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May 15, 2012

40th Parliament, 1st Session

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Hansard Transcripts

Votes and Proceedings

Orders and Notices

Hansard Transcripts 2012-May-15 (PDF)

L053 - Tue 15 May 2012 / Mar 15 mai 2012

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO

ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DE L’ONTARIO

Tuesday 15 May 2012 Mardi 15 mai 2012

ORDERS OF THE DAY

STRONG ACTION FOR ONTARIO ACT

(BUDGET MEASURES), 2012 /

LOI DE 2012 SUR UNE ACTION

ÉNERGIQUE POUR L’ONTARIO

(MESURES BUDGÉTAIRES)

INTRODUCTION OF VISITORS

ORAL QUESTIONS

HYDRO RATES

ENERGY POLICIES

GASOLINE PRICES

ENERGY POLICIES

ENERGY POLICIES

ANTI-BULLYING INITIATIVES

NURSES

ENERGY POLICIES

PRIVATIZATION OF PUBLIC SERVICES

BUSINESS SUPPORT PROGRAMS

AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE

HORSE RACING INDUSTRY

SCHOOL NUTRITION PROGRAMS

MINING INDUSTRY

ONTARIO SAVINGS BONDS

TOURISM

AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE

MEMBER’S BIRTHDAY

INTRODUCTION OF VISITORS

MEMBERS’ STATEMENTS

DAVE STECKLE

CALYPSO WATER PARK /

PARC AQUATIQUE CALYPSO

SUICIDE PREVENTION

ANTI-BULLYING INITIATIVES

ROGER CONANT

PROPERTY RIGHTS

MINING INDUSTRY

AJAX BOMB GIRLS

VISIT OF POLISH

PRIME MINISTER

REPORTS BY COMMITTEES

STANDING COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT AGENCIES

INTRODUCTION OF BILLS

HELPING ONTARIANS ENTER

THE SKILLED TRADES ACT, 2012 /

LOI DE 2012 VISANT

À FACILITER L’ACCÈS

AUX MÉTIERS SPÉCIALISÉS

EN ONTARIO

STATEMENTS BY THE MINISTRY

AND RESPONSES

POLICE WEEK /

SEMAINE DE LA POLICE

SEXUAL ASSAULT

PREVENTION MONTH /

MOIS DE LA PRÉVENTION

DE L’AGRESSION SEXUELLE

PUBLIC WORKS AND INFRASTRUCTURE

POLICE WEEK

SEXUAL ASSAULT PREVENTION MONTH

PUBLIC WORKS AND INFRASTRUCTURE

POLICE WEEK

PUBLIC WORKS AND INFRASTRUCTURE

SEXUAL ASSAULT PREVENTION MONTH

PETITIONS

WATER QUALITY

FAMILY CAREGIVER LEAVE

SUICIDE PREVENTION

TAXATION

SCHOOL FACILITIES

HORSE RACING INDUSTRY

ANTI-BULLYING INITIATIVES

ONTARIO NORTHLAND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION

SCHOOL FACILITIES

AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE

DOG OWNERSHIP

AGGREGATE EXTRACTION

TOURISM

PROTECTION FOR PEOPLE

WITH DISABILITIES

OPPOSITION DAY

GASOLINE PRICES

The House met at 0900.

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

Prayers.

ORDERS OF THE DAY

STRONG ACTION FOR ONTARIO ACT

(BUDGET MEASURES), 2012 /

LOI DE 2012 SUR UNE ACTION

ÉNERGIQUE POUR L’ONTARIO

(MESURES BUDGÉTAIRES)

Resuming the debate adjourned on May 14, 2012, on the motion for second reading of the following bill:

Bill 55,

An Act to implement Budget measures and to enact and amend various Acts / Projet de loi 55, Loi visant à mettre en oeuvre les mesures budgétaires et à édicter et à modifier diverses lois.

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

Mr. Jack MacLaren: I speak today on the government’s Bill 55,

An Act to implement Budget measures and to enact and amend various Acts. This is the government’s omnibus bill to implement their budget. The Liberals call their budget Strong Action for Ontario. This budget is anything but strong action. I would go so far as to suggest that this government does not know what restraint means.

In my mind, it couldn’t get much worse: a $15-billion deficit, a $240-billion debt and an increase in spending of $2 billion. This is a budget that proves the Liberals have not grasped the gravity of our province’s financial situation. This budget does not reduce spending, it does not reduce our deficit, it does not reduce our debt, and this budget has no job creation plan. This budget continues with total disregard for our economic realities.

The proof of this came from the world markets two weeks ago. Standard and Poor’s downgraded Ontario’s credit outlook from stable to negative. The next day, Moody’s downgraded Ontario’s credit rating from AA1 to AA2. Moody’s actually warned this headstrong government in December that we were headed toward a downgrade. This means that the government of Ontario has lost the confidence of the moneylenders of the world.

The consequence of these downgrades could make it more expensive for the province to borrow money. An interest rate increase of 1% would equal a $500-million increase in interest payments on the province’s debt. Debt servicing is already the third-largest item in the budget. Each year we pay over $10 billion in interest payments to service our debt. Over 8% of this budget goes toward interest.

Over the last eight years, the Liberal government has taken Ontario from being Canada’s economic engine to being a have-not province. Now we receive equalization payments from the federal government instead of providing them. It goes without saying that the Liberal campaign slogan “Forward. Together.” isn’t a good slogan for Ontario when we are at the edge of an economic cliff.

My comments today will highlight the problems with the budget: increased government spending and debt, a short-sighted energy policy, an expensive education policy, lack of a public sector wage freeze, reluctance to sell public assets and negative impacts on private sector job creators.

On spending and debt: This budget shows that the Liberals haven’t found a cure for their spending addiction, as they will add $23 billion to the province’s debt. Next year, their own numbers show that the net debt is scheduled to increase to over $260 billion.

This government is mortgaging our grandchildren’s future, and they don’t seem to care. The Auditor General and economist Don Drummond both have tried to sound the alarm bells to wake this government from its spending stupor. Both identified areas where savings can be made and tighter management of the public purse should be implemented.

In spite of these expert recommendations, the Liberals propose to increase spending in 14 of 24 ministries. These 14 ministries represent 82% of the budget. This budget takes us in exactly the wrong direction.

On energy: The Green Energy Act is a financial failure. Subsidizing the so-called green energy sector and paying small-scale producers up to 80 cents per kilowatt hour for their solar and wind electricity is bankrupting us. This will cost us many tens of billions of dollars over the next 20 years—this at a time when we have a surplus of electricity in Ontario that we have to sell to New York and Quebec for as little as two cents a kilowatt hour.

Our electricity costs are predicted to rise rapidly in the near future. Our homeowners can’t afford it; our businesses can’t afford it. A manufacturing company in North Bay paid a new fee on their hydro bill last year of $1 million; it’s called the global adjustment charge. Three years ago this charge didn’t exist. It’s predicted to increase sixfold in the next 10 years. This company has 250 employees and says it will have to leave Ontario if the global adjustment charge continues to increase.

The global adjustment charge was created to pay for the Green Energy Act. The Green Energy Act is driving businesses and jobs out of Ontario. The Liberal government could have purchased all the green hydroelectricity we needed from the province of Quebec for about five cents a kilowatt hour. Why didn’t they do it?

On education: Full-day junior kindergarten is a great idea, but at this time we cannot afford it. As Don Drummond outlined in his report, this is a program that should not be expanded until our deficit crisis is under control. It is a $1.5-billion cost that must be postponed.

On public sector wages: Public sector wages need to be frozen across the board until we’re out of this debt and deficit quagmire. Our public sector workers will be asked to share the burden of paying our massive government debt. It’s the right thing to do.

On crown corporations: Government should be doing what only government can do. All else should be left to the private sector. The Drummond report recommends that we should sell one of the casinos in Niagara Falls. I agree. We should also sell the LCBO and all other crown corporations. Government should be smaller, and we need the money.

On job creation: For the trades, we should change the required ratio of journeyman tradesmen to apprentices from the current ratio of 3 to 1 to a ratio of 1 to 1. This could create up to 200,000 new good-paying jobs for skilled tradespeople—young people.

We should have reduced the corporate income tax rate from 11.5% to 10%, as was promised by this government. This would have been an incentive to industry to invest in plants and jobs.

I would say we have a problem in this House. What we need is a select committee on Ornge to solve many of the problems on the overspending at Ornge. For that reason, I move to adjourn the debate.

The Acting Speaker (Mrs. Julia Munro): Mr. MacLaren has moved adjournment of the debate. Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry?

All those in favour, say “aye.”

All those opposed, say “nay.”

In my opinion, the nays have it.

Call in the members. This will be a 30-minute bell.

The division bells rang from 0910 to 0940.

The Acting Speaker (Mrs. Julia Munro): I’d ask all members to take their seats.

Mr. MacLaren has moved adjournment of the debate. All those in favour, please rise to be counted.

All those opposed, please rise to be counted.

The Clerk of the Assembly (Ms. Deborah Deller): The ayes are 21; the nays are 30.

The Acting Speaker (Mrs. Julia Munro): I declare the motion lost.

The member, to continue.

Mr. Jack MacLaren: Speaker, I asked for adjournment of the debate for the reason of the Ornge problem and that we have not had a select committee created yet, and we are working towards that.

We’re disappointed that the government has not chosen to abide by the wishes of this House and create this committee. Unfortunately, we’ll have to continue our tactics in the future.

I’ll continue with my speech, if I may. I simply cannot support this budget. It does nothing to address runaway spending and ignores the problems. Ontarians were looking for a budget that was a positive alternative approach to the economic problems of this province, that offered real ideas for reducing deficits and debt, and an effective private sector job creation plan. Instead, the Liberals have put forth a budget that is being deemed a failure by respected international financial institutions. This budget is a continuation of the Liberal tax-and-spend ideology and will continue to punish prosperity and reward failure at the taxpayer’s expense.

Liberal claims of a strong action budget are nothing but spin. This budget can never be called austere restraint or belt-tightening. This budget also sends a clear signal to job creators and credit agencies that Ontario is not focused on what needs to be done to put this province back on track.

For all of the reasons I have mentioned, I cannot support this budget and will be voting against it.

The Acting Speaker (Mrs. Julia Munro): Questions and comments?

Ms. Cindy Forster: Thank you, Speaker. I thank the member from Carleton–Mississippi Mills for his comments. A lot of his comments were around privatization, and certainly that isn’t the way that the NDP wants to see our province going. A lot of us have seen privatization and deregulation under the Harris regime. That kind of continued under the Liberal government with respect to hydro, for example, in this province.

I know that in my own riding of Welland, where I used to sit on the hydro board as a member when I was in local municipal politics, we saw our hydro rates, which were the lowest in the province and probably one of the best hydro services with the least number of brownouts in the province—we’ve seen now that they don’t even post where they are in the pack of hydro rates in the province. That’s because under deregulation they’re actually having to float money every year to the municipality, which is the sole shareholder of the hydro company.

So we’re inflating hydro rates, which is an essential for everyone who lives in this province. We’re inflating those hydro rates so that we can actually give money to the shareholder, and then the shareholder uses it for whatever purposes they choose to, whether that’s a project in their municipality or to offset taxes. People who don’t even necessarily pay residential taxes are having their hydro rates artificially inflated to support the municipalities through that deregulation process.

So I’m not in support of privatizing anything else, particularly the LCBO, where we get huge revenues to the budget every year. Thank you.

The Acting Speaker (Mrs. Julia Munro): Further comments?

Mr. Yasir Naqvi: Let me start with this, Speaker: I think there’s a huge element of disappointment out there in the public vis-à-vis the actions of the Conservative Party. This whole bell-ringing business is a waste of taxpayers’ money. I can tell you, when I’m in my community, in my riding of Ottawa Centre, people are asking me, “Why are you guys not getting some work done? Why is the budget not getting passed? Why is the anti-bullying legislation, which is so important to our kids and to our schools, not getting passed?”

They are very disappointed by the tactics the Conservative Party are taking in terms of wasting the time of this Legislature—which is extremely disappointing, because they’re abdicating their responsibility, their leadership role in ensuring that as a province we continue to move forward and make great strides. Especially in these tough economic times, we need to all work together. That is the nature of a minority government, Speaker. What we’re seeing from the opposition party is none of that, but just childish antics, which is extremely disappointing.

I feel bad for children who come and visit this place, and the only thing they get to see is bells ringing. That’s extremely disappointing on their behalf as well.

On the other hand, the other point I want to raise is that the opposition party is again all over the map when it comes to the Drummond report and its recommendations. On one hand they say that if they were in government they would implement every single recommendation, but when it comes to eliminating the subsidies for the horse racing industry, “Oh, well, we won’t touch that.” So there is this disagreement or discord in their position. I’d like to know from the member from Carleton–Mississippi Mills: Where do they stand?

The former member from Carleton–Mississippi Mills would never have that kind of contradiction in his opinions; he was a man of principle who stood for things he believed in. He served our community in Ottawa very well. I don’t see that coming from the current member from Carleton–Mississippi Mills as to—

The Acting Speaker (Mrs. Julia Munro): I’d ask the member to withdraw.

Mr. Yasir Naqvi: I withdraw, Speaker. But I think it’s important that we know where the party stands.

The Acting Speaker (Mrs. Julia Munro): Your time is over. Thank you.

Questions and comments?

Mr. John Yakabuski: I say to the member for Ottawa Centre that he was certainly trying to get a speed speech in there, but very little of it was accurate. One part was: He was talking about wasting taxpayers’ money. What’s going on in this House is irrelevant to that, but I’ll tell you what is: When you start to build a gas plant in Mississauga and cancel it, and you start to build a gas plant in Oakville and you cancel it, and you go through all of those processes—we’ve already got things on the ground in Mississauga. We’re talking hundreds of millions, quite possibly a couple of billion dollars—a billion dollars apiece—for these two gas plants.

You want to talk about wasting money and why we can’t support this government and this budget? Look no further than the seat-saver programs in Oakville and Mississauga. We could be talking a couple of billion dollars—a couple of billion dollars. And you wonder why this province is so deeply in debt and in the hole? We can’t support this budget, Madam Speaker.

This was a time for a budget that brought some austerity to Ontario. What do we get from this government? We get increases in spending by almost $2 billion, we get an increase in the debt, we get a less than 1% reduction in the deficit, and they claim they’re going to have this out of the way by 2017-18. Impossible.

They want to talk about subsidies? What about the $2.7 million that went to WindTronics in one of their ridiculous green schemes so the plant could close? They promised 200 jobs; the plant is closed. That’s the kind of decisions you’re getting. There are the subsidies.

You want to talk about subsidies, member from Ottawa Centre? The money they’re throwing into this green scheme that is not working, is costing jobs in this province—and they’re not going directly to the taxpayer; they’re putting it on the hydro bill. Shameful. This government has got to go.

The Acting Speaker (Mrs. Julia Munro): Further comments?

Ms. Teresa J. Armstrong: I wanted to address, in the budget,

schedule 28 of Bill 55. It includes new legislation, the Government Services and Service Providers Act, which opens the door to privatization of ServiceOntario. The member from Carleton–Mississippi Mills was all over that with regard to selling off the LCBO and other government agencies that provide services. What that’s going to do, Speaker, is that’s going to open the door to privatization. This specific act will open up the door to privatization of ServiceOntario and many other services provided by the Ministry of Government Services.

The new legislation allows the government to enter into service agreements with any person, entity or non-share capital corporation for the provision of government services. The legislation also allows one or more corporations or partnerships to be established in order to provide government services. This particular area in the budget is reminiscent of Ornge. When we start dismantling government services and allowing these private sectors to come in, have an umbrella of what they mentioned here, a person or entity for non-sharing corporations, and then that corporation or person or entity can then have other companies deliver the service, that is a real concern.

Is the public’s interest going to be served? In this particular act, it talks about the regulations that can be imposed on these companies, but in the act they talk about “may”: The government may set up a structure—may. That’s not right. We have to have a “will” and a “shall” if we’re going to make any changes to any act and not just leave it open to allow the companies to do as they will—

The Acting Speaker (Mrs. Julia Munro): Thank you. The member for Mississippi Mills has two minutes to respond.

Mr. Jack MacLaren: I’d like to thank my colleagues for their comments. The member from Welland and the member from London–Fanshawe were both concerned about privatization of crown corporations, and I think we just disagree. As Conservatives, we should not be in the business of business; that is the business of the private sector, always, and always should be.

Government is inefficient. The trouble with government is, we have a tendency to do it very badly and very inefficiently. You look at eHealth, Ornge, we have a Presto scandal—it’s going to be our next opportunity to have some excitement with the party across the hall—the Green Energy Act: These are all huge, wasteful things dealing with hundreds of millions of dollars of waste.

As far as inefficiencies, the Ottawa Centre member is concerned that we’re ringing bells. That’s because of what they’re doing, which is nothing. They’re not addressing the Ornge problem, not creating the select committee that they promised they would.

I would go on and make a few comments here. The government has failed the people of Ontario with this big-spending budget that doesn’t reduce deficit or debt and is increasing spending. It has ignored the recommendations of the Auditor General and then the Drummond report.

What they should have done was cancel the Green Energy Act, cancel the full-day junior kindergarten program and cancel the Far North Act. They should have implemented public service wage freezes. They should have sold all crown corporations, again. They should have reduced the corporate income tax rate, as was promised, to 10% from 11.5%. They should have changed the journeyman-to-apprentice ratio for trades to 1 to 1 from 3 to 1. That would have created jobs, and there is no job creation program from the far side of the House. They didn’t do it, and we’re headed the way of the Greeks and the French. We’re heading for a brick wall financially.

It is time to take this government, along with the race horses that they made obsolete, to the glue factory, where we can finally get some good out of them.

Mrs. Julia Munro: Further debate?

Mr. Paul Miller: Speaker, my colleagues have brought forward the many great ideas that Ontarians have—

Interjections.

The Acting Speaker (Mrs. Julia Munro): Order.

Mr. Paul Miller: Finished, fellows? Thanks. My colleagues have brought forward the many great ideas that Ontarians have told us need to be part of any budget measures this province embarks upon. We’ve tried to work with this minority government to bring the best to the most, but we continually run against a big brick wall with the Liberals. It’s a wall that doesn’t seem to entertain even the smallest need of many Ontarians.

When we raise questions about the budget, the responses don’t even address the issues raised, let alone give the full information that Ontarians demand.

Speaker, this minority government displays an ever-widening gap between its rhetoric and reality. The slots-at-racetracks fiasco is an extreme example of how out of touch this group across the floor is with Ontario’s history and reality.

The answers given by the finance minister to questions about the sneak attack on a significant money-making agreement with the horse racing industry are quite telling. First, the minister would say that the government was no longer going to subsidize the horse racing industry, which only made us shake our heads in disbelief. Then, when he made the jaw-dropping assertion that he wouldn’t take money away from health care and education to give to the horse racing industry, we just couldn’t believe that he was actually spewing this stuff.

When we brought forward the facts—that is, that there was no additional revenue for health care, education or any other provincial program before the slots-at-tracks agreement was made—he continued his odd rhetoric.

Then we reminded him that it was only because the horse racing industry was willing to accept slots at tracks, and communities with horse racing were the only ones willing to accept the additional gambling activity, that this additional revenue was even available. And he continued his odd rhetoric. Again, the facts appeared to have escaped his briefing notes, his memory and certainly his rhetoric. This behaviour has left many Ontarians quite concerned about the direction of this minority government and the future of this once financially sound and proud province.

While all of this rewritten slots-at-racetracks history was being recorded in this House, we had the increasingly scandalous Ornge fiasco rearing its ugly head. We have a minister who does not appear to want to take responsibility for a financial and public safety nightmare, a creation of her own government. Again, the stories that we’ve been expected to swallow, like “I wasn’t acting as minister when this mess began to become public, because I was in an election campaign”—really? How stupid does this government think Ontarians are?

Well, I think I can tell you. The provision in Bill 55 dealing with ServiceOntario showed a government willing to re-create Ornge, but on 100 times the scale, and they expect all of us to sit back and let them go. But let’s look at the bill.

Schedule 28 sets out a legal framework for privatization of ServiceOntario.

Schedule 28 opens up the possibility for a nightmare scenario, a scenario that might be described as Ornge times 100—that is, Ornge on steroids.

First, it enables the creation of a for-profit holding company under which would be a network of for-profit or non-profit subsidiaries. Then it allows the private sector to leverage the traffic created by offering a public service—for example, renewing your health care card or driver’s licence—into private profit by trying to get you to buy additional non-government-issued products provided by a subsidiary of the new for-profit entity. So perhaps buying an additional bobblehead for your car deck isn’t that bad after all.

The product you initially went to this place to purchase is a government-issued product, and it is now being delivered through other than a public service. In fact, the legislation forbids that it be delivered as a public service, a service for which your taxes are already paying at a non-profit level. So already you’re into the loss of already-paid-for public services.

And, Speaker, it gets worse. The legislation enables newly created companies to provide services not only on behalf of the Ontario government but on behalf of the federal government, municipalities, universities, colleges, schools, public hospitals and “such other persons or entities as may be specified by regulation”—in other words, persons such as private corporations. So all of your personal, private information is now in the hands of private corporations. Isn’t that wonderful?

It’s bad enough when banks have our personal information, but now the banks are also—insurance companies as well; they have that information too. Now, think of all the personal information the government has about you, from birth to death and every aspect of your life in between, and think of that being delivered by a private corporation. What’s their motive? Only to make a profit, quite literally at your expense, both financially and with your privacy in jeopardy. Quite a chilling scenario, folks.

Okay, so we think that our government will set standards to protect our privacy and the costs for accessing our government-held information, but the legislation is very weak on this—as has been proven in the last five years I’ve been here—simply saying that the minister may—may—establish standards for the provision of Ontario government services under this act. This was a huge, huge problem with Ornge. The Auditor General was critical of the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care for not setting well-defined performance measures, and here’s this minority government repeating such a fatal error 100 times worse. It’s a nightmare in the waiting.

It boggles my mind, as the Ornge mess continues to unfold with new, daily revelations, that this group across the floor hasn’t pulled all

schedule 28 provisions and sat down with the opposition parties to work out a system to make restructuring of ServiceOntario a safe, long-term, workable organization. But what we do get? Fantasy about the financial impact of this selloff. ServiceOntario already brings in billions of dollars each year. What odd thinking makes this minority government think that selling it off to a private entity and having to provide profits for that entity is going to bring a better revenue stream? I think not. I think the word “monopoly” comes into mind here.

Let’s not forget that ServiceOntario must provide accessible service to all corners of this province. As a government, it is our responsibility to ensure that Ontarians, even in remote areas, can get full service without having to make a 100-kilometre drive to find a government office—or a private office. Will a privatized entity be required to do this? I think not. Will you be paying double, the private profit as well as the cost of making the service available, plus your travel? I think so.

Based on the language of Bill 55, the minister may establish standards, but it doesn’t require it: “may,” “shall”—not sure. There is no definition here, so I’ll leave it to your thoughts, folks, on how this is going to play out.

Yesterday, OPSEU President Thomas sent a letter to the Premier—and I want to be sure that all Ontarians have the opportunity to read this letter when they check Hansard. I don’t know if I’ve got enough time to get it in, but I’m going to try. This is from Smokey:

“Dear Premier:

“According to the budget, your government’s stated reason for privatizing ServiceOntario is because you need $100 million from the private sector to improve online services.

“You are apparently considering investing more than twice that amount in the auto sector.

“I do not for a minute begrudge a $240-million investment in the private sector. Ontario needs a progressive economy with an industrial strategy that provides winners. Ontarians also need quality public services. The public sector is the foundation of every modern economy.

“ServiceOntario is a huge money-maker for this province. The government operation annually earns $2.7 billion in revenues on only $270 million in operating costs. That’s a 10-to-1 return on investment.” Show me a bank where you get that. “These revenues fund public services that Ontarians rely on.

“Why would your government give up an annual revenue of $2.7 billion in order to obtain $100 million?” Sounds like the horse racing industry is coming back here. “This must count as one of the most short-sighted and potentially dangerous decisions a government has ever made.

“Your government’s budget implementation bill includes legislation that will enable the privatization of ServiceOntario.

“The Government Services and Service Providers Act, 2012, allows for a corporate structure that sounds like the worst excesses of Ornge.

“The act allows a holding company to be set up with a network of subsidiary companies, all operating in complete secrecy, outside the oversight of the Auditor General, the Ombudsman and the Legislature.

“ServiceOntario operations—its public counters, call centres and online services—could be sold off piece by piece to the highest bidder.

“If there is a breach in the security of Ontarians’ personal information—and there are annually 48 million transactions done through ServiceOntario—no one will ever know.

“My union”—his union—“calls on your government to immediately withdraw this draft piece of legislation from your budget bill.

“I await your response.

“Sincerely,

“Warren (Smokey) Thomas, President.”

Speaker, this is a nightmare in the making. I’m going to sit back and watch it unfold, and this government is going to wear it.

The Acting Speaker (Mrs. Julia Munro): Comments and questions?

Ms. Soo Wong: It’s a pleasure to be standing here to speak about our budget. I do hear my colleague from Hamilton East–Stoney Creek, but I do want to challenge his statement this morning about the budget.

The single most important step our government is taking is to make sure our economy will continue to grow and to balance our budget by 2017. As such, we are doing everything we can to create jobs. That’s our first and foremost priority.

In 2011, more than 121,000 jobs were created in Ontario, virtually all of them full-time. Our government has established—and last Friday, Minister Duguid talked about the jobs and prosperity council, with a new chair of the council, which will advise the government on a plan to boost Ontario productivity, at the same time creating jobs.

As you know, Madam Speaker, our government has taken an initiative on the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund to ensure prosperity and job creation, and to date, over 4,400 projects have been levied in that particular fund. As well, the eastern Ontario development fund—again, over 100 businesses and regional projects have been developed, leveraging about $488 million in additional investment. Now, in this new budget we are proposing a new southwestern Ontario development fund, again hopefully to attract new businesses investing in that area and creating new jobs.

At the end of the day, in order for our government and our province to move forward, we must have prosperity through jobs. We, as a government, take full responsibility but, more importantly, working in partnership is working to bring jobs and investment to Ontario. That’s what it’s all about. I fully support this government and our initiative going forward, and job creation is the key, fundamental piece for prosperity for Ontario.

The Acting Speaker (Mrs. Julia Munro): The member for Renfrew–Nipissing–Pembroke.

Mr. John Yakabuski: Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. I appreciate the comments from the member for Hamilton East–Stoney Creek on the budget. Of course, this debate shows the differences between the approaches of the three parties in this House.

I want to touch again on the absolute disaster that this government has created with their Green Energy Act and their feed-in tariff program. I was talking earlier about the subsidy that was given to WindTronics in Windsor, and then, of course, WindTronics flew the coop. Silicon is gone as well from Windsor. But when you talk about subsidies, people generally expect them to be done as a direct payment from the government and it is directly on the tax base so then, if it fails or succeeds, the government is at least held accountable.

In the case of WindTronics, that’s the case. They gave them $2.7 million, and they failed. The sad part of it is that on top of that $2.7 million was the massive subsidy that the government gives to the producers of wind power in this province—far in excess of the market price of power which, since January, has been running under two cents a kilowatt hour in this province—under two cents a kilowatt hour average wholesale price in this province. But the government is not even honest enough to put it on the tax base. No, what do they do?

They directly put the burden onto the hydro bills of this province so they’re not even accountable for that scandalous, excessive, obscene subsidy that they’re giving to the producers of this power in this province. That is what is making it so hard for people to live in this province, and this budget gives them no help whatsoever.

The Acting Speaker (Mrs. Julia Munro): The member for Algoma–Manitoulin.

Mr. Michael Mantha: Thank you Speaker. I just want to touch on a few of the points that my colleague from Hamilton East–Stoney Creek brought up, in particular to the ServiceOntario services in

schedule 28.

In northern Ontario, a lot of the business owners are basically just surviving on the bare minimum of their jobs. They’re having a hard time particularly in the forestry sector, and particularly those who are operating trucks, who are transporting the wood from the forest to their mills.

Within this bill that the government has proposed, they’re actually going to be increasing the licensing fees for those individuals, who are having a hard time just making ends meet right now. This is going to be the last nail in their coffin. They’re going to have a very hard time meeting their bills, meeting their daily expenses and costs, and they’re going to be faced with some very, very difficult decisions going forward.

Those services and those licensing bureaus where they go and obtain those services are also going to be challenged, because they’re losing a lot of the services and the agreement factors that were there with this government, which are no longer going to be presented or available to them. They’re going to be challenged in regard to making those services available for a multitude of communities that do not have these services readily available to them.

They will now have to go the extra mile, 50 to 100 kilometres, in order to get a health card, in order to get a renewal done, in order to get some information, in order to get the services they need. It is very difficult getting these services, first and foremost, in northern Ontario, and I would hope that this government is listening and will do what they can do in order to not say “may establish standards” but “will establish”—

The Acting Speaker (Mrs. Julia Munro): Thank you. Further comments?

Mr. Yasir Naqvi: I really appreciate the debate that’s taking place in the House right now. This budget is an important document, Speaker, which is addressing and speaking to a very serious time in our economy. We are coming out of the great recession of 2008-09, and we are obviously in a place, in terms of the recovery that is taking place, where we have a strong plan moving forward to ensure that we balance the books, that we eliminate the deficit in the next five years, by 2017-18, but also at the same time ensure that very important services like health care, education and community and social services are there for all Ontarians across this great province.

I’ve spoken about the fact that I am, on a weekly basis, out in my community knocking on doors, canvassing on a regular basis. Just last Saturday morning, I was out in the Centretown community speaking to my constituents door to door. I have to tell you, there are three conversations that come out to me, very interesting, enlightened conversations about the state of the economy, how we’re creating jobs. Those are the issues that are front and centre for my constituents.

With another constituent, we talked about health care, particularly elder care, how we’re going to look after our seniors. Hospitals are not really the place for our seniors to be getting care. We need to ensure that we provide care for our seniors within the community, closer to their homes, so they can continue to live as long as possible at home. Those are the kinds of things that my constituents in Ottawa Centre are interested in, and these are the kinds of ideas that we are pushing through this particular budget—

The Acting Speaker (Mrs. Julia Munro): Thank you. The member has two minutes to respond.

Mr. Paul Miller: I was hoping that I’d get a response to what I said, but it seemed to have gone off in another area. Usually, when a person says his spiel, people refer to what he said, but they seem to get their own political agenda in there. It’s unfortunate. Anyway, it’s neither here nor there. I got the points across that I wanted to, Speaker.

This is just starting to unfold. There are going to be many, many more surprises coming across to that side of the floor about ServiceOntario. This is just the start of an avalanche. I don’t really think they grasp it or understand what’s going to happen here. I certainly wouldn’t want to be sitting over there when it does unfold.

I have tried till I’m red in the face, trying to share my ideas, share my concerns, share my amendments over the last five years, and all I got was five people sitting there doing things other than listening. But then, surprisingly, Speaker, some of our ideas show up four months later, and it becomes a government bill. Hey, if it works, it’s good. If it goes through, I’m happy. But at least have the courtesy to say where you got the idea from. It didn’t just drop out of the sky; the tooth fairy didn’t leave it under your pillow. It came from the opposition, but they never, ever acknowledge that.

That’s unfortunate, because I think a good government should at least give credit where credit is due, instead of running all the way down the road waving the flag like they did it all. It really is frustrating.

Folks, this is just the start of a lot of stuff that’s going to unfold in the next few weeks, and I wouldn’t want to be in your seat.

Second reading debate deemed adjourned.

The Acting Speaker (Mrs. Julia Munro): It being 10:15, this House stands recessed until 10:30.

The House recessed from 1014 to 1030.

INTRODUCTION OF VISITORS

Mr. Jim McDonell: I wanted to introduce my EA, who’s up from my riding. Marilyn McMahon is here to get some training and to enjoy the House. Welcome.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Welcome.

Hon. Michael Chan: Today in the Speaker’s gallery are delegation members from Hubei province of the People’s Republic of China: Vice-Governor Zhao Bin, Director General Wang Zhongfa, Divisional Director Chen Jianhua, Vice-Division Director Ye Leping, and Vice-Section Chief Qin Wenlu. To our guests, welcome to Queen’s Park.

Mr. Joe Dickson: Mr. Speaker, I would like to introduce four prominent ladies in the east gallery representing the Ajax Bomb Girls of World War II. I’ll introduce the four, and I would ask them to stand as I call their names, and remain standing: the committee chair, regional councillor Colleen Jordan; the treasurer and long-time Ajax councillor Pat Brown; fundraiser and past regional councillor Pat Clark; and a very special lady, the honorary patron and an original Bomb Girl, Louise Johnson.

Mr. Tim Hudak: I’m pleased to introduce some members of the Canadian Snowbird Association who have joined us here in the assembly today: Lois Slack, Joan Brissenden, Joan Foster, Denise Leroux, Patricia Quigley, Judy Steeves, Yasmin Thorpe, Anne Weylie, Gord Hopcraft and Bill Huestis. We welcome them to the Legislative Assembly.

Mr. Bob Delaney: I’m delighted to introduce Tea Rosic of Lisgar, who is working with us in her third summer in the Mississauga–Streetsville constituency office. Tea attends McGill University in Montreal during the winter. Welcome.

Mr. John O’Toole: I’d like to introduce a good friend of myself and the caucus, Kelly Harris. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Mrs. Donna H. Cansfield: I’d like to introduce my Girls Government group in the Speaker’s gallery. They’re visiting Queen’s Park today to watch question period and give a press conference this afternoon. There are 17 girls, and their teachers are from two schools in my riding: St. Eugene Catholic elementary and Dixon Grove Junior Middle School. I hope the girls enjoy question period today.

Hon. Laurel C. Broten: I’d like to welcome Armand, Allan, Robert, Thomas, Genevieve and Daniel Conant, and Linda Sully, who are here in the Legislature today to celebrate the birthday of the Honourable Roger Gordon Conant, who turns 90 next week. Congratulations and happy birthday.

Mrs. Teresa Piruzza: I’d like to introduce again Fouzia Baki, who is our page Shaumik Baki’s mother, who is visiting us yet again today. I don’t see her here quite yet, but I’m sure she’ll be joining us shortly.

Hon. Glen R. Murray: It’s intern season again, and we get those bright, energetic young folks. I’d like to introduce our two interns, Fareshta Raoufi and Tahiya Bakht, in the gallery today.

Hon. Michael Gravelle: I want us to welcome two interns who have come to work in our office, who are here in the members’ gallery: Sarah Crowley and Nicholas Sherwin. Welcome, and good to have you here at Queen’s Park.

Miss Monique Taylor: Today I’d like to welcome the president of USW Local 1005, Rolf Gerstenberger, along with Jake Lombardo, Les Sherman, Steve Kajganic, Mauro Spaziani, Andrew Shand and Hans Nita, along with several of our injured workers’ committees.

ORAL QUESTIONS

HYDRO RATES

Mr. Tim Hudak: My question is to the Premier. Premier, in 1991 you said the following: “I submit I am not going out on much of a limb when I say there is a direct correlation between Hydro’s rates and our rate of unemployment in Ontario. As the rates go up, so will the rate of unemployment.” I agree with what the Premier said in 1991, but the Premier seems to be embarking in a different direction.

So, Premier, do you still stand by that accurate statement from years ago or have you found some way of suspending the basic law of economics when it comes to your expensive hydro policy in our province?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: It’s always good to know what happened 21 years ago, Speaker; 21 years ago.

I would say to my honourable colleague that it’s important to understand what we have done working together with the people of Ontario since 2003. Having inherited an electricity system that was in a terrible state of disrepair and neglect—

Interjections: A shambles.

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: A shambles is not putting it too strongly—we’ve undertaken to rehabilitate, restore, renew 80% of it over the course of the next 20 years. So we’ve been making massive investments in new generation and in new transmission. At the same time, we’re investing in an exciting, new clean energy industry, which is creating thousands and thousands of new jobs.

So we now find ourselves at a point in time where we have clean, reliable electricity, Speaker, which is so important to the business community in the province of Ontario.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Mr. Tim Hudak: The problem, Premier, is that you’re trying to turn upside down the basic law of economics. You somehow believe that higher energy rates somehow create jobs, when the opposite is the case. If anything’s in shambles, Premier, it’s the state of our economy: 300,000 lost manufacturing jobs across our province; in April, Ontario lost 8,000 jobs while the rest of Canada added 60,000; and Ontario’s manufacturing sector lost a further 13,000 jobs in April. Premier, the point here is, these are good jobs. They had been good jobs. They were a ticket to the middle class.

They helped to make Ontario’s middle class strong and healthy. You are undermining the middle class with your expensive hydro policies.

I’ll ask you: Will you admit now that higher hydro rates are actually driving jobs out of the economy, and it’s time for a change of course in our province?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: Speaker, presumably at some point in time the leader of the official opposition is going to talk about his proposal. Why don’t I take advantage of this opportunity to clarify his position in this regard? He wants to return to a failed experiment that hit Ontarians, business and homeowners alike, about 10 years ago; it resulted in a dramatic 30% increase in our hydro rates within a period of seven months, and it saddled us with a $1-billion debt that we continue to pay to this very day.

I say to my honourable colleague: We’ve been there, we’ve done that; we have no intention whatsoever of returning back.

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

Mr. Tim Hudak: You know, Speaker, if you want to talk about failed experiments, we need to look no farther than 10 feet there across the floor—300,000 lost manufacturing jobs; an erosion of our competitive position; and we’re paying $1.8 billion to Quebec and New York to take our power because we’ve signed contracts that make us take wind and solar at more than 10 times the price of power when we don’t need it. You talked about a failed experiment, and the Premier wants to double down.

It’s not just the PC caucus, Speaker: the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers; the Power Workers’ Union; the former CEO of the OPA, Jan Carr; the Auditor General; economist Don Drummond—more and more are saying we need to reverse course and, instead, go down paths to prosperity in our province; a bold, new set of ideas to make energy policy about the economy to attract jobs in our province. Your path has failed. Try something new.

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: Speaker, I want to make it perfectly clear here and now: We don’t support selling off Niagara Falls. We think that’s an important public asset that should be kept in public hands.

My honourable colleague references Don Drummond in passing. I would refer to some of the statements that he made in his recent report that he prepared for us. He specifically said, “We caution that any action must not be driven by ideology.” My honourable colleague wants to return to a failed experiment. It drove up our electricity costs by 30% within a period of seven months.

Don Drummond goes on to say, “Current circumstances do not appear to offer a convincing value proposition for” selling off our assets.

I think it’s really important to be mindful not only of history and what that has taught us, but also of present-day expert advice from people like Don Drummond, who are cautioning against this very kind of proposal.

ENERGY POLICIES

Mr. Tim Hudak: Back to the Premier: Premier, your green energy policy is nothing short of ideology that has been proven to be a failure everywhere it has been tried. You cling to it like some sort of religious zealot when the economic evidence is to the contrary. It is not a new idea; it is an old, outdated, 1990s-style industrial policy that began in Germany, and the countries that began it have abandoned it because they found out, as the Auditor General points out, that for every short-term job you create, you lose three or four in the broader economy.

You talk about rigid ideology, sir; it’s time to move off your ideological path. Get back to some common sense and good economic policy in our province, driven as energy policy, as economic policy to attract jobs. That’s the path to prosperity to make Ontario strong again and to make Ontario the leader when it comes to job creation, not the ideological—

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Premier?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: Speaker, again, to make it perfectly clear, we oppose selling off Niagara Falls, and we oppose returning to burning dirty coal, which compromises our health and, I would also argue, compromises our competitiveness.

Listen to some of the investments that we’ve made and how far we have come since 2003. We have built 9,000 megawatts of new generation. We have built 5,000 kilometres of transmission; that would take us from here to the Yukon. We’ve invested in some 20,000 new clean energy jobs, and we’re on track to create some 50,000 by 2014. That is at risk, in keeping with the proposal put forward by my honourable colleague.

I believe Ontarians want us to strike the right balance. They want clean air. They want to move off coal. They want us to invest in their system to make sure it’s affordable, clean, safe and reliable. That’s the balance we’re striking.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Mr. Tim Hudak: Premier, people want jobs in Ontario. They want to see an Ontario that grows again.

For 100 years, Ontario had energy rates that were lower than our competing states and provinces—for a century—until you brought in your very ideological Green Energy Act. Now we’re heading for the second-highest energy rates in all of North America and the highest rates on industry.

It is time to take a different path, to move away from your expensive subsidies and government mingling into the sector, Premier. We want to see investment by the private sector into our power system to see it grow. We want to see nuclear power as the basis of our supply, not wind and solar at 10 times the price of power. And where it makes sense to import power, do so, so businesses can actually hire again and expand and families can pay the bills—and to end your expensive gimmicks like your big subsidies for electric cars, to get back to a policy that says that energy is fundamentally economic policy to create jobs, a different path, a path to prosperity.

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: Speaker, I take issue with pretty well everything my honourable colleague has said in that statement.

I think it’s important that we cut to the chase on this, Speaker. What my honourable colleague is driven by is not so much the success of our approach, or lack thereof in his eyes; what he’s really bound by is an outdated ideology. He wants to sell off public assets. Mr. Drummond made it perfectly clear that there is no case to do that. He wants to proceed on the basis of ideology to sell off public assets like Niagara Falls, and he wants to return to the burning of coal. We reject that approach. We think it’s outdated. It’s not in keeping with the public interest.

It’s not in keeping with doing what we need to do to ensure we have a strong, competitive economy with businesses flourishing, as they are at present.

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

Mr. Tim Hudak: Here are the facts, Premier. The average family’s hydro bill has gone up 100%. You say yourself it’ll go up another 50%, and I suspect you are actually lowballing that figure. Under your very ideological approach to energy, we now have the highest rates for manufacturing and industry, and that has cost us 300,000 jobs.

We have the preposterous situation of trying to power a 21st-century economy on when the sun shines and when the wind blows, and then we have to pay Quebec and New York almost $2 billion to take our power.

Sir, your energy policy has been a failure. It is a train wreck of an economic policy. It’s costing us jobs. I know it’s hard for you to shake your ideological commitments, but it’s costing us jobs and it’s time to turn our province around. The PCs have put bold, new ideas on the table to power the economy, to create jobs and make Ontario a leader in job creation in Canada. That’s the path for our province, sir, and I ask you to reverse course and get back to—

Interjections.

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

Premier?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: Speaker, again I find it interesting that my honourable colleague has had the opportunity to put six questions to me and he references his plan as “bold new ideas.” Why doesn’t he just step forward and say, “We want to sell off public assets. We want to do what we did in the past. It led to a 30% increase in our electricity rates over the course of seven months. We want to return to the burning of coal, because that’s less expensive than proceeding with cleaner sources of electricity”? Why doesn’t he just come upfront with that? He doesn’t, Speaker, because Ontarians rejected that in the past and they’ll reject it again today.

Interjections.

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

GASOLINE PRICES

Ms. Andrea Horwath: My question is for the Premier. As the Premier knows, these are difficult times for Ontario families. The cost of everyday life keeps going up, while people haven’t had a real increase in wages in years. One of the big challenges for households is trying to balance their books, and one of the biggest issues that they have right now is the price volatility in goods.

Does the Premier agree that when gasoline prices spike by six cents a litre overnight, that makes it harder for people to plan their household budgeting?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: Speaker, gasoline prices are a real issue for Ontario families and businesses alike. That’s why I’d encourage my honourable colleague to take this matter up with the federal government, who has principal responsibility for these kinds of issues. If she’s suggesting that we put in place price controls of the variety that they have in some other provinces around the country, history has demonstrated that overall, those jurisdictions, people, families and businesses end up paying more than they do in the province of Ontario.

So I’d caution my honourable colleague when it comes to embracing that kind of approach and I would encourage her to contact the federal government with respect to gasoline prices.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Speaker, Ontario is the only province in eastern Canada that does not have some sort of predictable pricing for gasoline. That’s a fact. This afternoon, New Democrats are putting forward positive ideas. Let the Ontario Energy Board, which already has a role in regulating electricity and natural gas prices, create a weekly price ceiling for gasoline, so that drivers have a little bit more control over the price that they’re paying at the pumps. Will the Premier be supporting our proposal to help Ontarians manage their household budgets?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: Let’s just take a look at some objective information here. Canadian cities’ gas price averages: Quebec City, $1.42; Montreal, $1.40; Halifax, $1.40; Vancouver, $1.39; Toronto, $1.30; Kitchener–Waterloo, $1.30; London, $1.28. I can go on, Speaker, but I think it’s very, very clear that there is no magic to be found in the approach that my honourable colleague would have us embrace. I think what we have in place is the best system. It’s not a perfect system, but it’s the best system among the choices available to Canadians today.

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

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Speaker, by setting a weekly price, families would be able to plan their budgets. It’s an idea that works in other provinces. It’s an idea like the ones we’ve heard from—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Member.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: It’s an idea a lot like ones that we’ve heard from the Liberals in the past. It’ll make life a bit more affordable for people who need help. Is the government ready to make life a little more affordable for people, or can we count on more of the same old inaction and indifference from the Liberal government?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: Speaker, it’s been said that for every complex problem there is a solution that is neat and tidy and completely wrong. I think this is a good example of such a solution.

Speaker, if we look at what has happened across the country, and particularly if we compare what has happened here in Ontario with other parts of the country where they have regulated their gas prices, it turns out that, in the long run, Ontarians are further ahead. I’m talking about homeowners and businesses alike. This is not an easy issue—I understand that—for families and businesses alike to grapple with, but I would again encourage my honourable colleague to deal with those folks who have principal responsibility for gasoline pricing in the country, and of course, that’s the federal government.

ENERGY POLICIES

Ms. Andrea Horwath: My next question is also to the Premier, Speaker. In the past, the Premier has advocated the selling off of a portion of Hydro One and at one point he actually supported plans to sell it off entirely. Yesterday, the Minister of Energy called it a “failed” and “recycled” policy. Now, I know the Premier has had a variety of different views on this, so I just want some clarification on exactly where he stands today.

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: Speaker, they say that actions speak louder than words, so I recommend to my honourable colleague—she’s criticizing us for something we didn’t do. That’s hard to take, I’ve got to tell you.

The fact of the matter is, we have proceeded in a way that demonstrates the high value that Ontarians attach to their public assets. We have continued to build on that foundation, building more transmission, building more generation, Speaker, and there are prices associated with that.

Interjection.

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: I say to my vociferous honourable colleague from the north: There are costs associated with investing in new generation and new transmission. I think it’s important that we be honest about that. But this system was in a terrible state of disrepair. We’ve invested billions of dollars, and there’s a cost associated with that. We’re helping manage that with our 10% reduction.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Well, Speaker, the government criticizes the failed Conservative hydro policies of the past, but they look a heck of a lot like the failing Liberal hydro policies of today. Families paying sky-high electricity bills want to know why they’re on the hook for private power deals in Mississauga and Oakville, and they want to know why the government is pushing ahead with a scheme to privatize local utilities.

If the government knows these private power schemes drive up costs and make life more expensive, why do we get more of them every single year?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: To the Minister of Energy.

Hon. Christopher Bentley: The overwhelming majority of our power system is in public hands and it will remain in public hands as long as we have anything to do with it.

We make no excuse for the investment in green energy to clean up the air, save health costs and build a strong economy here in the province of Ontario. We say to all, whether in public hands or not, that we are determined to find the most cost-effective way to deliver reliable, clean power to families and businesses. That’s why we set up the panel to take a look at local publicly owned distribution companies to see if there’s a more effective, more cost-effective way of doing that.

Surely the NDP would not stand in the way of a more cost-effective, publicly owned way to approach the delivery of power.

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

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Well, Speaker, we’ve been pretty clear on this over on this side of the House. When a family’s hydro bill is nearly twice as high in Ontario as it is in Manitoba or Quebec, you’re obviously doing something very, very wrong, and households are struggling with the growing cost of everyday life. They are paying the price of this government’s failure.

We’ve put forward positive proposals to get out of this mess and asked the Premier to commit to a real review that would look at the role that private power is actually playing in driving up the costs. Is the Premier ready to act on this? Or are we going to see more of the same failed policies that keep people paying more and more and more?

Hon. Christopher Bentley: As I say, the overwhelming majority of our power system is in public hands; the overwhelming majority will stay in public hands.

We make no apology for the investment in green energy to clean up the air, save the health of Ontarians and build a very strong economy in the province of Ontario, and no excuse for saying to all companies that deliver that resource to the people, families and businesses in Ontario, “You have to do it at the most cost-effective way.”

That’s why we work with all of our major publicly owned agencies, including the local distribution companies, to say to them, “If there are ways this can be done more effectively, we’re prepared to do it.”

I hope the NDP won’t stand in the way of delivering our public resource more cost-effectively to families and businesses in the province of Ontario.

ENERGY POLICIES

Mr. Victor Fedeli: My question is for the Minister of Energy. Good morning, Minister. It’s becoming apparent to everyone that your green energy plan is failing. It’s failing Ontario families as their hydro bills are out of control, thanks to outrageous wind and solar subsidies. It’s failing Ontario businesses as rising global adjustment forces firms like Fabrene in North Bay to look long and hard about the decision to even stay in Ontario.

We’ve heard from ordinary citizens, we’ve consulted hundreds of stakeholders, and they’re telling us that change is needed in the electricity sector to make Ontario competitive to create jobs.

Today, our party has issued Paths to Prosperity, which will restore an energy policy. Minister, as you have no ideas of your own, will you please take ours?

Hon. Christopher Bentley: Unfortunately, we’ve seen your plan before. We’ve seen the plan to sell off publicly owned assets before. We’ve seen that you are desperate to take Niagara Falls and our other strong, publicly owned power assets and give them to the highest bidder. They’ll never again be in the hands of the people of Ontario. We’ve seen what effect that has on hydro rates: a 30% increase in just a matter of months. We’ve seen that. The people of Ontario rejected that.

When will the party opposite actually come up with a forward-looking plan instead of just dredging things up from the past?

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Mr. Victor Fedeli: Minister, our answer to the energy crisis is our 13 Paths to Prosperity. Your answer is to drive hydro bills through the roof, forcing seniors to choose between heat and food, forcing businesses to close or move. We say, enough is enough.

Without dramatic changes to the electricity system, hydro bills are going up by 46% by 2015, and that is from our very own Auditor General. Today, we put concrete solutions on the table to reduce this job-killing path that you’ve put us on. Will you do what we did? Will you listen to Ontarians and take the steps we’ve outlined in our Paths to Prosperity to keep hydro costs down and start creating real jobs again in Ontario?

Hon. Christopher Bentley: Unfortunately, Speaker, their 13 steps are going to take us back to a failed policy that the people of Ontario have long since rejected. We do not want the party opposite to engage in a public auction of Niagara Falls and our other publicly owned assets.

We saw what that meant with the 407, where they got a one-year gain and an asset lost forever to Ontarians and billions of dollars lost from the pockets of Ontario families and businesses.

We saw what that did to electricity rates. We saw that when they broke up Ontario Hydro, they created the stranded debt that is still there, and we’re still working to pay it down. Their failed experiment didn’t work then; it won’t work now.

It’s time—surely, Speaker—that we move forward together.

ANTI-BULLYING INITIATIVES

Mr. Peter Tabuns: My question is to the Minister of Education. A simple question, Minister: If Bill 13 passes and a group of students wants to form a student group, and they want to call that group a gay-straight alliance, is there any possibility that they will be denied the right to name it that?

Hon. Laurel C. Broten: I’m very happy to have an opportunity to talk about the Accepting Schools Act and how the Accepting Schools Act will make a difference in our province.

We used to have a debate in this province about whether, when students put up their hand and asked for support, when they asked to form a club, they would be allowed to form that single-issue club to talk about issues of importance to them in school, Speaker. That debate exists no longer. If this piece of legislation is passed, we will ensure—we will guarantee—that those supports will be in place.

I’ve had a chance to say on many occasions that it’s not for us from Queen’s Park to tell every student what their club should be, and I would expect all of our boards to pay attention to the student voice and the value of students having a role in ensuring that those supports and those clubs are in place for those students.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Mr. Peter Tabuns: Well, occasionally evasion speaks volumes, and it does this morning. The minister does not say whether or not gay and straight students could form a club that they could call a gay-straight alliance.

Minister, you have not answered that question. You are evading that question. On one hand, you say that gay students need to be respected, that they need to have the validation that comes from legislation, and on the other hand you, in this Legislature, will not make it clear that they will have the right to name their clubs. Why will you not make that statement in this House?

Hon. Laurel C. Broten: We have made it very clear in the legislation that student-led initiatives like gay-straight alliances need to be supported, be it by that name or any other name. It is many, many students in our province who want to have a voice, Speaker. They want to have support.

We’re focused on that support, and we have the support of many, many individuals across this province who have fought long and hard to ensure that issues regarding homophobia and sexual orientation will be front and centre in our schools so that our students, our LGBTQ students, our students who have two moms or two dads, can go to school every day and feel safe and feel respected, and they will have the supports in place.

These organizations have many names, but let’s be very clear about one thing: The supports will be in place. The students put up their hands; if Bill 13 is passed, those supports will be in place for our students right across this province.

NURSES

Ms. Soo Wong: My question is for the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. As a public health nurse, I know how important it is to ensure that communities like my riding of Scarborough–Agincourt have access to more nurses. It wasn’t that long ago, under a former government, that we saw nurses being fired. That trend has been reversed. However, there is still more work to be done. There’s a growing need for nurses to provide many different types of care in our schools, hospitals, long-term-care homes and at home.

To the minister: What is this government doing to provide more nurses to communities throughout Ontario?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: Well, thank you to the member from Scarborough–Agincourt—a very strong member in this Legislature.

I am very proud to say that Ontario is making the right choice. We’re directing precious health care dollars to front-line patient care and we’re creating 900 new nursing positions this year. These new nurses will care for patients throughout the health care system: in home care, community care, primary care, in our hospitals, our long-term-care homes and our mental health care programs in our schools. The creation of more nursing programs to ensure the right care at the right time in the right place is part of our action plan for health care.

We now have more than 15,000 more nurses working in Ontario than when we took office in 2003—an increase of 33%.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Ms. Soo Wong: Our health care system faces many challenges. We need to move forward on house calls for Ontarians. Hospitals require more supports to shorten ER wait times. Our long-term-care homes need support for nurses who care for residents on a daily basis. More people are using telemedicine as a tool to access health care advice. And the demand for nurses to help children in our schools continues to increase.

To the minister: How will this investment in new nurses help Ontarians through the health care system?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: Among the 900 new nursing positions, we’ve got 126 rapid-response nurses. They visit patients who have been discharged from hospital within 24 hours to make sure they’re getting the right supports at home. We’ve got 200 new nurses to care for long-term-care residents with complex and challenging behaviours. We’ve got 191 new telemedicine nurses to support patients in remote areas while they receive care from specialists throughout video hookup. We have 144 new nurses working in schools to identify and support students with mental health or addiction issues.

So we are making the right choices to increase capacity in our communities with the precious new health care dollars that we have.

ENERGY POLICIES

Mr. Monte McNaughton: My question is for the Minister of Energy. We heard on Friday from StatsCan with the latest unemployment numbers. As a result of your Liberal government’s policies, Ontario’s unemployment is up to 7.8%. In April, the rest of the country gained 60,000 jobs while Ontario lost about 8,000 jobs. Coincidentally, electricity prices in this province have risen 100% and prices are projected to rise another 46% in the next five years.

Minister, do you agree with the Auditor General that the high cost of electricity here in Ontario is costing us jobs and hurting our economy?

Hon. Christopher Bentley: I know I’ll give the supplementary to the Minister of Economic Development.

It’s interesting that the member stands up and talks about jobs and has consistently voted against the southwest economic development fund, which in our part of the world is a very important job driver.

The fact of the matter is that, over the past couple of months, our full-time jobs are up. Since the depths of the recession, we are up many thousands of jobs—a very strong economic performance.

What we’ve done in energy is find a new source of employment for the future. We found green energy jobs, already more than 20,000 jobs in the province of Ontario on the way to 50,000 with billions of dollars of investment, all of which will be cancelled if the party opposite ever gets the opportunity.

It’s time to support clean, reliable jobs for the future.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Mr. Monte McNaughton: Back to the Minister of Energy: He is obviously completely out of touch with the realities that businesses in Ontario are facing.

Minister, the community of Wallaceburg has been hard hit by the recent recession. To make matters worse, on May 3, Sobeys in downtown Wallaceburg announced that they would be shutting their doors and laying off 70 employees. Company representatives have stated that, after an extensive and careful review of the operation, it was determined that the store is no longer a viable option, with a major factor being the skyrocketing increase in energy costs that are facing the store.

It is clear your callous energy policies have cost yet another 70 jobs in my riding. Minister, will you admit that the skyrocketing energy costs that your government has implemented are hurting Ontario’s economy and costing us jobs?

Hon. Christopher Bentley: We know what’s going to happen if the PC policy is implemented, because we saw this before. There were shortages of power in 2002-03. There were brownouts. There were electricity generators on street corners, and the prices for families and businesses skyrocketed 30% in a matter of months. Businesses could not rely on the power when they had the chance. There was no certainty of supply and businesses were on the edge.

We’ve renewed the system. We have brought on the generation necessary. We’re making sure that our public assets stay in public hands, and we’re finding the jobs for the future in a clean, green economy at home right here in Ontario to provide opportunities for families and businesses throughout this province.

PRIVATIZATION OF PUBLIC SERVICES

Mr. Paul Miller: My question is to the Minister of Finance. Budget Bill 55 establishes a legal framework for the privatization of ServiceOntario, a framework that would allow an unaccountable, privatized, private-public system that could lead to private interests profiting from public services.

I want to remind you that it was a complete lack of transparency and accountability that led to the Ornge fiasco. Why is this government risking going down the same path with ServiceOntario as it did with Ornge?

Hon. Dwight Duncan: The member opposite referenced an important budget initiative, which his party supported at budget motion time, Mr. Speaker. They didn’t vote, I think is what happened.

Interjection: They didn’t object.

Hon. Dwight Duncan: They didn’t object.

In fact, Mr. Speaker, this initiative began in the 2011 budget. We outlined options for the better provision of services to Ontarians. We’ve looked at those, examined them throughout the course of the last year, and in this year’s budget we brought forward a proposal that will allow us to better manage the costs associated with the provision of important public services. We believe it’s the right direction for the province to go in as we get back to balance so that we can continue to make the investments in education and health care that all Ontarians value.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Mr. Paul Miller: The new piece of legislation contains no—I repeat, no—accountability measures and allows a labyrinth of for-profit corporations to benefit from the fact that almost all Ontarians must use ServiceOntario at one time or another. Despite the admission from this government that letting Ornge go down this path was a big mistake, this legislation replicates many of the mistakes made there. Can this minister explain why he is pushing ahead with legislation that replicates many of the failures of Ornge?

Hon. Dwight Duncan: In fact, that’s not the case. I am looking forward to the passage of Bill 50, which will give greater certainty to Ontarians about the accountability of crown agencies in all of their various forms. So I’m pleased that in fact the Auditor General and others will continue to have scrutiny, as will the Legislature, as will public accounts, over this operation and other operations, as they do now.

We believe, frankly, that the passage of Bill 50 will aid this Legislature not just with Ornge but with the accountability of a broader range of arrangements between the government and the private delivery of different services and assets. Accordingly, we believe this is the right policy. It will allow us to get back to balance as we continue to make important investments in health and education.

BUSINESS SUPPORT PROGRAMS

Ms. Tracy MacCharles: Good morning, Mr. Speaker. Today I have a question for the Minister of Economic Development and Innovation. Recent reports have identified that Canada and Ontario suffer from a productivity gap. It’s very important to note that this is not a reflection of Ontario’s hard-working labour force but a gap in how we capitalize and maximize the value and productivity of our limited investment dollars.

Can the minister assure this House and my constituents of Pickering–Scarborough East that the government has a plan to ensure we maximize the productivity of our limited investment dollars?

Hon. Brad Duguid: We sure do, and I want to thank the member for the question. I’m pleased to take this opportunity to talk a little bit about the Jobs and Prosperity Council. The Jobs and Prosperity Council will advise the Ontario government on how best to improve our competitiveness and productivity. It will be an effective mechanism to seek cutting-edge advice and generate new ideas and approaches to improve productivity and competitiveness in Ontario. It will consider ways we can best other jurisdictions in the global workforce skill shortage, and it will consider how we can get the maximum results from our business support investments.

It will report to the Premier, and it will be headed by a well-respected champion of the Ontario economy, Gord Nixon. I’m confident that, with Gord Nixon’s leadership, the Jobs and Prosperity Council will generate ideas and advice that will help us take Ontario’s already strong economy to the next level.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Ms. Tracy MacCharles: I thank the minister for the answer. As a former executive in the private sector, I am very glad to see that we’re moving forward on the budget promise to create the Jobs and Prosperity Council.

I’m also very happy that we’re moving forward with Mr. Drummond’s recommendation to look at ways to consolidate the business support programs we deliver and to ensure we’re getting the best value for the tax dollars we’re investing. Can the minister please explain how Mr. Gord Nixon, from RBC, is qualified to lead the new Jobs and Prosperity Council and perhaps shed some light on the makeup of the rest of the council, ensuring that it reflects the interests of all Ontarians?

Hon. Brad Duguid: Many of you will know that Gord Nixon is the CEO of Royal Bank of Canada and the chairman of MaRS. But he’s more than that. He’s an Order of Canada and an Order of Ontario recipient. He once was chair of the Greater Toronto United Way campaign. He’s a recipient of Canada’s Outstanding CEO of the Year award and the business leader of the year award. He has received all kinds of CEO recognition globally as one of the best CEOs recognized around the world. He co-chairs the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council. I could go on, but let me say this: We’re absolutely delighted that Mr. Nixon accepted Premier McGuinty’s invitation to head up the Jobs and Prosperity Council.

As for the other members of the council, they’ll be made up of a diverse and distinguished mix of Ontarians who will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to this initiative.

AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE

Mr. Frank Klees: My question is to the Minister of Health. At 2:30 this past Wednesday afternoon, a call was placed to Ornge from the St. Francis Memorial Hospital in Barry’s Bay, requesting an emergency air ambulance transfer to the Queensway Carleton Hospital. One hour later, Ornge dispatch advised that the air ambulance was not available because it was undergoing maintenance. The hospital made arrangements to transfer the patient by local land ambulance, but Ornge insisted that the patient was now theirs and must be transferred by Ornge land ambulance—more confusion, more delay.

The land ambulance arrived and eventually so did the helicopter. Now in kidney failure, the patient was flown to the Ottawa general hospital, where she died on Friday morning.

Did Ornge make the minister aware of this tragic incident? If so, can she tell us why, yet once again, Ornge was unable to respond?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: Let me first express my condolences to the family.

I can tell you that we take patient safety extremely seriously. The new leadership at Ornge, the new board, are—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): There were people on this side asking for shushing and quiet when the question was being posed. I’m asking for shushing and quiet when it’s being answered.

Minister.

Hon. Deborah Matthews: Patient safety is the highest priority of the new leadership at Ornge, and we do take every incident very seriously. Every incident is investigated, Speaker, and I can assure the member opposite that this incident will be investigated, as well. There is a process that the ministry goes through, that Ornge goes through and, if he so chooses, the coroner goes through to determine if there are any lessons that can be learned, and if so, we must implement them.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Mr. Frank Klees: Apparently the minister was not aware, and apparently Ornge isn’t keeping her abreast of these incidents.

The inability to respond by Ornge is emerging as a systemic issue. Last week, the new Ornge CEO was quoted as saying that it’s unrealistic to expect 24-hour emergency service, that it’s just too expensive.

Is that the best that we can expect from the minister’s new management team, from her new board of directors, from the new performance agreement and from the new legislation that the minister has tabled here? If patient safety cannot be her priority and if she cannot have Ornge reporting these incidents to her, then quite frankly we have a serious problem here.

I ask the minister to tell us again: Was she aware of this, and what—

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Thank you. Minister of Health.

Hon. Deborah Matthews: Speaker, I would caution the member opposite from jumping to any conclusions about any particular incidents. There are people who are highly qualified to do the research, to get the facts, to make determinations.

I can assure you that the people at Ornge, the front-line staff who every day come to work to save lives, are the most loyal, responsible and highly skilled individuals. We in Ontario should be enormously grateful for the people at Ornge.

The drive-by smears from the member opposite, I think, are not helpful. I would urge the member opposite, if he really wants to be part of the solution, to support Bill 50 and stop blocking passage of Bill 50.

HORSE RACING INDUSTRY

Mr. Taras Natyshak: My question is to the Minister of Agriculture. Minister, the horse racing industry is an important part of the agriculture industry in rural Ontario. We keep hearing from the government that consultation with the horse racing industry will happen in due course, but breeders are making decisions that are three years away. Other parts of the industry, like feed, need time to plan their investments. Businesses cannot operate within this ambiguous “due course” time frame. They need firm commitments.

When exactly will the government make good on its promise to consult with the horse racing sector on a path forward for this important industry?

Mr. Ted McMeekin: Mr. Speaker, the OLG goes to the Minister of Finance.

Hon. Dwight Duncan: Last evening, I had the opportunity to meet with representatives of the horse racing industry, as well—

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Member from Lanark, come to order.

Hon. Dwight Duncan: I had the opportunity last evening to speak with representatives of OHRIA as well as the quarter horse racing industry. I sought their advice on how to move forward. I’ll be meeting with them again. I’ll have an announcement very shortly with respect to how we’re going to transition this industry to a better future for horse racing in Ontario.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Mr. Taras Natyshak: More ambiguity from the Minister of Agriculture on the effects that this decision has for rural Ontario as he passes the buck to the finance minister, who obviously has no plan for the industry going forward.

This was a revenue-sharing agreement, not a subsidy. It should have been worked on going forward and followed through so that that sector could continue.

We’re hearing now that this decision is going to result in the slaughtering of thousands of horses in the province of Ontario. Why can’t the minister give small business owners a firm date on the promised consultation to transition that industry going forward?

Hon. Dwight Duncan: As I have indicated, I began those consultations last evening. In spite of the NDP’s opposition to corporate handouts, they want us to continue to subsidize an industry that sends a lot of its money outside of the province.

The member opposite talks a good game when he’s out in public, but when it came to negotiating at budget time, they didn’t want to put the issue on the agenda.

We will help this industry transition. We’ve undertaken that. I began those discussions last evening. There’s no ambiguity about that. I expect very shortly more announcements as we move to a stronger horse racing industry that is sustainable in the future and that will help sustain rural Ontario. I look forward to hearing more ideas from the members opposite—

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

SCHOOL NUTRITION PROGRAMS

Ms. Helena Jaczek: My question is for the Minister of Children and Youth Services.

As a former medical officer of health, I know there is a direct link between student nutrition and academic success. Healthy foods allow students to grow not only physically but also socially, emotionally and intellectually while succeeding in the classroom. But providing meals and snacks to children does much more than help them succeed at school; it’s also an important avenue for helping to combat poverty in the province.

To the minister: What is being done across Ontario to ensure that kids are getting the best possible start to their school day?

Hon. Eric Hoskins: I would like to thank the member from Oak Ridges–Markham for the question. Last week, many of my colleagues know that the Toronto District School Board and the Toronto Foundation for Student Success released the results of an important study on the role that nutrition plays in student success, and the results speak for themselves. Middle and secondary school students who eat breakfast at school on most days achieve better academic results. It sounds intuitive; the study has proven it. Those academic results improved right across the board.

These same students are more likely to come to school and less likely to be suspended. Important studies like these emphasize just how crucial our student nutrition program is.

Since 2003, our government has quadrupled its investment to our student nutrition program, and I’m proud to say that last year, we provided nutritious breakfasts to over 660,000 elementary and secondary students.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Ms. Helena Jaczek: Thank you to the minister for updating us on this important program in Toronto.

In York region, Food for Learning, operated by over 776 volunteers, serves 23,000 children. Last year, 83,808 volunteer hours were dedicated to planning, preparing and serving over 450,000 breakfasts and 780,000 snacks. This program is invaluable for my constituents of Oak Ridges–Markham.

A strong, publicly funded education system which takes our children’s nutritional health into consideration is key to reducing poverty. Minister, can you tell us what else is being done in Ontario to ensure that Ontario students get the best possible start?

Hon. Eric Hoskins: To the Minister of Education.

Hon. Laurel C. Broten: Research has consistently shown how important it is for kids of all ages to get good nutrition. The urban and priority high school funding, as an example, through the Ministry of Education, gives help for secondary schools in urban neighbourhoods dealing with issues like poverty. Through this program, the Ministry of Education provides $10 million to urban boards with at-risk students to, amongst other things, support nutrition.

Combining with that investment, our new school food and beverage policy has nutrition standards for food and beverages sold in schools, including cafeterias, vending machines and tuck shops.

We want all of our kids to eat healthy so that they will be successful in school, and we’re building on the investments that we’ve made in a healthy schools strategy—daily physical activity for younger kids—to ensure that all of our students will be healthy and successful in every Ontario school.

MINING INDUSTRY

Mr. Norm Miller: My question is for the Minister of Northern Development and Mines. Last week in their news release, Cliffs Natural Resources merely stated that they agreed to consider a feasibility study in Sudbury, not to build a facility. They also said the agreement could be derailed by certain conditions, which included “uncertainty in market conditions, results of future prospects, slowing of the economic growth rate in China, changes in currency values, availability of equipment, energy supply and weather conditions,” among others.

That adds up to a lot of uncertainty, and it’s a far cry from the language you used in your announcement. In fact, it almost sounded like you were talking about two different projects. To listen to your rhetoric, one would think you were already shipping ore. How do you explain this discrepancy, Minister?

Hon. Rick Bartolucci: We continue to celebrate the fact that Cliffs has every confidence in the province of Ontario, and that’s why they announced that they’re willing to make a $3.3-billion investment in the province of Ontario that will create jobs not only in northern Ontario but across Ontario.

Speaker, this is incredibly good news that the company has moved from pre-feasibility to feasibility. We look forward to that process. We look forward to continuing to dialogue with Cliffs, with our First Nations communities, with the communities in Ontario. At the end of the day, we see this Ring of Fire as an incredible opportunity for all Ontarians.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Mr. Norm Miller: Minister, Sonny Gagnon, chief of Aroland First Nation, said that the minister tried to “buy him off” late Tuesday night, mere hours before his announcement, after ignoring First Nations for months.

Nishnawbe Aski Nation says they were completely shut out of this decision.

Chief Peter Moonias of Neskantaga First Nation said, “They’re going to have to cross that river and I told them if they want to cross that river, they’re going to have to kill me first.”

So my question is, if the minister is working closely with First Nations, as he claims, why are so many groups so upset?

Hon. Rick Bartolucci: The fact of the matter is that there are ongoing discussions with all of the partners in this particular mining project.

Our First Nations communities suggested to us that regional infrastructure supports were very, very important and that should form part of the framework that we enter into. They suggested that social supports were very important and that they should be a part of the framework we’ve entered into. They suggested that regional environmental impacts were very, very important and they should be a part of the framework agreement that we’ve entered into. They suggested that resource benefit sharing was very, very important to them and it should be a part of the framework for discussion.

Speaker, we will continue to dialogue with our First Nations communities. We will continue to dialogue with industry. We will continue to dialogue with our environmental groups. We will continue to do that which is necessary in order to achieve the Ring of Fire’s potential for all of Ontario.

ONTARIO SAVINGS BONDS

Ms. Cindy Forster: My question is to the Minister of Finance. A constituent of mine from Port Colborne, Frank Olm, recently lost his spouse, Carol, who was a nurse, to cancer. While doing the paperwork for her estate, he learned that transferring her Ontario savings bonds to her spouse was going to incur a 3% fee of the total amount of the bonds.

Why is the Ontario savings bond program charging people a fee on a simple name transfer that’s more than the interest earned on the bonds themselves?

Hon. Dwight Duncan: Our condolences to the family. There are a number of fees related to estate transfers. I’m not familiar with this specific circumstance. I’ll undertake to look into it for the member and report back to the House. I know these fees have been in place for many years, likely brought in by the previous government.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Ms. Cindy Forster: Speaker, we’re not talking about rich people here in my riding. We’re talking about families who, over the years—in this case, 40 years—built up some modest savings in Ontario savings bonds, and they did that to support the province of Ontario because they believe in the province of Ontario.

Frank, the constituent, was told that the fee would be waived after my office actually contacted the ministry, but that transfer has yet to be processed. So the question still remains: Will the minister commit to intervening and looking into this kind of bizarre and costly practice?

Hon. Dwight Duncan: Mr. Speaker, I think that’s a very reasonable request. I certainly will undertake to look at not only the specifics of that but into the policy. I thank the member for raising it in the House today.

TOURISM

Mrs. Teresa Piruzza: My question is for the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport. As the sun starts to shine and with summer quickly approaching, Ontarians are starting to plan their summer vacations. They will plan their vacations with itineraries that include stops at renowned attractions and beautiful scenic landscapes, and I’m sure Windsor-Essex will be on that list. As visitors to destinations both inside and outside of the province, Ontarians will seek out some of Canada’s and the world’s most alluring cuisine, entertainment, recreation and cultural hot spots.

But in addition to what lies beyond Ontario’s borders, there is much to see and do right here at home. What is the government doing to invest in bringing tourists to Ontario this summer to experience all that we have to offer in this great province?

Hon. Michael Chan: Thank you very much to the honourable member for asking the question. Speaker, I would like to inform the House that June 15 will be a sight to remember for Ontarians and guests to our province as we welcome Nik Wallenda, a world-renowned tightrope walker, who will cross the gorge at Niagara Falls. This signature event has already attracted interest from around the world and is estimated to draw 125,000 spectators and have an economic impact of more than $20 million in Ontario.

Events such as these attract tourists, create jobs and support economic growth. Every year, they support over 20,000 jobs in Ontario and generate millions of dollars in revenue.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Supplementary?

Mrs. Teresa Piruzza: Thank you, Minister, for the answer. I’m pleased to see that this government is taking initiative to foster tourism throughout the province.

Ontario indeed hosts a variety of festivals and events, and showcases famous landmarks and outdoor sports activities that make it a destination of choice for outside visitors. I’m proud of the busy festival season we have in Windsor and across the province: Art in the Park, and Carousel of Nations, to name two that are quickly approaching in Windsor.

In order to continue to draw tourists to this wonderful province we are privileged to call home, our government must continue to reinvent the industry by promoting and supporting it, by ensuring we remain competitive to continue to support jobs and generating over $22 billion in Ontario’s economy. Speaker, can the minister indicate what else the government is doing to promote this sector?

Hon. Michael Chan: The member will be reassured to hear that since 2003, our government has invested over $230 million to support more than 4,200 festivals and events across Ontario through a number of tourism and culture programs.

Over the next few years, the international spotlight will continue to shine on Ontario as we host the 2013 IIHF World Women’s Championships in Ottawa, World Pride in 2014 in Toronto, and the 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games.

We are also expanding into new markets in Brazil, in India and in China. Our government has signed three agreements with Chinese provinces that are expected to have over $200 million in benefits for Ontario’s tourism economy.

AIR AMBULANCE SERVICE

Mr. Frank Klees: My question is to the government House leader. Speaker, we now have a motion before the government House leader from the Legislature asking for broader terms of reference for the public accounts committee. We have a motion before the government House leader requesting that we sit throughout the break week. We have a motion before the government House leader asking to sit into the summer.

We have three hearing days left. We know that Dr. Mazza himself is refusing to come at this point. It looks as though if we don’t get the extension, we may never hear from Dr. Mazza and other key witnesses whom we must hear from.

I would like to know from the government House leader: Will he commit today to give the public accounts committee the additional request to sit throughout the break and to sit throughout the summer so that we can, in fact, get to the bottom of this?

Hon. John Milloy: We will consider all requests that come forward, and the issue of Dr. Mazza, of course, is up to the committee. But I would like to congratulate the public accounts committee on the good work they do. They’re going to be holding a number more hearings. In fact, a lot of information has come out, and it will be discussed by the committee. If the member wants to conduct hearings on the floor of the House, perhaps he’d like to know about a $7,000 invoice from Kelly Mitchell, a top Tory insider, expense to prepare a strategy for engaging the PC Party. Mr.

Speaker, I have a copy of it, and step 1 in the strategy is called, “Make Peace with Frank Klees.” Let me quote: “It will be important”—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Order.

MEMBER’S BIRTHDAY

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

Mr. Michael Prue: Yes, on a point of order, I would like to advise the House that today is a very special day. The member from Welland is celebrating a birthday, and I know we all wish her the best.

Applause.

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

The House recessed from 1137 to 1500.

INTRODUCTION OF VISITORS

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): In the Speaker’s gallery today, we have students and staff from St. John’s College in Brantford, Assumption College in Brantford, and Holy Trinity college in Simcoe. We welcome our guests for being here to learn all about the Legislature.

MEMBERS’ STATEMENTS

DAVE STECKLE

Ms. Lisa M. Thompson: I’m pleased to rise today to recognize an outstanding citizen from the Goderich area: Dave Steckle. He was recently presented with the 2012 Man of Integrity Award. The Man of Integrity program was conceived by the Domestic Assault Review Team, known as DART, of Huron county.

DART members wanted to come up with an idea to help men become more aware and better educated to put an end to domestic violence. They decided to catch men doing positive things in their everyday lives promoting gender equality and reward them. This initiative is the first of its kind in Canada. This year, Dave Steckle, who owns and runs Huron Ridge Acres, a greenhouse and nursery, was recognized.

In the past year, Dave unselfishly took in a woman and her children to keep them safe from her husband for a two-week period. He kept their car out of sight in order to protect their whereabouts.

Dave has always upheld his employees with the greatest respect, and he has told them that if there are problems at home, that comes first, such as a sick child, for example. If there is one in their home, they should be there with their child, because there’s always another day to go to work.

Over the years, Dave’s home has been open to those who were going through a troublesome time. Dave always goes out of his way to make this a better world for everyone around him.

I want to thank Dave for his efforts in making Huron county a safer place for women.

CALYPSO WATER PARK /

PARC AQUATIQUE CALYPSO

Mr. Grant Crack: It gives me great pleasure to take a moment to speak about the Calypso theme water park, which is located in Limoges, in my riding of Glengarry–Prescott–Russell.

On April 26 of this year, Calypso, Canada’s biggest and best theme water park, was once again honoured during the Ottawa Tourism Awards, where it received the Innovation of the Year award for its spectacular aquatic complex, Summit Tower. At 10-storeys high, it’s the highest free-standing waterslide tower in North America.

This is the second award Calypso has received in 2012. The water park was also recently awarded the prestigious title of Company of the Year by the Regroupement des gens d’affaires de la Capitale Nationale during its 2012 gala.

Calypso president and CEO, Guy Drouin, states: “Innovation is at the very heart of our business decisions, and both of these prestigious awards encourage us to set the bar higher moving forward. Furthermore, we are equally thrilled to see the tangible impact our efforts had on Ottawa’s tourist industry.”

I agree with Mr. Drouin.

Avec l’addition du nouveau complexe aquatique Summit Tower, le parc Calypso investit plus de 50 millions de dollars qui contribuent au développement commercial et économique de la région. Cet investissement procure 500 emplois et permet à des centaines de milliers de visiteurs de s’amuser davantage.

Parc Calypso has a positive impact on eastern Ontario and specifically in my riding of Glengarry–Prescott–Russell. I congratulate them on their current successes. I look forward to working hard on their behalf as they embark on their existing future expansion plans, and I wish them well in their future endeavours.

SUICIDE PREVENTION

Mr. Robert Bailey: As the MPP for Sarnia–Lambton, as a father and as a grandfather, I’m deeply saddened by the string of youth suicides that have shocked my community in recent months. Last week, another young person from my community took her life. It is simply impossible for me to express in words the pain that these events have caused the families and friends and the larger community which surrounds these individuals. As one constituent wrote to me, “The time for quiet worry has long passed.”

I again stand here, two years after I first called for a provincial comprehensive suicide prevention strategy and to urge this government to act. Last spring, this House called upon the government to table an action plan to implement the 23 recommendations found in the all-party Select Committee on Mental Health report entitled Navigating the Journey to Wellness. A year later, only two of these recommendations have been adopted.

Mr. Speaker, there’s no shortage of studies and reports. It is time for this government to implement these recommendations, and also to move forward on Bill 14 to put an end to bullying in our schools.

ANTI-BULLYING INITIATIVES

Ms. Cheri DiNovo: We know that four times as many LGBTQ students attempt suicide as heterosexual students. I stand here as a United Church minister, a member of the largest Protestant denomination in Canada, a denomination that has been ordaining openly gay and lesbian people since 1988 and has condoned same-sex marriage for at least 10 years.

ROGER CONANT

Mrs. Donna H. Cansfield: I rise today in the House to say happy birthday and congratulations to the Honourable Roger Conant on his 90th birthday.

Mr. Conant was born on May 26, 1922, in Oshawa, Ontario. He is the son of the Honourable Gordon Daniel Conant, who served as Premier of this province in 1942, having previously served as the mayor of Oshawa and the Attorney General of Ontario.

Mr. Conant graduated from the University of Toronto with a bachelor of arts degree. He enlisted and fought in World War II as a lieutenant as part of the Canloan program, where young officers in Canada were loaned to the British army. Unfortunately, the casualty rate was about 75%. Two days after D-Day, Roger Conant landed on the beaches of Normandy. He was badly injured; they actually thought he was dead. But then luckily he had survived when 24 hours later the British retook the field and found him alive. It took eight months for him to heal in England.

After World War II, he joined the forces again in the Korean War and attained the rank of major. He was awarded the Canadian Forces decoration for his service.

He was called to the bar, was a Queen’s Counsel, and raised his family in Ajax. He has been a major mover and shaker in that community. Appointed to District Court of Ontario in 1977, he served in Superior Court for 17 years.

But he didn’t retire, Mr. Speaker. He didn’t sit on his laurels. He went on to serve as a judge and panel member of the Pension Appeals Board of Canada. His two sons and three of his grandchildren are joining him today, and we all say: Happy birthday, Honourable Roger Conant.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): Happy birthday. I’m allowed to do that.

PROPERTY RIGHTS

Mr. Randy Hillier: Earlier I tabled a motion, which reads as follows, in the House:

“That, in the opinion of this House, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms should be amended to enshrine property rights for Ontarians, as follows:

“

(1) The following

section is inserted after

section 7:

“‘7.1(1) In Ontario, everyone has the right not to be deprived, by any act of the Legislative Assembly or by any action taken under authority of

an act of the Legislative Assembly, of the title, use, or enjoyment of real property or of any right attached to real property, or of any improvement made to or upon real property, unless made whole by means of full, just and timely financial compensation,’” and that this

section “‘refers to any act of the Legislative Assembly made before or after the coming into force of this section.

“‘

(2) This amendment may be cited as the Constitution Amendment, 2012 (No Expropriation in Ontario without Compensation), and reference to the Constitution Acts, 1867 to 1982, shall be deemed to include a reference to the Constitution Amendment, 2012 (No Expropriation in Ontario without Compensation).’”

MINING INDUSTRY

Ms. Sarah Campbell: Last week, this government announced part of its backroom deal with Cliffs Natural Resources to the public.

While Cliffs made a business decision to process northwestern Ontario resources in northeastern Ontario, which is its right, this government has no excuse for failing in its duty to involve northerners in the process. While the government is silent on many details, it is clear that this government has made commitments without involving municipal leaders or First Nations.

Yesterday, Chief Peter Moonias of Neskantaga First Nation made his viewpoint pretty clear. He said he’s willing to lay down his life to protect the lakes and rivers that will be jeopardized by a north-south corridor that this government seems to favour. Chief Moonias told me that not only was he not consulted, but he did not receive so much as a phone call from either the government of Ontario or Cliffs.

These are the northwest’s resources, and this government has an obligation to ensure that we in the northwest benefit from them. This is our land, these are our resources and they are ours to benefit from. We demand that this government stop making unilateral decisions and give northerners the respect we deserve. This government must start representing our needs and interests today; otherwise, its not just Cliffs that will receive an eviction notice from the northwest, it will be the government of Ontario.

AJAX BOMB GIRLS

Mr. Joe Dickson: Speaker, I would like to introduce the Ajax Bomb Girls legacy campaign. In the last of the Great Wars, from 1939 to 1945, there was one saying that proved true here in Ontario: Behind every good man there is a great woman.

Such was the case on 28,000 government-expropriated acres of land that was known as DIL, which is now the home of Ajax, Ontario. While our heroes were at war to protect our freedom, women made up over half of the 20,000 people who worked with explosive and hazardous materials, producing over 40 million shells, as DIL, now Ajax, became the largest shell-filling and munitions plant in the entire British Empire.

This morning we introduced four women who are leading a community initiative for the women of Defence Industries Ltd. They are chair and regional councillor Colleen Jordan; treasurer and long-time councillor Pat Brown; fundraiser and retired councillor Pat Clark; and honorary patron, 90-year-old Louise Johnson.

They came daily from across Canada on horse and wagon, on bicycles, on foot, in cars and on trains, including cattle cars, to work 10 years a day, six days a week.

This community is raising funds to erect a memorial on the planned civic square, and contributions are being taken at every town of Ajax municipal facility. The premier fundraising event will be a shell-abration tribute at Deer Creek on Friday, September 28.

We honoured our fighting men and women, and now we honour our women known as the Bomb Girls just two days after Mother’s Day. God bless them all.

VISIT OF POLISH

PRIME MINISTER

Mr. John Yakabuski: History was made this past Sunday, when Polish Prime Minister His Excellency Donald Tusk visited Wilno, some 154 years after the first Polish Kashubs made Canada their new home.

Wilno became the first Polish settlement in Canada, so it was most appropriate that Prime Minister Tusk made it a major part of his state visit to Canada.

Prime Minister Tusk made good on a promise to do so a few years ago. His planned visit in 2010 was cancelled when the plane carrying Polish President Lech Kaczynski, his wife and almost 100 top government and military officials crashed, killing all aboard just days before the trip was to take place.

Tusk arrived by helicopter and toured the Polish Kashub Heritage Park and Museum. He then visited St. Stanislaus Pioneer Cemetery, where the early settlers are buried. He commented that he felt as if they were visiting the graves of our dearest relatives. He is a Kashub Pole himself.

A reception at St. Mary Catholic Church followed, where invitees had an opportunity to meet Prime Minister Tusk and other dignitaries. Guests were treated to a delicious traditional Polish meal.

When my ancestors first laid eyes on the land and the hills of Wilno, they would have been impressed by its beauty. They would have also been equally dismayed by its unsuitability for farming. There was, however, no turning back. As Peter Glofcheskie, president of the Wilno Heritage Society, said, they had to work extremely hard just to survive. What pulled them through was their faith that God would provide and his will would be done. That faith still exists today.

To all those who worked so hard to make this day possible, I say thank you. Your efforts are greatly appreciated. As a Canadian of Polish Kashub heritage, I was proud to be part of it.

REPORTS BY COMMITTEES

STANDING COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT AGENCIES

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): I beg to inform the House that the Clerk received a report on intended appointments dated May 15, 2012, of the Standing Committee on Government Agencies. Pursuant to standing order 108(f)(9), the report is deemed to be adopted by the House.

Report deemed adopted.

INTRODUCTION OF BILLS

HELPING ONTARIANS ENTER

THE SKILLED TRADES ACT, 2012 /

LOI DE 2012 VISANT

À FACILITER L’ACCÈS

AUX MÉTIERS SPÉCIALISÉS

EN ONTARIO

Mr. Dunlop moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill 91,

An Act to amend the Trades Qualification and Apprenticeship Act / Projet de loi 91, Loi modifiant la

Loi sur la qualification professionnelle et l’apprentissage des gens de métier.

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

First reading agreed to.

The Speaker (Hon. Dave Levac): The member for a short statement.

Mr. Garfield Dunlop: The bill will be called the Helping Ontarians Enter the Skilled Trades Act, 2012. The bill amends the Trades Qualification and Apprenticeship Act to specify that no more than one person may be apprenticed to each journeyperson of an employer in a trade and to remove the power to make regulations respecting the ratio of apprentices to journeypersons who may be employed by an employer in a trade.

Mr. Speaker, I’d like to also say that we’ve got some folks here today in the members’ gallery, if I could have a moment to introduce them: Gord Sproule from Merit Corp.; Stephen Sell, the Ontario Electrical League; Stewart Kiff; and, from the Pre-Apprenticeship Training Institute, Rui Cuhn, director of operations; Evan Holt; and two pre-apprenticeship young people, Michael Eccleston and Frank D’Assisi. I just wanted to give them a warm welcome. Thanks very much. It’s good to have you here.

STATEMENTS BY THE MINISTRY

AND RESPONSES

POLICE WEEK /

SEMAINE DE LA POLICE

Hon. Madeleine Meilleur: May 13 to 19 is Police Week in Ontario. It is my great pleasure and privilege to rise in this House today to express, on behalf of our government and the people of Ontario, our gratitude to the brave police officers who serve us and help keep our communities safe.

La Semaine de la police est observée au mois de mai de chaque année, en conjonction avec la Journée commémorative des agents de la paix, célébrée dans le monde entier le 15 mai.

Ontario’s annual ceremony of remembrance, which is held on the first Sunday in May each year, is an opportunity for all Ontarians to pay tribute to fallen officers.

We know that police officers face extreme risks to protect us. Sadly, sometimes those risks call upon our officers to pay the ultimate sacrifice. That was the case of the late Constable Garrett Styles of York Regional Police, who was killed last year and whose memory we honoured during this Sunday’s annual ceremony of remembrance.

We mourn the loss of the brave officers who died in the line of duty. We thank and honour them for their service and grieve with their family, friends and colleagues over their passing. We will forever treasure their memory.

Les collectivités de l’Ontario sont sûres grâce au travail de milliers d’hommes et de femmes qui servent comme agents de police. La sécurité de l’Ontario repose sur le dévouement des agents de police, qui incarnent ce qu’il y a de meilleur en nous. Ils partagent notre souhait et notre espoir de vivre dans des collectivités sécuritaires et dynamiques.

Police Week helps to strengthen the link between the police and our communities by reminding us that we must all work together. Mr. Speaker, police officers are key members of our community. They are our neighbours and our friends.

This year’s theme for Police Week, Leading the Way to a Safer Tomorrow, is all about that joint effort. It points to the need for a partnership between police and the community. It reminds us, as citizens, of the role we have to play in creating a successful partnership. The job of making our community safe is not just for the police. It involves all of us.

As we celebrate Police Week, we also acknowledge the thousands of men and women across the province whose community work helps prevent crime and helps make our communities safer.

Je tiens à remercier l’Association des chefs de police de l’Ontario de sa collaboration à l’élaboration du thème de la Semaine de la police, ainsi que tous les services de police pour les activités qu’ils ont organisées en l’honneur de la Semaine de la police dans toute la province.

Pendant cette semaine, les services de police démontreront le succès des partenariats qu’ils ont établis au sein des collectivités et inviteront le public à participer aux activités organisées.

I urge all members of this House to participate wherever they can and stand with local police officers and community organizations in working together to enhance community safety.

Thank you again to all the men and women of the police, who protect us and whose example inspires the spirit of community service in all of us. Merci.

SEXUAL ASSAULT

PREVENTION MONTH /

MOIS DE LA PRÉVENTION

DE L’AGRESSION SEXUELLE

Hon. Laurel C. Broten: I stand today to recognize May as Sexual Assault Prevention Month in Ontario. Every day in Canada, women of every age and background are victims of sexual violence.

Une femme sur trois dans ce pays sera victime de violence sexuelle durant sa vie.

One in three women in this country will experience sexual violence in their lifetime, Mr. Speaker—one in three. Just think about that shocking statistic. Think of three women in your life. Now absorb that number. Pretty startling, isn’t it?

In 82% of cases, women are violated by someone they know, and very often someone they trust. As a society, as parents, as siblings, as friends, we need to provide young women with the knowledge to recognize and protect themselves from the danger of sexual assault.

Nous devons affirmer que la violence sexuelle sous toutes ses formes est inacceptable et qu’elle ne sera pas tolérée en Ontario.

We need to affirm that sexual violence in any form is not acceptable and will not be tolerated in Ontario. Sexual Assault Prevention Month is a time to do this. It’s also a time to thank the dedicated women and men in every community who are working to end sexual violence.

Sexual Assault Prevention Month is a time to recommit our support to victims of this intolerable crime. And it is a time for each of us to ask what it means to prevent and react to sexual violence if we ever experience it as a bystander.

Just over a year ago, our government brought forward Changing Attitudes, Changing Lives, Ontario’s first sexual violence action plan.

Le plan a été conçu à l’issue de consultations dans des collectivités de toute la province, avec plus de 350 survivantes, fournisseurs de services et spécialistes des secteurs de la santé, de l’éducation et de la justice.

The plan was developed after consultation in communities across the province with more than 350 survivors, service providers and experts in the health, education and justice sectors. At that time, Jacqueline Benn-John, president of the Ontario Coalition of Rape Crisis Centres, said, “We are pleased that survivors’ voices were included in the consultation process into the development of Ontario’s sexual violence action plan. Their perspective is key to understanding the issue of sexual violence in an effort to make the lives of women safer in the future.”

La voix et l’expérience des survivantes sont centrales à ce plan, et nous continuerons d’accorder la priorité à leurs conseils.