time to time that they access that expertise south of the border.

Again, I’m not going to be defensive about that. I’m not going to apologize about that. I think it’s about assuring ourselves that, from time to time when we lack that subspecialty expertise here in Ontario, we avail ourselves of that for Ontarians where that might be found south of the border. We’ve done that in the past, as have many other governments. We’ll continue to do it in the future as well.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary?

Mrs. Christine Elliott: We need to continually raise this because we keep hearing from this government that they are all things to all people in the health care system, and increasing numbers of patients going to American hospitals show that that’s simply not the case.

At least 40 contracts were signed to send Ontario patients to American hospitals since last spring. Those contracts were signed. You refused to release them in the past, and now you don’t really want to talk about them too much, other than the acknowledgement that we’ve had today. Why won’t the McGuinty Liberals release the contracts before tomorrow’s question period if they have nothing to hide and they’re free to talk about it?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: Again, my honourable colleague would have us believe that we’re the first government ever to fund procedures for our patients south of the border. This has been common practice for quite some time—likely decades. I see no reason to believe why it won’t continue long into the future—likely decades as well.

Again, if there are subspecialties, areas of expertise that we don’t have here in Ontario, which we believe our patients should have access to, then that’s something that we’ll continue to do south of the border.

HEALTH CARE

M me France Gélinas: Ma question est pour la ministre de la Santé et des Soins de longue durée. Over the past week, Ontarians have been hearing of this government’s plan to drastically redesign our home health care system. Ontarians want to know whether the minister has consulted with health care providers and their patients, they want to know what options were considered and they want to know why this plan seems to be adopting strategies that have failed elsewhere. Will the minister answer those questions, please?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: I’m very happy to talk about some of the initiatives that we have to take in our health care system as we move forward.

We’ve spent the last six and a half years building the foundation of our health care system. We have enormously increased access to primary health care. We’ve brought down wait times for important procedures. We’ve got almost 10,000 more nurses working today than we did in 2003.

The health care system has addressed some of the access issues that were so in need of being addressed when we took office in 2003. We’ve been focusing on access. We’re focusing increasingly on improving quality of care for patients, and, as we move forward, we simply must address the issue: Are we getting the very best value for money when it comes to our health care system?

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary?

M me France Gélinas: Ontarians are hearing that hospital funding will be directly tied to economies of scale, placing smaller and community-based hospitals at a permanent disadvantage.

Yesterday, I was in Welland listening to residents, physicians, nurses, the union and municipal politicians from across the Niagara region. These people were angry. They were outraged, they were furious, they were livid that no one—no one—consulted with them before their emergency rooms were closed and their health care services were gutted.

Will this government build a health care system that works for all communities or only urban centres?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: I think the member opposite knows that it was the throne speech we had that lays out in broad strokes where we want to go next.

I can assure the member opposite that we will engage all of the people who are involved in our health care system, and that actually includes the people who fund our health care system—that is, the people of Ontario.

Of course we will be consulting with the people of Ontario, people concerned with health care systems, as we move forward in our plan to make the changes we simply must make if we want a health care system that’s strong and healthy for our children, our children’s children and our children’s children’s children.

LONG-TERM CARE

Mr. Lou Rinaldi: My question is to the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care as well. We know how important it is to Ontarians to have a place to get the care they need outside of a hospital. Families want assurances that their loved ones have a comfortable setting where they can get the best care for their specific needs.

I know that the government’s working hard to provide seniors with supports through the remarkable aging-at-home strategy, but we need to know how the government is supporting patients who require long-term care. My constituents want to see better access to long-term-care beds through quality improvements, a better living environment and increased staffing capacity.

To the minister: Could you please tell this House how the government is addressing the issue of long-term care in Ontario?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: I’m very happy to have the opportunity to talk to the House about some of the investments we’ve made in long-term care. We’ve increased funding for long-term care by over $1 billion—that’s 55%—since we took office in 2003. We’ve funded over 6,000 new full-time staff in our long-term-care homes, including 2,300 nurses, who are delivering almost 12 million more hours of hands-on care. This year, we funded 1,200 registered practical nurses in Ontario’s long-term-care homes, ensuring at least one new nurse in every home. We’ve already invested $23.5 million for personal support workers.

It’s our government that has opened almost 8,000 new long-term-care beds, including 32 at Crown Ridge Place in Trenton and 32 more at Trent Valley Lodge. We’ve committed to adding another 2,000 beds in 10 communities—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you. Supplementary?

Mr. Lou Rinaldi: I’m happy to hear that so many new long-term-care beds have opened or are currently under construction. I also know that many older long-term-care facilities need to be renovated in order to provide the best quality of care to Ontarians. More modern and comfortable facilities will bring many homes up to date in design and give residents better access to modern standards of physical comfort, privacy and dignity. In fact, many of these older homes will substantially increase the availability of long-term-care beds in Ontario if they are properly developed. Could you please tell this House how the government plans to improve older long-term-care facilities?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: Just last month, we announced that residents in long-term-care homes can look forward to more modern, more comfortable living. We’re rebuilding almost 4,200 existing beds, and we’re updating facilities at 37 long-term-care homes. This is part of our government’s plan to redevelop 35,000 older beds over the next 10 years, to help improve access and quality of care at homes throughout the province. The redeveloped homes will meet the most modern design standards and will feature greater wheelchair access for residents in private and public spaces.

The redeveloped homes are expected to be completed as early as 2012. This phase of our government’s renewal strategy will help create or sustain approximately 4,000 jobs in Ontario. We know that for residents and their families it’s all about comfort and it’s all about safety. I’m very pleased we’re able to redevelop these long-term-care homes and give residents a more comfortable—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you. New question.

LAND REGISTRY SYSTEM

Mr. John O’Toole: My question is for the Minister of Government Services.

Minister, buried in the Consumer Protection and Services Modernization Act, 2006, was the provision that gave Dalton McGuinty the power to cancel rights-of-way and easements with the stroke of a pen. Dalton McGuinty used that power, cancelling rights-of-way at easements registered before 1967. Minister, this has meant that Barrie Richardson and others legally don’t have access to their own property. The question is: What motivated the McGuinty Liberals to take away rights-of-way of families who have owned cottages and recreational property for generations?

Hon. Harinder S. Takhar: Actually, I’m very much aware of that issue and the changes that we are making. It has been brought to my attention, but the changes that we are making actually do not impact this issue at all. It is basically the status quo that exists right now.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary?

Mr. John O’Toole: Minister, once again you knew about it and did nothing. A lot of people in Laurie Scott’s riding have brought this to my attention. It’s also affecting constituents of the member from Peterborough, Jeff Leal, as well as the member from Prince Edward–Hastings, Minister Dombrowsky, not to mention families in Minister Smith’s riding, so I’m surprised about what you are saying to the House today. You eliminated these rights-of-way for Ontario families. It was completely arbitrary and unprincipled.

Anyone who wants to stand up for their rights now has to pay a lawyer $2,000 just to put back in place what they enjoyed before your action and intervention. Did you take away the rights because you’re so out of touch with Ontario families that you didn’t realize what you were doing to them? Or is it that you’re indifferent to ordinary people in Ontario? Or, more importantly, did you do it to benefit your Liberal lawyer friends?

Hon. Harinder S. Takhar: I think this member needs to do some real research once in a while, and he needs to understand what my responsibilities actually are once in a while as well.

I just said that the changes we have made do not impact at all, so there’s nothing that needs to be done. I don’t know what you want me to do. If the issue doesn’t really impact, then—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Stop the clock.

Continue, Minister.

Hon. Harinder S. Takhar: This law has existed since 1929. What I’m suggesting to this member is that the changes we have made do not impact at all the records that are manual right now. The same records will actually be automated. There will be absolutely no changes that will be required in the legislation we have in place right now.

GOVERNMENT ASSETS

Mr. Peter Tabuns: My question is for the Premier. According to the New York Times, Goldman Sachs, your Wall Street privatization consultant, set up a garage sale of Greek government assets to deal with their deficit earlier this decade. You’re moving to give away decades of future revenue for a quick cash influx. When you say we won’t have a fire sale of Ontario assets, does that mean we’re going to have a Goldman Sachs-supervised garage sale of Ontario assets?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: I appreciate the question and the opportunity. I can once again speak to Ontarians about what it is that we are looking at here. Again, we think the responsible thing for us to do in our circumstances, being in the second decade in the 21st century, is take a look at the assets that we’ve built up together over time and ask ourselves whether the money in those assets is best deployed in its present state, or whether we should be investing in ways to build a new foundation for growth and prosperity. That’s what it’s all about.

It’s about making sure that the money is deployed in a way that best serves the long-term interests of the people of Ontario. We have no preconceptions. There are no particular ideologies or biases that we’re bringing to this enterprise, but we think it’s responsible that we take a look at this.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary?

Mr. Peter Tabuns: Well, that’s certainly not the approach that this Premier took when he opposed Ernie Eves’s sell-off of Ontario’s assets. This Premier is starting a process towards full privatization of Ontario’s key assets.

Premier, you’re desperately looking for cash in the run-up to the election. Why should anyone believe that you won’t do another deal as bad as the 407?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: As I recall, I thought there were at least a few NDP fingerprints on the 407 deal.

Hon. Dwight Duncan: There were. They were there.

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: I thought there were.

But fortunately, actions count more than words, so I’d ask Ontarians to judge us on the basis of what, if anything, we do with their assets, and they can apply the test themselves as to whether or not it serves their long-term interests. We look forward to engaging with them further on that score.

MINING INDUSTRY

Mr. Bill Mauro: My question is for the Minister of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry. For several years, Ontario has been a hotbed of mineral exploration and there are several and many exciting opportunities in exploration projects happening right across the province. In 2008, Ontario smashed previous records for exploration expenditures in the province, seeing nearly $800 million being spent, and much of that, I don’t mind saying, in my riding of Thunder Bay–Atikokan. Further, in 2009, even with the economic downturn, Ontario still increased its market share of exploration expenditures.

It’s only through the work of these people on the ground taking these risks that the next big things are discovered, such as the De Beers mine that officially opened in the summer of 2008.

Minister, could you please tell us more about the Ring of Fire and about how it’s going to benefit northerners and give them hope as they deal with these challenging economic times?

Hon. Michael Gravelle: Thank you very much for the question. As the member knows, representing as he does Thunder Bay–Atikokan, there is a tremendous amount of excitement in the north about the mineral potential of a number of discoveries in the Ring of Fire. May I say, that excitement is spreading all across the province. Certainly, it’s one of the most promising development opportunities in almost more than a century.

This plan is also part of the Open Ontario plan, which makes us very, very excited as well. It’s about taking advantage of opportunities like the Ring of Fire. That’s what the Open Ontario plan means. It’s about building a stronger economy; it’s about creating jobs. Our information suggests that there is the potential, in the Ring of Fire, for more than 100 years of chromite production, as well as significant production of nickel, copper and platinum. This means jobs for First Nations communities and many thousands of jobs as well for communities all across the north. We could not be more excited.

Thousands upon thousands of jobs—a great economic development opportunity that we’re looking forward to working on.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary?

Mr. Bill Mauro: Minister, thanks very much for that. This mineral potential will be a significant driver for the north, supporting regional and community infrastructure development, without a doubt.

Amidst all of this excitement, we’ve also been hearing some news stories that express some concern around this development and its ability to move forward. They raised several environmental concerns as this project is in Ontario’s Far North, as well as concerns by First Nation communities who are going to be impacted through the development of the mine itself and through the construction of associated infrastructure. I think it is important that we, as a government, speak publicly to these considerations, along with the economic ones, and how they are being factored into this exciting development.

Interjection: Fair question.

Hon. Michael Gravelle: It is a good question, and I appreciate the concerns that have been expressed.

Let me just reiterate how excited everyone is about the opportunities that are presented here. There is, quite frankly, billions of dollars’ worth of material in the ground that we can tap into, and it will put thousands of northerners to work. But there are legitimate concerns around environmental protection and aboriginal consultation and engagement, and we are dealing very specifically and directly with that.

As we move forward with this Ring of Fire development, my ministry and this government are fully committed to working with northerners, with aboriginal communities and with all the mining partners to fully realize the potential. Also, we’re determined to see that the Ring of Fire’s success story, from an aboriginal perspective, an environmental perspective and, of course, an economic perspective, is done in a very managed way.

We are committed to getting this right. It’s a tremendous opportunity, but we’re going to do it right.

FOREST INDUSTRY

Mr. Peter Shurman: My question is also to the Minister of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry. Twice last week, Minister, I asked you to intervene with a no-cash investment to save 1,500 jobs at Grant Forest Products in northern Ontario. We are still awaiting your answer.

At any hour, a bankruptcy court is going to make a decision about who gets to buy the assets of this historic made-in-Ontario business. Minister, will you commit to a loan guarantee, where the funds are already available, that would give Grant Forest Products’ bankruptcy proposal the boost it needs to compete with other bidders like Georgia-Pacific?

Hon. Michael Gravelle: Indeed, I was asked about this last week. It is important to remind the member that Grant Forest Products is in CCAA protection, which is a court process. It would be absolutely inappropriate for me or for us to interfere with that process.

We are certainly aware of the sale of Grant Forest Products’ Englehart and Earlton facilities to Georgia-Pacific, and I know that Georgia-Pacific has been meeting with local municipal leaders in the community. They are committed to running the Englehart facility at full capacity. There is no question: We are keen to see as many jobs as possible in the forestry sector, which is why we’re making some of the moves that we are and the decisions that we are to see those opportunities come forward.

Ownership changes are, quite frankly, a normal part of the business life cycle. We know it’s unsettling, but we see some real opportunities in those facilities. We’re going to continue to work to see an improvement and an increase in economic activity in the forestry sector all across the north.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary?

Mr. Peter Shurman: It’s unsettling indeed—to the families most of all.

In Monday’s throne speech, the McGuinty government said that it would support northern families. Well, Minister, the 1,500 families in Englehart and Timmins whose lives are hanging on your decision are not feeling that support.

There’s no time left for you to consult your ministry officials or your cabinet colleagues—the same cabinet colleagues, I might add, from southern Ontario who didn’t bat an eye at giving an $80-million boost to Ford last week. But when it comes to northern Ontario, you’re still sitting on your proverbial ring of fire. Well, it’s D-Day for 1,500 families and the communities they live in. Will you give Grant Forest Products a loan guarantee or not?

Hon. Michael Gravelle: We know that there was a consortium of northern business leaders who put forward a proposal to a court-appointed monitor. We know and expect that that will be given due consideration. This is a process that indeed has to go forward the way that it is moving forward.

We are absolutely committed to a revival of the forestry sector in northern Ontario and, in fact, all across the province of Ontario. There are many opportunities that are presenting themselves. I spoke last week about the wood supply competition that we have out there in the public, almost 11 million cubic metres of fibre that’s out there available for the companies that are in place right now and some new entrants as well.

We are working very actively on a review of our forest tenure system, which is an opportunity for us to look at how we can better make fibre available to those companies that can bring jobs to northern Ontario. We are absolutely committed to it, working as hard as we can, and looking forward to seeing the right decisions made in northern Ontario.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING

Ms. Cheri DiNovo: This question is to the Minister of Housing. Monday’s throne speech completely ignored the housing crisis faced by millions of Ontarians. In Ontario today, more people than ever are stuck on waiting lists for affordable housing—over 72,000 families in Toronto alone. Last year, we put forward a bill, which will be re-tabled in May, that would allow municipalities to pass inclusionary zoning bylaws to address this crisis. That bill passed this House unanimously on second reading.

Will the government, I ask the minister, be acting on inclusionary zoning?

Hon. James J. Bradley: I always commend the members of the Legislature for putting forth pieces of legislation that are very important to them. As a member of cabinet, I hate prejudicing what happens when bills are put before the House. The member has indicated she is going to reintroduce a bill; I think I heard that news from you. I know you wouldn’t want me to make a bias against or in favour of the bill. I like seeing a full and complete debate on legislation of this kind. But I want to commend the member for coming forward with that legislation.

I don’t want to influence the Conservatives or members of the Liberal Party or the NDP on a private member’s bill. I’ll be interested in listening, I think as all members will, to the debate as it flows from the member and those who decide that they’re going to contribute on a Thursday afternoon to the—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you. Supplementary?

Ms. Cheri DiNovo: Unless the developer is at dinner with the Premier and changes the Minister of Housing’s mind, I assume that the vote will be the same as last time. I hope it will be.

Municipalities around the province are demanding that the province allow them to pass inclusionary zoning bylaws requiring a minimum percentage of affordable units in new buildings. Inclusionary zoning has been endorsed by cities as diverse as London, England; Thunder Bay; London, Ontario; Milton—mayors and numerous city councillors in the GTA and Ottawa. Inclusionary zoning has proven successful in jurisdictions in the US, including Massachusetts, Washington, Virginia, California and the metro New York area. Inclusionary zoning would cost the government nothing and would create up to 12,000 desperately needed affordable homes per year.

Again I ask: Will the minister confirm that inclusionary housing will be part of Ontario’s long-term affordable housing strategy when it’s released in—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you. Minister?

Hon. James J. Bradley: Again, I hate to release it in dribs and drabs. You will know all of the contributions we’ve made. Unprecedented amounts of money have been dedicated to affordable housing by this government. You will recognize that for me to release the full report step by step, point by point wouldn’t be nearly as effective as releasing it as a package.

Having said that, our ministry staff are analyzing carefully and consulting with people about all of the recommendations which have been made during that affordable housing strategy consultation that took place. When we have been able to put the package together, we will be releasing that package. I know the member will be anticipating it with great enthusiasm because she has an interest in this field. But I don’t want to give that information away before the full package is released to the public—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you. New question.

IMMIGRANT SERVICES

Ms. Helena Jaczek: My question is for the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. Minister, there are many reasons why Ontario is a great place to invest, to live and to work. One of our province’s strengths is undoubtedly our diversity and the contributions of newcomers from around the world. My riding of Oak Ridges–Markham is a great example.

We know that in order to equip our newcomers with the tools necessary to succeed, they must know what government programs and services are available and where to locate them. But often enough, newcomers are not made aware of what is available to them, both before and after their arrival in Ontario. To help newcomers find success, we need to ensure that they have complete access to information on settlement services and programs.

Minister, can you please tell this House what the government is doing to assist current and prospective newcomers this regard?

Hon. Eric Hoskins: I’d like to thank the member from Oak Ridges–Markham for her question. Our government is committed to helping newcomers succeed, and that is why we’ve invested more than $700 million since 2003 to help newcomers settle, get job-ready and get licensed to work.

The member does raise a very important point, and this is that newcomers may not be aware of what services are available to them, both before or after they arrive in Ontario. That is why we are partnering with our federal and municipal partners to create municipal immigration websites. These sites provide prospective and current residents with a full understanding of what programs and services are available in municipalities. These online immigration portals also provide municipalities with opportunities to attract newcomers with much-sought-after skills and experience.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary?

Ms. Helena Jaczek: I’m happy to learn from the minister that our government is working with its partners to develop these online portals. There is no doubt that settlement services need to be supported by all three levels of government. These sites not only provide essential information to newcomers; they also support our municipal partners.

However, we must do more than simply provide information. We need to help newcomers access the tools and opportunities necessary for success. Minister, can you please tell this House how we are assisting our newcomers?

Hon. Eric Hoskins: I want to thank again the member for this important question. Let me be clear: Immigration is part of Ontario’s long-term plan for economic growth. We need the global education and the skills and experience that newcomers bring to build a strong and prosperous economy, and that is why the government of Ontario is taking a multi-faceted approach to assist newcomers in our province.

To help newcomers apply their skills and support their families, we have invested over $145 million in nearly 200 bridge training programs. To ensure that newcomers have the language abilities they need to be job-ready, we have supported adult language training programs with funding of nearly $60 million each year. And to break down barriers to employment, we passed the Fair Access to Regulated Professions Act.

Our government is working with newcomers to build a stronger Ontario.

MINING INDUSTRY

Mr. Randy Hillier: My question is to the Minister of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry. Minister, is your government engaged in bait-and-switch activities here? Yesterday in a CBC radio interview about the Ring of Fire, you stated: “I’ve been sort of trying to get those people who are very excited to dial it back just a bit.” But in Monday’s throne speech, you called the Ring of Fire “the most promising mining opportunity in Canada in a century.”

Minister, why are you speaking out of both sides of your mouth on the Ring of Fire?

Hon. Michael Gravelle: Indeed, we are very excited about the potential opportunities, and the fact that it is part of our Open Ontario plan is extraordinarily exciting.

I certainly would invite the member to join us. I know that you were at the Prospectors and Developers Association convention in the last couple of days. We appreciate you being there—one of the most successful in years. The fact is, you heard from many people who were speaking about our government of Ontario’s plan to support and promote the Ring of Fire development. So indeed, we want to have you onside for this.

This is something that needs to be managed in an appropriate fashion. In terms of our opportunities that we have, we are going to be working with our First Nation communities, working in terms of making sure it’s environmentally sustainable. But there is no question—you can go down to the convention and meet with the many aboriginal leaders who are there. They’re also very excited about the opportunities that are there.

This is about finding a way to take advantage of an opportunity that we haven’t seen in the province of Ontario in 100 years, and I am just thrilled that our government is promoting its development.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary?

Mr. Randy Hillier: Minister, your government is so tired and so confused, you can’t remember from day to day what you’re saying and who you’re saying it to. Who exactly are you trying to get to dial it back? Who are you trying to calm down? Who shouldn’t get excited? Is it your environmentalist friends, to whom you promised no development, or is it the miners whom you promised more development, or is it the people of the north, who know the only shaft they’re going to get is from this Liberal government?

Hon. Michael Gravelle: This is unquestionably one of the most exciting opportunities that we’ve seen in the province of Ontario, let alone northern Ontario, in a large number of years. It will be managed in a process that will help us move forward to make sure that the appropriate economic benefits come to First Nations communities and the many communities—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): The member from Hamilton East, please come to order.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Stop the clock.

Minister?

Hon. Michael Gravelle: There is still much work to be done in terms of moving the project forward, but what’s important to understand is that all groups, our First Nation leaders, our Métis communities, our aboriginal leaders all across the north, the communities—obviously all those representing northern Ontario are very excited about this. Len Crispino, president of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, was speaking about what great opportunities it could have not just for northern Ontario but for all of Ontario.

We need you on board, quite frankly. We need everyone on board. This is an opportunity that our government and the Premier see as a very exciting opportunity, which is why that is part of the Open Ontario plan. We need your support; we need your help.

Quite frankly, I’ll be going up to Marten Falls, Webequie and a few other communities next week to—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you. New question.

HOME CARE

M me France Gélinas: Ma question est pour la ministre de la Santé et des Soins de longue durée. Right now, the Sudbury Regional Hospital has 89 beds occupied by alternate-level-of-care—ALC—patients. Meanwhile, six patients are stuck in the emergency department because they can’t find a bed for them. Many of the people who are now ALC patients could have been safely looked after at home if we had a robust home care system.

The throne speech made no mention of fixing home care. Instead, the government is continuing competitive-bidding privatized home care delivery. When will this government fix our home care system?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: I’m very proud of the improvements we’ve made in our home care system over the past six and a half years. We’ve dramatically increased the investments we’re making in home care. We’ve lifted the caps so that people can get the home care they need. We’ve invested over a billion dollars in our aging-at-home strategy, designed exactly to take the pressure off the hospitals.

We know there are too many people in hospital who actually do not need to be in hospital. That’s why we’re working very closely with our LHINs, with the CCACs and with our hospitals to find those right solutions so that people get the appropriate level of care as close to home as possible.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary?

M me France Gélinas: This money is not fixing our home care system. On Monday, the workers in Sudbury held a protest to deliver a message that our home care system is broken. The workers work mainly on call. They make just over minimum wage. Competitive bidding makes it impossible for home care providers to recruit and retain a stable workforce.

The government is wasting health care dollars treating patients in hospitals across this province who could be taken care of more humanely and effectively at home. This is a huge problem—17% of all our hospital beds.

When will the McGuinty government realize that fixing home care means getting rid of the competitive-bidding privatized home care model and that the most effective and humane way of meeting the health care needs of our aging population is a robust home care system?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: Let me repeat: We are absolutely committed to making the right investments so that people who need care in this province get the care they need in the most appropriate place.

We are actively working to strengthen the continuum of care so that people can move back home from the hospital when they have completed the acute episode of care that they need, with the right supports; they can move into supportive housing; they can, if necessary, move into long-term care.

I can tell you that our government has made addressing the alternate-level-of-care—ALC—pressures that our hospitals face a top priority. We’re making the right investments, and we’re making progress. It’s critically important for our hospitals; it’s also critically important for the people of this province, particularly our seniors.

WORKPLACE SAFETY

Mr. Kevin Daniel Flynn: I’ve got a question today for the Minister of Labour. Minister, lifting equipment is used across a variety of business sectors in my own community of Oakville and throughout Ontario. Many employers and workers see them just as a simple way to move materials. They use them as a routine part of their jobs.

All members of this House would realize that their improper operation poses real dangers to our province’s workers. Forklifts and other lifting devices continue to be a significant cause of potential serious worker injury and sometimes death. Would the minister tell this House, and workers and employers in Ontario, what his ministry is doing to ensure the health and safety of forklift operators in the province?

Hon. Peter Fonseca: I want to thank the member for Oakville for the question.

At the Ministry of Labour, we are always working to make our workplaces in the province that much safer. For example, we’ve just recently completed a blitz of forklifts and other lifting devices. During this enforcement campaign, inspectors visited various sectors, including retail, warehouses, wholesale, transportation and the automotive sector, where forklift-related incidents have mostly occurred. This is the second blitz. We did one last year; we targeted forklifts. During last year’s blitz, industrial inspectors made almost 1,300 visits to workplaces in Ontario.

I look forward to reviewing the results of this year’s enforcement blitz campaign. With this blitz and with every blitz, we’re reaching more Ontario workers and making our workplaces that much—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you. Supplementary?

Mr. Kevin Daniel Flynn: That sounds like a comprehensive approach that Ontario workers want.

Ontario workers and employers need to know that your ministry is striving to protect and look out for the health and safety of Ontario workers. Our workers deserve jobs that allow them to not only take care of their families but also to return home safely at the end of each day.

I understand that this blitz is only one of the many that the ministry is conducting and that it’s part of a broader workplace health and safety strategy. In fact, I’ve been told, Minister, that this is the 18th blitz conducted by the Ministry of Labour since you launched your Safe at Work Ontario campaign in June 2008.

Would the minister please expand for the House upon other safety blitzes that are currently taking place in Ontario?

Hon. Peter Fonseca: Again I thank the member for the question. The member is absolutely correct: This blitz is one in a long line that the ministry has conducted in our proactive approach to workplace safety.

There are more to come, because blitzes work. Our blitzes heighten awareness for workers and for employers. They’re instrumental in identifying hazards before they turn into disasters and tragedies. Our inspectors’ proactive enforcement encourages everyone to evaluate the risks in their own workplaces.

Safe at Work Ontario is not only about enforcement and compliance; it’s about a partnership with employers, workers, health and safety associations, governments and all Ontarians as we work to improve the health and safety of—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you. New question.

LAND REGISTRY SYSTEM

Mr. John O’Toole: My question is to the Minister of Government Services. Minister, earlier today you gave a very dismissive response to my question dealing with Bill 152. You suggested that owners did not have to take any action dealing with rights-of-way registered on title prior to 1967. I have letters from your members in your caucus saying quite the opposite.

Minister, will you stand in the House today and commit and promise that the owners of properties who are questioning these rights-of-way registered on title will not have to pay one cent to your Liberal-friendly lawyers to re-establish their rights-of-way to their properties?

Will you stand in the House today and answer that question? That’s all I want.

Hon. Harinder S. Takhar: Let me be very clear about what we are trying to do here. The land registry records are manual right now and we are trying to automate them. Whatever is in the records at this point in time is exactly what is being automated—nothing less, nothing more, so the records stay the same. That’s what our position is right now. That’s what is in the legislation. If anything is registered in the manual records right now, it will be automated the same way.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): There being no deferred votes, this House stands recessed until 3 p.m. this afternoon.

The House recessed from 1136 to 1500.

INTRODUCTION OF VISITORS

Ms. Sylvia Jones: It is my pleasure to introduce on behalf of page Haleigh Ryan from Palgrave her grandparents, Alice and Steven Ryan, her mother, Barbara, and her little brother, Steven. Thank you very much for coming this afternoon.

Mr. Reza Moridi: It’s my pleasure to introduce my wife, Pari, my daughter, Michelle, and my granddaughters, Sabrina and Sara, who are visiting the House.

MEMBERS’ STATEMENTS

DEFIBRILLATION EQUIPMENT

Mr. Gerry Martiniuk: I’m proud to rise in the Legislature today to recognize individuals and organizations in the riding of Cambridge who have made it possible to save lives by having defibrillators placed in 76 elementary schools in Waterloo region.

Dr. Shekhar Pandey of the Cambridge Cardiac Care Centre, together with representatives from the Ontario Heart and Stroke Foundation, Philips Electronics and the region of Waterloo emergency medical services shared this gift of life at a press conference last Friday, all done without federal or provincial funding.

There are now a total of 211 of these life-saving devices in public buildings across Waterloo region. In the past two years, they’ve been used six times after people collapsed at an arena or a public event. Three lives were saved. Were it not for the defibrillators, the survival rate would probably have been nil.

I congratulate and commend Dr. Pandey and the others involved in expanding this important life-saving initiative in our community.

UNITED WAY OF LONDON

AND MIDDLESEX

Mr. Khalil Ramal: I would like to commend the United Way of London and Middlesex for raising over $7.6 million in donations for the London-Middlesex community. The United Way had exceeded their projected target of $7.4 million and plans on investing the funds in organizations and programs that will benefit our communities.

I would like to note that over 100% of the money raised by United Way has come from unionized workplaces, the manufacturing sector and communities that have borne the brunt of the recession. It is inspiring and heartwarming that our community always helps those in need under any circumstances.

The United Way will make a contribution of $6.5 million to various London-Middlesex service providers this year. A number of these organizations include the Boys and Girls Club of London, the children’s aid society, the Daya Counselling Centre and Community Living London.

Their success in mobilizing the community and giving back to those in need is truly amazing. They are an example and an inspiration for other community organizations, and I commend and congratulate all those involved for a job well done.

I want to thank all the people who participate and donate for a good cause.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for allowing me to read this statement.

GROVES MEMORIAL

COMMUNITY HOSPITAL

Mr. Ted Arnott: On Monday, just before the throne speech, I retabled a very important motion, the very first motion introducing this new legislative session:

“That, in the opinion of this House, the government of Ontario should acknowledge the strong and long-standing community support for a new Groves Memorial Community Hospital in Centre Wellington and immediately provide the hospital with its requested planning grant, and allow it to move forward to the next stage of approval.”

This motion makes a direct and specific request. It says that something reasonable and sensible needs to be done now. We have the LHIN’s endorsement, which arrived just before Christmas. As long ago as last June, the Premier was talking about releasing a 10-year construction plan for hospitals, but last week when I asked during question period when the government would unveil this plan, they refused to answer. Do they actually have an honest planning process, or are they just giving communities the runaround?

Our community expects to see progress, not hear excuses. We all know about the deficit, but we also know that they spent $1 billion on eHealth with little to show for it. Groves needs the go-ahead. It’s obvious that this government has trouble setting priorities, but maybe it could change its ways. It could start by recognizing the need to support local health care and undertake to do what my motion asks.

DISASTER RELIEF

Mr. Rosario Marchese: I stand in the House today to recognize the victims of Chile’s earthquake and tsunami and to call on Ontarians to support the rebuilding efforts.

As many of you already know, the destruction in Chile was immense. The tsunami destroyed port cities, villages, homes and fishing boats along a 1,000-kilometre coastline. The main industrial corridor of Concepción, Huachipato, Lota and Coronel, which includes mining processing centres and factories, was hit hard. The north-south route—the main transport road in the country—was severely damaged. Thirty-nine hospitals were destroyed.

My wife, Evelyn Murialdo, is Chilean-Canadian, and many members of our family live in Chile. We’ve heard from them about how the people of Chile have come together and are undertaking tremendous efforts to rebuild, but they can’t do it alone.

I’ve been working in collaboration with the Consul General of Chile, with Scadding Court, an outstanding agency known for its community development work in Toronto as well as their international work, and with the coalition Chile CAN Rise. Together, we would like to extend an invitation to all MPPs and civil servants to join us at 7 p.m. tonight outside here at Queen’s Park for a candlelight vigil. Speakers will include the Consul General of Chile and Pablo Vivanco of Chile CAN Rise.

However, I would like to encourage everyone here to consider donating money to the relief efforts. Donations can be sent to Scadding Court to the attention of the Earthquake Relief Fund. Scadding Court will collect the donations on behalf of Un Techo para Chile, a key organization in the rebuilding efforts. The Chilean consulate in Toronto will acknowledge your support at an event it will be hosting with Scadding Court on April 29 at the Plaza Flamingo. For further information, go to chilecanrise.ca.

WARDEN WOODS

COMMUNITY CENTRE

Mr. Lorenzo Berardinetti: I rise today to speak about an organization that is doing wonderful things for the people of my riding of Scarborough Southwest. Warden Woods Community Centre has been an integral part of community life in Scarborough Southwest for some 30 years.

This agency was created to serve the local community by providing services and support to help residents deal with the challenges of daily life while providing a place for all to gather and participate in many activities that help foster a sense of community.

Warden Woods Community Centre is largely supported by the United Way. It’s primarily focused on making a difference in the lives of people in both small and big ways.

I’m proud to stand here today and say that the McGuinty government has been a strong supporter of Warden Woods. In six separate locations, programs range in scope from children’s hip hop classes to Meals on Wheels, support for seniors and drop-in programs for the homeless.

Presently Warden Woods Community Centre, like the Scarborough Southwest community, is changing to accommodate and support the changing ethnocultural character of the community. This resulted in the creation of programming geared to reach out to new Canadians who otherwise would have nowhere else to turn.

In addition to this, greater programming focus has been placed on providing activities that cater to the needs of individuals with physical challenges, by offering them the opportunity to partake in activities that serve to address their needs for recreation and fun.

Lastly, I would like to express how fortunate my riding of Scarborough Southwest is for having such a fine institution, which does such noble and necessary work.

GO TRANSIT

Mr. John O’Toole: My riding of Durham is encouraged to learn that the GO train service could be extended east to Bowmanville by 2013. The problem with this is that we’ve heard similar promises before and we’re still waiting. In fact, I have grown rather skeptical of the Liberal promises. Residents of Durham riding want to take public transit; however, this is difficult without a permanent commuter rail link to the rest of the GTA.

The throne speech promised $32 billion in infrastructure funding. I would urge the government to ensure that a fair share of transit funding is allocated to the GO Transit east extension to Durham.

Metrolinx estimates that traffic congestion costs their area $6 billion every year through delays and lost productivity. Extending GO train service to Durham means more jobs, more opportunities and reduced gridlock. This government needs to put the east extension of GO transit on the fast track.

One additional suggestion I might make to the Minister of Finance is to implement my private member’s bill that offers a transit tax credit for those receiptable expenses for the purpose of using transit. Just adopt it, as the federal government has done. This will make transit affordable and assure more ridership.

When you see these plans that are offered in these throne speeches, you have to have confidence that the Premier is going to deliver. We just ask him to make sure that Durham gets its fair share of transit funding in the next budget.

MEMBERS’ CONDUCT

Mr. Dave Levac: On Monday, the Lieutenant Governor performed an important function in our Legislature: He read the speech from the throne, which outlined our government’s vision for our province. The role of the Lieutenant Governor in reading the speech from the throne is a long-standing, time-honoured tradition in our Legislature, and he and his office should be treated with the respect and esteem due his role as the vice-regal representative of our province. He represents the Queen.

Unfortunately, some members of this Legislature chose to ignore this, and behaved in a way that I believe embarrassed our Legislature on Monday. I was deeply dismayed to see some members laughing and heckling while the Lieutenant Governor read the speech from the throne.

It should also be noted that this regrettable behaviour was entirely unnecessary. Yesterday, the official opposition was accorded time to state their views and give their official response to the speech from the throne in the House, and they also had media studio time immediately following the Lieutenant Governor’s delivery of the speech to express their views. There was no need to resor